4 Nations Roster Remix: 1985 United States 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 through Sunday.

Today, NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen reveals what his Team USA roster would've looked like in 1985.

Forwards (13)

Mark Johnson -- Bryan Trottier -- Joe Mullen

Aaron Broten -- Bobby Carpenter -- Dave Christian

Neal Broten -- Mark Pavelich -- Brian Mullen

Eddie Olczyk -- Pat Lafontaine -- Brian Lawton

Bob Brooke

By 1985 the United States was building more of an NHL talent base, with more younger players inspired by the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team coming in. The fourth line here is an example of that. In February 1985, Olczyk was an 18-year-old rookie with the Chicago Blackhawks, Lafontaine was a 19-year-old rookie with the New York Islanders, and Lawton was a 19-year-old in his second season with the Minnesota North Stars after being the No. 1 pick in the 1983 NHL Draft. Trottier stars on the top line. He obtained U.S. citizenship to play in the 1984 Canada Cup, so the four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Islanders (1980-83) makes this team one year later as the No. 1 center. He was a future Hall of Famer in 1985 and would go on to win the Stanley Cup two more times, with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. Johnson was a hero on the 1980 Olympic team and by the middle of the 1984-85 season he was an established top-six NHL forward who could play center or wing. He had 87 points with the Hartford Whalers in 1983-84. Mullen turned pro before the 1980 Olympics and already was a 40-goal NHL scorer by the middle of the 1984-85 season. Carpenter was enjoying his best NHL season in 1984-85; he would go on to lead all U.S.-born players that season with 53 goals and 95 points. Christian was a key player on the 1980 Olympic team and a reliable goal-scoring and point-producing right wing in the NHL. His best seasons were with the Washington Capitals from 1983-86, when he had 233 points (96 goals, 137 assists) in 240 games. Aaron Broten was a key part of the New Jersey Devils reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 1988. Neal Broten and Mark Pavelich also were members of the 1980 Olympic team. Broten led U.S.-born players in scoring from 1981-86 with 425 points (146 goals, 279 assists) in 388 games. Pavelich had 278 points (113 goals, 165 assists) in 282 games from 1981-85. Brooke was a grinder who took time to make it, spending four seasons at Yale University. He was a 24-year-old rookie in 1984-85, but had played on the 1984 U.S. Olympic and Canada Cup teams.

Defensemen (7)

Phil Housley -- Mike Ramsey

Mark Howe -- Chris Chelios

Rod Langway -- Reed Larson

Mike O'Connell

Housley and Ramsey were defense partners with the Buffalo Sabres so it stands to reason they would be for Team USA too. Housley already was established as a top scoring defenseman in the middle of his third NHL season by February 1985. He had 66 points (19 goals, 47 assists) in 77 games as a rookie straight out of South St. Paul High School in Minnesota in 1982-83. He had 77 points (31 goals, 46 assists) in 75 games in 1983-84 and was on his way to having 69 points (16 goals, 53 assists) in 73 games in 1984-85. Ramsey was a big part of the 1980 Olympic team's back end, a stout, 6-foot-3, 195-pound defenseman. That's an easy top pair. Howe and Chelios each would go on to become Hockey Hall of Famers. Howe was among the most reliable two-way defensemen in the NHL and Chelios was an up-and-comer with every intangible. Langway and Larson would give the U.S. an effective pair, with Langway in the stay-at-home role on the left side, giving Larson the chance to skate freely and look for opportunities to unleash his slap shot. O'Connell could fit anywhere.

Goalies (3)

Tom Barrasso

Glenn "Chico" Resch

John Vanbiesbrouck

Barrasso established himself as the top U.S. goalie at the time with 26 wins and a 2.87 goals-against average in 42 games with the Sabres as a rookie in 1983-84. He played in the 1984 Canada Cup and was Team USA's best option. Resch was a dual citizen who was born in Canada but by 1985 was playing for the United States internationally. An established veteran goalie near the end of a long career, he could help Barrasso and fill in if necessary. Vanbiesbrouck was in his first full NHL season in 1984-85, an up-and-comer, and with Barrasso was part of the future of goaltending in the United States that eventually would be taken over by Mike Richter.