NHL unveils top 20 greatest teams, as voted by fans

After the Senators Game 3 thrashing of the Penguins, the HNIC panel debates whether Pittsburgh should try to change the energy and start Matt Murray in Game 4, or go back with Fleury.

Who is the greatest Stanley Cup champion in NHL history? According to the fans, it’s not a team from the pre-expansion era.

Therefore, the Toronto Maple Leafs are out.

The NHL has been encouraging fans to vote from among the 96 Stanley Cup-winning teams in the history of the league in an interactive program as part of the league’s centennial celebration. They’ve pared it down to the top 20 teams, and you can still vote in the random head-to-head matchups the program presents you. For example: who would win in a game between the 1975-76 Montreal Canadiens and 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins?

Eventually, this will all decide which Stanley Cup champion is the best team in league history and that will be unveiled during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final, so get your votes in now.

On Thursday, the league unveiled the top 20 teams, as voted by the fans. You’ll see there are no teams that won at all prior to 1970.

The Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s and the Oilers and Islanders dynasties of the ’80s are well-represented. The “modern” dynasties, in an era where winning four in a row seems an unrealistic standard, also show strong here: The Red Wings, who won four Cups in 11 years, have two teams in the top 20, while the Chicago Blackhawks, winners of three Cups in six years, have their 2010 team represented.

Here is the full list of the top 20 teams in NHL history, by chronological order:

· 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins
· 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks
· 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings
· 2000-01 Colorado Avalanche
· 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings
· 1993-94 New York Rangers
· 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins
· 1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins
· 1988-89 Calgary Flames
· 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers
· 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers
· 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers
· 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers
· 1982-83 New York Islanders
· 1981-82 New York Islanders
· 1979-80 New York Islanders
· 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens
· 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens
· 1975-76 Montreal Canadiens
· 1969-1970 Boston Bruins

The third and final round of voting starts right away and the presentation is both interesting and informative. You can vote on as many random “head-to-head” hypothetical games as you’d like and before you make a decision, you can look deeper at each team’s story, key players, playoff stats and more. Again, you can vote here.

The last round of voting closes next Thursday, May 25 and the top 10 teams will be announced during the Cup final.

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