I'd be tempted to throw an asterisk on the Habs as well since they were essentially handed that pipeline to all the elite talent for so many years, always getting the first pick. I guess most of that was gone by '77, but there were still pieces.
And now that I have Ken Dryden on the mind, it's making me think of the 1970 Cornell hockey team. If we want to name a best team relative to their league/competition, they should be mentioned. They're the only college hockey team to go undefeated... and all this AFTER Dryden left.