A very short time ago, the Edmonton Oilers were the losingest franchise in all of sports. Not only was the NHL team in last place, their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons held up the bottom of the standings. Even the Oilers-owned junior team, the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings, were in last place.
Fast forward two years and the Oklahoma City Barons are the top team in the entire AHL. The Oilers, though currently playing over their heads, have life. Even the Oil Kings sit comfortably in a playoff spot and have a roster filled with NHL draft picks and sure-fire 2012 picks.
Things are so good, thanks mostly to the Barons' early-season dominance, that the Edmonton Oilers are the winningest franchise in hockey. The second-place team is even more unexpected. It's like someone flipped professional hockey upside down.
Below is a list of all 60 NHL and AHL teams, sorted by combined winning percentage to eliminate Bruce McCurdy's hated and dreaded Bettman point.
| AHL Team | GP | W | PTS | W % | NHL Team | GP | W | PTS | W % | PTS | W % | ||
| Oklahoma City Barons | 21 | 15 | 31 | 0.714 | Edmonton Oilers | 24 | 12 | 26 | 0.500 | 57 | 0.600 | ||
| Toronto Marlies | 20 | 12 | 27 | 0.600 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 24 | 14 | 30 | 0.583 | 57 | 0.591 | ||
| Connecticut Whale | 19 | 11 | 25 | 0.579 | New York Rangers | 20 | 12 | 27 | 0.600 | 52 | 0.590 | ||
| Adirondack Phantoms | 19 | 11 | 23 | 0.579 | Philadelphia Flyers | 23 | 13 | 29 | 0.565 | 52 | 0.571 | ||
| Houston Aeros | 20 | 11 | 28 | 0.550 | Minnesota Wild | 24 | 14 | 31 | 0.583 | 59 | 0.568 | ||
| WBS Penguins | 21 | 11 | 27 | 0.524 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 24 | 14 | 32 | 0.583 | 59 | 0.556 | ||
| Portland Pirates | 19 | 10 | 22 | 0.526 | Phoenix Coyotes | 22 | 12 | 27 | 0.545 | 49 | 0.537 | ||
| Chicago Wolves | 18 | 9 | 20 | 0.500 | Vancouver Canucks | 23 | 13 | 27 | 0.565 | 47 | 0.537 | ||
| Rochester Americans | 20 | 10 | 23 | 0.500 | Buffalo Sabres | 23 | 13 | 27 | 0.565 | 50 | 0.535 | ||
| Milwaukee Admirals | 17 | 10 | 21 | 0.588 | Nashville Predators | 23 | 11 | 26 | 0.478 | 47 | 0.525 | ||
| Albany Devils | 20 | 10 | 23 | 0.500 | New Jersey Devils | 22 | 12 | 25 | 0.545 | 48 | 0.524 | ||
| Norfolk Admirals | 21 | 12 | 25 | 0.571 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 23 | 11 | 24 | 0.478 | 49 | 0.523 | ||
| Manchester Monarchs | 22 | 12 | 25 | 0.545 | Los Angeles Kings | 24 | 12 | 28 | 0.500 | 53 | 0.522 | ||
| Hershey Bears | 19 | 9 | 23 | 0.474 | Washington Capitals | 22 | 12 | 25 | 0.545 | 48 | 0.512 | ||
| Grand Rapids Griffins | 19 | 7 | 15 | 0.368 | Detroit Red Wings | 22 | 14 | 29 | 0.636 | 44 | 0.512 | ||
| Rockford IceHogs | 19 | 8 | 17 | 0.421 | Chicago Blackhawks | 24 | 14 | 31 | 0.583 | 48 | 0.512 | ||
| Abbotsford Heat | 21 | 13 | 27 | 0.619 | Calgary Flames | 22 | 9 | 19 | 0.409 | 46 | 0.512 | ||
| Texas Stars | 19 | 8 | 17 | 0.421 | Dallas Stars | 24 | 14 | 29 | 0.583 | 46 | 0.512 | ||
| Peoria Rivermen | 22 | 10 | 22 | 0.455 | St. Louis Blues | 23 | 13 | 28 | 0.565 | 50 | 0.511 | ||
| Worcester Sharks | 17 | 6 | 17 | 0.353 | San Jose Sharks | 21 | 13 | 27 | 0.619 | 44 | 0.500 | ||
| Providence Bruins | 23 | 8 | 18 | 0.348 | Boston Bruins | 22 | 14 | 29 | 0.636 | 47 | 0.489 | ||
| St. John's IceCaps | 20 | 12 | 28 | 0.600 | Winnipeg Jets | 23 | 9 | 22 | 0.391 | 50 | 0.488 | ||
| San Antonio Rampage | 20 | 9 | 18 | 0.450 | Florida Panthers | 23 | 12 | 28 | 0.522 | 46 | 0.488 | ||
| Charlotte Checkers | 21 | 13 | 28 | 0.619 | Carolina Hurricanes | 25 | 8 | 20 | 0.320 | 48 | 0.457 | ||
| Lake Erie Monsters | 20 | 9 | 20 | 0.450 | Colorado Avalanche | 24 | 10 | 21 | 0.417 | 41 | 0.432 | ||
| Binghamton Senators | 21 | 7 | 16 | 0.333 | Ottawa Senators | 23 | 11 | 24 | 0.478 | 40 | 0.409 | ||
| Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 21 | 10 | 24 | 0.476 | New York Islanders | 21 | 6 | 16 | 0.286 | 40 | 0.381 | ||
| Hamilton Bulldogs | 19 | 6 | 14 | 0.316 | Montreal Canadiens | 24 | 10 | 24 | 0.417 | 38 | 0.372 | ||
| Springfield Falcons | 20 | 10 | 20 | 0.500 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 23 | 6 | 15 | 0.261 | 35 | 0.372 | ||
| Syracuse Crunch | 18 | 9 | 21 | 0.500 | Anaheim Ducks | 23 | 6 | 16 | 0.261 | 37 | 0.366 |
Unless the Barons somehow win a larger percentage of their games, this lofty perch is destined to be short-lived. Edmonton is still outplaying the percentages and working with 3 NHL defensemen. But the Barons, they've got something cooking in Oklahoma City. As long as the Oilers don't poach the talent due to injuries, the Barons could be in for a deep playoff run.
One last item for those of you that take delight in the Habs' misery, how about that Canadiens franchise?