Has an NHL Team Ever Gone Undefeated?
Contents
The NHL is a notoriously tough league, and teams have to be near-perfect to even have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup. So, has an NHL team ever gone undefeated?
Introduction
In ice hockey, there is no such thing as a sure thing. Every game is an unpredictable battle, and even the best teams can lose on any given night. This is part of what makes the sport so exciting to watch.
But what if a team could go undefeated? What if they never lost a single game?
It may seem like an impossible feat, but it’s not as far-fetched as you might think. In fact, there have been several NHL teams that have come close to achieving this goal.
The 1972-73 Philadelphia Flyers
The 1972-73 Philadelphia Flyers are the only team in NHL history to go undefeated in their first ten games of the season. The team would eventually finish with a record of 35-6-5, good for first place in the East Division. They would go on to lose to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final.
The 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins
In 1992-93, the Pittsburgh Penguins were the defending Stanley Cup champions and they did not disappoint, finishing the regular season with an NHL-best 56-21-7 record for 119 points. They then went on to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year, becoming the first team since the 1970-71 Boston Bruins to do so.
The Penguins’ run of success didn’t stop there, as they also became the first team in NHL history to start the following season with 10 straight wins. They would go on to win their first 19 games of the 1993-94 campaign before finally suffering their first loss, a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Devils on December 27, 1993.
Despite that loss, the Penguins still finished the 1993-94 regular season with a solid 42-26-14 record for 98 points before losing in seven games to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings
In the 2005-06 season, the Detroit Red Wings were the best team in the NHL. They had the most points in the regular season, and they won the Stanley Cup. They were also the first team to go undefeated in regulation time in a season.
Conclusion
The answer to this question is a resounding no. An NHL team has never gone undefeated for an entire season. In fact, the closest any team has come to achieving this feat is the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers, who won 35 of their 80 games.
