Championship Matchup Redux

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings are on the verge of a surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly) infrequent occurrence, that of meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals for two straight seasons. Although such repeat showdowns are not common these days in any of the Big Four sports (the last time it happened was in the NBA, when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz after the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 campaigns), they are particularly seldom in the NHL. The last time hockey saw duplicate contestants was during the 1983 and 1984 Cup Finals between the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers.

Of course, in the days prior to massive league expansion–not to mention the proliferation of playoff series–such repeat Championship clashes were far more frequent. The Boston Celtics were involved in four such back-to-back battles in the 1960s alone, three of the them against the Los Angeles Lakers. Those two teams squared off for the title a remarkable six times in eight years. But the NBA started that decade with only 8 teams and finished it with a still relatively paltry 14.

Considering that, until the 2000-2001 season, the NHL always had the fewest (or tied for fewest) number of teams of any of the Big Four sports, the lack of repeat combatants is especially interesting.

What follows is a breakdown of the most recent repeat championship-competing and winning teams by sport:

Major League Baseball

Back-to-back appearances by a single team: 2000 & 2001 New York Yankees
Back-to-back victories by a team: 1999 & 2000 New York Yankees (a three-peat with the 1998 team)
Back-to-back appearances by both teams: 1977 & 1978 New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers (the Yankees won both years)

National Football League

Back-to-back appearances by a single team: 2004 & 2005 New England Patriots
Back-to-back victories by a team: 2004 & 2005 New England Patriots
Back-to-back appearances by both teams: 1993 & 1994 Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills (the Cowboys won both years)

National Basketball Association

Back-to-back appearances by a single team: 2003/04 & 2004/05 Detroit Pistons
Back-to-back victories by a team: 2001/02 & 2000/01 Los Angeles Lakers (a three-peat with the 1999/2000 team)
Back-to-back appearances by both teams: 1996/97 & 1997/98 Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Jazz (the Bulls won both years)

National Hockey League

Back-to-back appearances by a single team: 1999/2000 & 2000/01 New Jersey Devils
Back-to-back victories by a team: 1996/97 & 1997/98 Detroit Red Wings
Back-to-back appearances by both teams: 1982/83 & 1983/84 New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers
Back-to-back appearances by both teams with the same team winning: 1976/77 & 1977/78 Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins (the Canadiens were the victor)

• June 10, 2009 -- Cup Runneth Over (7)
• May 22, 2009 -- VideoDeep: Playoff Letdowns (1)
• February 27, 2009 -- Tortorella Represents a Small Window for the Rangers (3)
• October 10, 2009 -- Fierce And Nerdy: Fiercely Anticipating Steelers vs. Lions (6)
• April 10, 2009 -- Insane Goal (1)