The 1977 Canadiens: The Greatest Team Ever

The 1977 Montreal Canadiens are regarded as the greatest team in NHL history and I think they should be regarded as the greatest team in professional sports. The '77 Canadiens finished with 132 points a record of 60-8-12. Eight losses. Eight. That's ridiculous. The 132 points still stand as a record for most points in a season and that number may never be reached again. The next closest team to Montreal that year had 112 points, (a ten win differential). They also hold the record for the longest unbeaten streak at 34 games and the largest goal differential in NHL history at a whopping 216 goals.

Led by coach Scotty Bowman, the team was loaded with talent. Eight players scored over 20 goals including Steve Shutt who lit the lamp 60 times that season. Guy LaFleur scored 56 goals and tallied EIGHTY assists to finish the year with 136 points. Defenseman Larry Robinson had a plus minus rating of +120. The defense was just as good, allowing 2.12 goals per game. Goaltender Ken Dryden went 41-6-8 and recorded 10 shutouts and the backup Michael Larocque was sterling as well, finishing with a record of 19-2-4 and four shutouts. In short, the Canadiens were stacked.

In the playoffs the Canadiens went 12-2. Winning their playoff series 4-0 (over the St. Louis Blues), 4-2 (over the New York Islanders) and they swept rivals Boston 4-0 by a combined score of 16-6. The Canadiens were Stanley Cup Champions and deservedly so.

But what separates Montreal from other great teams like the '72 Dolphins or the '96 Bulls? The simple answer is dominance in a sport that doesn't have much of it. Just look at the playoffs this year; the #8 seed LA Kings ended up winning the Stanley Cup against the #6 seed from the East the New Jersey Devils. The Canadiens were the dominant team in the regular season and proved it. The team set multiple records and won multiple awards that season. Guy LaFleur won the Hart Trophy (MVP), Conn Smythe (MVP), Art Ross (points leader). The teams two goaltenders split the Vezina Trophy (best goalie) and Montreal sent 4 players to the All-Star game.

When it comes down to it, the 1977 Canadiens are a more dominant team than any other team in the modern era.