Andrew Brunette-Cliff Ronning-Tom Fitzgerald
Denny Lambert-Sebastian Bordeleau-Patric Kjellberg
Patric Cote-Greg Johnson-Scott Walker
Vitali Yachmenev-Darren Turcotte-Sergei Krivorasov
Ville Pelloten-Mark Mowers-Blair Atcheynum
Jeff Daniels-Jeff Nelson-Rob Valicevic
Doug Friedman-David Legwand-Brad Smyth
Bob Boughner-Drake Berhowsky
Joel Bouchard-Jamie Heward
Jan Vopat-Kimmo Timonen
John Slaney-J.J. Daigneault
Jay More-Dan Keczmer
Greg DeVries-Karlis Skrastins (RIP)
Rob Zettler
I guess you didn't start following the Canucks until after the 90s.
In the later part of the 90s, most people in BC made fun of you if you were a Canucks fan. A lot of people wore NYR, Mighty Ducks, Sharks, Leafs, Avalanche, Red Wings, etc. jerseys. Am I really that old?
I remember some of those 90's teams as kid. Just brutal. 98-99 season being the worst like 59 point season I believe.
That team could actually score though, they couldn't play defense however, but they could score
You know, I think you can actually cobble together any roster of NHL castoffs and get them to either score a ton of goals or play airtight defensively. Problem is doing one without compromising the other.
The Canadiens had some god awful teams in the early 2000's as mentioned previously. Personally, I started paying attention to the NHL in 2003-2004, and the worst team I witnessed is this one:
That season was all sorts of awful. The team on paper doesn't look that bad, and consequently, the team barely finished out of the playoffs, beaten out of the 8th seed by the Leafs on the last game of the season--that was really hard to swallow. Bégin, who was a fan favorite up until that point, took a 4-min high sticking penalty after the end of the second period whistle. The Habs were leading 5-2 or 5-3 at that point, going into the third, the odds of making the post-season were looking very good. The Leafs, lead by Kaberle and McCabe, proceeded to score twice on the PP, en route to a third period come back that, to this day, is one of my most painful hockey memory.
The team never clicked though. Beside Koivu and Souray who had career years, Kovalev and Samsonov were terrible. The third line was pretty strong defensively but Perezhogin never realized his offensive potential. The fourth line was a mess. Lapierre came in halfway through the season and was a revelation. Streit was playing his first season, and he was awful. Let's not even talk about Niinimaa, who was acquired for Mike Ribeiro at the beginning of the season--that really was a glimpse of what the rest of the way would be like.
The third pairing--Bouillon and Dandenault, coined as Dandouillon by WeThreeKings on the Habs' section--was just painful to watch. Huet was good, Aebischer was his usual god-awful self and Halak came in as a surprise late into the season as a replacement for an injured Huet and he put together a string of victories that gave the Canadiens a second life--and playoff hopes.
The 2000-2001 Habs team minus Theodore. Missed the playoffs for a 3rd straight year.
Agreed. This team went 28-40-8-6 and missed the playoffs. Alain Vigneault was fired not too long into the season and replaced by Michel Therrien. Jose Theodore kept that team from a lottery pick and this was the year before he won the Hart/Vezina. Don't remember the lines that well but I'll give it a shot. Point totals in brackets:
B. Savage (45) - S. Koivu (47) - O. Petrov (47)
M. Rucinsky (38) - J. Bulis (23) - R. Zednik (44)
C. Kilger (32) - C. Darby (28) - P. Poulin (20)
B. Brunet (14) - E. Landry (11) - J. Campbell (20)
Also had Juha Lind and Arron Asham as extra forwards
A. Markov (23) - P. Brisebois (36)
S. Souray (11) - S. Robidas (12)
K. Dykhuis (17) - C. Rivet (3)
Also had Francis Bouillon and Patrick Traverse (who makes Brett Lebda look like Bobby Orr I might add) as extras on defense
J. Theodore
J. Hackett
This is roughly how the team looked by the end of the 00-01 season. Trevor Linden and Dainius Zubrus were top six forwards until they were dealt to Washington for Zednik, Bulis and a first round pick (A. Perezhogin). Such a pathetic team that year. Theodore had 20 wins, again pretty much because he'd stop 40+ shots every game. There were games the Habs barely managed 15 shots on goal. Yet because of Theodore, the team wound up with the 7th pick in the 01 draft (used to draft M. Komisarek).
That was also the draft that the Habs were rumoured to be after Atlanta's #1 to draft Kovalchuk. If memory serves, the Habs offered Garon/Markov/their first and possibly something else for the pick but Waddell wanted Theodore in the deal over Garon, which killed it.
For Colorado (excluding Quebec days) it would have to be 2008-2009.
No consistent lines as there were many injuries, but here are the top players for games played at each position:
Center: Tyler Arnason - 71
T.J. Hensick - 61
Cody McCormick - 55
Paul Stastny - 45
Left Wing: Cody McLeod - 79
Wojtek Wolski - 78
Ryan Smyth - 77
T.J. Galiardi - 11
Right Wing: Milan Hejduk - 82
Ian Laperriere - 74
Marek Svatos - 69
Darcy Tucker - 63
Defense: Scott Hannan - 81
Brett Clarke - 76
John-Michael Liles - 75
Ruslan Salei - 70
Adam Foote - 42
Daniel Tjarnqvist - 37
And Goalies: Peter Budaj - 56
Andrew Raycroft - 31
Joe Sakic, Chris Stewart, and David Jones also played at some point this season.
that season was painful to sit through. You knew on day 1 that the team was, at best, going to spin its wheels and eek out a 7/8 seed, and at worst collapse like a house of cards. Which it did. The Landeskog season was technically worse, but it started out pretty well before it fell apart. That 2009 year was just hell for 82 games. Nothing about it suggested a decent hockey franchise.
Zombotron, the 2007-08 Canucks were no where near the worst team we've ever iced. Disappointing? Sure, but the team had some actual talent and potential... unlike, say, our expansion years.
Early '70's aside, it our worst team would probably be our 1998-99 squad: The Bure holdout year... where our top line of Naslund, Messier and Mogilny managed just 159 points combined (Messier and Mogilny were both outscored by defenceman, Adrian Aucoin) and Garth Snow was our #1 goalie.
Although, all things considered, any of our mid-1980's teams may well have been worse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RTN
I guess you didn't start following the Canucks until after the 90s.
In the later part of the 90s, most people in BC made fun of you if you were a Canucks fan. A lot of people wore NYR, Mighty Ducks, Sharks, Leafs, Avalanche, Red Wings, etc. jerseys. Am I really that old?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yinka Dene
You haven't been a Canuck fan very long if you think thats the worst team they've ever iced
I've been a "hardcore"-level fan since the 2007 playoffs, which is why I prefaced my submission with "in my time as a fan." 07-08 wouldn't be my pick for worst team ever iced, just so we're clear. I'm very well aware of the 15 or so consecutive seasons with a losing record, (which is a professional sports record - thanks Wetcoaster).
Quote:
Originally Posted by RTN
In the later part of the 90s, most people in BC made fun of you if you were a Canucks fan. A lot of people wore NYR, Mighty Ducks, Sharks, Leafs, Avalanche, Red Wings, etc. jerseys. Am I really that old?
I remember this. My closest friend growing up was more of an Avalanche fan (he played goaltender and idolized Patrick Roy) than a Canucks fan.
Weak Canucks teams + powerhouse Avalanche teams lead by Burnaby Joe Sakic = lots of converts and new/young hockey fans diverted to Avalanche fandom.
...and count me in as one of those children who enjoyed the Mighty Ducks more than the Canucks. They were just so cool!
Post-Expansion Bruins - 1996/97 - 26-47-9 (61 points / dead last in NHL....picked first in the draft - Joe Thornton)
1) Ted Donato - Adam Oates (traded for) / Jason Allison (19 games) - Rick Tocchett (traded for) / Anson Carter
2) Todd Elik / Brett Harkins / Tim Sweeney / JY Roy - Josef Stumpel - Steve Heinze / Sandy Moger / Sheldon Kennedy
3) Troy Mallette - Rob Dimaio - Jeff Odgers
4) Cam Stewart / Davis Payne / Andre Roy - Clayton Beddoes / Trent McCleary - Trent McCleary / Landon Wilson
1) Ray Bourque - Don Sweeney
2) Kyle McLaren - Steve Staois / Mattias Timander
3) Barry Richter - Dean Chynoweth
7th) Jon Rohloff / Dean Malkoc / Bob Beers
1) Bill Ranford (traded to Caps for) / Jim Carey
2) Rob Tallas
sp)
Scott Bailey
Paxton Schafer
Tim Cheveldae
99/00 was only slightly better - 24-33-19-6 (73 points / last in Northeast Division)
1) Sergei Samsonov - Joe Thornton - Steve Heinze
2) Dave Andreychuk (traded for ) / Brian Rolston - Jason Allison / Anson Carter - Landon Wilson / Anson Carter / Joe Murphy / Cam Mann
3) PJ Axelsson - Andre Savage / Shawn Bates - Rob Dimaio (traded to NY for)/ Mike Knuble
4) Mikko Eloranta / Antti Laaksonen / Ken Belanger / Joe Hulbig / Jay Henderson - Andre Savage / Sean Pronger / Marquis Mathieu / Joel Prpic - Eric Nikulas / Aaron Downey / Peter Ferraro
1) Ray Bourque (Infamously traded to Avs at deadline) - Don Sweeney
2) Kyle McLaren - Hal Gill
3) Darren Van Impe - Mattias Timander
7th) Marty McSorely / Brandon Smith / Jonathan Girard
rookies making debuts late in the season) Nick Boynton / Jonathan Aitken
1) Byron Dafoe
2) Rob Tallas / John Grahame
Bruins had the 8th & 27th picks....Lars Jonsson and Martin Samuelsson.....the played a combined 22 NHL games.
The Canadiens had some god awful teams in the early 2000's as mentioned previously. Personally, I started paying attention to the NHL in 2003-2004, and the worst team I witnessed is this one:
That season was all sorts of awful. The team on paper doesn't look that bad, and consequently, the team barely finished out of the playoffs, beaten out of the 8th seed by the Leafs on the last game of the season--that was really hard to swallow. Bégin, who was a fan favorite up until that point, took a 4-min high sticking penalty after the end of the second period whistle. The Habs were leading 5-2 or 5-3 at that point, going into the third, the odds of making the post-season were looking very good. The Leafs, lead by Kaberle and McCabe, proceeded to score twice on the PP, en route to a third period come back that, to this day, is one of my most painful hockey memory.
The team never clicked though. Beside Koivu and Souray who had career years, Kovalev and Samsonov were terrible. The third line was pretty strong defensively but Perezhogin never realized his offensive potential. The fourth line was a mess. Lapierre came in halfway through the season and was a revelation. Streit was playing his first season, and he was awful. Let's not even talk about Niinimaa, who was acquired for Mike Ribeiro at the beginning of the season--that really was a glimpse of what the rest of the way would be like.
The third pairing--Bouillon and Dandenault, coined as Dandouillon by WeThreeKings on the Habs' section--was just painful to watch. Huet was good, Aebischer was his usual god-awful self and Halak came in as a surprise late into the season as a replacement for an injured Huet and he put together a string of victories that gave the Canadiens a second life--and playoff hopes.
This line up wasn't worse than the early 2000s. No way lol
Yet because of Theodore, the team wound up with the 7th pick in the 01 draft (used to draft M. Komisarek).
That was also the draft that the Habs were rumoured to be after Atlanta's #1 to draft Kovalchuk. If memory serves, the Habs offered Garon/Markov/their first and possibly something else for the pick but Waddell wanted Theodore in the deal over Garon, which killed it.
Well, we probably would have picked Alexander Svitov or Stanislav Chistov with that 1st overall pick anyway.
The 1992-1993 Ottawa Senators. When Jamie Baker is your leading scorer among all your forwards, you know something's wrong.
__________________
Exhibit A as to how hockey doesn't matter on ESPN:
Last night an ESPN program was discussing how the Detroit Pistons needed a hero citing the heroes on the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions and no mention of the Detroit Red Wings. All this despite the Red Wings probably being the most succesful team in Detroit right now.
1992-93 Ottawa Senators. 10 total wins and commonly known as one of the worst teams in sports history.
my hockey knowledge is so not correct, really thought the sharks had the NHL record that year for least wins in a season (11) but apparently it is for most losses (71) and most consecutive losses (17)
I can't even figure out line combinations, we had so many terrible players playing. Our leading scorer was Scott Young, with 49 points. Our 2nd, 4th, and 6th leading scorers (Weight, Sillinger, and Tkachuk, respectively) were all traded. We had 10 Dmen play over 25, including stalwarts such as Kevin Dallman, Jeff Woywitka, Eric Weinrich, Christian Backman, and Steve Poapst. Our goalies were Bacashihua, Sanford, Lalime, and Divis. They combined for a 3.30 GAA and a .891 sv %. We didn't score 200 goals, and was last in GF/G. We were 28th in GA/G. We were awful.
I remember that Petr Cajanek was on the top line that year. The Blues were obscenely bad that year.
1992-93 Ottawa Senators. 10 total wins and commonly known as one of the worst teams in sports history.
I'd love to see a game between the 92-93 Senators and the 74-75 Caps ... the game would either end as a scorless tie because the offense was so bad, or you'd end up with an NFL-Pro-Bowl type score because the defense was so bad
