Quote:
Originally Posted by CGG
I don't get the obsession with the "can't win with player X as a # 1 / # 2 / # 3 centre". Where is it written that you need a gigantic 85 point Selke candidate to centre the second line if you want to win a championship?
Look no further than our last cup. # 2 centre was Stephan Lebeau, perhaps two inches taller but infinitely wimpier than Desharnais. Behind him was # 3 Paul DiPietro, also very much undersized. Yet we still won the Cup.
We have big players now, they just happen to play wing. What's the difference? Cole, Maxpac, Moen, Kostitsyn. All big guys. We can win with an elite goalie and a very good, deep defense that movees the puck well. Adding 6 inches to a # 2 centre doesn't get us any closer to the Cup.
Carolina won with a crappy defense. So did Tampa for that matter. Pittsburgh won with very thin depth on the wings. Philly made the finals with AHL goalies. Chicago won with Niemi. Boston's 1-2 punch of Krejci and Bergeron isn't exactly intimidating.
There is no recipe for winning. You can do it with a small 2nd line centre.
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I agree with your post to a certain extent but we are far from a Crosby-Malkin combo... Or Sedin-Kesler combo.
DiPietro was the 4t line center. Carbonneau was the third line center behind Muller and Lebeau. Denis Savard was injured, giving a chance to DiPietro to be in the line up.