With the 2019-20 NHL season on pause due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com will reimagine one NHL Draft each week. Today, we look back at the 1979 NHL Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal on Aug. 9, 1979.
1979 NHL Redraft: Six Hockey Hall of Famers among 21 picks
Bourque, Messier first two choices; Anderson jumps 65 spots, goes No. 4 after Gartner
By
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
Ray Bourque and Mark Messier are two of the most successful players in NHL history.
Bourque, who won the Stanley Cup for the first time in his final season, was voted winner of the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1979-80 and of the Norris Trophy as best defenseman in the League five times (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994).
Messier won six Stanley Cup titles and was voted winner of the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP twice (1990, 1992) and of the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1984.
But at the 1979 NHL Draft, seven teams passed on Bourque before he was selected by the Boston Bruins. Messier wasn't selected until the Edmonton Oilers took him at No. 48.
Forty-one years later, the two Hockey Hall of Famers were the first two picks in NHL.com's 1979 redraft.
The next three selections also are Hockey Hall of Famers: Mike Gartner, who moved up to No. 3 from No. 4; Glenn Anderson, who climbed 65 picks; and Michel Goulet, who jumped 17 spots. A sixth member of the Hall, Guy Carbonneau, was selected 10th.
Defenseman Rob Ramage and center Perry Turnbull, the top two picks in 1979, were not selected in the redraft.
Who else would move up? Who else would drop? Twenty-one NHL.com staffers, using the order from and players selected in the 1979 draft, have answered those questions. Here are the results. For reference, here is how the original draft went.
1. Ray Bourque, D, Colorado Rockies (originally selected No. 8 by Boston Bruins) -- It was impossible to pass up one of the best defensemen of all time. Bourque, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, has the most points by a defenseman in NHL history with 1,579 (410 goals, 1,169 assists) in 1,612 games. Maybe more impressive than winning the Norris five times is that he was voted to the NHL First All-Star Team his first season and his 22nd and final season (2000-01 with the Colorado Avalanche). Bourque, who was an NHL All-Star 19 times (First Team, 11 times; Second Team, eight), won the Cup with the Avalanche in 2001 before retiring 17 days later as a player on top of the mountain. -- Tim Campbell, staff writer
2. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, C, St. Louis Blues (No. 48 by Edmonton Oilers) --Getting a franchise-changing, generational center is exactly what you hope for in any draft. Messier won the Cup five times with the Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990) and once with the New York Rangers (1994). He is third in NHL history with 1,887 points (694 goals, 1,193 assists) in 1,756 games. He's also second behind former teammate Wayne Gretzky in NHL playoff points with 295 (109 goals, 186 assists) in 236 games. Messier is first in the 1979 class in NHL games, assists, points, points per game (1.07), shorthanded goals (63), shorthanded points (144), game-winning goals (92) and overtime goals (eight). He's also first in the class in NHL playoff games, goals, assists and points. Messier was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
3. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, RW, Detroit Red Wings (No. 4 by Washington Capitals) -- The Red Wings selected Gartner, one of eight players in NHL history to score 700 goals (708; seventh), one pick earlier than he went in 1979. He leads the class in goals, scoring 14 more than Messier despite playing 324 fewer NHL games (1,432), and is second in shots on goal (5,090) behind Bourque (6,209), third in points (1,335) and power-play points (413), and fifth in assists (627). Gartner, a nine-time 40-goal scorer who had NHL career highs in goals (50) and points (102) with the Capitals in 1984-85, is one of the best right wings of the NHL expansion era (1967-present). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. -- Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor
4. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, RW, Washington Capitals (No. 69 by Edmonton Oilers) -- After losing the opportunity to once again select Gartner, the Capitals pivoted to another Hall of Fame forward. Anderson, who was inducted in 2008, is fourth in the 1979 class with 498 goals and fifth with 1,099 points in 1,129 NHL games. Though his statistics stand up to -- or even surpass -- those of other players considered for this pick, what separated Anderson from the pack was his ability to raise his level of play when it counted most. He won the Stanley Cup six times (five with the Oilers, one with the Rangers; all with Messier as a teammate) and is fourth in NHL history with 214 points (93 goals, 121 assists) in 225 playoff games. His 17 game-winning goals in the playoffs are tied for sixth in NHL history, and his 85 game-winners in the regular season are third most from the 1979 draft behind Messier (92) and Gartner (90). -- Jim Cerny, senior editor
5. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, LW, Vancouver Canucks (No. 20 by Quebec Nordiques) -- Goulet is one of the most underrated scorers in NHL history. I wasn't going to underrate him here. Goulet's average of 1.06 points per game (1,153 in 1,089) is second in the 1979 class. His 548 goals are third in the class, and only Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 put the puck in the net more consistently -- barely. Goulet scored 0.5032 goals per game in his NHL career, just behind Vaive's average of 0.5034. After scoring 22 goals as a rookie in 1979-80, Goulet scored at least 32 in eight straight seasons for Quebec from 1980-88, including a four-season run of at least 53 from 1982-86. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. -- Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial
6. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, LW, Minnesota North Stars (No. 14 by Philadelphia Flyers) -- With five of the seven players from the 1979 draft who scored 1,000 points in the NHL off the board, the North Stars didn't hesitate to select one of the remaining two (the other being Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001). Propp impressed Flyers fans early and often, scoring 75 points (34 goals, 41 assists) as a rookie in 1979-80 and at least 66 in each of his 10 full seasons in Philadelphia. In 15 NHL seasons with the Flyers, Bruins, North Stars and Hartford Whalers, he scored 1,004 points (425 goals, 579 assists) in 1,016 games, an average of 0.99 per game, third highest in the class. Propp played in the Stanley Cup Final five times (1980, 1985 and 1987 with Philadelphia; 1990 with Boston; 1991 with Minnesota) but never won. He is first among left wings in NHL postseason history in points (148) and assists (84). -- Paul Strizhevsky, columnist, NHL.com/ru
7. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, C, Chicago Black Hawks (No. 42 by Minnesota North Stars) -- There were players who scored more remaining on the board, but Broten was a smart, offensively gifted center who could've been the heir apparent to Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 in Chicago. Broten is one of two players, along with Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, to win an NCAA championship (1979, University of Minnesota), Olympic gold medal (1980, United States) and the Stanley Cup (1995, New Jersey Devils). He became the first U.S.-born player to score 100 points in an NHL season with 105 (29 goals, 76 assists) for Minnesota in 1985-86, and his 634 assists rank fourth among players drafted in 1979. He had 923 points in 1,099 games in 17 seasons with the North Stars/Dallas Stars, Devils and Los Angeles Kings. -- Pat Pickens, staff writer
8. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, C, Boston Bruins (No. 41 by Quebec Nordiques) -- He wasn't the biggest player, but Hunter (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) nevertheless was a physical presence and would have fit in well with the Bruins. He scored 1,020 points (323 goals, 697 assists) in 1,407 NHL games, sixth in the 1979 draft class, and is the only player in NHL history with 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes (3,565). He scored 118 points (42 goals, 76 assists) in 186 NHL playoff games but lost in his only trip to the Stanley Cup Final, in 1998 when the Capitals were swept by the Red Wings. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
9. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, C, Toronto Maple Leafs (No. 120 by Boston Bruins) -- Six players were selected after Krushelnyski in 1979, and only two of them saw NHL action. Look now to see he ended up in the top 20 in the class in NHL goals (241; 18th) and points (569; 19th), a guy who almost was overlooked going on to play 897 NHL games and win three Stanley Cup championships with the Oilers (1985, 1987, 1988). Krushelnyski scored an NHL career-high 43 goals with Edmonton in 1984-85. Oh. You'll find the Montreal native's name in the Aug. 9, 1988, trade that sent Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 from the Oilers to the Kings, eventually coming back East on Nov. 9, 1990, by trade to the Maple Leafs.-- Dave Stubbs, columnist
10. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, C, Minnesota North Stars (No. 44 by Montreal Canadiens) -- With goal-scorers like Vaive and Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 still on the board, Minnesota opted for one of the best two-way players in NHL history. Originally drafted as a scorer, Carbonneau reinvented himself and was voted winner of the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL three times (1988, 1989, 1992). His shutdown abilities helped Montreal win the Cup twice (1986, 1993) and Dallas once (1999). Carbonneau, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, scored at least 17 goals 10 consecutive seasons from 1982-92 and had 663 points (260 goals, 403 assists) in 1,318 NHL games. He scored 93 points (38 goals, 55 assists) in 231 NHL playoff games. -- William Douglas, staff writer
11. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, RW, Buffalo Sabres (No. 5 by Vancouver Canucks) --Imagine what Vaive would have done for Buffalo if he began his NHL career with the Sabres rather than finishing it with them. He scored the fifth-most goals from the 1979 draft with 441 in 876 games in 13 seasons with the Canucks, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks and Sabres. Vaive scored at least 51 goals three straight seasons for the Maple Leafs from 1981-84, his 54 in 1981-82 their single-season record. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
12. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, D, Atlanta Flames (No. 12 by Atlanta Flames) -- Sometimes, a player is a perfect fit with one team, and such was the case for Reinhart with the Flames, who selected him with this pick 41 years ago. Defensemen Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 and Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 were considerations here in the redraft, as were Ogrodnick and forward Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, but Reinhart, one of the more underrated players of his era, was too enticing to pass up. The defenseman was an excellent puck-mover who scored at least 57 points in seven of his 11 NHL seasons. Among 1979 defensemen, Reinhart's NHL average of 0.86 points per game (559 in 648; 133 goals, 426 assists) is second to Bourque's 0.98. It is intriguing to think about the career numbers he might have produced had chronic back problems not forced him to retire after the 1989-90 season. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
13. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, LW, New York Rangers (No. 66 by Detroit Red Wings) -- Ogrodnick is ninth in the 1979 draft class with 827 points in 928 NHL games, eighth with 402 goals and seventh with 121 power-play goals. He scored at least 41 goals three straight seasons for Detroit from 1982-85, including an NHL career-high 55 in 1984-85. New York originally selected a forward in this spot (Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001), suggesting it was looking to add production up front. With this redraft, Ogrodnick would have provided that to the Rangers much sooner than he did after being traded to them by the Nordiques on Sept. 30, 1987. -- Rob Reese, fantasy editor
14. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, D, Philadelphia Flyers (No. 15 by Boston Bruins) -- McCrimmon was a model of consistency in 18 NHL seasons. His plus-448 rating is 10th in NHL history and is the highest for a player who's not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He scored more than 43 points in a season once (56 with the Flyers in 1985-86) but was at least plus-45 four straight seasons for Philadelphia from 1984-88, including plus-86 in 1985-86, the ninth-highest rating in a season in NHL history. He scored 403 points (81 goals, 322 assists) in 1,222 games with the Bruins, Flyers, Flames, Red Wings, Whalers and Phoenix Coyotes, and his 297 even-strength points (58 goals, 239 assists) rank third among 1979 defensemen behind Bourque's 774 and Lowe's 344. (McCrimmon died Sept. 7, 2011, at the age of 52.) -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
15. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, D, Boston Bruins (No. 21 by Edmonton Oilers) -- Here's the only number you need to know: nine. That's how many players have won the Stanley Cup more than Lowe in NHL history. The seven-time all-star hardly was just along for the ride in winning six championships playing with Messier and Anderson with the dominant Oilers in the 1980s and the Rangers in 1994. Lowe is fifth among defensemen from the 1979 class with 431 points (84 goals, 347 assists) in the League, and his 1,254 NHL games, including an Oilers-record 1,037, are sixth overall. With their original choice, McCrimmon, taken one pick earlier in this redraft, the Bruins still made out like bandits here. -- Dan O'Leary, staff writer
16. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, RW, Los Angeles Kings (No. 3 by Detroit Red Wings) -- With 727 points and 2,047 penalty minutes in the NHL, Foligno was the perfect mix of offense and grit. His 355 goals rank ninth in the 1979 class, and he is 13th in points and sixth in penalty minutes. Foligno scored at least 30 goals in five of his 15 NHL seasons and had at least 135 penalty minutes nine straight seasons from 1980-1989. -- David Satriano, staff writer
17. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, D, New York Islanders (No. 11 by Buffalo Sabres) -- It was a tough call for the Islanders between Ramsey and forward Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001. They chose the stay-at-home defenseman to fortify a position group that included Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, Ramsey's U.S. teammate at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Ramsey played 18 seasons in the NHL, 14 for Buffalo. His 911 games are the most among defensemen in Sabres history, and his 329 points (73 goals, 256 assists) are second at the position to Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001's 558. A four-time NHL all-star who also played against the Soviet Union in Rendez-vous '87, Ramsey is fifth among 1979 defensemen in NHL games (1,070) and ninth in points (345; 79 goals, 266 assists). -- Jon Lane, staff writer
18. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, LW, Hartford Whalers (No. 37 by Montreal Canadiens) -- The Whalers were thrilled to select Naslund, who is tied with Anderson for sixth in the 1979 class in points per game (0.97) with 634 (251 goals, 383 assists) in 651 NHL games. In 1985-86, Naslund was voted to the NHL Second All-Star Team with 110 points, including 67 assists to set an NHL single-season record by a left wing (Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 broke it with 69 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991-92), and led the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens in playoff scoring with 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists). He won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and a high standard of playing ability in 1987-88, when he had 83 points (24 goals, 59 assists) and 14 penalty minutes. In his NHL career, his rating (plus-119) was higher than his minutes in penalties (111). -- Nick Cotsonika, columnist
19. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, LW, Winnipeg Jets (No. 83 by Quebec Nordiques) -- What a career Stastny had with the Nordiques playing with his brothers Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001 and Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, and the Jets were more than happy to select him at No. 19. He scored at least 25 goals and 62 points each of his first eight seasons in the NHL, including highs of 39 goals in 1980-81 and 92 points in 1982-83. His average of 0.98 points per game (636 in 650) is tied for fourth in the 1979 class. -- Sebastien Deschambault, managing editor, LNH.com
20. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, C, Quebec Nordiques (No. 103 by Winnipeg Jets) -- After Winnipeg took a player who spent his entire NHL career in Quebec with the previous pick, the Nordiques turned the tables and took Steen. Over his 14-season NHL career with the Jets, Steen may not have put up eye-popping numbers like some of his contemporaries, but he was remarkably consistent, scoring at least 50 points 11 times, including two seasons with at least 84 (84 in 1984-85; 88 in 1988-89). An excellent passer and intelligent two-way center, Steen ranks 10th in the 1979 class in points (817) and ninth in assists (553). -- John Ciolfi, senior producer LNH.com
21. Video: Ray Bourque capped career with dramatic Cup in 2001, RW, Edmonton Oilers (No. 40 by Winnipeg Jets) -- Christian was a great get with the final pick in this redraft. He is 12th in the 1979 class with 773 points (340 goals, 433 assists) in 1,009 NHL games. A member of the U.S. team at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, he topped 80 points twice in 15 NHL seasons, each time for the Capitals, including an NHL career-high 83 (41 goals, 42 assists) in 1985-86. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
