Wisconsin Badgers Hockey: The All-Time team

With the second and third lines expected to provide strong two-way play, the fourth line is usually reserved for those defensively-inclined forwards who love to throw the body around on the ice, and that is true on this line.

LW Paul Ranheim

On the left wing, Paul Ranheim is a tale of two roles in his professional career. An All-American in 1988, Ranheim started his career in 1989 with the Calgary Flames and had his only 50 point campaign, including 26 goals. After an injury during what was shaping up to be a stellar 1990 season, Ranheim would score 20 goals twice more before having his role shifted from a goal scorer into a defensive forward, and his confidence cratered.

After the switch in 1993, he would never score more than 30 points in a season, but became one of the elite penalty killers in the NHL, which he parlayed into a 15-year career. Ranheim is an interesting case of what might have been in the NHL if he hadn’t gotten hurt, or if his coach hadn’t changed his role midway through his career.
NHL Stats: 161 Goals, 199 Assists, 360 Points in 1,013 Games
Badger Stats: 87 Goals, 89 Assists, 176 Points in 159 Games (1984-88)
1st Team All-American (1988)

RW Scott Mellanby

On the right side, we get a more traditional bottom six player, albeit one with considerable offensive production in Scott Mellanby. Big and strong at 6’1″ and 205 lbs, Mellanby scored 364 goals in a career spanned 21 years and 1,431 games, most notably with the Florida Panthers. Left unprotected in the expansion draft of 1993, Mellanby was selected by Florida and would score the first goal in franchise history and score 30 goals twice for the team. He also served as the Panthers Captain from 1997-2001.

His offensive numbers were good enough for the second line, but his play style, physical and aggressive, led to a lot of time in the box, as he racked up 2,479 penalty minutes in his career, hence his role on the fourth line. But among Badgers, he had a long and distinguished career worth remembering.
NHL Stats: 364 Goals, 476 Assists, 840 Points in 1,431 Games
Badger Stats: 35 Goals, 47 Assists, 82 Points in 72 Games (1984-86)

C Mike Eaves

And in the middle, we have the all-time leading scorer in Badger history in Mike Eaves. Playing two seasons with Mark Johnson, Eaves ended up with an astounding 267 points in 160 games in Madison before playing six full seasons in the NHL, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars. He never matched the success he had at Madison in the NHL but was a dependable bottom-six center scoring 30 points in five of his six full seasons.

He was defensively responsible, a threat on the second power play, and a leader on and off the ice. That’s part of what made him a good coach for the Badgers later on, winning a National Championship in 2005-2006 with Joe Pavelski and Brian Elliott anchoring the squad. As a player, he’ll provide a great balance between Ranheim’s defensive wizardry and Mellanby’s physical play with a steady hand in the middle.
NHL Stats: 83 Goals, 143 Assists, 226 Points in 324 Games
Badger Stats: 94 Goals, 173 Assists, 267 Points in 160 Games (1974-78)
1st Team All-American (1977, 1978) 1977 NCAA Championship
Coach: Wisconsin Badgers (2002-2016) 2006 NCAA Championship

With the 12 forwards selected, it’s time to back up to the blue line and take a look at the defense.