In the Stanley Cup Final, a sweep refers to a National Hockey League (NHL) team winning four straight games and losing none in a best-of-seven format. There have been 20 sweeps in Stanley Cup Final history.
The first sweep is credited to the Boston Bruins who defeated the Detroit Red Wings in four straight games in the 1941 Stanley Cup Final. The most recent sweep occurred in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final, when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Washington Capitals.
In the best-of-seven era, only two teams have ever completed a perfect postseason run: the Detroit Red Wings in 1952 and the Montreal Canadiens in 1960, with each winning all eight Stanley Cup playoff games.
Starting in the 1974-75 NHL season, the National Hockey League expanded to 18 teams, installing new conferences and divisions and reorganizing its playoff format. In the 1993-94 NHL season, The Eastern Conference and Western Conference became officially formed and are both tied for 2 sweeps each conference, with the Detroit Red Wings account for half of those, with two. As of the 2013-2014 NHL season, the National Hockey League uses these methods today with 2 Eastern Conference divisions (Atlantic & Metropolitan) and 2 in the Western Conference (Central & Pacific).
The 1977 Series between the Canadiens and Bruins was unique due to both teams partaking in the finals as members of the same conference (Wales).