Detroit Red Wings: 24th Straight Playoff Appearance Puts Them in Elite Historical Company
By Ty Duffy
The Detroit Red Wings lost 4-3 to the Canadiens last night, but still clinched a place in the NHL Playoffs for the 24th straight season. “The streak” has lost its luster a bit. Detroit has not finished above 3rd in its division since 2011 and not reached a conference finals since 2009. But, their achievements over that span – 14 division titles, 6 conference titles, 4 Stanley Cups – puts Detroit in some impressive company across the major sports.
Hitting the pinnacle is hard enough. Staying there for more than a decade is almost inconceivable.
The NBA is the closest to the NHL considering league and playoff structure. Two modern era examples come to mind. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 17-year streak from 1977 to 1993 resulted in 11 division titles, nine conference titles and five NBA Championships. The San Antonio Spurs’ ongoing 18-year run has seen 10 division titles, six conference titles and five NBA Championships. Though, one might argue that’s easier to pull off in the NBA.
An NBA star is one of five players on the court for 75 percent of the game or more. The Lakers were bound for sustained success pairing Kareem and Magic, two of the best 10 players ever. Ditto for the Spurs who were riddled by injuries one season and ended up with Tim Duncan joining a playoff team. Stars in the NHL, with a possible exception of an elite goaltender, don’t wield that much influence.
Baseball? It’s harder to make the MLB playoffs and sustain a postseason streak. Before 1995, that meant winning one’s division every single season. The Bobby Cox-era Braves had the longevity, 14-straight appearances, but just one title. The closest parallel to the Red Wings may be the 1995 to 2007 New York Yankees with 13-straight appearances, 10 division pennants, six AL Championships and four World Series wins. Their .519 winning percentage last season was the lowest since 1992.
The NFL blunts such streaks by design with shorter careers and parity. No team has ever reached the playoffs 10-straight seasons. Two nine-year runs by the Cowboys (1975 to 1983) and the Colts (2002 to 2010) yielded just one Super Bowl a piece. The Belichick-era New England Patriots have missed the playoffs twice since 2001, finishing 9-7 in 2002 and 11-5 in 2008. But, it’s hard to quibble with 12 division titles in 14 years, six AFC titles and four Super Bowl wins.
Streaks are not uncommon in European soccer, given the gross disparity of resources. The obvious parallel there is Manchester Unitedunder Sir Alex Ferguson. The Red Devils never finished lower than third during a 22-year span from 1991 to 2013, winning 13 league titles, 8 domestic cups and two Champions Leagues.
Ferguson defined what it takes to succeed over that long a span. He did the hardest thing to do, evolve. He rebooted his teams several times with different stars. He never wedded himself to a specific formation or style. He built teams around Roy Keane as easily as Cristiano Ronaldo. And, of course, some disproportionate spending power never hurts. Manchester United could paper over bad signings with more signings. The Red Wings’ famed 2001-02 team, pre-salary cap, compiled 10 current or future Hall of Famers.
The Salary Cap era has been a bit harsher on the Red Wings. Offering equal money, Detroit is not the glamour free agent destination it once was. Though, it’s a testament to their strength this playoff team is almost entirely home grown, from the back end of the draft. Drafting Dylan Larkin in 2014 was the Red Wings’ first Top 15 pick since 1991. Current stars Pavel Datsyuk (171st overall – 1998) and Henrik Zetterberg (210th overall – 1999) were found in later rounds. The only cornerstone player chosen in the first round was defender Nicklas Kronwall (29th overall – 2000). If only they had a goaltender…