Nashville Predators One of Dozen Stanley Cupless Teams
The Nashville Predators aren’t the only team that is still looking for their first Stanley Cup.
As a matter of fact, the Nashville Predators are one of a dozen teams that haven’t had a chance to hold the Cup high. Some of those have been searching for the right pieced for a lot longer than the Preds. And some of them are kind of surprising.
There are teams that have had even longer droughts than these 12 teams. The storied Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won the cup since 1966-67, a span of 47 seasons and the famed Philadelphia Flyers haven’t won since 1974-75, for 39 seasons.
But those teams can be saved for another day, this is about teams that have never won a Stanley Cup along with the Preds. Some of those have been pretty long too.
So let’s get started with the first of our dozen.
Next: #12, A Young Team
Columbus Blue Jackets, 2000, 15 Seasons
No wonder Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen was happy to get out of there. in the 15 seasons since their inception, they’ve only been to the playoffs twice and lost in the first round both times.
It doesn’t look like they are all that close to their first one either. In the past two seasons, they’ve finished 23rd and 27th in the league. They are in rebuilding mode once again and have a nice young core of players like Seth Jones and Brandon Saad.
That being said, it looks like it could be at least a couple more years before they get a chance to get off this list and it may be longer than that.
Next: #11 Has an Excuse
Minnesota Wild, 2000, 15 Seasons
We mentioned an excuse and the Minnesota Wild has a couple. First, like Columbus they’ve only been in the league since 2000. The second is that the Wild did some “wild” spending back on the Fourth of July in 2012.
That year they signed Ryan Suter away from the Nashville Predators and also signed Zach Parise, formerly of the New Jersey Devils. They were the plums of the Free Agent period that year but they pledged $98 million over 13 years to each of them that has handcuffed the Wild ever since.
They have not been able to afford enough around those two to put a strong team on the ice and have struggled to put a strong team on the ice. They have made the playoffs all four seasons but have never got past the second round.
Last season they started off hot in the first 41 games then promptly lost 13 of 14 and switched head coaches. They have a solid team but don’t feel like a threat to win it all.
Next: #10, A Combination Team
Winnipeg Jets (Atlanta Thrashers), 1999, 16 Seasons
This is the franchise of futility. It started in Atlanta in 1999 who then lost their SECOND NHL hockey team because of bad management and worse attendance. That team never won a Playoff game in their single trip to the playoffs before moving to Winnipeg in 2011 and renamed the Jets.
Winnipeg is an interesting team in that kept Dustin Byfuglien by signing him to a five-year contract last year while trading Andrew Ladd to the Blackhawks. In their five seasons in Winnipeg, they’ve qualified for the Playoffs only once and didn’t win a game during the 2015 playoffs against the Ducks.
The Jets are once again in a rebuilding mode but are only one season removed from the playoffs. They seem further away than closer but at least they are getting a heck of a lot more support from their fans than they ever did in Atlanta.
Next: #9, You Might Recognize This One
Nashville Predators, 1998, 17 Seasons
There have been a couple of ups and downs with the Nashville Predators. They once struggled a little with attendance and once were the victims of a plan to move them to Canada in the dark of night.
There is none of that now. They are averaging over 99% capacity and have some of the most rabid fans in the NHL. They set records the past two years for sellouts and are becoming even more popular all the time.
After missing the playoffs their first five seasons, the Nashville Predators have been there in nine of the past 12 seasons. They have been to the Conference Semi-Finals three times but haven’t crossed that bridge.
They took the San Jose Sharks to seven tough games this year and seemed poised to make an even deeper run. They are certainly one of four of five teams on this list that could be ready to jump off of it.
Next: #8, Another Southern Team
Florida Panthers, 1993, 22 Seasons
Although better recently, the Florida Panthers have only made the playoffs in five of their 22 seasons. That being said, they have been to the Stanley Cup Final once, losing to the Colorado Avalanche back in 1996.
They are another team that could be close. They finished first in the Atlantic Division this season but were ousted in the first round by the New York Islanders. They have a core of very good young players led by Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Nick Bjugstad, and Vincent Trocheck, all 23 or younger.
They also have a very old, but very talented Jaromir Jagr for at least another season. His window is closing but the Panthers look solid for years to come and have a definite chance to get back to the finals.
Next: #7, A Second Chance Team
Ottawa Senators, 1992, 23 Seasons
This is actually the second go-round for the Ottawa Senators. The original Senators won the Stanley Cup 11 times back in the early 1900’s. They lost their NHL franchise in the 1930’s but gained a new team in 1992-93.
After missing the playoffs their first four seasons, the Senators went on a run of making them 15 of 19 seasons. This was capped by their Stanley Cup Final in 2006-07 where they lost to the Anaheim Ducks. The Nashville Predators Mike Fisher played on that team.
In 2015-16, the Senators were the top Canadian team point-wise in the NHL. None of the seven teams made the playoffs, however. Like many of the others, Ottawa is currently in a rebuilding mode but are closer than most of the others.
They still feel at least a couple of years away from leaving this list.
Next: #6, The Best Chance
San Jose Sharks, 1991, 24 Seasons
This team could lower this list to 11 teams in just a couple of weeks. They are currently matched up with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals after defeating the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues in the Playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks have been one of the most successful teams to not have won a cup. In their 23 seasons, they have only missed the Playoffs six times and two of those were their first years in the league. That being said, this is their very first trip to the Finals so they have been frustrated as well.
If they don’t win this year, it will get tougher as their big core of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau is all over 30 as well as Brent Burns, Joel Ward, and others on the team. Their window is closing rapidly if they can’t get past the Penguins.
Next: #5, Another Combo Team
Arizona Coyotes (Winnipeg Jets), 1979, 36 Seasons
This franchise seems to always be fighting it somehow. It started in Winnipeg in 1979. They were purchased and then relocated to Phoenix from Winnipeg before the start of the 1996-97 regular season. There were talks that they would be moved to Las Vegas, Seattle, and Quebec.
Things seemed to have settled down some and they have the makings of a really good young team with the 7th overall pick in the NHL Entry draft. They appear to have the makings of a good young team in a hurry.
The Coyotes have once made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2012 but have never played in a Stanley Cup Final. As the Winnipeg Jets (1979-1996) they never made it past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are on the rise but have a lot of growing up to do. It might take a little while.
They are on the rise but have a lot of growing up to do. It might take a little while.
Next: #4 is a Big Surprise
Washington Capitals, 1974, 41 Seasons
That’s right, the Washington Capitals have never won a Stanley Cup. The President’s Cup winner for the best regular season team thought they had a shot to break that 41 season streak this year but it was not to be.
They missed the playoffs in their first eight years of existence. Since then they’ve been in the Playoffs for an amazing 26 of 33 seasons. They even made it to the Stanley Cup Finals back in 1998 but lost to the Red Wings.
Former Nashville Predators Coach Barry Trotz has really turned this team around and they have a window where they definitely have a chance over the next couple of years. When you have Alex Ovechkin scoring goals and Braden Holtby stopping them, you should have a shot.
It will be interesting to see if they can go to the next level under Trotz. There are a lot of Preds fans rooting for them, as long as they stay in the East.
Next: #3, Another Canadian Team
Vancouver Canucks, 1970, 45 Seasons
It doesn’t sit very well in Canadian cities when your team goes a couple of years without bringing home the Stanley Cup. How about 45 seasons?!? That’s how long it’s been for the Vancouver Canucks. They joined the NHL in 1970 and have never won the Cup.
At least they’ve made it to the finals. The lost to the Islanders in 1982, the Rangers in 1994, and the Bruins in 2011. They were kind of spread out too, always giving your fans hope. They’ve only made the playoffs 27 of those 45 seasons.
In 1999, they wheeled and dealed and brought a pair of highly touted twins, Henrik and Daniel Sedin in. That looked to put them in the Stanley Cup talk for years to come. They had a streak of 10 playoffs in 12 seasons but it’s starting to look like that ship has sailed. They’ve missed the Playoffs two of the past three years.
Now it appears that they are in a rebuild mode and their futility may last a bit longer.
Next: #2 Some Great Memories
Buffalo Sabres, 1970, 45 Seasons
The poor Buffalo Sabres have had some amazing teams over the years. Just go look up the “French Connection” from the 1970’s. Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert formed a line that is still amazing. They played together for seven years and put up unbelievable numbers. In 1974-75 alone they scored 131 goals, an average of over 43 goals each.
At one point, this team made the Playoffs 24 of 27 seasons. They’ve been to the Cup Finals twice, losing to the Flyers in 1975 and Stars in 1999. They have had plenty of chances and plenty of good teams.
Things have not been so kind to the Sabres lately. They’ve missed the Playoffs for the past five seasons in a row. They’ve missed 10 of the past 14 seasons. When you miss that many playoffs, you should be drafting some good players.
It might be turning around now, though. They chose Jack Eichel with the second overall choice last season and picked up Ryan O’Reilly, and Evander Kane via trade. They have the 8th overall choice in this year’s draft. They finished right around .500 last season and appear to be a team on the move.
Next: And Finally, our Champs of Futility
St. Louis Blues, 1967, 48 Seasons
Wow, almost 50 years with no Stanley Cup. What do you tell your fans about that? They started in 1967 when they were one of six teams added to the Original Six. They were in a division with those expansion teams and made it to the Stanley Cup Finals their three first years in existence. That’s it…never again.
They have been an amazingly consistent team. They’ve been in the playoffs all but eight of their 48 seasons for an 83% clip of making the playoffs. They were in the playoffs for 25 straight years at one point and have been President’s Trophy winners but cannot get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
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They have one of the most balanced teams in the league right now, with young Vladimir Tarasenko one of their many stars. They’ve been to the playoffs the past five years in a row but just can’t seem to get over the hump. They definitely have a chance of jumping off this list soon but how do you fight 48 years of futility?
Well, that’s our list of, shall we say shame? Probably not as winning the Stanley Cup is one of the hardest things in sports. You can see that there are some teams that have been searching for a very long time.
Next: Should Preds Have a Third Jersey?
We will soon have some historical lists of Nashville Predators players and moments for you to peruse, keep en eye out for them.