Greatest Hockey Team Ever: Who Is It?
Bennie Schinner
2025-05-06 19:40:06
Count answers: 7
The Islanders during this time stood as an emblem of formidable strength and strategic brilliance, mirrored by achieving four straight Stanley Cup triumphs. Coached by the stalwart Al Arbour and led by exceptional talents like Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, and Denis Potvin, they were truly a tidal wave that swept away competitors. It's their shared ambition and cooperation, coupled with individual skill, that makes them a standout contender for the title of the greatest hockey team ever.
Ubaldo Mueller
2025-05-06 17:00:35
Count answers: 5
There's really only one answer: the 1980 Soviet Union team. To be fair, it could be any of the Big Red Machine's teams between 1972 and 1984 because there was so little roster turnover, but the 1980 team melded the dominant teams of the 1970s with what would become the dominant teams of the '80s. The 1980 Soviet squad still had the Valeri Kharlamov-Vladimir Petrov-Boris Mikhailov line and other '70s stalwarts such as Helmuts Balderis and Alexander Maltsev. The team also featured Vladimir Krutov, Sergei Makarov, Slava Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov when they were in their early 20s. And the legendary Vladislav Tretiak was in goal.
They were close to unbeatable. "They were the best team, even at the 1980 Olympics," Tamminen said. "They just happened to lose at the wrong time."