Why you should be thankful you are a Rangers fan

Futility

This is the feelgood section.  Read about these teams and you should be really grateful that you root for a team that has done a good job of staying competitive and has consistently provided playoffs thrills.

The Florida Panthers take the booby prize when it comes to futility.  Over 25 years, the Panthers have missed the playoffs 20 times.  In the five years they made the playoffs they lost in the first round four times.  Their only saving grace was 1996 when John Vanbiesbrouck backstopped them to the Finals when they lost to Colorado.  That was the season that Panthers fans pelted the ice with plastic rats.

Making it to the Finals in their third year in the NHL was probably the worst thing the Panthers could have done as it has set up 22 years of futility ever since.

The Carolina Hurricanes are a similar story except for one thing.  When they make the playoffs they go deep.  The problem is that they don’t make the playoffs very often. They are second on the futility chart, missing the postseason 19 times.  The difference is that in the six years that the Hurricanes have made the playoffs they have gotten to the Conference Finals four times and to the Finals twice, winning the Cup in 2006, the only time they even made the playoffs in a five year period.

In a totally bizarre twist, the Hurricanes have made the playoffs only four times in the last 17 years and they got as far as the Conference Finals twice and made it to the Finals the other two years.  Last season was the perfect example.  After nine years of no playoffs, the Cinderella Hurricanes got to the Conference Finals before losing to Boston.

More from Blue Line Station

• Blake Wheeler’s Broadway Calling: Why He Chose the Rangers
• Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
• Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
• Jacque Plante Trade Tree Between the Rangers and Canadiens
• These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly

Third on the list are the Edmonton Oilers who are still riding the success of the Gretzky-led 1980s Oilers dynasty.  They have missed the playoffs 17 times in the last 25 years and have gotten out of the first round only four times.  They made it to the Finals once in 2006 and had the bad luck to run into the Hurricanes who beat them in seven games.

Rounding out our list of unsuccessful teams are two teams that have missed the playoffs 16 times in the last quarter century, the Coyotes and the Islanders.

In the futility race, Arizona/Phoenix/Winnipeg beats out the Fishsticks by a nose. They have made the playoffs nine times, but got out of the first round only once.  That was 2012 when they actually got as far as the Conference Finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champs, the Los Angeles Kings.

A special place is reserved in the hearts of all Ranger fans when it comes to the Islanders.  Their hated rivals have missed the playoffs 16 times in 25 years and have gotten out of the first round only twice in nine seasons.  Unlike the Coyotes, the Islanders have not made it past the second round, losing both times they got that far.

Their lack of success is small consolation when you consider the four Stanley Cups the Islanders won and the fact that they eliminated the Blueshirts four straight years in the early 1980s.  Still, it’s comforting to know that the Rangers have been a much better team since 1994.

When it comes to teams that joined the NHL since 1994, the Atlanta Thrasher/Winnipeg Jets have missed the playoffs 15 times in 19 years, getting out of the first round only once.   The Columbus Blue Jackets have missed the playoffs 13 times in 18 years and have gotten out of the first round only once.