This may be strange coming from an Avalanche fan, but it is terrible how the Detroit Red Wings have fallen. No one thought that they would be eliminated by late February; this was a team who played about 90-100 games a year for 25 years straight. They were one of the biggest powerhouses in the NHL for a long time, but this latest elimination brings their playoff drought to four seasons. Here's a look back at Detroit's long playoff streak.
1991: The streak began back when the divisions and conferences had the traditional names. The Wings finished a distant third in the Norris Division and were defeated in seven by the St. Louis Blues in the Norris Semifinals.
1992: The regular season winners of the Norris Division and the #1 overall seed in the Campbell Conference. Won the Norris Semifinals in seven over the Minnesota North Stars, but were swept in the Norris Final by the Chicago Blackhawks.
1993: Lost the Norris Semifinals in seven to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was the final year of the classic divisional playoff format.
1994: The first year of the geographical names; the Norris Division was renamed the Central Division. Won the Central and was the #1 seed in the Western Conference, but lost the West Quarters in seven to the San Jose Sharks.
1995: Won the West Quarters in five games over the Dallas Stars, swept San Jose in the West Semis, and defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in the West Final in five games. Swept in the Stanley Cup Final by the New Jersey Devils. This was Detroit's first Stanley Cup Final appearance in their streak, and their first Presidents' Trophy.
1996: Their historic 62 win, 131 point season (wins record matched by the 2018-19 Lightning). Defeated the Winnipeg Jets in the West Quarters (six games) and won a seven game West Semifinal series over the Blues, only to be defeated in the West Final by the Colorado Avalanche (six games). This was their second Presidents' Trophy in the streak.
1997: Won the West Quarters in six games over the Blues, swept the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the West Semis, and defeated the defending Cup Champion Avalanche in a six game West Final. Swept the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final. This was their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in the streak, and their first Stanley Cup win.
1998: Defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in the West Quarters, the Blues in the West Semis, and the Stars in the West Final--six games each. Swept the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final. This was their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in the streak, and their second Stanley Cup win. They were the last team to win back-to-back Cups until the Pittsburgh Penguins did so in 2016 and 2017.
1999: Swept the Mighty Ducks in the West Quarters, but lost to the Avalanche in the West Semis (six games).
2000: Swept the Los Angeles Kings in the West Quarters, but lost to the Avalanche in the West Semis (five games).
2001: Defeated in six games by the Kings in the West Quarters. This was their first opening round exit in the streak since 1994.
2002: Won the West Quarters in six games over the Vancouver Canucks, the West Semis in five games over the Blues, and a thrilling seven game West Final over the defending Cup Champion Avalanche. Defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in a five game Stanley Cup Final. This was their third Presidents' Trophy in the streak, their fourth Stanley Cup Final appearance, and their third Stanley Cup win.
2003: Swept in the West Quarters by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. This was the only time in the streak that they failed to win a playoff game.
2004: Won the West Quarters in six games over the Nashville Predators, but lost the West Semis in six games to the Calgary Flames.
2006: Lost a six-game West Quarters to the Edmonton Oilers. This was their fourth Presidents' Trophy in the streak.
2007: Won the West Quarters over the Flames and the West Semis over the Sharks, but lost the West Final to the Ducks (all in six games).
2008: Won the West Quarters in six games over the Predators, swept the Avalanche in the West Semis, and won the West Final over the Stars in six games. Defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Stanley Cup Final. This was their fifth and final Presidents' Trophy and their fifth Stanley Cup Final appearance in the streak, and their fourth Stanley Cup win. As of this point, it is also their most recent Stanley Cup.
2009: Swept the Columbus Blue Jackets in the West Quarters, defeated the Ducks in a seven game West Semifinal series, and won the West Final in five games over the Blackhawks. Lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Penguins in seven games. This was their sixth Stanley Cup Final appearance in the streak, and (as of this point) their most recent.
2010: Won the West Quarters in seven games over the Coyotes, but lost the West Semis in five games over the Sharks.
2011: Swept the Coyotes in the West Quarters, but lost a seven game West Semifinal series to the Sharks.
2012: Lost the West Quarters in five games to the Predators.
2013: Won a seven game West Quarterfinal series over the Ducks, but lost a seven game West Semifinal series to the Blackhawks. This was their final playoff appearance in the Western Conference, and also the last time that they won a playoff series.
2014: Moved to the Eastern Conference as part of the realignment, which also saw the league switch back to four divisions and adopt the current division-based playoff format. Lost in five games to the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Semifinals.
2015: Lost a seven-game Atlantic Semifinal series to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
2016: Lost the Atlantic Semifinals in five games to the Lightning. This was their most recent playoff appearance (as of this point), and Game Four was the final playoff game that took place at Joe Louis Arena.
The Wings' playoff streak by the numbers:
Playoff Games: 299 Playoff Record (games): 166-133 Playoff Series Won: 33 Presidents' Trophies: 5 Stanley Cup Final appearances: 6 Stanley Cups: 4 Series vs the Avalanche (record): 6 (3-3)
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Last edited by Number One on Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:06 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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