List of NHL franchise post-season droughts
Longest active droughts -- Stanley Cup Finals droughts
Table:
Team

Last appearance
in Stanley Cup Finals

Subsequent Conference
Finals losses

Stanley Cup
Finals drought

Toronto Maple Leafs
1966–67
5: 1977–78, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2001–02
51 seasons

Arizona Coyotes
never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80)
1: 2011–12
39 seasons1

New York Islanders
1983–84
1: 1992–93
34 seasons

Montreal Canadiens
1992–93
2: 2009–10, 2013–14
25 seasons

Florida Panthers
1995–96

22 seasons

Buffalo Sabres
1998–99
2: 2005–06, 2006–07
19 seasons

Winnipeg Jets
never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000)
1: 2017–18
19 seasons2

Dallas Stars
1999–2000
1: 2007–08
18 seasons

Columbus Blue Jackets
never (inception of franchise in 2000–01)

18 seasons

Minnesota Wild
never (inception of franchise in 2000–01)
1: 2002–03

18 seasons

Colorado Avalanche
2000–01
1: 2001–02
17 seasons

Calgary Flames
2003–04

14 seasons

Carolina Hurricanes
2005–06
2: 2008–09, 2018–19
013 seasons

Edmonton Oilers
2005–06

013 seasons

Anaheim Ducks
2006–07
2: 2014–15, 2016–17
012 seasons

Ottawa Senators
2006–07
1: 2016–17
012 seasons

Detroit Red Wings
2008–09

010 seasons

Philadelphia Flyers
2009–10

09 seasons

Vancouver Canucks
2010–11

08 seasons

New Jersey Devils
2011–12

07 seasons

By analysing the tabular data along with the article excerpts listed at the end.

State the answer to the question: What is the Stanley Cup Finals drought for the team with nicknames Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge , La Sainte-Flanelle , Le Tricolore , and Les Glorieux ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

The Toronto Maple Leafs , officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often simply referred to as the Leafs , are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment , Ltd. and are represented by Chairman Larry Tanenbaum . The Maple Leafs ' broadcasting rights are split between BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications . For their first 14 seasons , the club played their home games at the Mutual Street Arena , before moving to Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931 . The Maple Leafs moved to their present home , Scotiabank Arena ( originally named the Air Canada Centre ) in February 1999 . The club was founded in 1917 , operating simply as Toronto and known then as the Toronto Arenas . Under new ownership , the club was renamed the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919 . In 1927 the club was purchased by Conn Smythe and renamed the Maple Leafs . A member of the Original Six , the club was one of six NHL teams to have endured through the period of League retrenchment during the Great Depression . The club has won thirteen Stanley Cup championships , second only to the 24 championships of the Montreal Canadiens . The Maple Leafs history includes two recognized dynasties , from 1947 to 1951 ; and from 1962 to 1967 .
The 1967 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 1966-67 season , and the culmination of the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs . A best-of-seven series , it was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs . The Maple Leafs won the series , four games to two . In doing so , they won their thirteenth Stanley Cup championship . To date , this is Toronto 's last Stanley Cup championship and appearance in the championship final , and they have the longest-active championship drought in the NHL at 51 ( not including 2004-05 lockout ) seasons . The 1967 Stanley Cup Finals was also the last Stanley Cup Finals in the Original Six Era . This was also the last all-Canadian Finals series until 1986 .
The 1977-78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League . The Montreal Canadiens won their third Stanley Cup in a row , defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals .
The 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) began after the conclusion of the 1992-93 NHL season on April 18 and ended with the Montreal Canadiens defeating the Los Angeles Kings four games to one to win the Stanley Cup on June 9 . These playoffs featured an NHL record 28 overtime games , of which the Canadiens set a playoff record for most overtime games won in one year with ten . The Canadiens also won 11 consecutive games during the playoffs , tying an NHL record . The Presidents ' Trophy-winning Pittsburgh Penguins , who had won the Stanley Cup the previous two years , were the favourite to repeat . However , both conferences saw numerous upsets as the third place team in every division reached their respective conference finals . This was the first time since the 1979 NHL-WHA merger that the Edmonton Oilers had missed the playoffs . It was also the first time that longtime Oilers and then-New York Rangers captain Mark Messier had missed the playoffs in his career . This was the only year between 1984 and 1994 that the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens did not face each other in the playoffs . This was the last time that the New York Islanders won a playoff round before 2016 . Montreal 's Cup championship remains the last time that a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup .
The 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs , the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , began after the conclusion of the 1993-94 NHL season . The sixteen teams that qualified , eight from each conference , played best-of-seven game series for conference quarterfinals , semifinals and championships ; and then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup . The playoffs ended when the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh game of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals . For the first time since joining the NHL , all four former WHA teams ( Edmonton , Hartford , Quebec , and Winnipeg ) failed to make the playoffs . Wayne Gretzky also missed the playoffs for the first time in his career . Conversely , the San Jose Sharks became the first post-1990 expansion team to make the playoffs . All series played between Central and Pacific Division teams had a 2-3-2 format to reduce travel . This remains the last time that two Canadian teams made it to the conference finals in the same year , let alone faced each other in that particular round .
The 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs , the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , began on April 21 , 1999 , following the 1998-99 NHL season . The sixteen teams that qualified , eight from each conference , played best-of-seven series for conference quarter-finals , semi-finals and championships , and then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup . As of 2019 , this was the last time all four WHA teams made the playoffs . Despite his team being eliminated before the Stanley Cup Finals , Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg 's postseason scoring totals , with 24 points in 19 games , were not surpassed for the rest of the 1999 playoffs . This made him the first player to lead all playoff scorers despite not making the finals since the 1986 playoffs where Doug Gilmour and Bernie Federko each tallied 21 points in 19 postseason games for St. Louis who was also eliminated in the conference finals . The playoffs ended on June 19 , 1999 , with the Dallas Stars defeating the Buffalo Sabres to win their first Stanley Cup championship in their history . Brett Hull scored the controversial triple overtime goal in game six for Dallas , while Joe Nieuwendyk was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs .
The 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs , the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League began on April 17 , 2002 . The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on June 13 , 2002 , four games to one , to win their tenth championship in their history . The Hurricanes were in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their 23-year history , which includes their tenure as the Hartford Whalers . Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs . It was the ninth championship for Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman , who announced his retirement after the deciding game of the series . The Phoenix Coyotes would play their last playoff games at America West Arena and would miss the playoffs until 2010 , when they played in Glendale .
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale , Arizona . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . The Coyotes first played at America West Arena in downtown Phoenix , before moving to Glendale 's Gila River Arena in 2003 . In 2021 , the Coyotes are scheduled to return to the Central Division when an expansion team in Seattle joins the league . The Coyotes were founded on December 27 , 1971 , as the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) . After the WHA had ceased operations , they were one of four franchises absorbed into the National Hockey League and then granted membership on June 22 , 1979 . The Jets moved to Phoenix on July 1 , 1996 , and were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes . In 2014 , the team was re-named to the present Arizona Coyotes . The Coyotes are owned by Alex Meruelo , who purchased the club in 2019 . The team is known for its instability under prior ownership . The NHL took ownership of the Phoenix Coyotes franchise in 2009 after then-owner Jerry Moyes turned it over to the league after declaring bankruptcy and the league kept control of the team until 2013 when they were able to find ownership willing to keep the team in Arizona . The Coyotes continue to be at odds with the city of Glendale and the use of Gila River Arena , but has signed a lease through the 2019-20 season .
The 1979-80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League . This season saw the addition of four teams from the disbanded World Hockey Association as expansion franchises . The Edmonton Oilers , Winnipeg Jets , New England Whalers ( later renamed Hartford Whalers at the insistence of the Boston Bruins ) , and Quebec Nordiques joined the NHL , bringing the total to 21 teams . The other two WHA teams ( Birmingham Bulls and Cincinnati Stingers ) were paid to disband . The New York Islanders won their first Stanley Cup , defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games , in the finals . The season also marked the eighth and final season for the Flames in Atlanta before the franchise relocated to Calgary . The NHL would return to the Georgia capital in 1999 with the Thrashers , but that team would ultimately relocate away from Atlanta as well becoming the second ( and current ) incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets . The collapse of the WHA also saw the much hyped super-star rookie Wayne Gretzky come to the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers . Gretzky would tie Marcel Dionne for the scoring lead with 137 points and capture the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player while Dionne took home the Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer by virtue of having scored two more goals . Gretzky aside , many players made their debut in the NHL this season , both due to the WHA merger and to a change in the rules for the Entry Draft allowing eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds to be drafted for the first time ; no fewer than seven Hall of Famers ( Gretzky , Ray Bourque , Mark Messier , Mike Gartner , Michel Goulet , Mark Howe , and an undrafted Joe Mullen ) debuted this season , along with numerous other perennial stars . The big story of the regular season was the record-breaking undefeated streak compiled by the Philadelphia Flyers . After starting the season with a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders and a 9-2 loss to the Atlanta Flames , the Flyers did not lose again for nearly three months , earning at least one point in every game between a 4-3 win over Toronto on October 14 , 1979 , and a 4-2 win over Buffalo on January 6 , 1980 , earning a 35 game record of 25-0-10 .
The 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) began on April 11 , 2012 , after the conclusion of the 2011-12 NHL regular season . These playoffs marked only the second time since the 1996 playoffs in which no Canadian teams advanced past the first round . These playoffs featured the return of the Florida Panthers to the postseason for the first time since the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs , one of the longest playoff droughts in league history . The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals started on May 30 and ended on June 11 , with the Los Angeles Kings defeating the New Jersey Devils in six games to win their first Stanley Cup title . Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick , having recorded a 1.41 goals against average , was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP . After clinching a postseason spot in their 81st game of the regular season , the Kings became the first eighth-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup in NHL history ( and the second eighth seed to reach the Cup Finals after the 2005-06 Edmonton Oilers ) , also being the second team to eliminate the first , second , and third seeds from the playoffs in the same postseason after the 2003-04 Calgary Flames ( and the first team to do so in that order ) . In addition , the Kings became the first team to make the Final undefeated on the road ( with their 8-0 record ) . As the sixth seed in their conference , the Devils were the lowest-seeded team to have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals , breaking a record they set when they won the Cup as a fourth seed in 2000 .
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York metropolitan area . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference . The team splits its home games between Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale , New York , and Barclays Center in the borough of Brooklyn . The Islanders are one of three NHL franchises in the New York metropolitan area , along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers , and their fan base resides primarily on Long Island . The team was founded in 1972 as part of the NHL 's maneuvers to keep a team from rival league World Hockey Association ( WHA ) out of the newly built Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in suburban Uniondale , New York . After two years of building up the team 's roster , they found almost instant success by securing fourteen straight playoff berths starting with their third season . The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships between 1980 and 1983 , the seventh of eight dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history . Their 19 consecutive playoff series wins between 1980 and 1984 is a feat that remains unparalleled in the history of professional sports . They are the last team in any major professional North American sport to win four consecutive championships . Following the team 's dynasty era , the franchise ran into problems with money , ownership and management , an aging arena , and low attendance . Their woes were reflected on the ice , as the team has not won a division title since 1987-88 , and went 22 seasons without winning a playoff series prior to the 2016 playoffs . After years of failed attempts to rebuild or replace Nassau Coliseum in suburban Long Island , the Islanders relocated to Barclays Center following the 2014-15 season .
The 1984 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 1983-84 season , and the culmination of the 1984 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested between the Edmonton Oilers and the defending champion New York Islanders . The upstart Oilers won the best-of-seven series , four games to one , to win their first Stanley Cup , becoming the third post-1967 expansion team and first former World Hockey Association team to win the Cup , and also the first team based west of Chicago to win the Cup since the WCHL 's Victoria Cougars became the last non-NHL team to win it in 1925 . In the previous year 's Stanley Cup Finals , the Islanders had swept the Oilers in four straight games . The teams rematched in 1984 , with the Islanders seeking their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup championship . It was the fifth straight Finals of teams that joined the NHL in 1967 or later . As of 2019 [ update ] , the Islanders ' four consecutive Cup wins ( 1980 , 1981 , 1982 , 1983 ) and their appearance in the 1984 Cup Finals is an NHL record of 19 consecutive playoff series wins that currently stands unbroken . The 1984 Finals was the second of eight consecutive Finals contested by a team from Alberta ( the Oilers appeared in six , the Calgary Flames in two ) , and the first of five consecutive Finals to end with the Cup presentation on Alberta ice ( the Oilers won four times , the Montreal Canadiens one ) . The Oilers became the fastest-ever Canadian-based expansion team to win a major sports title by winning a title in only their fifth NHL season . The feat would be eclipsed in 2016 by the Ottawa Redblacks , who won the Grey Cup in their third CFL season .
The Montreal Canadiens [ note 3 ] ( French : Les Canadiens de Montréal ) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The club 's official name is le Club de hockey Canadien . The team is frequently referred to in English and French as the Habs . French nicknames for the team include Les Canadiens ( or Le Canadien ) , Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge , La Sainte-Flanelle , Le Tricolore , Les Glorieux ( or Nos Glorieux ) , Le CH , Le Grand Club and Les Habitants ( from which Habs is derived ) . Founded in 1909 , the Canadiens are the longest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide , and the only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the NHL . One of the oldest North American professional sports franchises , the Canadiens ' history predates that of every other Canadian franchise outside football as well as every American franchise outside baseball and the National Football League 's Arizona Cardinals . The franchise is one of the Original Six teams , a description used for the teams that made up the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion . The team 's championship season in 1992-93 was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup . The Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times than any other franchise . They have won 24 Stanley Cup championships , 23 of them since the founding of the NHL and 22 of them since 1927 , when NHL teams became the only ones to compete for the Stanley Cup . On a percentage basis , as of 2014 [ needs update ] , the franchise has won 25.3% of all Stanley Cup championships contested after the Challenge Cup era , making it the second most successful professional sports team of the traditional four major sports of Canada and the United States , behind only the Boston Celtics .
The 1993 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 1992-93 season , and the culmination of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested between the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens . It was the first appearance in the Final for the Kings and the first appearance since the 1920 Stanley Cup Finals for a team based on the west coast of the United States . It was also the 34th and ( as of 2019 ) most recent appearance for Montreal , their first since the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals . The Canadiens won the series four games to one to win the team 's 24th Stanley Cup . The year 1993 was the 100th anniversary of the first awarding of the Stanley Cup in 1893 , and the first Finals to start in the month of June . The 1993 Canadiens are also the last Stanley Cup championship team to be composed solely of North American-born players . To date , this is the last Stanley Cup Finals won by a Canadian team . The series is remembered for Kings defenceman Marty McSorley 's penalty late in the third period of game two for using an illegal stick , in what proved to be the turning point in the 1993 Cup Finals . When McSorley entered the penalty box , Los Angeles held a 1-0 series lead , and a 2-1 score in the contest . The Canadiens then went on to score the equalizer on the ensuing power play , won game two in overtime , and then defeated the Kings in the next three games to win the Cup . From the moment that McSorley was called for the penalty , the Kings failed to win another postseason game from the remainder of the 20th century , losing all the remaining games of the Finals , failing to qualify for the playoffs in five of the next seven seasons , and being swept out in the first round the other two times .
The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) began on April 14 , 2010 , after the 2009-10 NHL regular season . The Finals ended on June 9 , 2010 , with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to win their fourth championship and their first since 1961 . Blackhawks center and team captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs ' most valuable player . This NHL post-season was noted for the unexpected playoff successes of two teams : the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens , who were the seventh and eighth seeds in their conference and were tied for points . The Flyers became the third NHL team to win a seven-game series after being down 3-0 ( the others being the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders ) . The Flyers went on to play in the Stanley Cup Final , losing to Chicago . Meanwhile , the Canadiens became the first eighth-seeded team in NHL history to win a series against the first-seeded team after being down 3-1 in a series , when they beat the Washington Capitals in the first round . After upsetting the defending Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round , the Canadiens became the first eighth-seeded team to compete in the Eastern Conference Finals since the current playoff format was implemented in 1994 . Previously , only the eighth-seeded 2006 Edmonton Oilers had accomplished a similar feat , winning the 2006 Western Conference Finals . As a result of the Canadiens having the eighth seed , the Flyers became the first seventh-seed to have home-ice advantage in the conference finals since the current playoff format was instituted . During the 2010 playoffs , 18 games went to overtime .
The 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) began on April 16 , 2014 and ended June 13 , 2014 when the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New York Rangers four games to one in the Stanley Cup Final . For the first time since 1973 , only one Canadian team qualified for the playoffs : the Montreal Canadiens . This was also the first time since the 1978 Stanley Cup playoffs that no playoff games were played in Western Canada . The Detroit Red Wings increased their consecutive playoff appearance streak to 23 seasons , the longest streak at the time and the fifth longest streak in NHL history . The Dallas Stars ended the league 's third longest active playoff appearance drought , qualifying for the postseason for the first time in six years . For the third time in four years , all three California-based teams again made the playoffs . The Columbus Blue Jackets won their first franchise playoff game on April 19 , 2014 , and their first ever franchise playoff home game at Nationwide Arena on April 23 , 2014 , both against the Pittsburgh Penguins . Three Original Six teams reached the Conference Finals , the first time this has occurred since 1979 . The 2013-14 playoffs opening round featured leads changing hands more so than any other year . After the Anaheim Ducks rallied from a 4-2 deficit to defeat the Dallas Stars in game six of their opening round series on April 27 , 2014 , an NHL record was broken for most multi-goal comebacks by all teams in the opening round , with ten . In all four rounds combined in the previous year 's playoffs , there were only eight such victories . It also marked just the fourth time in NHL playoff history that a team who led a series 3-0 in a seven-game series failed to advance , when the San Jose Sharks lost to the Los Angeles Kings in game seven of the opening round on April 30 , 2014 .
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The team initially played their home games at Miami Arena , before moving to the BB & T Center in 1998 . Located in Sunrise , Florida , the Panthers are the southernmost team in the NHL . The team 's local broadcasting rights have been held by Fox Sports Florida ( formerly SportsChannel Florida ) since 1996 . The Panthers began playing in the 1993-94 NHL season . The team has made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals , in 1996 , the only season in which the Panthers have ever won a playoff series , eventually losing the Finals to the Colorado Avalanche . Since then , the Panthers have only qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs four times , never advancing past the first round , since 1996 . The club is affiliated with one minor league team , the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League .
The 1996 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 1995-96 season , and the culmination of the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested by the Western Conference champion Colorado Avalanche and the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers , two teams in the Final for the first time . Colorado defeated Florida in a four-game sweep to win their first Stanley Cup becoming the seventh post-1967 expansion team and the second former WHA team ( after the Edmonton Oilers ) to win the Cup . Colorado 's Joe Sakic earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 1996 Playoffs . It was Colorado 's first appearance in the Final , in only their first season in Denver since moving from Quebec City ( where they had formerly played as the Nordiques ) in 1995 . It was also Florida 's first appearance in the Final , in only the franchise 's third season since entering the NHL in 1993 . Only four other teams have made their first Stanley Cup Final appearance faster : the Toronto Arenas winning the Stanley Cup in the NHL inaugural season in 1917-18 , the St. Louis Blues in their debut season in 1967-68 ( they lost the 1968 Final to the Montreal Canadiens ) , the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural year in 2017-18 , and the 1928 Cup-winning New York Rangers ( who were in their second season of play , having been formed for the 1926-27 season ) . This was also the first time since the formation of the NHL in 1917 that the two teams competing for the Cup were making their first Final appearance .
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo , New York . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The team was established in 1970 , along with the Vancouver Canucks , when the league expanded to 14 teams . They have played at KeyBank Center since 1996 . Prior to that , the Buffalo Sabres played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium from the start of the franchise in 1970 . The Sabres are owned by Terry Pegula , who purchased the club in 2011 from Tom Golisano . The Sabres have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL , at 8 seasons . The team has twice advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals , losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 and to the Dallas Stars in 1999 . The best known line in team history is The French Connection , which consisted of Gilbert Perreault , Rick Martin and Rene Robert . All three players have had their sweater numbers ( 11 , 7 and 14 , respectively ) retired and a statue erected in their honor at KeyBank Center in 2012 . The Sabres , along with the Canucks , share the record for being the longest continuously running active NHL franchise to have never won the Stanley Cup .
The 1999 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 1998-99 season , and the culmination of the 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested by the Eastern Conference champion Buffalo Sabres and the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars . It was the 106th year of the Stanley Cup being contested . The Sabres were led by captain Michael Peca , head coach Lindy Ruff and goaltender Dominik Hasek . The Stars were led by captain Derian Hatcher , head coach Ken Hitchcock and goaltender Ed Belfour . It was the Sabres ' second Stanley Cup Final appearance , the first being a loss to Philadelphia in 1975 . It was the third appearance for the Stars ' franchise , and their first since moving to Dallas from Minnesota in 1993 . Minnesota ( known at the time as the North Stars ) lost in the Final to the New York Islanders in 1981 and to Pittsburgh in 1991 . The Stars defeated the Sabres four games to two to win their first Stanley Cup , becoming the eighth post-1967 expansion team to earn a championship , and the first Southern team to win the Cup . This was the first time since 1994 that the Stanley Cup Finals did not end in a sweep . This series is also remembered because of the controversial finish to game six , in which Stars forward Brett Hull scored the Cup-winning goal with his skate in the crease , which was against the rules at the time . The league allowed the goal to stand as it was ruled that Hull was turned into the crease while maintaining continuous possession .
The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League ( NHL ) championship began on April 21 , 2006 , following the 2005-06 regular season . The 16 teams that qualified , seeded one through eight from each conference , played best-of-seven series with re-seeding after the Conference Quarterfinals . The conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup . The Finals concluded on June 19 with the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup , defeating the Edmonton Oilers in the final series four games to three . Carolina goaltender Cam Ward was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs . The Edmonton Oilers would miss the playoffs each year thereafter until 2017 . This was also the last time that the Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs . While the 2005-06 season introduced a shootout to break ties after five minutes of four-on-four overtime , the Stanley Cup playoffs retained their traditional format of unlimited 20-minute periods of five-on-five sudden-death overtime to break ties . The Western Conference made history in the first round when all four series were won by the lower-seeded teams ( conversely , all four series in the Eastern Conference were won by the higher-seeded teams ) . The eighth- and lowest-seeded Oilers proceeded to win the Western Conference and participate in the Stanley Cup Finals . Four Canadian teams qualified for the playoffs this year , this total was not equaled again until 2013 .
The 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 11 , 2007 . The sixteen teams that qualified , eight from each conference , played best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals , semifinals and championships , and then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup . The series ended on June 6 with the Anaheim Ducks defeating the Ottawa Senators in five games to win their first ever championship . For the first time in NHL history , neither of the two teams that played in the previous year 's Stanley Cup Finals ( the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers ) qualified for the playoffs . For the first time since 1994 , all four former WHA teams ; Carolina ( formerly the Hartford Whalers ) , Colorado ( formerly the Quebec Nordiques ) , Edmonton , and Phoenix ( formerly the Winnipeg Jets ) missed the playoffs in the same year , this would not happen again until 2013 . Also for the first time since 1994 , the Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs . This was the only time that the Atlanta Thrashers qualified for the playoffs in their twelve years in Georgia ( they became the new Winnipeg Jets in 2011 ) . Only two Original Six teams made the playoffs this year , the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings ( this included the Montreal Canadiens ' and the Toronto Maple Leafs ' first absence from the tournament together since 1970 ) . This only happened twice before in 2000 and 2001 , and would not happen again until 2018 .
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Central Division of the Western Conference . The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place . The Jets began play as the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999-2000 NHL season . True North Sports & Entertainment then bought the team in May 2011 and relocated the franchise from Atlanta to Winnipeg prior to the 2011-12 season ( the first NHL franchise to relocate since the Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997 ) . The team was renamed the Jets after Winnipeg 's original WHA/NHL team , which relocated after the 1995-96 season to become the Arizona Coyotes .
The 1999-2000 NHL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Hockey League . With the addition of the expansion Atlanta Thrashers , 28 teams each played 82 games . This was the first season played in which teams were awarded a point for an overtime loss . The New Jersey Devils defeated the defending champion Dallas Stars for their second Stanley Cup championship . During the regular season , no player reached the 100-point plateau , the first time this had happened in a non-lockout season since the 1967-68 season . Also , in the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs , the New Jersey Devils overcame a three games to one deficit against the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Eastern Conference Finals .
The 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . The playoffs began on April 11 , 2018 , after the 2017-18 regular season ended , and concluded on June 7 , 2018 , with the Washington Capitals winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history defeating the Vegas Golden Knights four games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals . The Nashville Predators made the playoffs as the Presidents ' Trophy winners with the most points ( i.e . best record ) during the regular season . The Pittsburgh Penguins increased their post-season appearance streak to twelve seasons , the current longest streak . The Vegas Golden Knights became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league since the 1979-80 Hartford Whalers and the Edmonton Oilers . They also became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season since the 1967 NHL expansion . From there , they eventually became the first team since the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues to win their respective conference , and reach the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season . The only difference is that the 1967-68 season through to the 1969-70 season ensured that an expansion team would be able to reach the Stanley Cup Finals . For the fourth time in league history ( 2000 , 2001 , 2007 ) , only two Original Six teams , the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs , clinched a berth for the playoffs . For the first time since 1966 , no playoff games were played in the state of New York . For the fifth time in eight years , all three California-based teams made the playoffs .
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Central Division of the Western Conference . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars , based in Bloomington , Minnesota . Before the beginning of the 1978-79 NHL season , the team merged with the Cleveland Barons after the league granted them permission due to each team 's respective financial struggles . Ultimately , the franchise relocated to Dallas for the 1993-94 NHL season . The Stars played out of Reunion Arena from their relocation until 2001 , when the team moved less than 1.5 miles into the American Airlines Center . The Stars have won eight division titles in Dallas , two Presidents ' Trophies as the top regular season team in the league , the Western Conference championship twice , and in 1998-99 , the Stanley Cup . Joe Nieuwendyk won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs that year . In 2000 , Neal Broten was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame . In 2009 , Brett Hull became the first Dallas Stars player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame , followed by Ed Belfour and Joe Nieuwendyk in 2011 and Mike Modano in 2014 . In 2010 , brothers Derian and Kevin Hatcher were inducted to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame .
The 2000 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 1999-2000 season , and the culmination of the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested by the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils and the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars ( who were the defending Stanley Cup champion ) . The Devils were led by captain Scott Stevens , head coach Larry Robinson and goaltender Martin Brodeur . The Stars were led by captain Derian Hatcher , head coach Ken Hitchcock and goaltender Ed Belfour . The Devils defeated the Stars , four games to two .
The 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) began on April 9 , 2008 , after the 2007-08 regular season . The 16 teams that qualified , eight from each conference , played best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals , semifinals and championships , then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup . The Buffalo Sabres became the second team to miss the playoffs after winning the Presidents ' Trophy in the prior season . This would not happen again until 2015 . The Finals ended on June 4 , 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to two to win their eleventh championship and their fourth in eleven seasons . It was the first championship in the 16-year career of Red Wings winger Dallas Drake , who retired following the season . Red Wings winger Henrik Zetterberg was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs ' Most Valuable Player . Sidney Crosby and Zetterberg led the tournament with 27 points .
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus , Ohio . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference . The Blue Jackets began play as an expansion team in 2000 . In their initial years , the Blue Jackets struggled , failing to win 30 games in a season until the 2005-06 season . The team qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 2009 , but were swept . Columbus ultimately notched their first playoff game victory in the 2014 playoffs and five years later won their first playoff series in the 2019 playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning , becoming the first team in NHL history to sweep a Presidents ' Trophy winner in the first round . However , they are still the only team in the league which has never appeared in the conference finals . The Blue Jackets ' name and logos are inspired by Ohio 's Civil War history . The Blue Jackets play their home games at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus , which opened in 2000 . They are affiliated with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL .
The 2000-01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League . With the addition of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild , 30 teams each played 82 games . The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalanche , who won the best of seven series 4-3 against the New Jersey Devils . The focus of Colorado 's Stanley Cup run was on star defenseman Ray Bourque , who was on a quest to win his first Stanley Cup championship in his illustrious 22-year career .
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul , Minnesota . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Central Division of the Western Conference . The Wild were founded on June 25 , 1997 , but did not start play until the 2000-01 season . The Wild were the first NHL franchise in Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 . They lost their first game , 3-1 , to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and recorded their first win against the Tampa Bay Lightning five games later . The Wild play at the Xcel Energy Center . In the 2002-03 season , the team made its first Stanley Cup playoffs appearance , making a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals . Since then , the Wild have struggled in the postseason , having only advanced to the second round twice since 2003 .
The 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs , the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , began on April 9 , 2003 , following the 2002-03 regular season . The playoffs concluded on June 9 , 2003 , with the New Jersey Devils defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games . The 16 qualifying teams played best-of-seven series in the conference quarterfinals , semifinals , and finals . Each conference champion proceeded to the Stanley Cup Finals . These playoffs marked the first time the Minnesota Wild qualified , in only their third season in the NHL . The Minnesota Wild , a sixth-seed , made an unlikely advance to the Western Conference Finals as underdogs after being down three games to one in two consecutive rounds . This , along with the Canucks ' comeback against the Blues , made for three 3-1 series comebacks in the playoffs , the second time this had happened in NHL playoff history . Despite losing to the Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals , Mighty Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the playoffs , marking only the fifth time that the Trophy had ever been awarded to a player on the losing team .
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Central Division of the Western Conference . The Avalanche are the only team in their division not based in the Central Time Zone ; the team is situated in the Mountain Time Zone . Their home arena is Pepsi Center , which they share with the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association . Their general manager is Joe Sakic . The Avalanche were founded in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques and were one of the charter franchises of the World Hockey Association . The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as a result of the NHL-WHA merger . Following the 1994-95 season , they were sold to the COMSAT Entertainment Group and relocated to Denver . In the club 's first season in Denver , the Avalanche won the Pacific Division and went on to sweep the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals , becoming the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup in the season following a relocation . Among teams in the major North American professional sports leagues , only the National Football League ( NFL ) 's Washington Redskins have also accomplished the feat . This was the first major professional sports championship a Denver-based team brought to the city . In the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals , the Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-3 to win their second and most recent championship .
The 2001 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2000-01 season , and the culmination of the 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion and defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils and the Western Conference champion and Presidents ' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche . It was Colorado 's second appearance in the Finals , and the first since the team won the Cup in 1996 . It was New Jersey 's third appearance in the Finals and second straight appearance after winning the Cup in the previous year . Colorado defeated New Jersey in seven games to win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history . Colorado 's Patrick Roy was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2001 playoffs . This was the first Stanley Cup Final since 1994 that would be decided in the maximum seven games . This was also the first and , as of 2019 , most recent Finals since 1989 that the number one seeds in each conference met in the Finals .
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . The club is the third major professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary , following the Calgary Tigers ( 1921-1927 ) and Calgary Cowboys ( 1975-1977 ) . The Flames are one of two NHL franchises in Alberta ; the other is the Edmonton Oilers . The cities ' proximity has led to a rivalry known as the Battle of Alberta . The team was founded in 1972 in Atlanta as the Atlanta Flames until relocating to Calgary in 1980 . The Flames played their first three seasons in Calgary at the Stampede Corral before moving into their current home arena , the Scotiabank Saddledome ( originally known as the Olympic Saddledome ) , in 1983 . In 1985-86 , the Flames became the first Calgary team since the 1923-24 Tigers to compete for the Stanley Cup . In 1988-89 , the Flames won their first and only championship . The Flames ' unexpected run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals gave rise to the Red Mile , and in 2011 the team hosted and won the second Heritage Classic outdoor game . The Flames have won two Presidents ' Trophies as the NHL 's top regular season team , and have claimed seven division championships . Individually , Jarome Iginla is the franchise leader in games played , goals and points and is a two-time winner of the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL 's leading goal scorer .
The 2004 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2003-04 season , and the culmination of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs . The Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Western Conference champion Calgary Flames in seven games and were awarded the Stanley Cup . It was Tampa Bay 's first-ever appearance in the final . For Calgary , it was the team 's third appearance , and first since their championship season of 1989 . Lightning owner William Davidson would soon become the first owner in sports history to win two championships in one year as eight days later , the other team that Davidson owned ( the Detroit Pistons of the NBA ) won the NBA title in five games over the Los Angeles Lakers . This was the last Stanley Cup Final played for two years , as the 2004-05 NHL lockout occurred three months after the end of this final , lasting over ten months and leading to the cancellation of the 2005 Final , with the league not returning to play for the Cup until 2006 .
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh , North Carolina . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference . The Hurricanes play their home games at the 18,680-seat PNC Arena ( formerly known as RBC center ) . The franchise was formed in 1971 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) . The Whalers saw success immediately , winning the Eastern Division in the WHA 's first three seasons , as well as becoming the inaugural Avco World Trophy Champions to cap off the 1972-73 season . The Whalers again competed for the World Trophy in 1978 , this time falling short to the Winnipeg Jets in a rematch of the 1973 Finals . The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL-WHA merger , renaming themselves the Hartford Whalers . The team relocated to North Carolina in 1997 , rebranding themselves as the Hurricanes . Carolina advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 2002 , where they were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings , 4-1 . The Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup over the Edmonton Oilers in seven games , giving the state of North Carolina its first major professional sports championship . On February 15 , 2020 , it was announced that the Hurricanes would host a Stadium Series game at Carter-Finley Stadium on February 20 , 2021 .
The 2006 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2005-06 season , and the culmination of the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes and the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers . It was Carolina 's second appearance in the final , the other being in 2002 , a loss to the Detroit Red Wings . It was Edmonton 's seventh appearance in the Final and their first since their fifth Cup win in 1990 . It was also the first ( and to date only ) finals matchup between two former World Hockey Association franchises . Carolina defeated Edmonton in seven games to win the franchise 's first Stanley Cup and become the tenth post-1967 expansion team and third former WHA team to win the Cup . Carolina 's 2006 win was also the team 's second league championship ( the club , then known as the New England Whalers won the WHA Championship in 1973 ) .
The 2009 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2008-09 season , and the culmination of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings . It was Detroit 's 24th appearance in the Final and Pittsburgh 's fourth appearance in the Final . This was a rematch of the previous year 's Stanley Cup Final where Detroit had defeated Pittsburgh in six games . This time , Pittsburgh defeated Detroit in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history . Pittsburgh 's Evgeni Malkin would win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 playoffs , becoming the first Russian-born player to win the trophy .
The 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . The playoffs began on April 10 , 2019 , after the 2018-19 NHL season , and concluded on June 12 , 2019 , with the St. Louis Blues winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history defeating the Boston Bruins four games to three in the Stanley Cup Finals . The Tampa Bay Lightning made the playoffs as the Presidents ' Trophy winners with the most points ( i.e . best record ) during the regular season . The Pittsburgh Penguins increased their post-season appearance streak to thirteen seasons , the current longest streak . The Carolina Hurricanes made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 , ending a nine-year playoff drought . For the second season in a row , the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs were the only Original Six teams to make the playoffs , marking the fifth time in league history ( 2000 , 2001 , 2007 , 2018 ) that only two Original Six teams clinched a playoff berth . For the first time since 2004 , both Southern California teams , the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings , missed the playoffs . For the second time in League history ( 2018 ) , both the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens missed the playoffs . For the first time in NHL history , all division winners were eliminated in the first round as all the wild-cards advanced to the second round . The Columbus Blue Jackets won a playoff series for the first time , defeating the first-place Lightning in four games , and marking the first time in Stanley Cup playoff history that the Presidents ' Trophy winners were swept in the opening round , and the first time since 2012 that the Presidents ' Trophy winners were defeated in the opening round . They were soon followed by the Calgary Flames , who with their five-game loss to the Colorado Avalanche , ensured that for the first time in NHL history , neither of the conference number one seeds advanced to the second round .
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . The Oilers were officially founded in 1971 by W. D. Wild Bill Hunter and Dr. Chuck Allard . The team played its first season in 1972 , as one of the twelve founding franchises of the major professional World Hockey Association ( WHA ) . They were originally intended to be one of two WHA Alberta teams , along with the Calgary Broncos . However , when the Broncos relocated to Cleveland , Ohio , before the WHA 's first season began , the Oilers were renamed the Alberta Oilers . They returned to their current name in the following year , and subsequently joined the NHL in 1979 as one of four franchises absorbed through the NHL merger with the WHA . After joining the NHL , the Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup on five occasions : 1983-84 , 1984-85 , 1986-87 , 1987-88 and 1989-90 . Along with the Pittsburgh Penguins , they are tied for the most championships won by any team since the NHL-WHA merger and also the most won by any team that joined the league in or after 1967 . Among all NHL teams , only the Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times since the League 's 1967 expansion . For their success in the 1980s , the Oilers team of this era has been honoured with dynasty status by the Hockey Hall of Fame . However , the Oilers began to struggle greatly shortly after the 2004-05 NHL lockout , having missed the playoffs every year since 2006 , with the exception of 2016-17 .
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim , California . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . Since their inception , the Ducks have played their home games at the Honda Center . The club was founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , a name based on the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks . Disney sold the franchise in 2005 to Henry and Susan Samueli , who along with then-general manager Brian Burke , changed the name of the team to the Anaheim Ducks before the 2006-07 season . The Ducks have made the playoffs 14 times , won six Pacific Division titles ( 2006-07 , 2012-13 , 2013-14 , 2014-15 , 2015-16 , 2016-17 ) , two Western Conference championships ( 2002-03 and 2006-07 ) , and one Stanley Cup ( 2006-07 ) .
The 2007 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2006-07 season , and the culmination of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested between the Western Conference champion Anaheim Ducks and the Eastern Conference champion Ottawa Senators . It was the second appearance in the Final for Anaheim since 2003 ( known at the time as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim ) , when they lost to the New Jersey Devils . It was the first appearance for the Senators since entering the NHL as an expansion team in 1992 . Anaheim defeated Ottawa in five games and were awarded their first Stanley Cup becoming the eleventh post-1967 expansion team to win the NHL championship trophy , and the first Stanley Cup championship for a team from California ( the Los Angeles Kings would eventually win Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 ) . This was also the most recent year that both teams that went to the finals had never won the Stanley Cup before until the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals .
The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) began on April 15 , 2015 , and ended on June 15 , 2015 , with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals . The New York Rangers made the playoffs as the Presidents ' Trophy winners with the most points ( i.e . best record ) during the regular season . They also came back from a 3-1 series deficit for the second consecutive year . The Detroit Red Wings increased their consecutive post-season appearance streak to 24 seasons , the longest current streak at the time and tied for the fourth-longest streak in NHL history . The Winnipeg Jets qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the former Atlanta Thrashers franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011 ; the only time that the Thrashers/Jets franchise made the post-season was in 2007 , and the last time that the city of Winnipeg hosted a playoff game was in 1996 , the season before the previous Winnipeg Jets team relocated to Phoenix , Arizona , to become the Coyotes . The Ottawa Senators became the first team in the NHL 's modern era ( since 1943-44 ) to overcome a 14-point deficit in the standings to clinch a playoff spot . Also , the Calgary Flames returned to the playoffs after a six-year absence . In total , five Canadian NHL teams qualified for the post-season , the most since 2004 . The Los Angeles Kings became the first defending Stanley Cup champions since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007 to fail to make the playoffs . The Boston Bruins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and became the first reigning Presidents ' Trophy winners to miss the post-season since the Buffalo Sabres in 2008 ( and the third overall ) . In addition , the San Jose Sharks failed to make the post-season for the first time since 2003 , ending the NHL 's second-longest active playoff streak .
The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) began on April 12 , 2017 , after the 2016-17 regular season and concluded on June 11 , 2017 , with the Pittsburgh Penguins defeating the Nashville Predators four games to two in the Finals to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year . The Washington Capitals made the playoffs as the Presidents ' Trophy winners for the second consecutive year with the most points ( i.e . best record ) during the regular season . The Detroit Red Wings failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1989-90 season , ending the NHL 's longest active playoff streak at 25 consecutive seasons ; the streak was also tied for the third-longest streak in NHL history . The longest active playoff streak moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins with eleven consecutive appearances . The Edmonton Oilers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 , ending a record-tying playoff drought for a team with ten years missed ( the Florida Panthers also missed the playoffs between 2001 and 2011 inclusively ) . For the first time since 2006 , both Alberta teams , the Oilers and the Calgary Flames , qualified for the postseason in the same year . For the first time since 2013 , and the fourth time since 2002 , all three Eastern Canadian teams ( Montreal Canadiens , Ottawa Senators , and Toronto Maple Leafs ) qualified for the playoffs . In all , five Canadian-based teams made the playoffs , matching 2004 and 2015 , after a season in which none of the seven teams in Canada contended . Five Original Six teams made the playoffs , with only the previously mentioned Red Wings failing to make it . The first round saw eighteen overtime games , eclipsing the previous record of seventeen overtime games in the first round set in 2013 . There were 27 total overtime games in these playoffs , one short of the record set in 1993 .
The Ottawa Senators ( French : Sénateurs d'Ottawa ) are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The Senators play their home games at the 18,652-seat Canadian Tire Centre , which opened in 1996 as the Palladium . Founded and established by Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone , the team is the second NHL franchise to use the Ottawa Senators name . The original Ottawa Senators , founded in 1883 , had a famed history , winning 11 Stanley Cups , playing in the NHL from 1917 until 1934 . On December 6 , 1990 , after a two-year public campaign by Firestone , the NHL awarded a new franchise , which began play in the 1992-93 season . The current team owner is Eugene Melnyk , and in 2019 , the franchise was valued by Forbes magazine at $ 445 million . The Senators have won four division titles and , in 2003 , the Presidents ' Trophy ; and have once appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals ( 2007 ) .
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference , and are one of the Original Six teams of the league . Founded in 1926 , the team was known as the Detroit Cougars until 1930 . For the 1930-31 and 1931-32 seasons the team was called the Detroit Falcons , and in 1932 changed their name to the Red Wings . As of 2020 [ update ] , the Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships of any NHL franchise based in the United States ( 11 ) and are third overall in total Stanley Cup championships , behind the Montreal Canadiens ( 24 ) and Toronto Maple Leafs ( 13 ) . The Wings played their home games at Joe Louis Arena from 1979 until 2017 , after playing for 52 years in Olympia Stadium . They moved into the new Little Caesars Arena beginning with the 2017-18 season . The Red Wings are one of the most popular and successful franchises in the NHL ; fans and sports commentators refer to the Detroit area as Hockeytown , which has been a registered trademark owned by the franchise since 1996 . Between the 1931-32 and 1965-66 seasons , the Red Wings missed the playoffs only four times . Between the 1966-67 and 1982-83 seasons , the Red Wings made the playoffs only two times . However , thereafter , from 1983-84 to 2015-16 , they made the playoffs 30 times in 32 seasons , including 25-straight from 1990-91 to 2015-16 ( not counting the cancelled 2004-05 season ) , in 2006 this became the longest active streak of postseason appearances in all of North American professional sports and finished tied for the third longest streak in NHL history . Since 1983-84 , the Red Wings have tallied six regular season first-place finishes and have won the Stanley Cup four times ( 1997 , 1998 , 2002 , and 2008 ) .
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference . Part of the 1967 NHL Expansion , the Flyers were the first expansion team in the post-Original Six era to win the Stanley Cup , victorious in 1973-74 and again in 1974-75 . The Flyers ' all-time points percentage of 57.5% ( as of the 2018-19 NHL season [ update ] ) is the third-best in the NHL , behind only the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens . Additionally , the Flyers have the most appearances in the conference finals of all 24 expansion teams ( 16 appearances , winning 8 ) , and they are second behind the St. Louis Blues for the most playoff appearances out of all expansion teams ( 39 out of 51 seasons ) . The Flyers have played their home games on Broad Street since their inception , first at the Spectrum from 1967 until 1996 , and then at the Wells Fargo Center since 1996 . The Flyers have had rivalries with several teams over the years . Historically , their biggest adversaries have been the New York Rangers , with an intense rivalry stretching back to the 1970s . They have also waged lengthy campaigns against the New York Islanders in the 70s and 80s , the Boston Bruins , a bruising battle especially in the 1970s , the Washington Capitals , which has always been intense since their days in the Patrick Division , as well as the New Jersey Devils , with whom they traded the Atlantic Division title every season between 1994-95 and 2006-07 , and finally they enjoy a spirited rivalry with their cross-state and expansion brethren , the Pittsburgh Penguins , which is considered by some to be the best rivalry in the league .
The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2009-10 season , and the culmination of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs . It was contested between the Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Flyers . It was Chicago 's eleventh appearance in the Final and their first since 1992 , a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins . It was Philadelphia 's eighth appearance in the Final and their first since 1997 , a loss to the Detroit Red Wings . Chicago defeated Philadelphia four games to two to win their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history . This was the first Cup championship for Chicago since 1961 , which had been the longest active Stanley Cup drought . The Toronto Maple Leafs , who last won the Cup in 1967 and who have not appeared in the Final since , now currently have the longest active Cup drought streak in the NHL . The Blackhawks became the fourth major Chicago sports team to win a championship since 1986 , joining the 1985 Chicago Bears , the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s , and the 2005 Chicago White Sox . The 2016 Chicago Cubs would complete the cycle of all Chicago sports teams winning at least one championship in 30 years . Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 playoffs , and was the first Blackhawks player to receive this honor . He and teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook won the Olympic Gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics , adding the three players to the list of Ken Morrow ( 1980 ) and Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan ( both 2002 ) , as well as Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter ( both 2014 ) , as the only players to accomplish this double in the same year . Having played for Team USA at the Olympics , Patrick Kane joined Chris Chelios and Brett Hull ( both 2002 ) as having won both the Olympic Silver medal and Stanley Cup in the same year .
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena , formerly known as General Motors Place , which has an official capacity of 18,910 . Travis Green is the head coach and Jim Benning is the general manager . The Canucks joined the league in 1970 as an expansion team along with the Buffalo Sabres . In its NHL history , the team has advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals three times , losing to the New York Islanders in 1982 , the New York Rangers in 1994 and the Boston Bruins in 2011 . They have won the Presidents ' Trophy in back-to-back seasons as the team with the league 's best regular season record in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons . They won three division titles as a member of the Smythe Division from 1974 to 1993 , and seven titles as a member of the Northwest Division from 1998 to 2013 . The Canucks , along with fellow expansion team , the Buffalo Sabres , are the two oldest teams to have never won the Stanley Cup . The Canucks have retired six players ' jerseys in their history - Stan Smyl ( 12 ) , Trevor Linden ( 16 ) , Markus Naslund ( 19 ) , Daniel Sedin ( 22 ) , Henrik Sedin ( 33 ) , and Pavel Bure ( 10 ) ; all but Bure and Daniel Sedin have served as team captain . Smyl has the distinction of being the only Canuck to have his jersey number retired at their former arena , the Pacific Coliseum .
The 2011 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2010-11 season , and the culmination of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs . The Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins defeated the Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks four games to three . The Bruins ended a 39-year Stanley Cup drought with the win . Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs . The Canucks had home ice advantage in the Finals by virtue of winning the Presidents ' Trophy as the team that finished with the best regular season record ( 117 points ) . They were also the first Canadian team to have home ice advantage in the Finals since the Montreal Canadiens had it for the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals . The Canadiens ' victory in 1993 was also the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup . As of the 2018-19 season , this was the last Stanley Cup Finals to feature a Canadian team and was also the last time that the Finals went the full seven games until 2019 . In addition this was also the last time a Canadian-based team from the Big Four appeared in a championship round until the NBAs Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals . On June 1 , 2011 , NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made an announcement that Colin Campbell would be stepping down as the league 's head disciplinarian to be replaced by former player Brendan Shanahan , though Campbell would continue in his job as director of hockey operations . Mike Murphy , the NHL vice-president of hockey operations , had already been put in charge of disciplinary matters for the Finals , nonetheless there were concerns raised about Campbell 's impartiality in handing out discipline since his son Gregory was an active player on the Boston Bruins roster . The first game of the series was held on June 1 , while the seventh game was played on June 15 .
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark , New Jersey . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference . The club was founded as the Kansas City Scouts in Kansas City , Missouri , in 1974 . The Scouts moved to Denver , Colorado in 1976 and became the Colorado Rockies . In 1982 , they moved to East Rutherford , New Jersey and took their current name . For their first 25 seasons in New Jersey , the Devils were based at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford and played their home games at Brendan Byrne Arena ( later renamed to Continental Airlines Arena ) . Before the 2007-08 season , the Devils moved to Prudential Center in Newark . The franchise was poor to mediocre in the eight years before moving to New Jersey , a pattern that continued during the first five years in New Jersey as they failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs and never finished higher than fifth in their division . Their fortunes began to turn around following the hiring of president and general manager Lou Lamoriello in 1987 . Under Lamoriello 's stewardship , the Devils made the playoffs all but three times between 1988 and 2012 , including 13 berths in a row from 1997 to 2010 , and finished with a winning record every season from 1992-93 to 2009-10 . They have won the Atlantic Division regular season title nine times , most recently in 2009-10 , before transferring to the newly created Metropolitan Division as part of the NHL 's realignment in 2013 . The Devils have reached the Stanley Cup Finals five times , winning in 1994-95 , 1999-2000 and 2002-03 , and losing in 2000-01 and 2011-12 .
The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League 's ( NHL ) 2011-12 season , and the culmination of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs . The Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Kings defeated the Eastern Conference playoff champion New Jersey Devils four games to two , capturing the first Stanley Cup title in the team 's 45-year history , dealing the Devils just their second Stanley Cup Finals defeat in five tries and first since 2001 . Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs . The 2012 Final ended a long Stanley Cup Final appearance drought for the Los Angeles Kings , who had appeared in the Finals only once in franchise history , in 1993 , when the Kings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games . The New Jersey Devils last appeared in 2003 , when they defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup title . It was the first championship series since 2007 whose Stanley Cup-clinching game was played on the winning team 's home ice . The Eastern Conference winner had home ice advantage for the first time since 2006 , since the Devils had a better regular season record than the Kings . The Devils were the lowest-seeded team to have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals , a record previously held by the Devils when they won the Cup as a fourth seed in 2000 . With the Devils entering the playoffs as the ninth seed of the 16 playoff teams by regular season record ( no division titles ) and the Kings as the 13th , their combined seed of 22 was the second highest of any playoff matchup ( only trailing the 1991 Cup Finals with 23 ) , and it was the first playoff matchup with no team seeded better than 9th . The Kings became the first , as well as the last eighth-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup since the conference-based seedings were introduced in 1994 .