That said, if Jim Montgomery’s formidable team manages to lift the precious trophy, they will undoubtedly be, among the five major circuits on the continent, the best team in a season to confirm their level of excellence. in the playoffs, as she has already won 63 of her 80 games. Examples of great teams falling apart during the post-season tournament are numerous, and the best of them all are not spared.
Logically, the opposite example also exists. In tribute to the sometimes random nature of the playoffs – that the Bruins will not fail no matter what happens in the coming weeks – here are the pires
season teams that have been crowned champions, with help from site records Champ or Chump.
NHL
The 1937-38 Chicago Blackhawks are no good. There is no other way to say it. But you have to be particularly bad to be one of the two (!) teams left out of the playoffs at the time, and Chicago is clinging just on the edge of that incompetence chasm with a record of 14 wins, 25 losses and 9 draws, or a sorry success percentage of 29%.
Chicago creates a first surprise by beating the Canadian in overtime in the final game and makes an appointment with the New York Americans, also narrowly dismissed.
In the Grand Finals, the Blackhawks are the underdog against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But they manage to steal Game 1 at Maple Leaf Gardens and win the series 3-1 by winning both games at Old Stadium in Chicago. The following year, the NHL will impose the best-of-seven format in the Finals. The story does not say if it was to avoid other miracle scenarios like this.
MLB
The summer of 2006 is not memorable in Saint Louis. The Cardinals have lost just 8 of their first 25 games and enter June with an enviable 34-19 record. But the losing streaks mounted, as did the injuries, and the Cards would finish their season with an 83-78 record that would have ruled them out of the playoffs in any major league league but their own.
The Cards come into their division series against the San Diego Padres reeling, but that’s enough for them. They fulfill their mission at the end of the fourth game. The championship series against the New York Mets is tougher. It was 1-1 early in the ninth inning in Game 7 when Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer. A few minutes later, Adam Wainwright throws a last catch to Carlos Beltran, and his teammates pounce on him to celebrate the improbable qualification.
The Detroit Tigers, who have won 12 more games than St. Louis that season, are World Series favorites, but the Cards win Game 1 in Michigan and win all three of their games. stadium.
NFL
Barely 9 wins in 16 games. A defensive record worthy of the dunces of the NFL. The 2011 New York Giants had little reason to reach the Super Bowl. But they had Eli Manning.
After an easy win over the Atlanta Falcons, the quarterback is upping his game against the Packers even further. He collected 330 passing yards and found three teammates for majors. Manning had a tougher game in the Nationals final against the San Francisco 49ers, but an overtime victory set the stage for a rematch of the Super Bowl held four years earlier, when the Giants botched the New England Patriots’ perfect season.
In the fourth quarter, Manning orchestrated an offensive streak that ended when the Patriots let Ahmad Bradshaw score a touchdown with 57 seconds left, making it 21-17 and theoretically giving Tom Brady time to push. his attack to victory. But the Giants hold on and become the first team to win a Super Bowl after giving the opponent more points than they scored during the season.
NBA
Winter nearly knocked out the 1977-78 Washington Bullets. The Capital team had a thoroughly respectable 20-13 record going into the new year, but then the losses began to pile up, and the Bullets flirted with a .500 return in February before rebounding in March. Their record of 44-38 is not a disaster, but it is not that of an NBA champion team.
After a logical first-round victory over Atlanta, the Bullets offer themselves two division champions, the San Antonio Spurs and the Philadelphia 76ers, to make an appointment with the Seattle SuperSonics, who have surprised the best team in the city. season, the Portland Trail Blazers.
The two modest finalists keep the suspense going until the seventh game, and the Bullets take their only championship. Become the Wizards, they remain the only team to have pulled off the magic trick of triumphing in the NBA Finals with barely 53% wins in a season.
MLS
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup final in 2009.
Photo : Getty Images / Harry How
When looking for the great teams in the history of MLS, the 2009 financial year is not rich. Real Salt Lake is the worst team to reach the playoffs that year and have won only 11 of their 30 games. The best, Columbus, won 13.
These two teams find themselves in the first round of playoffs, and Salt Lake wins 4-2 on aggregate. Jason Kreis’ team, as if a cynic had written the script for the rest of their run, won the conference final against the Chicago Fire and the grand final against the Los Angeles Galaxy on penalties.
In the only North American circuit where draws are still commonplace, reaching the playoffs with a winning percentage below 50% is nothing out of the ordinary. But win 36% of his games and lift the MLS Cup? Never seen.
