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Wisconsin Badgers Hockey: The All-Time team

By Mike Wendlandt

ST PAUL, MN - MARCH 21: The helmets for the Wisconsin Badgers sit on the bench before the semifinal game of the Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Championship between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Penn State Nittany Lions on March 21, 2014 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - MARCH 21: The helmets for the Wisconsin Badgers sit on the bench before the semifinal game of the Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Championship between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Penn State Nittany Lions on March 21, 2014 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Badgers
10 Sep 1996: Claude Lemieux of Canada (left) and Gary Suter of the United States tangle up during a World Cup game at the CoreStates Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Canada won the game, 4-3. /

LD Gary Suter

We start at the blue line with two of the best and most underrated defensemen of the past 50 years in professional hockey. Lining up on the left side of the blue line is the best of the greatest family of Badger Hockey, Gary Suter. The best of the four Suters to play defense at Wisconsin, Gary was a five-time All-Star and Stanley Cup Champion with the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks.

One of the best two-way defensemen of his era, Suter scored 40 points in ten of his seventeen seasons, including an incredible 91 the 1987-88 season. He won the Calder Trophy in his rookie year of 1985-86, and became an invaluable playoff performer as well with 73 points in 108 games. He’s still fifth all-time in Flames scoring, behind Joe Nieuwendyk, MacInnis, Theo Fleury, and Jarome Iginla. He’s the only choice for the left-handed defenseman on the top pair.

NHL Stats: 203 Goals, 641 Assists, 844 Points in 1,145 Games
Badger Stats: 16 Goals, 57 Assists, 73 Points in 74 Games (1983-1985)
Stanley Cup (1989), 5-Time All-Star, 1986 Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
US Hockey Hall of Fame (2011), 1983 National Championship

RD Chris Chelios (A)

On the right side of the blue line, we get one of the most durable and dependable defenseman in NHL history in Chris Chelios. Playing an astounding 26 seasons in the league and winning three Stanley Cups, three Norris Trophies, and eleven All-Star appearances, he is among the most decorated blueliners of all-time. Starting his career in the 1983-84 season for Montreal, Chelios would spend 25 of his 26 seasons with three teams (Canadiens, Red Wings, Blackhawks), scoring 40 points or more in twelve. His best year was likely in 1988, when he won his first Norris, scoring 15 goals and putting up 73 points for Montreal with an incredible plus-35 rating.

As far as the professional careers go, there has been no greater defenseman to wear the Cardinal and White of Wisconsin than Chris Chelios. If it wasn’t for Mark Johnson’s stature in Wisconsin history, Chelios would be the captain of this team, but he’ll have to settle for an Alternate Captaincy.

NHL Stats: 185 Goals, 763 Assists, 948 Points in 1,651 Games
Badger Stats: 22 Goals, 75 Assists, 97 Points in 88 Games (1981-83)
3 Stanley Cups (1986, 2002, 2008), 3 Norris Trophies (1989, 1993, 1996),11-Time All-Star
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee (2013), Named as one of the 100 Greatest Players in NHL History

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