by Benjamin Wendorf

Every NHL team, every NHL season has a story. Whether it was a strong start to a weak finish, or great goaltending that bailed them out, or solid play and zero puck luck, these stories add up to build our broader ideas of the league, our team histories, and how we remember them. With a wealth of single season data presented in cumulative and 20-game moving average charts below, we can look back and see the exact moment that Adam Oates and Cam Neely clicked in Boston, or when Grant Fuhr went down with an injury and gave nearly 30-year old journeyman Dominik Hasek his first real starting role with the Sabres. These charts can open inquiries as much as satisfy them: what caused the Washington Capitals’ offense to take off (and defense to become so staunch) in the latter half of 1993-94? Or the Bruins’ possession to fall in 1975-76?

Don’t know where to start looking for these kinds of questions? Check out our historical possession and historical team shooting charts, which present all these single seasons together in a longer lens to help portray the peaks and valleys of franchise performance.

Each of the NHL franchises have a page to avoid clutter and overwork on the site; I’m also considering adding rough timelines to help aid the kinds of discoveries I mentioned above. The franchises (active teams in bold):

• Anaheim Ducks (1993-94 through 2014-15)
• Arizona Coyotes (2014-15); Winnipeg Jets I (1979-80 through 1995-96), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-97 through 2013-14)
• Boston Bruins (1952-53 through 2014-15)
• Buffalo Sabres (1970-71 through 2014-15)
• Calgary Flames (1980-81 through 2014-15); Atlanta Flames (1972-73 through 1979-80)
• Carolina Hurricanes (1997-98 through 2014-15); Hartford Whalers (1979-80 through 1996-97)
• Chicago Blackhawks (1952-53 through 2014-15)
• Colorado Avalanche (1995-96 through 2014-15); Quebec Nordiques (1979-80 through 1994-95)
• Columbus Blue Jackets (2000-01 through 2014-15)
• Dallas Stars (1993-94 through 2014-15); Minnesota North Stars (1967-68 through 1992-93)
• Detroit Red Wings (1952-53 through 2014-15)
• Edmonton Oilers (1979-80 through 2014-15)
• Florida Panthers (1993-94 through 2014-15)
• Los Angeles Kings (1967-68 through 2014-15)
• Minnesota Wild (2000-01 through 2014-15)
• Montreal Canadiens (1952-53 through 2014-15)
• Nashville Predators (1998-99 through 2014-15)
• New Jersey Devils (1982-83 through 2014-15); Kansas City Scouts (1974-75 through 1975-76), Colorado Rockies (1976-77 through 1981-82)
• New York Islanders (1972-73 through 2014-15)
• New York Rangers (1952-53 through 2014-15)
• Oakland Seals (1967-68 through 1969-70), California Golden Seals (1970-71 through 1975-76), Cleveland Barons (1976-77 through 1977-78)
• Ottawa Senators (1992-93 through 2014-15)
• Philadelphia Flyers (1967-68 through 2014-15)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (1967-68 through 2014-15)
• San Jose Sharks (1991-92 through 2014-15)
• St. Louis Blues (1967-68 through 2014-15)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-93 through 2014-15)
• Toronto Maple Leafs (1952-53 through 2014-15)
• Vancouver Canucks (1970-71 through 2014-15)
• Washington Capitals (1974-75 through 2014-15)
• Winnipeg Jets II (2011-12 through 2014-15); Atlanta Thrashers (1999-00 through 2010-11)

If you need help with learning how to use the graphs, or troubleshooting, or have questions, suggestions, or data requests, please check out our tutorial.