The Detroit Red Wings are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 25th straight year. According to sportingnews.com, this impressive streak started back in 1991. They have not missed the playoffs since 1990, when they were five points back of a playoff spot. This is not the longest streak in NHL history. The Boston Bruins have that as they made the playoffs 29 years in a row. That started in 1968 and ended in 1997 when Boston was the worst team in the NHL. Other sports have teams make the playoffs many years in a row.
The San Antonio Spurs, who’s record sits 65-15 this year, will make the postseason for the 19th consecutive year. They are the #2 seed in the West. This ties the Boston Celtics for the fourth longest streak in NBA history. The Syracuse Nationals, who became the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963, appeared in the postseason from 1950 to 1971, giving them 22 appearances in a row.
The NFL is one of the most difficult sports to make the postseason. Free agency allows teams to sign athletes to contracts and fewer teams make the playoffs. The roster seems to flip over for every team each year. Two teams have made it to the post-season the last seven seasons, the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. The only year both missed out was in 2008. The Patriots were 11-5 but failed to make it due to tiebreakers. The Packers ended that season 6-10. The greatest streak is held by two teams. The Dallas Cowboys appeared in the playoffs from 1975 to 1983 for a total of 9 years. The Indianapolis Colts, led by Payton Manning, tied that streak. It started in 2002 and ended in 2010. That year, when Payton was injured, they went from the playoffs to the team with the worst record in the league.
In Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals played October baseball five years in a row. They could make it six if they win the National League Central or the Wild Card spot. The Atlanta Braves hold the record at 14 years in a row.
This shows how challenging it is to continually make the playoffs in any sport. Detroit’s streak is remarkable only because the NHL has a salary cap. It isn’t easy to even make a postseason run for one year in any sport much less 25 years.
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