Building an Anaheim Ducks Alumni Team for the EA NHL Series

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27 Oct 2000: Ruslan Salei #24 of the Anaheim Ducks and teammate Oleg Tverdovsky #10 smother Georges Laraque #27 of the Edmonton Oilers against the boards during the first period at the Pond in Anaheim, California. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Harry How/ALLSPORT /

Defense

Francois Beauchemin–Ruslan Salei

Bobby Dollas–Oleg Tverdovsky

Keith Carney–Vitaly Vishnevski

The defense is a solidly built group that is consistent from 1-6. Each player has had their share of contributions to the success of the Anaheim Ducks franchise, with each player playing at least 270 games for the organization.

The franchise leader in games played for a defenseman is Cam Fowler at 679, second and third go to Salei (594) and Beauchemin (592) respectively. Both players were leaders during their time with the Ducks and helped lead the team in lengthy playoff runs, playing key contributors during those runs. This makes it an easy decision to pair these two at the top of the defensive unit, pairing their strong physical play and their abilities to shut down the opposing forwards, while still contributing on offense.

Bobby Dollas was another original Mighty Duck who was picked up in the Expansion Draft from Detroit. The big-bodied defenseman had some very productive seasons with the new franchise, hitting the 20-point mark in his first three seasons with the club, making him a solid two-way option on the blueline. His partner for this team is Tverdovsky, more known for being part of the trade package that brought back Teemu Selanne in 1996.

However, prior to the trade, the 19-year old defenseman was really coming into his own, and he showed when he rejoined the Ducks prior to the 1999-2000 season that he was becoming a prolific scorer on the back end, scoring 50 points twice on some bad Anaheim Ducks teams. His speed has always made him a fun player to use in the NHL video games, as his offensive prowess as a defenseman was really before his time, as Tverdovsky would be a very exciting and productive player in the NHL today.

The final pairing is constructed of the two physical presences of Vishnevski and Carney. Both players were key cogs to the Ducks run to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, in ways of their solid defensive play. Carney was a leader of the team, wearing an alternate captaincy, and always seemed to be Mr. Reliable when it came to shutting down the opposition.

Vishnevski did his work a little differently, as he became one of the most fierce checkers in the game. Never a dirty player, the Russian defenseman always seemed to be in the right place and was great at lining players up, very good for shifting momentum in a game and firing up your team.

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