Carolina Hurricanes fans will get to watch their guys take part in playoff hockey for the first time since 2008-09 with the Canes officially clinching a playoff berth on Thursday night.
Before the 2018-19 campaign got underway a lot of analysts and fans expected the Hurricanes to finish near the bottom of the standings, but the biggest bunch of jerks in sports went out and proved everyone wrong by grabbing a spot in the playoffs. Not only did the Canes manage to extend their season on Thursday night, but they no longer own the longest active playoff drought in the NHL as those honours now belong to the Buffalo Sabres.
This season marks the eighth straight year that the Sabres have failed to make the playoffs, but they’re not the only franchise who hasn’t tasted the playoffs in a long period of time and they’re not even in the top five for longest active playoff droughts. Here’s a look at some of the longest active playoff droughts in sports.
Seattle Mariners – 17 seasons
The Seattle Mariners tied the MLB record for most wins in a season with 116 victories during the 2001 campaign and followed that up with back-to-back 93-win seasons. However, since this was long before the MLB expanded its playoff format there were limited spaces available in the postseason and it resulted in the Mariners missing out on October baseball, even with some of the best records in the game. Little did they know that was just the beginning of their heartache as the Mariners have failed to make the playoffs since 2001.
Cleveland Browns – 16 seasons
Were you as shocked as we were to find out that the Cleveland Browns don’t own the longest active playoff drought in sports? Despite being the laughing stock of sports for more than a decade and winning just four games from 2015-2017, the Browns actually own the second-longest active playoff drought in sports at 16 years. However, after their busy winter a lot of people are expecting that to come to an end this year.
Miami Marlins – 15 seasons
The last time the Miami Marlins made the playoffs they weren’t known as the Miami Marlins. In 2003, the Florida Marlins captured their second World Series title in franchise history by taking down the New York Yankees in six games and it didn’t go up from there as it’s now been 15 seasons without Marlins playoff baseball.
Sacramento Kings – 13 seasons
Sacramento used to be an intimidating place for basketball teams to visit in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s as they put together a span of six straight years of 50 or more wins and eight straight years of 44 or more wins, but the times have changed. Big time. The Kings have not only failed to make the playoffs since the 2005-06 seasons, but they’ve also managed to finish above .500 since then and have only won 30 or more games five times in that span.
San Diego Padres – 12 seasons
The San Diego Padres have been one of the busier teams over the past two offseasons and it probably has something to do with changing the culture in San Diego. After making back-to-back postseason appearances in 2005 and 2006 with 82 wins and 88 wins, the Padres backed that up with their highest win total since 1998 as they picked up 89 victories in 2007 but it wasn’t enough for a playoff berth. It’s been 12 seasons since the Padres have been in the postseason and they’re hoping this is the year that changes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 11 seasons
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were an intimidating team to play in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, but they’ve become one of the least feared teams over the past decade. Not only have they failed to make the playoffs since 2007, but they’ve only finished above .500 three times in the past 11 years.
Chicago White Sox – 10 seasons
The Chicago White Sox are one of the oldest franchises in professional sports but they don’t have many playoff appearances to show for it. The team has been around since 1901 and have won just three World Series titles in more than 100 years of existence. The last time they made the playoffs was back in 2008, and have won 80 or more games just twice since then.
Phoenix Suns – 9 seasons
The Phoenix Suns have been one of the youngest teams in the NBA for the past few years, but they’ve also managed to be one of the worst teams during that span. The Suns have failed to hit 25 wins over the past four years and there’s a chance they won’t even hit 20 this year. After making the playoffs for 13 straight years from 1988-2001, the Suns have made the playoffs just six times in the past 18 years.
New York Jets – 8 seasons
This season marks a new era of New York Jets football as the team went out and spent some money in the offseason and even changed their uniforms. However, spending money and changing uniforms doesn’t always guarantee you success. It’s been eight years since the Jets were in the playoffs and they’ve managed to finish above .500 just once since then.
