U.S. Original Six NHL clubs all miss playoffs for 1st time ever

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 8:12 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs with losses connected Saturday, meaning for the archetypal clip since they each entered the league successful the mid-1920s, nary of the Rangers, Red Wings, Boston Bruins oregon Chicago will beryllium successful the post-season.

The 4 American teams of the Original Six that comprised the league from 1942-1967 person combined to hoist the Stanley Cup 27 times, and each of Boston, Chicago and Detroit have won it each wrong the past 20 years, thing nary Canadian NHL squad tin claim.

The Red Wings person won 11 league championships wide and were the league's astir palmy squad betwixt 1995 and 2010, winning 4 championships successful six Stanley Cup last appearances.

A twelvemonth aft losing a tiebreaker for the past spot successful the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings took a measurement backmost this play and were officially eliminated from post-season contention connected Saturday.

That marks 9 consecutive years without a playoff appearance, the longest specified span successful franchise past and 2nd worst successful the NHL down Buffalo's 13 seasons without a post-season appearance. The drought includes six seasons nether the enactment of wide manager Steve Yzerman, the erstwhile prima Red Wings subordinate who was hired distant successful 2019 from Tampa Bay, wherever helium led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup.

Chicago is the last-place squad successful the Central Division for the 3rd consecutive season, a agelong mode from earlier this period erstwhile they were a league powerfulness with 3 Stanley Cups from 2010-15 to springiness the franchise a full of four. Chicago's peculiar teams are successful the mediate of the battalion successful the NHL but they struggled successful nett and even-strength play. 

Chicago volition participate the NHL draught lottery with the 2nd champion likelihood down the San Jose Sharks for the rights to the No. 1 wide pick, and volition anticipation to find complimentary endowment for young prima Connor Bedard, who was selected archetypal wide successful 2023. 

Bruins, Rangers large disappointments

While nary 1 successful the Motor City oregon Windy City was shocked by different lacklustre play connected the ice, the Rangers and Bruins were expected by astir NHL observers to beryllium playoff teams.

A twelvemonth aft winning the Presidents' Trophy with an NHL-high 114 points and reaching the Eastern Conference final, the Rangers were hoping to perchance hoist the Cup for the archetypal clip successful much than 3 decades and 5th clip successful franchise history. 

Peter Laviolette's 2nd play down the seat successful New York simply didn't cookware out. While the Rangers started the play impressively, they began to swoon successful precocious November, and skipper Jacob Trouba was traded away. The Rangers struggled connected the powerfulness play, and apical guardant Mika Zibanejad presently has 58 points, good disconnected his point-per-game gait of the erstwhile 5 seasons.

The Rangers person won conscionable 1 Stanley Cup successful the past 85 years, with a 1994 championship.

Boston was the Presidents' Trophy victor with the champion wide regular play grounds conscionable 2 seasons ago, earning Jim Montgomery the Jack Adams Trophy arsenic the NHL's apical coach.

But Montgomery was fired 20 games into this play arsenic the Bruins struggled retired of the game. Goalie Jeremy Swayman, anointed the No. 1 goalie aft Linus Ullmark near for Ottawa, couldn't recapture past season's form, and defencemen Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy missed important clip with injuries.

Bruins wide manager Don Sweeney raised the achromatic emblem connected the play by the commercialized deadline, dealing skipper Brad Brad Marchand to Florida, and centre Charlie Coyle to Colorado.

Boston is presently 4th with respect to NHL draught lottery odds; 11 teams person a mathematical accidental astatine drafting the apical pick.

While the oldest American clubs person struggled, others person stepped to the fore. In 4 of the past six seasons, Sun Belt clubs — Florida, Tampa Bay and the Vegas Golden Knights — person lifted the Stanley Cup.

No Canadian squad has won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens successful 1993.

The NHL playoffs volition statesman connected Saturday.