Here's what the lines of a Quebec hockey team would look like with the best NHL players
We have always wondered what a hockey team composed of the best players from Quebec could look like.
There was already a 100% Quebecois team formed during a four-on-four tournament organized in Hamilton during the very first NHL lockout in 1994, but we have never had the chance to see what a Quebec team could truly be like.
As the province has rejected independence twice, the most ardent hockey fans supporting sovereignty have never been able to witness their dream of seeing a team proudly wearing the blue with the fleur-de-lys facing off against the best nations on the ice.
But since speculation is possible, the website Habsolumentfan.com reported on what a Quebec team could potentially look like in 2023, as proposed by the Twitter account Big Head Hockey.
Let's start in goal:
Marc-Andre Fleury, Devon Levi, and Samuel Montembeault
It's interesting to note the presence of young Devon Levi, who had an excellent start with the Buffalo Sabres, winning five out of the seven games he participated in.
Now let's move on to the defensive lineup:
Thomas Chabot - Kristopher Letang
Mike Matheson - David Savard
Samuel Girard - Alexandre Carrier
It's worth mentioning that Marc-Edouard Vlasic would act as the seventh defenseman.
And finally, let's look at the forwards:
Jonathan Huberdeau - Patrice Bergeron - Jonathan Marchessault
David Perron - Pierre-Luc Dubois- Anthony Mantha
Yanni Gourde - Phillip Danault - Anthony Duclair
Anthony Beauvillier - Nicolas Roy - Frederick Gaudreau
As extras, we would have Mathieu Joseph and Alexis Lafrenière.
All-Quebec team:
Huberdeau-Bergeron-Marchessault
Perron-Dubois-Mantha
Gourde-Danault-Duclair
Beauvillier-Roy-Gaudreau
Chabot-Letang
Matheson-Savard
Girard-Carrier
Marc-Andre Fleury
Devon Levi
Sam Montembeault
Extras: Vlasic, Laf, Joseph
Where do they rank internationally? pic.twitter.com/voTepa8Ujj� Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) July 12, 2023
Upon closer inspection, we can indeed find three Montreal Canadiens' representatives in this lineup with Montembeault, Matheson, and Savard.
However, it is evident that some interesting players are missing, including Samuel Blais, who excelled with Team Canada in the last senior World Championship in May.
Even though this may be a bit of a fantasy for some independence supporters, we can still admit that it's not a bad team, though it falls short of the powerhouses like Canada and the United States. Nevertheless, a Quebec team would have nothing to envy from countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, or even Finland.
But unless there's a surprising referendum on Quebec's sovereignty, we won't be seeing a Quebec team step onto the ice in an international competition.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 23 | 659 ANSWERS Here's what the lines of a Quebec hockey team would look like with the best NHL players In your opinion, could a Quebec team be competitive in a high-level international competition? | ||
| Yes | 419 | 63.6 % |
| No | 240 | 36.4 % |
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