It's hard to rate 1-20 (or 1-21 if we count the 89 Flames). But the three that stand out to me are the 1992 Penguins, the 1989 Flames and the 1990 Oilers.
The 1991-92 Pens had the Stanley Cup hangover for most of the year. Then Craig Patrick pulled a shrewd three-way deal. They lost Coffey and Recchi, but they gained Tocchet and Kjell Samuelsson. In the process, the Pens went from a skilled team to a big, physical, skilled team. They won an incredible 11 straight games. They lost the second-best centre of all-time (Mario) for a significant chunk of the post-season, and they still rallied to beat a fine New York team in six. Tom Barrasso played the best hockey of his life, and they had so much depth up front. Mario, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens and Tocchett played some of their best hockey. Jagr firmly entrenched himself as the game's next great offensive star.
I don't think people realize how good Calgary was in the late 80s. If not for the Oilers dynasty, they probably win two or three rings. And the Smythe Division was a factor, too. You look back on years like 85, when possibly the top three teams were in the Smythe. Or 90, when possibly the top four, and certainly four of the top five or six, were in the Smythe. The 89 Flames were incredible. The problem was, for several years, most of the division was incredible.
The 90 Oilers don't get enough credit, either. Tremendous team. You had to be a tremendous team to get out of the Smythe in 1990. Ranford played the best hockey of his life. They had tremendous depth up front. It was a team that, if they could have kept it together, might have had more championships. But Kurri went to Europe. Simpson's back went out on him. Tikkanen ran into knee problems. And within 18 months of May 1990, Anderson, Messier and Fuhr would be gone. It was an incredibly deep team up front, with the veterans still playing at a high level, and the promise of several young players.
As for this decade, Detroit in 2002 was an awesome team, although most of the HHOFers were past their prime. If I had to pick a single team of the decade, it would be the 2007 Anaheim Ducks. They were unstoppable. Everything clicked. The lines clicked. The chemistry was there. They're the one team that could beat an opponent any way you wanted. A tight-checking 2-1 game? They could win it. A rough-and-tumble, grinding 3-2 game? They could win it. A high-scoring, 4-3 or 5-4 game? They could win that too. They had a goalie who could steal a game for them in Giguere, an outstanding coach, and the best 1-2-3 punch on defence (Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin) that the game has seen in the last 20 years.
The 1991-92 Pens had the Stanley Cup hangover for most of the year. Then Craig Patrick pulled a shrewd three-way deal. They lost Coffey and Recchi, but they gained Tocchet and Kjell Samuelsson. In the process, the Pens went from a skilled team to a big, physical, skilled team. They won an incredible 11 straight games. They lost the second-best centre of all-time (Mario) for a significant chunk of the post-season, and they still rallied to beat a fine New York team in six. Tom Barrasso played the best hockey of his life, and they had so much depth up front. Mario, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens and Tocchett played some of their best hockey. Jagr firmly entrenched himself as the game's next great offensive star.
I don't think people realize how good Calgary was in the late 80s. If not for the Oilers dynasty, they probably win two or three rings. And the Smythe Division was a factor, too. You look back on years like 85, when possibly the top three teams were in the Smythe. Or 90, when possibly the top four, and certainly four of the top five or six, were in the Smythe. The 89 Flames were incredible. The problem was, for several years, most of the division was incredible.
The 90 Oilers don't get enough credit, either. Tremendous team. You had to be a tremendous team to get out of the Smythe in 1990. Ranford played the best hockey of his life. They had tremendous depth up front. It was a team that, if they could have kept it together, might have had more championships. But Kurri went to Europe. Simpson's back went out on him. Tikkanen ran into knee problems. And within 18 months of May 1990, Anderson, Messier and Fuhr would be gone. It was an incredibly deep team up front, with the veterans still playing at a high level, and the promise of several young players.
As for this decade, Detroit in 2002 was an awesome team, although most of the HHOFers were past their prime. If I had to pick a single team of the decade, it would be the 2007 Anaheim Ducks. They were unstoppable. Everything clicked. The lines clicked. The chemistry was there. They're the one team that could beat an opponent any way you wanted. A tight-checking 2-1 game? They could win it. A rough-and-tumble, grinding 3-2 game? They could win it. A high-scoring, 4-3 or 5-4 game? They could win that too. They had a goalie who could steal a game for them in Giguere, an outstanding coach, and the best 1-2-3 punch on defence (Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin) that the game has seen in the last 20 years.
