From the random, whimsical mind of Mark Norman:
I was wondering the other day how high the skill level in the NHL would be if the league still only had six teams. This thought process was somewhat of a continuation from various conversations about the saturation of talent in the 12-team Olympic tournament. So, naturally, I decided to do a research project to satisfy my curiosity.
The results were spectacular. Imagine Sidney Crosby centering Patrick Marleau and Teemu Selanne (a combined 119 goals and 234 points in the 2009-10 season). Or Alex Ovechkin terrorizing opponents with linemates Jonathan Toews and Jarome Iginla (107g, 245p in 09-10). Or a defensive corps that features Zdeno Chara and Brent Seabrook patrolling the blue-line in front of Martin Brodeur. You get the idea.
Before presenting the rosters, I will briefly outline the methodology behind my madness:
1. The top players were ranked at each position to fill out the six rosters (24 centres, 48 wingers, 36 defensemen and 12 goalies). Rankings were mostly based on statistical performance this season, however I subjectively included some players who may not be shining statistically this season for a variety of reasons (injury, off year, excellent player beyond statistics, etc.).
2. Having determined the top performers at each position, I sorted each position alphabetically as a way to randomize the skill level of players.
3. I then assigned players from each position to the six teams in a “draft” format (e.g. Team #1 got centre #1, #7, #13 and #19). Because the players were sorted alphabetically, this should have resulted in a random distribution of talent level to the different teams.
4. Finally, I subjectively sorted each team into four lines (centre and two wingers), three defensive pairings and a goaltending tandem. This process was based on a combination of statistics and my own perception of players’ abilities.
5. Two other points: 1) I am sure that some worthy players were excluded, and this is obviously by no means exhaustive; 2) For the sake of convenience, I used the Original 6 teams. Obviously if I was commissioner of this league, though, the Canucks would be in the league!
Okay, so without further ado, here is this puckhead’s dream-come-true—the line-ups for a modern-day Original 6 NHL:
Boston Bruins
| Forward Lines |
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| Ovechkin | Toews | Iginla |
| Zetterberg | Lecavalier | Perry |
| Frolov | Spezza | Gionta |
| Sullivan | Duchene | Stempniak |
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| Defense Pairings |
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| Keith | Green |
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| S. Niedermayer | Brian Campbell |
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| Robidas | Zidlicky |
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| Goalies |
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| Kiprusoff |
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| Ward |
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Chicago Blackhawks
| Forward Lines |
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| Kovalchuk | Stamkos | Semin |
| Vanek | Carter | Kovalev |
| Burrows | Kesler | Hejduk |
| Backes | Mike Richards | Samuelsson |
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| Defense Pairings |
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| Lidstrom | Bouwmeester |
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| Pronger | Johnson, J |
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| Timonen | Edler |
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| Goalies |
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| Miller |
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| Bryzgalov |
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Detroit Red Wings
| Forward Lines |
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| Marleau | Crosby | Selanne |
| Cammalleri | Savard | Doan |
| Sharp | Paul Stastny | Hemsky |
| Ray Whitney | Mikko Koivu | Langenbrunner |
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| Defense Pairings |
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| Boyle | Andrei Markov |
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| Rafalski | Jovanovski |
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| Ehrhoff | Visnovsky |
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| Goalies |
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| Nabokov Fleury |
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Montreal Canadiens
| Forward Lines |
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| Daniel Sedin | Getzlaf | Heatley |
| Kessel | Brad Richards | Bobby Ryan |
| Dustin Brown | Jordan Staal | Briere |
| Holmstrom | Bergeron | Umberger |
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| Defense Pairings |
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| Doughty | Suter |
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| Blake | Erik Johnson |
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| Pitkanen | Letang |
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| Goalies |
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| Luongo |
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| Backstrom |
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New York Rangers
| Forward Lines |
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| Marian Hossa | Datsyuk | Nash |
| Elias | Henrik Sedin | Gaborik |
| Morrow | Joe Thornton | St. Louis |
| Wolski | Kopitar | Smyth |
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| Defense Pairings |
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| Weber | Kaberle |
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| Myers | Gonchar |
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| Regehr | Burns |
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| Goalies |
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| Vokoun |
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| Halak |
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Toronto Maple Leafs
| Forward Lines |
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| Parise | Malkin | Patrick Kane |
| Havlat | Backstrom | Alfredsson |
| Tavares | Eric Staal | Gagne |
| Bourque | Franzen | Pominville |
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| Defense Pairings |
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| Chara | Seabrook |
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| Phaneuf | Hamhuis |
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| Komisarek | Barker |
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| Goalies |
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| Brodeur |
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| Lundqvist |
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