1987 Canada Cup Line Combos

[meangene]

For someone who is too young to remember: what were the line combos for team Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup? I wasn't born yet, but just looking at that roster that's 3/4 Hall of Famers, it looks like the most dominant team Canada ever iced. Does anyone know/ remember who played on what line and what the D pairings were? I'd love to know.

Is there anywhere to find line combos on old teams? Would be fascinating.

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[Irato99]

Line combos for Canada were not consistent at all during the tournament, Mike Keenan did a lot of improvisation. Some games are available on youtube if you're really interested.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Line combos for Canada were not consistent at all during the tournament, Mike Keenan did a lot of improvisation. Some games are available on youtube if you're really interested.

where? i searched but found no full games.

 

[tony d]

There's also a DVD set out:

https://www.amazon.ca/Canada-Cup-87...id=1468599165&sr=8-1&keywords=canada+cup+1987

This has all the games from the tournament on it.

 

[Theokritos]

where? i searched but found no full games.

The historic video footage sticky on this very board has links to 12 full games from the 1987 Canada Cup.

 

[shazariahl]

For someone who is too young to remember: what were the line combos for team Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup? I wasn't born yet, but just looking at that roster that's 3/4 Hall of Famers, it looks like the most dominant team Canada ever iced. Does anyone know/ remember who played on what line and what the D pairings were? I'd love to know.

Is there anywhere to find line combos on old teams? Would be fascinating.

Ya, Keenan used something like 64 different line combinations through the tournament. I'm sure someone can give specific numbers (I'm probably off), but he was constantly changing things throughout the cup.

 

[Henkka]

Soviet Union:

Vladimir Krutov - Igor Larionov - Sergei Makarov
Vyacheslav Fetisov - Alexei Kasatonov

Valery Kamensky - Vyacheslav Bykov - Andrei Khomutov
Alexei Gusarov - Igor Stelnov

Aleksander Semak - Anatoli Semenov - Andrei Lomakin
Anatoli Fedotov - Vasili Pervukhin

Yuri Khmylev - Sergei Nemchinov - Sergei Prjakhin

Sergei Svetlov was injured and missed from 3rd line.

 

[Henkka]

Canada at 3rd Final

Brian Propp - Wayne Gretzky - Mario Lemieux
Glen Anderson - Mark Messier - Mike Gartner
Michel Goulet - Dale Hawerchuk - Brent Sutter
James Patrick - Doug Gilmour - Rick Tocchet

Raymond Bourque - Larry Murphy
Paul Coffey - Norman Rochefort
Craig Hartsburg - Doug Crossman


Kevin Dineen and Claude Lemieux were injured so defenceman James Patrick had to play as forward.

 

[Irato99]

Canada at 3rd Final

Brian Propp - Wayne Gretzky - Mario Lemieux
Glen Anderson - Mark Messier - Mike Gartner
Michel Goulet - Dale Hawerchuk - Brent Sutter
James Patrick - Doug Gilmour - Rick Tocchet

Raymond Bourque - Larry Murphy
Paul Coffey - Norman Rochefort
Craig Hartsburg - Doug Crossman


Kevin Dineen and Claude Lemieux were injured so defenceman James Patrick had to play as forward.

Looking at the scoresheet Goulet assisted on Tocchet goal, Sutter and Tocchet assisted on Propp goal, Propp assisted on Hawerchuk goal. On the last goal Hawerchuk centered Gretzky and Lemieux.

 

[reckoning]

The only constant was the Anderson-Messier-Gartner line. Everything else was mixed around by Keenan.

Gretzky was with Propp and Tocchet for the first three games, then after that they put him between Goulet and Sutter. For the last two games, Lemieux was put on his line at RW, with Propp, Hawerchuk, Gilmour and Goulet all getting turns in the LW spot.

The first PP line was always Messier-Gretzky-Lemieux. The four primary penalty-killing for wards were Messier, Gartner, Sutter and Gilmour.


Lines from some other countries (based on their games against Canada):

Czechoslovakia
Dolezol-Hrdina-Volek
Liba-Pasek-Vlach
Lubina-Ruzicka-Rosol
Vlk-Kucera-Josko

Finland
Tikkanen-Hagman-Kurri
Skriko-Ruuttu-Makela
Summanen-Helminen-Jarvi
Kyllonen-Ojanen-Seppo

United States
Carpenter-Otto-Olczyk
Miller-Lafontaine-Presley
Fraser-Brooke-Nilan
Millen-Johnson-Broten

 

[Henkka]

Looking at the scoresheet Goulet assisted on Tocchet goal, Sutter and Tocchet assisted on Propp goal, Propp assisted on Hawerchuk goal. On the last goal Hawerchuk centered Gretzky and Lemieux.

Like others said, Keenan was suffling lines like mad. Also that 11 forward situation didn't help.

 

[Bart9349]

Soviet Union:

Vladimir Krutov - Igor Larionov - Sergei Makarov
Vyacheslav Fetisov - Alexei Kasatonov

That '87 Canada Cup were among the greatest hockey games ever played. The Canada-Soviet games were among the most exciting ever seen.

Let us not forget the greatness of the KLM line (Krutov, Larionov, Makarov):

http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2008/06/what-about-makarov-and-krutov-will-klm.html

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1248193

The Soviet teams would routinely skate circles around most NHL teams when they would tour North America. The speed, finesse, and toughness were something to witness.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

a couple quotes from young '87 rick tocchet:

''I'm the guy who is usually at home watching Mike Bossy or somebody play in this on television."

"In 1984, Canada won with guys who people said they couldn't win with. Guys like me, grinders like John Tonelli and Brent Sutter. Guys who like to win. I think guys like Claude Lemieux and I owe them a debt of gratitude for proving that even on this level, that kind of hockey can still win."

http://articles.philly.com/1987-08-29/sports/26168685_1_canada-american-beer-blue-line


which gets me to thinking, there are some guys who are put in that environment, sometimes by fluke or coincidence, and it makes them better players than anyone would ever have dreamed. tocchet was coming off a career high 21 goal, 49 points season (in the late 80s), and it was his third year in the league. he took on an important scoring role in that year's playoffs after kerr got hurt but still, i don't think he makes that team unless his coach is picking the team.

but then look at his career from that point on: his points go from 49 to 64 to 81 to 96. his goal totals rise from 21 to 31 to 45. you have to think being in that environment with guys like gretzky and messier and those guys helped him make those huge leaps. by '91, there's no question he makes the team.

and from what i remember of replays of those '87 games i've watched over the years, tocchet was the guy you noticed most. he did so much and added so much to that team just by throwing the opposite of how the opposition would expect in that kind of tournament. i kind of imagine messier sitting him down and telling him "kid, don't pretend to be goulet, play like you play. hit hard, go to the net, and the points and the superstar stuff will come in time. that's what happened to me."

of course the classic example is iginla, who is famously invited to team canada camp as an injury fill in then goes back to calgary and out of nowhere establishes himself as far and away the best player in the world during the first half of the season.

and then on the other hand you have guys like bertuzzi, who was put in the same situation and gained absolutely nothing from it. maybe tells you about guys' characters a bit too.