Ranking the "Original Six"

Could be a cool compare and contrast with the Habs and Raiders. Forever dominant and now no better than any other also ran, with all due respect to the fact the Raiders are the worst team in the NFL. But I think the larger point still remains.

 

Don't see the Raiders as a good compare to the Canadiens. Montreal's real only equitable compares would be the Yankees and Celtics, factoring in how many titles and how dominant they were up through the 70s. Maybe Green Bay for an NFL peer.

And they've hardly been the train wreck the Raiders have been this century. They've been playoff participants most years, a couple conference finals, five times among the final 8. At least they're in the hunt most years.

 

The Canadiens and Yankees in their eras of ultimate dominance had structural advantages which heavily worked in their favor.

Up until the 1960s the Canadiens were effectively a Quebec national team.

The Yankees financial dominance in the AL and all of baseball from the 20s to the 60s gave them effective control of the whole sport. For several decades on end, three to five AL franchises were for all purposes farm teams of the Yankees.

 

They aren't even close. Montreal has a solid team and organization. They have never come close to being the joke the Raiders are.

 

Since winning the Cup in '93 ...

Fair to middlin' most of the time, 7 Did Not Qualifies, several opening-round losses, just 2 conference finals. So while they haven't been the back-alley abortion that the Raiders have been since '02, both organizations had the highest standards and represent the best of each league. What I'm saying is that the Raiders WERE the Habs' equivalent until it all went to shit. Habs these days are just another organization and don't put the fear of God in you like they used to -- like the Raiders used to.

 

I would think you'd have to have someone from this decade's Bruins on their list of iconic players. Chara or Bergeron. Maybe Tim Thomas, though he didn't cover himself in glory after the Cup.

 

Are the Raiders the Maple Leafs and vice versa?

 

Still not even close. The chart proves that.

 

Pretty sure the Habs have 24 Cups.

And yeah, Sittler and Horton belong on the Leafs list.

 

The chart isn't the point.

The point is that Montreal Canadiens hockey is pedestrian. I grew up in a time when the Habs represented the very best of the best.

I wanted the Kings to be the Canadiens. Now I hope they don't fade into mediocrity like the Canadiens.

 

Solid lists, maybe add Eddie LeBec to the Bruins and it's Fedorov.

 

The current structures of the major sports, with drafts, controlled free agency and salary caps, are intended to work against decade-plus runs of domination by individual franchises.

It'll be very interesting to see what happens to the Patriots in the next several years when Brady fades out. Unless they can pull off some Montana>Young, Favre>Rodgers or Manning>Luck transition, it'll be hard for them to stay in the top echelon.

Ditto for the Spurs in the NBA when Duncan goes.