It's getting more and more difficult these days to become a Stanley Cup champion with a lousy or even an average season.
Which may be a good thing, as regular-season success ideally translates into 16 playoff wins, sipping champagne from Lord Stanley’s mug and spending the day with your family and friends, basking in the glow of hockey’s ultimate prize.
But upsets do occur, and teams that analysts thought would not make it past the first playoff round have been a fixture in the final more than a few times. They include the Philadelphia Flyers, seventh seed in the East in 2010; the Edmonton Oilers, eighth seed in the West in 2006; and the Calgary Flames, sixth seed in the West in 2004.