93 Penguins, upset by David Volek and the Islanders.
From Wikipedia: Their 56 wins and 119 points earned them the President's Trophy's as the league's top team. Four players reached the 100-point plateau and, for the second consecutive season, five reached the 30-goal plateau. Despite missing over a quarter of the regular season, Mario Lemieux returned later in the year to help the Penguins put together a 17-game winning streak, an NHL record still standing today.
82 was a cinderella run
94 was as well. the Canucks finished one game over .500 that year, and right at .500 the following year. hardly one of the "best teams ever" not to win a cup.
i know they didnt make the playoffs in 96, but what about the 96 Devils?
If anything, had the '94 Canucks won the Cup they would have been hands down the worst Cup winner of the '90s. No elite skaters save Bure, Jyrki Lumme as probably their best defenceman. Kirk McLean, though excellent, pales in comparison to most of the goalies that were winning Cups in that decade (Roy, Belfour, Brodeur, Barrasso). There's a reason Vancouver cherishes the memory of that playoff run so much.
1996 Devils have a case for best team to miss the playoffs.
If anything, had the '94 Canucks won the Cup they would have been hands down the worst Cup winner of the '90s. No elite skaters save Bure, Jyrki Lumme as probably their best defenceman. Kirk McLean, though excellent, pales in comparison to most of the goalies that were winning Cups in that decade (Roy, Belfour, Brodeur, Barrasso). There's a reason Vancouver cherishes the memory of that playoff run so much.
1996 Devils have a case for best team to miss the playoffs.
I felt that the '94 Canucks had a decent amount of depth and balance. To go along with Bure, they had some gritty scorers in Courtnall and Linden. Cliff Ronning was also a productive player, and Murray Craven and Greg Adams could also provide some secondary scoring, as did Sergeio Momesso. They also added Martin Gelinas which turned out to be a great pickup for the Canucks. Their bottom six wasn't as strong as New York's, but they had toughness whenever they needed it with Odjick.
While Lumme and Slegr were the top two point getters on the blueline, their best defenseman came at the trade deadline when they added Jeff Brown. They had a couple of vets who were long in the tooth in Babych and Diduck, but so did the Rangers with Kevin Lowe and Jay Wells.
Kirk McLean really stood on his head in the post season. He took his game to another level for a long stretch in the playoffs. The Cup Finals that year was a very hard fought series that went down to the wire. While that Canucks team probably won't be considered one of the best teams of their time, I think they were a better team that some clubs that played in the Finals during the 90s.
If anything, had the '94 Canucks won the Cup they would have been hands down the worst Cup winner of the '90s. No elite skaters save Bure, Jyrki Lumme as probably their best defenceman. Kirk McLean, though excellent, pales in comparison to most of the goalies that were winning Cups in that decade (Roy, Belfour, Brodeur, Barrasso). There's a reason Vancouver cherishes the memory of that playoff run so much.
1996 Devils have a case for best team to miss the playoffs.
Did you just call Jyrki Lumme elite? My God, that team was worse than I thought.
I don't believe the 2009-2010 Caps have been mentioned yet. They tore apart the regular season and then got knocked out in the first round.
Imagine what that team would've been like with a good starter. Definitely one of those teams which always just looked in control. Even in that first round upset.
What about the '79-80 Flyers? A team that goes 35 games without losing should be a Cup favorite
they were screwed out of it. i goal was 3 feet offside and D Potvin hit a puck over his head down between Peeters legs. Islanders 1st cup thanks to Leon Stickle
03/04 Avalanche team. Probably the one of the best teams on paper. It's a shame Kariya and Selanne didn't do so well there, and lack of goaltending due to Roy retiring and some coaching issues.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedWingsForPresident
03-04 Avalanche
Really? If anything from the franchise, the 1996-97 Colorado Avalanche should have been a winner. Forsberg's double-concussion made it too easy for Detroit to key in on Sakic in that series. What a waste of five exceptional playoffs by Sakic (25 points), Lemieux (13 goals; 23 points), Ozolinsh (17 points), Kamensky (22 points) and Roy (.932); the team was better in 1997 than they were in 1996, but the Red Wings destroyed them.
I'll go with the Flyers in the 1980s, 1990s, and pre-lockout 2000s.
Really? If anything from the franchise, the 1996-97 Colorado Avalanche should have been a winner. Forsberg's double-concussion made it too easy for Detroit to key in on Sakic in that series. What a waste of five exceptional playoffs by Sakic (25 points), Lemieux (13 goals; 23 points), Ozolinsh (17 points), Kamensky (22 points) and Roy (.932); the team was better in 1997 than they were in 1996, but the Red Wings destroyed them.
I'll go with the Flyers in the 1980s, 1990s, and pre-lockout 2000s.
I thought Forsberg had a charlie horse? Or am I thinking of a different year?
