Thanks to all who voted for the Top Defensemen. The Top-Four were pretty unanimous and gives a nice blend of past and present I think. So far the team stands as
Nikolai Khabibulin
Ilya Bryzgalov
Randy Carlyle - Dave Babych (Can't break up that pair)
Phil Housley - Teppo Numminen
Keith Yandle - Ed Jovanovski
Fredrick Olausson
Considering the coach will be Tippett I think having an extra defenseman is more fitting. All in all it's shaping up to be a solid team, maybe not a powerhouse, but solid.
Now it's time for left wingers. I had a bit of hand wringing over the WHA Jets and the NHL Jets and whether I should include them. In the end I figured I had to, since they were such an integral part of the history of a team that raised its self up into the NHL.
Vote for the best four guys and hope they make the team! This is completely fan voted, so even the most depressingly insane decisions will be held, I’ll only fix the lines.
1. Keith Tkachuk – The first Coyotes captain and one of the most productive American forwards of all-time, Tkachuk mixed impertinence, skill and toughness in an almost unique blend. With two 50+ goal seasons in a Jets/Coyotes jersey (Another on pace but he was injured) and 7 seasons as captain, Keith is the best winger in franchise history. He played a power forward game and delivered big hits, big goals and dumb penalties. In 1996 he had his best year and won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 52 goals also getting 86 points and 228 PIM’s that year with 6 goals in 7 games in the playoffs to open the Coyotes franchise.
2. Ray Whitney – The Wizard only played two seasons in Phoenix, but showed his agelessness with two great seasons. While I think of him primarily as a Hurricane and rightfully so, his presence was essential for the club to make the postseason the past two years. He had 134 points in 154 games as a Coyote from the age of 38-40 and enjoyed one of the best seasons in his career last year with 77 points in 82 games. I’ll miss the wily playmaker.
3. Bobby Hull – I really struggled with this one since strictly speaking he only played 18 games in the NHL as a Jet, the majority of his time was spent in the WHA. I think however it would be a crime not to mention him. His time in the WHA was prosperous. He had 307 goals in 429 games with 681 points. This includes a 77 goal campaign in 1974 which saw him a goal away from a goal per game. Personally I’ll always remember him as a Hawk, but he was important for the Jets berth into the NHL.
4. Morris Lukowich – The tiny winger had a great run with the Jets and was one of the key players when the switch to the NHL happened. He would score 168 goals and 345 points in 431 games for the Jets including 3 30+ goal campaigns one of which he scored 43 and got 92 points.
5. Doug Smail – Smail was never an overly exceptional player and never won any big awards. But he had heart and had a solid career. He would score 189 goals and 397 points in 691 games over 11 seasons officially making him the second longest serving Jet in history. He will be known however for owning the franchise record for most shorthanded goals with 25 and the fastest goal scored to start an NHL game at 5 seconds.
6. Laurie Boschman – After being declared soft by Harold “The Curse” Ballard, Boschman would be traded to the Oilers then Jets. He would define his career in Winnipeg as being quite the opposite. He would score 152 goals and 379 points in 526 games, and add 1333 PIM’s in 8 seasons. He enjoyed his best year in 1984-85 with 32 goals, 76 points and 180PIM’s. He remains one of only 16 players to have 2000+ PIM’s and over 500 points.
Thanks for reading.
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