Buffalo Bills: 1990-2006

16. 2003 Anaheim Mighty Ducks: The Ducks were just dreadful. They finished seventh in the West, scoring a grand total of 203 goals. Adam Oates and Petr Sykora led the team in playoff scoring with identical totals of four goals and 13 points in 21 games. The '03 Ducks scored three or more goals only nine times in 21 postseason contests. Unbelievable.

The '03 Ducks were all Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Becoming only the fifth player to with the Conn Smythe in a losing effort, Giguere went 15-6 with a 1.62 goals-against and a ridiculous .945 save percentage. Giggy was at his best in the conference finals, posting three shutouts and allowing a mere one goal in a sweep of Minnesota. And he had to be flawless, because the Ducks only scored nine goals the entire series. I'm sorry, I think I just threw up in my mouth.

15. 1998 Washington Capitals: New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia all lost in the first round. With the top three seeds out of the way, the fourth-seed Capitals slipped into the Finals behind the spectacular goaltending of Olaf Kolzig, who went 12-9 with a 1.95 goals- against and a .941 save percentage.

The rest of the team was awful. Adam Oates and Joe Juneau, two of the worst shooters in NHL history, tied for the team lead in scoring with 17 points in 21 games. Juneau also led the way with seven goals, tying him with Peter Bondra and Sergei Gonchar. But when your leading scorer is Joe Juneau, you've got worry.

14. 2002 Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes were the only team to make the playoffs from the Southleast, swiping the three seed for winning their division even though their point total ranked them seventh. They were as mediocre as it gets, scoring and allowing 217 goals during the regular season.

The entire Eastern Conference was pitiful, though, with the two top seeds, Boston and Philadelphia, bowing out in the first round. That opened the door for the improbable Carolina win, which saw a 35-year-old Arturs Irbe stand on his head in net and a 39-year-old Ron Francis lead the team in scoring with six goals and 16 points in 23 games. The Hurricanes were easy fodder for Detroit in the Finals, but at least Francis won Game One with an overtime goal, only adding to his legend.

13. 2006 Edmonton Oilers: They were a scrappy bunch with plenty of speed and grit, but they were an eighth seed for a reason. Chris Pronger was the only name of importance on the entire roster. Wait, wasn't Ryan Smyth still there? So, yeah, Pronger was the only name of importance on the entire roster. And when Pronger left, the team fell apart, proving the charade. But at least they were fun to watch, which is more than I can say for the bottom few teams.

12. 1999 Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo entered as a seventh seed but rode the goaltending of Dominik Hasek all the way to the Finals. The Flopinator stopped, dropped, and rolled his way to a 1.77 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He was the star of the show. Too bad he couldn't score goals.

Buffalo's leading postseason scorers were defensemen Jason Woolley and Alexei Zhitnik, who each had four goals and 15 points in 21 games. Curtis Brown and Dixon Ward were the top goal men with seven red lights. Yikes. The Sabres couldn't buy a goal. Where was Donald Trump when you needed him?

In terms of goaltender-only teams, the '99 Sabres were still better than the '03 Ducks and '98 Caps. And they may have even been able to pull off the upset of Dallas if the league wasn't a spineless bunch of weasels who let Brett Hull put a skate in the crease. But at least the controversy silenced the punk-ass goal crease rule once and for all.

11. 1996 Florida Panthers: The '96 Panthers always get ripped for being a lousy team, but they were actually the fourth seed in the East that year. And while everyone remembers them as being all defense, the Cats actually scored 254 goals during the regular season, which was the sixth-highest total in the East and the 12th-best number in the league. Yeah, I know that's not saying much, but it's not like they were complete stiffs. Okay, well maybe they were, but they at least had personality with cagey veterans like John Vanbiesbrouck, Dave Lowry, Brian Skrudland, Mike Hough, Ray Sheppard, Tom Fitzgerald, and Mr. Rat Trick himself, Scott Mellanby.

But the Panthers should be scorned for three reasons. First, they employed the neutral zone trap, tirelessly hooking and holding their way into contention despite a glaring lack of talent. Along with the '95 Devils, they set a horrible precedent for the rest of the offensively-challenged clubs in the league, and the NHL was dumb enough to let it happen.

Second, the rat throwing thing was lame. Sure, it was funny once or twice, but it got old quick when hundreds of rubber rodents were raining from the heavens after each and every Florida goal.

And lastly, the Panthers smothered the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, clutching and grabbing the vastly superior Birds into submission in a seven-game shocker. Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, and Petr Nedved combined for an absurd 203 goals and 528 points in the regular season, but the Pens could only muster 15 goals total in the seven- game defeat. The Florida upset once again deprived the world of a potential Mario Lemieux- Patrick Roy Stanley Cup showdown.

Thankfully, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg swept the Panthers in the Finals, striking a blow for talent, speed, and skill. Ah, but what could have been.

10. 1991 Minnesota North Stars: Minnesota was 27-39-14 in the regular season yet still made the playoffs thanks to the old NHL format that saw 16 of 21 teams make the tournament. I could have used those standards when I was trying to get into college.

Once the playoffs started, the North Stars were reborn, using a lethal power play and tenacious checking to score six-game victories over Chicago and St. Louis, the two top teams in the entire league. They dropped the defending champion Edmonton Oilers in the conference finals and even managed to take a 2-1 lead over Pittsburgh in the Cup Finals before Mario Lemieux and crew scored 19 goals to win the next three, capping the destruction with an 8-0 whitewash in Game Six.

Obviously, their regular season record was horrible, but the Stars had a lot of spunk. They also had five 20-goal scorers in Dave Gagner (40), Brian Bellows (35), Mike Modano (28), Brian Propp (26), and Ulf Dahlen (21). Similar production today would make them an offensive juggernaut. They also had wily vets Neal Broten and Bobby Smith, who both elevated their games in the postseason, combining for 17 goals and 38 points in 23 games. But when I think of the '91 North Stars, I always remember Basil McRae and Stew Gavin. They were nasty to play against. And I haven't even mentioned guys like Gaetan Duchesne, Marc Bureau, and Shane Churla. Their forwards were really quite interesting.

Sadly, the defense and goaltending sucked. The blue line had Mark Tinordi and not much else, while Jon Casey did his best imitation of a third post in net. But it's hard not to have fond memories of the '91 North Stars. They still hold the record for most power-play goals scored in a playoff year with 35, and their 15 power-play goals against Chicago shares the record for most in one series.

9. 1994 Vancouver Canucks: Vancouver was a seventh seed, but Pavel Bure made them a marquee attraction. The Russian Rocket blasted 16 goals and 31 points in 24 games, carrying the Canucks to the brink of Stanley Cup glory before falling to Mark Messier and the Rangers in seven games. Trevor Linden also turned in a sterling playoff performance, collecting 12 goals and 25 points, while guys like Geoff Courtnall, Cliff Ronning, Greg Adams, Jyrki Lumme, Dave Babych, and Kirk McLean all did Vancouver proud. They were a pretty solid team top to bottom, and Bure alone would make them dangerous against anybody.

8. 1997 Philadelphia Flyers: The Legion of Doom laid waste to the Eastern Conference, needing only 15 games to reach the Cup Finals. But once they got there, Detroit had a little something for 'em, outscoring the Flyers 16-6 in a shockingly easy sweep. Eric Lindros, John LeClair, and Mikael Renberg combined for 26 goals and 58 points in 19 postseason games, but, as always, the Flyers didn't have goaltending. Ron Hextall and Garth Snow shared the duties, with plenty of suck to go around. It's hard to believe this was Philly's only Finals appearance during the Lindros-LeClair era. It's not like the East was stacked back then, either. And goaltending was the problem every year. Make a trade! Bobby Clarke should be ashamed.

7. 2004 Calgary Flames: Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff led the Flames to a beautiful upset of the top-seeded Red Wings in the second round and then a six-game victory over the second-seeded Sharks before finally succumbing to Tampa Bay in the Cup Finals, losing a tight 2-1 decision on the road in Game Seven. El Scorcho had a chance to close the series at home in Game Six, but fell 3-2 in double overtime on a Martin St. Louis goal. That's as close as Canada's come to a Stanley Cup since Pavel Bure and his Rocketeers nearly knocked the Blueshirts off Broadway in 1994.

The '04 Flames weren't a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination, but they were an aggressive, hard-working bunch, and Kiprusoff gave them a chance to win every night. They'd have been a difficult out for anybody except the truly elite Colorado, Detroit, and Pittsburgh teams.

6. 1990 Boston Bruins: The '90 Bruins won the President's Trophy with 101 points and then nearly lost in the opening round of the playoffs, barely harpooning the Whale in seven games. With the initial nerves out of the way, Boston barreled through the next two rounds, needing only nine games to get past Montreal and Washington. Edmonton wasn't impressed, dispatching the Bears in five games to win the Cup. The series will be remembered for Petr Klima's triple-overtime winner in Game One at Boston Garden and the Oilers' subsequent 7-2 shellacking of the Bears in Game Two.

I'm partial to the '90 Bruins simply because of Cam Neely, who led the team in playoff scoring with 12 goals and 28 points in 21 games. Craig Janney was his setup man, collecting three goals and 19 assists, while Ray Bourque contributed five goals and 17 points despite appearing in only 17 games. And really, once you got past Neely, Janney, and Bourque, there wasn't much offense. Neely scored 55 goals in the regular season. Bobby Carpenter was second with 25. So, as you can see, not a lot of depth. But any team with Neely will always get extra consideration from me.

5. 1993 Los Angeles Kings: The Royalty could be my all-time favorite Cup runner-up. Wayne Gretzky authored a miraculous postseason, ringing up 15 goals and 40 points in 24 games. The offense also boasted Luc Robitaille (24-9-13-22), Jari Kurri (24-9-8-17), Tomas Sandstrom (24-8-17-25), and Tony Granato (24-6-11-17). Mike Donnelly and Corey Millen were great energy guys, and Dave Taylor, Pat Conacher, and Warren Rychel formed a tenacious checking line. They could have used a bit more muscle up front, but overall it was a fun group.

The defense was a nice mix, as veterans like Marty McSorley and Charlie Huddy teamed with young studs Rob Blake, Alexei Zhitnik, and Darryl Sydor. Kelly Hrudey was always entertaining in net, hopping around like a monkey on pixie sticks, and didn't Barry Melrose's hair look nice?

1992-93 was the single greatest season in NHL history. The Kings, with their black and silver sweaters, Hollywood lifestyle, and fast, aggressive style, embodied it as much as anyone . The fact they collapsed after one measly illegal stick call kind of removes them from any conversation of great teams, but they were still wicked cool.

4. 1995 Detroit Red Wings: After years of futility, the Red Wings finally put together a winner. Well, almost. And this was back before they were the filthy Red Wings. The core of their 1997 Cup team was in place, with Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Darren McCarty, Kris Draper, Nicklas Lidstrom, Slava Fetisov, and Vladimir Konstantinov all playing prominent roles. This version also had Paul Coffey on the blue line and guys like Keith Primeau and Ray Sheppard up front.

The Wings won the President's Trophy and ripped through the first three rounds, posting an impressive 12-2 record in defeating Dallas, San Jose, and Chicago. But the vile New Jersey Devils and their dreaded neutral zone trap made short work of the Winged-Wheel, choking them out in four straight games by a combined 16-7 score.

This was really a pivotal moment in NHL history. New Jersey's triumph made obstruction and trapping all the rage, inspiring legions of copycats. Just another reason to hate the Red Wings.

3. 2000 Dallas Stars: The Stars won the Cup the previous year, and most of the lead characters returned, including Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull, Jere Lehtinen, Sergei Zubov, Derian Hatcher, and Ed Belfour. But Dallas played a hard, brutal style of defense, so two runs at the Cup, not to mention a trip to the conference finals in 1998, took their toll. The Stars got old in a hurry. But they were still a very good team. Boring as all hell, but very good.

2. 1992 Chicago Blackhawks: Pity the Hawks. They looked unstoppable during the playoffs, establishing a new record with 11 straight victories in advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals in only 14 games. There wasn't a ton of offense, with Jeremy Roenick and Steve Larmer being the only legit weapons up front, but the forward ranks were overflowing with gritty checking types like Brent Sutter, Dirk Graham, Brian Noonan, Mike Hudson, Jocelyn Lemieux, and Stephane Matteau. Chris Chelios and Steve Smith anchored a tough, physical blue line, and a 27-year-old Ed Belfour was in net. There was even a guy named Dominik Hasek serving as Belfour's backup, giving Chicago the best goaltending tandem in history, although few recognized it at the time.

Yes, sir, Chicago was on a roll. In just about any other year, the '92 Hawks would have been Stanley Cup champs. Unfortunately, they played the same time as Mario Lemieux. Hard to get happy after that one.

The '92 Penguins remain the best team I've ever seen personally, and the Birds made short work of the seemingly invincible Hawks, scoring a close yet convincing four-game sweep. While the Finals featured three one-goal decisions, there was literally nothing the Hawks could do to win. If Chicago would have scored 14 goals in a game, Pittsburgh would have found a way to score 15. It was hopeless.

1. 2001 New Jersey Devils: The '01 Devils were actually better than any of their championship teams. Martin Brodeur was in net. The defense had Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Colin White, Sean O'Donnell, and Brian Rafalski. I can't think of a better defense, one through six. And up front, this was easily New Jersey's best offensive team, featuring scorers like Patrik Elias, Scott Gomez, Jason Arnott, Petr Sykora, and Alexander Mogilny. John Madden, Jay Pandolfo, and Sergei Nemchinov handled defensive chores, while Bobby Holik, Randy McKay, and Turner Stevenson hit everything that moved.

Let that roster sink in for a minute. And keep in mind, they were the defending champs, with many of those guys owning two rings. The '01 Devils were loaded. They were absolute monsters. But they weren't the '01 Avs.

Colorado, led by Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque, and Patrick Roy, edged El Diablo in seven, winning Game Six in New Jersey 4-0 before returning home to close things out with a decisive 3-1 win in Denver.

Of course, had Peter Forsberg been healthy, it's doubtful the series would have went seven games, but, to be fair, the Devils lost Arnott and McKay to injury during the Finals, so that helped level the playing field. But if they hadn't run into one of the legendary teams in NHL history, the Devils would have four Cups, and this '01 squad would be considered an all-time great in its own right.

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