Your top lines of all time

[Fred T. Jane]

The WWL has the following web page where you can set up your top 4 forward lines of all time.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nhl/toplines/vote...mp;lid=tab2pos1

You have 50 players, so there's plenty to choose from.

Here's my lines

1. Bobby Hull-Wayne Gretzky-Maurice Richard

2. Bernie Geoffrion-Mario Lemieux-Gordie Howe

3. Luc Robatille-Stan Mikita-Phil Esposito

4. Brett Hull-Adam Oates-Howie Morentz

I tried to think of lines that would work well in real life, rather than OMG GRETZKY-HULL-LEMIEUX=TEH PWN!!!11 sort of lines, hence the placement of a guy like Robataille on the 3rd line. I think they'd all work well, especially the fourth line, where a great passer like Adam Oates could rack up a ton of assists by feeding shooters like Hull and Morentz.

[officeglenn]

Man, the hardest part of this for me was trying to remember who played where and making sure they were in their correct positions.

Anyway, here's what I came up with ? perhaps a little more biased towards modern-day players, but hey, you gotta go with what you know ...

1. Brett Hull - Wayne Gretzky - Jaromir Jagr

2. Mario Lemieux - Maurice Richard - Peter Forsberg

3. Marcel Dionne - Mark Messier - Gordie Howe

4. Dave Andreychuk - Steve Yzerman - Brendan Shanahan

Jari Kurri and Ron Francis were also guys I was trying to find a spot for, but unfortunately there simply were not enough to go around.

[Fred T. Jane]

Jari Kurri and Ron Francis were also guys I was trying to find a spot for, but unfortunately there simply were not enough to go around.

Same here, Glenn. I wish I could have put Kurri somewhere, but man, there's a ton of good players that have to go somewhere, especially at the Right Wing position. Of course, I tend to look at Original Six players a lot more favourably than you probably do (Philistine! ), so I tend to look at them a bit more. Though with that said, my blind spot in terms of NHL history is probably the WHA era, so Cournvoyer and LaFleur didn't even get a look from me. Finally, the lack of Cy Denneny, Syd Howe, and Cyclone Taylor are egregious, and I won't stand for it!

[zig]

I just sort of played around with the lines

1st Line

Guy Lafleur - Mario Lemieux - Jaromir Jagr

Lafleur was Lemieux's idol and Mario and Jagr were teammates for a while on the Penguins so I thought they should stay together. Also Jaromir=Mario Jr.

2nd Line

Steve Yzerman- Wayne Gretzky- Gordie Howe

No reason for this line. I thought it would be interesting for these guys to play together

3rd Line (Aka the 50 Goal Line)

Maurice Richard- Marcel Dionne- Mike Bossy

A collection of 50 goal scorers all in one place

4th Line (Aka the Speed Line)

Bobby Hull- Denis Savard- Mike Gartner

This line is built for speed with the Golden Jet (Hull) and the all star game's fastest skater, Gartner

[Gordie]

1. LW-Mario Lemieux C-Wayne Gretzky RW-Mike Bossy

Gretzky & Lemieux together - if they reproduced even a fraction of their '87 Canada Cup magic, they'd be dynamite. Add the game's purest goal-scorer, Mike Bossy, who wouldn't have to worry about his linemates troubling his conscience with rough play.

2. LW-Ted Lindsay C-Mark Messier RW-Gordie Howe

Add Mark Messier to the famed Production Line to form the Destruction Line. You want rough play? Here it is. Lindsay, Messier, and Howe - three bulls in a china shop, an unmatchable combination of determination, toughness, and skill. When you want to set the tone of a game, these are the guys to send over the boards.

3. LW-Bobby Hull C-Jean Beliveau RW-Maurice Richard

Le Gros Bill centering The Golden Jet and The Rocket. Speed, strength, and desire fuel this high octane blend. Catch 'em if you can, but odds are you're going to get burned.

4. LW-Peter Stastny C-Steve Yzerman RW-Mike Gartner

My stealth line. Stastny and Gartner were two of the greatest, but comparatively unheralded, players of their era, while Yzerman, for much of his career, was overshadowed by Gretzky and Lemieux.

Team Captain - Jean Beliveau, Assistants - Ted Lindsay & Mark Messier

Honourable Mentions to two 80's greats - Esa Tikkanen and Bernie Federko's moustache. I'd probably try to sneak a Sutter in somewhere, too.

[STL FANATIC]

I'm surprised at two things.

One, that people are leaving off Brett Hull, the third highest goal scorer in NHL history, and two, that nobody has put him on a line with his father even if it doesn't make a lot of sense position and style wise (though I don't really know what Bobby's style was).

[Gordie]

I'm surprised at two things.

One, that people are leaving off Brett Hull, the third highest goal scorer in NHL history, and two, that nobody has put him on a line with his father even if it doesn't make a lot of sense position and style wise (though I don't really know what Bobby's style was).

Who wants to listen to his constant bitching?

Seriously, from my perspective, given the talent of the rest of the team, you're not going to miss his scoring touch, and a guy like Stastny played a more complete game while contributing positively to team unity. I suppose I left him off my team because I see him as one-dimensional, and while I admire his candor, I don't appreciate his lack of discretion or tactfulness.

I've never liked Jagr's attitude either, that's why he's never been on any team of mine - be it fantasy, hockey pool, or a hypothetical "all time great" list like this. I'd take a Sutter - any Sutter (or Mike Fisher) - over Jagr any day.

[HedleyLamarr]

I'm surprised at two things.

One, that people are leaving off Brett Hull, the third highest goal scorer in NHL history, and two, that nobody has put him on a line with his father even if it doesn't make a lot of sense position and style wise (though I don't really know what Bobby's style was).

If I need a guy to have a skate in the crease, he's my guy....