The NHL's 100 Greatest Stanley Cup Champions: Nos. 20-1

Throughout the month of September, James Bisson and a cast of editors from theScore will share their rankings of the greatest players, teams, and moments in the 100-year history of the National Hockey League. This week's list focuses on the greatest Stanley Cup champions in the NHL era:

100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1

Voter List

• James Bisson, National Sports Editor
• Josh Wegman, NHL News Editor
• Sean O'Leary, NHL News Editor
• Esten McLaren, NHL News Editor
• Lucas Casaletto, News Editor
• Michael Amato, Senior News Editor
• Craig Hagerman, NHL News Editor
• Lanny Foster, Senior Social Media Editor
• Arun Srinivasan, News Editor

20. 1955-56 Montreal Canadiens

The '55-'56 Canadiens were one of the most dominant teams in the NHL to that point, winning the regular season by a whopping 24 points over the second-place Red Wings. Montreal wasn't given a serious challenge in the playoffs, either, rolling past the New York Rangers in five games before dispatching Detroit by the same margin.

19. 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche

Hockey fans in Quebec City might still be brooding over this one. A year after the franchise relocated to Denver, the newly-named Avalanche took the NHL by storm, finishing atop the Pacific Division. A six-game triumph over the heavily-favored Red Wings in the Western Conference Final proved to be the real championship round, as the Avs swept Florida in a one-sided final.

18. 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings

How imposing were the '01-'02 Red Wings? They were the only team in the West to exceed 100 points, and that was despite going on an 0-5-2 run to end the regular season. Detroit survived a significant challenge from Colorado in a seven-game Western Conference Final, and was too much for the Carolina Hurricanes to handle in the Stanley Cup Final, prevailing in five games.

17. 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers

The 1974 Stanley Cup Final appeared preordained, at least going into the playoffs; the Flyers were the clear team to beat in their division, while the Bruins were equally dominant in theirs. The two teams bulldozed their way into an entertaining final, in which Bobby Clarke's six points and Bernie Parent's sensational goaltending led the Flyers to their first Cup win.

16. 1974-75 Philadelphia Flyers

A rejigging of divisions didn't do anything to quell the Flyers' dominance; they were the class of the Campbell Conference, outdistancing the competition by an absurd 25 points. Philadelphia needed seven games to eliminate the New York Islanders in the conference final, but had enough left to send Buffalo packing in six games and repeat as Stanley Cup champion.

15. 1938-39 Boston Bruins

This edition of the Bruins had plenty of star power, but none shone as brightly as netminder Frank Brimsek, who posted a 33-9-1 record with an incredible 1.56 goals-against average and 10 shutouts to pace the league's best goal-prevention unit. The Bruins outlasted the Rangers in seven games, then cruised past Toronto 4-1 to claim their second NHL championship.

14. 1940-41 Boston Bruins

Boston's second Cup title in three years looked eerily similar to the previous one. The Bruins relied on balanced scoring and an airtight defense to finish atop the regular-season table, then needed seven games to get past a pesky Toronto Maple Leafs team in the semifinals. But Boston found an extra gear in the final, sweeping the Red Wings while allowing just six goals.

13. 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks

With parity the norm these days, what the Blackhawks did during the lockout-shortened '12-'13 season is nothing short of astounding. Chicago earned points in 41 out of 48 games, topping the Western Conference scoring list while allowing the fewest goals. A seven-game win over Detroit in the second round was the Blackhawks' only stumble en route to their fifth title.

12. 1951-52 Detroit Red Wings

One quick look at their resume, and this team easily could have ranked within the top 10. Detroit finished 22 points clear of the runner-up Canadiens in the standings, easily pacing the league in goals for and fewest goals allowed. And if that weren't enough to cement its place among the all-time greats, the Wings swept both playoff series, outscoring Montreal and Toronto 24-4.

11. 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers

The 1985 Stanley Cup Final pitted two incredible performers against one another: On one side, a vaunted Oilers offense that produced more than 400 regular-season goals. On the other, Philadelphia netminder Pelle Lindbergh, who won the Vezina Trophy while leading the Flyers to the best record in hockey. In the end, Edmonton's firepower led to a five-game final rout.

10. 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens

The last of Montreal's four straight Stanley Cup titles in the late-1970s almost never happened. The Habs had another dominant regular season, but found themselves down 4-3 with 1:14 left in Game 7 of the conference final against Boston. Guy Lafleur tied the game, Yvon Lambert scored in OT and the Habs went on to make history with a five-game final win over the Rangers.

9. 1971-72 Boston Bruins

Of all the powerhouse Boston teams that steamrolled opponents in the late 1960s and early 1970s, this one was the most complete. Led by legends Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, the Bruins recorded the second-most wins and points in franchise history. And unlike the previous season, when they lost in the first round, the B's rolled to a 12-3 playoff record en route to the Cup.

8. 1988-89 Calgary Flames

With The Great One bound for La-La Land, the rest of the NHL saw an opportunity - and it was the Oilers' provincial rival that took full advantage, putting together the best season in franchise history. Calgary won the Campbell Conference by 26 points, survived a seven-game first-round encounter with Vancouver, and downed Montreal in six games in the final.

7. 1972-73 Montreal Canadiens

A team with just 15 losses in 89 regular-season and playoff games ranked outside the top five? That just speaks to how dominant the Canadiens were in the 1970s (as you'll see below.) Boston's five-game loss to the Rangers in Round 1 made Montreal's path to the championship even easier - not that the Canadiens were challenged to begin with, going 12-5 in the postseason.

6. 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens

You might think, after destroying the rest of the NHL in back-to-back seasons, that the '77-'78 Canadiens would feel slightly less motivated to repeat the feat. Nope. Montreal followed a 60-win campaign with just one fewer victory, while posting the second-best goal differential of any Stanley Cup champion. We'll get to the No. 1 team in that regard in just a moment.

5. 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens

Before the Montreal dynasties of the late-1950s and late-1970s, there was the '43-'44 edition of the Canadiens, which makes a strong argument for being one of the most dominant of all-time. That +125 goal differential stood as the league record among Cup champions until 1972 - and was achieved in just 50 games. Montreal capped its amazing season with an 8-1 playoff mark.

4. 1981-82 New York Islanders

Everything came together for the Islanders in '81-'82. They put together a 15-game winning streak in the middle of the season and didn't lose consecutive regular-season games after Dec. 30. A first-round scare at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't deter New York, which went 12-2 over the final three rounds for its third straight Stanley Cup crown.

3. 1975-76 Montreal Canadiens

March 20 and 24. Those dates marked the only time all season this Canadiens team lost consecutive games - and Montreal promptly righted the ship in dominant fashion, finishing the regular season 4-0-1 before trampling the competition with 12 victories in 13 playoff games. It was the start of what would become the most dominant post-expansion dynasty in league history.

2. 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers

What's not to love about the '83-'84 Oilers? No team in history has put more pucks in net in the regular season; Edmonton's 446 tallies included a whopping 36 shorthanded tallies, including 12 from Gretzky. A seven-game slugfest in a second-round Battle of Alberta aside, the Oilers weren't given much of a test en route to their first-ever Stanley Cup crown.

1. 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens

This isn't just the most dominant team in NHL history - it's one of the most incredible single-season performances in pro sports. Montreal won its 60 games by an average margin of nearly four goals per game; only one other team even averaged that many goals per game on the year.

Add in a 12-2 playoff record, a 16-6 goal differential in a final sweep of Boston, and nine players who would go on to appear in the Hall of Fame, and there is no comparison. This is far and away the best Stanley Cup champion in the history of the league.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)