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Luckiest jerseys in the NHL’s long and storied history

By Bruin Belisle

DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images) /
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You can win a Stanley Cup without a bit of luck. This in depth breakdown of each team’s luckiest jersey defines some all-time NHL moments.

The Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. The regular season is a grind and everything hits a new level in the playoffs. Players regularly play through injuries that sound fatal when you hear them after the season ends. It’s insane, but it’s part of this incredible game we all love.

There are a few key pieces involved in winning a Stanley Cup. You need toughness, a hot goaltender, a few good scorers and a team that is willing to die for one another on any given night. Oh, and a little bit of luck. That last piece is very important as sometimes a lucky bounce, call or goal can end up being the difference between the ultimate high or the lowest low. Let’s go over some of the NHL’s luckiest moments, in the lucky jerseys that teams were wearing at the time they happened.

We kick it off with a team that hasn’t been around long enough to have any luck yet.

NHL
LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 07: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Vegas Golden Knights loses his stick as he makes a skate save on a shot by Chandler Stephenson (not pictured) #18 of the Washington Capitals in the second period of Game Five of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Capitals defeated the Golden Knights 4-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

31. 2018 Vegas Golden Knights

Well, given that the Golden Knights only have one jersey, this one was easy. The Golden Knights were introduced to the league in the 2017-18 season and a group of unwanted players became a team of destiny. There was no luck involved here.

Rallying behind the horrors of the Vegas concert terrorist attack, the entire city rallied behind this team. There was no luck involved here, just hard work, grit and determination. Vegas fell in love with hockey and hockey fell in love with Vegas.

The Vegas Golden Knights became the Golden Misfits. A team full of players that were deemed to be expendable by their teams through the expansion draft. Even as they were being drafted to the Vegas team, the upper brass was clear that this team was a build – not set to compete for three-to-five years. Players were taken along with picks given to protect others. Some of these guys were shipped from their respective teams to clear cap, or shed a player that no longer works into the system. Vegas was doing teams a favor in taking some of them. That’s something to rally behind.

It’s no surprise that this team did well. A group of second and third liners with a ton of experience backed by a future hall of fame goaltender in Marc-André Fleury. There was no real weakness and guys like William Karlsson and James Neal stepped into star roles throughout the year.

Again, there was no luck here, but that’s fitting because this Vegas team only has one jersey and it already has a long history of hard work and determination. The Vegas Golden Knights rank the lowest in terms of luck.

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