15 Most Surprising Stanley Cup Winners from 1981 Through 2023

[@bdonaghu]

For me, the most surprising thing about the 2012 run by the Kings was the fact they had a 3-0 lead in every single series. Just mind boggling. And a total opposite of their 2014 run where they had three 7-game series until the Final.

[@HT-jj5sx]

Agreed, I remember winning the cup and thinking "Huh, I wasn't worried at all". Then 2014 comes around... oye.

[@reposaado1079]

2014 LA was a team everyone thought would be out but after 3 game 7’s and a double OT win over NY it was the best and most surprising run I’ve ever seen.

[@TheGreyCrayon]

Yeah, that run should've been here as well. The stats weren't as crazy, but no one was expecting LA to go that far.

[@staringatthesun861]

I would say it's the most dramatic run I've ever seen to a championship, in any sport, since I started watching sports in 2002. But not the most surprising because of the grit they showed in 2012.

[@HT-jj5sx]

Don't forget the down 3-0 :)

[@morrisvalentneflatlander4784]

That 2014 run was amazing. The reverse sweep of San Jose to that 7 game series against Chicago

[@sincitysinnermike]

2012 Kings at #1 was expected. That cup run was ridiculous.

[@vanillaflounder376]

It’s not that they won the cup. It’s how they did it. 16-4 while never giving up more than 3GA a game is absolutely insane

[@reposaado1079]

2014 was even more wild. 3 game 7’s and a double OT win for the cup. Watched that whole series I’ll never see another like that again!

[@ChadSimplicio]

And I enjoyed how nutty Jonathan Quick was during & between those 2 cup-winning seasons.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@reposaado1079 As a lifelong Ranger hater, I’ll always remember staying up for that Martinez goal.

[@nummytacos128]

@@vanillaflounder376 And always ceding home court advantage being the eighth seed. 10-1 on the road with their only loss coming in the finals. Was a stellar run.

[@animaspreston8158]

Kings 2012 team had insane statistics

[@yoholmes273]

That Kings Team was an absolute juggernaut. Even being a Devils team and feeling hosed.....The Kings were just sooooooooooo good. An all time incredible run. That LA team that won back to back was just one of the very best ever.

[@HankyPanky44]

@@yoholmes273 Didn't win back to back unfortunately, but almost - 2012 and 2014.

[@Ivaneus27]

​​@@HankyPanky44They were conference finalists in 2013 too. Kings could've had a Dynasty if not for the Blackhawks and their own players **cough*Voynov, Richards*cough** I'll still take the stunning two extremes cups though. Tied for fewest games and most games, steamroller in one and unkillable cockroaches in the other. Pure magic in those two runs.

[@joebarr725]

No losses on the road.

[@yoholmes273]

@@joebarr725 Broke the record held by the 1995 NJ Devils. KINGS were a juggernaut

[@andyholland2130]

As a Red Wings fan, I don't find the 08 Cup win surprising at all. They won the President Trophy in 06, tied the President winners in points in 07 and won the Presidents trophy again in 08 when they won the Cup. They were a dominate team. That 08 team may still be the best cap team.

[@ItsRMFL]

Been a Caps fan since 1997, watching your favorite team all season leading to winning a Stanley cup is really special. Gonna hold on to the 2018 title forever lol probably going to have to😂

[@donmackie6086]

As a lifelong Canucks fan I can honestly say that I was very happy for OV to finally hoist the Cup! He's a great player but I like him because he's also got a great work ethic and has a good sense of humor. I was grinning big time when the Caps won. And very relieved that they prevented Vegas from winning. Sadly though, Vegas was not to be denied as they eventually won this year. Hopefully now, LV never wins again. That would be awesome! Yes I know, I'm a small, petty, bitter man. Guilty as charged your honor.

[@benjaminruss4605]

The Jordan Binnington run for STL was extremely surprising in 2019 because he was called up from the minors midway through that year. STL should be in the top 3 here, could be even #1.

[@p__b__3749]

SHOULD be #1. Totally unexpected. Especially given the league's history with the Blues in the playoffs.

[@Niklas-bk7nu]

Cant believe how 0 clickbait titles of offseason content can get my attention as fast as shannon

[@chrisbelos2834]

I'd put the 1986 habs at no.5. that cup was won when the oilers, in the middle of their dynasty, eliminated themselves against the flames in the second round.

[@DevilzFan]

It's always funny to me that the Devils get blamed for the trap, like they invented it. They just perfected it. Remember, the coaching staff for that Devils team were Jacques Lemaire and Larry Robinson. Two guys who brought that system to the Devils after employing it to win Cups with Montreal in the 70's.

[@yoholmes273]

Yes, NJ under Lou, Jacques, & Larry essentially solved the game of game of hockey when they perfected the trap. That being said...they literally played that system to win One Cup in 1995. NJ never ran a "trap" since. Only uninformed armchair dopes still whine "trap"

[@yoholmes273]

@Reedjohnmiller Bad "era"? You're talking about the Buffalo Sabres glory years , sir.

[@RMS5006]

Go Devils!

[@squiggleface3631]

Oilers broke my heart in 1984. I was a big Islander fan as a child and I was so excited about the drive for 5. Oilers looked so dominant & they definitely learned from their Stanley Cup finals loss in 1983.

[@christhornycroft3686]

The teams who win catch a wave of whatever is en vogue at the time. In the 80s, with a few exceptions, defense didn’t really matter. The Oilers won because they outscore D their other deficiencies. It isn’t like now where systems and strategy can beat pure skill. The thing is, the Isles could play defense. They were just beat up from 4 long cup runs and the Oilers were younger and more skilled. The game goes through different eras. Sometimes having a big, powerful team is everything, and other times it’s all about skill.

[@do1bal]

Hey Shannon, would you consider doing a video on different 'styles' that teams incorporate and how they're played? You talk about the trap a lot but theres got to be a lot of viewers who don't know how that functioned. The flying V, 1-3-1 etc.. would love to see it!

[@cranehook4715]

That'd be a great video idea, educate a lot of younger viewers that haven't seen or studied teams and play styles from the 90s and earlier.

[@JeffKing310]

I like that idea too - 1-3-1, trap, left wing lock and some hockey lingo (stretch passes, trolley/train tracks, triangle, bumper, overloaded power play etc) could be fun and inclusive for newer fans.

[@oilersridersbluejays]

I remember the trap. You don’t want to see it. 😴

[@boxercourage4384]

2008 Red Wings were the best hockey team I’ve ever seen on the ice in person. That team was phenomenal.

[@brandonb.6099]

It was not only a surprise that new Jersey won the Stanley cup in 1995, i was also surprised that they swept the red wings in doing so.

[@yoholmes273]

BINGO. I just mentioned this to Shanny-baby a couple of days ago.

[@HighKage97]

Everyone called the opposite to happen, saying NJ would lose 3 and forfeit the 4th out of shame. Funny how that worked...

[@yoholmes273]

@HighKage97 I meantioned this exact thing the other day. Shannon said he felt the Devils would win that series in 1995 I said, while I'm glad you thought so.... because i dont remember any pundit at the time picking NJ to win & beat Presidents Trophy Detroit team filled to the brim with Hall of Famers.

[@Dystopia1111]

If I remember right the Devils went 7 against the Rangers the year before, so not a huge shock. That said, I was really surprised how the Devils just wiped out the Red Wings.

[@yoholmes273]

@Dystopia1111 Devils in 95 barely made the playoffs as a 5th seeds and never had home ice advantage. NJ then sets the playoff record for most road victories ever in during s playoff run (a record broken later by the mighty 2012 Kings) and faced the heavily favorite Presidents Trophy winning Red Wings. And everyone forget , this is the Devils who until then had never won diddly & was known more being called "Mickey Mouse" by the Great One after a blow out. So, yes, 1995 was a giant shock win for Nj.

[@acaniac5587]

For those of us who watched most of the Canes' games in '06, it actually wasn't that surprising to see them win it all. You could tell there was something special there from very early in the season. They did such a good job of taking advantage of the post-lockout rule changes, especially the allowance of 2-line passes.

[@HogSZN]

They won because the Oilers were starting Jussi Markinen and Ty fucking Conklin lmfao

[@FrankieHresko]

That team was stacked! Only hater or total ignorant would downgrade that run!

[@leandroramos3041]

​@@HogSZNit's not like Markkanen lost them any games with costly mistakes, he played quite well.

[@puckyeah4329]

Canes fan here...I think the surprise element is based upon the time of reference. Before the season, CAR was a huge surprise to win the Cup. Ten games in, when it was clear CAR had figured out the model for the ideal post-lockout club, their Cup win wasn't a surprise.

[@Indigenous_Rambo]

Montreal in 1986 was a surprise.

[@thomobrien1854]

The only reason Montreal won was Steve Smith scoring on his own team… Calgary moved on and they weren’t ready yet to be a Championship team

[@SverigeiSverige]

@@thomobrien1854They didn't have to play Philly...

[@trevorlaboucan1995]

2004 Stanley cup finals between the Lightening & Flames is super Underrated!

[@TheGreyCrayon]

As far as I know, Jonathan Quick holds the record for both the highest SV% (.946) and lowest GAA (1.41) of any goaltender who played every single game in a playoff run and won the Stanley Cup. No secret as to why the Kings won it all. That team was magic for some odd reason, but I'm not sure how they would have fared without 32 in net. He allowed 29 goals. 29. In 20 games. He had 3 shutouts, and allowed only one goal in 7 of the other 13 games. The fact that he DIDN'T win the Vezina is outrageous. Don't get me wrong, Henrik Lundqvist was insane as well, but when Jonathan Quick puts up identical numbers as , carries his team through the playoffs with historically unbeatable numbers, wins the Conn Smythe (because duh), AND plays 7 more regular season games than Lundqvist did that season, but he still doesn't win it? Bullshit. The Vezina is awarded to the Goalie who is best at his position. No one was better than Quick that season. No one. Anyway, sorry for the tangent there. I'm still a bit upset about it as you maybe could've seen. 😅

[@conservativecatholic9030]

Yeah, and Quick had more shutouts. Also, New York was scoring so much. Quick was more important to LA than Lundquvist was to NY in 2012. (Just look at the standings) I think Lundquvist got a lifetime achievement award with that Vezina in 2012. Shame that Quick will never get that.

[@dmonsef]

Lundqvist edged Quick for the Vezina bcuz of recognition or looks! Quick got screwed but he had the last laugh winning the Cup! If ask any NHL player, they would take the Cup over any individual award.

[@TheGreyCrayon]

@@conservativecatholic9030 Quick won the Cup, but that doesn't make up for the decision imo. When you have the most impressive Stanley Cup run by any Goaltender probably ever, on top of the regular season he had? You should win the Vezina.

[@conservativecatholic9030]

@@TheGreyCrayon I’m pretty sure the Vezina voting happens before the playoffs start (or early into the playoffs), and only gets revealed after the playoffs. While I strongly agree that Quick was the person who deserved the Vezina that year, the playoffs are not a factor. I think Quick earned it with his regular season play. He had 10 shutouts and his team was 29th in goal scoring. He also took a heavy load with 69 games. He was easily more important to the Kings in the regular seasons than Lundquvist was to the Rangers in 2012. It’s really a shame too, because I think some people might try to argue him out of the Hall of Fame and point to his not having a Vezina. (Though I think the inductions of Barasso and Vernon should help Quick in that as they definitely lower the bar on goalies)

[@TheGreyCrayon]

@@conservativecatholic9030 Makes sense if its before teh Stanley Cup or playoffs in general. Still think he should've won it over Lundqvist for the other reasons I listed. That's just my opinion though.

[@oldhab7890]

Thanks for letting newer hockey fans know about the other worldly performance of Patrick Roy in the 93 playoffs. It is a standard of goaltending that has not been matched (even by himself). One small issue with the video - Montreal fans are never surprised to win a Cup it is an expectation.

[@nneichan9353]

I love it when teams win their first cup, or when they win one after a looooong drought.

[@MikeG82]

2019 Blues i never gave a thought to them winning the cup until they were up 3 -0 in game 7 of the cup final

[@run2fire]

91 Pens Had Lemieux, Jagr, Coffey, Ron Francis, Larry Murphy, Bryan Trottier , Joe Mullen , Coach Bob Johnson and others. Also Scotty Bowman in the front office. No surprise to me.

[@xtraplayer7281]

I knew they were good, but they weren't favored to beat boston. But they did.

[@scottpressnail543]

As a lifelong Red Wings fan I can tell you that the 1997 Cup was a shock to most outside of Hockeytown. After winning back to back Presidents Trophies in 95 and 96 most felt this team would never win. Many people felt The Wings could not beat their big rival The Avalanche. And then in the Finals were The Flyers led by The Legion of Doom. The Wings were seen as too small to even challenge the big bad Flyers.

[@matthewsobkowski4319]

Yep. They seemed so close for years but after having the number 1 seed in the West 3 straight years, the 62 win season, the famous Yzerman goal.....and still losing anyways it just looked like it wasn't gonna happen. Hell it felt like them beating up on Montreal was the reason Roy got traded and I don't think the Avs would have beaten Detroit without him so it was like they even ruined the perfect season by being too good that year. LOL The way they beat Philly as easily as they did in the Cup Final was every bit of surprising as the way they lost to the Devils.

[@parissimons6385]

This is a good list! I was new to following the game and the NHL in 1970-71. When goalie Ken Dryden showed up in the playoffs for the Habs against Boston in the first round, nobody gave the rookie and his team a chance of success. Dryden hadn't even played enough games to be eligible for the Calder Trophy. And then Montreal surprised everybody, including the Bruins in 7 games, on their way to the '71 Cup finals win - in 7 games, after going down 3 games to 2 - against Chicago. That was the start of following hockey for me. I couldn't help becoming a Habs fan after that (along with being a Vancouver-resident Canucks fan - sigh!), so with Montreal's dominance in the 1970s, it was a great decade to follow for me. And being non-partisan enough, I could enjoy the Islanders and Oilers respective dynasties controlling the 1980s.

[@samjenniches6271]

The '12 Kings playoff team was a juggernaut. The regular season team was another thing entirely. The team got its coach fired in December, was an 8 seed that limped in with 3 OT or SO losses out of its final 4 regular season games, and scored the second fewest goals in the NHL that year. The team is the only team since the schedule increased to 78 games in 1970-71 to win the Cup having scored less than 200 goals in a full regular season. They scored 194. (The next lowest? 2014 Kings at 206) They were shutout 10 times, a league high. And then the playoff Kings had to go through seeds 1, 2 and 3 in the West, which they did while jumping out 3-0 in each series, never losing an away game, and finishing off the 3 WC series 4-1,4-0,and 4-1. Far and away legitimately #1 on this list.

[@donmackie6086]

#8 Bruins 2011 : as a long suffering Canucks fan, Don Taylor's closing remarks on the Sportsnet late show after Vancouver went up 2-0 in games still echoes like a bad song you can't stop looping in your head. He said, "Teams with 2-0 leads in a Stanley Cup final series, have an 80.75% chance of winning the Cup" Not certain about the percentage, but certain it was quoted at over 80%. I had turned 50 earlier that year in February, and it seemed fittingly poetic that they would finally triumph in my 50th spin around the Sun. But I was too giddy with joy riding the emotional Rollercoaster of Anticipation to pay heed to Canuck historical trends of something inevitably going sideways to bring the faithful unceremoniously crashing back down to the cold, unforgiving Soil of Planet Disappointment. I turned 62 this year and I continue to wait. If I had to bet if they'd hoist the sacred chalice at center ice before I slipped from this mortal coil, my cheese would be on 'NO'. Life can be cruel and this is yet another example of that observation.

[@HitBoxGhost]

The 2012 Kings will be talked about for generations to come. I'm glad I got to see it :D

[@Based_Morty]

As a Penguins fan, I will always stand by my opinion that the 08 - 09 Red Wings were one of the best teams I ever saw play hockey. I was honestly in shock Pittsburgh beat them in 09. They had Lindstrom, Kronwall, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hossa, and Osgood in net. That Wings team was incredible to watch.

[@jamesbryant2708]

The Wings weren't healthy enough to win that series. A 3rd of the team was rookies and AHL call-ups during the finals. Datsyuk missed the first 4 games.

[@joshbehehe]

Dude where were you in 2003? Lol Datsyuk Fedorov Zetterberg Hull Robataille Yzerman Lidstrom Hasek Chelios Larionov Shanahan Honorable Mentions Draper Schneider Holmstrom McCarty Maltby Sean Avery lol jk Un fucking real

[@gutetime3039]

​@@joshbehehethat's 2002. 2003 was Cujo in net for Detroit. 2003 was also I believe if I am correct zetterberg rookie year. However it could have been 2004.

[@joshbehehe]

@@gutetime3039 you’re actually right I think that’s a little overlap between years. Either way you have Zetterberg one year or Hasek the other haha unreal team

[@gutetime3039]

@@joshbehehe nobody was beating that 2002 team. Imo that is the greatest hockey team ever assembled. So much fun watching the wings vs avalanche in all those years. It came down to 4 teams to win the cup during those years. Detroit, Colorado, Dallas and New Jersey. So many unbelievable memories of hockey.

[@ronfehr7899]

Seeing the thumbnail, I wasn't surprised that Calgary's Cup win was not there. As you said, Shannon, they were the President's Cup winners that year. And even before that, they had started to show some improvement, not letting the Oilers be as dominant as they had been.

[@wesleyano99]

Great video!

[@kaansoler1431]

Unbelievable run by the Kings. They went 16-3 I believe. That is insane. And that was the break out year for both Brown and Kopitar. Quick was pretty good too. 😂😂😂

[@edschramm6757]

16-4 record over that run. Lost 1 vs Vancouver, 1 vs Arizona, 2 vs NJ.

[@StudioCoqui]

2012 Los Angeles, 8th Seed, 95 Points Vancouver - Northwest Division Champion, President Trophy, 111 Points St. Louis - Central Division Champion, 109 Points Phoenix - Pacific Division Champion, 97 Points New Jersey - Atlantic Division Powerhouse, 102 Points - Coming off two consecutive full blown wars with their hated rivals the Flyers and Rangers. All 4 teams stared down a 3-0 deficit and all could not crawl out of the hole. Agree with #1.

[@iFyvie]

'06 was such a strange year. EDM and CAR were both unexpected. Probably because it was the first season after the lockout and various rule changes. The league's Meta hadn't yet been established and who knew anything about Cam Ward at that point in Hockey history.

[@e-rod1596]

Montreal 1986 and 1993 was shocking.

[@brianmcevoy1990]

I dont think 2008 was a surprise at all. They were in the conference finals in 07 and then won the president trophy in 08.

[@sst6601]

yep, NJ 2003 should've been instead

[@ronreinhold8997]

I know this only goes from 1981 on ward. But the biggest upset I witnessed was in 71 when Montreal when that rat Pocket Richard led the Canadian to upset the Hawks. I am sure Esposito still would have nightmares of that Lemaire goal from outside the blue line.. Bobby Hull talked for years how the Hawks had the wrong players on the ice.

[@JustinWillhoit]

if you do the top goalie runs ever, I hope we see Khudobin :)

[@mftoms59]

I remember the Isles 83 win and for me the biggest surprise was winning four straight and outscoring them 17-6. Then 84 happened and we haven't recovered yet, we've been close the last few years so have hope. Worried about Ottawa, Buffalo & Detroit this season.

[@Tombauer97]

I’ve never seen a team in such a dominant heater during the playoffs than the 2012 Kings. They were really the talk of the NHL during that Spring.

[@ronfehr7899]

While I was extatic about the Islanders 1983 Stanley Cup victory, the surprising thing to me that they swept Edmonton in the finals. But I was also glad that they swept them.

[@gogolplex74]

Funny how Devils were involved in both of the ultimate underdog runs

[@MiroHeinonen]

MIN abbreviation (at least nowadays) refers to the Minnesota Wild. The North Stars were MNS. The current Winnipeg Jets is WPG, while the original Jets was WIN.

[@HankyPanky44]

How about a video ranking the most suprising/impressive Conn Smythe winners from 19XX - 2023? That would be really interesting! KUTGW as always.👍

[@HankyPanky44]

It's me, the 'Guess where the Kings-related content in the video ends up'! Aaand I'm going to say at least top three for 2012, right? 2014 probably a bit lower, not even top 10.

[@joseph7696]

Awesome list

[@xtraplayer7281]

1990 Oilers. Bill Ranford was amazing !

[@xtraplayer7281]

Quick was near unbeatable though too.

[@NRTHKR]

definitely the 2013 blackhawks

[@LastLetterisZed702]

In the #2 spot (the '95 New Jersey Devils) won the Stanley Cup vs. the Detroit Red Wings did not surprise me because the previous year in '94, the Devils finished 2nd overall in the NHL with 106 pts. New Jersey had basically the same roster except Bernie Nicholls left and Neal Broten was added.

[@volodja99]

2022 Avs were a surprising Stanley Cup winner. Said no one ever.

[@alanharney5278]

LA in 2012. #8 seed going in. Then they go 8-1 and beat the #1 and #2 seeds and then go 16-4 in the playoffs. Quick a 0.947 save percentage. Scoring from every line. A monster PK from guys like Greene, Mitchell, and Stoll (like the 3 on 5 vs. NJ). Brown running over guys all over the ice - I bet Daniel Sedin still has the bruises. That team was the epitome of "heavy". They'd kick your ass all over the ice and then score on you. It was worth waiting 45 years for that team.

[@J_Aaron_L]

Pretty much agree... for sure with the left side.

[@matejtrnovec9144]

Goalie PO runs would be awesome. My list, if we dont count just ones who won the Cup (1990-present) would be: 1. Quick (2012) 2. Giguere (2003) 3. Hasek (1999) 4. Thomas (2011) 5. Roy (1993) 6. Brodeur (2003) 7. Khabibulin (2004) 8. McLean (1994) 9. Richter (1994) 10. Ranford (1990) HM: Ward (2006)

[@squiggleface3631]

I lived in Edmonton in 1990. Ranford surprised me and made Grant Fuhr redundant to the Oilers.

[@morrisvalentneflatlander4784]

1993 was a heart breaker for Kings fans Mc Sorely's stick and Patrick Roy

[@YesJamesIsAsian]

My favorite headline I heard about that 1995 Final was that Detroit would beat New Jersey in 3 aka the Devils would be too embarrassed to show up for the 4th game after losing the first 3. Funny how things work out once you play the games and as a Devils fan I’m quite happy with the result!

[@psycosyin]

As a wings fan I knew the style NJ played and hated the way the media acted like it was a foregone conclusion that we would win. Didn’t think itd be SO lopsided though. Such a stifling defense, frustrating to watch. Two years later and we were on the other side of the equation, Philadelphia was supposed to start the Lindros dynasty with an easy win over us.

[@matthewsobkowski4319]

@@psycosyin I had a delivery job at the time so I listened to WDFN all day long while driving around. People were so happy that the Flyers lost because they figured they were the tougher matchup. The Wings were absolutely cruising heading into the Cup Final. 3-0 lead in each series and because the only two playoff games they had lost were lopsided blowouts, there were people calling in to the radio station actually questioning if Mike Ilitch was asking them to ease up in those 4th games so they could play an extra home game in each series (as if Scotty would even think of that kind of BS). It's laughable now to look back but really nobody thought they'd lose to the Devils the way they were playing.

[@w0fo]

best playoff goalie run I can remember was Jean-Sebastien Giguere!

[@christhornycroft3686]

I’m with you with the allergies. I have post nasal drip too and I end up driving the sugar free halls into me, trying not to cough constantly. Cottonwood is not my friend. And with my A/C not installed yet, I’m kind of stuck with the window open and a fan on.

[@Lazzar1958]

Seems a bit funny these days to say the team had a '6 season drought' in winning the Stanley Cup, but the Canadiens were chasing their 24th Stanley Cup, that made me VERY happy, a nice even number!

[@user-iz3gv5vo6b]

'91 was not so surprising, especially because they ended up facing Minnesota. Same for '06 since CAR's roster was loaded. 2019 was very surprising for me.

[@BarbaOlof]

If I understand the premise of this video, the surprising/expected call is not made based only on the final matchup, so that Penguins ended up meeting the North Stars in the final isn’t a factor.

[@daved1535]

Most people had Boston winning 1991. Pittsburgh beating Boston in the Wales Conference Finals was a upset

[@user-iz3gv5vo6b]

@@daved1535 Beating BOS was a small upset perhaps, but 1) PIT did win the Patrick Division that year, 2) Mario was already Super Mario and played in the playoffs leading playoff scoring and winning the Conn Smythe, 3) The team was stacked with Paul Coffey in his prime on the back-end assisted by Larry Murphy and Zarley Zalapski, a young Mark Recchi coming off a 113pt season, John Cullen coming off a 94pts in 65 games, Kevin Stevens over a pt a game and veterans Joe Mullen and Bryan Trottier providing the experience. It likely also didn't hurt to have a 6'3", 230lb rookie named Jaromir Jagr on the team either. Besides, BOS had already built a reputation as a weak playoff performer in the 80s and in 1990.

[@SverigeiSverige]

@@user-iz3gv5vo6bZZ and Cullen were traded. Mario missed half of the season with injury.

[@user-iz3gv5vo6b]

@@SverigeiSverige Dude, Mario was MARIO! At that time, he was arguably the best player in the world. Yes, he missed half the season, yet the Pens still won their division.Having Super Marion back for the playoffs, how could they not be considered contenders, if not the favorites? Just count how many future HHOFamers they had engraved on that cup!

[@squiggleface3631]

Islanders were eliminated by weaker Leafs team in 78 & weaker Rangers team in 79. Many wanted them to make drastic changes & felt they'd never win a Cup. They then go on to win 4 straight cups & almost 5.

[@DaveWossum]

Whoo Hoo! my team is number 1 at something. It was a surprise to me as well. They beat the #1, #2 and #3 team in a row. They lost their first ROAD game in the finals. Did I mention they NEVER had home ice in any series?

[@JD200_]

Before I watch I’m guessing LA

[@GrinderCB]

2012 Kings...they barely made the playoffs and EVERYONE thought they'd be lucky just to keep from being swept by Vancouver. They didn't even really look like a playoff team, let alone a Cup contender. I was very fortunate to have been there for that run. I was even on TV before Gm.6 and gave a comment to a local news girl as I was heading into the arena.

[@ChadSimplicio]

That 2012 run by the Kings was just nuts, as well as the heart-wrenching 2014 run. I know, I was at the game when the 2011-12 Kings hoisted the cup for the very 1st time.

[@renlessard]

That Habs team didn't allow Gretzky 1 shot in the game 5 final and didn't allow a scoring chance and only a handful of shots in the second half of that game. Roy was the MVP but Demers had the Habs playing a very strong team defence

[@sgambpy1153]

Time to do the most surprising runner ups now !!

[@galkanftw]

Vegas was a mild surprise a team I noticed very early season I said that is one solid roster with no weaknesses.One other thing they were the least penalized team in the league.When Vegas made it to the finals versus Washington that was an incredible surprise.Carolinas win was maybe the second biggest surprise

[@Razahoo7]

2008 Red Wings won the presidents trophy. I really dont see how it was a surprise.

[@SkyFellowship]

The 87 Oilers, 89 Flames, 94 Rangers, 99 Stars, 01 Avs, 02 Wings 08 Wings and 13 Blackhawks. All 8 won the Presidents Trophy, as we all know it's illegal to win both, so those 8 were surprising. Also, say what you want, but the moment Helm scored and took us to the WCF last year, I knew we'd won the cup. The 7-0 thrashing in game 2 cemented it.

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

When Helm scored, my brother and I cheered so loudly lol. I knew we were likely going to win the Cup once we got rid of the Blues. Hope he enjoys his retirement.

[@RandomGuyCDN]

Bostons 2011 cup win wasnt a surprise when you consider how much meddling Campbell did to get his son a cup ring. The fact the guy is still in the NHL offices is a farce

[@Nelerabine]

Hearing you rank the goalie runs makes me look and think which of these teams won through defense, offense, goalies, etc. People always say defense wins championships (and I agree) but the mix on the board is pretty scattered imo.

[@kevinb9790]

I don’t think any of these were a surprise (for me) except for CAR after the lockout.

[@dreamchasserr7969]

can you do top 15 easiest run through the playoffs to win the cup. plssss

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

That list would be mostly dominated by Montreal, I imagine.

[@oceanshrugs9235]

Like 1/3 of that video would be 70's Montreal lol

[@xtraplayer7281]

You could make a video of underdog teams that made it to the final and lost. Plenty of those....

[@bobbyhulll8737]

No one was picking the Oilers in 90 . They got knocked out the previous year by the Gretzky led Kings . They were down 3-1 vs the Jets in round one and Fuhr was injured most of the year .. Ranford got as hot as any goalie could on that run and their experience pulled them through .

[@xtraplayer7281]

i was at game 7 vs Jets. I knew the oilers were going to be hard to beat with Ranford playing at that level.

[@dawnsempire8510]

funnily enough, 2012 LA being the no. 1 most surprising Stanley Cup victory is the least surprising thing on this list. 🤣

[@theawesomer8587]

The 2003 Devils Stanley Cup win was more surprising to me. That team had zero offense and I thought Tampa, Ottawa and Anaheim were definately going to win against them.

[@yoholmes273]

It's funny to say that. There certainly were better NJ teams on paper thay didn't come anywhere close. Remember, however, in 2003 Marty was the REAL MVP of the playoffs. Brodeur set the all time playoff shutout record which included 3 shutouts in The Finals including game clinching Game 7. Yet Marty fails to win MVP to the LOSER goalie.....because the writers wanted to give California Hockey a prize since to that date they hadn't won't anything ever. Veteran , big physical team, that had one of the greatest goalies of all time standing on his head at the most crucial moments. That was was 2003 NJ Devils. I saw them raise that Cup. Damn she was pretty!

[@theawesomer8587]

@@yoholmes273 yep, 3 out of 4 finals wins were shutouts. Marty should've won the Conn Smyth.

[@yoholmes273]

@@theawesomer8587BINGO It's the biggest robbery of a Smythe ever. They gave it to the loser goalie as a consolation prize because he beat up on some trash West teams in the mid rounds. Marty pitched a shutout in game 7! Three of 4 Finals wins a shutout. Set the all time playoff record for most shutouts in a postseason. Loses to the loser he beat. WHat?!

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

​​@@yoholmes273JSG deserved it. He's not some "loser" goalie. Had hands down the greatest individual playoff goalie performance ever that resulted in an L. Brodeur gets one shutout, and you think he deserves that Conn Smythe? That's cute.

[@yoholmes273]

@lelouchvibritannia4028 He was the loser goalie who lost to a superior goaltender who set an all time playoff record. This is a fact.

[@FH99]

I thought the 2019 Blues would have been higher than #5. They fired their coach during the season and had the worst record in the league on New Years Day. Then they gave Jordan Binnington, who was #4 on the Blues depth chart going into the season, a chance in goal and he made the most of it.

[@simonlemerveilleuxdelisle3779]

Dont agree with Colorado 2022 being listed there at all. They were among favorites from the start of the season and probably THE favorite after the trade deadline.

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

Exactly. It was one of the very rare Cup Finals where the favorites from both conferences met, plus the Avs were slightly favored in polls and betting lines.

[@rcl1955ca]

I know you focused on the teams you saw, but I think you have to give an honorable mention to the original six era and specifically the 1967 Leafs that even then were way too old to win a cup yet they did. Ironically the last one they have one too.

[@oceanshrugs9235]

I still say that 93 had to lower the life expectancy of Montreal fans by years. All those OT's had to just kill the heart. Almost glad I wasn't old enough to experience it. As much as I want a Habs cup, my heart could NOT take that lmao

[@rocketrich7886]

2012 Kings is the best run I ever seen in the playoffs. Went up 3-0 on everybody. Has never been done in history

[@maxfish4270]

Will there be a 15 most hated Cup winners video?

[@DJ-dw3gl]

That would be interesting. I know my pick.

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

It will be all Montreal, Edmonton, Boston, the Penguins, Detroit, and Tampa.

[@oceanshrugs9235]

Boston, Vegas (too early), Tampa (the cap), Montreal during their runs (stop winning please, you won like 5 times in a row), NJ (trap is boring),

[@maxfish4270]

@@lelouchvibritannia4028 Alright bvut in what order and who is #1?

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

@@maxfish4270 Detroit or Pittsburgh. Teams that have had the most recent dynasties.

[@DrDetfink]

I loved that 1991 Penguins team. RIP Badger Bob.

[@phreakzilla8514]

It’s a great day for hockey…..

[@daved1535]

I could be wrong but didn't you predict Colorado to win the Stanley Cup in 2022??

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

Yes, he did.

[@JohnDoe-ff2fc]

As you went along, I kept wondering if you were ever going to include the Kings on the board and gave up after you posted NJ as #2. I gave up too early, it's not over til it's over. If I recall, the Kings looked mediocre the 1st half of the season.

[@mastertonef]

Regarding remarkable goalie runs among these 15, I would say Jordan Binnington and Aidan Hill had the best ones.

[@larryn1929]

To me #15 was helped because the Islanders were going for #5. After 19 straight series wins there was something missing. As in out of gas and playing a HoFer loaded team that wanted revenge.

[@davidk2801]

How about a video looking at the past Stanley cup and identify the common factors.

[@dmonsef]

No comments on the Caps! That '17-'18 team was a bit of a mess during the regular season at times. Trotz was considered a lame duck coach and at times wasn't being patient using the younger players. They looked dead in the water going down 2-0 to the CBJ's and going to 2OT in Game 3. Holtby wasn't even the playoff starter as he lost his job to Grubauer. As a Caps fan I was thinking we would never beat the Pens bcuz they always come out beating us in the playoffs(to this point I think a 2-9 record vs the Pens in the playoffs). Once we got over the hump beating the Pens, I thought they would get too high on that and lose to a talented Bolts team. Caps surprisingly jumped out 2-0 in the series only to lose the next 3 to the Bolts. I really thought the Caps ran out of playoff magic. For them to get back2back shutout wins in Game 6/7 was just incredible! Game 1 Cup Final I was mad bcuz I thought the officiating was not good enough and that the Caps might have had a win opportunity taken from them. They prevailed in the next 4 games which put me into so many tears of joy. The incredible thing to me was the Caps kind of stunk at home going 6-5, but tied the NHL record on the road going 10-3! They simply were road warriors! I have to say it, Ovechkin won his first chance reaching the Final while Crosby did not!

[@vanillaflounder376]

I’m sorry but the 2022 avs were like -10k to win the cup it was pretty obvious😭

[@ajfazz8773]

The current state of the Islanders makes all 4 of there wins surprising

[@letsgoblues21]

JS Giguere in a losing effort was ridiculous and should be top 3

[@dvan7117]

In 1996 Detroit was the odds on favorite the win the Cup. They were loaded with star players and had won 62 games that season. When Colorado and Detroit faced each other in the western finals, Colorado won in 6 and then swept Florida in the finals. That was surprising to me.

[@patrickbooth5091]

Ok but Colorado was also loaded with hall of famers including the second or third best goalie of all time.

[@dvan7117]

@@patrickbooth5091 The Avs was a very good team also. Roy, Forsberg, and Sakic, who won the Conn Smythe are in the HOF. I lived in Denver at the time and I didn't think their chances against Detroit were that good. I was still surprised of how convincing that series win was.

[@oceanshrugs9235]

The Toronto of yesteryear. Ironically, Shannahan was what Detroit needed lol. Shanny can't find his own Shanny

[@matthewsobkowski4319]

@@patrickbooth5091 Colorado was a relatively young team at that time. I mean we know they were a great team and had a bunch of hall of famers now, but not many knew that then at that time. Also keep in mind that while they were in Quebec they had a history of not doing much in the playoffs. That all changed pretty quick in Denver but most people on sports talk radio in Detroit back then had overlooked the Avs and figured after Yzerman scored that famous 2OT goal against the Blues the Wings were gonna win the Cup.

[@RIPJimmyA7X]

If ive learned anything from history its that the moment people say something about a certain team like "oh they are never going to get over the hump, the just choke every year", is the moment that team wins. Its why i picked Colorado last year and now i full expect Carolina here soon.

[@ryanmartin4787]

Or the Leafs? I dread it as a Habs fan, but that curse will end at some point. I just hope I'm not alive to see it! Hah

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

​@@ryanmartin4787Don't worry, no one will see them win, IF they ever do.

[@oceanshrugs9235]

Counterpoint: people talked so much about Toronto and they haven't won. It took them years of talking to beat the round 1 curse

[@jonah.donohue]

1993 Montreal Canadiens. That illegal stick call could've easily gone the other way

[@jerrymeyers1646]

Did you sneak in a Kung Pow: enter the fist reference??

[@LastLetterisZed702]

Mr. The Hockey Guy, do you have a favourite baseball team?

[@amazingkook143]

If you are gonna do top goalie runs that won a stanley cup, got to include 2021 Vasy. He was insane.

[@danielkrall6501]

That year, the actual stanley cup finals was Tampa vs the Islanders in the semi's, and Vasy winning game 7 1-0 was epic.

[@DaveWossum]

Also that Anaheim goalie, I can't bring myself to say his name.

[@vanillaflounder376]

@@DaveWossumgigure 03

[@seansmith4880]

The Blues choked hard in 2012, Not saying the blues would win the cup, but what an f for the Blues in that series.

[@pyrielrising4338]

If you sweep your opponent and you were favored to win the series...how does that qualify?