Sports has been around for just about ever. The NHL is approaching it’s 100th anniversary while competitive baseball has been around even longer. Last night, the Oilers fell 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche and officially made what we knew for a months a reality, they were eliminated from playoff contention. For the Oilers, it is their tenth consecutive season without a postseason appearance. That, friends, ties the all-time NHL record for futility.
The last team to miss the playoffs for ten straight years was the Florida Panthers from 1999-00 through 2011-12 (remember, the 2004-05 season was wiped out). Those Panthers teams were bad, but at least they remained competitive over their ten year absence.
Out of those ten seasons, the Panthers finished with a point total between 80-90 three times, and finished with over 90 points once. That means four out of the ten seasons saw Florida compete for a playoff spot. The Panthers only finished with under 70 points on two occasions, the first two years that they missed the playoffs.
The year the Panthers hit over 90 points (93) they actually finished tied for a playoff spot, but missed out due to a tie breaker.
As a comparison, the Oilers have only reached the 80 point mark twice during the current ten year stretch. Those two seasons, (2007-08, 2008-09) both came at the start of this stretch. Edmonton’s only hit 70 points four total times (2006-07, 2011-12). That means in the five other completed seasons, Edmonton finished with under 70 points. That is substantially worse than what Florida did.
Looking at these numbers, and the clear lack of progress in Edmonton throughout an entire decade, it’s almost impossible to argue that there is a worse streak in league history. The Oilers have been a constant basement team for seven straight seasons and have yet to show any signs of turning north. That is considerably worse than Florida.
Looking at other leagues, Edmonton’s stretch rivals any other drought in sports history. The Toronto Blue Jays missed the postseason for 22 straight years, but they play in a league were few teams actually make the postseason and they came close on a number of occasions. The Jays were always at least competitive in baseball.
The Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA are a close comparable for the Oilers. They’ve missed the postseason for 12 straight years now and have only been competitive for about two of those seasons. That said, they play in the NBA, a league run by superstars and a league with minimal parity at best.
The T-Wolves didn’t have a superstar for years, but have finally got one with Andrew Wiggins now in the fold. Knowing how the NBA works, they’ve at least used the last few years to build themselves a future.
The Buffalo Bills are the toughest competition for the Oilers for this honor. The Bills have missed the postseason for 17 straight years now, and they have been a cellar dweller the entire time. Buffalo has had a few .500 seasons and even finished 9-7 during this stretch, but most years they end up in the bottom of the barrel. The Bills drafting has been awful and it’s tough to see a great future for them from this angle.
That said, the Bills play in the NFL, which sees minimal playoff teams each season. Factor in that they play in the same division as the New England Patriots and it’s easy to see why they have struggled to a degree. This stretch is longer and, on the surface looks worse, but they and the Oilers have more similarities than meets the eye.
Why The Oilers Take The Cake:
The NHL prides itself on parity and, believe it or not, they are right. 28 teams are essentially interchangeable in the NHL. Those teams fluctuate on a yearly basis and you can make a case for all of them to make the playoffs. The two teams that are constants? The Oilers and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks are a shoe-in for the postseason every year, while the Oilers are a shoe-in to be golfing in early April.
Considering that there is so much parity and that over 50% of teams make the playoffs each season, this ten year drought looks even worse. From here, I think the Edmonton Oilers current playoff drought is the worst in sports history.
They haven’t been remotely competitive for seven straight seasons and miss the playoffs constantly in the most parity filled league in the world. When OVER HALF the teams make the playoffs every year, you are bound to sneak in by accident once or twice in a decade. Edmonton’s futile run literally defies the odds.
To me, that makes it the worst playoff drought in sports history. No pressure Peter Chiarelli, we’re just asking you to clean up this colossal mess.
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