- List of NHL franchise post-season droughts
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For an explanation of the NHL season and post-season, see Season structure of the NHL.
These are lists of active and all-time National Hockey League (NHL) franchise post-season appearance, post-season series win, Stanley Cup Final and Stanley Cup droughts up to and including the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Those teams which have never made it in franchise history are listed by the season that they entered the league, either as a new franchise or when they merged into the NHL from the defunct WHA league.
Note: These lists do not include the canceled 2004–05 NHL season.
Among the current 30 NHL teams, 13 have never won the Stanley Cup, including two (the Los Angeles Kings and the St. Louis Blues) that are among the five oldest expansion teams. Additionally, one of the Original Six franchises - the Toronto Maple Leafs - has a Stanley Cup drought that pre-dates the expansion era (42 seasons and counting). Of the six franchises that have never been to the Stanley Cup Finals, the oldest is the Phoenix Coyotes (previously the Winnipeg Jets) (30 seasons), while the Maple Leafs and the Blues have even longer droughts (42 and 39 seasons, respectively). The longest Stanley Cup championship drought in history was that of the New York Rangers, broken in 1994 after 53 seasons. The second-longest was that of the Chicago Blackhawks, broken in 2010 after 47 seasons.
There are only 2 franchises that have never won a post-season playoff series (the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets and the Columbus Blue Jackets), though the oldest is just 11 seasons old; three other franchises (Jets/Coyotes, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers) have longer win droughts. The Panthers have not appeared in the playoffs at all for 10 seasons, the longest such streak in NHL history.
Contents
Longest active droughts
Post-season appearance droughts
A post-season appearance drought is continued by not making the NHL playoffs after the regular season. Since the first round of the playoffs consists of 8 series (16 teams) and there are 30 teams in the NHL, there will always be 14 teams that did not make the most recent playoffs on this list.
The other 16 teams - Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals - all made the post-season for the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Further information: List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaksTeam Last appearance in post-season Post-season drought Florida Panthers 1999–2000 10 seasons Toronto Maple Leafs 2003–04 6 seasons Edmonton Oilers 2005–06 5 seasons Winnipeg Jets 2006–07 4 seasons1 New York Islanders 2006–07 4 seasons Dallas Stars 2007–08 3 seasons Minnesota Wild 2007–08 3 seasons Calgary Flames 2008–09 2 seasons Carolina Hurricanes 2008–09 2 seasons Columbus Blue Jackets 2008–09 2 seasons St. Louis Blues 2008–09 2 seasons Colorado Avalanche 2009–10 1 season New Jersey Devils 2009–10 1 season Ottawa Senators 2009–10 1 season - 1 includes 4 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (2007–08 through to 2010–11) + 0 seasons for Winnipeg Jets
Post-season series win droughts
A post-season series win drought is continued either by not making the playoffs in a season or by making the playoffs in a season but subsequently losing the first round series. Since the first round of the NHL playoffs consist of 8 series (16 teams), there will always be 22 teams in this list - the 14 teams that do not make the post-season plus the 8 teams that lost their first round playoffs.
Team Last post-season
series winSubsequent post-season
series lossesPost-season
series win droughtPhoenix Coyotes 1986–87 12 : 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2009–10, 2010–11 23 seasons1 New York Islanders 1992–93 5 : 1993–94, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07 17 seasons Florida Panthers 1995–96 2 : 1996–97, 1999–2000 14 seasons Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 1 : 2006–07 11 seasons2 Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 1 : 2008–09 10 seasons Los Angeles Kings 2000–01 3 : 2001–02, 2009–10, 2010-11 9 seasons St. Louis Blues 2001–02 3 : 2002–03, 2003–04, 2008–09 8 seasons Minnesota Wild 2002–03 2 : 2006–07, 2007–08 7 seasons Calgary Flames 2003–04 4 : 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 6 seasons Toronto Maple Leafs 2003–04 6 seasons Edmonton Oilers 2005–06 5 seasons Buffalo Sabres 2006–07 2 : 2009–10, 2010-11 4 seasons New Jersey Devils 2006–07 3 : 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 4 seasons Ottawa Senators 2006–07 2 : 2007–08, 2009–10 4 seasons Colorado Avalanche 2007–08 1 : 2009–10 3 seasons Dallas Stars 2007–08 3 seasons New York Rangers 2007–08 2 : 2008–09, 2010-11 3 seasons Anaheim Ducks 2008–09 1: 2010-11 2 season Carolina Hurricanes 2008–09 2 season Chicago Blackhawks 2009-10 1: 2010-11 1 season Montreal Canadiens 2009-10 1: 2010-11 1 season Pittsburgh Penguins 2009-10 1: 2010-11 1 season - 1 includes 9 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1987–88 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010–11)
- 2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 0 seasons for Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup Final droughts
This list details the number of seasons since a team has reached the Stanley Cup Finals. This list does not include the two teams that made the Stanley Cup Finals in the last NHL season.
Team Last appearance
in Stanley Cup FinalStanley Cup
Final droughtToronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 43 seasons St. Louis Blues 1969–70 40 seasons Phoenix Coyotes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 31 seasons1 New York Islanders 1983–84 26 seasons San Jose Sharks never (inception of franchise in 1991–92) 19 seasons Los Angeles Kings 1992–93 17 seasons Montreal Canadiens 1992–93 17 seasons New York Rangers 1993–94 16 seasons Florida Panthers 1995–96 14 seasons Washington Capitals 1997–98 12 seasons Nashville Predators never (inception of franchise in 1998–99) 12 seasons Buffalo Sabres 1998–99 11 seasons Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 11 seasons2 Dallas Stars 1999–2000 10 seasons Minnesota Wild never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 10 seasons Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 10 seasons Colorado Avalanche 2000–01 9 seasons New Jersey Devils 2002–03 7 seasons Calgary Flames 2003–04 6 seasons Tampa Bay Lightning 2003–04 6 seasons Edmonton Oilers 2005–06 5 seasons Carolina Hurricanes 2005–06 5 seasons Anaheim Ducks 2006–07 4 seasons Ottawa Senators 2006–07 4 seasons Detroit Red Wings 2008–09 2 seasons Pittsburgh Penguins 2008–09 2 seasons Chicago Blackhawks 2009-10 1 season Philadelphia Flyers 2009-10 1 season - 1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010-11)
- 2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 0 seasons for Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup droughts
Team Last Stanley Cup Subsequent Stanley Cup
Final lossesStanley Cup
droughtToronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 43 seasons Los Angeles Kings never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 1 : 1992–93 43 seasons St. Louis Blues never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 3 : 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 43 seasons Buffalo Sabres never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 2 : 1974–75, 1998–99 40 seasons Vancouver Canucks never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 3 : 1981–82, 1993–94, 2010–11 40 seasons Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1 : 1997–98 36 seasons Philadelphia Flyers 1974–75 6 : 1975–76, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1996–97, 2009–10 35 seasons Phoenix Coyotes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 31 seasons1 New York Islanders 1982–83 1 : 1983–84 27 seasons Calgary Flames 1988–89 1 : 2003–04 21 seasons Edmonton Oilers 1989–90 1 : 2005–06 20 seasons San Jose Sharks never (inception of franchise in 1991–92) 19 seasons Ottawa Senators never (inception of franchise in 1992–93) 1 : 2006–07 18 seasons Montreal Canadiens 1992–93 17 seasons Florida Panthers never (inception of franchise in 1993–94) 1 : 1995–96 17 seasons New York Rangers 1993–94 16 seasons Nashville Predators never (inception of franchise in 1998–99) 12 seasons Dallas Stars 1998–99 1 : 1999–2000 11 seasons Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 11 seasons2 Minnesota Wild never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 10 seasons Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 10 seasons Colorado Avalanche 2000–01 9 seasons New Jersey Devils 2002–03 7 seasons Tampa Bay Lightning 2003–04 6 seasons Carolina Hurricanes 2005–06 5 seasons Anaheim Ducks 2006–07 4 seasons Detroit Red Wings 2007–08 1 : 2008–09 3 seasons Pittsburgh Penguins 2008–09 2 seasons Chicago Blackhawks 2009-10 1 season - 1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010-11)
- 2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 0 seasons for Winnipeg Jets
Closest approaches without winning
Team Conference Quarter-Final Appearances1 Conference Semi-Final Appearances2 Conference Final Appearances3 Stanley Cup Final Appearances Fewest Wins Short of Stanley Cup Vancouver Canucks 23 11 3 3 1 win short: 1993–94, 2010–11 Buffalo Sabres 25 13 4 2 2 wins short: 1974–75, 1998–99 Los Angeles Kings 22 11 2 1 3 wins short: 1992–93 Ottawa Senators 12 5 2 1 3 wins short: 2006–07 St. Louis Blues 28 21 6 3 4 wins short: 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 Florida Panthers 3 1 1 1 4 wins short: 1995–96 Washington Capitals 22 9 2 1 4 wins short: 1997–98 San Jose Sharks 14 10 3 6 wins short: 2003–04 Minnesota Wild 3 1 1 8 wins short: 2002–03 Nashville Predators 6 1 10 wins short: 2010-11 Phoenix Coyotes4 18 2 12 wins short: 1984–85, 1986–87 Winnipeg Jets5 1 16 wins short: 2006–07 Columbus Blue Jackets 1 16 wins short: 2008–09 - 1 includes Preliminary Rounds up to and including 1980–81 and Division Semi-Finals from 1981–82 through to 1993–94
- 2 includes Quarter-Finals up to and including 1980–81 and Division Finals from 1981–82 through to 1993–94
- 3 includes Semi-Finals up to and including 1980–81
- 4 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010-11)
- 5 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 0 seasons for Winnipeg Jets
Longest all-time droughts
Post-season appearance droughts
Active franchise streak is highlighted- 1 includes 6 seasons for California Golden Seals (1970–71 through to 1975–76) + 2 seasons for Cleveland Barons (1976–77, 1977–78) + 1 season for Minnesota North Stars (1978–79)
- 2 includes 4 seasons for Colorado Rockies (1978–79 through to 1981–82) + 5 seasons for New Jersey Devils (1982–83 through to 1986–87)
- 3 includes 5 seasons for Hartford Whalers (1992–93 through to 1996–97) + 1 season for Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98)
Post-season series win droughts
Active franchise streak is highlighted- 1 includes 9 seasons of the Winnipeg Jets (1987–88 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons of the Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010–11)
- 2 includes 11 seasons of the Hartford Whalers (1986–87 through to 1996–97) + 4 season of the Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) through to 2000–01)
- 3 includes 2 seasons of the Kansas City Scouts (1974–75, 1975–76) + 6 seasons for Colorado Rockies (1976–77 through to 1981–82) + 5 seasons of the New Jersey Devils (1982–83 through to 1986–87)
- 4 includes 9 seasons of the California Seals, Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals (1967–68 through to 1975–76) + 2 seasons of the Cleveland Barons (1976–77, 1977–78) + 1 season of the Minnesota North Stars (1978–79)
- 5 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 0 seasons for Winnipeg Jets
Stanley Cup Final droughts
Active franchise streak is highlightedTeam Previous Stanley Cup Final Next Stanley Cup Final Stanley Cup Final drought Toronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 43 seasons St. Louis Blues 1969–70 40 seasons Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix Coyotes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 31 seasons1 Detroit Red Wings 1965–66 1994–95 28 seasons New York Islanders 1983–84 26 seasons Los Angeles Kings never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 1992–93 25 seasons Buffalo Sabres 1974–75 1998–99 23 seasons Pittsburgh Penguins never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 1990–91 23 seasons Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1997–98 23 seasons Hartford Whalers / Carolina Hurricanes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 2001–02 22 seasons2 New York Rangers 1949–50 1971–72 21 seasons Kansas City Scouts / Colorado Rockies / New Jersey Devils never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1994–95 20 seasons3 Boston Bruins 1989–90 2010-11 19 seasons San Jose Sharks never (inception of franchise in 1991–92) 19 seasons Chicago Black Hawks4 1972–73 1991–92 18 seasons Los Angeles Kings 1992–93 17 seasons Montreal Canadiens 1992–93 17 seasons Chicago Black Hawks 1943–44 1960–61 16 seasons Chicago Blackhawks 1991–92 2009–10 16 seasons New York Rangers 1993–94 16 seasons Quebec Nordiques never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 1995–965 16 seasons - 1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010–11)
- 2 includes 18 seasons for Hartford Whalers (1979–80 through to 1996–97) + 4 seasons for Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98 through to 2000–01)
- 3 includes 2 seasons for Kansas City Scouts (1974–75, 1975–76) + 6 seasons for Colorado Rockies (1976–77 through to 1981–82) + 12 seasons for New Jersey Devils (1982–83 through to 1993–94)
- 4 the name of the team was Black Hawks for a majority of the drought (13 of the 18 seasons) before being renamed to Blackhawks in 1986
- 5 note that the although the Quebec Nordiques never made the Stanley Cup Finals during their entire 16 NHL season existence (1979–80 through to 1994–95), after the franchise relocated to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche, they won the Stanley Cup in their first season, 1995–96
Stanley Cup droughts
Active franchise streak is highlightedTeam Previous Stanley Cup Intervening Stanley Cup
Final lossesNext Stanley Cup Stanley Cup drought New York Rangers 1939–40 3 : 1949–50, 1971–72, 1978–79 1993–94 53 seasons1 Chicago Black Hawks2 1960–61 5 : 1961–62, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1991–92 2009–10 47 seasons Toronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 43 seasons Los Angeles Kings never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 1 : 1992–93 43 seasons St. Louis Blues never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 3 : 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 43 seasons Detroit Red Wings 1954–55 6 : 1955–56, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1994–95 1996–97 41 seasons Buffalo Sabres never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 2 : 1974–75, 1998–99 40 seasons Vancouver Canucks never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 3 : 1981–82, 1993–94, 2010–11 40 seasons Boston Bruins 1971–72 5 : 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1987–88, 1989–90 2010–11 37 seasons Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1 : 1997–98 36 seasons Philadelphia Flyers 1974–75 6 : 1975–76, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1996–97, 2009–10 35 seasons Minnesota North Stars / Dallas Stars never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 2 : 1980–81, 1990–91 1998–99 31 seasons3 Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix Coyotes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 31 seasons4 Boston Bruins 1940–41 5 : 1942–43, 1945–46, 1952–53, 1956–57, 1957–58 1969–70 28 seasons New York Islanders 1982–83 1 : 1983–84 27 seasons Hartford Whalers / Carolina Hurricanes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 1 : 2001–02 2005–06 25 seasons5 - 1 it is common to refer to the duration of the New York Rangers' record Stanley Cup drought as 54 "years" as the length of time between Stanley Cup wins (1940 to 1994) as it is easily calculated and understood. However, in the measuring of post-season consecutive streaks and droughts the use of "seasons" is more appropriate.
- 2 the name of the team was Black Hawks for a majority of the drought (25 of the 47 seasons) before being renamed to Blackhawks in 1986
- 3 includes 26 seasons for Minnesota North Stars (1967–68 through to 1992–93) + 5 seasons for Dallas Stars (1993–94 through to 1997–98)
- 4 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010-11). However, the Winnipeg Jets were the defending Avco World Cup champions of the WHA when the franchise entered the NHL for the 1979–80 NHL season.
- 5 includes 18 seasons for Hartford Whalers (1979–80 through to 1996–97) + 7 seasons for Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98 through to 2003–04)
Cities/regions awaiting first Stanley Cup
This list only includes cities/regions currently hosting an NHL franchise.
City/Region Seasons waited Stanley Cup
Final appearancesCurrent NHL team St. Louis 441 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 St. Louis Blues Los Angeles2 43 1992–93 Los Angeles Kings Buffalo 40 1974–75, 1998–99 Buffalo Sabres Minneapolis-Saint Paul 363 1980–814, 1990–914 Minnesota Wild Washington, D.C. 36 1997–98 Washington Capitals San Francisco Bay Area 285 never San Jose Sharks South Florida 17 1995–96 Florida Panthers Phoenix 14 never Phoenix Coyotes Nashville 12 never Nashville Predators Columbus 10 never Columbus Blue Jackets - 1 includes 1 season of the St. Louis Eagles (1934–35) + 43 seasons of the St. Louis Blues (1967–68 through to 2010–11)
- 2 does not include the entire Los Angeles metropolitan area, and thus the Anaheim Ducks' Cup championship in 2007
- 3 includes 26 seasons of the Minnesota North Stars (1967–68 through to 1992–93) + 10 seasons of the Minnesota Wild (2000–01 through to 2010–11)
- 4 both Stanley Cup Final appearances by the Minnesota North Stars
- 5 includes 9 seasons of the California Seals, Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals franchise (1967–68 through to 1975–76) + 19 seasons of the San Jose Sharks (1991–92 through to 2010–11)
- Although the Vancouver Canucks have not won a Stanley Cup in their 40 seasons of existence (inception of franchise in 1970–71 through to 2010–11), Vancouver has one Stanley Cup to its credit - the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association won the Stanley Cup in 1915 prior to the founding of the NHL in 1917.
- While the Ottawa Senators have never won the Stanley Cup in their 18 seasons of existence (inception of franchise in 1992–93 through to 2010–11), Ottawa celebrated 11 Stanley Cup championships with the original era Ottawa Senators, the last one in 1927.
- While the Winnipeg Jets have never played a game in the Stanley Cup Final, and therefore never won the Stanley Cup, Winnipeg celebrated three Stanley Cup championships by the Winnipeg Victorias, the last in 1902, prior to the founding of the NHL in 1917.
See also
- List of National Hockey League (NHL) franchise post-season appearance streaks
- List of Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise post-season droughts
- List of National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise post-season droughts
- List of National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season droughts
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