Colossus:The Great Teams

These are the sports teams that set the standards by which all great dynasties are judged. They each have impacted the cultural fabric of their respective cities and regions. Their history and legend is undisputed.

Colossus

Montreal Canadiens (NHL)- est. 1909- The Habs are ingrained in the sports fabric of an entire province. 24 Stanley Cups. 32 Cup appearances. 3 dynasties and a record 5 Cups in a row (56-60). The true mecca of hockey.

New York Yankees (MLB)-est.1901- 26 World Series Titles in 39 appearances. New York is home to several dynasties and possibly the greatest North American sports franchise.

Boston Celtics (NBA)-est. 1946- Boston are authors of 8 straight NBA titles (59-66) and 11 in 13 years. Greatest dynasty. Great team. 16 NBA Championships and 19 appearances in finals.

Green Bay Packers (NFL)-est.1921- 3 Super Bowls and 4 appearances; 11 NFL Titles. The heart and soul of professional football in America. The land of winning is everything.

San Francisco 49ers (NFL)-est.1946- 5 Super Bowls -San Francisco's dynasty is young compared to when they began operations. An impeccable 5-0 record in Super Bowl finals make them a colossus.

Dallas Cowboys (NFL)-est.1960- 5 Super Bowls - Though disputed in some circle, Dallas is America's team. A league record 8 Super Bowl finals as well as more playoff appearances than any other team.

The Great Franchises. Standard of Excellence established.

Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)- est. 1947- 14 NBA Championships; 27 appearances. They are a step away but are not the only team in town in a great sports town.

St.Louis Cardinals (MLB)-est.1892- 10 World Series; 17 appearances. The best baseball (and sports) fans in the United States.

Chicago Bears (NFL)-est.1920- 1 Super Bowl; 8 NFL Titles. Chicago is home to many sport teams and holds along tradition in sports.

Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)-est.1933- 5 Super Bowls. 6 appearances. Steeltown made their name in the 70s.

Edmonton Oilers (NHL)-est. 1972- 5 Stanley Cups. 7 appearances They have not been around long but they changed the face of hockey in the 80s.

Detroit Red Wings (NHL)-est. 1926- 10 Stanley Cups; 23 appearances. Hockeytown has proven to be worthy of its title. Second greatest hockey franchise? Not if the Maple Leafs have something to say about this.

Toronto Argonauts (CFL)-est.1873- 15 Grey Cups. CFL fans in Toronto have had some fine teams. Including possibly the greatest under Doug Flutie.

Edmonton Eskimos (CFL)-est.1891- 11 Grey Cups. Some of the greatest teams in CFL history passed though Edmonton - City of Champions

Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)-est.1890- 6 World Series. 18 appearances. Los Angeles carries Brooklyn's tradition and has found a loyal fan base.

Oakland Athletics (MLB)-est.1901- 9 World Titles. A consistent impressive franchise. Today, it operates with little but remains competitive against the odds.

Miami Dolphins (NFL)-est.1966- 2 Super Bowls. Miami is football in a state that is mad about football. No question about it. '72 is a standard of mythical origins. All-time greatest regular season record. These are hard days for the fish.

Oakland Raiders (NFL)-est.1960- 3 Super Bowls. 4 appearances. Raider Fan may be loose in the head but they do historically have an extremely successful team.

Chicago Bulls (NBA) -est. 1966- 6 NBA Championships. Perfect 6-0 under the greatest player of them all. Complete dominance during Jordan's reign.

The Long Histories with Past Success

Cleveland Browns (NFL)-est.1946- 4 NFL Titles; 4 AAFC Titles. Cleveland dealt a severe blow when they were moved. The Dawgs, among the most rabid of football fans, are back and hopeful they can find a Super Bowl one day.

New York Giants (NFL)-est.1925- 2 Super Bowls; 3 appearances and 4 NFL Titles. Nice little history.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)-est.1880- 9 Grey Cups; 21 appearances. Solid long tradition.

Cincinnati Reds (MLB)-est.1876- 5 World Series. 9 appearances. Hard core fan base. The Big Red Machine has a place in baseball lore.

Boston Bruins (NHL)-est.1924- 5 Stanley Cups; 17 appearances. A team with an outstanding pedigree of great player's. Never quite could reach the glory of the Habs. Or the success of the Red Wings and Maple Leafs.

New York Islanders (NHL)-1972- 4 Stanley Cups. A dynasty gave them the cups. Its memory remains. New York Rangers fan gags.

Washington Redskins (NFL)-est.1932- 3 Super Bowls; 2 NFL Titles. Another club whose existence stretches back to the NFL days. A winning tradition to be sure.

The Great Heartaches (each of these teams interestingly have a loyal hard core fan base)

Boston Red Sox (MLB)-est.1901- 6 World Series. 1 Title in 86 years. 1918. Enough said. Will they one day graduate into the next level?

Chicago Cubs (MLB)-est.1876- 2 World Series. Last title in 1908.

Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)-est.1916- 13 Stanley Cups. Last Cup in 1967.

Buffalo Bills (NFL)-est.1960- 4 appearances in final without winning.

Minnesota Vikings (NFL)-est.1961- 4 appearances in final without winning.

Saskatchewan Rough Riders (CFL)-est.1890- 2 Grey Cups in 15 tries. 1989 last Cup. 2 Cups in 56 years? In a 9 team league?

Great Teams

Denver Broncos (NFL)-est.1960- 2 Super Bowls; 6 appearances. Denver close to making the leap into another pedigree of teams.

New England Patriots (NBA)-est.1960- 3 Super Bowls; 5 appearances. Marching their way into the next level like the Red Sox?

New Jersey Devils (NHL)-est.1974- 3 Stanley Cups; 4 appearances. Devils know how to win. If this keeps up...

Atlanta Braves (MLB)-est.1876- 3 World Series; 9 appearances. The team with 9 lives. An impressive 12 of 13 division titles. Great dominance. Just short of greatness. Sorry, '94 belonged to the Montreal Expos.

Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)-est.1967- 2 Stanley Cups; 7 appearances. Flyers are a constant contender. Impressive and loyal fan support.

Bonus: Great Soccer Teams:

Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Penarol, Boca Juniors, River Plate, FC Porto, Internazionale Milano, Barcelona, Benfica, Manchester United, Indepiendente, Santos.