Pick Your Favorite NHL All Stars And We'll Guess Your Favorite Team
- by Andrew Brethauer
- – on
- in Sports
How would you pick your team if given a slate full of All-Stars to select from? With the NHL having so many talented players, it’s hard to decide who you should select and who you should take a pass on, as everyone has a unique part of their game they bring to the table. Considering how many parts make up a team, you’ll have to decide who you are going to build your team around, who’s going to be in net, and who’s on the blue line. Then we’ll guess who your favorite team is based on who you have selected.
Considering the NHL has adopted fan voting in the All-Star game, think of this as the ultimate fan vote. When will you ever get to decide between so many elite players? Teams are made up differently, and some rely on a run and gun, high offence style, while others prefer a more defensive game. And with the NHL getting younger and the younger players becoming the stars quickly, you can’t miss by selecting a young star to lead your core. Hopefully, your favorite team hasn’t struggled to win the Stanley Cup or has been stuck in a never-ending rebuild.
Would you select Alex Ovechkin?
Do you want a Russian sniper on your winger like Alex Ovechkin, who has surpassed 50 goals scored in a season seven times in his career? He has become one of the most dominant scorers in league history and brings plenty of flare and passion to the game on the ice.
Would you select Sidney Crosby?
Arguably the best in the game today, Sidney Crosby would bring leadership and an amazing ability to score to any franchise. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup Champion as captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he has two Olympic Gold Medals with Team Canada.
Would you select Erik Karlsson?
If scoring from the blue line is what you need, look no further than Ottawa Senator’s puck moving defenceman Erik Karlsson, who has scored 518 points in 627 games with Ottawa as a defenceman, while winning two Norris Trophies as the league’s top blueliner.
Would you select Carey Price?
You’ll need a goalie to steal you some games, and Carey Price is more than capable of doing that. The Montreal Canadiens netminder has over 286 wins in his career, and has won both the Vezina Trophy, as best goalie, and Hart Trophy, as best player, in the NHL.
Would you select Jonathan Toews?
Leadership is a must have, so if you want a solid two-way centerman who has led his team to three Stanley Cup victories, Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks is your guy. He may not have a ton of flash, but as a Triple Gold Club member, he knows how to win.
Would you select Auston Matthews?
If you need a cornerstone to your franchise, then Auston Matthews is a player to build around. The American born, first overall draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs scored four goals in his first game and won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season.
Would you select Taylor Hall?
A former first overall pick, Taylor Hall has turned into one of the best players in the league after he was traded from Edmonton to New Jersey. His 92 points this past season in 76 games, with 39 of them being goals, is the most he has had in his career.
Would you select Steven Stamkos?
Steven Stamkos has led the league in scoring twice, scoring 51 goals in 2009-10 and 60 in 2011-12 to win two Rocket Richard Trophies. With 348 goals in 664 games, he’s a deadly sniper and one of the league’s most elite goal scorers with his signature one-knee slap shot.
Would you select Connor McDavid?
Exceptional players don’t come around often, but when they do, they change franchises. Connor McDavid has led the league in points in two of his three seasons, scoring over 100 points the last two years, earning back-to-back Art Ross Trophies and scoring at a more than point per game pace.
Would you select John Tavares?
As the first overall pick in 2009, John Tavares is the franchise piece of the New York Islanders who has added 272 goals and 621 points in 669 regular season games. The captain is one of the elite players in the NHL, and has World Championships and Olympic Gold to his name.
Would you select Patrick Kane?
Patrick Kane was the first American born player to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer in 2015-16, as he scored 106 points with Chicago. As a three-time Stanley Cup champion, Kane has the pedigree to win, and one of the most lethal sticks in the game around the net.
Would you select Claude Giroux?
A tough as stone centerman, Claude Giroux offers grit down the middle, as well as elite level scoring touch, as he has 214 goals and 677 points in 738 regular season games. The captain of the Philadelphia Flyers just finished his best season where he scored 102 points.
Would you select Tyler Seguin?
The second overall selection in 2010 won a Stanley Cup in his first season with the Boston Bruins. Tyler Seguin was then traded to the Dallas Stars where his career really took off and he became a serious scoring threat, and has netted 229 goals and 505 points in 590 games.
Would you select Aaron Ekblad?
Aaron Ekblad was selected first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, which doesn’t happen to often for defenceman. Granted exceptional status most of his life, he’s a first pairing blueliner to build your defence core around, with the ability to add points from the back end, with 134 in 309 games.
Would you select Marc-Andre Fleury?
Making the Stanley Cup Final is hard enough, but Marc-Andre Fleury has done it four times and with two different teams. He was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003, and then selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft, leading them to the Cup Final in their first season.
Would you select Ryan Getzlaf?
Ryan Getzlaf is a big body center who has won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks, and is now their team captain. With 875 points in 917 games, he’s a tough matchup for anyone down the middle, and has two Olympic Gold medals to add to his impressive resume.
Would you select Brad Marchand?
Have a pesky player who can score isn’t bad. So what about Brad Marchand? Known early in his career for being a pest, Marchand has turned into one of the games dominate scorers, having scored over 30 goals for the past three seasons with the Boston Bruins.
Would you select Anze Kopitar?
With two Stanley Cup victories under his belt, Anze Kopitar is truly one of the elite centermen in the NHL, as he brings a big body presence with the sweet hands of a much smaller player. With the Los Angeles Kings, he’s also been named the league’s best defensive forward award in 2016.
Would you select Nathan MacKinnon?
As the first overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft, Nathan MacKinnon won the Calder Trophy as best rookie in the league scoring 63 points his first season. It took some time with a struggling Colorado team, but he has over 300 points in his career in 374 games.
Would you select Evgeni Malkin?
Evgeni Malkin is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the most dynamic goal scorers in the league. He has won the Conn Smyth Trophy as best player in the playoffs, two Art Ross Trophies as top scorer and a Hart Trophy as best player, while he has scored 930 points in 784 games.
Would you select Wayne Gretzky?
It should be a no brainer to select the best player to ever play the game. With a resume that includes four Stanley Cups, 894 goals, 1963 assists and 2857 points, all league records, as well as the only player to score over 200 points, ‘The Great One’ should be on every team.
Would you select Joe Thornton?
Joe Thornton is one of the best set up men in the NHL. As a centerman, he has over 1030 assists in his career, which started in Boston before moving to San Jose. He has helped create top scorers, though he hasn’t won a Stanley Cup himself, he has the tools to help a team get there.
Would you select Mario Lemieux?
Mario Lemieux is often in the race for greatest of all time, but the two-time Stanley Cup champions career was cut short due to injury. He still put up an impressive 690 goals and 1723 points in just 915 regular season games. Already a Hall of Famer, he should also be a unquestionable selection.
Would you select Patrick Roy?
Winning the Stanley Cup once is hard, but twice, with two different teams, is even harder, unless you have Patrick Roy in your net. The three-time Conn Smythe winner is a playoff ready goalie who revolutionized the game with his butterfly style of play.
Would you select Chris Pronger?
If you want the full package defenceman, Chris Pronger is your selection. The big body blueliner was a Norris winner in 2000 and Hart Trophy winner the same year, while in won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with Anaheim. Even with a short career, he still put in nearly 700 points.
Would you select Pavel Datsyuk?
Hockey is a two-way game, so you’ll need one of the best defensive forwards in the game on your side. Along with being one of the game’s best two-way forwards, Pavel Datsyuk was also an elite scorer with amazing hands, scoring 918 points in 954 games with Detroit, where he also won two Stanley Cups.
Would you select Braden Holtby?
Braden Holtby is a Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s top goalie and he just helped the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. With the Capitals, he has appeared in 307 games, winning 191 of them with 32 shutouts.
Would you select Patrik Laine?
Patrik Laine was the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, but has quickly turned into one of the league’s most elite scorers. Want 44 goals a season? Laine did that last year to go with the 33 the year before. In 155 games with the Winnipeg Jets, Laine has 134 points.
Would you select Phil Kessel?
Phil Kessel gets a lot of slack for being a lazy player. But there is no question he is a talented goal scorer around the net. Kessel started with Boston before moving to Toronto to become the face of the franchise. But after a trade to Pittsburgh, he helped them win two Stanley Cups.
Would you select Nikita Kucherov?
This second round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011 has turned into an elite scorer, as Nikita Kucherov has scored 147 goals in four seasons, including 39 last year, 40 the year before and 30 the year before that. With 334 points, he’s also just getting into his prime.
Would you select Jamie Benn?
Jamie Benn is a former Art Ross Trophy winner with the Dallas Stars back in 2014-15, when he scored 87 points to lead the league. Despite no Stanley Cups, he has two Olympic Gold Medals with Canada and has 596 points in 667 games with the Stars.
Would you select William Karlsson?
William Karlsson went unprotected by Columbus during the Expansion Draft. His best season was nine goals with the Blue Jackets when the Vegas Golden Knights took him in the draft. He then put up 43 goals in 82 games and helped to lead the Knights to the Stanley Cup final in their first season.
Would you select Eric Staal?
Eric Staal was the second overall pick back in 2003 by Carolina and helped them win a Stanley Cup three years later. He joined the Triple Gold Club by winning the Stanley Cup, Olympic and World Championship gold, and has 922 points in 1093 games.
Would you select Johnny Gaudreau?
Football may have Johnny Menzel, but hockey has Johnny Gaudreau, better known as Johnny Hockey. The former Hobey Baker winner as the NCAA’s best player, is just shy of 100 goals in his career with the Calgary Flames, having scored 288 points in 312 games with the Flames.
Would you select Patrice Bergeron?
Another member of the Triple Gold Club, Patrice Bergeron led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011. He is considered one of the best two-way players in the game, having won the Selke Trophy four times, tying him for most wins. But he has also added 734 points in 963 games.
Would you select Roberto Luongo?
Roberto Luongo is still a solid netminder and during his prime, was the goalie Canada leaned on to win Gold at the Olympic Games. He missed a Stanley Cup in Vancouver in 2011, but continues to provide exception duties in net for the Florida Panthers during his second stint there.
Would you select Nicklas Lidstrom?
Some say Nicklas Lidstrom is the best defenceman to ever play the game. Along with his four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, Lidstrom was named Norris Trophy winner as league’s best defenceman seven times, and never once missed the playoffs in his career.
Would you select Scott Stevens?
Want to make sure no one crosses the blue line? Put Scott Stevens in your lineup. The former New Jersey Devil captain was known for his huge hits as players crossed into his zone, and was known as one of the best shutdown defencemen. He also won three Stanley Cups with the Devils.
Would you select Vladimir Tarasenko?
Vladimir Tarasenko is a first round pick of the St. Louis Blues and a gifted goal scorer as well. He has over 30 goals in four straight seasons with the Blues, including a career high 40 in 2015-16 for a career total of 178 in 431 games.
Would you select Dominik Hasek?
Who wouldn’t want a goalie named ‘the Dominator’ on their team? The six-time Vezina Trophy winner as league’s best goalie is also a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Detroit. But Dominik Hasek will be best known for his aggressive, flopping style of play in the net.
Would you select Eric Lindros?
When you talk about needing a power forward, get the man who defines that position in Eric Lindros. His big body and physical play made him one of the league’s most elite players, as he scored 865 points in a short career due to concussions. But it still doesn’t change home dominate he was down the middle.
Would you select Martin Brodeur?
Want to keep pucks out of the net? Martin Brodeur sure knows how, considering he holds the league record for most shutouts with 125. His 691 wins are also the most of any goalie, and having three Stanley Cups ins’t a bad thing either to cap off a career.
Would you select Jaromir Jagr?
Jaromir Jagr is a special player who loves the game so much, he continues to play it late into his 40s. He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in the early 1990s, and continues to play to this day, having won the Art Ross as top scorer five times in his career.
Would you select Brent Burns?
Don’t let his long beard foul you, behind it is one of the games defencemen, as he won the Norris Trophy back in 2016-17. He has scored over 70 points twice in his career, and two other times he scored over 60, for a career total of 566 points in 961 games.
Would you select Duncan Keith?
Duncan Keith is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks and one of the main reasons they won in 2015, winning the Conn Smythe that year. He also has two Olympic Gold medals with Canada, and is considered the cornerstone of the Hawks blue line.
Would you select Steve Yzerman?
You won’t get any better leadership than the man known as simply ‘The Captain’. Steve Yzerman led the Detroit Red Wings since he was named captain at 21-years-old, leading them to three Stanley Cup victories. In 1514 games he has scored 692 goals and 1755 points.
Would you select Gordie Howe?
A guy named Mr. Hockey would be a sure selection for most. Gordie Howe played 26 seasons in the NHL and is considered one of the best to ever play the game, having won four Stanley Cups with Detroit and six Hart Trophies and Art Ross Trophies in his career.
Would you select Bobby Orr?
Considered the best defenceman of all time, Bobby Orr revolutionized the game for defencemen, who didn’t score a lot until Orr showed them how it was done. He had 270 goals and 915 points in a short career, but still won the Norris Trophy eight times and Stanley Cup twice with Boston.
Would you select Mark Messier?
Mark Messier knows a thing or two about winning, considering he has won the Stanley Cup six times in his career, five with the dynasty Edmonton Oilers and once with the New York Rangers who he was the captain of. He added 1887 points in 1700 games in his career.
Would you select Brett Hull?
With 741 goals in his career Brett Hull is the fourth highest goal scorer in league history and one of only five players to score 50 goals in 50 games. He won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999, and was a constant threat with one of the best shots in the game.
