Dynamic Duos in the NHL

Originally published in the 2004 NHL Yearbook

By Lucas Aykroyd

In biology, it’s known as a symbiotic relationship. Two organisms feeding off each other for mutual benefit, like the bee and the flower.

In today’s National Hockey League, the equivalent is a dynamic duo whose offensive production stings opponents but sweetens their team’s success.

Look at the 2002-03 scoring leaders. Six of the top seven point-getters were linemates with special chemistry: Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche, Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks, and Joe Thornton and Glen Murray of the Boston Bruins.

No disrespect to the third members of those lines–Alex Tanguay, Brendan Morrison, and Mike Knuble–but nowadays it’s tough to find dominant trios with virtually equal output like Detroit’s renowned Production Line. In 1949-50, Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel, and Gordie Howe finished 1-2-3 in the scoring race with 78, 69 and 68 points respectively.

The closest recent parallel to that came in 1995-96, when Pittsburgh linemates Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Ron Francis tore it up with 161, 149 and 119 points apiece, ranking them 1-2-4.

But there have been plenty of recent cases where two linemates both crack the Top Ten in scoring. So why have dynamic duos taken the place of trios?

Increased player movement is a factor. Free agency enables stars to change teams more easily than in the past. Also, NHL general managers don’t hesitate to shuffle the deck or dump big salaries when the need arises. This makes it harder to evaluate who would be the perfect fit as a third linemate.

Even when three snipers stick with the same club for years like, say, Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, and Sergei Fedorov of Detroit, the odds are that you won’t see them all together, except on the power play. Modern coaches constantly juggle their lines to spread out the scoring or jumpstart someone whose production has flagged. But it’s a no-brainer to keep together two top-notch talents who consistently find each other on the ice and get the job done offensively.

“We complement each other really well,” Bertuzzi said of his Vancouver partnership with Naslund. “As much as our games are different, they are the same as well.”

At 6-3 and 245 pounds, Bertuzzi uses his size to create room for Naslund and shows great instinct with his soft hands. But his instinctive style also leads him into frequent offsides and occasional bad penalties. This is offset by Naslund’s more cerebral approach. The Swedish captain has great patience with the puck and boasts arguably the NHL’s most accurate wrist shot. The two linemates enhance each other’s strengths and minimize weaknesses.

Naslund and Bertuzzi combined for almost 36 percent of Vancouver’s 264 tallies last year as each flirted with the 50-goal mark. It was a career season for this duo, who had already finished 2-3 in league scoring in 2001-02.

Even better things happened for Forsberg and Hejduk with the Avalanche. And again, it was a case of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”

Forsberg’s passing skills and two-way play have long recommended him as the best all-around talent in hockey. But the rugged Ornskoldsvik native has also been criticized for not shooting enough. Hejduk ensured that wasn’t an issue, notching a league-leading 50 goals to help Forsberg win his first Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer.

“I’m just enjoying the ride playing with him,” Forsberg told the Rocky Mountain News about Hejduk. “He seems to find the open spaces and the puck seems to find him.”

Some things never change. Those same words could have come from either member of the most dynamic duo of the 1980’s and perhaps all time, Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri.

Over 12 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, the Great One and his sharp-shooting right winger combined for a whopping 560 goals. Gretzky assisted on 364 of Kurri’s tallies, and Kurri returned the favor 196 times. Kurri’s defensive prowess enabled Gretzky to freewheel and establish scoring records that may never be broken.

“Without Jari, I’d still have been a good player, sure, but there’s no way I’d have accomplished what I did,” Gretzky said in his 1990 autobiography. “He and I just clicked on the ice, almost like we were twins.”

Even their off-ice bond made them like family. It was more than just playing ping-pong together in the room before games. Gretzky became the godfather to Kurri’s two sons.

In the mid-1990’s, it was another Canadian-Finnish pairing that emerged as the NHL’s top duo. When the Winnipeg Jets dealt Teemu Selanne to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, the Finnish Flash found his hockey soulmate in Paul Kariya.

“It’s so much fun playing the game when you know exactly what the other person’s going to do,” said the North Vancouver-born Kariya, a diminutive speedster with a terrific wrist shot. Selanne, whose fondness for jokes and fast cars remains legendary, helped to loosen up his more serious partner, and that paid dividends on the ice.

Playing together, the two wingers both racked up Top Ten NHL regular season point totals four times from 1996 to 2000, including two occasions where Selanne finished second and Kariya third. Two Lady Byng Trophies (1996, 1997) for sportsmanlike excellence adorned Kariya’s mantelpiece, while Selanne became the first-ever winner of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy with his league-best 47 goals in 1998-99.

However, in an illustration of the danger of relying too much on just two guys, Anaheim never made waves in the playoffs, only reaching the second round in 1997. Of course, Kariya would get his first crack at the Stanley Cup in 2003, but that was more than two years after Selanne had been traded away to San Jose.

Today’s NHL, with its emphasis on defensive systems, is best-suited for the duo that takes care of both ends of the rink. Dallas’s Jere Lehtinen and Mike Modano might be the best example of that.

Modano grabs the limelight with his spectacular rushes, but it’s Lehtinen who is often touted by teammates as the unrecognized Stars MVP. A perennial Selke Trophy candidate, this well-conditioned Finn has jacked up his offensive game, scoring a career-best 31 goals in 2002-03.

When the Dallas coaching staff assembles video footage to show their players how to do things right, more often than not Lehtinen is the featured performer. And when Modano and Lehtinen teamed up with Brett Hull in 1998-99, it was no surprise when Dallas finished first overall and then won the Stanley Cup.

Now, who are the dynamic duos of tomorrow? Will Atlanta coach Bob Hartley revive the pairing of Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk as the Thrashers bid for their first playoff berth? How about Tampa Bay buddies Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards taking it to the next level together? Or could gifted center Jason Spezza find his groove alongside a Marian Hossa or Martin Havlat in Ottawa to follow up his brief but impressive showing in last year’s Conference Finals?

Only talent, grit and persistence will answer these questions. But history shows that dynamic duos will always find a way to flourish. Just like the bee and the flower.

Other Terrific Twosomes

Bryan Trottier-Mike Bossy: Trottier’s grit and Bossy’s unique scoring ability keyed the New York Islanders to four straight Cups from 1980 to 1983.

Mark Messier-Glenn Anderson: Sometimes overshadowed by Gretzky and Kurri in Edmonton, these two high-flying linemates still rank second and fourth respectively in all-time playoff scoring.

Adam Oates-Brett Hull: 72, 86, 70. Not football jersey numbers, but the NHL-best goal totals the “Golden Brett” earned off feeds from Oates with St. Louis from 1989-90 to 1991-92.

Pat LaFontaine-Alexander Mogilny: This Buffalo duo shone brightest in 1992-93, as LaFontaine finished second in NHL scoring with 148 points and Mogilny’s 76 goals tied Teemu Selanne for the league lead.

Eric Lindros-John LeClair: The two constants on Philadelphia’s “Legion of Doom” line, they combined for 47 points during the run to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals.

The Wayne and Jari Show

In terms of pure offensive power, no duo has ever proved as dynamic as Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri with the Edmonton Oilers. The numbers say it all.

Highest single-season goals total: 144, Gretzky (73) and Kurri (71), 1984-85

Highest one-year playoff goals total: 36, Kurri (19) and Gretzky (17), 1984-85

Highest single-season assists total: 226, Gretzky (163) and Kurri (63), 1985-86

Highest one-year playoff assists total: 48, Gretzky (31) and Kurri (17), 1987-88

Highest single-season points total: 346, Gretzky (215) and Kurri (131), 1985-86

Highest one-year playoff points total: 78, Gretzky (47) and Kurri (31), 1984-85