10 Greatest NBA Playoff Cinderella Runs

In the NBA playoffs, the cream usually rises to the top as the teams with the best records or the best players often win the championship.
But occasionally, that will be a team that comes out of nowhere  and put together a cupid of upsets to make a Cinderella run.
With that in mind, I have come up with the 10 greatest Cinderella runs in NBA playoff history, in my humble opinion:
10. 1989 Chicago Bulls
Two years before they begin their run of six titles in eight years, the Chicago Bulls made an unlikely run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Bulls finished the regular season with a 47-35 record which earned them the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round match-up with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team the Bulls had lost to six times during the 1989 season.
However, the Bulls forced the best-of-five series to go the full distance where Michael Jordan made "The Shot", a 18-foot jumper at the buzzer that gave the Bulls a 101-100 win and the series win.

After eliminating the New York Knicks in six games in the second round, the Bulls faced the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and took a 2-1 series lead with Jordan hitting another game-winning jumper in the final seconds of Game 3.
But the Pistons came back to win the next three games to end the Bulls' incredible run.

9. 1994 Indiana Pacers
Going into the 1994 season, the Indiana Pacers were considered one of the league's premier franchises as they had only two winning seasons and never won a playoff seasons since they joined the NBA back in 1976 after being the top dog in the ABA where they won three league championships.
That all changed with their run in the 1994 playoffs as the Pacers put together their best postseason run since their days in the ABA.
The Pacers entered the playoffs with a 47-35 record and were the #5 seed as they faced off with the Orlando Magic and Shaquille O' Neal in their best-of-five first round series.
Indiana swept the Magic in three games to earn their first postseason series victory since joining the NBA and advance to the second round where they faced with the #1 seed Atlanta Hawks.
The Pacers knocked off the Hawks in six games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals where they faced the New York Knicks, who were excepted to care of Indiana rather easily after finally defeating the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.
It looked like it was going to be a short series as the Knicks won the first two games rather easily before the Pacers came back with wins in Games 3 & 4 in Indiana as the series shifted back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 where Reggie Miller scored 25 points in the 4th quarter to give the Pacers a 3-2 series lead and a chance to earn their first trip to the NBA Finals with a win in Game 6 back in Indiana.
However, the Knicks would win Game 6, then hold off Indiana 94-90 in Game 7 to earn New York its first trip to the NBA Finals since 1973.

Reggie Miller shot 42% from behind the 3-point line during the Pacers' run in the 1994 playoffs.

8. 2020 Miami Heat

The 2020 NBA Playoffs were perhaps the most unique playoffs in NBA history as all of the games took place in arenas at Disney World with no fans because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Heat entered the playoffs as the #5 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 44-29 record as most experts believed the best Miami would do was get past the first round.

The Heat did get past the first round as they swept the #4 seed Indiana Pacers, then stunned the #1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who had finished with the best record in the league and had MVP Giannis Antekounompo, by knocking off the Bucks in five games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they eliminated the Boston Celtics in six games to earn the franchise their sixth trip to the NBA Finals and first since 2014.

However, the Heat's run would come to an end at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, who defeated the Heat in six games to win LA its 17th NBA championship.

Heat forward Jimmy Butler averaged 22.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game during the Heat's unlikely run to the 2020 NBA Finals.

7. 1976 Phoenix Suns
Midway through the 1976 season, the Phoenix Suns did not look like a team that would be contending for the NBA title as they stood with a 18-27 record.
But lead by Paul Westphal and rookie of the year Alvan Adams, the Suns went 24-13 over the last 37 games of the season to finish with a 42-40 record and their second ever playoff berth.
Despite finishing just a game over .500, the Suns earned the #3 seed, which meant they did not have to play the best-of-three series and earned them a bye to the Western Conference Semifinals where they faced the 43-39 Seattle Supersonics.
The Suns eliminated the Sonics in six games to earn a trip to the Western Conference Finals, where they were heavy underdogs against the Golden State Warriors, the defending NBA champions and the team with the best record in 1976 with a 59-23 record.
With a double overtime win in Game 4 and Adams' game-winning basket in the final seconds of Game 6, the Suns forced a Game 7 back in Oakland.

There, the Suns defeated the Warriors 94-86 to earn Phoenix its first trip to the NBA Finals.
Just like the Western Finals, the Suns entered the NBA Finals as heavy underdogs as they faced the Boston Celtics, who had won the 1974 championship.
It looked like it was going to be a short series as the Celtics won the first two games at the Boston Garden only to see the Suns win the next two games at home, forcing a Game 5 back at the Boston Garden.
That is when the greatest game in NBA history happened as the Suns and the Celtics fought though three overtimes which saw the Celtics win 128-126 despite Gar Heard's buzzer beater at the end of the second overtime that became known as the "Shot Heard Round the World".

The Suns would lose Game 6 to lose the series but not before having giving the Phoenix fans an incredible season which earned the 1976 team the nickname the "Sunderellas".
6. 1981 Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets were considered to be a mere afterthought as they entered the 1981 playoffs with a 40-42 record tied for the worst record among the 12 playoff teams, even though Houston had Moses Malone, the league's second leading scorer, 27.8 points per game and the league's leading rebounder with 14.8 boards per game.
The Rockets drew the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who had gone 54-28 during the regular season and had Magic Johnson back from injury(He missed 35 games during the regular season).
But the Rockets shocked the Lakers in the best-of-three series, winning Game 3 in Los Angeles to advance to the next round where they faced their in-state rivals, the San Antonio Spurs who were led by the "Iceman" George Gervin.
The Rockets knocked off the Spurs in seven games, as they won three of the four games played in San Antonio, to advance to the Western Conference Finals where they faced with the Kansas City(now Sacramento) Kings who had also finished the regular season with a 40-42 record.
The Rockets deposed of the Kings in five games to become only the second team in NBA history to make all the way to the NBA Finals with a losing record(the first was the 1959 Lakers who went 33-39 that season).
Houston faced Larry Bird and the 62-20 Boston Celtics in a hard-fought series where the Rockets actually got a win in the Boston Garden and held Bird to less than 10 points in three straight games, before ultimately losing the series to the Celtics in six games.

Moses Malone averaged 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game during the Rockets' Cinderella run to the 1981 Finals.

5. 1977 Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers made their first playoff appearance a historic one as they won their first and only NBA championship.
Finishing with a 49-33 record, the Blazers finished 3rd in the Western Conference and had to play best-of-three series against the 44-38 Chicago Bulls.
The Blazers defeated the Bulls in three games, then knocked off the #2 seed Denver Nuggets in six games to advance the Western Conference Finals, where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers, the team with the best record in the NBA(53-29) and MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
But the Blazers shockingly swept the Lakers to earn a trip to the NBA Finals, where they meet the Philadelphia 76ers, led by Julius Erving.
It looked like the Blazers's magical run was going to end without a title as Portland lost the first two games in Philadelphia, but the Blazers come roaring back by winning the next two games in Portland by a combined 54 points to even the series 2-2.
Then after winning Game 5 in Philadelphia, the Blazers clinched the NBA title in Game 6 behind Bill Walton's 20 points, 23 rebounds, 7 assists, and 8 blocks to defeat the 76ers 109-107, culminating "Blazermanina".

4. 1978 Washington Bullets
Towards the end of February 1978, the Washington Bullets were in danger of missing the playoffs as they stood with a 29-28 record.
However, the Bullets would go 15-10 over the last 25 games of the regular season to finish 44-38 and earn the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Washington had to play a best-of-three series against the #6 seed Atlanta Hawks which the Bullets won in two games to advance the second round where the faced the #2 seed, the 52-30 San Antonio Spurs(yes, the Spurs were in the Eastern Conference in 1977).
The Bullets eliminated the Spurs in six games to earn a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals where they faced with Julius Erving and the defending Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia 76ers, who had finished the season with a 55-27 record, second best in the NBA.
But the Bullets pulled off their second straight upset as they knocked off the Sixers in six games to advance to their third NBA Finals in eight years.
The Bullets faced the Seattle Supersonics in the Finals were both teams alternated wins with the Sonics winning the odd-numbered games(1,3,5) and the Bullets the even-numbered ones(2,4,6) as the series went to a Game 7 which was played in Seattle.
Despite not having the home court advantage and playing with shooting guard Kevin Grevey who was did not play because of a sprained wrist, the Bullets defeated the Sonics 105-99 to win their first and so far only NBA championship.

Elvin Hayes averaged 21.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game during the Bullets' 1978 championship run.

3. 1969 Boston Celtics
It's hard to think of the 1960s Celtics as a "Cinderella" team but that's exactly what they were heading into the 1969 playoffs.
Boston qualified as the 4th and final team in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record and were not excepted to get out of the tougher Eastern Conference with the three teams ahead of the Celtics are 50-game winners during the regular season.
However, the Celtics were able to defeat the 55-27 Philadelphia 76ers in five games, winning all three games in Philadelphia, then knocking off the 54-28 New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals to earn their 12th trip to the NBA Finals, where they would face off with the Los Angeles Lakers, a team Boston had defeated six times in the Finals.
But things were supposed to be different this time as the Lakers had acquired Wilt Chamberlain to go alongside Jerry West and Elgin Baylor as LA were heavy favorites against the Celtics.
It did look like the Lakers were finally going to break the Celtics jinx as they won the first two games of the series only to see Boston come back to win three of the next four games to force a Game 7 in Los Angeles.
Despite it being Game 7, the Lakers were still super confident that they would win the championship as balloons were suspended on the rafters of the Great Western Forum and flyers were placed in all of the seats detailing how the Lakers' celebration would go "when, not if, they would win the title".
Boston center and head coach Bill Russell got word of this and told West in pregame warmups "those f------ balloons are staying up there".
Russell's promise was kept as the Celtics were able to win the game 108-106, for the team's 11th title in 13 years in what turned out to be Russell's final game in the NBA.

2. 1999 New York Knicks
The New York Knicks made history with their Cinderella run in the 1999 Playoffs.
The Knicks finished the regular season with a 27-23 record(the 1999 NBA season was only 50 games because of a six-month lockout) and drew the Miami Heat in the first round.
The series wasn't decided until the final seconds of Game 5 when Allen Houston hit the game-winning jumper with 8 tenths of a second to give New York a 78-77 win and a trip to the second round where the Knicks swept the Atlanta Hawks.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks faced the Indiana Pacers where their chances of advancing to the NBA Finals were put in jeopardy when center Patrick Ewing was lost for the rest of the playoffs after Game 2 with a partially torn Achilles tendon.
However, the Knicks would win Game 3, thanks to Larry Johnson's four-point play in the final seconds and then would win Games 5 & 6 to become the first #8 seed in NBA history to make it all the way to the NBA Finals.
The Knicks' magical run would not end with a NBA championship as they were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

1. 1995 Houston Rockets
After winning the 1994 NBA title, the Houston Rockets had a roller coaster season in 1995 as they started the season 9-0 but went 17-18 after the All-Star break to finish the regular season with a 47-35 record and the #6 seed in the Western Conference.
Even though the team had acquired Clyde Drexler from Portland to pair up with his former "Phi Slama Jama" teammate Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets were not excepted to repeat as NBA champions.
In the first round, the Rockets faced the 60-22 Utah Jazz and fell behind in the best-of-five series 2-1, only to come back and win the last two games, including Game 5 in Salt Lake City by the score of 95-91, to advance to the second round where they would face off with 59-23 Phoenix Suns.

Again, the Rockets were on the brink of elimination as they trailed in the series 3-1 with Game 5 being played in Phoenix.
The Rockets avoided elimination by winning Game 5 in overtime to send the series back to Houston for Game 6 which the Rockets won, forcing a Game 7 in Phoenix where Mario Elie hit his famous "Kiss of Death" shot, a game-winning three-pointer with 7.1 seconds left to give Houston a 115-114 win and becoming the fifth team in NBA history to win a playoff series after being down 3 games to 1.

Houston then faced the San Antonio Spurs, the team with the league's best a 62-20 and MVP David Robinson in the Western Conference Finals.
Olajuwon dominated Robinson and the Spurs as he averaged 35.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 4.2 blocks over Houston's six-game series win to earn the Rockets a second straight trip to the NBA Finals.

In the Finals, the Rockets meet the Orlando Magic, lead by center Shaquille O'Neal and guard Penny Hardaway, who were being considered by most NBA experts as the next great dynasty.
But the Rockets made quick work of the Magic as they swept the Magic to earn their second straight NBA title and becoming the lowest seed since the NBA expanded to 16 teams in 1984, to win the NBA championship.

25 Greatest Stanley Cup Playoff Cinderella Runs

Perhaps the most exciting postseason of the four major sports leagues is about to begin, the NHL playoffs where 16 teams will fight for the next two months to hoist the Stanley Cup.
One of the reasons that the Stanley Cup playoffs are so exciting is that any team can win it, and I do mean any team as the team that finishes with the best record often doesn't even make it to the championship round, but often a team that may just have squeaked into the playoffs gets hot and makes a "Cinderella" run in the playoffs.
With that in mind, I have decided to put together a list of what I think are the 25 greatest Cinderella runs in Stanley Cup Playoff history.
Please note that the Wales Conference is the Eastern Conference and the Campbell Conference is the Western Conference and that the third number is ties when it comes to the records.
Anyway, here is the list:

25. 1989 Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks had the worst record of all the teams in the 1989 playoffs as they finished the regular season with a 27-41-12 record and just 66 points.
But Chicago knocked off the Detroit Red Wings in six games in their first round series, then beat the St. Louis Blues in five game in the second round, to advance to the Campbell Conference Finals where they lost in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames.

Denis Savard was the Blackhawks' leading scorer during their 1989 playoff run as he accounted for 19 points(8 goals, 11 assists).

24. 1982 Quebec Nordiques

If Quebec had been in the Campbell Conference in 1982, their 82 points would have been good for the #3 seed, but since the Nordiques played in the much tougher Wales Conference, they earned the #7 seed and were forced to face off with the #2 seed Montreal Canadiens, who finished the regular season with 109 points.

However, the Nordiques upset their provincial rival in five games with Dale Hunter scoring the series-winning goal 22 seconds into overtime of the decisive Game 5 in Montreal.

Quebec then drew the #3 seed Boston Bruins, who had finished with 96 points, and eliminated Boston with a 2-1 in Game 7 in Boston.

Quebec's run would end at the hands of the New York Islanders, who easily dispatched of the Nordiques in a four-game sweep in the Wales Conference Finals.

The Stastny Brothers from left to right: Peter, Anton, and Marian lead the Quebec Nordiques to a surprise run to the final four of the 1982 NHL playoffs.

23. 1984 Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens were not excepted to do much in the 1984 playoffs as they entered with a 35-40-5 record which was good for only 75 points as they prepared to face off with their bitter rivals, the Boston Bruins, who had finished the regular season with 104 points.
But the Canadiens stunned the Bruins by sweeping in a best-of-five series, then knocked off their provincial rival, the Quebec Nordiques, in six games, which ended with the infamous "Good Friday Massacre" that saw two bench-clearing brawls and resulted in 11 players being ejected.
Montreal fell behind 0-3 to the four-time defending Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders in the Conference Finals, but came back to win Games 4 & 5, only to lose Game 6 to end their improbable run.

Canadiens goaltender Steve Penney had three shutouts and a league low 2.20 goals against average during Montreal's 1984 playoff run.

22. 1981 New York Rangers

The 1981 Stanley Cup Playoffs used NCAA Tournament style bracket as the 16 playoff teams were seeded based on regular season points, so the New York Rangers earned the #13 seed with their 74 points as they drew the #4 seed Los Angeles Kings, who came in with 99 points.
The Rangers eliminated the Kings 3-1 in a best-of-five series to move on to the second round, where they faced off with the #2 seed St. Louis Blues, who had finished the regular season with 107 points.
But the Rangers pulled off their second upset of the playoffs as they defeated the Blues in six games to advance to the semifinals where they were swept by their crosstown rivals, the defending champion New York Islanders.

Center Ron Duguay accounted for 17 points in the Rangers' 1981 run to the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

21. 1986 New York Rangers

Five years after their unlikely playoff run, the Rangers put together another Cinderella run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Rangers came in with the least amount of points among the eight teams in the Wales Conference as they finished the regular season with only 78 points and drew the Philadelphia Flyers, who had finished with 110 points, 32 points more than the Rangers.
However, New York stunned Philadelphia in the decisive Game 5 in Philadelphia, to advance to the second round where they faced the Washington Capitals, who had finished with 107 points.
The Rangers bounced back from a 2-1 series deficit to win the next three games, sending them to the Wales Conference Finals where they would be eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.

Rangers right winger Pierre Larouche lead New York in goals scored and points as his eight goals and 17 points helped the Rangers in their unlikely run in the 1986 playoffs.

20. 2010 Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens appeared to be done as they trailed 3-1 in their first round series to the Presidents' Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals, who had finished with a NHL high 121 points, 33 points better than Montreal's 88, especially after the Capitals won Games 3 & 4 in Montreal by a combined score of 11-4.
But behind goaltender Jaroslav Halak, the Canadiens won the next three games to shock the Capitals as Halak stopped 131 of 134 in the final three games to send Montreal to the second round where they took on the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
This time, the Canadiens came back from a 3-2 deficit to win the series as they defeated the Penguins 5-2 for another Game 7 road victory.
Montreal's run would end in the Eastern Conference Finals as they fell to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games.

19. 2002 Carolina Hurricanes
While the Hurricanes entered the 2002 playoffs with the second least amount of points on the Eastern Conference side with 91 points, Carolina was the #3 seed thanks to their Southeast Division title and had home ice advantage for their first round series against the New Jersey Devils, who finished with four more points than Carolina.
The Canes defeated the Devils in six games, then faced off with the #8 seed Montreal Canadiens who they defeated in six games, highlighted by the "Miracle at Molson" where the Hurricanes came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Montreal 4-3 in overtime of Game 4 of the series.
Carolina would move on to the Eastern Conference Finals where they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games to earn the franchise its first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they would face off with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Hurricanes stunned the Red Wings with an 3-2 overtime win in Game 1, before dropping the next four games, ending Carolina's dream of a Stanley Cup title.

Ron Francis holds the Prince of Wales trophy after the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals.

18. 1999 Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres were the #7 seed in the Eastern Conference, but made all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in franchise history
The Sabres swept the #2 seed Ottawa Senators in their first round series, then eliminated the #6 seed Boston Bruins in six games in the second round, and then defeated the #4 seed Toronto Maple Leafs in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals to win the Prince of Wales Trophy and a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Dallas Stars.
The Sabres' run would come to a bitter end as they lost to the Stars 2-1 in Game 6 on Brett Hull's controversial game-winning goal in triple overtime.

Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek stopped nearly 94% of the shots he faced in the Sabres' 1999 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

17. 2021 Montreal Canadiens

For the 2021 season, the NHL temporarily realigned all seven Canadian teams into one division due to travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Montreal Canadiens would finish 4th in the all-Canada division as they accumulated 59 points in a 56-game season.

The Canadiens faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, the division champs with 77 points, who take a 3-1 series lead, only to see Montreal come back to win the next three games and advance to the next round where they faced Winnipeg Jets.

After sweeping the Jets, the Canadiens moved to the Stanley Cup Semifinals, where they faced the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who had finished the regular season tied for the most points in the league with 82.

However, the Canadiens would knock off the Knights in six games to earn their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1993 where they would fall to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.

The Montreal Canadiens won their first Clarence Campbell Bowl trophy with their run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.

16. 1993 Los Angeles Kings

"The Great One" made his final appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals as Wayne Gretzky lead the Los Angeles Kings on a surprise run to the Finals.

The Kings entered the postseason with 88 points, good for sixth place in the Campbell Conference.

Los Angeles' first round opponent was the Calgary Flames, where the Kings scored a combined 18 goals in Games 5 & 6 to eliminate the Flames in six games.

In the second round, the Kings took out the Vancouver Canucks in six games, to earn a trip to the Campbell Conference Finals where they faced off with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Down 3 games to 2, Gretzky took over as he scored the game-winning goal in overtime, after getting away with a no-call on an obvious high sticking, to force a Game 7 back in Toronto, where Gretzky's hat trick lead the way for a 5-4 LA victory and sending the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in team history.

The Kings took a 1-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens and appeared on their way to a 2-0 series lead when Marty McSorely was called for using an illegal stick late in Game 2 while the Kings held 2-1 lead late in the third period.

The Canadiens scored on the eventual power play and would go on to win the next four games to capture the Stanley Cup.

Wayne Gretzky accounted for 40 points(15 goals and 25 assists) in leading the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals.

15. 2023 Florida Panthers

It seemed like the Panthers were poised for a quick exit coming into the 2023 playoffs as they were set to face the Boston Bruins in the first round, a team that had broken NHL records for most wins(65) and most points(135) in a regular season, and who had finished 43 points better than Florida.

The Panthers lost three of the first four games of the series but would bounce back to win the final three games including Game 7 in Boston on Carter Verhaeghe's overtime game winner to complete the stunning upset.

The Panthers would ride the momentum of their win over the Bruins by knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals where they would face the Carolina Hurricanes.

Florida would sweep the Hurricanes as Matthew Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal with less than five seconds to go in Game 4 to send the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996.

However, the Panthers' run would come to an end in the Finals as they were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

The Florida Panthers won the Prince of Wales trophy for the second time in franchise history.

14. 2004 Calgary Flames

The Flames entered the 2004 playoffs having not won a postseason series since they won the Stanley Cup back in 1989.
Calgary would end that drought in the first round as the #6 seeded Flames defeated the #3 seeded Canucks in seven games with Martin Gelinas scoring the series-winning goal in overtime of their 3-2 Game 7 victory.
The Flames' next opponent was the Detroit Red Wings, the winners of the Presidents Trophy, to which Calgary stunned the Red Wings in six games to earn a trip to the Western Conference Finals where they faced off with the #2 seed San Jose Sharks.
The Flames eliminated the Sharks in six games to earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals to face the Tampa

 Bay Lightning.
The Flames took a 3-2 series lead and had a chance to win the Stanley Cup in Calgary, only to see the Lightning win Game 6 in double overtime, to force a Game 7 back in Tampa Bay, which the Lightning won.

Jarome Iglina scored 13 goals during the Flames' run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

13. 2003 Anaheim Mighty Ducks

Until the 2003 postseason, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks were more famous for being named after the Disney hockey movie "The Mighty Ducks" then for on the ice performance.

That began to change with their run to the Stanley Cup Finals, behind eventual Conn Smythe winner(Playoff MVP) goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

The Ducks came into the 2003 playoffs as the #7 seed in the Western Conference and were excepted to be a quick out as they faced the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

However, the Ducks pulled off a shocking sweep of the Red Wings, thanks to Giguere, who stopped 165 of 171 shots over Anaheim's four wins, to earn a trip to the second round where the Ducks faced the Dallas Stars, the top seed of the Western Conference.

The Ducks pulled off their another upset as they eliminated the Stars in six games to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they met the Minnesota Wild.

Behind Giguere's 217:54 streak of not giving up a goal, the Ducks swept the Wild to earn their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The underdog Ducks pushed the New Jersey Devils to the brink as the series went the full seven games, only to have New Jersey win Game 7 easily 3-0 to claim their third Stanley Cup in nine years.

Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped nearly 95% of the shots he faced and had a 1.62 GAA during the Ducks' 2003 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

12. 1994 Vancouver Canucks
12 years after their first run to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Vancouver Canucks made another unlikely trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, this time as a #7 seed in the Western Conference.
In the first round, the Canucks came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the last three games of the series, all in overtime, culminating with Pavel Bure' s game-winning goal in double overtime of Game 7 in Calgary.
The Canucks would win their next two series rather easily as they knocked off the #4 seed Dallas Stars in the second round in five games  and then the #3 seed Toronto Maple Leafs in the Western Conference Finals, also in five games, to win the Western Conference title and a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals, where they faced off with the Presidents Trophy winners, the New York Rangers.
The Canucks came back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a Game 7 back at Madison Square Garden, only to the have the Rangers win the game 3-2 to clinch their first Stanley Cup title in 54 years.

The Vancouver Canucks hold the Clarence Campbell Bowl Trophy after winning the Western Conference Title in the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

11. 2018 Las Vegas Golden Knights
Just two years after the NHL granted the city of Las Vegas the team, the Vegas Golden Knights make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season of play.
The Knights won 51 games and earned 109 points during the regular season to clinch the #2 seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs.
The Knights would sweep the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, then eliminate the San Jose Sharks in six games in the second round, and then knock off the Winnipeg Jets in five games to became the first expansion team since the 1968 St. Louis Blues to advance all the way to the championship round in any of the four major sports leagues(MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL).
The Knights would win Game 1 of the Finals against the Washington Capitals, but would lose the next four games, denying Vegas a chance to win the Stanley Cup in its inaugural season.

The Vegas Golden Knights surround the Clarence Campbell Bowl Trophy after winning the Western Conference championship in just their first season of playl

10. 2010 Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers' incredible run in the 2010 playoffs almost didn't happen as they had to defeat the New York Rangers on the final day of the regular season, just to qualify for the playoffs.

The game would go to a shootout where goaltender Brian Boucher stopped Olli Jokinen's shot in the third round to give the Flyers a 2-1 victory and the #7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Flyers would dispatch of the #2 seed New Jersey Devils in five game in their first round series to move on and face the Boston Bruins in the second round.

It seemed the Flyers were done for as they trailed Boston 3-0 in the series, until the Flyers won the next three games to force a Game 7 in Boston.

Boston jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Flyers would score four unanswered goals, with Simon Gagne scoring the game-winner with over seven minutes left in the third period, to complete the historic comeback as the Flyers became the third team in NHL history to win a playoff series after losing the first three games of the series.

The Flyers would eliminated the Canadiens in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals, earning a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals where Philly's wild ride would come to an end at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, who defeated the Flyers in six games.

9. 2006 Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers made history as they became the first #8 seed in postseason history to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Oilers, who finished with 95 points, turned the NHL world upside down when they knocked off the Detroit Red Wings, who had won the Presidents' Trophy with a league high 124 points, with a six-game series win in the first round.
The Oilers rode the momentum of the Detroit upset to a six-game series win over the San Jose Sharks in the second round, followed by a five-game series win over the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Finals to send Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.
Edmonton faced off with the Carolina Hurricanes, who took a 3-1 series lead, only to see the Oilers win the next two games to force a Game 7 back in Carolina, where the Hurricanes would win 3-1, denying the Oilers a chance of a sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history.

8. 2017 Nashville Predators
The Predators entered the 2017 NHL playoffs as essentially the #16 seed as they had the worst record of any of the playoff teams as they finished the regular season with 41 wins  and 94 points.
But the Predators, the #8 seed in the Western Conference, swept the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, the first time a #8 seed had swept a #1 seed in NHL playoff history, to earn a trip to the second round where they defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games to earn a trip to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history.
There, the Preds knocked off the Anaheim Ducks in six games to their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they would fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne had a 1.96 goals against average and two shutouts in leading the Predators to the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals.

7. 1991 Minnesota North Stars

The Minnesota North Stars were a mere afterthought entering the 1991 playoffs as they won only 27 games and totaled just 68 points during the regular season as they were not excepted to do much against the Chicago Blackhawks, who had finished the 1991 season with a league-high 106 points to win the Presidents' Trophy, which goes to the team with the best regular season record.
However, the North Stars pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Stanley Cup playoff history as they knocked off the Blackhawks in six games, as they back from a 2-1 series deficit to win the series.
If that upset wasn't enough, the North Stars then beat the St. Louis Blues, who finished only one point behind the Blackhawks and 37 points ahead of Minnesota, as the Stars come back from a 0-2 series deficit to win the series.
Then in the Campbell Conference Finals, the North Stars dispatched of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Edmonton Oilers in five games to earn Minnesota its second trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history.
The Stars take a 2-1 series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins, but drop the next three games to lose the series in six games, ending the Stars' Cinderella run.

Minnesota left winger Brian Bellows collected 29 points(10 goals, 19 assists) in the North Stars' run to the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals.

6. 2019 St. Louis Blues

On January 2nd, the Blues had a 15-18-4 record, giving them 34 points as they stood in last place in the entire NHL.

But the new year and a rookie goaltender in Jordan Binnington changed the Blues' season as they would go 30-10-5 over the rest of the season to earn St. Louis a playoff spot with 99 points and the #5 seed in the Western Conference.

In the first round, the Blues eliminated the #4 seed Winnipeg Jets in six games, then knocked out the #7 seed Dallas Stars in an epic Game 7 where Patrick Maroon scored the game-winning goal in double overtime.

Moving on the Western Conference Finals, the Blues faced the #3 seed San Jose Sharks, where they fell behind in the series 2-1 after a controversial hand pass on the Sharks' overtime game-winning goal was not called.

However, the Blues would win the next three games to win the series and advance to their first Stanley Cup Final in 49 years.

In the Finals, St. Louis faced the Boston Bruins, who had finished the regular season tied for the second most points with 107 thanks to a 49-24-9 record.

Despite two blowout losses at home(7-2 in Game 3 and 5-1 in Game 6), the Blues would win three games in Boston, including a 4-1 victory in Game 7 to claim the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

5. 1995 New Jersey Devils
One year after suffering a heartbreaking double overtime defeat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils seeked redemption in the 1995 playoffs.
Seeded #5 in the Eastern Conference, the Devils eliminated the Boston Bruins in five games in their first round series, then took out the #3 seed Pittsburgh Penguins in five games in the second round to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, this time facing the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Devils knocked off the Flyers in six games to earn thier first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, defeating all three teams without the benefit of the home ice advantage.
The Devils would not have the home ice advantage in the Finals as they faced off with the Detroit Red Wings, who had won the Presdients' Trophy during the regular season and had gone 8-0 at home during the postseason as they had outscored thier opponents by a combined score of 30-11.
But the Devils won the first two games of the series in Detroit, then won Games 3 & 4 back at home to win the Stanley Cup, becoming the lowest seed to ever win the Stanley Cup.

The New Jersey Devils celebrate the first of their three Stanley Cup titles in nine years.

4. 2014 Los Angeles Kings
It looked like the Kings' 2014 postseason would be a short one as they trailed the San Jose Sharks 0-3 in their first round series.
But the Kings became the fourth team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series as they won the next four games by a combined score of 18-5, with the capper coming in Game 7 as they routed the Sharks 5-1 in San Jose.
However, the Kings were just getting started as they knocked off their crosstown rival, the Anaheim Ducks, with another Game 7 win on the road.
Then in the Western Conference Finals, the Kings made more history as they became the first team in NHL playoff history to win three Game 7s on the road in the same postseason as they eliminated the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-4 overtime win on defenseman Alec Martinez's game-winning goal, sending the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years.
The Kings did not need seven games to defeat the New York Rangers, but the Cup clincher was still dramatic as Martinez scored the game-winner in double overtime of Game 5 to give Los Angeles its second Stanley Cup in three years.

3. 1971 Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens entered the 1971 postseason in the unfamiliar role of underdog, as they finished the regular season third in the Eastern Conference with a total of 97 points and had a rookie goaltender in Ken Dryden, starting between the pipes even though he had only played six games during the regular season.
Montreal was not excepted to be any match for the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, who had finished the season with a league-high 121 points and scored 399 goals during the regular season.
But the Canadiens shocked the Bruins in seven games to advance to the semifinals where they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in six games, earning Montreal its 26th trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they would face off with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The resilient Canadiens came back after losing the first two games of the series to force a Game 7 in Chicago where Montreal overcome a 2-0 deficit to score the last three goals of the game for the 3-2 victory and the team's 17th Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden won the Conn Smythe Award for his performance in the 1971 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

2. 1938 Chicago Blackhawks
Even though they had finished with a 14-25-9 record and totaled only 37 points, the Chicago Blackhawks made the playoffs as the NHL had only eight teams in the league, with six of them qualifying for the playoffs in 1938.
Chicago faced the Montreal Canadiens in a best-of-three series to start the playoffs, where Chicago would advance to the next round on Paul Thompson's game-winning goal in overtime of Game 3.
The Blackhawks moved on to face the now defunct New York Americans, where the Blackhakws would eliminate the Americans with a 3-2 in Game 3 of their best-of-three series, to earn a berth in the Finals where they would face the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had finished the 1938 season with 20 more points than the Blackhawks.
But Chicago would win the series in four games to capture their second Stanley Cup in five years and became the team with the worst record ever to win a Stanley Cup.

The Blackhawks hoist head coach Bill Stewart after winning the 1938 Stanley Cup.

1. 2012 Los Angeles Kings

Going into the 2012 playoffs, the Los Angeles Kings were not excepted to be a contender for the Stanley Cup as they were the #8 seed in the Western Conference with 95 points and were going to face the Vancouver Canucks, the Presidents Trophy winners and defending Western Conference Champions.

But the Kings would become the tenth #8 seed since the NHL went to a #1 through #8 seeding format per conference to win a first-round playoff series as they knocked off the Canucks in five games, with Jarrett Stoll scoring the series clinching goal in overtime of Game 5.

In the second round, the Kings swept the #2 seed St. Louis Blues thanks to goaltender Jonathan Quick's performance as he allowed only six goals over the four games.

Then in the Western Conference Finals, the Kings faced the #3 seed Phoenix Coyotes and took the series in five games to earn their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 19 years.

In the Finals, the Kings faced the New Jersey Devils and took a stranglehold on the series as they won LA jumped out to a 3-0 series lead.

But the Devils came back to win Games 4 & 5, with Game 5 being the first and only time the Kings lost on the road during the 2012 playoffs, to force a Game 6 back in LA.

Los Angeles ended the Devils' chances of forcing a Game 7 as they blew out New Jersey 6-1 to earn the Kings their first Stanley Cup in team history and becoming the first and thus far only #8 seed to win the Stanley Cup.