Big Phil
Registered User
- Nov 2, 2003
- 31,703
- 4,146
Here are my picks. This will, I'm sure, start a broad debate.
1. 1976 Team Canada
2. 1979-81 Russian Teams
3. 1987 Team Canada
4. 1987 Russian Team
5. 2002 Team Canada
Ok this why I chose this. First off it may raise some eyebrows that I chose the 2002 team. Now you may wonder why I'd put a team on there that barely beat Germany. First off they started very slow, but their last three games were Finland 2-1, Belarus 7-1 (I know I know) and USA 5-2. That's outscoring their opponents 13-4. Look at the makeup of that team though. You can literally name all of the Hall of Famers. There are no weaknesses. That team would have been tough to beat by anyone. But there will be complaints on that one, and I'll admit I could have easily put Team Canada 1984 or even Russia 1984 could have beat them too.
4.1987 Russian Team was a lot of guys in their primes. Kasatonov, Fetisov were complete blueliners. Krutov, Larionov and Makarov along with a young Kamensky. Tikhonov was still coaching but the knock was in net. Mylnikov was their weakness. If they had a goalie that matched Fuhr then they win Canada Cup '87.
3. 1987 Canada. They narrowly go ahead of the Russians. That's cause they barely beat them in the best series ever! But look at the players. Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Hawerchuk, Goulet, Anderson, Coffey, Bourque, Murphy, Fuhr all in their primes. A very hard team to beat on any given night.
2. 1979-81 Russian teams. The 1979 Challenge Cup team thrashed the NHL All Stars 6-0 in the third game. That NHL team had Bossy, Lafleur, Trottier, Perreault, Clarke, and on defence Robinson, Potvin, Salming so they were no slouches. And that 1980 Olympic team should have never lost to the USA. I think its great USA did that, making a great Hockey story if there ever was one, but the way they manhandled them 10-3 in the exhibition play was more of what this team looked like. Then in 1981 they had the KLM line at their early stages. Tretiak was still there. And they beat Canada 8-1. I mean 8-1! How can they not make this list. That Canadian team was very good too, Gretzky, Dionne, Perreault, Lafleur, Bossy, Trotts.
1. And finally I cant think of any team that would have ever been able to beat the 1976 Canadian Team. Look at the guys in their primes at that time. Lafleur, Dionne, Perreault, Clarke, Shutt, Barber. Then add guys like Espo and Hull. The worst forward may have been Lanny McDonald and he had over 90 points that year. On defence, Orr is there. Robinson, Savard, Lapointe, Potvin anchor the defence. In net you may of had a controversy picking Vachon. But he was stellar then. Cheevers was good too. But no team would have ever gotten to the net with these guys. No one would have beaten this team in a 7 game series. Gretz and Mario in '87 would take them to 6 and maybe the '79 Soviets would take them to 7 but no one woudl beat them. I dont think.
Anyways HM to the 1984 Canada/Russian Team.
1. 1976 Team Canada
2. 1979-81 Russian Teams
3. 1987 Team Canada
4. 1987 Russian Team
5. 2002 Team Canada
Ok this why I chose this. First off it may raise some eyebrows that I chose the 2002 team. Now you may wonder why I'd put a team on there that barely beat Germany. First off they started very slow, but their last three games were Finland 2-1, Belarus 7-1 (I know I know) and USA 5-2. That's outscoring their opponents 13-4. Look at the makeup of that team though. You can literally name all of the Hall of Famers. There are no weaknesses. That team would have been tough to beat by anyone. But there will be complaints on that one, and I'll admit I could have easily put Team Canada 1984 or even Russia 1984 could have beat them too.
4.1987 Russian Team was a lot of guys in their primes. Kasatonov, Fetisov were complete blueliners. Krutov, Larionov and Makarov along with a young Kamensky. Tikhonov was still coaching but the knock was in net. Mylnikov was their weakness. If they had a goalie that matched Fuhr then they win Canada Cup '87.
3. 1987 Canada. They narrowly go ahead of the Russians. That's cause they barely beat them in the best series ever! But look at the players. Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Hawerchuk, Goulet, Anderson, Coffey, Bourque, Murphy, Fuhr all in their primes. A very hard team to beat on any given night.
2. 1979-81 Russian teams. The 1979 Challenge Cup team thrashed the NHL All Stars 6-0 in the third game. That NHL team had Bossy, Lafleur, Trottier, Perreault, Clarke, and on defence Robinson, Potvin, Salming so they were no slouches. And that 1980 Olympic team should have never lost to the USA. I think its great USA did that, making a great Hockey story if there ever was one, but the way they manhandled them 10-3 in the exhibition play was more of what this team looked like. Then in 1981 they had the KLM line at their early stages. Tretiak was still there. And they beat Canada 8-1. I mean 8-1! How can they not make this list. That Canadian team was very good too, Gretzky, Dionne, Perreault, Lafleur, Bossy, Trotts.
1. And finally I cant think of any team that would have ever been able to beat the 1976 Canadian Team. Look at the guys in their primes at that time. Lafleur, Dionne, Perreault, Clarke, Shutt, Barber. Then add guys like Espo and Hull. The worst forward may have been Lanny McDonald and he had over 90 points that year. On defence, Orr is there. Robinson, Savard, Lapointe, Potvin anchor the defence. In net you may of had a controversy picking Vachon. But he was stellar then. Cheevers was good too. But no team would have ever gotten to the net with these guys. No one would have beaten this team in a 7 game series. Gretz and Mario in '87 would take them to 6 and maybe the '79 Soviets would take them to 7 but no one woudl beat them. I dont think.
Anyways HM to the 1984 Canada/Russian Team.
