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When the Canadiens clinched their postseason berth on April 16, they avoided missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year. 

Big deal, right? In the broader context, it’s quite a big deal. How so, you might ask? 

Consider this: the Canadiens avoided missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year…in franchise history! That’s correct. In the 107 years of the franchise, the team has not failed to qualify for the postseason for more than three consecutive years.

That is an amazing accomplishment on so many levels. First of all, the sheer longevity of the team’s history would lead some to believe the team would have hit at least one significant down period. Not the Habs.

Just look at the rest of the current NHL. The only other team with a playoff drought no longer than three seasons is the St. Louis Blues. However, they have only existed for about half the time as the Habs, and have only one Stanley Cup to Montreal’s 25. Eight teams (one-quarter of the league) are currently in a playoff drought longer than three seasons. No other current team’s longest playoff drought is as low as three seasons (excluding the newest teams, Vegas, Seattle, and Utah). 

It’s even crazier considering that so many teams have only existed for a fraction of the time Montreal has. Columbus has had three separate droughts longer than three seasons in 25 years.  Florida had a ten-year drought in its 30-year history. It isn’t just expansion teams either. None of the Original Six can compare either. Boston (8), Chicago (6), Detroit (9), New York (7), and Toronto (7) all have more extended playoff absences. 

Beyond the NHL 

To better appreciate this feat, I wanted to compare this stat with the other major North American sports leagues. I researched the longest droughts for all current teams in the NBA, the NFL, and MLB. Kudos to champsorchumps.us for making it easier for me. 

The MLB’s New York Yankees are the closest comparison to the Canadiens in terms of success in their respective sports. Yet, even the Bronx Bombers have had prolonged periods of ineptitude. Their longest playoff drought is 18 seasons, and they have additional droughts of 13 and 11 years. No MLB team has a longest drought that is less than five seasons. 

In the NBA, the most successful franchises are the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. Yet both teams have six-season droughts in their histories. The only NBA team to have a drought no longer than three seasons is the Miami Heat. But with a mere 36-year existence, they are a drop in the bucket compared to the Habs. 

Not even the mighty NFL has a franchise as consistent as the Canadiens. Not the Pittsburgh Steelers (24-season drought). Not the Green Bay Packers (15-season drought). Not even the self-proclaimed “America’s Team,” Dallas Cowboys (6-season drought) could pull it off. 

I just wanted to share some perspective on just how impressive this Canadiens’ accomplishment is. In a league built for parity, where Canadian franchises often face disadvantages due to financial and logistical reasons (and because Gary Bettman hates Canada, or so I’ve heard), for any team to achieve that level of consistent success is remarkable. Throw in the longevity, and their principles that they refuse to compromise on (such as having a French-speaking Coach and GM), it is even more astounding.