Greatest franchise out of the 4?

[Killer Orcas]

"Some" great players, try like those two franchises have virtually monopolized the best players of the last 40 years.

Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, McDavid, Jagr, Messier, Draisaitl, Coffey, Kurri, it's an absurd embarrassment of riches.

Gretzky isn't even just considered the best hockey player, he has a case as the greatest modern pro athlete in team sports period. It's him, Jordan, Brady, Messi, and maybe a few others.

There's been four or five generational players in the modern era (Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, McDavid ... maybe you can put Ovechkin in that group too), 4/5 going to Edmonton and Pittsburgh is actually fairly unlikely.

OP asking greatest franchise not best players. Take away Oilers first dozen years or so in league and they have been a tire fire until now. Yes they had a few seasons spinkled in where they were decent and even made final. Penguins were horrid before Mario and lucked into Crosby. They were in serious financial troubles and couldn't even afford to pay Mario at a time. Bruins on other hand have always been competitive as far as I can remember and always a stable franchise. As per players they have had their fair share of stars themselves. Bergeron, Chara, Bourque, Park, Orr, Esposito and many more.

 

[Soundwave]

OP asking greatest franchise not best players. Take away Oilers first dozen years in league and they have been a tire fire until now. Penguins were horrid before Mario and lucked into Crosby. They were in serious financial troubles and couldn't even afford to pay Mario at a time. Bruins on other hand have always been competitive as far as I can remember and always a stable franchise. As per players they have had their fair share of stars themselves. Bergeron, Chara, Bourque, Park, Orr, Esposito and many more.

They haven't had anyone considered the best player in the league in like 50+ years.

The Oilers have made the Cup Finals even twice after 1990, which isn't that different from Boston (made it 3 times total), that's not exactly a massive gap.

 

[Killer Orcas]

They haven't had anyone considered the best player in the league in like 50+ years.

The Oilers have made the Cup Finals even twice after 1990, which isn't that different from Boston (made it 3 times total), that's not exactly a massive gap.

Again having the best player in league doesn't mean best franchise. Unless I'm reading this wrong OP asking best franchise. Yes Oilers and Pens have had probably 4/5 of the best the last 50 years but that's not what OP asking.

 

[Soundwave]

Again having the best player in league doesn't mean best franchise. Unless I'm reading this wrong OP asking best franchise. Yes Oilers and Pens have had probably 4/5 of the best the last 50 years but that's not OP asking.

These are likely 4/6 best players ever to play the sport, not just "hey they were pretty good for their day" type of thing when all's said and done.

Gretzky is the greatest to play period.

Between the two teams, Gretzky, Lemieux, Jagr, Messier, McDavid, Crosby probably represent more than half of the greatest players to ever play from just two teams.

 

[slapKing]

So when I posted this question, when I meant "greatest", I meant things along the lines how successful the franchise is (examples such as cup wins, cup final appearances, or how consistent they are making the playoffs), but also the kind of elite players they had and how much success they brought to their respective franchise (individually and team wise).

Regarding Cup wins, it depends how much weight you put into it. Bos and Chi each have 6 to Edm and Pit having 5, but winning a cup in a 6/12/21/30 team league, it all depend how much you feel is more impressive. Total cup wins, or cup wins in a more competitive league.

 

[banks]

Chicago is my west coast team. I've followed them since Roenic. But they're rightly in last here. Their recent dynasty (don't get picky about semantics) isn't enough to overcome the long, long dark period that preceded it.

I picked PIT by a hair. But it's a tough call on those 3.

 

[Czechboy]

Pittsburgh has been the better team for the vast majority of the past 33 years. They also won 5 cups during that period, over a lengthy period of time, compared to the Oilers winning 5 cups in 7 seasons.

I already posted their playoff rates, cup wins and finals appearances above.

I think it's extremely close. I can see an argument either way. Eg. this is a 51/49 type split but definitely not a AINEC scenario. FTR.. huge fan of the Pens in the 90s and voted for them first till I looked up some stats on both teams (which I posted above).

 

[strattonius]

Pittsburgh for me. 2 separated dynasties. Lemieux era and Crosby era. They've been relevant since the early 90's with a short rebuilding period. Any Penguins fan you come across has lived to see an era of greatness.

Edmonton had all their success in one decade. It is the greatest dynasty of all time but I value Pittsburgh's two separate dynasties at higher value.

The Bruins haven't had a dynasty since the 70's. There's barely a poster on hf that can re-live the glory days. I knownits an impressive history in the 70's but I'm still shocked theybare winning the poll.

My order is
1)Pittsburgh
2)Edmonton
3)Boston

 

[McFlash97]

Again having the best player in league doesn't mean best franchise. Unless I'm reading this wrong OP asking best franchise. Yes Oilers and Pens have had probably 4/5 of the best the last 50 years but that's not what OP asking.

Oilers also have the most team records, best playoff winning percentage, most individual accolades, Most playoff wins the last 3 seasons, fans should also be included. None of the other 3 really can say they outdid the playoff atmosphere in Edmonton at any point.

All this should be included if your rating the best Franchise.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

The one with Gretzky

 

[Lshap]

So when I posted this question, when I meant "greatest", I meant things along the lines how successful the franchise is (examples such as cup wins, cup final appearances, or how consistent they are making the playoffs), but also the kind of elite players they had and how much success they brought to their respective franchise (individually and team wise).

Regarding Cup wins, it depends how much weight you put into it. Bos and Chi each have 6 to Edm and Pit having 5, but winning a cup in a 6/12/21/30 team league, it all depend how much you feel is more impressive. Total cup wins, or cup wins in a more competitive league.

Ironically, this poll is more fun because people interpreted "Greatest" in their own way. Those who prefer history/legacy may have picked Boston, others went with Edmonton for absolute peak, while others picked Pittsburgh for its two eras of dominance.

Chicago's the distant 4th in this poll, as they should be, but people forget how strong their Bobby Hull/Stan Mikita team was for a decade. They won a Cup in 1961, then lost in the Finals in 1962, 1965, and 1971. Had they won one of those two Cups, it might've cemented the Hull/Mikita years as a mini-powerhouse and added some heft to the franchise's history. People rightfully dismiss the Hawks' early years because of Wirtz's crap, but they were a better team in the 60s than given credit for.

I went with Pittsburgh by a hair over Edmonton. The Pens managed to reinvent themselves twice and create two unique mini dynasties featuring some of the greatest players ever.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Oiler fan voting Pens.

Having them face off against ogs?

 

[um]

This is Bruins easily.

It's amazing how people can ignore the first 60+ years of the NHL's existence. Would those voters say Oilers and Pens are greater than the Canadiens because of the last 40 years? I'm genuinely curious.

And ya'll bringing up the stars that have played on the Pens and Oilers are conveniently forgetting the Bruins have the most stacked defence of all time... Orr, Shore, Bourque, Chara, Park, etc.

 

[tarheelhockey]

This is Boston by a decent margin. They’re either 3rd or 4th among the Original Six teams, depending how you feel about them against Detroit.

Chicago was a poverty franchise in the O6, and badly managed during the Wirtz era. Aside from the 1960s and 2010s they have been mostly irrelevant for a century. I don’t mean that as badly as it sounds, but it’s just reality that most of their history has been more negative than positive.

Pittsburgh has the best results of the expansion era, and Edmonton is the only WHA team that even survived. But Edmonton’s success has been almost entirely limited to the 1980s, with only a couple of blips here and there to account for the past 35 years.

So it comes down to Pittsburgh vs Boston. Pittsburgh’s history is defined by two different eras where they had arguably the two best forwards in the game. Boston has also had eras like that in the 30s and 70s. The difference between them is that Boston has also had long stretches of relevance in between those dynasties, whereas the Pens have fallen completely off the scene when they aren’t being led by a Lemieux or Crosby.

The Bruins are also just more relevant to the overall culture of the game. Their rivalry with Montreal is arguably the best in the league, they are one of the most-namechecked teams in pop culture, and Boston itself is one of the great hockey cities. And they’ve been doing this twice as long as the Pens. If both teams fell off and started to stink for a while, we already know that the Bruins would be back as a cultural force in a few years when they start to recover. We don’t really know that about the Pens. The Bruins are just on a different tier as a franchise, as close to the Montreal/Toronto tier as they are to the Pens/Oilers.

 

[jigglysquishy]

One thing I'll say, Boston is a much better hockey community that Pittsburgh. Obviously both are below Edmonton.

NHLers over 100 games per metro area

Edmonton - 132
Mark Messier
Jarome Iginla
Johnny Bucyk
Darryl Sydor
Scott Niedermayer
Jay Bouwmeester
Dave Babych
Derek Morris
Jason Chimera
Daymond Langkow
Dion Phaneuf
Harold Snepsts
Phil Russell
Gerald Diduck
Andrew Ference
Bruce MacGregor
Vernon Fiddler
Jared Spurgeon
Bryan Little
Richard Matvichuk
Garry Valk
Brandan Gallangher
Johnny Boychuk
Jeff Finley
Bob McGill
Tyler Ennis
Kelly Hrudey
Jason Strudwick
Deryk Engelland
Steve Reinprechy
Scott Nichol
Kent Manderville
Zarley Zalapski
Cale Hulse
Tom Bladon
Him Benning
Mike Comrie
Brian Benning
Craig Cameron
Brad Isbister
Pat Conacher
Wayne Babych
Brett Kulak
Pete Peeters
Blair Betts
Greg Hawgood
Randy Gregg
Eddie Hoyal
Jake DeBrusk
Neil Colville
Geoff Smith
Fernando Pisani
Brian Sutherby
Matt Benning
Matt Pettinger
David Schlemko
John Paul Kelly
Bill Dea
Jack McIllhargey
Ken Sutton
Erik Christensen
Chris Dingman
Perry Berezan
Mark Smith
Tyson Nash
Kevin Connauton
Mac Colville
Mark Fistric
John McCormack
Ryan Garbutt
Richard Mullhern
Gilbert Brule
Jamie Lundmark
John Scott
Doug Soetaert
Al Cameron
Ed Ward
Gerry Melnyk
Hnat Domenichelli
Alexander Petrovic
Bud MacPherson
Billy McNeil
Jamie McLennan
John Kordic
Ken Yaremchuk
Dave Kryskow
Steve Dykstra
Dan Kordic
Brian Lavender
Shane Willis
Bob Carse
Mickey Volcan
Joe Morrow
Doug Barrie
Kevan Guy
Brantt Myhres
Gary Shuchuk
Paul Runge
Ray McKay
Dave Donnelly
Gary Bromley
Matt Frattin
Dave Hoyda
Taylor Fedun
Dave Chyzowski
Bill Carse
Stuart Skinner
Jim Thomson
Kaiden Guhle
Tim Tookey
Noah Gregor
Craig Berube
Kirby Dach
Allen Pederson
Mike Commodore
Ray Whitney
Joffrey Lupul
Dixon Ward
Daniel Carr
Carter Hart
Tony Twist
Mark Pysyk
Ben Scrivens
Nathan Dempsey
Grant Fuhr
Stu Barnes
Ryan Stanton
Joe Benoit
Josh Mahura
Tyson Jost
Nick Holden
Colton Parayko
Kyle Brodziak


Boston - 92
Jeff Norton
Patrick Rissmiller
Bobby Carpenter
Tom Fitzgerald
Keith Yandle
Ryan Whitney
Colin White
Jimmy Vesey
Darren Turcotte
Tim Sweeney
Paul Stanton
Jeremy Roenick
Mickey Roach
Bill O'Dwyer
Brian Noonan
Chris Nilan
Connor Murphy
Noah Hanifin
Richie Dunn
Tedd Drury
Ted Donato
Ryan Donato
Paul Carey
Tom Barasso
Fred Ahern
Chris Kreider
Adam Gaudette
Mike Millbury
Kevin Stevens
Brad Norton
Steven Leach
Steve Rooney
Kevin Rooney
Jack O'Callahan
Matt Grzelczyk
Phil Bourque
Carl Voss
Bob Sweeney
Hal Gill
Bill Moe
Kevin Hayes
Jimmy Hayes
Jim Carey
Mike Fidler
Peter Taglianetti
Jordan Harris
Marty McInnis
Brian Boyle
Matt Beniers
Tony Amonte
Mike Condon
Steve Heinze
Colin Blackwell
Jon Morris
Tom Rowe
Brian Flynn
Cory Schneider
Bobby Butler
Mike Sullivan
Joe Sacco
Bob Miller
Keith Tkachuk
Frank Simonetti
Bob Brooke
Andy Brickley
Shawn Bates
John Carlson
Robbie Ftorek
Jack Eichel
John Marino
Ed Ronan
Mike Mottau
Lou Trudel
Zach Sanford
Dave Silk
Conor Garland
Niko Dimitrakos
Doug Brown
Mark Kumpel
Chris Wagner
Brian Strait
Dwight Schofield
Jeff Lazaro
Shawn McEachern
Keith Aucoin
Jay Miller
Bobby Sheehan
Conor Sheary
Jay Pandolfo
John Carter
Rick DiPietro
Garth Snow

Pittsburgh - 13
Nate Guenin
Pete Babando
Stephen Johns
Mike Weber
RJ Umberger
Vincent Trochek
Brandon Saad
Gerry O'Flaherty
Ryan Malone
Bob Beers
John Gibson
Matt Bartkowski
George Parros

 

[Hisch13r]

Pens

 

[Hisch13r]

This is Bruins easily.

It's amazing how people can ignore the first 60+ years of the NHL's existence. Would those voters say Oilers and Pens are greater than the Canadiens because of the last 40 years? I'm genuinely curious.

And ya'll bringing up the stars that have played on the Pens and Oilers are conveniently forgetting the Bruins have the most stacked defence of all time... Orr, Shore, Bourque, Chara, Park, etc.

It’s not ignoring 60+ years. It’s acknowledging Boston only has 1 more Cup despite existing an extra 50-60 years. f***ing lol at comparing Boston to Montreal.

 

[um]

It’s not ignoring 60+ years. It’s acknowledging Boston only has 1 more Cup despite existing an extra 50-60 years. f***ing lol at comparing Boston to Montreal.

Reading is hard!

 

[Video Nasty]

Pittsburgh for me. 2 separated dynasties. Lemieux era and Crosby era. They've been relevant since the early 90's with a short rebuilding period. Any Penguins fan you come across has lived to see an era of greatness.

Edmonton had all their success in one decade. It is the greatest dynasty of all time but I value Pittsburgh's two separate dynasties at higher value.

The Bruins haven't had a dynasty since the 70's. There's barely a poster on hf that can re-live the glory days. I knownits an impressive history in the 70's but I'm still shocked theybare winning the poll.

My order is
1)Pittsburgh
2)Edmonton
3)Boston

One problem. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a dynasty in their history, let alone two.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

not sure how any of these other than the pens are getting votes

 

[McFlash97]

This is Boston by a decent margin. They’re either 3rd or 4th among the Original Six teams, depending how you feel about them against Detroit.

Chicago was a poverty franchise in the O6, and badly managed during the Wirtz era. Aside from the 1960s and 2010s they have been mostly irrelevant for a century. I don’t mean that as badly as it sounds, but it’s just reality that most of their history has been more negative than positive.

Pittsburgh has the best results of the expansion era, and Edmonton is the only WHA team that even survived. But Edmonton’s success has been almost entirely limited to the 1980s, with only a couple of blips here and there to account for the past 35 years.

So it comes down to Pittsburgh vs Boston. Pittsburgh’s history is defined by two different eras where they had arguably the two best forwards in the game. Boston has also had eras like that in the 30s and 70s. The difference between them is that Boston has also had long stretches of relevance in between those dynasties, whereas the Pens have fallen completely off the scene when they aren’t being led by a Lemieux or Crosby.

The Bruins are also just more relevant to the overall culture of the game. Their rivalry with Montreal is arguably the best in the league, they are one of the most-namechecked teams in pop culture, and Boston itself is one of the great hockey cities. And they’ve been doing this twice as long as the Pens. If both teams fell off and started to stink for a while, we already know that the Bruins would be back as a cultural force in a few years when they start to recover. We don’t really know that about the Pens. The Bruins are just on a different tier as a franchise, as close to the Montreal/Toronto tier as they are to the Pens/Oilers.

I'd argue with all the great players and offensive records the Oilers are now more culturally relevant to the game. The Oilers are the only team out of these 4 that had a legit dynasty. Few people know what a Penguins or Bruins logo looks like outside of North America. Try to wear a Gretzky Oilers jersey or McDavid 97 jersey in places like Australia. Instant recognition. Crosby will get some looks. Boston isnt getting any looks now and the Hawks used to. Not anymore.

This gap will widen if the Oilers win a cup.

 

[pi314]

Pens and Oilers are basically mirror images for each conference. Oilers more successful in the Gretzky/Messier era, Penguins more successful in the Crosby/Malkin era. 5 cups each.

I take Pittsburgh by a hair since Edmonton doesn't have any cups in the cap era. And because I'm a homer.

I agree, especially because of the last sentence.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'd argue with all the great players and offensive records the Oilers are now more culturally relevant to the game. The Oilers are the only team out of these 4 that had a legit dynasty.

I don’t think 10 years of remarkable success outweighs the entire 100-year history of the Bruins franchise.

Maybe, maybe if we were talking Blackhawks or Rangers. But Wayne Gretzky is no more of a hockey icon than Bobby Orr. And McDavid is hardly in Eddie Shore territory, culturally speaking.

Few people know what a Penguins or Bruins logo looks like outside of North America. Try to wear a Gretzky Oilers jersey or McDavid 97 jersey in places like Australia. Instant recognition. Crosby will get some looks. Boston isnt getting any looks now and the Hawks used to. Not anymore.

This gap will widen if the Oilers win a cup.

Respectfully, I highly doubt that any of the above is true.

Sporcle quizzes are hardly scientific, but they actually do a decent job of capturing snapshots of brand recognition, because they’re effectively a survey of a more-or-less random sample of Internet users from around the world. In this quiz, Boston had the 2nd best logo recognition in the NHL, after the Sharks. The Oilers were perfectly average at 16th.

 

[JianYang]

Edmonton had the last true dynasty, which included the greatest player of all time. If we look at it from a peak dominance standpoint, they would be number 1.

But there are so many ways to look at this. Boston was far more consistent and their downswings in general were nothing compared to Pittsburgh, Edmonton, and Chicago.... they have generally been in the mix alot....so you could make a case for the bruins even though they have 1 cup in the last 50 plus years.

Chicago arguably had the best post lockout teams although I think Tampa was better. Having said that their three post lockout cups in 6 years is the closest thing we've had to a dynasty in the cap era. However Chicago has a long history prior to the cap, and too much of it is not as good.

Pittsburgh has collected 5 cups since the 90s, and have had the rarest of talents come through, but they have also had some really low times. They almost moved in the 80s prior to lemieux, and almost moved again in the mid 2000s prior to Crosby. It's hard to argue against that cup total, but that volatility of the highs and lows is also there, and I almost feel like they should have had more trophies with the type of prodigies that came through.

So there's alot of ways to peel this. I'll weigh it more towards peak dominance for a specific time period combined with the cups, so that means Edmonton, but again it feels weird to say that because I don't ever really consider them an admirable organization aside from the mid 90s to the early 2000s when they were finding success in some really tough financial times in Canadian markets. But those teams were never going to win the cup either... that was admiration in the sense for getting alot of value out of their investments when their margins for error were razor thin.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Boston by the tiniest of margins over the Penguins.
Bit farther down is Edmonton then Chicago.