What year has the "best" team won the Cup?

[SirKillalot]

07 Ducks
08 Red Wings
10 Blackhawks
(12 Kings) - Though I feel that year's playoffs were just weird & route easy.
13 Blackhawks
16 Penguins

 

[Sentinel]

A team that won the Cup after a dominant regular season? That's between Montreal 77, Edmonton 87, and Detroit 02 (they wrapped up the President Cup some time in February). Detroit is also clear #1 in HOFers per square inch of ice. However in playoffs they trailed in 3 of 4 series, which is not exactly dominating. So it's between 70s Habs and 80s Oilers.

 

[Sens Rule]

Just out of curiosity, in what years do you believe the best team won the cup?

I definitely think last years Penguins and that 8th seed Kings team, any others?

I kinda base this on the theory:

Out of the 15 teams in the playoffs, a team could beat 14/15 teams,

but if they draw that 1/15 team first round, they're out of luck. (resulting from match ups. etc)

Bold statement of the day? If the Preds take it this year, they're in that elite company above.

What do you guys think? Is my line of thinking flawed?

And thoughts on memorial cup format, does the best team get crowned champion from that?

Every single year the best team wins the Cup. That is the point of four rounds of best of 7 series.

Cups are won on the ice. Not on paper. Injuries happen to every team. You win 16 playoff games you are the "best".

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

Off the top of my head of the ones I've seen

'98 Red Wings
'99 Stars
'01 Avalanche
'02 Red Wings
'07 Ducks
'08 Red Wings
'10 Blackhawks
'13 Blackhawks

 

[Soundwave]

Are we talking recently or all time?

84, 85, 87, and 88 Oilers I would say

 

[Reddawg]

2008 Detroit qualifies for this.

First team I thought of when I saw the thread title, I was surprised it took as long as it did for someone to mention that roster.

 

[Bouboumaster]

All the 1975-1979 Habs teams aka the best teams ever

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Of course you can.

There's a lot of luck that goes into winning a Stanley Cup and avoiding injuries is a big part of that.

Every team has luck every year. That luck gets them further or a little better off than they should be. The last team standing benefits no more than any other team.

 

[sepster]

2002 Red Wings went from Game 1 through Game 82 of the season in 1st place, clinched the President's Trophy the first week of March and won the Stanley Cup.

That's your Gold Standard right there.

 

[Retire91]

2006 #hcanes

no superstars but that team was deep as ****

three legit scoring lines, adams//adams//larose was the best 4th line of the past 20 years insane defensive depth

also ward and gerber were pretty okay as goalie mans

They weren't the best team until there was an injury, so no

 

[yusefstiles]

If your team doesn't win the cup, and yet the fanbase and its players still consider themselves the "best" team in the league, then that team (and its fans) have some serious issues to sort out before they have any chance to actually win a cup.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

07 Ducks
08 Red Wings
10 Blackhawks
(12 Kings) - Though I feel that year's playoffs were just weird & route easy.
13 Blackhawks
16 Penguins

Solid List

 

[egd27]

Since the OP said "year" (singular)

The correct answer is the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

60-8-12 in the Regular season for 132 points (the 12 are ties for young ones here)

12 - 2 in the Playoffs

Combined Reg Season & Playoffs---- only 10 losses in 94 games

 

[Zalos]

Every team that won the Cup. This is just a thread catering to people who were upset the supposedly best team did not win the Cup when they should have. If you win the Cup, you are the best in the league for that year. Simple as that. The rest are excuses. If Pittsburgh loses to Ottawa then they were not as good as Ottawa, at least when it counted. Every team who did not win it all when people thought they would were simply not good enough.

 

[missingchicklet]

Every single year the best team wins the Cup. That is the point of four rounds of best of 7 series.

Cups are won on the ice. Not on paper. Injuries happen to every team. You win 16 playoff games you are the "best".

This. The regular season means nothing if you don't win the Cup. The playoffs are a separate entity and determine the best team.

 

[Panthaz89]

best of 7 makes sure the best teams wins unlike the NFL where you only get 1 game.

 

[Legionnaire]

The best team always wins the Cup.