Ranking the top 5 greatest NHL dynasties of the modern era
Since 1967, the NHL has seen quite a few impressive dynasties. But which ones were the best? Here’s a look at the most dominant dynasties of the modern era.
With no hockey going on, it’s time once again to start looking at the NHL’s vast history. The modern era started in 1967 when the league became worried that the Western Hockey League could emerge as a serious contender. It saw the league grow from six teams to 12 teams in just one year.
The modern era has made it harder for teams to have dynasties, as there were just six teams before 1967. However, the league has still seen quite a few impressive dynasties since 1967. What is a dynasty? It’s defined by Dictionary.com as “a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock, or group; a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock, or group”.
But that doesn’t really define what it is in the NHL. Everyone has a different definition. For me, a dynasty is any franchise that wins three Stanley Cups within a 10-year span. That shows impressive dominance and consistent success.
Let’s take a look at the top five NHL dynasties since 1967. But first, let’s honor the honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
The New Jersey Devils won three Stanley Cups from 1995 to 2003. Additionally, they made another Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2001. The Devils are noteworthy because of their infamous “trap” game plan, which slowed games down while allowing the Devils to take advantage of mistakes.
From 2009 to 2017, the Pittsburgh Penguins won three Stanley Cups. Two of those Stanley Cups (2016 and 2017) were won consecutively. They remain the only team in the salary cap era to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, which is pretty impressive.
The salary cap era has made it even harder for teams to build dynasties, and more importantly, keep them together. Led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins have been arguably the most consistent and successful team in the salary cap era.
5. Chicago Blackhawks
Years: 2010 to 2015
Stanley Cups: 3
The Chicago Blackhawks went nearly 40 years without winning a Stanley Cup before winning their first Stanley Cup of the modern era in 2010. They followed that up with another Stanley Cup win in 2013. On top of that, the Blackhawks finished the 2013 season with a .802% point percentage in the 48 game season, which is a salary cap era record.
They etched their names in the history book as a dynasty in 2015, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Stanley Cup Final. This gave them three Stanley Cups in a five-year span. The Blackhawks and the Penguins remain the only teams to win three Stanley Cups since the 2004-05 lockout.
Like many great dynasties, the Hawks were built through the draft. They drafted future Hall of Famers Duncan Keith in 2002, Jonathan Toews in 2006, and Patrick Kane with the first overall pick in 2007. The Blackhawks also had a terrific coach in Joel Quenneville. Some might call them lucky, and that might be true, but they were also extremely good.
Adding Marian Hossa in free agency following the 2008-09 season gave the Blackhawks the extra spark they needed to become a dynasty. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2015, the Blackhawks have lost in the first round twice and have missed the postseason twice.
4. Detroit Red Wings
Years: 1997 to 2008
Stanley Cups: 4
It’s debatable when the Detroit Red Wings dynasty officially started. While they won their first Stanley Cup in over 40 years in 1997, they were an excellent team before then. The previous two seasons, they had lost in the Stanley Cup Final (1995) and lost in the Western Conference Final (1996). They also didn’t miss the playoffs from 1991 to 2016.
The Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 40 years in 1997 by beating the Philadelphia Flyers in four games. As if that wasn’t good enough, they followed it up the following season by sweeping the Washington Capitals in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final, making them the first team to win back-to-back titles in the post-1994 lockout era.
Dynasties usually have an ace up their sleeve. They’re really good at exploiting inefficiencies and finding underrated players. The Red Wings secret weapon was their European scouting. They found gems like star defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Fedorov, Valtteri Filppula, and Johan Franzen outside of the first round.
The Red Wings were also patient enough to stick with Steve Yzerman as their captain. It took him a while to truly learn how to lead, but the payoff was well worth it, as he captained them to three of those four Stanley Cups.
The Red Wings success, ironically, was probably what wound up killing their dynasty. After their last Stanley Cup win in 2008, they lost to the Penguins in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. After that, the Red Wings did what they could to try to keep the gang together. Unfortunately, the gang didn’t have another Stanley Cup run in them, as they haven’t made it past the second round since 2009.
3. New York Islanders
Years: 1980 to 1983
Stanley Cups: 4
I wrote a bit about the New York Islanders and their dynasty recently, so you can read that here. The Islanders are a bit of a fascinating dynasty because they were sandwiched between the legendary Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s and the Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s.
They didn’t have as many stars as the Oilers and Canadiens, but they still had some very impressive players. You could argue Mike Bossy is the greatest goal scorer of all-time. At the very least, he’s unquestionably in the conversation. They also had Bryan Trottier, who put up impressive numbers while also shutting down virtually everyone he came across.
Then, of course, there’s Denis Potvin, who won three Norris Trophies and nearly won three more. Like all good dynasties, they had a reliable goaltender as their last line of defense in Billy Smith.
Ironically, the Islanders probably helped breed their successors, the Oilers. Edmonton was on the verge of greatness in 1983, but lost to the Isles in the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers needed to learn what it took to win and they saw what it took to win with the Islanders and their completely unselfish, team-first approach to the game.
It didn’t take long for the Oilers to put this lesson to good use, as they beat the Islanders in 1984 and started their own dynasty. Though their dynasty was a bit short at just four years, they’re one of only two teams in the modern era to win four straight Stanley Cups.
2. Edmonton Oilers
Years: 1984 to 1990
Stanley Cups: 5
The Edmonton Oilers followed the Islanders in dynasties, knocking them off their throne in 1984 and not relinquishing their dynasty until 1991. In seven years, they won five Stanley Cups. However, it wasn’t just the titles that made the Oilers a dynasty. It was how they changed the NHL.
Though they entered the league in 1980, it was hard to call the Oilers an expansion team because they were already pretty much built. They even had a franchise superstar in Wayne Gretzky, who took the league by storm. He won an eye-popping seven straight Art Ross Trophies and eight straight Hart Trophies, as well as two Conn Smythe in 1985 and 1988.
However, the Oilers dynasty continued even after Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings during the summer of 1988. Mark Messier took over and helped Edmonton win the Stanley Cup in 1990.
Messier and Gretzky were the most popular names, but the Oilers had a lot of other incredible players. Hall of Famers Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, and Glenn Anderson each played huge roles in their dynasty. So did defenseman Kevin Lowe and goaltender Bill Ranford.
The Oilers were unstoppable when they were on their game. Their fingerprints are all over today’s NHL. They were a high-octane scoring machine that forced the rest of the league to copy them. And the league is better because of it.
1. Montreal Canadiens
Years: 1968 to 1979
Stanley Cups: 8
From 1968 to 1979, the Montreal Canadiens were a juggernaut. They won eight Stanley Cups in 11 years (10 in 14 years if you include their titles in 1965 and 1966, which I’m not since that was before the modern era). The Canadiens had a stacked roster and had some excellent coaches during this span as well.
They were led by some of the best captains of all-time as well. In 1968, 1969, and 1971, Jean Beliveau led them to Stanley Cup victories. Henri Richard, the brother of fellow Canadiens legend Maurice Richard, took over and captained their Stanley Cup run in 1973. Following Richard’s retirement after the 1974-75 season, Yvan Cournoyer took over and helped his team win four straight Stanley Cups.
When you look at their roster, it was like watching an All-Star team. Here’s a list of all of the Hall of Fame players they had during their dynasty.
- Guy Lafleur
- Jean Beliveau
- Henri Richard
- Larry Robinson
- Ken Dryden
- Yvan Cournoyer
- Guy Lapointe
- Steve Shutt
- Jacques Lemaire
- Bob Gainey
- Serge Savard
- Rod Langway
- Dick Duff
- Gump Worsley
- Rogie Vachon
- Frank Mahovlich
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Behind the bench, their most famous coaches were Toe Blake and Scotty Bowman. It was under Bowman that they were truly at their best. The Canadiens are the most storied franchise in NHL history and their golden era was from 1968 to 1979.