Under The Radar NHL All-Sweet Team From 90s
I always say that there has never been a better time to be a hockey fan than right now and I believe that. So many great stars. The game is fast. Scoring is up. NHL Network exists. The parity is pretty great. Every single team in the NHL have at least one player who is worth the price of admission. And…thanks to the internet…you can watch every single game via stream if you wanted to.
With all of that being said…the 90s were AWESOME. It was in that sweet spot where the games were on National TV on ESPN, fighting was still a big part of the game, the offense wasn’t what it was in the 80s, but was still pretty high flying compared to what was coming at the end of the decade and in the early 2000s. It was a great time to be a fan. Hit that music and let the nostalgia pour over you. The old Mighty Ducks uniforms, the Whalers, the Nordiques, NHL 94 to 96 was the absolute best video game on planet earth at the time.
Everyone remembers Lemieux, Sakic, Yzerman, Messier, Hull, Bourque, Scott Stevens, Roenick, etc. The game had larger than life stars. But it also had a shit ton of guys who were just SWEET. A ton of guys to love even if they flew under the radar in comparison to the brightest and biggest stars of the era. Guys who you wanted in your lineup when playing NHL 95 because even though their rating overall was low they could either shoot the puck through a brick wall, make someone’s head bleed, skate like the wind, or punch someone out. When you think of the 90s you’re going to think of the guys above, but I don’t want you to forget the guys below either
Goalies
John Vanbiesbrouck, Florida Panthers
He wasn’t the best goalie of the era, but he had the best mask by far and a sweet nickname. The Beezer. That run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 with the Panthers was awesome. All the rats being thrown on the ice and the Beezer stealing a series against Mario and Jagr.
Mike Vernon, Detroit Red Wings
Mike Vernon is probably a borderline Hall of Famer, but more so for what he did in the 80s with the Flames. In the 90s he was one of the missing pieces to get the Red Wings over the top. And part of getting over the top involved the best goalie fight I can remember vs Patrick Roy at the absolute boiling point of the Rivalry that defined the decade.
Defensemen:
Derien Hatcher
Hatcher is a guy who could NEVER play in today’s NHL. He was one of the scariest dudes in the league at that time. Answered the bell, rang your bell, and professionally head-hunted guys. A breed that no longer exists in the NHL and rightfully so. Back in the 90s though…that was good enough to be the Captain. Head down = man down.
Eric Desjardins
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This was probably the first Stanley Cup Final I actually remember watching. A wee lad of 7 was WAY into the Gretzky Kings and Eric Desjardins and the Habs absolutely steamrolled them. This game was famous for Marty McSorley’s illegal stick. McSorley’s job was to protect Gretzky and break bones. That’s it. He arguably had no use for a stick at all. Desjardins potted a hat-trick and they never looked back. He was also on all those great Legion of Doom Flyers teams with Lindros and Leclair. He was so sweet for the Flyers that they inducted him into the Flyers Hall of Fame.
Al Iafrate, Bruins, Capitals.
He could shoot the puck a million miles per hour and walked around with hair like that on purpose. That’s good enough to make this list.
Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red Wings
Vladi was the last great hip-check artist. Table topping guys left and right. He was awesome to watch as part of that Russian 5 in Detroit. He’d probably be too good for this list if he wasn’t in that limo accident after the 97 Cup championship.
Forwards
This list is going to be Whaler heavy so lets start with my two favorite Whalers of all time.
Geoff Sanderson
Guy could skate like the wind and could absolutely snipe. Scored 40 goals twice and was the last guy to represent in the Whale in an all-star game in 1997. Guy was a joy to watch.
Pat Verbeek, Whalers, Wings, Stars, Devils, Rangers
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In short…I wanted to be Pat Verbeek. Verbeek and Peter Forsberg were my two favorite players when I was like 8/9/10 years old. The “Little ball of hate” wasn’t afraid of anyone. Fought Chelios. Fought all kinds of guys above his weight class and was just in general a pain in the ass to play against. He’s a borderline hall of famer in my book and the perfect guy for this list.
Vincent Damphousse, Montreal, Toronto, San Jose
Damphousse is a fun name to say and that is part of the appeal, but when you were playing NHL 94 with the Habs and you needed a goal, Damphousse was the only guy on that squad you could turn to. Speed, skill, and a guy who just consistently put up a point per game for about 10 years. Loved Damphousse.
Wendel Clark, Maple Leafs
This video right here…it might be my favorite on the entire internet. The epitome of a bad mamma jamma. Mean, tough, and could score goals. If you don’t love Wendel Clark then you need hockey lessons. He was everything you want in a power forward, but he couldn’t stay healthy because well…watch that video above. He played like a fucking wrecking ball.
Tony Amonte
Admittedly, Tony Amonte is as close to being too good for this list as it gets, but he was just a tier below the true super stars of that era. Obviously I am biased because his best years came with the Blackhawks. That 96-97 Hawks team was the last truly good Blackhawks squad until the Toews/Kane era. His most memorable goal came in the World Cup against Canada though.
AMONTE HAS BROKEN THE TIE
Owen Nolan, Nordiques, Avs, Sharks
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One of the most memorable moments in the All-Star game when he called his shot on a break away. The dude was a beast in the 90s though. Another power-forward type, which apparently is my type of guy. I like people who can do everything. He could bulldoze his way to the net, dangle around you, and then put you through the boards. Nolan was probably overlooked a bit because he played most of his best years for San Jose and the Sharks are best known for never getting over the hump. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a sweet player to watch.
This is my list. People had all sorts of opinions from Bobby Holik, to Miro Satan, and Pierre Turgeon. If the comment section has more I want to hear it. I just don’t want people to give me names like Ron Francis or Mike Gartner. Those guys are way too good and aren’t underrated at all.