Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
76 was an amazing team for sure. I was at the game in Toronto when Canada rolled the Swedes, 6-0 if memory serves
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going off topic from where the thread is currently , but the 76 team was an interesting one for sure- maybe it's because that's the year a young Loooooob really starting watching hockey and I had a poster of that team on my wall for years
less important or interesting than 72, as by 76 you also had the WHA thing in 74, as well as Soviet- NHL club games (think NYE 75), so the novelty and edge had worn off as had the urgency to win- though still politically charged, and really wasn't the quality of hockey , nor did it present a signature moment (Sittler goal aside I suppose) of 87 or 02 or 10 etc etc
but as a roster. my word
the D- Orr, Potvin, Robinson , Savard, Lapointe- with all apologies to Jimmy Watson, a Brad Park injury is standing in the way of what would have been a picture perfect blueline
having Orr and Hull, both missing in 72 was a big deal of course and all of those HOFers up front- Espo, Lafleur, Lanny, Sittler, Clarke, Perreault, Dionne, Shutt, Barber, Gainey, (even the non HOFers- Martin, Leach, Gare, Mahovlich were perennial all stars and offensive weapons at the top of their game)
what is interesting is the massive turnover from 72 - basically you've got Espo, Little M, Savard, Lapointe and Clarke as the only 5 guys who were really regulars in 72 ( Perreault, Dionne and Martin were there for the experience- though 2 didn't stay)
in 4 years a whole crop of guys that were all of a sudden in their primes in the league- I guess looking back the obvious answer is those pesky baby boomers had arrived
