The 25 Worst Trades in Montreal Canadiens History – Introduction

Earlier this year, I shared a list of the 25 Worst Trades in (modern) Toronto Maple Leafs history.  It was a trip down memory lane; painful for Leafs fans, funny for Leafs haters.  And I started thinking… what fans base would I most enjoy causing similar pain to?  The Montreal Canadiens immediately sprang to mind.  In all seriousness, my grandfather was a Habs fan, so I grew up liking them.  But I switched to the Leafs when Grant Fuhr was traded to Toronto, and my choice of Toronto was solidified by Gilmour and Sundin.  I had a blast doing the Leafs’ list, and the Canadiens were always #2 on my list thanks to the wealth of hockey history to work with.

While I was prepping this series, I was amazed the degree to which the Canadiens’ “dark” period of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s was directly associated with two waves of bad trades.  The first wave robbed the team of its depth, and the second wave robbed the team of its stars.  The Habs in the 80s were a powerhouse, making the Stanley Cup finals twice: they beat the Calgary Flames in 1986, and lost a rematch in 1989.  Montreal was also consistently one of the best teams in the NHL during that decade.  But they made some awful moves early in the 90s that started their downfall: four of the 10 Worst Trades occurred in an 18-month stretch between March 1990 and September 1991.  After winning the Stanley Cup in 1993, the Habs began crumbling.  This in turn led to a panic phase, resulting in three more deals from the “Top” 10 coming occurring during a 20-month period between February 1995 and October 1996.  It speaks quite loudly to the Canadiens’ dynasty of the 1970s that just four of the 25 Worst Trades occurred during the 1970s (compared to 13 coming occurring during the 1990s).  It is no wonder that the team fell from grace during the last half of the 90s.

As a Leafs fan, I freely acknowledge some jealousy of the Habs.  Not just because of their success during the 70s and 80s, when the Leafs spiralled out of control: but because the Canadiens fans are fans.  They aren’t corporate ticket holders who care more about being seen at the game than watching the action.  They don’t tolerate losing and mismanagement, and they will stop going to games when their team doesn’t deserve their support.  They also have no tolerance for players who fail to give a full effort on the ice, and they are far less guilty of falling in love with players who simply shouldn’t be part of the team’s core.

That being said, they have made some TRULY bone-headed moves, and this list is meant to “celebrate” some of their glorious missteps.  But don’t worry; I also have plans to do a best-of list as well.  In the meantime, this is the first in a series that will outline the 25 Worst Trades in Modern Montreal Canadiens history.  I’ll quickly explain my methodology, and identifying a few trades that didn’t quite make the cut.

One core aspect of my list (compared to some others) is that I don’t put much stock in whomever the Canadiens’ trading partner chose with the draft pick(s) received.  Fortunately for Canadiens fans, the Habs have traditionally been much more protective of their first-round picks than Toronto, avoiding a Tom-Kurvers-for-Scott-Niedermayer situation.  But as an example, a Montreal trade with St. Louis in 1985 gave the Blues a third-round pick that they used on Nelson Emerson, who was a decent offensive forward during the 1990s.  Now there is no guarantee that the Habs would have picked Emerson, so I would ignore him when determining whether the trade was bad or not.  All that matters is the draft selection(s) made by the Canadiens’, because that is the only aspect of the deal they can control.  So a deal can be a bust because the Canadiens squandered their draft choice, but a deal won’t necessarily be a bust simply because the other team hit a home run with their pick.

And with that, let’s get to a trade that surprisingly didn’t qualify for the Worst Of list, as well as a handful of honourable mentions.

Does Not Qualify: Montreal trades Sergio Momesso and Vincent Riendeau to the St. Louis Blues for Jocelyn Lemieux, Darrell May, and a 2nd Round Pick in 1989 (Patrice Brisebois) (August 9th, 1988)
This was a deal that I was absolutely certain would qualify as a terrible trade for Montreal.  Darrell May was a minor-league goalie who never played for Montreal (or even again in the NHL after the trade).  And Jocelyn Lemieux played just 35 games over two seasons for the Canadiens before being shipped to Chicago for a 3rd Round Pick (which became Charles Poulin, who never made the NHL).

Meanwhile, on the St. Louis side, things worked out fairly well.  Sergio Momesso played 191 games over three seasons with the Blues, scoring 43 goals and 110 points to go along with 469 PIM.  He was then shipped to Vancouver in one of the biggest trades in Canucks history: Momesso, Geoff Courtnall, Cliff Ronning, Robert Dirk and a fifth round pick (Brian Loney) for Dan Quinn and Garth Butcher.  That trade almost single-handedly built up the core of the team that made the run to the finals in 1994.  But despite how one-sided his departure was, Momesso still played well while he was in St. Louis and even chipped in 12 points in 22 playoff games.  Vincent Riendeau played 122 games for the Blues in 3+ seasons, going 58-45-16 with four shutouts.  He had a respectable 3.34 GAA, although his.883 save percentage was somewhat underwhelming.  He was slightly better in the playoffs, but he lost more than he won (9-11, 3.27 GAA, .886 PCT).  Riendeau was then dealt to Detroit for Rick Zombo.  So the Blues got 313 regular season games from a pair of decent players, while the Habs didn’t get much in return.  But I had forgotten that the Canadiens selected Patrice Brisebois with the 2nd round pick.

Including his a second two-year stint with the Habs to end his career, Brisebois played 896 games for the Montreal Canadiens (over sixteen seasons), which ranks him 11th all-time among Montreal players.  He played more games than Doug Harvey, Steve Shutt, Jacques Lemaire and Saku Koivu.  Those are some impressive names.  He also ranks 28th all-time in assists and 35th all-time in points among Canadiens players.  In his 14-year first stint (791 games) with the club, he had a positive +/- eight times, and was +10 or better three times.  He was +10 overall despite a horrendous -31 in ’00-01 (a clear outlier for him).  He scored 10+ goals four times, 20+ assists nine times, and 30+ points seven times.  While not an overly physical player (typically getting 15-30 PIM), he had four seasons with 60+ PIM.  He left for Colorado as a free agent, but two years later he was back and played a final 105 games as a Hab.  Those are impressive numbers, and it’s a shame he wasn’t able to be a lifelong Canadiens player.  But his long tenure and consistency (plus his 89 playoff games for the Habs) definitely makes this trade even at worst, and possibly even a modest win for the Canadiens.

Dis-Honourable Mention: Montreal trades Gilbert Delorme, Greg Paslawski and Doug Wickenheiser the St. Louis Blues for Perry Turnbull (December 21, 1983)
Perry Turnbull was a bust for the Habs.  He lasted just half a season, scoring 13 points and posting a -12 rating in 40 games (along with 3 points in 9 playoff games).  He was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for Lucien Deblois, who left for Quebec as a free agent after scoring 54 points in 112 games for Montreal.  Not much of a return.

While the price paid wasn’t exactly astronomical, the Habs gave up a fairly useful player in Greg Paslawski.  Paslawski had four seasons of 20+ goals and twice cleared 50 points, with a high of 29 goals and 64 points in ’86-87.  He was also a hero in the Blues’ run to the Conference Finals in 1986, scoring 10 goals and 17 points in 17 games.  After parts of six seasons with St. Louis he was flipped to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal for draft picks, one of which was sent to Boston for Steve Leach.  Wickenheiser didn’t amount to much; his best output was 23 goals and 43 points in ’84-85.  He played in parts of four seasons with the Blues before leaving via waivers.  The last piece, Gilbert Delorme, played an uneventful year-and-a-half in St. Louis before being dealt to Quebec for Bruce Bell.  The loss of the productive Paslawski makes this a bad trade, but not awful enough to make the worst-of list.

Dis-Honourable Mention: Montreal trades Dan Daoust to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 3rd Round Pick in 1984 (later traded to the Minnesota North Stars, who selected Ken Hodge Jr.) (December 17, 1982)
Daoust was very productive for Toronto in his first three seasons, scoring 179 points in 205 games.  He then settled into more of a defensive role, but he still played 518 games (of his 522 career total) as a Maple Leaf.  He was a decent NHL forward on a bad team.  The Habs flipped the draft pick to Montreal with Mark Napier and Keith Acton for Bobby Smith.  Although a third-round pick itself isn’t worth 500+ games from a quality NHL player, this trade (similar to the Paslawski deal) was bad but not awful.

Dis-Honourable Mention: Montreal trades Donald Brashear to the Vancouver Canucks for Jassen Cullimore (November 13, 1996)
Donald Brashear was very early in his career when he was dealt to the Canucks, where he became something of a fan favourite.  He played 388 games over six seasons.  Not exactly an offensive dynamo, he only hit double-digits in goals once (11 in ’99-00), and only once cleared 20 points (28 in ’00-01).  He only had one playoff appearance for the Canucks (four games in ’00-01), but he was a popular enforcer with an impressive 1,159 PIM.  He cleared 200 PIM in each of his first three years in Vancouver, including a staggering 372 in ’97-98.  Meanwhile, Jassen Cullimore was absolutely wasted in Montreal.  After three appearances for the Canadiens in ’97-98, he was claimed by the Tampa Bay Lightning on waivers.  He then played another 696 NHL games, with his final games coming in the 2010-11 season.  He also won a Stanley Cup ring with Tampa Bay in 2004.  To add insult to injury, Brashear played another 526 games post-Vancouver, meaning he played in 914 games after leaving Montreal.  So the Canadiens lost out on both ends of the deal.

That’s all for now; tune in soon for the trades ranking #21-25 among the Worst Montreal Canadiens Trades in Modern History.

NHL All-Decade Team: 1980s Minnesota North Stars

This is part of a series detailing the all-decade team for every NHL franchise for the 1980s.  The all-time teams were compiled using a mix of skill, longevity and statistics; it is not necessarily the best, most memorably or most talented players.  Instead, this is the list of players by each position who had the best numbers over a prolonged period (i.e. at least three full seasons between 1980-81 and 1989-90) during the regular season.

Team: Minnesota North Stars (1980-81 to 1989-90)
326-347-127, .487 WIN PCT, 2,978 GF vs. 3,043 GA, -65 Diff, 8/10 Playoff Appearances, 0 Stanley Cups
Minnesota started the decade out quite strongly, posting 85+ points in five of the first six seasons in the decade (including two 90+ point seasons).  But the wheels fell in the last half of the decade, and the North Stars lost 165 games over the final four seasons of the 1980s.  But thanks to playing in a very weak division, they still made the playoffs eight times (including qualifying with just 62 points in ’84-85).  Minnesota was a surprisingly balanced two-way team.  Their offense was below average, ranking 15th with 3.72 goals for per game.  But their defense was firmly middle-of-the-pack, ranking 11th with 3.80 goals against per game.  Their differential was a decent-enough -65, ranking 11th, and their 48.7% win percentage during the 1980s ranked them 12th for the decade.  They had two strong playoff runs during the first half of the decade: they made it to the finals in 1981 (losing to the New York Islanders), and the Semi-Finals in 1984 (where they were taken out en route to the Edmonton Oilers’ first Stanley Cup).  While they had enough ups and downs to give their fan base heart attacks, they did have some memorable seasons during the decade.

Left Wing: Brian Bellows (593GP, 277-295-572, -54, 453 PIM, 32 GWG)

Brian Bellows is one of those players who just looked out of place in any other uniform besides the North Stars jersey.  He was a fantastic talent for them in the 1980s.  Not great defensively (he never had a positive +/- rating), he was always a point-per-game threat.  During his eight seasons for Minnesota in the 1980s, he never scored less than 23 goals or 50 points.  He had a 55-goal, 99-point season in ’89-90, his high-water mark.  He also added two 40-goal seasons, two 30-goal seasons and three 20-goal seasons.  He scored 79+ points four times in total, and his 32 game-winning goals represented a healthy 12% of his goal total.  He was a great powerplay threat too, twice hitting 21 PPG and getting double-digits on three other occasions.    He even potted 12 short-handed goals.   A consistent threat from the left side for Minnesota.

Centre: Neal Broten (639 GP, 216-444-660, +25, 393 PIM, 23 GWG)
Neal Broten was practically born to wear North Stars green.  He played three games during the ’80-81 season, and was a regular for the rest of the decade.  Although there were some durability and consistency issues, he was a solid player.  Six of his nine full seasons saw him post a positive +/- rating, and in eight he scored 18 or more goals.  He had a pair of 30-goal seasons, and four seasons of 85+ points (including a high of 105 in ’85-86).  A talented playmaker, he had four seasons of 60+ assists.  He was also a threat on special teams, consistently chipping in 4-9 PPG a season and a few SHG too (16 over 8+ seasons).

Right Wing: Dino Ciccarelli (602 GP, 332-319-651, Even, 642 PIM, 27 GWG)
Dino was a mainstay on the North Stars’ right wing until he 1\was shipped to Washington with Bob Rouse in a blockbuster deal that saw Mike Gartner and Larry Murphy come the other way.  Dino was one of those players you hated unless he was on your team.  Because not only was he capable of playing tough and getting under his opponents’ skin, but he was talented too.  For Minnesota in the 80s, he had two 50-goal seasons, two 40-goal seasons, and three 30-goal seasons.  He cleared 100 points twice, and had two more seasons in 86-89 range.  He consistently had moderate PIM totals, with four seasons of 79+.  He was a beast on the powerplay with two 20+ PPG seasons, and five others of 13+.  He also had 200 or more shots on goal in every season where he played at least 65 games.  One of the better players in the history of the North Stars, not just the 1980s.

Defense: Craig Hartsburg (491 GP, 84-285-369, -3, 737 PIM, 10 GWG)
Craig Hartsburg managed to do something I thought nearly impossible: keep a fairly even +/- rating in the Norris division during the 1980s.  He was never worse than -9, and never better than +11.  He was also quite talented offensively: he posted double-digit goal totals five times in nine seasons, made even more impressive when you consider he played 32 games or less four times.  In his five FULL seasons, he scored 60+ points three times, including a high of 77 in ’81-82.  He also hit 50 assists three times, and had another season of 47 assists.  He wasn’t shy about physical play, with four 100+ PIM seasons and another with 93.  He would chip in a few powerplay goals as well, with 33 of his 84 goals coming with the man advantage.  It’s a shame wasn’t more durable, because he had some terrific numbers on a team that didn’t have much blueline depth during this decade.

Defense: Gordie Roberts (555 GP, 33-224-257, +11, 832 PIM, 2 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Curt Giles
Curt Giles made a strong case for himself with his consistency (five seasons of 23-30 points, only one negative +/- rating in ten seasons), but Roberts managed to hit some higher highs (although he dropped off towards the end of his tenure).  Gordie Roberts was a fantastic defenseman for Minnesota in his first five seasons, and then somewhat ordinary for his final three.  He scored 30+ assists and 34+ points in each of his first five seasons, including a high of 53 in ’83-84.  He was also willing to stand up for himself, hitting 100+ PIM in six of his eight seasons (and 94 in another).    Not much of a powerplay threat, he was a reliable two-way player.  A bit inconsistent defensively (four seasons of positive +/-, and three negative), but he brought a nice mix of skill and toughness to Minnesota in the 80s.

Goalie: Jon Casey (158 GP, 62-57-21, 4 SO, 3.33 GAA, 0.894 PCT)
Honourable Mention to Gilles Meloche
There really wasn’t much to choose from in Minnesota’s net during the 1980s.  Casey made the cut with two strong seasons at the end of the decade, and three seasons of sporadic appearances.  Gilles Meloche had five seasons in Minnesota with above-.500 records in four of them, but his GAA wasn’t great (3.66 in 220 games), and his save percentage was erratic.  Casey will always be fondly remembered for backing the North Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 1991, and he rose to prominence in the last half of the 80s.  In his two seasons as a starter he went 49-39-16 with four shut-outs with a 3.15 GAA and a .897 PCT.  Prior to that he was up-and-down between Minnesota and the minors, playing 42 games over parts of three seasons.  But he when you consider that his strong record and stats came during a time when Minnesota’s record was 63-77-20, it makes it even more impressive.  Plus he had a kick-ass goalie mask, something that is difficult to ignore.

NHL All-Decade Team: 1980s Los Angeles Kings

This is part of a series detailing the all-decade team for every NHL franchise for the 1980s.  The all-time teams were compiled using a mix of skill, longevity and statistics; it is not necessarily the best, most memorably or most talented players.  Instead, this is the list of players by each position who had the best numbers over a prolonged period (i.e. at least three full seasons between 1980-81 and 1989-90) during the regular season.

Team: Los Angeles Kings (1980-81 to 1989-90)
311-384-105, .454 WIN PCT, 3,241 GF vs. 3,487 GA, -246 Diff, 7/10 Playoff Appearances, 0 Stanley Cups
Los Angeles struggled mightily during the 1980s: they only had three decades with above-.500 records, but four seasons below 70 points (including three seasons where their winning percentage was below 40%).  Fortunately they tended to play in the same division as the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets, who were each very up-and-down during the decade.   However, their playoff success was limited by the fact that they typically ran into either the Edmonton Oilers or Calgary Flames; the Kings never made it past the second round, and only won three playoff series (with two of those coming after the Wayne Gretzky trade in 1988).  Overall, L.A.’s win percentage was a very poor 45.4%, which ranked 15th out of 21 teams in the decade.  They were an offensive juggernaut: they scored an average of 4.05 goals per game, third in the league behind the afore-mentioned Oilers and Flames.  However, they were awful in their own zone: they allowed 4.36 goals per game, second-worst in the league (only Toronto’s 4.47 was worse).  The result was a poor -246 differential, 14th in the league.  So they were an exciting offensive team that was probably a blast to watch, but their lack of success (and relevance in the market pre-Gretzky) made them tough to cheer for.

 

Left Wing: Luc Robitaille (317 GP, 196-198-394, -14, 213 PIM, 20 GWG)
The Kings were certainly lucky when they drafted Luc.  He scored 45 goals and 84 points in his rookie season. He then scored 53, 46 and 52 goals over the next four, twice scoring 100+ points (and once scoring 98).  His +/- was poor at first, but improved: -27 his first two seasons, +13 the next two.  He also had 17+ powerplay goals three times, and had a respectable 20 game-winning goals.  He was always a threat on the ice, as evidenced by his 199+ shots each season.  One of the best offensive left wingers in NHL history, and definitely the best in L.A. during the 1980s.

Centre: Marcel Dionne (531 GP, 309-436-745, +44, 312 PIM, 31 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Bernie Nicholls
Bernie Nicholls was phenomenal after Wayne Gretzky’s arrival: he scored 225 points in 126 games before being dealt to New York in ’89-90.  In ’88-89, Nicholls scored 70 goals and 150 points, along with a +30 rating.  Bernie had seven other seasons of 27+ goals (maxing out at 46) and three other seasons of 95+ points.  But his +/- was pretty bad; excluding ’88-89, he was -71 (and never better than +2).  So Marcel gets the nod.

Dionne is arguably the greatest player in Kings’ history.  Gretzky may have been more talented, but Dionne was the driving force behind the franchise for a very long time.  Even though he was fading as the 1980s wore on, he was still incredible.  The centrepiece of the famed “Triple Crown” line, Dionne opened the decade with three straight seasons of 50+ goals, and he had four 100+ seasons during the 80s.  He never had less than 24 goals or 50 assists, and only once dipped below 92 points in seven seasons.  His +/- was fair at best, typically in the -10 to +11 range.  But remember, he played on some brutal teams, so this is quite respectable.  He scored double-digit powerplay goals in six of seven seasons, and had 31 game-winning goals.  He also had 300+ shots on goal four times, only once dipping below 278.  One of the most prolific scorers of his generation.

Right Wing: Dave Taylor (677 GP, 286-455-741, +64, 1,058 PIM, 26 GWG)
Taylor played much of his L.A. career on Dionne’s right wing, but this is not to suggest Taylor was in any way carried by Dionne (or Charlie Simmer, the other member of the Triple Crown line).  Taylor was a great player in his own right.  He played all ten seasons during the decade for the Kings, and scored 20+ eight times (including two 40-goal season and two 30-goal seasons).  He was defensively responsible, with a +/- typically in the -3 to +17 range despite playing on one of the most defensively-challenged squads of the 1980s.  He was also tough, posting 100+ penalty minutes five times (and never less than 76).  He had four seasons with double-digits in PPG, seven seasons of 141+ shots on goal.  Not quite as clutch as I expected (his 26 game-winners are 9% of his total), he was a great leader for the Kings and one of their best players of all time.

 

Defense: Steve Duchesne (304 GP, 74-156-230, +36, 311 PIM, 9 GWG)
Duchesne blossomed as a talented offensive defenseman in Los Angeles during the last half of the decade.  He improved from 38 to 55 to 75 points in his first three seasons, and had a balanced +/- rating overall.  24 of his 74 goals came on the powerplay, so he was clearly a major threat with the man advantage.  He also chipped in 9 game-winning goals, a healthy 12% of his total.  He also managed 190+ shots on goal three times as a defenseman.  He twice cleared 20 goals, and twice cleared 40 assists.

 

Defense: Larry Murphy (242 GP, 52-155-207, +2, 255 PIM, 4 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Mark Hardy and Jay Wells
Larry Murphy was a Hall-of-Famer who spent his formative years in the yellow and purple Kings jersey.  In each of three full seasons to start the decade, Murphy had 14+ goal and 60+ points.  He was also chippy, posting 79-85 PIM per season.  22 of his goals came with the man advantage, and he fired 150+ shots on net each season.  Those numbers coupled with a decent +/- demonstrates that he was on his way to becoming a top defenseman in the NHL.  Mark Hardy and Jay Wells both get honourable mentions for strong performances over eight-year stretches, but Murphy was just a better player at a time when the Kings needed skilled players.  Hardy had consistently good offensive numbers: never less than 25 points, and four times hitting the 39-53 range; but he was terrible for +/- (-100 in eight seasons), only having two positive seasons and twice hitting -30.  Wells was much more responsible defensively, managing somehow to post a +1 rating over the same span as Hardy (and five times posting a positive rating).  But his offensive numbers were weak for most of his tenure, only twice exceeding 25 points.

 

Goalie: Mario Lessard (141 GP, 51-60-22, 5 SO, 3.91 GAA, 0.841 PCT*)
*NOTE: save percentage is for  ’82-83 and ’83-84 only
The Kings’ net in the 1980s was a veritable rotating door of players who simply didn’t manage to have a discernible impact.  Kelly Hrudey arrived at the end of the decade, but didn’t play enough to qualify for the Best-Of 1980s list.  Gerry Laskowski, Mike Blake, Bob Janecyk, Darren Elliott, Rollie Melanson and Glenn Healy were all “starters” for at least one season in Los Angeles (and by that I mean they ended the season with the most games played in net).  None of them lasted more than two seasons as #1, and of those who did, none of them managed decent numbers in their second season.  Mario Lessard lands the Best of the 80s label by process of elimination: he had close to a .500 record, and had a goals-against average below 4.00.  That’s it: those were the lone criteria by which he qualified for this list.  Nothing against Lessard, but when he’s the best goalie that the team had over an entire decade, it should come as absolutely no surprise that the Kings were the second-worst defensive team during the 1980s.

NHL All-Decade Team: 1980s Hartford Whalers

This is part of a series detailing the all-decade team for every NHL franchise for the 1980s.  The all-time teams were compiled using a mix of skill, longevity and statistics; it is not necessarily the best, most memorably or most talented players.  Instead, this is the list of players by each position who had the best numbers over a prolonged period (i.e. at least three seasons between 1980-81 and 1989-90) during the regular season.

Team: Hartford Whalers (1980-81 to 1989-90)
312-394-94, .449 PCT, 2,815 GF vs. 3,161 GA, -346 Diff, 5/10 Playoff Appearances, 0 Stanley Cups
Hartford is a team I’ve always had a soft spot for, even though they were never exactly a dominant team.  They were below .500 in seven out of 10 seasons during the 1980s, and missed the playoffs five times.  They also won just one playoff series, and were knocked out in the first round on four other occasions.  Of 21 NHL teams, their 44.9% win percentage ranked 16th.  It speaks to just how all-out offensive the decade was when the Whalers’ 3.95 GA per game ranked 13th in the league.  However, Hartford’s offense was definitely a weak spot; their 3.52 GF per game ranked 19th (third last).  This all combined to leave them with a -346 goal differential, 16^th in the league over the decade.  But they did have a few bright spots; after a truly TERRIBLE start to the decade (winning a combined 61 games in their first three seasons), the Whalers improved their points total five years in a row, topping out at 93 points in ’86-87.  And they did make the playoffs the final five years of the decade.  And despite their struggles and inconsistencies, they managed to contribute some significant names to hockey lore, and seem to still be a lovable franchise for many hockey fans some 15 years after they moved to Carolina.

Left Wing: Blaine Stoughton (277 GP, 163-114-277, -70, 144 PIM, 20 GWG)
Honourable Mention: Sylvain Turgeon
I considered Turgeon (2x 40-goal/70-point seasons, 178 goals and 328 points), but his play dropped off as the Whalers started to get competitive.  Stoughton on the other hand was the driving force offensively on some fairly terrible Whalers teams.  The Whalers scored 1,105 goals during Stoughton’s four seasons during the 1980s: Stoughton scored 163, or 15%.  Including his assists, he was involved in 25% of the team’s offense.  He scored 43, 52 and 45 goals in the first three seasons of the decades before falling to 23 in a partial season.  While his +/- was weak, the team was a collective -341 during his time there.  He also chipped in 20 game-winning goals for a team that only won 89 games over four seasons: he was responsible for the game-winning goal in 22% of Hartford’s wins during his four years with the Whalers during the 80s.  Unquestionably one of Hartford’s early heroes.

Centre: Ron Francis (647 GP, 243-502-745, -44, 487 PIM, 34 GWG)
As if this could be anyone else.  Francis WAS the Hartford Whalers.  In his rookie season of 1981-82, he scored 25 goals and 68 points in 59 games.  In the eight seasons he never scored fewer than 23 goals, 48 assists or 75 points.  He scored 30+ goals three times, had 60+ assists three times, and cleared 90+ points three times (including a high of 101 points in ’89-90).  He also improved his game with the team; he was -71 in his first four seasons, but +27 in his next five.  And he wasn’t afraid get physical, clearing 60+ PIM four times.   Francis also drove the power play, with 73 goals (including three double-digit PPG seasons).  He finished the 80s with 745 points in 647 games, very impressive numbers considering the fact that Hartford’s offense ranked third from the bottom in offence during the decade.  The loss of Francis in a very one-sided deal with Pittsburgh early in the 1990s began the Whalers’ downward slide, and a trend of ending up on the wrong end of blockbuster deals.  But man was Francis fun to watch in his Hartford days.

Right Wing: Kevin Dineen (412 GP, 193-200-393, +4, 902 PIM, 27 GWG)
After Francis, Dineen is probably Mr. Whaler.  And where Francis was the face of the franchise, Dineen was arguably its true heart and soul.  He began his Whalers career with 25 goals and 41 points in 57 games during the ’84-85 season.  Over the following five seasons, he scored 25+ goals every season and 66+ points four times.  He was fairly consistent at both ends of the ice, with a +4 rating overall.  He had a two 40+ goal seasons and a 33-goal season.  In addition to being skilled, he was also quite tough: he logged 110+ PIM in every season, including a high of 217 in ’87-88.  He was also fairly clutch, scoring 27 game-winning goals (14% of his total).

Defense: Ulf Samuelsson (401 GP, 28-126-154, +57, 936 PIM, 3 GWG)
FULL disclosure here: if I had used ’79-80 instead of ’80-81 as the starting point, we would be talking about Mark Howe here.  However, using the decade outlined Howe only had two seasons (’80-81 and ’81-82) in Hartford, which was below the three-season cut-off.  But after Mr. Howe, Ulf Samuelsson was by FAR the best Whalers’ defenseman of the 1980s.  First off, he was a rarity in that his +/- was fairly consistently in the positive side of the ledger: he was positive in four of his six seasons, including twice in the +23 to +28 range.  He was also very tough, posting 159-181 PIM in five consecutive seasons.  He even chipped in offensively, with three seasons of 30+ points (including a high of 41 in ’87-88).  He was the very definition of the player you hate unless he plays for your team: edgy to the point of being dirty (just ask Boston Bruins’ fans about Cam Neely’s knees), but a tremendous talent in his own right.

Defense: Dave Babych (341 GP, 44-190-234, -62, 250 PIM, 8 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Risto Siltanen
Picking the best Whalers’ defenseman after Samuelsson is a bit like picking the best slice of pizza from a box that was left out overnight: nothing looks particularly appealing, but you take what you can get.  I considered Siltanen due to his strong offensive play (four 30+ point seasons, including a high of 53), but his +/- was TERRIBLE: -82 in four seasons, including -39 in ’82-83.  So I went with Dave Babych instead.  Now Babych was a quality offensive defenseman with passing skills: he recorded at least 33 assists and 41 points in each of his five seasons in Hartford during the 80s, including two 50+ point seasons.  He also scored at least six goals each year, including a high of 14 goals in ’87-88.  But his +/- was terrible despite his playing on the stronger Hartford teams of the decade: he was -16 or worse three times, and was only positive once (+2 in ’85-86).  He also wasn’t an overly physical player, never exceeding 62 PIM.  But he did help run their power play, scoring 32 PPG (including 24 in his first three seasons in Hartford).  And 8 of his 44 goals were game-winners (18% of his total).  Plus he had an amazing ‘stache, always a consideration for 1980s greatness.  But it speaks to how shallow the Whalers’ blueline was in that decade when a defenseman with a -62 rating from their STRONG teams rates #2: Hartford was +45 during Babych’s time on the blueline (’85-86 to ’89-90).

Goalie: Mike Liut (253 GP, 116-111-17, 13 SO, 3.36 GAA, 0.882 PCT)
As with Francis, this was a pick that was NEVER in doubt.  When you consider the list of “all-time” Whalers goalies, there are literally just two names that come to mind: Mike Liut and Sean Burke.  It is absolutely no coincidence that Hartford’s arrival as a respectable franchise coincided with Liut’s acquisition from St. Louis.  Liut was .500 or better in four of his five full seasons in Hartford, posting 25+ wins three times (including 31 wins in ’86-87, when he made the NHL’s Second All-Star Team).  He also recorded a respectable 13 shutouts.  His goals against average was very respectable for his era, as was his save percentage.  He was one of a handful of truly elite goalies during the decade: not just for Hartford, but for the entire NHL (just a step below Patrick Roy and Grant Fuhr).

NHL All-Decade Team: 1980s Edmonton Oilers

This is part of a series detailing the all-decade team for every NHL franchise for the 1980s.  The all-time teams were compiled using a mix of skill, longevity and statistics; it is not necessarily the best, most memorably or most talented players.  Instead, this is the list of players by each position who had the best numbers over a prolonged period (i.e. at least three full seasons between 1980-81 and 1989-90) during the regular season.

Team: Edmonton Oilers (1980-81 to 1989-90)
456-239-105, .636 WIN PCT, 3,817 GF vs. 3,020 GA, +797 Diff, 10/10 Playoff Appearances, 5 Stanley Cups

The greatest team of the 1980s, as if anything else needs to be said.  The Oilers goal differential was +797, and they only played 800 games during the decade.  They averaged 4.77 goals per game, well ahead of #2 Calgary’s 4.29.  And they allowed 3.78 goals against per game, which ranked a respectable 10th.  Edmonton’s 63.6% win percentage was well ahead of 32 Montreal’s 60.6%, and no other team was above 60%.  They won 5 Stanley Cups during the decade, and lost a sixth final appearance against the New York Islanders.  They were the last great dynasty in the history of the NHL.  There have been some modern “extended” dynasties like the Red Wings, Devils and Avalanche, but none have come close to what the Oilers achieved (five cups in seven years).  They had just one sub-.500 season (’80-81), two seasons with win percentage so 74.4%, and three seasons with at least 50 wins.  They had six consecutive seasons of 100+ points from ’81-82 to ’86-87, (including twice hitting 119), and then just fell short with 99 points in ’87-88.  Without a doubt, the greatest team of the 1980s.

Left Wing: Esa Tikkanen (337 GP, 125-181-306, +97, 554 PIM, 20 GWG)
After a half-season stint in ’85-86, Tikkanen was a regular for the rest of the decade.  Three 70+ point seasons, three 30+ goal seasons.  Never lower than 23 goals or 63 points.  He was always positive for +/-. Including a high of +44 in ’86-87.  His 25 powerplay goals are decent, but his 13 short-handed goals (including eight in ’88-89 and then four in ’89-90) are incredible.  And 20 of his goals were game-winners, a whopping 16% of his goal total.  To top it all off, he was a super pest who had three seasons of 120+ PIM.  Exactly the kind of player you wanted to distract and agitate the opposition, especially if it meant their goons and tough guys came after him instead of your franchise player.

Centre: Wayne Gretzky (617 GP, 532-1,000-1,532, +536, 302 PIM, 55 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Mark Messier
Messier scored 368 goals and 937 points for the Oilers, including five 100+ point seasons and three 45+ goal seasons… and he still ranks second.  That tells you just how damned good Gretzky was.  Wayne Gretzky scored 1,000 assists for the Oilers during his eight seasons in the 1980s.  ASSISTS… not points.  With most other players, I’ve talked about 100+ point seasons.  Gretzky had FOUR seasons of 200+ points, and another with 196.  He scored 92 goals in one seasons, 87 in another, and had two more seasons of 71-73 goals.  He only scored less than 50 once: he put in 40 in ’87-88, partly because he only played 64 games (which still works out to 50-goal pace).

He was so dominant at puck possession and control that the other team virtually never had the puck; Gretzky had a +70 rating or better FIVE TIMES in eight seasons, and his worse rating was +39.  He almost hit triple-digits, with a +98 rating in ’84-85.  He had six seasons of double-digit powerplay goals, and two seasons of double-digit short-handed goals (including 23 SHG over a two-year span).  And he certainly wasn’t afraid to shoot: Gretzky had 324 or MORE shots five consecutive seasons, and never fired less than 211 times in a season.  What’s even more amazing is that he scored on 26.9% of his 324 shots in ’83-84.  Gretzky’s numbers go beyond insane to outright ludicrous.  This numerical insanity is evidence that his nickname of “The Great One” is more than justified.

Right Wing: Jari Kurri (754 GP, 474-569-1,043, +351, 348 PIM, 55 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Glenn Anderson
Glenn Anderson was an incredible offensive talent: nine 30+ goal seasons (including two 50-goal seasons), and three seasons of 100+ points (plus another of 99).  And yet he’s the #2 right winger during the 1980s for Edmonton.  Kurri played all ten seasons in the 1980s for Edmonton.  He never scored less than 32 goals, and only twice scored less than 90 points (his lowest was 75 points as a rookie in ’80-81).  He cleared 50 goals four times, including 71 in ’84-85 and 68 in ’85-86.  He added another three 40-goal seasons and another three 30-goal seasons.  He cleared 100 points six times (including a pair of 131+ point seasons), and had two others in the 93-96 range.  He had at least 200+ shots in all but one season (where he still managed 194).  He had seven seasons of double-digit PPG totals, and scored 5+ SHG three times.  What’s more, 12% of his staggering 474 goals were game-winners.  And he was capable of responsible two-way play, never posting a as +/- rating lower than +18 (including a high of +76 in ’84-85).  And for people who say he was dependent on Gretzky: in his last two seasons with Wayne, he scored 97 goals and 204 points along with a +44 rating.  In his first two seasons without Wayne, he scored 77 goals and 195 points along with a +37 rating.  The man was a Hall-of-Famer through and through.

Defense: Paul Coffey (532 GP, 209-460-669, +271, 693 PIM, 18 GWG)
The greatest offensive defenseman of the decade, bar none.  During a five-year stretch from ’81-82 to ’85-86 he scored between 29 and 48 goals, as well as between 89 and 138 points.  He cleared 40 goals twice, and cleared 120 points three times.  He had ratings of +52 to +61 four years in a row, and had six consecutive seasons of at least nine powerplay goals (plus 9 short-handed goals in ’85-86).  He had an edge to his play, contributing 100+ PIM in four seasons (and two others of 87 and 97 respectively).  As a DEFENSEMAN, he had 234 or more shots five years in a row, including 307 shots in ’85-86.  It’s unfortunate a contract dispute ended with his being dealt to Pittsburgh, because that was the first sign that salary constraints were going to break up the Oilers’ dynasty ahead of its time.

Defense: Charlie Huddy (641 GP, 76-265-341, +247, 468 PIM, 6 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Kevin Lowe
This was a tough one, but in the end I chose Huddy over Lowe.  Kevin Lowe was a heart-and-soul type who played all but 26 of the Oilers’ 800 games during the 1980s.  He had five 30+ point seasons (including three 40+ point efforts), and only had one season with negative +/-.  But Charlie Huddy’s numbers were as good in 130 fewer games (it took him two seasons to become a regular), and he doesn’t get nearly as much credit as Lowe.  Huddy had six seasons of 40+ points, including two 50+ point seasons.  He scored 20 goals once, and had two others in double-digits.  He hit 30+ assists five times.  He was a rock defensively.  He weakened in the post-Gretzky years, but from ’81-82 to ’86-88 he had a +/- rating of +17 or better, including ratings between +50 to +62 over a three-year span.  His lack of powerplay goals suggest either he was never a major presence on the power, or he was always passing the puck to Coffey or one of the forwards.  Huddy doesn’t get as much fanfare as other Oilers’ blueliners (even Randy Gregg seems to get more respect), but in my opinion he was the best defenseman not named Coffey for the Oilers’ during their glory years.

Goalie: Grant Fuhr (410 GP, 220-113-51, 8 SO, 3.71 GAA, 0.877 PCT*)
*NOTE: Save Percentage from ’87-88 to ’89-90 only
Honourable Mention to Andy Moog

 
It speaks to the insane depth of the Oilers that they have an honourable mention at C, RW, D and G (i.e. players who would arguably be good enough to rank on the 1980s Best-Of list for most NHL teams).  Moog shared the Oilers’ goaltending duties with Fuhr from ’82-83 to -83-84.  They went back and forth but typically played a relatively even number of games during that five-year span.  Moog was 143-52-21 in 325 games with a 3.71 GAA and a .886 save percentage, along with four shut-outs.  His numbers were actually slightly ahead of Fuhr’s, but Fuhr’s longevity (and the fact that he played more playoff games during their tandem period) gives him the nod.  Fuhr had 22+ wins in seven of his nine seasons during the 1980s, and the only two where he failed to hit that milestone saw him play less than 40 games.  He hit a high of 40 wins during Gretzky’s final season (’87-88), and only twice lost more than 12 games.  His goals-against average was up-and-down: he had three  seasons below 3.50, and five seasons above 3.80.  But Fuhr’s mission was never to get a shut-out (he only had 8 in 410 games): his mission was to make sure the Oilers allowed at least one goal less than they scored.  And considering he won 220 out of his 410 games, I’d say mission accomplished (in game where the result was attributed to Fuhr, he recorded 491 out of a possible 768 points, or a 63.9% win percentage).  He may not have had the best stats, but he was one of the greatest money goalies in NHL history, and definitely the best goaltender for Edmonton during the 1980s.

I also saw a picture of Wayne Gretzky from the heritage classic, which I’m sharing here.

For anyone who ever wondered what his time in Edmonton meant to him, the answer is in the gigantic smile on his face.  That is a bigger smile than he ever had during his time with the New York Rangers or that week he spent as a member of the St. Louis Blues.  And he always seemed more serious than joyful in Los Angeles, like he knew it was more business than pleasure (likely because he was the engine behind U.S. expansion, and because there really wasn’t much of a supporting cast around him for most of his tenure with the Kings).  If Gretzky had stayed in Edmonton, and that team had been kept together another few years, it could have been one of the greatest dynasties of all time instead of the greatest dynasty of the 1980s (apologies to the New York Islanders).

And with that, I give you one final picture:

That’s the confident come-hither look of a man who KNOWS he’s The Great One.  Arguably the greatest of all-time, and bar-none the best player on the greatest team of the 1980s.

NHL All-Decade Team: 1980s Detroit Red Wings

This is part of a series detailing the all-decade team for every NHL franchise for the 1980s.  The all-time teams were compiled using a mix of skill, longevity and statistics; it is not necessarily the best, most memorably or most talented players.  Instead, this is the list of players by each position who had the best numbers over a prolonged period (i.e. at least three full seasons between 1980-81 and 1989-90) during the regular season.

Team: Detroit Red Wings (1980-81 to 1989-90)
273-410-117, .414 WIN PCT, 2,845 GF vs. 3,311 GA, -466 Diff, 5/10 Playoff Appearances, 0 Stanley Cups
Man, Detroit certainly earned their “Dead Things” nickname during 1980s, didn’t they?  The Wings had exactly one .500 season (’88-89, 80 points) and one above-.500 season (’87-88, 93 points) during the decade.  They had four seasons of 57 points or less, including a truly awful 17-57-6 record in ’85-86.  The fact that the Wings made the playoffs at all in the first half of the decade is a testament to just how bad the Maple Leafs were during this time (they made the playoffs with 69 and 66 points in ’83-84 and ’84-85 respectively, ahead of Toronto’s 61- and 48-point efforts).  Despite their struggles, they did have a few decent playoff runs, making it to the Semi-Finals in 1987 and 1988 (losing to Edmonton both times).  Detroit stunk at both ends of the ice.  Despite the presence (and prowess) of Steve Yzerman for most of the decade, Detroit’s offense ranked 18th with 3.56 goals for per game.  Their defense was slightly better, averaging 4.14 goals against per game (ranking 16th).  Their awful +/- (-466 differential) ranked 18th; only Pittsburgh, Toronto and New Jersey were worse.  And I can’t decide if they were tough or undisciplined: they averaged 23.33 penalty minutes per game, behind only the Rangers and Flyers during the decade.  But at least things were shaping up as the 90s approached, and the presence of a true franchise player in Yzerman signaled that things were turning around.

 

Left Wing: John Ogrodnick (498 GP, 251-251-502, -68, 140 PIM, 21 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Gerard Gallant
Gallant had the fortune of playing on some of the better Detroit teams during the 1980s, and also had a solid mix of skill and toughness.  But Ogrodnick was one of very few offensive weapons not named Yzerman for Detroit, and he played 6+ seasons with the Red Wings.  He had a 55-goal, 105-point season in ’84-85, and had five other seasons where he scored between 28 and 42 goals.  He cleared 70 points five times.  His +/- was terrible (-68), but that was largely driven by a putrid -30 rating in ’85-86.  Ogrodnick was also a major threat on the power play, with 70 PPG (including 49 in a three-year stretch from ’83-84 to ’85-86).  He was a little weaker in the clutch, with only 8% of his goals coming as game-winners.  But again, he played on some terrible Detroit teams, so there weren’t exactly a lot of game-winning goals to go around.  He registered 250+ shots five years in a row, so he was always a threat offensively on a team that desperately needed it.

Centre: Steve Yzerman (514 GP, 291-401-692, -1, 334 PIM, 31 GWG)
To be completely transparent here, I will acknowledge that Steve Yzerman is my all-time favourite NHL player.  Potential bias aside however, Yzerman was also unquestionably the greatest Red Wing of the modern era, and second all-time (in my opinion) to Gordie Howe (and just a touch ahead of Nik Lidstrom).  Yzerman was decent during his first four seasons.  Ignoring an injury-shortened season in ’85-86, he had three 30+ goal, 87+ point seasons.  In ’87-88 though he hit another level.  He scored 50 goals and 102 points in 64 games, then followed that up with 65 goals and 155 points in ’88-89 and then 62 goals and 127 points in ’89-90.  He was a threat on the penalty kill, scoring 17 short-handed goals between ’86-87 and ’89-90.  He also chipped in 77 powerplay goals during his seven seasons for Detroit during the 1980s.  He even managed to post a -1 rating despite playing for some AWFUL teams early on, and his 31 game-winning goals represented a respectable 11% of his goal total.  By far the greatest Red Wing of the decade, and one of the greatest of all time.

Right Wing: Petr Klima (293 GP, 129-93-222, -47, 154 PIM, 17 GWG)
There wasn’t exactly a wealth of talent on the right wing for Detroit during 1980s, but Petr Klima qualified.  He was unquestionably a one-way talent, although his -47 rating is heavily skewed by a -39 rating in ’85-86 (he was a somewhat respectable -8 over the next 3+ seasons).  He scored 30+ goals and 50+ points for three seasons, adding another 25 goals and 41 points in an injury-shortened ’88-89.  He was traded to Edmonton in the Jimmy Carson deal early in the ’89-90 season, which worked out well for Klima (he won a Cup with the Oilers that year).  Not a physical player, but he was incredibly quick and always a goal-scoring threat.  Plus 13% of his goals were game-winners.

Defense: Rick Zombo (273 GP, 10-59-69, +40, 372 PIM, 2 GWG)
Finding defensemen with decent +/- ratings from Detroit during the 1980s is nigh-impossible, especially if they played any games in the first half of the decade.  Fortunately for Zombo, he played the bulk of his games in Detroit after 1986.  He was defensively responsible, posting a +59 rating over his three full seasons in Detroit (’87-88 to ’89-90), offsetting his -19 rating from his previous 59 games over three seasons.  He wasn’t an offensive threat, but he was physical (as evidenced by three seasons of 95-106 penalty minutes).  A reliable veteran on the blueline.

Defense: Darren Veitch (153 GP, 20-83-103, +16, 99 PIM, 3 GWG)
Veitch barely hit the three-season rule to qualify here; he played 13 games in ’85-86 and then added two more full seasons with Detroit.  He scored 13 goals and 58 points in ’86-87 along with a +14 rating, and then followed that up with 7 goals and 40 points along with a +11 rating in ’87-88.  Sadly, that alone qualifies him as the second-best Detroit defenseman of the decade.  They really didn’t have much to work with in terms of quality defensemen with lengthy tenures until the 1990s.

Goalie: Glen Hanlon (167 GP, 61-65-23, 7 SO, 3.50 GAA, 0.883 PCT)
Hanlon was a solid-if-unspectacular goalie for Detroit.  His numbers were solid in his first two seasons , but deteriorated over his tenure.  Still, he had two fantastic seasons at the start with a GAA around 3.20 and a save percentage around .892.  But then his numbers dropped, and in his final season they were ugly at 4.03 GAA and a .867 PCT.  Still, he was close to .500 and he managed to scrape together 7 shut-outs (with four of them coming in ’87-88).

NHL All-Decade Team: 1980s Chicago Blackhawks

This is part of a series detailing the all-decade team for every NHL franchise for the 1980s. The all-time teams were compiled using a mix of skill, longevity and statistics; it is not necessarily the best, most memorably or most talented players. Instead, this is the list of players by each position who had the best numbers over a prolonged period (i.e. at least three full seasons between 1980-81 and 1989-90) during the regular season.

Team: Chicago Blackhawks (1980-81 to 1989-90)
342-356-102, .491 WIN PCT, 3,089 GF vs. 3,172 GA, -74 Diff, 10/10 Playoff Appearances, 0 Stanley Cups
Chicago was much weaker than I remembered during the 1980s, and part of that is because of their playoff success. The Blackhawks had the advantage of playing in the Norris division, which meant that one of the Red Wings (pre-glory years), North Stars or Maple always finished behind them, no matter how bad the Hawks were. In fact, the Blackhawks were sub-.500 six times in ten years, and only once finished with at least 90 points (104 points in ’82-83). But they managed to emerge smelling like roses a number of times: they made it to the Conference Finals five times in ten years. Unfortunately, three times resulted in a series against the Edmonton Oilers (’83, ’85 and ’90), who went on to win the Cup each time. A meeting with Calgary had the same result in ’89, and they also lost to the Cinderella Vancouver Canucks in 1982. Chicago’s win percentage was middling at 49.1%, ranking them 11th in the league (exactly in the middle). They could score, with a 3.87 goals-per-game offense ranking 7th. Unfortunately they were pretty bad at defending, allowing 3.97 goals per game (ranked 14th). Ultimately their differential of -74 ranked 12th, which is why their win percentage ranked 11th. But at least they gave the city of Chicago some extended (and exciting) playoff runs.

Left Wing: Al Secord (423 GP, 199-152-351, +8, 1,295 PIM, 25 GWG)
Chicago was never overly deep on the left wing during the 1980s, but Al Secord manages to stand out as a quality player. He was incredibly inconsistent in terms of playing time, but he was dangerous when he played a full year. In his seven seasons in Chicago during the 1980s, he played 77-80 games four times. During those four seasons he scored 44, 54, 50 and 29 goals. He also cleared 75 points three times. He was also exceptionally tough, posting 180+ PIM five times (including 303 in ’81-82). He was also a go-to offensive talent in Chicago, as attested to by his 61 powerplay goals (including 20 PPG in ’82-83 alone).

Centre: Denis Savard (736 GP, 351-662-1,013, +85, 835 PIM, 43 GWG)
Denis Savard was one of the great offensive players of his generation. He unfortunately doesn’t get the respect he deserves because he didn’t win a Stanley Cup during his prime in Chicago, and he was behind Gretzky, Lemieux and Yzerman in terms of skill and profile. But being in the “second tier” with elite-level players like Peter Stastny, Dale Hawerchuk and Bryan Trottier is definitely nothing to sneeze at. Savard played the entire decade in Chicago. He never scored fewer than 23 goals or 82 points. He also had an incredible run from ’81-82 to ’87-88: during that seven-year span he averaged 39 goals and 111 points. He also wasn’t a slouch on the defensive side, posting a +55 rating. He finished the decade with three 40-goal seasons, and four others with 30+. He cleared 100 points five times, including a high of 131 in ’87-88. Not only was he a threat on the power play (96 PPG), but he also developed into a threat on the penalty kill as well (scoring 12 SHG combined in ’87-88 and ’88-89). He also contributed an impressive 43 game-winning goals. By far the best Chicago forward of the decade, and one of the classiest skilled players of the 1980s.

Right Wing: Steve Larmer (647 GP, 298-380-678, +112, 283 PIM, 31 GWG)
Larmer had a few brief stints with Chicago early in the decade before making the team for good in ’82-83. He played every single game for Chicago the rest of the decade. In eight full seasons for Chicago during the 80s, he had four 40+ goal seasons, three 30+ goal seasons and a 28-goal season. He also had 40+ assists each year. He was double-digit for powerplay goals seven years in a row, finishing with 111. And he was also reliable in the clutch, with 31 game-winning goals (10% of his total). He was a consistent offensive threat, recording at least 184 shots on goal for eight consecutive seasons. He was one of the most reliable players in the NHL during the 1980s.

Defense: Doug Wilson (681 GP, 183-435-618, +84, 553 PIM, 19 GWG)
Doug Wilson was one of the more talented offensive defenseman of the decade, and a huge part of the Blackhawks blueline. He was fairly durable, playing in at least 66 games in all but one season during the 1980s. He had double-digit goals and 48+ points in every season except an injury-shortened year in ’87-88. He had three seasons of 20+ goals and 70+ points, including a career year of 39 goals and 85 points in ’81-82. His booming slapshot was deadly from the point, as he scored 64 powerplay goals. He also had 240+ shots on goal eight times. He was fairly consistent defensively as well, recording a positive +/- rating in eight seasons including five seasons in the +13 to +24 range.

Defense: Bob Murray (644 GP, 72-286-358, +34, 619 PIM, 7 GWG)
Honourable Mention to Keith Brown
Bob Murray wasn’t as skilled as Wilson, but he was no less integral to Chicago’s defense. Although his offensive production and +/- rating worsened over the course of the decade, he was a quality defenseman for Chicago for the entire decade. He had six consecutive seasons of 30+ points, including a high of 60 in ’80-81. He didn’t score a huge number of goals (he was typically in the 6-9 goal range), although half of his markers came on the powerplay (34 PPG). He was up-and-down defensively, typically posting a +/- in the -9 to +6 range. But he played on some weaker regular season squads, so that is understandable. Overall he was +34 during a time when the team was -74. Honourable mention to Keith Brown, another solid, physical defender for Chicago during the 80s. But Brown’s offensive numbers weren’t as strong as Murray’s, so Murray gets the nod.

Goalie: Tony Esposito (175 GP, 76-69-30, 3 SO, 4.02 GAA, 0.878 PCT*)
*NOTE: Save Percentage for ’82-83 and ’83-84 seasons only
Chicago struggled mightily in net post-Esposito. Bob Sauve had good numbers, but only played two seasons. Murray Bannerman played quite a few seasons in Chicago, but was sub-.500 overall and his successful period was short-lived. And Darren Pang was a flash in the pan, so the twilight of Esposito’s career gets the nod. Esposito had two good seasons and two poor seasons in the 80s. ’80-81 and ’82-83 were strong; above .500 record, sub-4.00 GAA. ’81-82 was an ugly season, and his final year in ’83-84 is better left forgotten. It is unfortunate that Chicago didn’t have a truly skilled successor to take the reins from Esposito, but he did his best to shore up a weak defensive team during the first half of the decade.