The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens? The 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers? Perhaps a more recent team, like the 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings? These three teams are among the first that come to mind in a discussion of the best teams in NHL history. Here at The Hockey Writers, our goal is to find out what the best team of all-time is through a bracket voted on by you, the reader. We’ve taken 16 of the best teams in league history, seeded them by regular-season points percentage, and matched them up.
We’ve only included one team from each of the dynasties, with the 1976-77 Canadiens representing the mid-1970s Canadiens, the 1981-82 New York Islanders representing the 1980s Islanders, and the 1984-85 Oilers representing the 1980s Oilers. We’ve also only included teams that won a Stanley Cup.
The Matchups
In the first round, the following teams will be going head-to-head. You can click on each team’s link to read about its roster, how its season and playoffs went, and why it should be considered the best team in league history.
Voting
In order to determine what the best team of all-time is, we’re asking for your help. From now until the end of the first round, you’ll be able to go to our Twitter or Facebook account and vote. After the first round, we will tally the votes and advance the winners. We’ll continue narrowing down the field until only two teams remain. Check back after each round to see if your favorite team advanced and to vote in the next round.
My name is Kyle, and although I’m from Pennsylvania and grew up a Penguins fan, I cover the Predators here at The Hockey Writers. And while I would consider myself a Predators fan, I really enjoy watching all hockey and try to always take an objective approach to things. In addition to covering the Preds, I write hockey history and some statistical analysis pieces as well as book reviews.