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30 best NHL teams that failed to win the Stanley Cup

ByDave Stevenson|
May 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) reacts on the bench with teammates Tanner Glass (15) , Kevin Klein (8) and Dan Girardi (5) as the Rangers play with an empty net against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
May 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) reacts on the bench with teammates Tanner Glass (15) , Kevin Klein (8) and Dan Girardi (5) as the Rangers play with an empty net against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
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NHL
May 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) reacts on the bench with teammates Tanner Glass (15) , Kevin Klein (8) and Dan Girardi (5) as the Rangers play with an empty net against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Winning the Stanley Cup is one of the hardest things to achieve in all of sports, as these 30 NHL teams will tell you. 

The NHL can be cruel at times. The Stanley Cup is supposedly awarded to the best team in the league. However, best is a very vague term. How do you determine who’s best in a game where one bounce can determine an entire game and where champions have historically needed a little bit of luck to win? What if the best team in the NHL runs into a hot team and outplays them, but the hot team comes out on top? What if a goalie dominates beyond what was expected and leads his team to a huge upset over the favored team?

The following factors will be used to determine the ranking of the 30 best NHL teams that failed to win the Stanley Cup.

  1. Regular season success. How surprised were fans when they didn’t win the Stanley Cup?
  2. Who beat them? Was it a massive upset?
  3. The team as a whole. How great was the team as a whole? What players did they have?

Here’s to all the NHL teams that should have won the Stanley Cup but didn’t.

Next: 2007-2008 Pittsburgh Penguins

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