U.S. Original Six Teams Shut Out of Playoffs

The Original Six teams located in the United States boast a storied past, having won the Stanley Cup a combined 27 times.

However, they now share an undesirable record.

For the first time in NHL history, the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers will all be absent from the playoffs in the same season.

The Red Wings have secured 11 Stanley Cups, fewer than the Canadian Original Six teams. Montreal leads with 23 Cups, and Toronto follows with 13. The Maple Leafs have clinched a playoff berth starting Saturday. The Canadiens are close to securing the Eastern Conference`s second wild-card spot, despite losing to Chicago in a shootout on Monday.

Detroit had been showing signs of improvement under general manager Steve Yzerman since his arrival from Tampa Bay in 2019. However, their progress stalled this year, and patience is wearing thin.

After narrowly missing the playoffs last year, the Red Wings regressed this season and were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday.

“We had a clear objective entering the season,” said Detroit`s Lucas Raymond after a 6-4 victory over Dallas. “We knew how close we were last year. The next step was to make the playoffs, and we were determined to get there, but we couldn`t.”

The Blackhawks are at the bottom of the Central Division for the third consecutive year and are only ahead of San Jose in the NHL standings. They were a dominant force earlier this century, winning three Cups between 2010 and 2015, bringing their total to six.

While the struggles of Detroit and Chicago were not unexpected, the Rangers and Bruins were anticipated to be playoff contenders.

The Rangers, after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last year with a league-leading 114 points and reaching the Eastern Conference final, had hoped to contend for their first Stanley Cup in over three decades and fifth overall. However, Peter Laviolette`s second season as coach did not meet expectations, as the team hovered around .500 and fell out of playoff contention in the final week of the regular season.

Boston, entering the season with optimism, will finish with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In a rebuilding phase, the franchise traded captain Brad Marchand last month, the last remaining player from their 2011 championship team.