Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers of the early 1980s strung together four Stanley Cups and rewrote the record books, shattering every scoring record imaginable. The 1983-84 vintage has to be regarded as the best of the bunch. That team posted a regular season record of 57-18-5, good for a franchise-best 119 points.
Edmonton's 446 Goals Deserve Consideration
Gretzky led the league with an astounding 205 points, and the Oilers claimed five of the top 13 spots in the scoring race, with Paul Coffey (126), Jari Kurri (113), Mark Messier (101), and Glenn Anderson (99) all going for at least 99 points.
As a team, the 1983-84 Oilers scored an NHL-record 446 goals and allowed 314, good for a +132 goal-differential. They stormed through the playoffs and claimed the Stanley Cup with a 15-4 postseason record.
Yet as impressive as that Oilers squad was, it paled in comparison to the most dominant team in NHL history: the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal the Best in Goal-Differential
The ’76-77 Habs went 60-8-12 in the regular season to establish the NHL points record with 132. While not quite as prolific offensively as the ’83-84 Oilers, Montreal led the league with 387 goals, averaging 4.83 per contest. Guy Lafleur captured the scoring crown with 56 goals and 136 points, while teammate Steve Shutt finished second with 60 goals and 122 points.
Montreal distances itself from Edmonton when it comes to defense. The Oilers tied for ninth in goals against in ’83-84, allowing 3.93 per contest. With Hall of Famer Ken Dryden in net, the Canadiens yielded a league-best 171 goals in ’76-77, surrendering a mere 2.14 per game.
Montreal’s +216 goal-differential is simply overwhelming, silencing any arguments about its rightful place as the best team ever. And the Canadiens closed things out in style, going 12-2 in the postseason and securing the Stanley Cup with a Finals sweep of the Bruins.
Oddly enough, perhaps the best challenge to the ’76-77 Canadiens’ supremacy could be a team that failed to win the Cup.
Boston Falls Short
The 1970-71 Boston Bruins recorded 121 points (57-14-7) and boasted +192 goal-differential (399 GF, 207 GA). The Bears were an offensive juggernaut. Phil Esposito led the league in scoring with a then-record 76 goals and 152 points. The Bruins actually owned the top four spots in the scoring race, with Bobby Orr (139), John Bucyk (116), and Ken Hodge (105) all cracking the century mark. Wayne Cashman (79), John McKenzie (77), and Fred Stanfield (76) also finished in the top 10.
The Bruins had won the Cup the previous year in 1970 and seemed a lock to repeat until running into the Canadiens in the playoffs. The Habs, who finished 24 points behind Boston in the standings, eliminated the Bruins in seven games, taking Game Seven in Beantown to add yet another chapter to the storied rivalry.
Boston would win the Cup again in 1972. The shocking upset in 1971 not only prevented the three-peat, it cleared the way for the ’76-77 Canadiens to be recognized as hockey’s best.
