The Honorables, Mentioned. Part II

Okay, as some of you may recall after all your beer-and-whiskey spattered nights (incidentally, I think "The Beer-and Whiskey League" was the affectionate nickname of the old, major-league, 19th-century American Association), I recently dared to name the ten greatest, North American sports dynasties of all time.

In a desperate attempt to get through the last remaining days until pitchers and catchers report, here they are are again, along with my first two runners-up.

And after that, you lucky fans will be treated to my Honorable Mentions from...hockey!

So first, here is the Top Ten:


10. Chicago Cubs, 1906-1910.

9. Boston Red Sox, 1912-1918.

8. Los Angeles Lakers, 1980-1991.

7. New York Yankees, 1994-2003.

6. Green Bay Packers, 1960-1967.

5. Chicago Bulls, 1988-1998.

4. Montreal Canadiens, 1955-1979.

3. Boston Celtics, 1956-1969.

2. New England Patriots, 2001-2020.

1. New York Yankees, 1920-1964.


And here are the top two runners-up:

New York Islanders, 1975-1984.

San Francisco 49ers, 1981-1998.


And now, in no particular order, your major-league hockey Honorables:

Toronto Maple Leafs, 1941-1951.

Thing is, with the old, haimishe and rather wonderful NHL, it was damned hard NOT to be a dynasty.  Just six teams, four made the playoffs, and most of the time the Rangers and Bruins were awful.

Still, though, we honor this Leafs team, which in 10 seasons won 6 Stanley Cups.  Their status is limited by the fact that in these 10 years, they only finished first once in the regular season.

And, you know, they never did get the plural of their name right.  "Leafs"?  Shouldn't they be the "Leaves?"

Toronto Maple Leafs, 1961-1967. 

Four Cups in six years.  But again, only one first-place finish.

Detroit Red Wings, 1948-1956.  

"Only" four Cups in these 8 years, but 7 consecutive first-place finishes, and two losses in the finals.  Spurred by the immortal Gordie Howe-Ted Lindsay-Sid Abel first line, and the likes of Terry Sawchuk and then a young Glenn Hall between the pipes, the Red Wings won over 40 games in a 70-game schedule three time, and only once had a winning percentage below .625.

Detroit Red Wings, 1994-2009.

In a much larger NHL, these Red Wings won "only" 4 Cups in 15 years.  But they finished first in their division 11 times (including 8 in a row, 2000-2009), lost two other Cup finals, ran up over 100 points nine straight times, won over 50 games 5 times, and played over .600 "puck" 10 times.

Edmonton Oilers, 1982-1990.

The team that finally ended the Islanders' dominance.  Four Cups with the Great Gretzky, and another with Messy Messier, of later Rangers' fame.  They also lost a Cup final (to the Isles), won 6 division titles, won at over a .600 percentage 7 straight years, and won 50 or more games 3 times.

Who knows, had it not been for Gretzky's need to flee to L.A. for the sake of his wife's immortal acting career, this team might have cracked the Top Ten.

New Jersey Devils, 1993-2003.

A sentimental, hometown choice, perhaps.  But Satan's Legion did win 3 Cups, lost another, very close Cup final, and also dropped a heartbreaking conference final to the New York Rangers (awww).  The Devils took 5 division crowns, and played over .600 hockey in 6 different seasons—all while playing in the desperate obscurity of Newark and the Meadowlands.

They are also half the answer to a great trivia question:  what extant major-league hockey and baseball teams have shared the exact same name?

Coming soon...Basketball Honorables!