5 Most Dominant Stanley Cup Champions in NHL History

The Los Angeles Kings have won the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. Does this spectacular run make them the most dominant team in NHL history, however? The Kings' run to the cup was historic for its own reasons, but it brings up the question: What was the most dominant Stanley Cup Champion in NHL history?

These type of lists are always subjective and highly competitive, but here are the five most dominant teams in NHL history. Let's see where the 2012 Los Angeles Kings find themselves on this list. 

No. 5: 1968 Montreal Canadiens

The 1967-1968 Montreal Canadiens were in the midst of a dominant streak by winning four out of five Stanley Cup titles with 1968 being the strongest run. This Stanley Cup championship was the last for head coach Toe Blake who retired after the game.  

The Canadiens went 12-2 on their playoff run and during the Stanley Cup Finals only allowed five goals in their four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues. The 1968 Montreal Canadiens rode through the postseason with relative ease and even defeated the Conn Smythe Trophy winner goaltender Glenn Hall on the way to the Stanley Cup championship.  

No. 4: 1970 Boston Bruins

Bobby Orr led the 1969-1970 Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup. Orr scored 87 assists and 33 goals during the regular season and continued his hot play all the way towards the Conn Smythe Trophy. Another gigantic threat for this Bruins attack was Phil Esposito, who led the team in scoring with 43 goals.  

The 1970 Boston Bruins led the league scoring 277 goals in a 72-game season.This Bruins team only lost two games all postseason, both in the first round against the New York Rangers. After this first-round victory, the Bruins went on to sweep the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks and finally the St. Louis Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals.   

The 1970 Boston Bruins were a dominant offense for their time and truly showed their dominance during the regular season and the playoffs as an unstoppable force. 

No. 3: 2008 Detroit Red Wings

The 2007-2008 Detroit Red Wings were a talented bunch. The Wings went 29-9-3 at home and went on to win the President's Cup Trophy with an astounding 115-point season. This team not only led the league in scoring that season but also allowed the least amount of goal, speaking to its complete domination throughout the regular season.  

The roster was loaded with stars: Chris Osgood, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom. The list goes on and on, but the point remains that this team was special and did some tremendous things under the leadership of coach Mike Babcock.

The 2008 postseason only took the Detroit Red Wings 22 games, culminating in a 4-2 series victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the playoffs, the Wings rode the backs of Osgood and Zetterberg towards the Stanley Cup. Osgood went 14-4 with a 1.55 GAA while striker Zetterberg scored 27 points in the Wings 22 postseason games.

The 2008 Detroit Red Wings were loaded and arguably one of the most talented and dominating teams of the 21st century.   

No. 2: 2012 Los Angeles Kings

What more needs to be said about the Los Angeles Kings' run to the Stanley Cup? The eighth-seeded Kings defied the odds and started every series with a 3-0 lead. This team went 10-1 on the road and 16-4 during the postseason.

Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick was flat out amazing, posting a 1.41 GAA leading the best power-play defense in postseason history. The penalty kill unit only allowed five power-play goals the entire postseason while scoring five shorthanded goals of its own.

The regular season was a challenge for the Kings who played very inconsistently, but when it mattered most, this team went on an epic run to the Cup. The Kings only needed 14 games to defeat the one, two and three seeds in the Western Conference.

Then in the Stanley Cup Finals, they defeated the veteran savvy New Jersey Devils in six games to cement their case as the second most dominant team in NHL history.  

No. 1: 1988 Edmonton Oilers

A 16-2 record, all the way to the Cup? Wow, what a run.The 1987-1988 Edmonton Oilers were the most dominant team in NHL History for one gigantic reason: They blew through the competition.

The Oilers had talent all over the rink with the great one, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Jarri Kurri on offense. This team could score from multiple lines and showed no mercy to any team during the 1998 NHL season.

Simply put, the 1998 Edmonton Oilers were the most dominant team from start to finish in the history of the National Hockey League.