MONTREAL- MAY 4: Sidney Crosby #87 and Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins discuss a play in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 4, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Penguins defeated the Canadiens 2-0 taking a 2-1 lead in the series. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
Richard Wolowicz
In the previous post, I discussed the fact that the Sporting News named Sidney Crosby the best athlete in all of sports under the age of 25. While I found that to be a reasonable (if debatable) accolade, I listed some of the elite players in that age range and found that most of the NHL’s finest are younger than yours truly. (A sobering thought, really, since I’ve never even won a spelling bee.)
Anyway, since it’s a frivolous Friday night, I thought: why not name an All-Under-25 team? Then I looked at the list of players and decided to take it a step further ... is there a “B-team” that could threaten the First Team? Take a look and let us know which group would win an imaginary game.
First Under-25 All-Star Team
Forwards: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin
OK, so this is about the most obvious trio possible, but you’d have to be quite the Devil’s Advocate to go with anyone else. While Crosby and Malkin are both centers, Sid’s FAR better at face-offs (and being semi-responsible in his own end) so I’d stick him in between Ovechkin (left wing) and Malkin (right). Maybe the group would benefit from a “dirty work” guy but ... come on. Seriously.
Defense: Drew Doughty, Shea Weber
If you were to build a dream blueline, this might be your duo regardless of age limitations. Weber brings the brawn while Doughty is as slick as it gets.
Goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury
I’ve had my issues with Fleury being anointed one of the next big things in net simply because he won a Stanley Cup, but he’s the most proven goalie in his age group. Plus he’s kind of funny looking. That always helps.
After the jump, a group of six that might be able to beat the No. 1 group.
The Second Under-25 All Star Team
Forwards: Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards
This was a tough call because Nicklas Backstrom and Eric Staal (among others) bring plenty to the table, too. Toews seems like a no-brainer after his amazing year. Some might even pick him over one of the top three of Malkin, Crosby and Ovechkin. Getzlaf has his flaws but is a high-end playmaker with a Cup to his credit and snarl to spare. Richards is a great penalty killer, a nasty player in his own right and can do a little of everything. Plenty of skill and grit among those three.
Defense: Mike Green, Brent Seabrook
Green gets a bad rep as a leaky blueliner and sometimes he justifies the complaints. Still, his regular season production is staggering. Brent Seabrook is a Cup-winner with a penchant for delivering brutal checks. Erik Johnson would have been my “third” choice, but Seabrook and Green have a better track record at this point in their careers. This might be the area where the “first team” has the biggest advantage.
Goalie: Jaroslav Halak
There’s a decent chance that Halak was a “one-year wonder.” Heck, he didn’t even outright win the starting job until Jose Theodore allowed two goals on two shots in the playoffs. Still, he was incredible during the playoffs and his team did defeat Fleury’s in the playoffs.
So, what do you think? Would the second team have a chance against the first? Did I choose the right players? Comment away, readers.