Most skilled game type Stanley Cup winners since 1990

[SnowblindNYR]

I want to purposely exclude the Oilers and before. I feel like the 2022 Avs fit the bill here. Maybe the Pens from 16 and 17 and the Hawks mini dynasty, 2008 Red Wings? The Lightning were a weird team that had insane skill but I felt like won a grinding game. A lot of people love these physical, hard forecheck teams like 07 Ducks, 12 Kings, 14 Kings, and 24 Panthers but they're not my cup of tea. I'd much rather see a team keep possession through passing than through a hard forecheck style.

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[Michael Farkas]

Yeah, the 2016 and 2017 Penguins fit your bill. Speed, skill, multi-line puck carriers all over the lineup (1C, 2C, 3RW, 1RD).

I did a video way back, briefly, about how the Penguins generated speed behind the puck, they had guys over top of the puck, and they just continued to flip the ice with weakside rotation plays all day long.



The 2008 Red Wings were a buzzsaw, but I'm not sure that they fit the mold of these Avs teams and Pens teams. If you think the Lightning were grindy, then the '08 Red Wings were Super Deluxe Grind haha

 

[MadLuke]

What about the 91 and 92 Lemieux pens ? The highlights of those are quite the skill competition level of show by time.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Also fun. Except maybe the last three games of the Patrick Division Semifinal when the Pens basically played a 1-1-3 to come back from 3-1 down to beat Washington. But that kind of stuff maybe should be lost to the sands of time haha

 

[SnowblindNYR]

What about the 91 and 92 Lemieux pens ? The highlights of those are quite the skill competition level of show by time.

I was going to include them and by the time I made the post forgot, lol. I started thinking of post-lockout teams.

Were the 2008 Wings really all that grindy? I remember them putting on a defensive clinic on the Pens but it felt like more in terms of passing than forecheck and grinding.