The Oilers have won the Stanley Cup five times, in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. They also won the President's Trophy as top team in the regular season in 1984, 1986, and 1987. They lost the 1983 Stanley Cup final to the New York Islanders and the 2006 Stanley Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Wayne Gretzky won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player (MVP) eight times on the Oilers. He also won the Art Ross Trophy seven times on Edmonton, the goal-scoring title (now known as the Richard Trophy) five times, and the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP in the playoffs twice. Gretzky set many NHL records on the Oilers, including most goals (92), assists (163), and points (215) in a season.
The Oilers have had many other great players: Mark Messier won the Hart Trophy in 1990 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1984; Paul Coffey won the Norris Trophy as best defenceman in 1985 and 1986; Grant Fuhr won the Vezina Trophy as best goaltender in 1988; Jari Kurri led the NHL in goals in 1986; Bill Ranford won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1990; and Connor McDavid won the Hart Trophy in 2017. Glenn Anderson and Curtis Joseph are among their other top players.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are an ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They began in 1967, and have been a strong team for most of their history. The Flyers won the Stanley Cup championship in 1974 and 1975. They also made the finals in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1997, and 2010. They won the President's Trophy as top team in the regular season in 1975, 1980, and 1985.
Their championship team in the 1970s was led by Bobby Clarke, who won the Hart Trophy as most valuable player (MVP) in the NHL in 1973, 1975, and 1976. Bernie Parent was also an important part of this team: he was named the NHL's top goaltender in 1974 and 1975, and those same years won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP in the playoffs. Reggie Leach was the NHL's top goal scorer in 1976; he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year. Bob Dailey, Rick MacLeish, and Bill Barber were also important members of the 1970s Flyers.
In 1979-80, the Flyers set an NHL record for most games in a row without a loss: 35. No team in North America in hockey, baseball, football, or basketball has had more games unbeaten. Goaltender Pete Peeters was one reason they set this record.
In the 1980s, the team was led by (son of Gordie Howe), a defenceman who also played well on offence. Pelle Lindbergh (1985) and Ron Hextall (1987) both won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender; Hextall also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1987. Tim Kerr was a high goal scorer.
Eric Lindros won the Hart Trophy in 1995. John Leclair, Mark Recchi, and Eric Desjardins were also strong players in the 1990s.
The Flyers continued to be a strong team in the early 21st century, coming very close to making the Stanley Cup finals twice. Keith Primeau, Peter Forsberg, and Simon Gagne have been among their top players. They lost the 2010 Stanley Cup finals to Chicago Blackhawks in six games, but did not make the playoffs in four out of the last eight seasons (2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19).
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are an ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They began in 1967. They have won the Stanley Cup championship five times; in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016 and 2017.
The Penguins had many poor seasons in their first 20 years. They had a good team in the mid-1970s, with players such as Peter Mahovlich, Pierre Larouche, and Jean Pronovost. They missed the semi-finals in 1975 because they lost four games to three to the New York Islanders after being ahead three games to none.
Mario Lemieux helped turn the Penguins into a strong team. He won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion six times, in 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, and 1997; the Hart Trophy as most valuable player in 1988, 1993, and 1996; the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP in the playoffs in 1991 and 1992; and the goal scoring title in 1988, 1989, and 1996. Lemieux did all this even though he had many injuries.
After their two Stanley Cups (which included a record-tying 11 wins in a row in the playoffs in 1992), the Penguins set the NHL record for most wins in a row, with 17 in 1992-93. They won the President's Trophy that year as the top team in the regular season.
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In 2005, the Penguins were one of the worst teams in the league, but they were able to draft Sidney Crosby. Crosby was 6th in NHL scoring in his rookie (first) season in 2005-06, at the age of 18. In 2007, the Penguins made the playoffs, but were eliminated in five games by the Ottawa Senators in the first round. The next year, the Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup final. However, the Detroit Red Wings beat them in six games.