4 Nations Roster Remix: 1995 Canada team

The top NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States will go head-to-head at the 4 Nations Face-Off, a best-on-best tournament that will be held from Feb. 12- 20 in Montreal and Boston.

Though this is the first tournament of its kind to feature these four countries, NHL.com and NHL.com International have put together what the rosters and line combinations for each country would have looked like in the past, going backwards in five-year intervals. The rosters will follow the same format as the current 4 Nations teams – 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies.

The stories will run each Friday and Sunday through Feb. 9.

Today, NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest reveals what his Canada roster would've looked like in 1995.

Forwards (13)

Pierre Turgeon -- Wayne Gretzky -- Eric Lindros

Ron Francis -- Mark Messier -- Joe Nieuwendyk

Brendan Shanahan -- Joe Sakic -- Theo Fleury

Trevor Linden -- Steve Yzerman -- Cam Neely

Paul Kariya

Mario Lemieux would not have been available to play for Canada in 1995 having taken the 1994-95 season off to recover from radiation treatment to combat Hodgkin lymphoma. He also underwent back surgery in the summer of 1993, which limited him 22 games in the 1993-94 season. Despite his absence, Canada still would have iced a star-studded roster led by Gretzky and Messier up front. Gretzky would have been 34 years old and less than a year removed from a 130-point season (38 goals, 92 assists) with the Los Angeles Kings in 1993-94. He had 48 points (11 goals, 37 assists) in 48 games in a condensed 1994-95 season. Messier had 53 points (14 goals, 39 assists) in 46 games that season, having led the New York Rangers to a Stanley Cup Championship the previous season in 1994. Turgeon had 94 points (38 goals, 56 assists) in 69 games for the New York Islanders in 1993-94 and would have been a potent winger for Gretzky along with Lindros on the top line. Lindros had 70 points (29 goals, 70 assists) in 46 games in 1994-95 and followed that up with a career-high 115 points (47 goals, 68 assists) in 73 games in 1995-96. Gretzky, Messier, Sakic and Yzerman would have given Canada incredible depth down the middle. The team would have had a plethora of interchangeable talented wingers to move up and down the lineup, with all but Linden and Fleury going on to make the Hall of Fame. Paul Kariya was in his rookie season in 1994-95 but would have made a good option as the 13th forward, particularly considering he would go on to have 108 points (50 goals, 58 assists) the following season in 1995-96.

Defensemen (7)

Paul Coffey -- Rob Blake

Ray Bourque -- Al MacInnis

Scott Niedermayer -- Larry Murphy

Scott Stevens

Canada's defense would have been made up by seven future Hall of Fame players. Coffey (2004), and Blake (2014), along with Bourque (2004), and MacInnis (2007) would have provided the firepower from the back end, while Niedermayer (2013), Murphy (2004), and Stevens (2007) would have been the defensive anchors and provided the grit and muscle. A case could be made this would have been the best defensive group ever assembled by Team Canada.

Goalies (3)

Patrick Roy

Martin Brodeur

Ed Belfour

Playing behind that blue line, there may not have been a lot of work for Canada's goalies, yet there would have been three future Hall of Fame members to choose from. Roy (2006) would have been the No. 1 in front of Martin Brodeur (2018), and Ed Belfour (2011) would have been more than capable to step in. Roy had a 2.97 goals against average and .906 goals against average with the Montreal Canadiens in 1994-95 despite a 17-20 record (with six ties). Brodeur was 19-11 (with six ties) with a 2.44 GAA and .902 save percentage that season in 39 starts with the New Jersey Devils, while Belfour was 22-15 (with three ties) with a 2.28 GAA and .906 save percentage in 42 games with the Chicago Blackhawks. Good luck to any opponent trying to score against any of those three at a best-on-best tournament.