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Now that the Blackhawks have won the cup twice in four years can they be considered a dynasty?

More importantly what is the definition of a professional team sport dynasty?

I vaguely recall, from football, that a team must win the championship three times in five years to be called a dynasty, but I'm unsure if that was correct. It probably depends on the sport.

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    I think, as you say, this will vary from sport to sport, and will not be applicable to many sports (for instance, I can't recall having heard it in cricket). As such I would consider rephrasing the question to ask something like "in what sports are dynasties recognised?", since the question "what is a dynasty in sports?" is likely to be unanswerable as it stands. It's a fair question for those sports where it does apply, though.
    – Spinner
    Commented Jun 26, 2013 at 21:33
  • @Spinner en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasty_(sports)#Cricket
    – user527
    Commented Jun 30, 2013 at 16:59
  • @edmastermind29 Thanks - I'm not disputing that there are teams in cricket history that fit this definition of a dynasty (indeed, the West Indian team of the 1980s sprang to my mind), just observing that I don't remember having heard the concept discussed much, if at all, in the realm of cricket.
    – Spinner
    Commented Jun 30, 2013 at 17:55
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    @Spinner Right, and it may be a cultural term as I have heard it used most in reference (but not limited) to North American sports. "In what sports are dynasties recognized?" seems really subjective in your context...any sport may have recognized dynasties if a person chooses to define legitimate occurrences as such.
    – user527
    Commented Jun 30, 2013 at 18:58
  • @edmastermind29 That's a fair point, and in view of that I'm inclined to suggest that both the original question and my suggested altered question are too phrased too subjectively. The whole subject of "dynasties" in sport may be too subjective to answer questions on them definitively.
    – Spinner
    Commented Jun 30, 2013 at 20:35

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A dynasty in sports is a team that excels among their division, league, and/or sport over an extended period of time (multiple seasons for example). Dynasties are usually realized after the fact...or during the fact after an already established period of dominance.

The NHL recognizes several dynasties, the most recent being the Edmonton Oilers, who won five championships in seven seasons during 1984-1990.

The closest comparison, as recognized by the NHL, to the 2010-2013 Chicago Blackhawks would be the 1949-1955 Detroit Red Wings, who won four championships in six seasons (and two in the first four seasons, like the 2010-2013 Blackhawks), and the 1961-1964 Toronto Maple Leafs, who won three consecutive championships.

Other recognized dynasties in North American sports:

  • MLB - New York Yankees (1996-2003): seven division titles, six AL pennants, and four World Series championships (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) in eight seasons
  • NBA - Chicago Bulls (1991-1998): six championships in eight seasons
  • NFL - New England Patriots (2001-2012): three Super Bowls in four seasons (2001, 2003, 2004), five conference championships in eleven seasons (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011), and ten division titles in twelve seasons.
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  • Given the changes to the league in a salary cap world, I think the definition of a dynasty by the NHL's standards may merit reconsideration.
    – Mansfield
    Commented Jun 25, 2013 at 14:35
  • The question asked is, "what is the definition of a professional team sport dynasty?" I answered the question in regards to a professional team sport. Feel free to add details about dynasties in regards to the NHL.
    – user527
    Commented Jun 25, 2013 at 14:43
  • Oh, I'm not saying your answer was wrong by any means. I was just making a comment on the changes brought on by the cap in the NHL :)
    – Mansfield
    Commented Jun 25, 2013 at 14:51
  • Okay. Didn't think you were. :) I just wanted to be clear that I wasn't answering specifically to the NHL. I wasn't aware of the intricacies of the NHL and thought you provided good info in regards to that.
    – user527
    Commented Jun 25, 2013 at 14:56
  • And the fact that the NHL doesn't recognize the Red Wings of the late 90s (back to back plus 3 in 6 years) seems to indicate Chicago is still quite a way from being a dynasty.
    – Wooble
    Commented Jun 30, 2013 at 4:11
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There are dynasties in almost every kind of team sports, not only NHL or the other North American sports... there are all over the world that have teams with dynasties.

For the rest of the world... especially in Europe, maybe Manchester United is the best example... 13 league titles since English First Division rebrands itself into English Premier League and never be finished lower that third in the dominance era. Also the other trophies, too.

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