2000’s All Decade NHL Team
Building an all-decade team means selecting one lineup that best represents a 10-year stretch, weighing major awards, long-term output, playoff impact, and the simple question of who changes a series. In the NHL, the 2000s required balancing two different environments: the low-scoring early years and the faster, offence-friendly era after the cancelled 2004-05 season.
This guide presents a full 2000s roster with one starter at each position and six additional depth selections who maintain the same elite standard. Every pick is grounded in official NHL awards and era-specific performance, with context drawn from league records and historical analysis to explain why each player fits on a single super-team.
How this all-decade team was built
The NHL all-decade team for the 2000s is based on hockey seasons rather than strict calendar years, accounting for the cancelled 2004-05 campaign in the middle of the sample. That context matters because the early 2000s and post-lockout years developed very different scoring environments.
Selections lean on four core pillars: major regular-season awards such as the Hart, Vezina, Norris, Art Ross, and Rocket Richard; playoff impact measured by the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup runs. The final lineup balances elite goaltending, two-way defence, a complete center, and wings who supply goals and edge, ensuring the team works as a unit rather than a collection of names.
The Starting Lineup
The lineup below represents the first names on the board for the decade, the six players you would trust in Game 1 of a best-of-seven series with everything on the line and no roster constraints.
- Goalie: Martin Brodeur
- Defence: Nicklas Lidstrom, Scott Niedermayer
- Forwards: Joe Sakic (C), Alex Ovechkin (LW), Jarome Iginla (RW)
The best goalie of the 2000s
Martin Brodeur stands as the clear choice in a crowded 2000s goalie debate because he brings awards, championships, and an unmatched workload. He won four Vezina Trophies in the decade in 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008, a level of repeated recognition few players at any position can match. At a time when true workhorse starters still carried heavy minutes, Brodeur was the standard.
New Jersey won the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003, and his Game 7 shutout in the 2003 Final remains one of the defining moments of the era. Over the decade, he started 699 games and recorded 401 wins, thriving in a lower-scoring environment and maintaining elite play deep into spring. When building a single team to represent the 2000s, Brodeur is the goalie who checks every box.
Defensemen selection from the 2000s
Any serious discussion of an NHL all-decade team for the 2000s on defence starts with two players whose awards and impact set them apart from the rest of the era.
Nicklas Lidstrom
Nicklas Lidstrom’s dominance is clear when you look at the Norris Trophy results. He won the award six times during the decade in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008, maintaining elite status across different team cycles and league conditions. Very few defencemen have controlled their position for that long within a single ten-year window.
His playoff credentials are just as strong as he won the Conn Smythe in 2002 while leading Detroit to the Stanley Cup, and he captained the Red Wings to another championship in 2008. His positioning, decision-making, and ability to handle top minutes without protection make him an automatic choice for any 2000s NHL all-decade team.
Scott Niedermayer
Scott Niedermayer earns the second defence slot through a mixture of individual recognition and championship leadership. He won the Norris Trophy in 2004 and the Conn Smythe in 2007, showing that he could be the league’s best at his position and the driving force behind a title run.
He was part of Stanley Cup winners in 2000 and 2003 with New Jersey, and later captained Anaheim to a championship in 2007. His skating allowed him to close gaps quickly and move the puck up ice under pressure, giving his teams a transition edge without sacrificing defensive responsibility. Alongside Lidstrom, he completes a top pairing built for heavy minutes and playoff intensity.
Center selection from the 2000s
Choosing a center for the NHL all decade team of the 2000s means separating several elite two-way stars, and Joe Sakic stands out because his peak lines up with both major awards and a championship run.
Sakic won the Hart Trophy in 2001 and also took home the Lady Byng that same season, a rare mixture that shows high-end output with disciplined play. That year, he captained Colorado to the Stanley Cup and led all playoff scorers with 26 points, leading one of the decade’s defining championship stories. Being the top player on a Cup winner during his MVP season gives his case serious weight.
His value across the decade extends beyond one title run as Sakic maintained strong points-per-game production during the low-scoring early 2000s and even recorded a 100-point season in 2006-07 at age 37, proving his level did not fade as the league evolved. His skating, vision, and leadership translate cleanly to a super-team setting, making him the ideal center choice for this era.
Left-wing selection from the 2000s
Alex Ovechkin earns the left wing spot because his peak in the second half of the decade was unmatched. He won the Hart Trophy in 2008 and 2009 and captured the Art Ross in 2008, establishing himself as the league’s most impactful offensive player during that stretch. His ability to take over games made him impossible to leave off a decade lineup.
Ovechkin won the Rocket Richard in 2008 with 65 goals and again in 2009 with 56, two of the most explosive scoring seasons of the era. Even though he entered the league mid-decade, that concentrated run of awards and production outweighs the shorter timeline. His mix of power and finishing gives this roster a true game-breaker on the wing, someone capable of tilting a playoff series with a single shot.
Right wing selection from the 2000s
Jarome Iginla takes the right wing spot on this NHL all-decade team of the 2000s because he paired elite scoring with a physical, captain-driven presence. In 2001-02, he won both the Art Ross and the Rocket Richard, finishing with 96 points and 52 goals while carrying Calgary’s offence. That season alone places him among the decade’s top forwards.
He reinforced that status by sharing the Rocket again in 2003-04, proving his scoring translated across different phases of the era. His 13 playoff goals during Calgary’s 2004 run to Game 7 of the Final further strengthened the case, showing that his output held up in high-pressure games. On a lineup built to win a series, Iginla brings finishing, strength, and edge without fading when the ice tightens.
Rotations
The six players below are the next names in for the 2000s lineup, chosen to strengthen every position without lowering the standard. This group includes a second high-end goalie, two additional top-pair defensemen, and three elite forwards who can reshape line combinations and special teams while keeping the team’s overall balance intact.
Player 1: Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Kiprusoff earns his place on the NHL all decade team 2000s depth chart as the ideal second option in net. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2006 and also captured the Jennings Trophy that same season, showing he was not just busy but truly elite at preventing goals.
His peak fits the tone of early-2000s hockey, where tight games and defensive structure ruled. Behind a workhorse starter like Brodeur, Kiprusoff gives this roster a proven No. 1-calibre goalie who can step in and win a playoff series on form alone.
Player 2: Chris Pronger
Chris Pronger strengthens the blue line on the NHL All-Decade Team of the 2000s as the era’s premier power defenseman. He won both the Hart Trophy and Norris Trophy in 2000, a rare achievement for a blueliner, and later added a Stanley Cup in 2007 with Anaheim, tying individual excellence to championship success.
At 6-foot-6 with a commanding presence, Pronger logged heavy minutes in every situation and dictated the physical spirit of a series. When games tighten, and space disappears, he is the defender you trust to clear the crease and still move the puck with command.
Player 3: Zdeno Chara
Zdeno Chara earns his place on the NHL all-decade team of the 2000s as a late-decade defensive player who could change matchups with size and reach alone. He won the Norris Trophy in 2009, validating him as the league’s top defenseman at the end of the era.
Standing 6-foot-9, Chara altered shooting lanes, net-front battles, and power-play spacing simply by being on the ice. He also logged massive minutes and thrived in shutdown roles. In tight playoff games or protect-the-lead situations, few defenders were better suited to close the door.
Player 4: Joe Thornton
Joe Thornton earns his place because his 2005-06 season ranks among the most influential of the decade. He won the Hart Trophy and the Art Ross that year, finishing with 125 points and 96 assists after a midseason trade to San Jose. That surge transformed the Sharks overnight and established him as the league’s premier playmaker.
Thornton controlled tempo, protected the puck, and opened space for linemates with precise distribution. On this roster, he anchors a second line that can tilt the ice through puck movement and sustained pressure, giving the team another elite offensive driver.
Player 5: Pavel Datsyuk
Datsyuk earns his spot as one of the most complete forwards of the 2000s. He won the Selke Trophy in 2008 and 2009 and captured the Lady Byng four straight years from 2006 to 2009, a rare mix of defensive excellence and disciplined skill. His game became so distinctive that highlight plays were labelled “Datsyukian,” a nod to his puck control and creativity in tight spaces.
He was a central figure on Detroit’s Stanley Cup teams in 2002 and 2008, and he posted back-to-back 97-point seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09. On an all-decade roster, Datsyuk gives you a forward who can tilt the ice without chasing points, capable of dictating tempo while shutting down elite opponents.
Player 6: Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin’s case rests on one of the strongest single-season peaks of the decade. In 2009, he won the Art Ross Trophy with 113 points and followed it by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP while leading Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup. That season tied elite regular-season output directly to postseason impact, which is exactly what an all-decade selection demands.
He also entered the league as a star, winning the Calder Trophy in 2007 and immediately producing at a franchise level. By the time the Penguins closed the decade with a championship in 2009, Malkin had already established himself as one of the era’s defining centers. On this roster, he provides top-line scoring and playoff reliability without any drop in standard.
Notable omissions and perspective checks
Any serious discussion of an NHL all-decade team of the 2000s ultimately turns into a debate about context, especially when weighing players who thrived in the low-scoring early years. This lineup attempts to strike that balance, yet several elite careers inevitably fall just outside the cut.
Sidney Crosby stands out immediately, given that he won both the Hart and Art Ross in 2007 and capped the decade with a Stanley Cup in 2009, credentials strong enough to justify a starting role on many versions of this team.
Jaromir Jagr also presents a compelling case with scoring titles in 2000 and 2001, while Martin St. Louis matched a Hart and Art Ross in 2004 and led Tampa Bay to its first championship. In goal, Jose Theodore’s 2002 season, which included both the Hart and Vezina, represents one of the strongest single-year peaks of the era, and a different emphasis on peak value versus decade-long consistency could easily alter the final selections.