The Original Six teams based in the United States have a rich history, combining for 27 Stanley Cup titles.
And now, they share an unwanted distinction.
Detroit, Boston, Chicago and the New York Rangers will all miss the playoffs in the same year for the first time in NHL history.
The Red Wings have won 11 league championships to trail Montreal’s 23 and Toronto’s 13 and the Canada-based franchises have earned spots in the playoffs that start Saturday.
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Detroit was slowly improving under general manager Steve Yzerman until this season. The Hall of Fame player was hired from Tampa Bay in 2019 and the patience he asked for is running thin.
A year after losing a tiebreaker for the last spot in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings took a step back this season and were eliminated from postseason contention Saturday.
The Blackhawks are the last-place team in the Central Division for the third straight season and will finish ahead of only San Jose in the NHL. Earlier this century, Chicago was a league power with three Cups from 2010 to 2015 to give the franchise four.
Though the Red Wings and Blackhawks were predicted to have another lackluster season, the Rangers and Bruins were expected to be playoff teams.
A season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy with an NHL-high 114 points and reaching the Eastern Conference final, the Rangers were hoping to hoist the Cup for the first time in more than three decades and fifth time in franchise history. Peter Laviolette’s second season as coach in New York didn’t pan out, guiding a team that was hovering around .500 and out of contention during the last week of the regular season.
Boston started the season with high hopes and will finish it with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The rebuilding franchise traded captain Brad Marchand last month at the trade deadline, dealing the last remaining member of its sixth championship team in 2011.
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