Panthers 'know how to win' like Canadiens, Maple Leafs dynasties

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers every Wednesday. This week compares the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers with Original Six teams that won at least three titles in a row.

Really, how great are the Florida Panthers?

Or, should I say, have they become an NHL dynasty with the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs of the past?

"The Panthers have learned how to win," said Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford, a former NHL goalie, "and now they know how to win. They go back at it the same every game."

So did Toronto's and Montreal's dynasties. Each won the Stanley Cup at least three consecutive seasons in a variety of ways.

MAPLE LEAFS, 1947-49

Leadership: Owner Conn Smythe, a hero in World Wars I and II, was the indisputable generalissimo of Toronto hockey. "Defeat does not rest lightly on our shoulders" was Smythe's motto, painted on the Maple Leafs' dressing room wall.

Hockey Hall of Famers: Goalie Turk Broda, forwards Max Bentley, Syl Apps, Harry Watson and Ted Kennedy.

The Gamble: All four of coach Hap Day's starting defensemen were rookies when Toronto won the Stanley Cup in 1947. "When it came to ideas, our team was ahead of its time," defenseman Gus Mortson said. "As soon as the puck was dropped, everyone had something to do."

The Coach: Day was a Hall of Fame defenseman who played for the 1932 Cup-winning Maple Leafs and coached the Stanley Cup champions in 1942 and 1945. "I learned from Hap Day there was more to hockey than I ever dreamed of," Bentley said.

Trail to the Cup: Toronto upset Montreal in six games after losing Game 1 of the 1947 Final 6-0. They defended their titles in 1948 and 1949, sweeping the Detroit Red Wings to become the first NHL team to complete the Cup trifecta. "We did something never done before," Smythe said. "We've taken that Cup three years in a row."

Quote: "I would have to like my 1948 team against any I could name." -- Smythe

CANADIENS, 1956-60

Leadership: Frank Selke, Sr., who previously worked for Smythe in Toronto, favored a line from Lt. Col John McCrae's World War I poem, "In Flanders Fields" and had it painted on the clubhouse wall: "To you from falling hands, we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high."

Hall of Famers: Goalie Jacques Plante; forwards Maurice Richard, Bernie Geoffrion, Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Dickie Moore, Bert Olmstead; defensemen Doug Harvey, Tom Johnson.

The Gamble: Henri, Maurice's kid brother, made the team as a rookie out of training camp in 1955. "We planned on sending him back to Juniors," Selke said, "but we couldn't. He kept being the best one on the ice."

The Coach: Hector "Toe" Blake replaced Dick Irvin on June 8, 1955. Tough but also charming, he tamed the fiery Maurice "Rocket" Richard, turning him into a more productive player. "Blake was the one dominant figure on the team that won five straight Stanley Cups," wrote Montreal Gazette columnist Red Fisher.

Trail to the Cup: Montreal was dominant in the Final, successively defeating Detroit (1956), the Boston Bruins (1957, 1958) and Toronto (1959, 1960) "We had the best team that ever played hockey," Geoffrion said.

Quote: "Nobody seems able to skate with them or shoot with them." -- New York Daily News columnist Jimmy Powers

MAPLE LEAFS, 1962-64

Leadership: Hard-boiled George "Punch" Imlach doubled as general manager, coach and cheerleader. "Between you and me and the gatepost, he makes it sound like he doesn't need us players at all," defenseman Tim Horton said.

Hall of Famers: Goalie Johnny Bower, Terry Sawchuk; forwards George Armstrong, Dave Keon, Bob Pulford, Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich, Dick Duff, Olmstead; defensemen Allan Stanley, Horton.

The Gamble: The Maple Leafs acquired aging, six-time First All-Star defenseman Red Kelly in a trade with the Red Wings on Feb. 10, 1960, and instantly -- successfully -- converted the 32-year-old to a center. "It was a great move," Kelly said, "and I loved it. We won Cups."

Decisive Trade: Toronto traded five players to the New York Rangers for right wing Andy Bathgate and center Don McKenney on Feb. 22, 1964. "This is the biggest break of my life," said Bathgate, who scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the 1964 Final against Detroit.

The Coach: Despite Imlach's martinet style, he kept the Maple Leafs at the top of their game. "My job was to win hockey games," he said. "If I had to bruise a few guys to do it, that was just too bad."

Trail to the Cup: The Maple Leafs defeated the defending champion Chicago Black Hawks in the 1962 Final and eliminated Detroit in the subsequent two championship rounds. "We're the world's greatest hockey team and save our best game for the finale," defenseman Carl Brewer said.

Quote: "I've never seen a (1964) team more worked up. The best word I can think of is heart." --Toronto captain George Armstrong

MONTREAL CANADIENS, 1976-79

Leadership: GM Sam Pollock and coach Scotty Bowman helped rebuild the Canadiens in the mid-1970s. "We had a lot of good, hungry players who hadn't reached their peak, and they all blossomed at the same time," Bowman said.

Hall of Famers: Goalie Ken Dryden; forwards Guy Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer, Jacques Lemaire, Bob Gainey, Steve Shutt; defensemen Jacques Laperriere, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, Larry Robinson.

The Coach: Though Bowman (1,244) became the winningest coach in NHL history, "you never knew what he was going to do," Cournoyer said. "He would change his mind like he would change his underwear."

Trail to the Cup: Montreal swept the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers in the 1976 Final and followed that with two successive wins against Boston, the run culminating in 1979 with a five-game victory against the Rangers.

Quote: "We were so good for so long because there was a real element of pride playing for the Canadiens." -- forward Doug Risebrough