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 1983 NHL Draft, which was held at the Montreal Forum on June 8, 1983.
1983 NHL Redraft: Hasek moves up 196 spots to No. 3
Yzerman, LaFontaine taken with first two picks; seven Hockey Hall of Famers selected
By
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
By the time Dominik Hasek's name was called at the 1983 NHL Draft, 198 players and 16 goalies had been selected before him.
This is the same Hasek who was voted winner of the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL six times and of the Hart Trophy as League MVP two times; the same one who won the Stanley Cup two times was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players on his way to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
With 37 years of hindsight, Hasek didn't make it past the third pick in our redraft of the 1983 NHL Draft.
Steve Yzerman, who was selected No. 4 in 1983, jumped to No. 1, and Pat LaFontaine moved up one spot to No. 2. Two other Hockey Hall of Fame forwards, Cam Neely and Sergei Makarov, rounded out the top five.
Brian Lawton, a center who was selected No. 1 in 1983, was not picked 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 1983 draft, have answered those questions. Here are the results. For reference, here is how the original draft went.
1. Steve Yzerman, C, Minnesota North Stars (originally selected No. 4 by Detroit Red Wings) -- Yzerman changed the course of hockey in Detroit. The Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs 15 of the previous 17 seasons before his arrival. With Yzerman, they got there 20 times in 22 seasons and won the Stanley Cup three times (1997, 1998, 2002). Yzerman began his NHL career as a dominating offensive presence, including back-to-back 60-goal seasons in 1988-89 (65) and 1989-90 (62). But when Scotty Bowman arrived as Red Wings coach in 1993, he pushed Yzerman to become a dominant two-way player, sacrificing individual success for championship glory. He was a significant contributor for his entire 22-season NHL career, all spent with Detroit. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009, he is 10th in NHL history with 692 goals and seventh with 1,755 points, each by far the most in the 1983 class. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
2. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, C, Hartford Whalers (No. 3 by New York Islanders) -- By selecting LaFontaine in this redraft, the Whalers fortified themselves down the middle with two Hockey Hall of Fame centers. They selected Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons with the No. 4 pick in the 1981 NHL Draft, and he would have slotted in perfectly on the second line behind LaFontaine, who leads the 1983 class with an NHL average of 1.17 points per game, slightly ahead of Yzerman's 1.16. Although his career ended prematurely in 1998 because of concussions, he is second in the class behind Yzerman with 468 goals and 1,013 points in 865 games with the Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. LaFontaine scored at least 40 goals in seven of his 15 NHL seasons, including a career-high 54 in 1989-90 with the Islanders and 53 with the Sabres in 1992-93, when he scored a career-high 148 points in 84 games. He scored 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 69 NHL playoff games, including his goal for the Islanders in the fourth overtime of their Easter Epic win in Game 7 of the 1987 Patrick Division Semifinals against the Washington Capitals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. -- Jim Cerny, senior editor
3. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, G, New York Islanders (No. 199 by Chicago Black Hawks) -- One of the best goalies in NHL history, Hasek was an absolute steal in the 10th round of the 1983 draft and the obvious pick in this redraft by the Islanders, who landed their successor to Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons after having just won the Cup for the fourth consecutive season. Hasek, nicknamed The Dominator, has the best save percentage (.922) in NHL history among goalies to play at least 550 games, and his 2.20 goals-against average is second to Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons's 2.07. Hasek, the only goalie to win the Hart Trophy twice (1997, 1998), is 14th in NHL history in wins (389) and tied for sixth in shutouts (81). He won the Cup with the Red Wings in 2002 and 2008, helped the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999 (13-6, 1.77 GAA, .939 save percentage), and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. -- Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor
4. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, RW, Detroit Red Wings (No. 9 by Vancouver Canucks) -- His NHL average of 0.96 points per game (694 in 726; 395 goals, 299 assists) is third in the 1983 class, as are his 142 power-play goals (Yzerman, 202; LaFontaine, 156), solidifying his value as the third forward taken in this redraft. Although he never won the Cup in a career cut short by a degenerative hip condition after 13 NHL seasons, Neely was productive in the postseason, with 89 points (57 goals, 32 assists) in 93 games, his average of 0.96 per game second in the class behind Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons' 1.03. Neely's consistency from the regular season to the playoffs made him a valuable pick for the Red Wings, who were seeking help at forward as evidenced by their original selection of Yzerman here. -- Rob Reese, fantasy editor
5. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, RW, Buffalo Sabres (No. 231 by Calgary Flames) -- I know his NHL numbers may not justify being the No. 5 pick, but keep in mind that Makarov didn't make his debut with the Flames until he was 31 in 1989-90, when he scored 86 points (24 goals, 62 assists) and was voted winner of the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Imagine the kind of impact he would have had in the NHL if the Sabres had been able to help him defect from the Soviet Union even a few years sooner, like they did with Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons when he was 20 in 1989. Makarov's NHL average of 0.91 points per game (384 in 424; 134 goals, 250 assists) is fourth in the 1983 class. Playing with Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons and Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons for CSKA Moscow and the Soviet national team, the two-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, 1988) and eight-time world champion was the best scorer on one of the most lethal lines in hockey history and is widely recognized as one of the greatest right wings to ever play the game. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. -- Paul Strizhevsky, columnist, NHL.com/ru
6. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, RW, New Jersey Devils (No. 121 by Philadelphia Flyers) -- The Devils were coming off a 17-49-14 season, and their leading goal-scorer was Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons with 25. Selecting Tocchet with this pick would've made a significant offensive impact for a team that needed it. Among players drafted in 1983, Tocchet is third in NHL goals (440), assists (512) and points (952), and sixth in games (1,144) and points per game (0.83). He was an effective special-teams player with 130 power-play goals (fifth in class) and 13 shorthanded goals (tied for fifth), and he never shied away from physical battles, as evidenced by his 2,970 penalty minutes (second; Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, 3,300). Tocchet won the Stanley Cup as a player with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and as an assistant coach with them in 2016 and 2017. -- Matt Cubeta, Editor-in-Chief, NHL.com International
7. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs (No. 26 by Montreal Canadiens) -- Lemieux won the Cup four times with three teams (Canadiens, 1986; Devils, 1995 and 2000; Colorado Avalanche, 1996). Known as an agitator, Lemieux was good during the regular season, when he had 786 points (379 goals, 407 assists) in 1,215 NHL games over 21 seasons, including an 18-game comeback with the San Jose Sharks in 2008-09 after he'd been out of the League for more than five years. But he was even better in the playoffs, when he had 158 points (80 goals, 78 assists) in 234 games. Lemieux was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP with New Jersey in 1995, when he led the NHL with 13 goals in 20 games. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
8. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, G, Winnipeg Jets (No. 5 by Buffalo Sabres) -- The Jets needed a goalie, so they selected the two-time Stanley Cup champion who won the Vezina and Calder trophies in 1983-84, when he went 26-12 with three ties for the Sabres. Barrasso's 369 wins are second in the 1983 class -- 20 fewer than Hasek and 190 more than Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, who's third -- and 19th in NHL history. He is tied for 14th in NHL playoff wins with 61, 28 of which came helping the Penguins win back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
9. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, D, Vancouver Canucks (No. 145 by New Jersey Devils) -- Another player who you wonder what would have been had he arrived in North America earlier. But the defenseman who helped the Soviet Union win two Olympic gold medals (1984, 1988) and seven world championships showed the Canucks more than enough in his time in the NHL for them to take him here. Fetisov didn't make his debut with the Devils until he was 31 in 1989-90, but his average of 0.42 points per game is second among 1983 defensemen who played at least 500 NHL games (Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, 0.52). He is fourth in the class at the position with 228 points (36 goals, 192 assists) in 546 games and third overall in rating at plus-114 (Yzerman, plus-184; Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, plus-115). Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016, he was part of the Red Wings' "Russian Five" unit, with defenseman Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons and forwards Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, Larionov, and Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, that helped them end their 42-year Stanley Cup drought in 1997 and repeat in 1998. -- William Douglas, staff writer
10. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, RW, Buffalo Sabres (No. 6 by New Jersey Devils) -- The Sabres were looking for help on the right side after finishing in third place in the Adams Division in 1982-83, and they found it by selecting MacLean. He is fourth in the 1983 draft class with 413 goals and 842 points in 1,194 NHL games (third). MacLean, who had three straight 40-goal seasons for New Jersey from 1988-91, scored 83 points (35 goals, 48 assists) in 104 NHL playoff games and was part of the Devils' 1995 Stanley Cup championship team. He was an excellent addition to a team seeking to add young talent while trying to keep up with the likes of the Boston Bruins and Canadiens in the Adams Division. -- John Kreiser, managing editor
11. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, RW, Buffalo Sabres (No. 7 by Toronto Maple Leafs) -- Immediately after drafting MacLean, the Sabres selected another skilled forward. Courtnall scored at least 22 goals in nine of his 16 NHL seasons and at least 60 points in six, including a career-high 80 (23 goals, 57 assists) for the Dallas Stars in 1993-94. The versatile forward was dangerous on the penalty kill; his 29 shorthanded goals and 53 shorthanded points trail only Yzerman (50 goals, 83 points) among players drafted in 1983. One of eight players in the class to reach 1,000 NHL games (1,029), Courtnall ranks fifth in assists (447) and sixth in points (744). His older brother Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons played 17 NHL seasons. -- Guillaume Lepage, staff writer, LNH.com
12. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, D, New York Rangers (No. 100 by Los Angeles Kings) -- Galley did not have to wait until the fifth round to hear his name called this time around. His 600 points (125 goals, 475 assists) in 1,149 games are 40th among defensemen in NHL history and by far the most at the position from the 1983 draft -- Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons is second with 281. The Rangers would have had a dynamic duo on their blue line for years with Galley and Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons. -- Sebastien Deschambault, managing editor, LNH.com
13. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, LW, Calgary Flames (No. 108 by Los Angeles Kings) -- No, Stevens would not have played with Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons in Calgary. But the Flames selected a left wing with the ability to score at an elite level and contribute to championships. Stevens had 726 points (329 goals, 397 assists) in his NHL career, seventh overall and first among left wings in the 1983 class. When the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, he had 61 points (30 goals, 31 assists) in the playoffs, second to Mario Lemieux's 78 and 17 more than anyone else. In four seasons from 1990-94, he had 408 points (190 goals, 218 assists) in 315 games for Pittsburgh. He was voted to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1991-92 and the Second All-Star Team in 1990-91 and 1992-93. -- Nick Cotsonika, columnist
14. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, LW, Winnipeg Jets (No. 80 by Edmonton Oilers) -- The juiciness of Tikkanen being on the other side of the rivalry between the Jets and Oilers made this pick a necessity. There were players in the 1983 draft whose offensive production compares favorably against Tikkanen, who had 630 points (244 goals, 386 assists) in 877 NHL games, but none who can compete with his championship pedigree. He won the Cup four times with the Oilers (1985, 1987, 1988, 1990) and once with the Rangers (1994). Tikkanen was on Edmonton's first line during its glory days, good enough offensively to keep up with Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons and Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, and responsible enough to provide defensive coverage for the two offensive dynamos. He is considered one of the best big-game players in NHL history. In 186 NHL playoff games, Tikkanen had 132 points (72 goals, 60 assists). -- Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial
15. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 86 by Detroit Red Wings) -- The Penguins feel Klima can help set the foundation for a first line, so they picked him here. Maybe they'll find a center in the 1984 NHL Draft to play with him, a center who could change their franchise even. Klima wasn't a franchise changer like Mario Lemieux, who was the center Pittsburgh selected with the No. 1 pick in 1984, but he got a lot out of an NHL career that started when he defected from Czechoslovakia in the summer of 1985. He is 14th among players from the 1983 draft with 573 points (313 goals, 260 assists) in 786 NHL games, an average of 0.73 points per game (12th in class), and seventh with 230 even-strength goals. Klima had six seasons with at least 30 goals, including an NHL career-high 40 in 1990-91 with the Edmonton. He won the Stanley Cup with the Oilers in 1990 after being acquired in a trade from the Red Wings on Nov. 2, 1989. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
16. Vladislav Tretiak, G, New York Islanders (No. 138 by Montreal Canadiens) -- Although Tretiak never played in the NHL, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989 and is considered one of the best goalies of all time. He was 31 at the time of the 1983 draft but could have shared the Islanders net with Smith for several seasons. Tretiak won three Olympic gold medals (1972, 1976, 1984) and one silver medal (1980) representing the Soviet Union, which won the world championship with him in net 10 of 13 times the tournament was held from 1970-83. He played 16 seasons with CSKA Moscow in the Soviet League and was a First All-Star Team selection each season from 1971-84, was a five-time MVP, and won 13 league titles. -- David Satriano, staff writer
17. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, C, Montreal Canadiens (No. 12 by New York Rangers) -- With their 1970s dynasty in the rearview mirror, the Canadiens needed to revamp their offense, and Gagner certainly would have helped in that regard. Though he'd never be mistaken for the flash and dash of Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons or Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, Gagner was consistently productive for a 10-season stretch from 1988-98. He scored 40 goals in back-to-back seasons for the North Stars from 1989-91 and had six seasons with at least 30 and eight with at least 20 in that span. His 318 goals and 719 points in the NHL rank eighth in the 1983 class. His son Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons has played 13 NHL seasons. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
18. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, LW, Chicago Black Hawks (No. 2 by Hartford Whalers) -- Turgeon was NHL-ready and could have helped Chicago remain among the top teams after it finished first in the Norris Division, ranked fourth in the NHL in scoring (338 goals; 4.23 per game), and reached the Campbell Conference Finals in 1982-83. Turgeon scored 40 goals in 1983-84, including 18 on the power play, and was third in voting for the Calder Trophy behind Barrasso and Yzerman. He scored 116 goals in his first three NHL seasons, including a career-high 45 in 1985-86, but 153 in his final nine before leaving the League at 30 years old following the 1994-95 season, his third with the Ottawa Senators. He is 11th in the 1983 class with an NHL average of 0.74 points per game (495 in 669; 269 goals, 226 assists). Turgeon had a goal and an assist in a three-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques in the 1986 Adams Division Semifinals, the only series win in Whalers history. His younger brother Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons played 19 NHL seasons. -- Frank Giase, staff writer
19. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, D, Edmonton Oilers (No. 214 by Buffalo Sabres) -- The Oilers' original choice of Beukeboom certainly worked out, but I just couldn't pass up Krupp (6-foot-6, 240 pounds), who was slightly bigger than Beukeboom (6-5, 230) and more offensively skilled. Krupp was an intimidating presence over 15 NHL seasons with five teams. He is perhaps best known for his Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Avalanche in 1996, a slap shot from the blue line past goalie Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons to defeat the Florida Panthers in the third overtime of an epic Game 6 of the Cup Final. A clutch goal like that tells me he would have fit in just fine with the Oilers dynasty of the 1980s. -- Dan O'Leary, staff writer
20. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, D, Hartford Whalers (No. 19 by Edmonton Oilers) -- Though it was tempting to go for an enforcer like Probert or Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons here, the Whalers, needing help everywhere after their next-to-last finish in the NHL in 1982-83, went with the dependable Beukeboom, a physical shutdown defenseman. He may not have won four Stanley Cup championships, as he did in a 13-season NHL career with the Oilers (1987, 1988, 1990) and Rangers (1994), but his plus-115 rating was the best by a defenseman in the 1983 draft class, and he would have looked great in Whalers green, blue and white with "Brass Bonanza" blaring overhead. -- Barry Rubinstein, manager, assignments
21. Video: Steve Yzerman was Detroit's captain for 19 seasons, C, Boston Bruins (No. 41 by Philadelphia Flyers) -- The Bruins got good value here with Zezel, who is 11th in the 1983 class in assists (388) and 12th in points (607). After several solid offensive seasons with the Flyers, including scoring an NHL career-high 33 goals in 1986-87, Zezel transformed into a quality defensive center. A center who can contribute offensively and defensively is always a valuable asset, so Boston was happy to wrap up the first round with Zezel. (Zezel died May 26, 2009, at the age of 44.) -- John Ciolfi, senior producer, LNH.com
