yave1964 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Which team could and should be considered the greatest single season team ever? For dynasties such as the 50's Habs, the Oilers, Isles and 70's Habs I chose just one. Please vote! 1971-72 BOSTON BRUINSRECORD 54-13-11 119 pointsGOALS 330 (1st)AGAINST 204 (4th) 12-3 postseason, defeated Rangers in 6 to win cup. HOFERS: Espo (66-67-133) Orr (37-80-117) Bucyk (32 goals) Cheevers (.250 goals against). 4 total NOTED OTHERS: Fred Stanfield, Pie Mckenzie, Derek Sanderson, Ken Hodge, Wayne Cashman and Shaky Walton. 2nd cup in three years Espo and Orr were unstopable___________________ 1983-84 EDMONTON OILERSCoach Glen Sather 57-18-5 119 pointsPOSTSEASON 15-4 defeated 4 time cup winners Isles in 5. GOALS 446 (ALL TIME RECORDAGAINST 314 (10TH) HOFers:Gretzky (87-118-205) Coffey (40-86-126) Kurri (52 goals) Messier (101 points 165 PIMs) Anderson (54 goals) Fuhr (30-10-4) 6 total OTHER NOTABLES: Ken Linseman (67 points) Pat Hughes (27 goals) Semenko, Lowe, Huddy, Moog, McClelland Oilers won 4 out of five cups starting with this team led by the great one----------------------------------------------- 1981-82 NEW YORK ISLANDERSAl Arbour coach, 54-16-10 118 pointsGOALS 385 (2ND)AGAINST 250 (2ND) POSTSEASON 15-4 swept Canucks HOFers: Bossy (64-83-147) Trottier (50-79-129) Gillies (38 goals) Potvin (24-37-61) Battlin' Billy Smith 6 counting Arbour NOTABLE OTHERS: Tonelli, Bourne, Duane and Brent Sutter, Butch Goring, Morrow, Nystrom Team won four straight cups, this was likely their best team___________________ 1976-77 MONTREAL CANADIENSCoach Scotty Bowman 60-8-12 132 points only one home loss all yearGOALS 387 (1st)AGAINST 171 (1st) POSTSEASON 12-2 Swept Bruins in 4 straight HOFERS: Lafleur (56-80-136) Shutt (60 goals) Lemaire (75 points) Cournoyer (25 goals) Gainey, Dryden (2.14 Goals against) trio of d-men, Savard, Robinson (85 points and plus 120) and Lapointe 9 total counting Bowman OTHER NOTABLES: Pete Mahovlich, Risebrough, Lambert, Houle_________________________ 1955-56 MONTREAL CANADIENSToe Blake Coach 45-15-10 100 pointsGOALS 222 (1st)AGAINST 131 (1st) POSTSEASON 8-2 BEAT Red Wings in five HOFERS: Beliveau (47 goals 143 PIMs) Geoffrion (29 goals) Harvey (5-39-44) Tom Johnson Plante (1.86 goals against) Henri Richard, Maurice Richard (38-33-71). Total Hofers 8 counting Blake OTHER NOTABLES Bert Olmstead, Dickie Moore, Floyd Curry, Mosdell, Provost The team won five cups in a row with this core of the team going 20-5 in the finals.___________________ 2001-02 DETROIT RED WINGSCoach Scotty Bowman 51-17-10-4 116 pointsGOALS 251 (2nd)AGAINST (187 (3rd) POSTSEASON 16-9 Defeated the Hurricanes in five games. HOFers: Shanahan (37 goals) Hull (30 goals) Robitaille (30 goals) Lidstrom, Yzerman, Larionov, Chelios, Hasek (41 wins) eventually both Federov and Datsyuk will be in. Counting Bowman 11 OTHER NOTABLES homer, McCarty, Draper The Wings won their third title in six years in the age of parity. I could have put in one of the Penguin teams from the early nineties, the sixties Leafs, the Bullies or even one of the great Avalanche teams but these six, to me, are the greatest of all time. Votes? Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingNut722 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Gonna have to go with the Oilers on this one for a couple reasons. -The beginning of the Edmonton Dynasty. -Ridiculous number of Goals For.-The Gretsky/Messier combo-High success in an era of the expanded league and schedule (as opposed to the Original Six days); the road is much longer and tougher.-I counted Detroit out because of the stigma of the so-called "Yankee Syndrome." As a Detroit fan I don't like to believe it, but it's hard to ignore the notion that the Illich's "bought" that Cup. But I suppose as I'm currently the only one who disagrees with the 76-77 Habs, I'm sure I'll have lots of angry posts comin' at me any minute now... *Puts on helmet* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Gonna have to go with the Oilers on this one for a couple reasons. -The beginning of the Edmonton Dynasty. -Ridiculous number of Goals For.-The Gretsky/Messier combo-High success in an era of the expanded league and schedule (as opposed to the Original Six days); the road is much longer and tougher.-I counted Detroit out because of the stigma of the so-called "Yankee Syndrome." As a Detroit fan I don't like to believe it, but it's hard to ignore the notion that the Illich's "bought" that Cup. But I suppose as I'm currently the only one who disagrees with the 76-77 Habs, I'm sure I'll have lots of angry posts comin' at me any minute now... *Puts on helmet* Glad your still posting. I had to go to with the 76-77 Canadien team because of the amazing skill on the team, I get it with the Oilers, truthfully they are second on my list. But a look at the stars:Gretzky over LafleurMessier over ShuttKurri over CournoyerThat's it, everything else goes with Montreal IMHOBowman over SlatsRobinson, Savard and Lapointe over Coffey and the restGainey over Anderson, albeit they were different stylesDryden over Fuhr That takes care of the HOFers where that great Montreal club was unparrellelled was the spear carriers, the Oilers had some good players but Linesman was near the end of the line Hughes wasn't much of a player, McClelland was just starting out, Semenko wanst much of a player other than fighting. You get the picture. Montreal hadIron man Doug JarvisDoug Risebrough and his gritYvon Lambert was a 30 goal manRejean Houle was an underrated near star.Pierre Bouchard was the forgotten man on defense The team went on and on. Bunny Laroqcue. Engblom and his mullet. Hel, they didn't have room for Langway they were so deep. And one home loss all year. One. The team was just so stacked it was unreal. The Wings team I ranked fourth behind the two mentioned above and the Habs 50's dynasty. I might have ranked them higher but they struggled in the postseason, for such a veteran loaded club, Hasek saved the day or they would have went down as the high priced team that couldn't get it done. The offense in the postseason was putrid at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingNut722 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 @yave1964 You make a very convincing argument (as Swami is wont to do). I suppose I'll stick with my Edmonton pick, though. Glad to be able to post a little bit. Work heated up exponentially in the last month which made me all but invisible from this Forum. Same thing happened last year in the playoffs too. Believe me, I've been trying to follow as best I can and I promise I'll add in my two cents to your post on DRW Season In Review! Just as soon as I don't have to work overtime anymore....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Glad your still posting. I had to go to with the 76-77 Canadien team because of the amazing skill on the team, I get it with the Oilers, truthfully they are second on my list. But a look at the stars:Gretzky over LafleurMessier over ShuttKurri over CournoyerThat's it, everything else goes with Montreal IMHOBowman over SlatsRobinson, Savard and Lapointe over Coffey and the restGainey over Anderson, albeit they were different stylesDryden over Fuhr That takes care of the HOFers where that great Montreal club was unparrellelled was the spear carriers, the Oilers had some good players but Linesman was near the end of the line Hughes wasn't much of a player, McClelland was just starting out, Semenko wanst much of a player other than fighting. You get the picture. Montreal hadIron man Doug JarvisDoug Risebrough and his gritYvon Lambert was a 30 goal manRejean Houle was an underrated near star.Pierre Bouchard was the forgotten man on defense The team went on and on. Bunny Laroqcue. Engblom and his mullet. Hel, they didn't have room for Langway they were so deep. And one home loss all year. One. The team was just so stacked it was unreal. The Wings team I ranked fourth behind the two mentioned above and the Habs 50's dynasty. I might have ranked them higher but they struggled in the postseason, for such a veteran loaded club, Hasek saved the day or they would have went down as the high priced team that couldn't get it done. The offense in the postseason was putrid at times. -I think you're probably not doing fair service to Charlie Huddy, who was a hell of a defenseman, and Kevin Lowe, when you talk about the blueline, but other than that, I agree.-We don't have much choice but to recognize the fact that the '77 Habs are the best team ever assembled, but what makes comparing them so difficult is that they were assembled under a system which was completely and totally rigged in Montreal's favor, that it's just so different than any other time in NHL history. So yes, they're the best team ever (in my mind, clearly better than any Oilers team, that's for sure) but they're definitely the product of what happens when you take a genius GM and also leave him in charge of setting the rules. Complete imbalance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I voted the Flyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJgoal Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 No mention of the 74-75 Caps? or the 93-94 Sharks? both had record-setting seasons... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 No mention of the 74-75 Caps? or the 93-94 Sharks? both had record-setting seasons...I could write a thousand words about the 74-75 Caps without working up a sweat, Bill Mikkelson and his -82 and the boys, one road win all year, maybe we can try that at a later date, the worst year in franchise history by team...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I don't know enough about the teams earlier than the 80's. But how many cups could the Oilers have won if they kept Gretzky and Coffey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 I don't know enough about the teams earlier than the 80's. But how many cups could the Oilers have won if they kept Gretzky and Coffey?The year after the trade sending Wayne to the Kings, the Oilers won a final cup just to prove they could do it without him. Coffey had been dealt several years previous for Craig Simpson. Gretzky and Coffey by then were still great, but frankly I think that the cup run was about over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 The year after the trade sending Wayne to the Kings, the Oilers won a final cup just to prove they could do it without him. Coffey had been dealt several years previous for Craig Simpson. Gretzky and Coffey by then were still great, but frankly I think that the cup run was about over. Yeah, the best time were past the team by that time. Gretzky had a significant impact on the Kings 1993 trip to the Finals, and Messier of course in 1994 for the Rangers (who also had a number of ex-Oilers playing key minutes). Besides that 1990 Cup, the Oilers went to the Conference Finals in 1991 and '92, and it doesn't seem inconceivable to suggest that Gretz and Moose would have helped push them the Northstars and Blackhawks. Still, they would have been playing the Penguins in the Finals those two years, and (IMO) Pittsburgh would have likely won those series. Still... The Bruins were a better team in 1990, and the Oilers won that one as well. One more? Mayyyyyybe two. Nobody really knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 @JR EwingJust looking at your Gong Show profile pic, nice offseason for your boys, you may need to change that soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I suspect (and the votes currently suggest) that this is going to come down to the 1977 Habs and the 1984 Oilers. Personally, I think it's the Habs, and easily. Here's why: The offensive numbers of the Oilers are absolutely eye-popping, but the Habs aren't far behind at all if you compare each team to the performance of other teams in the league in the seasons in question. In 1984, the second-highest scoring team was the Nordiques, and the Oilers outpaced them by 24%. In 1977, the second-highest scoring team was the Flyers, and the Canadiens outscored them by 20%. In 1984, the Oilers outperformed the league offensive average by 41%, and in 1977, Montreal beat the average by 38%. Edmonton wins that by a little, but it's a lot closer than the raw numbers would suggest. Defense is another story. The Canadiens team was a whopping 39% under the league average in goals allowed, and gave up 12% fewer goals than the second best defensive team (the Islanders). The Oilers team in question was average defensively. The league average for goal allowed was 316, and as you can see from the original post, that's almost exactly what they allowed. They allowed 39% more goals than the league defensive leading Capitals. Very clear advantage to the Habs. There are two facets of the comparative lack of defensive prowess from the Oilers. One is the fact that they sacrificed defense to get their offense, while the Canadiens found a better balance Their D-men were better on defense, and they had Bob Gainey. Gainey really counts for a lot in my mind. The other is goaltending, obviously. I don't fall into the camp that Grant Fuhr is one of the greatest goalies ever and simply a victim of his team selling him out. I also don't fall into the camp that he was a sieve and would never be considered a quality goalie if he hadn't played on such good teams. I think the truth is somewhere in between. Fuhr's numbers would have been better if his team hadn't played the way they did, and he was a good goalie, but I don't think he was world class. Dryden, of course, was world class. I'd argue that he's the best ever. Now for an overview of the rosters. Both had the greatest player of their era in Lafleur and Gretzky. Kurri and Mess are better individually than the supporting offensive cast that Montreal had, but Shutt, Lemaire, and Cournoyer make up the ground pretty well when combined as compared to what the Oilers had to offer. I'd take Larry Robinson over Paul Coffey any day of the week, and I'd definitely take the Montreal group of blueliners as a group. Savard and LaPointe obviously weren't slouches. Then there's the wild card of Bob Gainey. His contributions don't show up all that well on the stat sheet, but they're a little more obvious when you consider that he won the first four Selke's ever awarded. Anyway, that's just my two cents (or maybe my buck-fifty considering the length of it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I suspect (and the votes currently suggest) that this is going to come down to the 1977 Habs and the 1984 Oilers. Personally, I think it's the Habs, and easily. Here's why: The offensive numbers of the Oilers are absolutely eye-popping, but the Habs aren't far behind at all if you compare each team to the performance of other teams in the league in the seasons in question. I do agree that those Habs are the best team of all time. But, again: it was a league completely rigged in their favor. So, of course they were much better than the rest of the NHL than other dynasties have been. The 1970s are a decade that sort of defy one's ability to compare to other eras because the BoG let Sam Pollock stack the scales in his team's favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 @JR EwingJust looking at your Gong Show profile pic, nice offseason for your boys, you may need to change that soon. I guess so, eh? An experienced man as GM and PoHO, and one of the top couple of coaches in the league... Yeah, it might be time change the avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Clueless Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 The 1967 Leafs. They achieved what no else will achieve again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Team Canada 1976 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 The 1967 Leafs. They achieved what no else will achieve again.Cheer up man. Someday, after a global disaster, we may yet go back down to 6 teams due to population decimation. Then maybe they will at least make the finals The Sharks won't even exist then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 1974 Flyers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 The 1967 Leafs. They achieved what no else will achieve again.I actually looked at a few of the Keon. Bower led teams in the sixties but decided they were just a tad on the outside looking in. Which is typical Leafs really, on a list with six teams, they came in seventh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Which is typical Leafs really, on a list with six teams, they came in seventh. History repeats itself, I see. Story of the whole Original Six era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 ruxpin% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 1974 FlyersThe Flyers had a heck of a club, not just brawling but skill everywhere too. I just didn't see them quite on an all time level. First expansion team to win the cup, they deserve a closer look.COACH Fred Shero Greatest coaching nickname ever, the Fog.FINAL RECORD 50-16-12 112 pointsGOALS 273 (5th)AGAINST 164 (1st) POSTSEASON RECORD 12-5 defeated Bruins in six to capture the cup. HOFers: Shero, Clarke, Barber, Parent other notables, Schultz, Lonsberry, Macleish, Dornhoefer, the Watson brothers, Bladen, kindrachuk. Overall, nice numbers, only three HOFers IMHO hurts the argument a bit, but they did run all over the league and could beat you a million ways. To me they are close, a shade behind the Bruins probably but with apologies not quite on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfondajane Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Don't forget the '75 capitals. They were good for a good laugh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 @yave1964Was probably 95% tongue in cheek, but thanks for the write up. In seriousness, the 1976-77 Habs are probably my vote but I so want to make a case for the 1981-82 Islanders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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