11 NHL Teams Without a Stanley Cup
Winning in the NHL is anything but easy. When considering how hard it is to win each individual battle within the game while also trying to come out ahead in the games themselves over the course of a season, the difficulty level increases exponentially.
This is why winning a Stanley Cup is something that has eluded so many franchises in the NHL. Only one team can win, and for teams that come close and ultimately lose, there’s no guarantee they’ll ever get the opportunity again. It’s a fickle endeavor, but it’s one that fans of the sport love. Here now are the many NHL teams that have never won the Stanley Cup.
Arizona Coyotes (Formerly the Winnipeg Jets)
Even before the Arizona Coyotes started playing hockey in Phoenix and Glendale, the franchise struggled to compete for a championship. As the original Winnipeg Jets, the franchise never managed to advance past the second round of the postseason. It was a troubling affair as fans in Winnipeg loved their franchise, but with the disappointing seasons adding up, a change was needed.
Since moving to Arizona and becoming the Coyotes, things haven’t gotten much better. The team managed to qualify for the playoffs in each of its first four seasons. Unfortunately, each berth resulted in the same outcome; a first-round exit to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche respectively.
After failing to qualify for the postseason in the 2000-01 season, the Coyotes were once again bounced in the first round the following year in five games to the San Jose Sharks. It’s been a rough ride for the Coyotes, who in their 22 seasons, have failed to qualify for the playoffs 13 times and lost in the first round seven times.
The Coyotes’ best season came in 2011-12 when the team finished first in the Pacific Division and third in the Western Conference. Winning a playoff series for the first time in the desert, the Coyotes actually advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, they fell short to the Los Angeles Kings – the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
Buffalo Sabres
The history of sports in Buffalo has been interesting and full of heartbreak. Since the 1965 AFL championship, it has been 52 years since a sports franchise from Buffalo had won a championship until the Buffalo Beauts of the NWHL did so in 2016-17. For the Buffalo Sabres, the journey has been a roller coaster that has yet to reward the city with a Stanley Cup victory. In the history of the franchise dating back to the 1970-71 season, the team has failed to qualify for the playoffs 17 times and lost in the first round 14 times. The team has had some success, though, as they’ve played in the second round 14 times, advancing to the Conference Finals six times and even playing in https://rapidloan.net/installment-loans-ri/ the Stanley Cup Final in 1975 and again in 1999.
The Sabres ultimately lost both of those appearances with the most recent loss coming against the Dallas Stars who claimed their first and only championship to date.
It wasn’t a series that came without controversy, however, as the game-winning goal and subsequent press conferences have become ingrained in the history of the NHL. Though the goal may or may not have been a good one, the history books will forever read that the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup that night; Lindy Ruff, then the coach of the Sabres, will likely forever feel the same way about the play.
Though one goal cost the Sabres the Stanley Cup in 1999, the recent trend of the Sabres has been a concerning one. The team has failed to qualify for the postseason in 10 of the last 12 years including eight consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance starting from the 2011-12 season and continuing to this very day.
