What was the NHL's greatest season?

Question

In various sports years, leagues have those magical seasons free (or almost free) of controversey, record setting performances, burgeoning attendance/ratings, and the emergence of new stars. With that theme firmly in mind, what season stands out, as the National Hockey League's greatest campaign?

Answer 1

The 1991-1992 Season...That was the good ol' days before Bettman.

Plus that was the Sharks first year as a franchise!!!

Answer 2

1967. The year they opened up the old boys club and evolution begins. The year Toronto Maple Leafs decided "we'll take the cup this year and give it rest, let some of the newbies have a shot of glory over the next 40 or 50 years".

See, we don't really suck, thats just our way of being nice.

Answer 3

I'll go with 1992-1993.

The Stanley Cup Centennial season was filled with offensive heroics during the regular season and OT drama in the playoffs. It was, by far, one of the most exciting and entertaining post seasons I've ever experienced and the Rangers weren't even in the tourney.

Desjardins' hat trick in gm 2, Leclair's coming out party, Gretzky's run to the finals via Toronto, the number of 7 gamers AND the aforementioned OT tilts. What a year, although I'm sure the name David Volek is mud to you, no? lol

Answer 4

Any year that Montreal won the Stanley Cup

Answer 5

1973-74, 1974-75 were the best years in hockey history.

Add to that the Stanley Cup Champion Philadelphia Flyers beating the Soviet Red Army team in front of the world.  The NHL was at it's apex.

Answer 6

I AGREE WITH THE FIRST ANSWERE

MONTREAL KICKS A S S

Answer 7

1969-70, 1970-71, 1976-77, 1977-78

... I just love the Boston/Montreal rivalry.  That was fun this past year, it was almost really fun.

Answer 8

Every season except 2004-05 was the greatest. There were wonderful things that happen in each and every year. Expansion may have been the biggest event but it wasn't the season.

Amalgamation was another event that bears mention but again it wasn't a season.

Which of Gretzky's, Howe's, Richard's or Orr's record breaking seasons would qualify. Hockey is too great a sport to be defined by a single event, game, season, or even decade. The only thing I can say is the lockout ranks second and all the others are tied for first.

Peace and Love,

Tom

Answer 9

2004-2005.

Oh wait...

71-72.

Bobby Orr. :]

Answer 10

Definitly the 1917-18 season!!!!!!  The Vancouver Millionaires almost had it!

Answer 11

The best season ever was the 1988-1989 season.

It has nothing to do with my bias or the Flames winning the Cup.

Answer 12

Total homer answer, but 1994 was a great year for hockey.

Messier's guarantee... Bure's penalty shot against Richter... Leetch being the first American Conn Smythe winner... the Rangers ending the 54 year curse... plus, hockey was popular than basketball at that point.  The Rangers being successful really helped boost the game (in the US)... people either love or hate NY teams, but either way, they're following the game.

Of course, the lockout in 1995 reversed any progress the league made.

Answer 13

I really enjoyed 92-93 with Lemeiux coming back to win the scoring title, Mogilny and Selanie putting up 76, and the controversial "illegal stick in the finals."

Answer 14

2004-2005 lockout. Hockey sux

Answer 15

Yeah 92-93 was a great year I was at the height of my game personally and the NHL was a great inspiration for a 17 year old goalie. The league had a roster that year that is almost irreplaceable.

Answer 16

1994.

Rangers end the curse benhind Messier's gm 6 guarntee

Bure's penalty shot in the SC Finals

The All Star Game at MSG where Ritcher gives a sign of things to come stopping Bure on a breakaway

7gm cup final

The Sharks crach the party upsetting Detroit and taking the Leafs to 7gms

Hasek and Broduer have their first great seasons and duel to a thriling 7gm series in the playoffs

Last yr of nuetral site gms

Answer 17

I don't think the NHL has had a 'greatest' season.  I can think of several things that I think were great and held the interest of the public,  but nothing that the public embraced.

1967-68

This was a huge year for the NHL with expansion doubling the number of teams/players in the league.  Suddenly there was hockey EVERY night (It wasn't that way before - you would have 4-5 nights a month without hockey as you had 18 games spread over 7 days and EVERYBODY played Wednesday and Saturday)

1979-80

The year on the NHL/WHA merger and Gretzky's improbably run at the scoring title.

1980-81

- Bossy's assault on 50 goals in 50 games

- Gretzky's breaking of Orr's assist record and Esposito's points record

1981-82

- Gretzky becomes first player to average more than a goal a game in 60+ years (and the first to average a goal a game since Richard's magical season)

- Gretzky breaks 200 points

1983-84

- Islander's drive for 5

- Oiler's reach maturity

1992-93

- Hull and Lemieux shoot the lights out

- Selanne and Mogilny go crazy

- highest scoring season in NHL history

- only 2 goalies under 3.00 GAA (Belfour and F. Potvin)

I can probably think of 2-3 reasons for every season from the mid-60s on, but nothing that would set any one season apart from any other.