MISERY LOVES COMPANY: LONG DROUGHTS PART OF EVERY FRANCHISE'S HISTORY
The Stanley Cup is the Holy Grail of professional team sports in North America. It is not an entitlement, nor is the lack winning it in fill-in-the-blank years necessarily a mark of organizational failure. Apart from the roster design and coaching, it takes quite a bit of luck -- peaking at just the right time, avoiding too many injuries, getting a few favorable matchups, winning some crucial overtime or close-call games that just as easily could have gone the other way and swung the series-- to win the trophy.
That's the reality. The Cup can't be bought, traded for or even drafted. It takes a combination of all three strategies and there is no magical formula for doing so. Over the decades, there have been a slew of teams with rosters and coaching capable of going all the way that fall short of the championships. Often, it is for reasons that are very difficult for the teams to control.
Pro sports in general are all about "what have you done for us lately." It is not exclusive to hockey by any means. The Philadelphia Phillies won five straight division titles, a World Series and back-to-back pennants in recent memory. Nevertheless, the Phillies fanbase is not blissfully living off memories of those years and packing the Citizens Bank Ballpark stands now while the team is a major down cycle that very well could last for years to come.
The same principle goes for the Flyers and all NHL teams. Would Flyers fans really feel better about the current state of the team if they had the hard-fought 2010 Finals turned out in their favor instead of Chicago's? Would there still be a "grace" period? No and no.
Let's say the 2003-04 team -- arguably the best top-to-bottom lineup the Flyers have iced entering a playoff year in the last 20 seasons -- had not been decimated by injuries and won the Cup instead of losing a 2-1 game in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Would it even make a difference in the perception of the team's success or failure? Not much.
Would older fans still be saying, "Well, we'll always have that 1987 Cup" if overtime of Game 2 of the Finals -- which featured a good Flyers scoring chance on the opening shift before Edmonton's Jari Kurri scored -- had gone Philly's way and the rest of the series played out the same? Would J.J. Daigneault's famous goal in Game Six soothe the disappointments since then had it been the Cup winner instead of "merely" forcing a seventh game back Edmonton? No, it will still feel like ancient history any which way.
Overall, the Flyers have actually spoiled their fanbase. The team has historically gone all out to win and has been among the contenders more often than the also-rans for the majority of the last 42 years (going back to a trip to the Stanley Cup semifinals). The nature of sports, however, it that things are cyclical even for most good franchises.
Hockey in particular involves a lot of frustration. Every franchise in the league, at one time or another, has had to endure a lengthy Stanley Cup drought (if it has ever won one at all) that stretches for very long periods of time. That includes the elite franchises.
The teams that won multiple Cups prior to 1967 had the advantage of doing so in a six-team league where four reached the postseason. Back then, it only took eight wins to win the championship, as opposed to the 16 in the modern era with the league repeatedly expanding to the current 30 teams. Even in that era, it was often a two-horse race for the Cup and there were no guarantees of coming out on top.
Yes, the Flyers have gone without a Stanley Cup for 40 years and have lost in the Finals six times since then with seven additional losses in Conference Finals. Guess what, though? That is actually an enviable overall history. If the sole basis by which one is to judge success or failure is by winning the Stanley Cup, then 29 franchises per season are a failure and all 30 who have been around long enough have been failures for stretches of multiple decades at a time.
Here's a look at the "failure history" of each of the other 29 franchises in the NHL apart from the Flyers. This exercise is not to mock any other team, but simply to show how hard winning the Cup truly is and how every franchise experiences long droughts either in cycles or seeming perpetuity.
METRO DIVISION
NYR: The Rangers have won one Stanley Cup since 1940 -- a period of 75 years -- but presently have a team capable of winning the Cup if things break their way. Entering the 2015 playoffs, it has been 21 years since the team went all the way in 1994. The Rangers had to survive a very thorny playoff run that year to earn their one championship since World War II.
NYI: The Islanders were a dynasty from 1980 to 1983, with four straight Cups. Since then, the franchise has gone 32 years without a Cup, and their last time winning a playoff round (entering the 2015 playoffs) was 1993.
NJ: The Devils had a miserable history in their years as the Kansas City Scouts (1974-75 to 1975-76) and Colorado Rockies (1976-77 to 1981-82) and were a doormat in most of their early years in the Meadowlands as well. Finally, the franchise built a winner in the 1990s and won Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003 with two additional appearances in the Finals (2001 and 2012). However, nowadays the team has missed playoffs in three of the last four years, and is 12 years removed from its last Cup.
WSH: The Capitals joined NHL in 1974. In 41 seasons thus far, the franchise owns zero Cup rings, and made one Finals appearance (1997-98).
PIT: The Penguins have had two multi-year glory periods in their history and won three Cups overall. However, this is also a franchise that missed playoffs 7 of 8 years in early to late '80s, was a bottom feeder in early to mid 2000s (four straight years out playoffs), and whose last Cup is presently six years removed. Heading into the 1984 draft year, the organization obtained Mario Lemieux through blatant tanking. After the 2004-05 season cancellation, the Penguins obtained Sidney Crosby through a heavily weighted lottery. The franchise was on brink of relocation at one point in the early 2000s and operated on a shoestring budget with little to no concern for icing a winning team so much as surviving until a new arena was approved and financial stability was restored.
CBJ: The Blue Jackets first season was 2000-01. In franchise history to date, they have made two playoff appearances, and have yet to win a playoff series.
CAR: Entered the NHL in 1979-80 as the Hartford Whalers. No Cups, one series win (never advanced beyond second round), missed playoffs 10 times. Relocated to become Carolina Huricanes in 1997-98. The Canes won the Stanley Cup in 2005-06 and reached the Finals in 2001-02. However, they have since missed the playoffs in 10 of the last 12 seasons.
ATLANTIC
MTL: For all of the Canadiens' glorious history prior to the 1980s, they are 22 years removed from their last Cup (back when Eric Desjardins' hat trick in the Finals and John LeClair's two OT goals in the Finals were springboards to the 1993 Cup). The team has won two Cups in the last 35 years. The team missed the playoffs seven times in that span, including three straight years and four of five in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
DET: The Red Wings are the NHL's gold standard franchise of the modern era, but they, too, have known plenty of misery. The good news: The team has made the playoffs every year since 1990-91, won four Stanley Cups in that span and reached the Finals two other times. The bad news: The Red Wings went from 1955 to 1997 without winning a single Cup; a span of 42 years.
TOR: The Maple Leafs had a glorious history pre-1967 NHL expansion but have not only not won a single Stanley Cup since there six teams in the NHL, they have not reached the Finals even once in that entire span. Currently, the team is an on a run of missing the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons.
BOS: Won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and reached the Finals in 2013. Prior to that, the Bruins had a 39-year drought (1972 to 2011) without a Cup. Going way back, they also had a drought of 29 years (1941 to 1970) and were the worst team of the latter portion of the six-team era, missing the playoffs (four of six qualified) in each of eight straight seasons from 1959-60 to 1966-67. In the 2000s, the Bruins missed the playoffs in four of seven seasons at one point. They missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 2006-07.
OTT: The Senators joined the NHL in 1992-93. In their franchise history to date, they have won zero Cups with one appearance in Finals.
BUFF: The Sabres joined the NHL in 1970-71. In that span, the team has won zero Cups with two appearances in Finals. Buffalo is currently the worst team in the NHL and is undergoing a complete rebuilding process that will likely take several more years to produce dividends.
FLA: The Panthers joined the NHL in 1993-94: zero Cups, one appearance in Finals. The Cats have missed the playoffs 13 of the last 14 seasons. The team has not won a playoff series since reaching the Finals in 1996.
TB: The Lightning joined the NHL in 1992-93. The high points: one Stanley Cup (2003-04) championship, two trips as far as Eastern Conference finals. Tampa missed playoffs in nine of its first 10 years of existence. Entering this season, they've either missed the playoffs (five times) or lost in the first round in eight of the last nine years.
CENTRAL DIVISION
CHI: The Blackhawks are currently a powerhouse with Stanley Cup championships in 2010 and 2013 to their credit. However, prior to the 2010 win, the team had gone nearly a half-century seasons without a Cup (1960-61 was their last win prior to 2010). From 1997-98 to 2007-08, the team missed the playoffs nine times.
STL: Along the Flyers and four other clubs, the Blues joined the NHL in the 1967 expansion. They have never won a Stanley Cup. In the last 45 years, the team has not reached the Finals, yet the Blues were considered contenders for much of the 1990s in particular. The club has only won a single playoff series since advancing to the second round in 2001-02. They missed the playoffs in five of six years between 2005-06 and 2010-11.
DAL: The franchise joined the NHL as the Minnesota North Stars in 1967 expansion. Zero Cups, two appearances in Finals before relocating to Dallas as the Stars in 1993. Since 1993-94, the team has won one Cup (1998-99) and reached the Finals twice (last time was in 1999-2000). In the last seven years, the team has missed the playoffs six times.
COL: Joined the NHL as the Quebec Nordiques in 1979-80. The Nords won zero Cups and had zero Finals appearances before moving to Denver as the Colorado Avalanche in 1995-96. The Avs won the Stanley Cup their first year in Colorado and also won Cup in 2000-01. However, they've had no Cups or Finals appearances in the last 13 years. Colorado has missed the playoffs in four of the last five years. They last won a playoff round in 2008.
WPG: The franchise joined the NHL as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999-2000. Typically a bottom-feeder, the Thrashers had zero Cups, zero playoff series wins, and just one playoff appearance (2006-07) before relocating to Manitoba as the reincarnated Winnipeg Jets in 2011-12. The team missed the playoffs each of the first three seasons in Winnipeg before getting a wildcard spot this year.
NSH: The Predators joined the NHL in 1998-99. They have zero Cups and zero Finals appearances to date. Nashville has twice won first-round playoff series wins but have made no trips beyond the second round in franchise history.
MIN: The Wild joined the NHL in 2000-01. They've won zero Cups and had zero Finals appearances to date. Minnesota has had just one playoff series win in the last 12 years heading into the 2015 playoffs.
PACIFIC
LA: As often gets pointed out to Flyers fans, the Kings won Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. As for the rest of their franchise history: LA joined the NHL in the 1967 expansion and won zero Cups with one trip to the Finals (1993) in the first 43 seasons of existence. They missed the playoffs the season after reaching the Finals for the first time. LA has also missed the playoffs this season; a year after winning the 2013-14 Cup.
EDM: The Oilers joined the NHL in the 1979 merger with the WHA. Boasting arguably the most spectacular roster in NHL history, they had a four-championship Stanley Cup dynasty of the mid-to-late-1980s and won another Cup in 1990 after the departure of Wayne Gretzky. In the last quarter century,however, the Oilers have won zero Cups with one Cinderella-story trip to the Finals (2006) as an eighth seed. Since that time, the team has missed the playoffs in each of the last nine seasons.
VAN: The Canucks joined the NHL in 1970-71. There have been zero Cups in franchise history, and three Finals appearances (1982, 1994, 2011). The team missed the playoffs last year and, entering this year's postseason, had not won a playoff series since 2011.
CGY: The franchise entered the NHL as the Atlanta Flames in 1972-73. They had zero Cups and zero playoff series wins before relocating to Calgary for the 1980-81 season. In the 35 years since then, the franchise has one Stanley Cup (1988-89) and two other appearances in the Finals (1986, 2004). This season, the Flames ended a streak of missing the playoffs for five straight years.
ANA: The (Mighty) Ducks joined the NHL in 1993-94. They hold one Stanley Cup (2006-07) plus an earlier Finals appearance (2003) in their franchise history to date. The Ducks missed the playoffs two out of three seasons between 2009-10 to 2011-12 with a first-round loss in the middle. Entering the 2015 playoffs, the Ducks have not advanced beyond the second round since their last Cup championship.
SJ: The Sharks joined the NHL in 1991-92. They own zero Cups and have never made a Finals appearances in franchise history. However, they reached the Western Conference Finals three times (2004, 2010, 2011) in the 2000s. After a run of 10 straight years of reaching postseason play, the Sharks missed the playoffs in 2014-15.
ARI: Joined the NHL as the Winnipeg Jets in 1979-80 as part of the WHA merger. The franchise had zero Cups, zero finals appearances, zero advancements to the Conference Finals and two first-round series wins) before relocating to Arizona as the Coyotes in 1996. Since that time, the franchise has won zero Cups, with zero trips to the Stanley Cup Final, one trip to the Western Conference Final (2012) and no other years of getting out of the first round of the playoffs. The Coyotes have missed the playoffs three straight years.
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PHANTOMS FALL IN FINALE
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms had a rough ending to their 2014-15 campaign, losing in regulation in each of the final three games of the season to finish the season with a 33-35-7-1 record. In Sunday's season finale at the PPL Center, the Phantoms sustained a 5-1 whipping at the hands of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Veteran defenseman Oliver Lauridsen scored the lone Phantoms goal. Rob Zepp stopped 30 of 35 shots. Lehigh Valley was held to just three shots in the second period while the game was still theoretically within reach at 3-1.
In an upcoming blog, I will look at the Phantoms season and notable players in depth. For now, here's a quick statistical rundown of key veteran and young players:
Forwards
Nick Cousins 64GP, 22G, 34A, 56PTS, +2
Jason Akeson 57GP, 23G, 30A, 53PTS, -11
Andrew Gordon 76GP, 18G, 24A, 42PTS, -10
Taylor Leier 73GP, 13G, 18A, 31PTS, -9
Scott Laughton 39GP, 14G, 13A, 27PTS, -16
Zack Stortini 76GP, 13G, 12A, 25PTS, -5, 184PIM
Petr Straka 68GP 14G 10A 24PTS -20
Blair Jones 33GP, 9G, 12A, 21PTS, +3
Brett Hextall 63GP, 6G, 8A, 14PTS, -16, 119PIM
Darroll Powe 43GP, 5G, 9A, 14PTS, -5
Jay Rosehill 65GP, 5G, 7A, 12PTS, -15, 219PIM
Danick Martel 5GP 1G 2A 3PTS +1
Cole Bardreau 15GP 1G 1A 2PTS -3
Derek Mathers 40GP, 0G, 2A, 2PTS, -3, 147PIM
Defensemen
Brandon Manning 60GP, 11G, 32A, 43PTS, -13, 150PIM
Robert Hägg 69GP, 3G, 17A, 20PTS, -12
Oliver Lauridsen 75GP, 4G, 6A, 10PTS, +6, 152PIM
Mark Alt 44GP, 2G, 6A, 8PTS, -15
Jesper Pettersson 51GP, 2G, 5A, 7PTS, -5
Shayne Gostisbehere 5GP, 0G, 5A, 5PTS, -1
Goaltenders
Rob Zepp 47GP, 21-20-4, 2.68GAA, .917SV%, 0SO
Anthony Stolarz 31GP, 9-13-4, 3.28GAA, .905SV%, 2SO
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FLYERS ALUMNI UPDATES FROM FlyersAlumni.org
* The Flyers Alumni will host a fantasy hockey camp from August 21-24 in Atlantic City, open to anyone age 21 and older. Instructors and Alumni participants will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Ian Laperriere, Todd Fedoruk, Andre "Moose" Dupont, Dave "the Hammer" Schultz, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
The registration deadline is June 1. Participation costs $3,000 apiece but it is free to
register a spot online. Over on the Flyers' Alumni website, there is
more information on camp-related activities and on-ice schedules.
* The Flyers Alumni will hold a benefit game at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on April 25 at 1:00 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Willis Foundation, with funds being distributed in the Delaware Valley. There will be a limited number of tickets available to the public plus a small-group meet-and-greet event with the Alumni.
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