All-Draft Teams - 1983

After reviewing the 1982 draft - and seeing some of the very interesting players that came from there, we can move along to 1983.

Check the draft for yourself!

The first line: Cam Neely, Steve Yzerman, Sylvaine Turgeon
2nd: Claude Lemieux, Pat LaFonatine, Esa Tikkanen
3rd: Jon MacLean, Dave Gagner, Kevin Stevens
4th: Rick Tocchet, Peter Zezel, Bob Probert

D: Jeff Beukeboom, Slava Fetisov
Garry Galley, Uwe Krupp
Bobby Dollas, Gerald Diduck

G: Dominic Hasek
Tom Barrasso
Darren Puppa
This team has improvements in a lot of areas compared to the 1982 team, but not as much star power on defense. Again, there is way more depth in the forward position, better goaltending and the defense is solid, even if it's lacking in star power. It'll be easy to rank this higher than 1981 and '82 but you can judge for yourself.

Among forwards: 11,832 games played, 4,329 goals, 5,275 assists, 9,604 points, 16,785 PIM, 1,376 PP goals, 586 Game Winners in the regular season.
In the playoffs, 1,435 GP, 505 goals, 592 assists, 1,097 points, 2,328 PIM and 87 game-winning goals.

I especially like the Probert contributions to the penalty minutes (Kevin Stevens helps, too). These guys put up huge numbers and paid out a beating on a regular basis.

3 Masterton Trophies, 1 Pearson, 1 Conn Smyth, 2 First-Team All-Stars, 1 Selke Trophy, 20 All-Star Appearances, 10 Stanley Cups.

Among defensemen: 4,805 GP, 358 G, 1,260 A, 1,618 PTS, 6,503 PIM, 106 PPG, 39 GWG.
In the playoffs: 546 GP, 28 G, 105 A, 133 PTS, 800 PIM, 5 GWG.

7 Stanley Cups, 5 All-Star game appearances.

Among Goalies:
1,941 GP, 937 wins, 661 losses, 222 ties, 138 Shut outs
Playoffs: 254 GP, 130 W, 112 L, 71 SO

6 First-Team All-Stars, 5 Jennings Trophies (3 shared), 7 Vezina Trophies, 2 Pearson Awards, 2 Hart Trophies, 8 All-Star appearances and 4 Stanley Cups!

Total: 27 Stanley Cups, 3 Masterton Trophies, 7 Vezina Trophies, 2 Conn Smythe Trophies, 1 Selke Trophy, 8 First-Team All-Stars, 3 Pearson Awards, 2 Hart Trophies, 44 All-Star game appearances.

The forwards are tremendously improved - and the goaltending is impeccable. If you had to pick a thru-and-thru awesome team, with incredible first-line players, awesome second-line players, shut-down third-line players and a bust 'em up fourth line, this is the complete team. The forwards could generate incredible offense, the defense were solid defensively and the goaltending was supreme. An all-around incredible hockey team if you ever saw one. And they have the stats to show for it.

If this team had any weakness it is only in its absence of a quality offensive defenseman that had any longevity (although Uwe Krupp did score the overtime Stanley Cup winning goal). I guess no team will be completely supreme - but this is very strong.

Draft numbers from 1982:

• S. Turgeon (2)
• P. LaFontaine (3)
  
• S. Yzerman (4)
• T. Barrasso (5)
  
• J. MacLean (6)
  
• C. Neely (9)
• D. Gagner (12)
• B. Dollas (14)
• G. Diduck (16)
  
• J. Beukeboom (19)
  
• C. Lemieux (26)
• P. Zezel (41)
  
• B. Probert (46)
• D. Puppa (74)
  
• E. Tikkanen (80)
• G. Galley (100)
  
• K. Stevens (108)
• R. Tocchet (121)
• V. Fetisov (145)
• D. Hasek (199)
  
• U. Krupp (214)
  

Now, we can agree that some times you just don't know what you get out of the draft for years and year - and here's another example of that. How the MVP of this draft, Dominic Hasek, gets drafted 199th overall, is mind-blowing. It really brings to light the idea of drafting the best player at the time, or the best player in a few years. The Tyler Seguin v. Taylor Hall scenario is interesting - but which will be the best in the end? Hard to make a choice like that, I guess.

Rankings:
(1) 1983
(2) 1982
(3) 1981

Player of the Draft:
My "Player of the Draft" from 1982 is: Dominic Hasek

Regular season: 735 GP, 389 W, 223 L, 82 T, 13 OT wins, 81 Shutouts, 2.20 GAA
Playoffs: 119 GP, 65 W, 49 L, 14 shut outs, 2.02 GAA
2 Stanley Cups, 6 First-Team All-Stars, 3 Jennings Trophy, 6 Vezina Trophies, 2 Hart Trophies, 6 All-Star appearances. Just incredible, especially for a goalie, to maintain this type of dominance over the league.

Honorable mentions go to equally worthy Steve Yzerman!
1514 GP, 692 G, 1,063 A, 1,755 PTS, 202 +/-,924 PIM, 202 PPG, 94 GWG
Playoffs: 196 GP, 70 G, 115 A, 185 PTS, 84 PIM, 27 PPG, 12 GWG.
3 Stanley Cups, 1 Pearson Award, Conn Smythe Trophy, First-Team All-Star, Selke Trophy, Masterton Memorial Trophy, 9 All-Star Appearances, Lester Patrick Trophy.