Detroit Red Wings playoff streak hits 24, will play Tampa Bay Lightning

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There are three certainties in life – or over the last 25 years at least: Death, taxes and the Red Wings make the playoffs. The Red Wings clinched a playoff berth on Thursday night when they picked up a point in an OT loss with a Boston Bruins L (the Bruins’ 7-year streak of making the playoffs ended with a loss on Saturday night). The Red Wings’ streak is the longest active playoffs streak in sports and three times longer than any other streak in NHL history.

A lot has happened since the Wings last missed the playoffs in 1989-1990. FTW has some of those things:

-The New York Rangers have had 13 different coaches.

-A gallon of gas has risen in price from 89 cents to 2.39

-Cell phone usage has grown from about 5 million to more than 320 million cell phones in the U.S.

-The Florida Panthers have missed the playoffs 17 times in their 21-year existence

-Mike Modano played a 21-season NHL career and waited the necessary time to be elected in the Hall of Fame.

I was five the last time the Red Wings missed the playoffs, so playoff hockey is all I know. Spoiled rotten with playoff hockey.

The Wings win on Saturday put them in the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference. They’ll play the No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, so expect a lot of Stevie Y talk.  Game 1 will most likely be on Thursday. We’ll update with the schedule when it becomes available.

LGRW!

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