Top 10 Best NHL Teams of All Time Rankings

Ranking the best hockey teams of All Time such as the 1977 Montreal Canadiens, 2023 Boston Bruins and many more

By admin | July 7, 2023

Best Hockey Teams of All Time

The Top 10 Best NHL Teams of All Time Rankings is tough because there have been some truly incredible teams in the National Hockey League during its over 100 years of play. Some teams were products of their time, other hockey teams were just complete and were able to blow away the competition. The NHL has seen their fair share of history making teams, and it is always exciting. Here are the Top 10 Best NHL Teams of All Time Rankings.

Honorable Mention

Montreal Canadiens 1972-1973

As previously mentioned, the Canadiens in the 70’s were absolutely incredible. They owned that decade of hockey, and it wasn’t even close.

There were only three teams that won the Cup during the 70’s, the Canadiens, Flyers and Bruins, the Canadiens won six of them. The 1972-73 Canadiens went 52-10-13 for 120 points, they beat the Black Hawks in six games to win in the Stanley Cup Final.

Top 10 Best NHL Teams of All Time

10. Washington Capitals 2009-2010

The 2009-10 Washington Capitals were an absolute wagon of a team. They were the first in the NHL, and in their division.

They went 51-15-13 overall and were dominant at home, 30-5-6. Despite how great their regular season was, they were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in seven games, who then lost to the Flyers.

The team was led in points by Alexander Ovechkin, who scored 50 goals and 59 assists, backed up by Nicklas Backstrom and his 101 points. The relatively same group won the Cup eight years later.

9. Boston Bruins 1970-1971

This was the Bruins 47th season in the NHL, and it was the first year in NHL history where a player signed a one-million-dollar contract. It was also the year they drafted Reggie Leach and Rick MacLeish.

The Bruins went 57-14-7 on the season, finishing with 121 points. The team was led in points by Phil Esposito with 152, including 76 goals.

The Bruins were eliminated by the Canadiens in the first round. Fun fact, the Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups in Boston than Boston has.

8. Florida Panthers 2021-2022

The Florida Panthers went on a great run in their 28th season, despite losing their coach during it. Florida didn’t finish near the top in the previous season, so the team going to contender status and bringing on players like Claude Giroux was welcome to fans.

The team went 58-18-6 on the season and finished with 122 points. The team was led in points by Jonathan Huberdeau at 115, who was then traded to Flames in the postseason. The Cats were able to nudge the Caps in the first round but lost to Tampa Bay in the second.

7. Detroit Red Wings 2005-2006

This Red Wings team was one of the last greats before their rebuild kicked in during the mid-2010s. The Red Wings went 58-16-8 on the season, led by coach Mike Babcock.

The Wings finish the season with 124 points, 12 more than the Dallas Stars. Pavel Datsyuk led the team in points at 87, while Shanahan led the team in goals with 40.

Despite how dominant the Red Wings were, they lost to the Oilers in the first round 4-2, running them on the Best NHL Teams of All Time list.

6. Montreal Canadiens 1975-1976

The 1975-76 Canadiens were the team that denied the Philadelphia Flyers their dynasty tag. The Canadiens went 58-11-11 on the season, finishing with 127 points. Guy Lafleur led the team in points with 56 goals, 69 assists, and 125 points.

This team was also backstopped in the net with the legendary Ken Dryden. The Habs went almost undefeated in the postseason going through Chicago, Long Island, and Philadelphia with a record of 12-1 before winning the Cup.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning 2018-2019

This Lightning team was one to remember and was one of Steven Stamkos’ best. While the team was led in points by Nikita Kucherov with 128, Stamkos proved he still had it.

This team was unstoppable, going 62-18-4 on the season for 128 points. The downside to this Lightning team was that they were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs, shocking the hockey world. More or less the same team won the Cup one year later in the covid bubble.

4. Montreal Canadiens 1977-1978

The Canadiens had back-to-back record seasons, only edging themselves out by one point. They went 59-10-11 on the season, finishing first in the NHL with 129 points.

Guy Lafleur led the team again with 60 goals and 72 assists. This team was also held up in the net by Ken Dryden. The Canadiens were able to win the Cup against the Boston Bruins in six games.

3. Detroit Red Wings 1995-1996

This Red Wings team might have been one of the most exciting to watch in NHL history, and there may never be another team like it, ever.

The Red Wings went 62-13-7, finishing with 131 points. They were 27 points ahead of the Avalanche in the Western Conference. Sergei Fedorov had his second-best season with 107 points, and an additional 20 points in the playoffs.

Despite how great they were, they were no match for their new rivals in the west. The Avalanche beat the Red Wings 4-2 to win their first Cup.

2. Montreal Canadiens 1976-1977

The Montreal Canadiens were absolutely electric during the 70’s, winning six Stanley Cups. You’ll never guess it, but Guy Lafleur led the team in points with 56 goals and 80 assists for 136 points.

The Habs went 60-8-12 on the season for 132 points, a record that stayed in place until 2023. The Bruins met the Canadiens again in the finals and ended up being swept in Boston.

1. Boston Bruins 2022-2023

The 2022-23 Boston Bruins were the greatest team in NHL history, the best hockey team of All-Time, and they went 65-12-5 on the season.

The Bruins were also unstoppable at home, going 34-4-3. They finished the season with 135 points. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman held the goalpost up for one of the best goalie tandems in NHL history.

David Pastrnak led the way with 61 goals and 52 assists for 113 points. Sadly, the Bruins were eliminated in seven games by the Panthers, ending their historic season.

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