Greatest Teams in NHL History

[Snap Wilson]

Damn, I was actually planning a thread like this. With apologies to the original poster, he isn't taking one thing into account, which is the competitive balance of the league. It is easier for a good team to rack up a higher goal-differential in an unbalanced league, as there are more creampuff teams to beat up on.

I've accounted for this by figuring out the standard deviation for goal differential for each season in the NHL, and then calculating the number of standard deviations for each team above and below the average. What this determines is how difficult the accomplishment is given the competitiveness of the league. Here are the top fifty teams of all-time by this method:

(Note: I'm referring to teams by the ending year, e.g. the 1976-77 Canadiens are referred to as the 1977 Canadiens.)

1. 1977 Montreal Canadiens - 2.56
2. 1987 Edmonton Oilers - 2.52
3. 1996 Detroit Red Wings - 2.52
4. 1989 Calgary Flames - 2.51
5. 1971 Boston Bruins - 2.28
6. 1934 Toronto Maple Leafs - 2.27
7. 1959 Montreal Canadiens - 2.13
8. 1980 Buffalo Sabres - 2.10
9. 2001 New Jersey Devils - 2.08
10. 1979 New York Islanders - 2.06
11. 1958 Montreal Canadiens - 2.04
12. 1995 Detroit Red Wings - 2.03
13. 1978 Montreal Canadiens - 2.01
14. 1953 Detroit Red Wings - 1.99
15. 1982 Montreal Canadiens - 1.98
16. 1982 New York Islanders - 1.95
17. 1997 Colorado Avalanche - 1.92
18. 1984 Edmonton Oilers - 1.91
19. 1989 Montreal Canadiens - 1.91
20. 1930 Boston Bruins - 1.91
21. 1979 Montreal Canadiens - 1.90
22. 2003 Ottawa Senators - 1.89
23. 1967 Chicago Blackhawks - 1.88
24. 1988 Calgary Flames - 1.87
25. 1960 Montreal Canadiens - 1.86
26. 1939 Boston Bruins - 1.86
27. 1987 Philadelphia Flyers - 1.86
28. 1968 Montreal Canadiens - 1.85
29. 1950 Detroit Red Wings - 1.82
30. 1986 Edmonton Oilers - 1.81
31. 1973 Montreal Canadiens - 1.80
32. 1956 Montreal Canadiens - 1.79
33. 1928 Montreal Canadiens - 1.79
34. 2003 Dallas Stars - 1.77
35. 1982 Edmonton Oilers - 1.77
36. 1976 Montreal Canadiens - 1.76
37. 1974 Boston Bruins - 1.73
38. 1998 Dallas Stars - 1.73
39. 2000 St. Louis Blues - 1.68
40. 1990 Calgary Flames - 1.67
41. 1995 Quebec Nordiques - 1.65
42. 2001 Colorado Avalanche - 1.63
43. 2004 Ottawa Senators - 1.62
44. 1927 Montreal Canadiens - 1.62
45. 1991 Los Angeles Kings - 1.61
46. 1972 Boston Bruins - 1.61
47. 1952 Detroit Red Wings - 1.61
48. 1972 New York Rangers - 1.60
49. 1985 Philadelphia Flyers - 1.59
50. 1999 Dallas Stars - 1.58

Now, before you jump all over me, I'm not saying that the 1980 Buffalo Sabres are the eighth greatest team of all-time. These aren't the top fifty teams in order. First of all, the grouping here is very close. Second, one year doesn't tell us much. It's possible for a team to attain a high score here simply because of a fluke.

As time permits today, I will be posting the highest two-year, three-year, four-year and five-year levels as well. Stay tuned.

I believe in goal differential. Not because I think an 8-1 win is more impressive than a 3-2 win, but because goal differential (or run differential in baseball, or point differential in basketball) often proves to be a more consistent barometer of a team's talent. A team who has an abnormally high winning percentage in relation to their goal differential will more often than not decline the following year. A team that has a lower winning percentage than their goal differential would suggest is more likely to improve.

This isn't to emphatically suggest that the 1979 Islanders were better than the 1982 Islanders. Both teams rank pretty well by this method. Just that the regular-season accomplishments of the 1979 Islanders outweigh the regular-season accomplishments of the 1982 Islanders. Most of you don't care. The playoffs are all that matters, right? I won't disagree. I'll just say that anything can happen in a seven-game series. If there are fluke seasons, there are certainly fluke postseasons as well.

Incidentally, I have a different take on the 1979 Islanders than our man Trots. I think they were on a mission to dethrone the Habs, who had rolled over everyone else the past three seasons. They were trying to beat them during the regular season, to not show they were intimidated, and they were trying to get home ice for the Finals. I didn't think they "shot their wad." I think if they played 100 games against the Rangers that year, they would have won 70 or 80 of them, if not more. They just happened to play six games where nothing went in their favor. It happens.

More to come...

 

[Snap Wilson]

Okay, Part Two:

These are the fifty best two-year records for my standard deviation scores. Once more, I'm referring to the team's seasons by the ending year. Since we're talking about two-year periods, when I say 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens, I'm referring to the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons. Clear as mud? Here we go:

1. 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens - 4.57
2. 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings - 4.55
3. 1988-89 Calgary Flames - 4.38
4. 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers - 4.32
5. 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens - 4.32
6. 1989-90 Calgary Flames - 4.19
7. 1958-59 Montreal Canadiens - 4.17
8. 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers - 4.04
9. 1996-97 Detroit Red Wings - 4.01
10. 1959-60 Montreal Canadiens - 4.00
11. 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens - 3.92
12. 1971-72 Boston Bruins - 3.88
13. 1934-35 Toronto Maple Leafs - 3.60
14. 1952-53 Detroit Red Wings - 3.60
15. 2003-04 Ottawa Senators - 3.51
16. 1981-82 Montreal Canadiens - 3.51
17. 1979-80 Montreal Canadiens - 3.48
18. 1978-79 New York Islanders - 3.48
19. 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers - 3.44
20. 1994-95 Detroit Red Wings - 3.43
21. 1996-97 Colorado Avalanche - 3.42
22. 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers - 3.41
23. 1927-28 Montreal Canadiens - 3.41
24. 1981-82 New York Islanders - 3.40
25. 1957-58 Montreal Canadiens - 3.36
26. 1929-30 Boston Bruins - 3.35
27. 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers - 3.33
28. 1949-50 Detroit Red Wings - 3.33
29. 1986-87 Philadelphia Flyers - 3.32
30. 1998-99 Dallas Stars - 3.31
31. 1939-40 Boston Bruins - 3.30
32. 1980-81 Buffalo Sabres - 3.28
33. 1982-83 Edmonton Oilers - 3.27
34. 1970-71 Boston Bruins - 3.27
35. 1938-39 Boston Bruins - 3.26
36. 1950-51 Detroit Red Wings - 3.23
37. 1975-76 Montreal Canadiens - 3.19
38. 1990-91 Calgary Flames - 3.19
39. 1997-98 Dallas Stars - 3.17
40. 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche - 3.15
41. 1960-61 Montreal Canadiens - 3.12
42. 1988-89 Montreal Canadiens - 3.12
43. 1956-57 Montreal Canadiens - 3.11
44. 1980-81 Montreal Canadiens - 3.11
45. 1968-69 Montreal Canadiens - 3.11
46. 1972-73 Montreal Canadiens - 3.10
47. 1930-31 Boston Bruins - 3.08
48. 2002-03 Detroit Red Wings - 3.07
49. 2000-01 New Jersey Devils - 3.06
50. 1985-86 Philadelphia Flyers - 3.05

I think I've accidently pasted "Montreal Canadiens" into at least three work documents. Any way, we can see how this impacts some of the flukier teams from the first list. The Sabres fall to 32nd, the New Jersey Devils fall to 49th. The three-year list coming up...

 

[Ogopogo*]

money, post your calclations for these ratings. I would like to see how yours and mine differ.

Thanks

 

[Snap Wilson]

Alright, here's the three-year lists. Are you noticing a trend at the top?:

1. 1977-79 Montreal Canadiens - 6.48
2. 1976-78 Montreal Canadiens - 6.33
3. 1988-90 Calgary Flames - 6.05
4. 1995-97 Detroit Red Wings - 6.04
5. 1958-60 Montreal Canadiens - 6.04
6. 1994-96 Detroit Red Wings - 5.95
7. 1985-87 Edmonton Oilers - 5.85
8. 1986-88 Edmonton Oilers - 5.84
9. 1975-77 Montreal Canadiens - 5.76
10. 1989-91 Calgary Flames - 5.70
11. 1978-80 Montreal Canadiens - 5.50
12. 1957-59 Montreal Canadiens - 5.49
13. 1959-61 Montreal Canadiens - 5.26
14. 1996-98 Detroit Red Wings - 5.25
15. 1984-86 Edmonton Oilers - 5.24
16. 1987-89 Calgary Flames - 5.21
17. 1982-84 Edmonton Oilers - 5.18
18. 1956-58 Montreal Canadiens - 5.15
19. 1980-82 Montreal Canadiens - 5.09
20. 1995-97 Colorado Avalanche - 5.07
21. 1971-73 Boston Bruins - 5.06
22. 1951-53 Detroit Red Wings - 5.01
23. 1979-81 Montreal Canadiens - 5.01
24. 1983-85 Edmonton Oilers - 4.94
25. 1985-87 Philadelphia Flyers - 4.91
26. 1970-72 Boston Bruins - 4.88
27. 1950-52 Detroit Red Wings - 4.84
28. 1969-71 Boston Bruins - 4.76
29. 1997-99 Dallas Stars - 4.75
30. 1949-51 Detroit Red Wings - 4.74
31. 1938-40 Boston Bruins - 4.70
32. 1939-41 Boston Bruins - 4.68
33. 1948-50 Detroit Red Wings - 4.68
34. 1934-36 Toronto Maple Leafs - 4.66
35. 1952-54 Detroit Red Wings - 4.64
36. 1977-79 New York Islanders - 4.60
37. 1993-95 Detroit Red Wings - 4.59
38. 2002-04 Detroit Red Wings - 4.53
39. 1929-31 Boston Bruins - 4.52
40. 1972-74 Boston Bruins - 4.52
41. 1927-29 Montreal Canadiens - 4.50
42. 1981-83 New York Islanders - 4.45
43. 1960-62 Montreal Canadiens - 4.43
44. 1944-46 Montreal Canadiens - 4.42
45. 1987-89 Edmonton Oilers - 4.41
46. 1981-83 Montreal Canadiens - 4.39
47. 1955-57 Montreal Canadiens - 4.36
48. 2002-04 Ottawa Senators - 4.35
49. 1982-84 New York Islanders - 4.28
50. 1999-01 New Jersey Devils - 4.27

Four-year totals coming up...

 

[Snap Wilson]

money, post your calclations for these ratings. I would like to see how yours and mine differ.

Thanks

The calculation is (A-B)/C where:

A = goal differential per game of the team
B = average goal differential per game of the season (i.e. zero)
C = standard deviation of goal differential per game for all the teams for the season in question.

For example, the 1976-77 Canadiens have a goal differential of +2.70 (wow). The standard deviation of the 1976-77 season is 1.05, which is historically high (the NHL average is 0.78). What this means is that the league was historically unbalanced league. The Red Wings that year lost by 1.58 goals/game. The Colorado Rockies and Washington Capitols lost by more than a goal/game as well. You have to take that into account when figuring out the dominance of the Habs. Not that it hurt that much... they still come out on top, but it's a lot closer now.

 

[Snap Wilson]

Okay, four-year records:

1. 1976-79 Montreal Canadiens - 8.24
2. 1977-80 Montreal Canadiens - 8.06
3. 1975-78 Montreal Canadiens - 7.77
4. 1984-87 Edmonton Oilers - 7.76
5. 1988-91 Calgary Flames - 7.57
6. 1994-97 Detroit Red Wings - 7.44
7. 1985-88 Edmonton Oilers - 7.37
8. 1957-60 Montreal Canadiens - 7.35
9. 1958-61 Montreal Canadiens - 7.30
10. 1995-98 Detroit Red Wings - 7.28
11. 1956-59 Montreal Canadiens - 7.28
12. 1993-96 Detroit Red Wings - 7.11
13. 1978-81 Montreal Canadiens - 7.02
14. 1979-82 Montreal Canadiens - 6.99
15. 1987-90 Calgary Flames - 6.88
16. 1950-53 Detroit Red Wings - 6.83
17. 1971-74 Boston Bruins - 6.80
18. 1983-86 Edmonton Oilers - 6.75
19. 1982-85 Edmonton Oilers - 6.71
20. 1959-62 Edmonton Oilers - 6.56
21. 1974-77 Montreal Canadiens - 6.47
22. 1955-58 Montreal Canadiens - 6.40
23. 1969-72 Boston Bruins - 6.37
24. 1949-52 Detroit Red Wings - 6.35
25. 1996-99 Detroit Red Wings - 6.25
26. 1986-89 Edmonton Oilers - 6.22
27. 1948-51 Detroit Red Wings - 6.09
28. 1938-41 Boston Bruins - 6.08
29. 1979-82 New York Islanders - 6.07
30. 1970-73 Boston Bruins - 6.06
31. 1951-54 Detroit Red Wings - 6.05
32. 1939-42 Boston Bruins - 6.03
33. 1980-83 Montreal Canadiens - 5.97
34. 1992-95 Detroit Red Wings - 5.93
35. 1968-71 Boston Bruins - 5.91
36. 1952-55 Detroit Red Wings - 5.87
37. 1986-89 Calgary Flames - 5.82
38. 2001-04 Ottawa Senators - 5.79
39. 1984-87 Philadelphia Flyers - 5.78
40. 1976-79 New York Islanders - 5.76
41. 1981-84 New York Islanders - 5.72
42. 1973-76 Montreal Canadiens - 5.71
43. 1995-98 Colorado Avalanche - 5.66
44. 1998-01 New Jersey Devils - 5.63
45. 1944-47 Montreal Canadiens - 5.61
46. 2001-04 Detroit Pistons - 5.60
47. 1978-81 New York Islanders - 5.54
48. 1989-92 Calgary Flames - 5.51
49. 2000-03 Detroit Red Wings - 5.51
50. 1972-75 Boston Bruins - 5.48

Five-year ratings to come...

 

[Ogopogo*]

The calculation is (A-B)/C where:

A = goal differential per game of the team
B = average goal differential per game of the season (i.e. zero)
C = standard deviation of goal differential per game for all the teams for the season in question.

For example, the 1976-77 Canadiens have a goal differential of +2.70 (wow). The standard deviation of the 1976-77 season is 1.05, which is historically high (the NHL average is 0.78). What this means is that the league was historically unbalanced league. The Red Wings that year lost by 1.58 goals/game. The Colorado Rockies and Washington Capitols lost by more than a goal/game as well. You have to take that into account when figuring out the dominance of the Habs. Not that it hurt that much... they still come out on top, but it's a lot closer now.

Thank you.

 

[Snap Wilson]

Okay, last one, I promise. Here are the five-year marks:

1. 1976-80 Montreal Canadiens - 9.82
2. 1975-79 Montreal Canadiens - 9.67
3. 1977-81 Montreal Canadiens - 9.58
4. 1984-88 Edmonton Oilers - 9.28
5. 1983-87 Edmonton Oilers - 9.27
6. 1956-60 Montreal Canadiens - 9.15
7. 1978-82 Montreal Canadiens - 9.00
8. 1994-98 Detroit Red Wings - 8.68
9. 1957-61 Montreal Canadiens - 8.61
10. 1958-62 Montreal Canadiens - 8.61
11. 1993-97 Detroit Red Wings - 8.60
12. 1955-59 Montreal Canadiens - 8.53
13. 1982-86 Edmonton Oilers - 8.51
14. 1974-78 Montreal Canadiens - 8.49
15. 1992-96 Detroit Red Wings - 8.44
16. 1987-91 Calgary Flames - 8.40
17. 1949-53 Detroit Red Wings - 8.34
18. 1995-99 Detroit Red Wings - 8.29
19. 1973-77 Montreal Canadiens - 8.27
20. 1979-83 Montreal Canadiens - 7.88
21. 1950-54 Detroit Red Wings - 7.87
22. 1970-74 Boston Bruins - 7.79
23. 1971-75 Boston Bruins - 7.76
24. 1985-89 Edmonton Oilers - 7.75
25. 1948-52 Detroit Red Wings - 7.70
26. 1996-00 Detroit Red Wings - 7.63
27. 1969-73 Boston Bruins - 7.54
28. 1959-63 Montreal Canadiens - 7.54
29. 1968-72 Boston Bruins - 7.52
30. 1978-82 New York Islanders - 7.49
31. 1986-90 Calgary Flames - 7.49
32. 1938-42 Boston Bruins - 7.43
33. 1988-92 Calgary Flames - 7.38
34. 1954-58 Montreal Canadiens - 7.35
35. 1951-55 Detroit Red Wings - 7.28
36. 1979-83 New York Islanders - 7.12
37. 1972-76 Montreal Canadiens - 7.01
38. 2000-04 Detroit Red Wings - 6.98
39. 1983-87 Philadelphia Flyers - 6.97
40. 1997-01 New Jersey Devils - 6.93
41. 1986-90 Edmonton Oilers - 6.86
42. 1981-85 Edmonton Oilers - 6.72
43. 1985-89 Calgary Flames - 6.72
44. 1977-81 New York Islanders - 6.66
45. 1952-56 Detroit Pistons - 6.56
46. 1937-41 Boston Bruins - 6.55
47. 1999-03 Detroit Pistons - 6.51
48. 2000-04 Ottawa Senators - 6.48
49. 1974-78 Philadelphia Flyers - 6.46
50. 1960-64 Montreal Canadiens - 6.46

A final summary forthcoming...

 

[Trottier]

Incidentally, I have a different take on the 1979 Islanders than our man Trots. I think they were on a mission to dethrone the Habs, who had rolled over everyone else the past three seasons. They were trying to beat them during the regular season, to not show they were intimidated, and they were trying to get home ice for the Finals. I didn't think they "shot their wad." I think if they played 100 games against the Rangers that year, they would have won 70 or 80 of them, if not more. They just happened to play six games where nothing went in their favor. It happens.

Fair point. I do think there is an intangible element involved however. It is the differentiator between outstanding teams and outstanding playoff teams. And, for the most part, it comes down to experience. Maybe not as much in today's NHL, but regardless, one sees a pattern whereby teams/players have to experience (lose in) the playoffs, often several times, before they understand what it takes to succeed come the post-season. I know some disagree with me on this point, but there really is such a difference in play come April. And that accelerated pace is required nightly for a full two months. Add to that the fact that a vast majority of playoff games are decided by 1 or 2 goals and you need a certain makeup, a certain mental toughness. And the ability to handle adversity.

Many people thought that the Isles had "graduated" to that point in the spring of '79. Apparently, they needed one more harsh lesson at the hands of NYR.

I agree with you that they were on a mission to dethrone the Habs and perhaps were even looking ahead to them, prematurely. But that in itself is emblamatic of a team that is not Cup-ready, IMO. They set themselves up ripe for an upset, and Shero & Co. obliged. To be sure, nothing went NYI's way that series, but ultimately they were incapable of playing through it.

Interesting thing was, by the next season, some had already written NYI off as a bunch of underachievers (or worse, "choke artists"), a good team that was never going to be capable of winning it all.

Anyhow, looking forward to your ranking of Corado Micalef among hockey's all-time netminders.

 

[reckoning]

This thread has been dormant for a few days, but I just found it and wanted to make a few points.

1) Goal differential: There is a formula some stats guys use to incorporate how dominant a team is in their winning percentage:

(Goals for squared) divided by ((Goals for squared) + (Goals Against squared))

That will usually give you a percentage that is very close to the teams actual winning percentage (although you`ll have to disregard the OT loss point), and it gives defensive teams like New Jersey a better chance than just goal differential.

2. The 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers: Using the above formula, the Flyers end up about 16 points lower than their actual points total. It`s the biggest differential in NHL history, which has led some to suggest that the Flyers won a lot of close games that year, so I decided to check:

1979-80 Flyers- 48 wins:

12 by 1 goal
16 by 2 goals
20 by 3 or more goals

It doesn`t look like they "got lucky" in a lot of close games; so why is their mark so low? Because when they lost, they really lost. Atlanta pounded them 9-2 in the 2nd game of the year, Minnesota crushed them 7-1 in the game that ended the record unbeaten streak, Boston beat them 7-2 and the Rangers won 8-3 in a meaningless game on the last day of the season

3) Quality of opposition: Since most of the past thirty years have had unbalanced schedules, that means some teams have it easier than others. For example, the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings rank high on all these lists, but only 28 of their 82 games that year were against teams over .500. Should something like that be taken into consideration?

 

[Hockey Outsider]

This thread has been dormant for a few days, but I just found it and wanted to make a few points.

1) Goal differential: There is a formula some stats guys use to incorporate how dominant a team is in their winning percentage:

(Goals for squared) divided by ((Goals for squared) + (Goals Against squared))

That will usually give you a percentage that is very close to the teams actual winning percentage (although you`ll have to disregard the OT loss point), and it gives defensive teams like New Jersey a better chance than just goal differential.

2. The 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers: Using the above formula, the Flyers end up about 16 points lower than their actual points total. It`s the biggest differential in NHL history, which has led some to suggest that the Flyers won a lot of close games that year, so I decided to check:

1979-80 Flyers- 48 wins:

12 by 1 goal
16 by 2 goals
20 by 3 or more goals

It doesn`t look like they "got lucky" in a lot of close games; so why is their mark so low? Because when they lost, they really lost. Atlanta pounded them 9-2 in the 2nd game of the year, Minnesota crushed them 7-1 in the game that ended the record unbeaten streak, Boston beat them 7-2 and the Rangers won 8-3 in a meaningless game on the last day of the season

3) Quality of opposition: Since most of the past thirty years have had unbalanced schedules, that means some teams have it easier than others. For example, the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings rank high on all these lists, but only 28 of their 82 games that year were against teams over .500. Should something like that be taken into consideration?

Good post.

Point 1: The formula you're talking about is called "Pythaogrean Win Percentage". It was invented by baseball writer/analyst Bill James. It's an excellent predictor of winning: the correlation between actual and PWin% is around .95!

Alan Ryder wrote a very interesting (but also very complicated and technical) article about Pythagorean Win Percentage and other similar formulae. You may find it interesting. http://www.hockeyanalytics.com/Research_files/Win_Probabilities.pdf

Point 2: Interesting. The fact that they got blown out a lot makes sense, given the results.

Point 3: Yes! The quality of the schedule should definitely be taken into account. There's an interesting article about by Iain Fyffe, located here: http://www.puckerings.com/research/unbiased.html. The problem with looking at adjusted/"unbiased" standings is that it's extremely time-consuming to calculate.

 

[Snap Wilson]

Whoah, it's alive!

Yes, unbalanced schedules (and odd flukes such as the '80 Flyers) should be taken into consideration, which is why I use multiple-year figures, so that all of the eggs aren't shoved into one year's proverbial "basket."

In specific regard to the 1995-96 Red Wings, I'm not sure how much it matters any way. According to the estimable Mr. Fyffe, they would have only lost three points in the standings facing a "balanced" schedule.

 

[Snap Wilson]

Oh, and regarded expected winning percentage, I use an entirely different formula. I calculate the standard deviation scores (shown above) for point differential and simply adjust them to the standard deviation of points/game for that particular year. This is a bit harder to figure on the fly, but the correlation is slightly higher than the "squared" method. This method is actually more useful for the NBA, where the factor tends to fluctuate.

 

[looooob]

Okay, four-year records:

1. 1976-79 Montreal Canadiens - 8.24
2. 1977-80 Montreal Canadiens - 8.06
3. 1975-78 Montreal Canadiens - 7.77
4. 1984-87 Edmonton Oilers - 7.76
5. 1988-91 Calgary Flames - 7.57
6. 1994-97 Detroit Red Wings - 7.44
7. 1985-88 Edmonton Oilers - 7.37
8. 1957-60 Montreal Canadiens - 7.35
9. 1958-61 Montreal Canadiens - 7.30
10. 1995-98 Detroit Red Wings - 7.28
11. 1956-59 Montreal Canadiens - 7.28
12. 1993-96 Detroit Red Wings - 7.11
13. 1978-81 Montreal Canadiens - 7.02
14. 1979-82 Montreal Canadiens - 6.99
15. 1987-90 Calgary Flames - 6.88
16. 1950-53 Detroit Red Wings - 6.83
17. 1971-74 Boston Bruins - 6.80
18. 1983-86 Edmonton Oilers - 6.75
19. 1982-85 Edmonton Oilers - 6.71
20. 1959-62 Edmonton Oilers - 6.56
21. 1974-77 Montreal Canadiens - 6.47
22. 1955-58 Montreal Canadiens - 6.40
23. 1969-72 Boston Bruins - 6.37
24. 1949-52 Detroit Red Wings - 6.35
25. 1996-99 Detroit Red Wings - 6.25
26. 1986-89 Edmonton Oilers - 6.22
27. 1948-51 Detroit Red Wings - 6.09
28. 1938-41 Boston Bruins - 6.08
29. 1979-82 New York Islanders - 6.07
30. 1970-73 Boston Bruins - 6.06
31. 1951-54 Detroit Red Wings - 6.05
32. 1939-42 Boston Bruins - 6.03
33. 1980-83 Montreal Canadiens - 5.97
34. 1992-95 Detroit Red Wings - 5.93
35. 1968-71 Boston Bruins - 5.91
36. 1952-55 Detroit Red Wings - 5.87
37. 1986-89 Calgary Flames - 5.82
38. 2001-04 Ottawa Senators - 5.79
39. 1984-87 Philadelphia Flyers - 5.78
40. 1976-79 New York Islanders - 5.76
41. 1981-84 New York Islanders - 5.72
42. 1973-76 Montreal Canadiens - 5.71
43. 1995-98 Colorado Avalanche - 5.66
44. 1998-01 New Jersey Devils - 5.63
45. 1944-47 Montreal Canadiens - 5.61
46. 2001-04 Detroit Pistons - 5.60
47. 1978-81 New York Islanders - 5.54
48. 1989-92 Calgary Flames - 5.51
49. 2000-03 Detroit Red Wings - 5.51
50. 1972-75 Boston Bruins - 5.48

Five-year ratings to come...

these are interesting. definitely proving the point from the other thread(s) that Gretzky benefited from a bad division (and that Calgary-Edmonton was nowhere near the battles of MTL-BOS in the 70s), as those late 80s calgary teams are nowhere to be seen on this list