Ranking the top 5 greatest NHL dynasties of the modern era

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.