It is official. The Tampa Bay Lightning have tied what seemed like an unreachable mark: 62 wins in the regular season, first set by the 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings.
(1) Some will say that Tampa benefited from the loser point. That indeed is a credible argument. But the current level of parity in the NHL and the existence of a salary cap, in my opinion, makes Tampa’s feat all the more impressive. Detroit was at the very top of the league in terms of salary spent during their run, had a hall of fame coach (Bowman - THE goat), and several hall of famers (Lidstrom, Yzerman, Festisov, Larionov, Coffey, Primeau, Fedorov (edited)). I was always in awe watching that team dominate night in and out. I never imagined it was possible again, especially with a salary cap.
Tampa now has to turn its sights to the playoffs to solidify its place in history as one of the best teams of all time.
(2) P.S. Montreal fans - yes, I know, your 1976-77 iteration only got to play 80 games. Parity did not exist back then.