For the first time since 2006, the Pittsburgh Penguins will not make the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs. The band at Sidney Crosby will be able to rest earlier than expected, after 16 consecutive spring balls.
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The “Pens” streak was unheard of in recent years and now the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs are the new iron teams on the league, with seven straight appearances.
However, the magnificent sequence of the Penguins does not come close to the best formations in history. Here they are :
Boston Bruins – 1968 to 1996 (29 seasons)
Two generations; that’s about as long as the Bruins’ streak lasted. From 1968 to 1996, the “Oursons” were ubiquitous, going directly from the era of Bobby Orr to that of Raymond Bourque. Despite everything, Boston won only two Stanley Cups (1970 and 1972) during all those years. The streak came to an abrupt end in 1996-97 when the Bruins recovered the NHL’s worst record (26-47-9), with a -66 differential.
Chicago Blackhawks – 1970 to 1997 (28 seasons)
This franchise had time to change its name – from Black Hawks to Blackhawks – during this endless series of playoff appearances. No Stanley Cup ended up in the Windy City, however, despite the help of great players like Stan Mikita, Denis Savard, Tony Esposito and Steve Larmer. The Hawks had won the championship a decade earlier, in 1961.
St. Louis Blues – 1980 to 2004 (25 seasons)
As with Chicago, the Blues didn’t have the cup on their quarter-century streak or even reach a final. In desperation, St. Louis even lured the great Wayne Gretzky for the 1996 playoff tournament, but was unsuccessful. It was finally in 2019, a year after being left out of the picture in the regular season, that the Blues got their hands on the silver bowl.
Detroit Red Wings – 1991 to 2016 (25 seasons)
Before the Penguins, the Red Wings were the team to beat thanks to head coach Mike Babcock. There was also a kind of passing of the torch in 2009, after the rematch in the Stanley Cup Finals in Pittsburgh. Thanks to Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, to name a few, the Wings have won four championships.
Montreal Canadiens – 1971 to 1994 (24 seasons)
Most long-time Canadiens fans will remember the 1994-95 season, two years after the organization’s 24th cup, when nothing seemed to work. A year later, Patrick Roy was traded, ending a glorious era. In 24 campaigns, Sainte-Flanelle has won Lord Stanley’s trophy eight times. Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur and Ken Dryden animated these decades.
Montreal Canadiens – 1948 to 1969 (21 seasons)
The CH almost established an incredible streak of 46 seasons in the playoffs, being dismissed in 1969-1970. With brothers Maurice and Henri Richard, the Canadian won 10 cups, including five consecutive ones from 1956 to 1960. This was the team’s golden age. Will we see a similar sequence again on the Montreal side one day?