The Stanley Cup playoff field is set and noticeably absent of the Original Six U.S.-based teams that have been staples of the postseason since 1942. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens earned entry into the knockout tournament, where they will not be joined by the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks or Detroit Red Wings. This is the first time that collection of four teams on America soil have all failed to make the playoffs since the modern NHL era began.
The Red Wings and Rangers were seven points shy of the Canadiens for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference while the Bruins floundered to the cellar. The Chicago Blackhawks were better than only the San Jose Sharks in the West.
Detroit has now failed to make the postseason every season since 2015-16 while this was Boston's first failure to get there since that streak began. Out of the foursome, the Rangers taking a huge step back after last year's President's Cup-winning 114 points is the biggest surprise.
Montreal and Toronto now have the opportunity to erase some other iconic franchise history as a Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens did it in 1993.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Historic NHL Franchises All Miss Playoffs for First Time in 83 Years.
