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Quick Hits: June 2, 2024
1) The championship game of the 2024 Memorial Cup tournament is on Sunday night, pitting the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights (3-0-0) against the tournament host Saginaw Spirit (3-1-0). The game will be televised on NHL Network. Between the OHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup to date, the Knights have gone 19-2 in postseason play.
2) The Florida Panthers are back-to-back Eastern Conference champions after defeating the New York Rangers in six games. Congratulations go out to former Flyers goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz. Panthers general manager Bill Zito was a short-list candidate for the Flyers' job in the summer of 2019 before the organization opted to hire Chuck Fletcher to fill the vacancy.
3) Today in Flyers History: June 2
1978: In exchange for dropping a tampering complaint for the New York Rangers hiring Fred Shero to be their new head coach and general manager while Shero was still the Flyers' head coach and the Rangers had not obtained permission to speak to "the Fog," the Rangers agreed to send the Flyers their first-round pick (7th overall) in the 1978 NHL Draft. The Flyers subsequently used the pick to select agitating playmaking forward Ken "the Rat" Linseman.
2010: Apart from the Philadelphia Flyers run to within two wins of the 2010 Stanley Cup being one of the most exhilarating - but ultimately heartbreaking - segments of franchise history, the playoffs were also a turning point in the career of Flyers' 2006 first-round draft choice Claude Giroux.
It was during the 2010 playoffs that Giroux, in his second pro season, started to blossom into a National Hockey League star. After posting 16 goals and 47 points during the regular season, the 22-year-old Giroux exploded for 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 23 playoff games.
The biggest performance of his young career came in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks. Giroux assisted on a second period Scott Hartnell power play goal that forged a 2-1 lead for Philly. After the visiting Blackhawks battled back to a take a 3-2 lead on an early third period tally by Patrick Kane, Giroux and company responded just 20 seconds later. The red-hot Ville Leino notched his sixth goal of the playoffs on a setup from Giroux to knot the game at 3-3.
At 5:59 of overtime, Giroux scored against Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi to secure a 4-3 win for the Flyers and complete a three-point effort. The series deficit was now reduced to two games to one with a chance to draw even in Game Four.
4) June 2 Flyers Alumni birthday: Doug Evans (1963)
5) I have blogged about this before, but it bears repeating. Every long-tenured organization in the National Hockey League, at some point in its history, experiences a long drought without winning the Stanley Cup. The Flyers are just like everyone else. I define this as being when the roster of a club's last championship team (if there was one) no longer has any still-active players in the league.
For example, the 2013-14 Los Angeles Kings roster is down to three still-active NHL players after the recent retirement of Jeff Carter. The active NHLers consist of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick (now with the Rangers). The 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks, who beat the Flyers in the Finals, are down to one still-active player: Patrick Kane (now with the Detroit Red Wings). Fourteen years later, the runner-up Flyers are down to two: Claude Giroux (Ottawa Senators) and James van Riemsdyk (Boston Bruins).
Let's go through all 32 NHL organizations, of which 30 have histories that date back at least 20 seasons and many who have around 50+ seasons. What every franchise has in common: At some point along the way, they've had spells of failing to win the Cup that have stretched two decades or, sometimes, considerably longer.
It's just how it goes in hockey. If your team is on top for awhile, savor every bit of it because the glory days won't last forever, and the next significant downturn could prove to be very long-lasting when it arrives. Beyond good design, it takes a bit of good luck (healthy and peaking at the right time, some favorable matchups along the way) to go all the way.
Anaheim Ducks: Entered the NHL in 1993. The franchise has won one Stanley Cup in 31 years of existence and reached the Cup Final twice. The Ducks are now 17 years removed from their first and only Stanley Cup victory.
Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Hockey Club): Entered the NHL in 1979 as the Winnipeg Jets after the NHL/WHA merger later and moved to Arizona in 1996. The club is now relocating again; this time to Utah. The organization has never won the Stanley Cup in their 45-year existence. The team also has never appeared in the Stanley Cup Final.
Boston Bruins: Original Six team. The team's 2010-11 Stanley Cup ended a 39-year drought without a championship. Team is now 13 years removed for their last Cup. The Bruins have won the Stanley Cup six times in their 100-year history: three prior to the NHL's 1967 expansion from six to 12 teams, and three since then.
Buffalo Sabres: Entered the NHL in 1970. The team has never won the Stanley Cup. The club made it to the Cup Final in 1975 (lost to the Flyers) and 1999. Buffalo is currently in a stretch of missing the playoffs in 13 straight years. The Sabres last won a playoff series in 2007 and has missed the playoffs in 15 of the last 17 years.
Calgary Flames: Entered the NHL in 1972 as the Atlanta Flames. They have won one Stanley Cup championship (1989) in their 52-year history. They are now 35 years removed from that season. The team has reached the Stanley Cup Final three times in its history, most recently 20 years ago when they lost to Tampa Bay.
Carolina Hurricanes: Entered the NHL in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers. They have won one Stanley Cup championship in team history (2006) and are now 18 years removed from that season. They previously reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2002; their only other appearance. Presently a Cup contender again, the franchise endured a stretch of nine straight years of missing the playoffs (2009-10 through 2017-18), overlapping with a span of failing to qualify for the playoffs in 11 of the next 12 seasons after their 2006 Stanley Cup victory.
Chicago Blackhawks: Original Six team. The Blackhawks ended a 49-year Cup drought in 2010 with their six-game victory over the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final. They began a stretch of winning three Stanley Cup championships in six years. The team is now nine years removed from its most recent Cup, and has won but a single playoff series in that span (missing the playoffs twice). Overall, the Blackhawks have won six Cups in their 98-year existence. Currently, the Blackhawks have missed the playoffs in four straight seasons and six of the last seven (first-round loss in the bubble during the 2020 playoffs).
Colorado Avalanche: Entered the NHL as the Quebec Nordiques in 1979. The Nords never won the Cup or reached the Finals in their 16 years of post-WHA merger existence before relocated to Denver as the Avalanche. The team won the 1996 Stanley Cup in its first year after relocating and won again in 2001. The club ended a 21-year Cup (and Cup Finals) drought in 2021. Before re-emerging as a contender, the Avalanche endured a 12-year stretch of either missing the playoffs (eight times), losing in the first round (three times) or the second round (once) between 2006-07 and 2017-18.
Columbus Blue Jackets: The CBJ entered the NHL as an expansion team in 2000. In their 24-season history, they have never won the Stanley Cup or reached the Cup Final. They have won two playoff series in franchise history, never advancing beyond the second round.
Dallas Stars: Entered the NHL as the Minnesota North Stars during the 1967 expansion from six to 12 teams. In their 57-year history, the Stars/North Stars have won only one Stanley Cup (1999) and reached the Final an additional four times (1981 and 1991 as Minnesota, 1998 and 2020 as Dallas). After reaching the Cup Final in 2019-20 and pushing the champion Lightning to six hard-fought games, the Stars failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2020-21. Presently, the team is competing in the 2024 Western Conference Final and needs back-to-back wins over the Oilers to avoid elimination.
Detroit Red Wings: Original Six team. Their 1997 Stanley Cup sweep of the Flyers ended a 42-year Cupless drought and was the first of back-to-cup NHL championships. The Red Wings also won the Cup in 2002 and 2008. The team lost to Pittsburgh in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. The team is now 12 years removed from from its last trip to the Final. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs each of the last eight seasons. It's now 11 seasons since the Red Wings won a playoff series, as they reached the second round in 2013. Overall, the Red Wings have won 11 Stanley Cup championships in their 98-year history but seven predate the 1967 NHL expansion.
Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers entered the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL/WHA merger. The team enjoyed one of the NHL's all-time great dynasties, winning the Stanley Cup in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. The last one came after departure of Wayne Gretzky, who never won a subsequent Stanley Cup with LA, St. Louis or the New York Rangers. One win away from winning the Western Conference championship, 2023-24 is eighteen seasons since their last trip to the Final and 34 since the last Stanley Cup. It's been a long road since then, including a spell of 10 years of missing the playoffs (12 of 13) and a spell of not advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs in 14 of 15 seasons.
Florida Panthers: Now the Eastern Conference champions in back-to-back seasons, the Panthers are four wins away from their first Stanley Cup championship in 31 years of existence. They previously reached the Cup Final in 1996; their third season of existence. After that, the Panthers went the next quarter century -- 25 years -- without winning a single playoff series. They missed the playoffs in 18 of those 25 years, including a 10-year stretch and a pair of three-year playoff droughts.
LA Kings: The Kings entered the NHL as part of the 1967 expansion. They have two Stanley Cup championships in their 57-year existence: 2012 and 2014. Since then, the club has not won a single playoff series in the last decade since their 2013-14 championship squad. Prior to their early 2010s glory years, the Kings' only previous trip to the Stanley Cup Final came in 1993, when they were favored to beat the Montreal Canadiens but lost the series in six games.
Minnesota Wild: The Wild entered the NHL in 2000. They have never won the Stanley Cup or reached the Cup Final in their 24 seasons of existence. The closest they've gotten was a trip to the Western Conference Final in 2003 before getting swept by Anaheim.
Montreal Canadiens: The Habs are the NHL's most storied franchise, having won a record 24 Stanley Cup champions. Largely due to a longtime pre-NHL Draft monopoly on prospects from Quebec-based junior programs, the Canadiens had dynasties in the 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s to early 1970s and mid-1970s to the end of the decade. However, the current-day team is 31 years removed from its last Stanley Cup championship. They've won the Cup once (1992-93) in the last 38 years. The Habs made an underdog run to the 2021 Cup Final but otherwise have missed the playoffs in five of the last seven years.
Nashville Predators: The Predators entered the NHL in 1998. They have never won the Stanley Cup in their 26-year history. The team's run to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final was the team's lone Western Conference championship.
New Jersey Devils: Entered the NHL in 1974 as the Kansas City Scouts and became the Colorado Rockies for six seasons before moving to northern New Jersey. The team was a perennial doormat in all three locations until the early-to-mid-1990s. The Devils won the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003 (beating the Flyers in six games and seven games in the 1995 and 2000 Eastern Conference Finals respectively). The team is now 21 years removed from its last Stanley Cup championship and is now 12 years removed from its most recent trip to the Stanley Cup Final (the Devils upset the favored Flyers in five games in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinal). Since that time, the Devils have missed the playoffs in 10 of the last 12 years and have only advanced beyond the first round once (2022-23, second round).
New York Islanders: The Islanders entered the NHL in 1972. The Islanders are now 41 years removed from the end of their dynasty of four straight Stanley Cup championships and five straight trips to the Cup Final. Before back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference final in 2020 and 2021, the team hadn't been past the second round in 24 years. This included a spell of missing the playoffs 16 times and losing in the first round six times.
New York Rangers: Original Six team. The Rangers were just eliminated in Game 6 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. The Blueshirts have won just one Stanley Cup (1993-94 under Mike Keenan) in the last 84 years. They are now 30 years removed from their most recent Cup. The Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Final under Alain Vigneault in 2013-14 but have not been back in the last 10 years.
Ottawa Senators: The modern-day incarnation of the Senators entered the NHL in 1992. They have not won the Stanley Cup in their 32-year existence. The Senators reached the Cup Final for the first and only time in 2008 and have not been back in the 16 years since then. Ottawa is currently in a spell of missing the playoffs in seven straight years and eight of the last nine.
Philadelphia Flyers: Flyers fans basically got spoiled to being a perennial contender with the exception of a five-year stretch out of the playoffs from 1989-90 to 1993-94. The team won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975 -- now 50 years since the first Cup and 49 since the second -- and also reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987 and 1997. The club made it the Stanley Cup semifinals/ Conference Final in 1973, 1977, 1978, 1989, 1995, 2000 and 2004. It's been much tougher since the implementation of the salary cap in 2005 and the continued expansion of the league. The Flyers reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2008 and the Stanley Cup Final in 2010. Over the last 14 years, the Flyers have reached the second round in 2011, 2012 and 2020. From 2012-13 to 2019-20, the Flyers fell into an alternating-year pattern of missing (2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19, 2020-21) and making (2013-14, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2019-20) the playoffs. The team has only a 2020 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal win over Montreal to show for the last 14 seasons. The Flyers have missed the playoffs in four straight seasons.
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins entered the NHL in 1967. No team's history, except perhaps Washington's, breaks down more concretely into distinct eras than the Pens.
Pre-1990s, although the team periodically made the playoffs, they were never a top contender. In fact, for the majority of that span, the club was a financially trouble organization, and went through its first bankruptcy. The team, which endured a span of 15 years without winning a single road game in Philadelphia, openly tanked in 1983-84 in order to be able to select Mario Lemieux in the 1984 Draft.
Lemieux was an instant superstar but it took until the end of the decade and the start of the 1990s to assemble enough pieces around him to the become a contender. The team went through a bankruptcy (in fact, Ed Snider's Spectactor became their landlords, and the Penguins continued to pile up debt in unpaid deferred compensation). The Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1990-91 and 1992-93 and remained a contender through the rest of the decade.
In the early 1990s, renewed financial problems and Lemieux's on-again/off-again retirements took the team back to doormat status. The team was in deep trouble until Lemieux leveraged the organization's debts to him to become the majority owner. Even then, it took a threat to move to Kansas City to get a taxpayer funded arena built plus a series of years selecting at or near the top of the NHL Draft (most notably, the heavily weighted 2005 lottery on the heels of the cancelation of the 2004-05 season and the implementation of a salary cap that took away the advantages that teams like the Flyers, Rangers, Bruins, Maple Leafs and Canadiens had in being to outspend the opposition to acquire most any player of their choosing.
The Penguins had one additional last-place season in 2005-06 and then began to re-emerge as a contender. The team lost to Detroit in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final and then returned the favor by beating the Red Wings in the 2009 Cup Final.
In the 2010s, the Pens were a perennial Cup contender, even a regular preseason favorite to go all the way. The team won back-to-back Cup championships in 2016 and 2017.
Since that time, the Penguins have lost in the first round three times and the second round once. Today, the Penguins are in a bad way: the oldest roster in the NHL, a paper-thin farm system (strip-mined from years and years of trading away first-round picks), back-to-back seasons of missing the playoffs, six straight years of not advancing beyond the first round.
Now seven years removed from their most recent Cup, the Penguins have a lot of work to do to avoid their current outlook from turning into their next prolonged drought. The team is in need of a complete rebuild.
San Jose Sharks: The Sharks entered the NHL in 1991. Although often a well-regarded contender in the Western Conference until recent years, the team has never won the Stanley Cup in its 33-year history. San Jose reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first and only time in 2015-16 but had four other trips to the Western Conference Final. More recently, the Sharks have missed the playoffs in four straight seasons.
Seattle Kraken: The Kraken haven't felt the pain yet because they only entered the NHL for the 2021-22 season. The team reached the playoffs and won a round under now-former head coach Dave Hakstol in their second season but did not qualify in 2023-24.
St. Louis Blues: The Blues entered the NHL in 1967. They won their first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2018-19. That season was also the Blues' lone trip to the Stanley Cup Final in the last 54 years; dating back to when the NHL eliminated the format of having the Western Divsion (consisting of the six expansion teams) champion having a guaranteed trip to the Final against the surviving Original Six team from the East Division.
Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning were founded in 1992. They won the Stanley Cup in 2004 under John Tortorella, 2020 and 2021 under Jon Cooper. They've been perennial contenders in the 2020s. Prior to that, though, there was a lot more rough seasons than glorious ones apart from the (pun intended) lighting in a bottle, virtually injury-free 2003-04 campaign that resulted in their first Stanley Cup championship. Launched in 1992, the Lightning reached the playoffs only once in their first nine years of existence and lost to the Flyers in the first round in 1996; Tampa's lone postseason appearance of their early years. After the 2003-04 Cup championship, the Lightning quickly returned to being a playoff bubble team (93 and 91 points) and then missed the playoffs in five of the next six seasons. The Lightning re-emerged as a high-end team in the latter 2010s, reaching the 2015 Stanley Cup Final and the Eastern Conference Final in 2016 and 2018 after a one-year slip of missing the playoffs in 2016-17. Tampa currently remains a contender but their window for another Cup appears to be closing.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs were an elite team in the Original Six era, surpassed only by the Canadiens. Toronto has experienced a whole of futility and frustration ever since. Winners of 13 Stanley Cup championships from 1917-18 through 1966-67, the Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup in the last 57 years. Moreover, they have not even reached the Stanley Cup Final in that same span. It's the longest current drought in the NHL, despite the Leafs regularly being a high spending team bot in the years leading up to the establishment of the salary cap in 2015.
Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks entered the NHL in 1970. They have not won the Stanley Cup yet in their 54 seasons of existence. The team reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1982, 1994 and 2011. They fell one win shy of hockey's ultimate prize in 1994 under Pat Quinn and 2011 under Alain Vigneault. The team has not been back to the Cup Final in the last 13 years.
Vegas Golden Knights: Founded in 2017, the Golden Knights became an instant and perennial Cup contender as they reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first year, reached the Conference Final in 2020-21, and won the Cup in 2022-23 (their sixth season). However, there are no guarantees that Vegas will be able to stay near the top for the long haul.
Washington Capitals: Founded in 1974, the Capitals were a perennial doormat in their first decade of existence and very nearly went out of business in 1982 (among others, Ed Snider lent assistance to the Save the Capitals campaign, including having Flyers players record fundraising commercials geared toward fans in the Mid-Atlantic corridor). The team emerged as a solid, playoff-caliber club for most of the 1980s and 1990s. After a rough spell in the early 2000s, the Capitals reemerged with Alex Ovechkin as the face of the franchise. Overall, the Capitals have won one Stanley Cup (2017-18) in their 50-year existence and made two trips to the Cup Final (1997-98 when they were swept by Detroit plus the victorious 2018 run). They were a perennial contender for 12 years in the 2010s to early 2020s but are presently a bubble to non-playoff club again.
Winnipeg Jets: The current-day version of the Jets began life as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1997. In its combined 27-year existence, the team has never won the Stanley Cup or reached the Cup Final. In their 11 years in Atlanta, the team missed the playoffs 10 times and lost in the first round once (2006-07). Since moving to Winnipeg, the team reached the Western Conference Final in 2017-18 and got to the second round in 2021.
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