Building an Anaheim Ducks Alumni Team for the EA NHL Series

Forwards

Paul Kariya–Steve Rucchin-Teemu Selanne

Marty McInnis–Andy McDonald–Joffrey Lupul

Mike Leclerc–Matt Cullen–Joe Sacco

Garry Valk–Samuel Pahlsson–George Parros

The forward group of this team is very top-heavy, as much of the skill is very visible from the top with a lot more grit as we go into the depth lines. However, each player in this lineup is known for their contributions to the team.

For the first line, I felt like I had no choice but to reform arguably the greatest line in team history together again. In almost every NHL game they appeared in, Kariya and Selanne were both lighting quick and typically had very strong shooting attributes. Having these two blow by much slower defenders to trigger breakaway opportunities were always a fun time.

Centering these two Hall of Famers is their old running mate Rucchin. Though he did not have the same speed as his two linemates, Rucchin made up for it with his big body physical presence as well as solid faceoff ability. Using these three guys will take you back to playing NHL 2001 on the original PlayStation.

The second line consists of skilled players who had some of their better seasons in Anaheim. Marty McInnis came into the league with the Islanders and had a couple of good seasons, and when he came to Anaheim he continued to show consistency by continuing his productive play when he joined the team in the late 90s.

Joffrey Lupul had one of those careers that makes one wonder what he could’ve accomplished if he was able to stay healthy. Though his career in real life was marred by injuries, Lupul was always a fun player to use in the video games with his good speed and solid shot.

The last member of this line is a long-time fan favorite Andy McDonald. Similar to Lupul, Andy had his share of injury problems over the years but fought through it in his early career to put up two of the best seasons by a player in Ducks history in 2005-06 and 2006-07 as well as make the All-Star team in the process. Using McDonald was reminiscent of skating by players with Kariya in older versions of the game, as he was a dangerous player to use due to his top speed.

The third and fourth lines provide the grit needed and shift the momentum in a game, as well as keep the team productive as you roll four lines. Centers Sami Pahlsson and Matt Cullen are two important pieces to this team for their defensive abilities and skills on the faceoffs in order to strengthen the depth down the middle.

Leclerc, Valk, and Sacco represent the early Mighty Ducks days, with players who could step into multiple roles in order to help the team succeed. All three of these guys could play a Grinder/Power Forward hybrid that can be shuffled throughout the lineup and used in multiple situations in a game situation. The final piece to this puzzle is everybody’s favorite (or at least used to be) enforcer in George Parros. Leading the team all-time with 122 fighting majors, Parros is a helpful piece in the game in order to build team momentum with his strength and fighting ability.