List of NHL franchise post-season droughts
An Ice Hockey Wiki article.
This is a list of current NHL franchise post-season and Stanley Cup droughts. Those teams which have never made it in franchise history are listed by the date they entered the league. These lists do not include the canceled 2004-05 NHL season.
Contents |
[edit] Longest Active Droughts
[edit] Post-season droughts
| Team | Last appearance in post-season | Post-season drought |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | 2000 | 6 seasons |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | never (franchise started in 2000) | 6 seasons |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 2002 | 4 seasons |
| Los Angeles Kings | 2002 | 4 seasons |
| Phoenix Coyotes | 2002 | 4 seasons |
| Washington Capitals | 2003 | 3 seasons |
| St. Louis Blues | 2004 | 2 seasons |
| Boston Bruins | 2004 | 2 seasons |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2004 | 2 seasons |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 2006 | 1 season |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 2006 | 1 season |
| Montreal Canadiens | 2006 | 1 season |
| Colorado Avalanche | 2006 | 1 season |
| Edmonton Oilers | 2006 | 1 season |
| Ottawa Senators | 2007 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 2007 | -- |
| Buffalo Sabres | 2007 | -- |
| New Jersey Devils | 2007 | -- |
| New York Rangers | 2007 | -- |
| Dallas Stars | 2007 | -- |
| Calgary Flames | 2007 | -- |
| Anaheim Ducks | 2007 | -- |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2007 | -- |
| Nashville Predators | 2007 | -- |
| New York Islanders | 2007 | -- |
| San Jose Sharks | 2007 | -- |
| Atlanta Thrashers | 2007 | -- |
| Minnesota Wild | 2007 | -- |
| Vancouver Canucks | 2007 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 2007 | -- |
[edit] Stanley Cup finals droughts
* the Minnesota North Stars made their last finals appearance in 1991
[edit] Stanley Cup droughts
| Team | Last Stanley Cup | Stanley Cup drought |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Blackhawks | 1961 | 45 seasons |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1967 | 39 seasons |
| Los Angeles Kings | never (inception of franchise in 1967-68) | 39 seasons |
| St. Louis Blues | never (inception of franchise in 1967-68) | 39 seasons |
| Buffalo Sabres | never (inception of franchise in 1970-71) | 36 seasons |
| Vancouver Canucks | never (inception of franchise in 1970-71) | 36 seasons |
| Boston Bruins | 1972 | 34 seasons |
| Washington Capitals | never (inception of franchise in 1974-75) | 32 seasons |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 1975 | 31 seasons |
| Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes | never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979-80) | 27 seasons |
| New York Islanders | 1983 | 23 seasons |
| Calgary Flames | 1989 | 17 seasons |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1990 | 16 seasons |
| San Jose Sharks | never (inception of franchise in 1991-92) | 15 seasons |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1992 | 14 seasons |
| Ottawa Senators | never (inception of franchise in 1992-93) | 14 seasons |
| Montreal Canadiens | 1993 | 13 seasons |
| Florida Panthers | never (inception of franchise in 1993-94) | 13 seasons |
| New York Rangers | 1994 | 12 seasons |
| Nashville Predators | never (inception of franchise in 1998-99) | 8 seasons |
| Atlanta Thrashers | never (inception of franchise in 1999-2000) | 7 seasons |
| Dallas Stars | 1999 | 7 seasons |
| Minnesota Wild | never (inception of franchise in 2000-01) | 6 seasons |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | never (inception of franchise in 2000-01) | 6 seasons |
| Colorado Avalanche | 2001 | 5 seasons |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2002 | 4 seasons |
| New Jersey Devils | 2003 | 3 seasons |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 2004 | 2 seasons |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 2006 | 1 season |
| Anaheim Ducks | 2007 | -- |
[edit] Longest all-time Stanley Cup finals droughts
Does not include the canceled 2004-05 season.
Does not include the original Ottawa Senators who made their last finals appearance in 1927.
| Team | Previous Stanley Cup finals | Next Stanley Cup finals | Stanley Cup finals drought |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1967 | present | 39 seasons |
| St. Louis Blues | 1970 | present | 36 seasons |
| Detroit Red Wings | 1966 | 1995 | 28 seasons |
| Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes | never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979-80) | present | 27 seasons |
| Los Angeles Kings | never (inception of franchise in 1967-68) | 1993 | 25 seasons |
| Buffalo Sabres | 1975 | 1999 | 23 seasons |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | never (inception of franchise in 1967-68) | 1991 | 23 seasons |
| Washington Capitals | never (inception of franchise in 1974-75) | 1998 | 23 seasons |
| Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes | never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979-80) | 2002 | 22 seasons |
| New York Islanders | 1984 | present | 22 seasons |
| New York Rangers | 1950 | 1972 | 21 seasons |
| Kansas City Scouts/Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils | never (inception of franchise in 1974-75) | 1995 | 20 seasons |
[edit] Longest all-time Stanley Cup droughts
Listed by number of consecutive seasons without a Stanley Cup win.
Does not include the canceled 2004-05 season.
Does not include the original Ottawa Senators who won their last Stanley Cup in 1927.
Does not include teams that have never won a Stanley Cup.
| Previous Stanley Cup | Next Stanley Cup | Stanley Cup drought | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1994 | 53 seasons | New York Rangers |
| 1961 | present | 45 seasons | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 1955 | 1997 | 41 seasons | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1967 | present | 39 seasons | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1972 | present | 34 seasons | Boston Bruins |
| 1975 | present | 31 seasons | Philadelphia Flyers |
[edit] Longest playoff appearance streaks
[edit] Cities/regions awaiting first Stanley Cup
Listed according to seasons waited
Includes only current NHL cities/regions
| City/Region | Seasons waited | Finals appearances | Current team |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 40* | 1968, 1969, 1970 | St. Louis Blues |
| Buffalo | 36 | 1975, 1999 | Buffalo Sabres |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | 32** | 1981***, 1991*** | Minnesota Wild |
| Washington, D.C. | 32 | 1998 | Washington Capitals |
| San Francisco Bay Area | 24**** | Never | San Jose Sharks |
| Atlanta | 15***** | Never | Atlanta Thrashers |
| South Florida | 13 | 1996 | Florida Panthers |
| Phoenix | 10 | Never | Phoenix Coyotes |
| Nashville | 8 | Never | Nashville Predators |
| Columbus | 6 | Never | Columbus Blue Jackets****** |
* includes 1 season of the St. Louis Eagles (1934-1935)
** includes 26 seasons of the Minnesota North Stars (1967-1993)
*** both Finals appearances by the North Stars
**** includes 9 seasons of the Oakland Seals-California Golden Seals (1967-1976)
***** includes 8 seasons of the Atlanta Flames (1972-1980)
****** no playoff appearances to date
