Assume every player that ever suited up for the Blues is in their prime and make the best roster you can. And no projecting current players into their "hypothetical" prime. Make it an All-Star type roster OR actually build your roster with an eye towards team construction, doesn't matter.
So far I like the list you’ve complied with the exception of Kariya, I don't think he belongs. I would add Demitra and I think Twist would make a good 4th liner.
Hall over Liut. If you're including Gretzky then I would automatically take these five players before you include Keith "playoff no show" Tkachuk: Doug Gilmour, Joe Mullen, Dale Hawerchuk, Glenn Anderson, and Pierre Turgeon. I personally prefer Geoff Courtnall, Pavol Demitra and Rod Brind'Amour to Tkachuk though it depends on if we're talking regular season or all-inclusive. Kariya at his peak absolutely belongs on the team since those are the conditions. For defensemen Housley for sure and maybe Steve Duchesne.
So far I like the list you’ve complied with the exception of Kariya, I don't think he belongs. I would add Demitra and I think Twist would make a good 4th liner.
Good call. Demitra definitely has to be on there. I'd also add Geoff Courtnall.
I would say you shouldn't use a player in his prime if his prime wasn't played as a Blue. Gretzky, Harvey, Hawerchuck shouldn't be on the team. Only actual play as a Blue should qualify. Although Hall and Plante were old as Blues, their play was excellent. Gretzky's was fairly good, but can be filled by Blues at higher levels.
First-time poster, but been reading for a while. Joined just to say, Doug Gilmour!, but it took too long and someone beat me to it. Guess I am showing my age but he was the first Blue I was blown away by.
Oh and of course Scott Stevens. He was only on the team one year but in my personal top 4 most amazing single seasons (since about 1976) that I ever saw from a Blue are
1. Hull's 86 goal year
2. Pronger's MVP year
3. Stevens' 90-91 year
4. Liut in 80-81
I wasn't alive to see Hall/Plante but I've been convinced by many of their greatness.
It's very difficult to agree on a list unless the conditions are strictly controlled. As it stands now, it's any player who ever was a Blue at their prime best regardless of whether it was with the Blues which makes it totally wide open. And for the record I would take Tikkanen over Janney since Tikkanen utterly stopped Janney cold during the 1990 Finals EDM-BOS. Janney is probably the softest good player I have ever seen play for the Blues. Dude even let Shanahan go into the corners and come away with the puck on him if you know what I mean.
Only counting Blues players careers with as a Blues player here is my list. For example Gretzky played only a handfull of games with the Blues at the end of his career but of course was the 2nd best bor best player ever in NHL history.
The best players by position in my book were:
Sutter LW - Federko - C Hull - RW
Pronger LD - MacIness - RD
Hall/Plante -G
3 to four best at every position
C - Federko, Gilmore, Berenson, Oates/Unger
LW - Sutter, Walt, Turnbull, Demitra/Courtnall
RW - Hull, Shannahan, Mullen, Babych/Hunter
LD - Pronger, Stevens, Barc Plager, Bob Gassoff
RD - MacIness, Ramage, Brown, Pie
G - Hall/Plante, Cujo
Pellerin and Atcheynum had a couple good seasons with The Blues. They don't belong on that list. You could replace them with Myron Stankiewicz and Gord Kannegiesser.
Here's my all-star roster. If I were choosing based on "an eye towards team construction" it would vary greatly, guys like Brian Sutter, Barclay Plager, Guy Carbonneau, Rod Brind'Amour, and Esa Tikkanen would be included.
B. Shanahan - W. Gretzky - B. Hull
D. Moore - D. Hawerchuk - J. Mullen
Stastny - A. Oates - P. Demitra
Tkachuk - D. Gilmour - G. Anderson
D. Harvey - A. MacInnis
C. Pronger - S. Stevens
G. Lapointe - Housley
Shanahan-Oates-Hull
Demitra-Turgeon-Federko
Courtnall-Janney-Tkachuk (this line needs to be fixed - going with players I know and I really like my first two lines and don't want to change them)
MacInnis-Pronger
S. Stevens-Housley
HM - S. Duchense
Luit's performance in 1980-81, when he was a first team all star goalie, gives him the nod at goaltender (and just edging out Hall and Plante in the early days of the franchise).
Pronger and Stevens are the best d-men we have had here. (Pronger won the MVP award as a defenseman, which I think hadn't been done since Orr won it in the early 70s).
Federko and Gilmore are both in the Hall of Fame, but Gilmore wasn't as good here as he was in Toronto later in his career. So Federko is my center.
Hull is the clear choice at right wing - not a perfect player, but his scoring ability was so great that he has the be number 1 at right wing.
For left wing, Sutter. He was a great hustler, team leader, consistent scorer, our most agressive forward despite his size, and holds the Blues record for fighting majors in one season (26) without a single misconduct to go with it.
Just imagine a line with Sutter and Backes on it. Pronger and Stevens can play D with Cujo in net. That would be the most physical group with Cujo beating the other goalie up. Hull can play right wing and get the goals, otherwise Shanahan can round out the group the physical group.
Curtis Joseph is not in the top three Blues goalies. Plante, Hall and Liut at a minimum over him. After that it gets debatable. If Halak wins a playoff series this year I'd put Halak ahead of Joseph. Joseph is easily the most overrated Blue of all time. One great series against the Hawks (followed by a massive meltdown in Game 7 the next series as was his career signature in big games) does not make him some great goalie.
Also great call on Dickie Moore and Stastny, I knew I was forgetting a couple. Stastny has to be on any roster that Gretzky's on.
Curtis Joseph is not in the top three Blues goalies. Plante, Hall and Liut at a minimum over him. After that it gets debatable. If Halak wins a playoff series this year I'd put Halak ahead of Joseph. Joseph is easily the most overrated Blue of all time. One great series against the Hawks (followed by a massive meltdown in Game 7 the next series as was his career signature in big games) does not make him some great goalie.
Also great call on Dickie Moore and Stastny, I knew I was forgetting a couple. Stastny has to be on any roster that Gretzky's on.
Yeah, it is Plante, Hall, Liut, then everyone else. The reason why we were so good in the beginning was mainly because of Plante and Hall, I mean talk about a goalie tandem.
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