These NHL Franchises May NEVER See the Stanley Cup
In the NHL, every team starts the year dreaming of lifting the Stanley Cup. We just watched the Florida Panthers finally get their storybook ending after 31 long years. But what about the teams left on the other side of that celebration?
There are still ten NHL franchises that have NEVER won a Stanley Cup, and a few of them haven’t even sniffed the Final. Today, we’re exploring the complete history of hockey heartbreak. From decades of disappointment for current teams to forgotten franchises you’ve probably never heard of, this is the ultimate story of the teams still chasing hockey’s holy grail.
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The “Never Been to the Dance” Group
You can’t really appreciate hockey heartbreak until you talk about the teams that haven’t even had the chance to lose it all. These are the franchises that have never, not once, played in the Stanley Cup Final. It’s a unique kind of agony reserved for an exclusive club.
First up are the new kids on the block: the Seattle Kraken and the Utah Mammoth. The Kraken, who joined the league in 2021, have already made the playoffs once. And the Utah Mammoth is the franchise that just relocated from Arizona for the 2024-25 season. It’s way too early to call them failures; their stories are just getting started. But for now, they’re on this list.
The real veterans of this unfortunate club are the Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the modern Winnipeg Jets.
The Minnesota Wild brought NHL hockey back to the “State of Hockey” in 2000, a welcome return after the beloved North Stars left town. Despite being a regular playoff team with 14 appearances, they’ve only reached the Western Conference Final once, during their 2003 miracle run. Since then? It’s been a frustrating cycle of first and second-round exits—a wall they can’t seem to smash.
Joining the league in the same year, the Columbus Blue Jackets have had an even rougher ride. They’ve only made the playoffs six times, and their crowning achievement was a jaw-dropping first-round sweep of the record-setting Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. That incredible series is still their only playoff series win, and they’ve never gotten past the second round. For Blue Jackets fans, the Final feels like a distant dream.
And then there’s the complicated history of the Winnipeg Jets. To get this right, you have to do some franchise gymnastics. The current Jets franchise was born as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999. The Thrashers made the playoffs just once and were swept. Since moving to Winnipeg in 2011, the team has enjoyed greater success, reaching the Western Conference Final in 2018. But that’s as far as they’ve gone. The original Winnipeg Jets, who are now the Utah Mammoth, also never made it to a Final in their first run. This means both versions of NHL hockey in Winnipeg are still waiting for their first shot at the Cup.
Heartbreakers – Close, but No Cigar
Now, let’s talk about a different kind of pain. The kind you feel when you get all the way to the Final, only to have the dream ripped away. These are the teams that have been to the big dance but went home empty-handed.
Let’s start in Buffalo. The Buffalo Sabres, who joined the league in 1970, currently hold the NHL’s longest active playoff drought. Their history is filled with gut-wrenching “what ifs.” They made the Final in 1975, losing to the Flyers in a series famous for the “Fog Bowl.” But the real soul-crusher came in 1999. In triple overtime of Game 6, Dallas Stars forward Brett Hull scored one of the most controversial goals in hockey history. His skate was in the crease—a violation of the rules at the time—but the goal counted. The Stars won the Cup, and Buffalo has been searching for that stolen moment ever since.
Next, we have the Vancouver Canucks, a team that has truly perfected the art of Stanley Cup Final heartbreak. They’ve been there three times and lost every single one. In 1982, they were swept by the dynastic New York Islanders. In 1994, they pushed the New York Rangers to a dramatic Game 7 but fell just short. But 2011 was probably the most painful. After winning the Presidents’ Trophy, they had a 3-2 series lead on the Boston Bruins with Game 7 on home ice. They were on the verge of glory, only to lose the final game, leading to a devastating conclusion for the city.
Moving down the coast, we find the San Jose Sharks. For years, the Sharks were a powerhouse regular-season team that couldn’t get over the playoff hump. They finally broke through in 2016, making their one and only Stanley Cup Final appearance. Led by legends Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, they fought hard but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. That single trip remains their peak, a lonely monument in a history of near misses.
The modern Ottawa Senators, who entered the league in 1992, know this pain, too. It’s important to remember this franchise doesn’t share the history of the original Senators, who won 11 Cups. This version had its golden era in the mid-2000s, peaking with a trip to the Final in 2007, where the Anaheim Ducks defeated them. They had another heart-stopping run in 2017, losing the Eastern Conference Final in double overtime of Game 7. For that passionate fanbase, the wait continues.
Finally, there’s the Nashville Predators. Their 2017 run to the Final was a true Cinderella story. As the eighth and final seed in the West, they shocked the world, storming through the playoffs by sweeping the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks. They became the first #8 seed in over a decade to make the Final. Facing the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, they battled to a 2-2 series tie but lost in six games. The series featured a controversial disallowed goal in the decisive Game 6 that still stings fans to this day. It was a magical run that ended in pure heartbreak.
It’s a tough history to look back on for these fanbases. So, who do you think is next? Which of these teams will finally break the curse and lift the Stanley Cup? Drop your pick in the comments below—I read every single one.
The Ghosts of the NHL
Our tour of heartbreak isn’t complete without pouring one out for the ghosts of the NHL—the franchises that are no longer with us, the teams that came and went without ever winning the Cup, or in some cases, even reaching the Final.
The Philadelphia Quakers had a perfect record of imperfection. They played one season, 1930-31, finished with a dismal 4-36-4 record, and folded. Their brief, awful existence is just a footnote in hockey history.
Then you have the Brooklyn Americans, who played their final season in 1941-42. Originally the New York Americans, they rebranded for one year in Brooklyn before money problems, and the start of World War II forced them to shut down for good. They never reached the Final.
Let’s not forget the Cleveland Barons. This franchise was actually the relocated California Golden Seals. They played in Cleveland from 1976 to 1978 and never made the playoffs. In a bizarre move you’d never see today, their financial problems led them to merge with—of all teams—the Minnesota North Stars.
And finally, the Atlanta Thrashers. Founded in 1999, they played for 11 seasons in Atlanta. Despite having future superstars like Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley, the team struggled, making the playoffs only once in 2007, where they were promptly swept. In 2011, the team was sold and moved, becoming the current Winnipeg Jets.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Ten current franchises are still chasing that elusive first Stanley Cup, five of whom have never even seen the bright lights of the Final. From the decades-long droughts of Buffalo and Vancouver to the new hopes in Seattle and Utah, each team carries its own unique burden of history. Add in the ghosts of forgotten teams, and you have a powerful reminder of just how impossibly hard it is to win in the NHL.
It’s a story of heartbreak and disappointment, but it’s also a story of eternal hope. For the fans of these teams, the dream of finally lifting the Stanley Cup is what keeps them coming back, season after agonizing season.
Keep Your Stick on the Ice.
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