Standings/Team Rankings over the last 20 years?

[Hockey_Ninja]

Woah. I just realized that the Red Wings have been in the playoffs longer than I've been born. What a spoiled fan base.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

Woah. I just realized that the Red Wings have been in the playoffs longer than I've been born. What a spoiled fan base.

Ha, I'm old enough to remember when they were Oiler bad. The Dead Things.

[TurnedTheCorner]

From the Snorris Division.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

One area where the team has no cap is management. Why don't the Flames go get guys like Holland and Babcock? Offer them a stupid amount of money. That money will ensure that the. Flames get the most from the 68 (and counting) million dollar payroll.

Flames are never going to be better than a bottom ten team unless they hire the best managers.

Well, lets be honest though - the Det, NJ, Col teams had a lot of their success pre 2005, and pre salary cap. They weren't managed by geniuses, they just had the best teams money could buy.

It wasn't like Calgary WANTED to trade Al MacInnis and Theo Fleury. They were trying to operate like a business instead of an Illich pizza empire toy.

Success since then? Well, it helps to draft Zetterburg and Datsuyk out of nowhere, have one of the best NHL defensemen in history.

Colorado has floundered since they couldn't buy championships anymore. Ditto for Dallas.

The "20 year view" (which is great BTW) has to take into account the different landscape once we got financial parity. It's not like all these teams were head and shoulders smarter than everyone else.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Well, lets be honest though - the Det, NJ, Col teams had a lot of their success pre 2005, and pre salary cap. They weren't managed by geniuses, they just had the best teams money could buy.

It wasn't like Calgary WANTED to trade Al MacInnis and Theo Fleury. They were trying to operate like a business instead of an Illich pizza empire toy.

Success since then? Well, it helps to draft Zetterburg and Datsuyk out of nowhere, have one of the best NHL defensemen in history.

Colorado has floundered since they couldn't buy championships anymore. Ditto for Dallas.

The "20 year view" (which is great BTW) has to take into account the different landscape once we got financial parity. It's not like all these teams were head and shoulders smarter than everyone else.

True, but in principle why not get the best? Think of what they are already spending.

Can they honestly say they have the best people in their respective positions? I don't think so. If I owned the team, I would start there.

[ricosuave]

A lot of emphasis is placed on scouting in Detroit.

I can't believe that teams will play players that kind of money but they wont invest in a scouting department the way they should.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by troutman

Ha, I'm old enough to remember when they were Oiler bad. The Dead Things.

Same here, I still remember the "glory" days of the Norris division.

[Devils'Advocate]

I like this list.

[Hi-Psi]

Thanks a ton for doing that, looks awesome and gives a decent view of how teams have been doing! You're awesome!

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Well, lets be honest though - the Det, NJ, Col teams had a lot of their success pre 2005, and pre salary cap. They weren't managed by geniuses, they just had the best teams money could buy.

It wasn't like Calgary WANTED to trade Al MacInnis and Theo Fleury. They were trying to operate like a business instead of an Illich pizza empire toy.

Success since then? Well, it helps to draft Zetterburg and Datsuyk out of nowhere, have one of the best NHL defensemen in history.

Colorado has floundered since they couldn't buy championships anymore. Ditto for Dallas.

The "20 year view" (which is great BTW) has to take into account the different landscape once we got financial parity. It's not like all these teams were head and shoulders smarter than everyone else.

It's tempting to generalize things in this kind of fashion - but anomalies pop up everywhere.

There's Carolina, Anaheim, TB, and Calgary showing up in the last three finals pre-cap. Carolina, Edmonton, and LA show up in the finals in the post-cap world. Anaheim shows up as the underdog pre-cap, and more like the powerhouse they're considered to be post cap. Philly shows up only twice in 20 years, once pre and once post cap. Nashville and Minnesota have been the most consistent performers since expansion, yet haven't been deep in the pre or post cap league.

There's some patterns for sure, but there's some randomness as well. In both financial landscapes.

[The Swedish Flame]

So the takeaway points: The Flames still beat the Oilers, the Canucks have 0 cups, and where the heck did Nashville find all those points?

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

It's tempting to generalize things in this kind of fashion - but anomalies pop up everywhere.

There's Carolina, Anaheim, TB, and Calgary showing up in the last three finals pre-cap. Carolina, Edmonton, and LA show up in the finals in the post-cap world. Anaheim shows up as the underdog pre-cap, and more like the powerhouse they're considered to be post cap. Philly shows up only twice in 20 years, once pre and once post cap. Nashville and Minnesota have been the most consistent performers since expansion, yet haven't been deep in the pre or post cap league.

There's some patterns for sure, but there's some randomness as well. In both financial landscapes.

Yes, but the general impression provided by the 20 years of data shows who's been good spanning both eras. And that not all of that is due to good management - some of it was purely financial advantage.

A bit tough to only count a finals appearance as success as just 2 teams can do that in a given year (I prefer semi finals appearance as a measure, although post season wins is probably better still).

And you can't look at just 1 year as a "fluke". You have to follow up for the following season. For example, the Flames followed up their finals appearance by winning the division. The Oilers by missing the playoffs.