Why you should root against the Toronto Maple Leafs

There is one record held by the New York Rangers that needs to be broken.   The good news is that one team is getting close.

While it’s nice to hold records, there is one that the New York Rangers would prefer to surrender. The Blueshirts hold the all-time record for the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history.   When they won the Stanley Cup in 1994, it ended a streak of 54 seasons without a championship, the longest ever in the NHL.

54 years is a long time.  There were 10 Presidents and nine New York City  mayors elected, the United States fought four wars and things like the color television, personal computer and cellular telephone were invented.

54 years is a record that could be broken, but it will take a few more years for it to happen since some teams are getting close.  The Toronto Maple Leafs current streak is 51 years and counting.  They last won the Cup in 1967 and to add insult to injury, they haven’t even made it to the Finals in that time.  That’s an NHL record.

Ranger fans can take some solace in the fact that in their 54 season drought, they did make the Finals in 1950, 1972 and 1979.

While winning the Stanley Cup is one of the toughest challenges in team sports, the Maple Leafs have become a contender and the early Las Vegas odds of their winning it all are 10-1, behind Tampa at 6-1 and Vegas at 7-1.  If you were curious, the Rangers odds are 30-1.

Next in line

Last season, a contender for the futility title dropped out of the running. The St. Louis Blues had a streak of 50 seasons since their debut in 1967-68, but that went by the wayside when they won the Cup.   Next in line after Toronto are the Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres who have seen nothing but futility since they joined the NHL in 1970-71.

While they sit at 48 straight seasons without a Stanley Cup, seven years is along time for Ranger fans to wait for the record to be broken.  However, considering their recent records, it’s a possibility.

Here are the top five active  Cup-less streaks in the NHL:

1. 51 – Toronto Maple Leafs
2. 48 – Buffalo Sabres
3. 48 – Vancouver Canucks
4. 43 – Philadelphia Flyers
5. 39 – Arizona Coyotes (includes prior history in Winnipeg)

The current streak

It’s hard to believe, but it has been 24 seasons since the Rangers won that last Stanley Cup. That is currently the 14th longest drought in the NHL.   They are only one season behind the Montreal Canadiens, pretty remarkable considering that the Habs hold the record by winning 24 Cups.  Montreal fans must be getting very frustrated.

Ranger fans should be very pleased that they are far behind the Islanders who last won 35 seasons ago and the Flyers who have had 43 seasons of frustration.

On the negative side, it also means that the Rangers have won only one Stanley Cup in 79 seasons and that is a feat that will probably never be matched.

Missing the playoffs

With two straight seasons out of the playoffs, the Rangers will be looking to end that streak as early as this season. The longest active streak of missing the post season belongs to Buffalo with eight straight seasons and Arizona with seven.   The Blueshirts are also five years away from their all-time playoffs drought of seven seasons, from 1997 to 2005.

Looking ahead

When the Maple Leafs began their streak they had just come off a stretch of four Stanley Cups in six years, so it has taken a while for the futility to get to their fanbase.  However, when you consider that you would have to be in your late fifties to remember the last one, it has certainly been a while.

Toronto is the media capital of Canada and the pressure on Brendan Shanahan, Kyle Dubas and Mike Babcock will continue to mount if they keep missing the big prize.    Every move they make will be scrutinized as they get closer to the tragic number.

The only regret is that a chant of “1967” is definitely not as melodic as the “1940” chant that the Rangers and their fans had to endure for so many years.