Habster:
Here a large excerpt from the Foxsports.com article by Paul Bessire from WhatIfSports.com who used their computer technology to have each Stanley Cup championship team play each other over a 100 game schedule (50 away and 50 home games). Check on the above title to further check the system used to determine the rankings…..very interesting stuff!!!
Below is the list of the top 10 teams according to the winning percentage from the simulation games played:
10. 1982-83 New York Islanders
Winning percentage from simulations: 75.1%
The last of the Islanders’ four consecutive Stanley Cups was also one of the last times that this franchise was relevant. Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin were three of the stars for the Islanders, but the 1982-83 playoffs belonged to goaltender Billy Smith. In the Stanley Cup Finals, Smith shutdown an Oilers team with a few of their own Hall of Famers, allowing just six goals in the four-game sweep and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
9. 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens
Winning percentage from simulations: 75.8%
After a loss to the upstart Islanders in the first game of Stanley Cup Finals, Montreal put in 18 goals over the next four games to win the championship handedly. It was the last time Montreal won a championship until Patrick Roy came to town. Defenseman Bob Gainey shined during this season, taking home the Selke and Conn Smythe Trophies.
8. 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens
Winning percentage from simulations: 76.8%
The next year, the team won its division by 51 points, took home the Vezina, Hart, Ross, Selke, and Conn Smythe trophies, outscored its opponents by 2.2 goals a game and defeated Boston in six games to win the Cup.
7. 1971-72 Boston Bruins
Winning percentage from simulations: 77.0%
Another team from the 1970s, but not the Canadiens. Led by Bobby Orr, one of the greatest the game has ever seen, Boston got past the New York Rangers in six games to win the Cup. Playing stellar defense, Orr also put together a phenomenal offensive season with 80 assists and 117 points.
6. 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens
Winning percentage from simulations: 78.9%
The earliest team to make this list, the 1943-44 Habs marked the beginning of the franchise’s dominance in the NHL. Just four seasons earlier, Montreal had won an all-time league worst 10 games. Despite talks of folding, Montreal brought in Dick Irvin to coach in 1940 and the rest is history. He put together the “Punch Line” of Rocket Richard, Toe Blake and Elmer Lach to help carry the team to this championship. Over the next 35 seasons, Montreal won 17 Cups.
5. 1955-56 Montreal Canadiens
Winning percentage from simulations: 79.5%
Under new coach Toe Blake, the Canadiens set a then-record for wins in a season with 45 — 15 better than the next best team in the league. Jean Beliveau led the NHL in scoring and won the Ross and Hart trophies. Six of the 12 named NHL All-Stars for 1955-56 came from this team
4. 1981-82 New York Islanders
Winning percentage from simulations: 79.7%
The most dominant squad of the Islanders’ run, this team scored 4.8 goals per game while allowing just 3.1 a game. Mike Bossy scored seven goals in a four-game Stanley Cup Finals sweep over Vancouver to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
3. 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers
Winning percentage from simulations: 82.7%
What is a hockey list without Wayne Gretzky? Even with 205 points, the Great One had a lot of help this season. Paul Coffey, Mark Messier and Jari Kurri, among others, made this one of the greatest offensive teams ever. They scored an almost unimaginable 5.6 goals per game and then improved on that with 94 goals in just 15 playoff games. Edmonton put an end to the Islanders’ dreams of winning five in a row by taking the Finals in five. Given the two offensive juggernauts on the ice, of course Game 1 ended 1-0 in favor of the Oilers.
2. 1975-76 Montreal Canadiens
Winning percentage from simulations: 83.5%
We are running out of things to say about these teams and we still have the best one to go.
1. 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens
Winning percentage from simulations: 87.3%
The Habs notched 60 regular season win — 33 at home — in 1976-77 to best the wins and points records they had set the season before. Montreal outscored its opponents by 2.7 goals a game, lost just one regular season home game and two playoff games, earned the Ross, Hart, Conn Smythe, Adams, Norris, Pearson, and Vezina (which Ken Dryden and Michel Larocque split) trophies and comprised two-thirds of the first All-NHL Team. Wow.