By Jordan Long
The Boston Bruins are on a historic pace to the season. They stand at 60-12-5, a total of 125 points. Boston has already clinched the President’s Trophy for the league’s best record, meaning if there is any game 7, it will be played at the TD Garden. Boston is the 4th team in NHL history to win 60 or more games in an NHL season.
Winning that many games in a year is impressive. Not many franchises ever have. They join the 1977 Montreal Canadians, 1996 Detroit Red Wings, and the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning whom all won 60+ games in a season.
The 1977 Montreal Canadians finished at 60-8-12 for a total of 132 points. Back then, the road to the Stanley Cup was a tad easier. Montreal just needed to win two playoff rounds to go to the Final. They swept the St. Louis Blues in the Quarter Finals and beat the New York Islanders in 6 games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. In the Final though, it was another sweep against the Boston Bruins. Montreal outscored Boston 16 to 6. That was the first and only team in NHL history to win 60-plus games in a season and win the Cup.
The 1996 Detroit Red Wings were one of the best teams in NHL history. They went an impressive 62 wins, 13 losses, and 7 ties for 131 points. This team was filled with some of the top skaters to ever play the NHL game. This included Sergei Fedorov, Kirk Maltby, Darren McCarty, Kris Draper, and Steve Yzerman. In the postseason, they won their first-round series over the Winnipeg Jets in 6 games. In the second round, the St. Louis Blues took them to game 7. The Red Wings were victorious with a 1-0 win in double overtime. Unfortunately, their season came to an end when the Colorado Avalanche took the Western Conference Final Series in 6 games. Colorado would go on to win the Cup that season.
The 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning are the most disappointing team that won 60+ games in a season. Tampa Bay cruised through the regular season with a record of 62-16-4, a total of 128 points. This team was supposed to advance and win the Cup. Well, that didn’t happen. The Columbus Bluejackets upset them in the first round. Tampa Bay didn’t even win a game in the series. Tampa Bay was outscored in the series 19 to 8.
Boston looks like a team who could win a cup. History for teams who have won 60+ games in a season is not on their side. Maybe, this year will be different. They are on a mission to capture the Cup.
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