Everyone is coming out with their "All Decade" lists these days. Well, I am too, but I'm approaching it differently. My goal is to build a hockey team with a real team's needs in mind. On offense, scoring, defending, checking and fighting were all considered. On defense, you need guys who can score, along with guys who can stay at home and defend the crease.
Longevity also played a role. Marian Hossa can't make the team, as he hasn't even played a full season yet.
So here's my team. Rip at will.
FORWARDS:
1st Line:
Jonathan Toews - Patrick Kane - Tony Amonte
We all know what Kane and Toews can do. They are the personification of "change". When all is said and done, I think they will be right near the top of all time Hawk scorers.
Amonte played his last two season as a Hawk in this decade. When the team around him was sucking, he was the only one doing anything. If he had line mates like Kane and Toews, Tony would have eclipsed 50 goals easily.
2nd Line:
Alex Zhamnov - Steve Sullivan - Martin Havlat
The most wrongfully hated Blackhawk in my time, Alex Zhamnov. The fact that he was the other guy in the Jeremy Roenick trade was not his fault. He was an elite playmaker, and an underrated defensive forward. A very good all around player who was never appreciated.
Steve Sullivan was the leading scorer of the 2000-2001 75th Anniversary team. He was an electric player, with speed and heart to burn. He's still playing in Nashville, but is a shadow of his former self after several serious injuries.
Martin Havlat, for all of his frustrations, is was the most explosive Hawk since Jeremy Roenick. He was a threat to score every time he touched the puck. When healthy, he was very dangerous.
3rd (Checking) Line:
Dave Bolland - Kyle Calder - Tuomo Ruutu
Calder was the Hawks fans' favorite during his time with the Hawks from 00-06. Despite the fact that he wasn't a natural scorer, he was regularly on top of the team leaders in points. His ability to outwork his opponents made him a perfect third line checking winger. Calder was one of the best players on the boards I've seen play.
Ruutu never became the "next Peter Forsberg" like many had predicted, but when he was healthy, he could put the puck in the net, and knock you off your skates. A hard hitter and sometimes dirty player, "Rudy" could thrive in a 3rd line role.
Bolland, who is relatively new on the Hawks scene, has already risen up as the Hawks best checking center of the decade. He can shut down the opponent's top line on a nightly basis. Look no further than last years playoff run.
4th Line:
Mark Bell - Bob Probert - Adam Burish
Bell, when not drunk, beating up cabbies (yep...him too), or planting his seed into every Lincoln Park trixie in sight, could score, fight, and check. He was hockey's Kyle Farnsworth. For a while, he looked like an up and coming star in the league, but his off the ice habits cut his career short. In his prime years with the Hawks, he was a guy you could count on for 15-20 goals, and 100+ PIMS.
Probert, the greatest enforcer in NHL history, played the final two seasons of his storied career with the Hawks in 2000-01, and 2001-02. After that, the Hawks "forced" him to retire and sent him up to the broadcast booth. No one struck fear in an opponent like Probie. No one. He's a shoo-in on my Hawks All Decade Team.
Burish has proven to be an ideal 4th liner in the so called "nuNHL." He's not a lumbering goon. He's a fast skater with decent hands who knows and revels in his role.
DEFENSEMEN:
Top Pairing:
Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook
This is an absolute no brainer. This pair was just named to the Canadian Olympic team, and will finally get the national attention they deserve. They are the best two Hawks defensemen of the decade, and the top defensive pairing in the league today.
2nd Pairing:
James Wisniewski and Jon Klemm
Wiz made the most of his abilities with the Hawks before being traded at the deadline last season for Sammy Pahlsson. He was a heart and soul player who sacrificed his body for the good of the team on a regular basis. He was also a willing and skilled fighter.
Klemm signed with the Blackhawks in 2001 to be their number one defenseman. He wasn't good enough for the role. Klemm was very simply a stay a home defenseman who didn't make mistakes. When he was counted on for more, he failed. At best, he was a number three defenseman. He thrived in that role before coming to the Hawks.
3rd Pairing:
Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jaroslav Spacek
At first, I didn't have Hjammer on my list because of how young he is in the league, but I couldn't in my right mind put Steve Poapst or Jim Vandermeer in over him. He's just better. Scotty Bowman has compared him to a young Nik Lidstrom. Time will tell if he's that good, but he's on the right track. He's already proven to be a good stay at home defenseman. He was thrown into the playoffs last season, and didn't miss a beat. Hopefully, Hjalmarsson will be patrolling the Hawks blue line for years to come.
Jaroslav Spacek? Really? I know. I really don't like the guy, but he did his job adequately. Spacek, who looked like the love child of Dan Aykroyd and a cat, packed a nice package of defensive ability and scoring touch. He's basically on the list because everyone else sucked.
Who should be on instead? Lyle Odelein? Steve McCarthy? Doug Zmolek? Bryan Berard? Brian Campbell? Maybe, but his mistakes have been SOOOO costly, I just can't do it. Sorry. Spacek it is. Yuck.
Goaltenders:
Nikolai Khabibulin and Jocelyn Thibault
After Khabibulin's atrocious 2005-06 season (his first with the Hawks) Khabi settled in and played the way a number one goalie should. While he never reached the level of Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy, he was a solid, reliable goaltender.
Thibault is another, "Who else is there?" pick. In his five seasons with the Hawks, he had 24 shutouts. That's pretty good considering how awful the Hawk teams were in front of him. Thibault even made the All Star team in 2003.
So there is my Blackhawks Team of the Aughts. Please leave comments and rip, rip, rip away. I look forward to hearing your feedback.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for my "Decade Awards". Categories include; Player of the Decade, Worst Player of the Decade, Worst Marketing Idea of the Decade, Best Videogame Blackhawk of the Decade, and many many more.
Filed under: All Decade Team, Blackhawks, Chicago Sports, hockey, NHL
