U.S. Original Six NHL clubs all miss playoffs for 1st time ever

The New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs with losses on Saturday, meaning for the first time since they all entered the league in the mid-1920s, none of the Rangers, Red Wings, Boston Bruins or Chicago will be in the post-season.

The four American teams of the Original Six that comprised the league from 1942-1967 have combined to hoist the Stanley Cup 27 times, and each of Boston, Chicago and Detroit have won it all within the last 20 years, something no Canadian NHL team can claim.

The Red Wings have won 11 league championships overall and were the league's most successful team between 1995 and 2010, winning four championships in six Stanley Cup final appearances.

A year after losing a tiebreaker for the last spot in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings took a step back this season and were officially eliminated from post-season contention on Saturday.

That marks nine consecutive years without a playoff appearance, the longest such span in franchise history and second worst in the NHL behind Buffalo's 13 seasons without a post-season appearance. The drought includes six seasons under the leadership of general manager Steve Yzerman, the former star Red Wings player who was hired away in 2019 from Tampa Bay, where he led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup.

Chicago is the last-place team in the Central Division for the third straight season, a long way from earlier this century when they were a league power with three Stanley Cups from 2010-15 to give the franchise a total of four. Chicago's special teams are in the middle of the pack in the NHL but they struggled in net and even-strength play. 

Chicago will enter the NHL draft lottery with the second best odds behind the San Jose