Have you ever thought about what an all-time Team Canada lineup would look like? With the Four Nations tournament, we finally got to see best-on-best hockey for the first time in nine years. We finally got to see Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby on the same team. However, it got me thinking, imagine Crosby playing with legends like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. How insane would that be? Canada has produced some of the best talent in NHL history, so I decided to put together an all-time Team Canada roster.
A little disclaimer: I didn’t put too much stock into worrying about whether a player is a center or winger. Also, sorry if I left off your favourite player. This team is loaded with talent, so there are going to be some snubs.
Forwards
Line 1: Mario Lemieux – Wayne Gretzky – Mike Bossy
Line 2: Mark Messier – Sidney Crosby – Gordie Howe
Line 3: Joe Sakic – Connor McDavid – Steve Yzerman
Line 4: Guy Lafleur – Marcel Dionne – Phil Esposito
Just take a look at how loaded that forward group is. In total, all 12 of the forwards I’ve picked have 18,537 career points and counting! Some of the players I left off were Brian Trottier, Adam Oates, and Ron Francis. All in all, this is an absolutely STACKED forward core. Line 1 has the two best players of all time, with arguably the greatest goal-scorer ever. No one can come close to stopping Gretzky and Lemieux on the same line. Don’t believe me? Watch some of their highlights from the Canada Cup and prepare to be amazed. I think most people would agree that Crosby should be on the team, and McDavid should have the same respect. He is the most talented player to ever play hockey and is definitely deserving of a spot on this lineup with other greats.
Defensemen
Pair 1: Bobby Orr – Ray Bourque
Pair 2: Paul Coffey – Scott Niedermayer
Pair 3: Dennis Potvin – Al MacInnis
Honestly, I don’t think any team could score on this defense core. A blueline with 21 combined Norris Trophies, Hall of Famers on every pair, and there were still some snubs. Chris Pronger, Larry Robinson, and Rob Blake were some of the players I left off. But considering that a player like Dennis Potvin is on the third pair, it goes to show how many great defensemen Canada has produced. However, I don’t think anyone is complaining about the first pair. Orr and Bourque have combined for 13 Norris Trophies between the two of them, which is absolutely ridiculous.
Goalies
Patrick Roy
Martin Brodeur
This is a no-brainer. Brodeur has the most wins all-time by over 100 and has four Vezina Trophies. He has won the William M. Jennings Trophy five times and the Stanley Cup three times. Roy has won the Stanley Cup four times as well, along with three Conn Smythe Trophies. He has the same amount of Jennings Trophies and three Vezinas. You can make a strong case for either one of these goalies to be the best ever.
I hope you liked my all-time Team Canada roster. Is there anything you would change?