Fansided

Luckiest jerseys in the NHL’s long and storied history

By Bruin Belisle

DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 31
Next
NHL
SAN JOSE, CA – JANUARY 25: (L-R) Erik Karlsson #65, Brent Burns #88 and Joe Pavelski #8 of the San Jose Sharks pose for a photo after the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills at SAP Center on January 25, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /

22. San Jose Sharks

There’s a case to be made that the San Jose Sharks are the unluckiest team in NHL history, but that would be taking away from just how bad they are at choking in the playoffs. Let’s not give them an excuse.

This powerhouse franchise has made the playoffs in all but six of their 25 seasons in the NHL. Six times, they’ve been the one seed going into the playoffs and all six of those times, they missed the Stanley Cup final. Their only Cup final appearance came in 2015-16 when they came in as the three seed and ended up losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Cup.

The Sharks are a hot pick to win the Stanley Cup almost every season and still, no one thinks they’ll actually do it. Even this year, after landing Erik Karlsson, there’s a shade of doubt on this team. They are probably one of the three teams best suited to win (Along with Winnipeg and Tampa Bay) but they won’t. Why? No reason other than “Well, it’s the Sharks, so…”

This unlucky team has seen it’s fair share of playoff collapse. So much so that fans just expect it now. They are what the Washington Capitals were in the Eastern Conference, before the Capitals finally won their Stanley Cup in 2018. This bodes well for the Sharks. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

The top end of the NHL’s Eastern Conference is stacked with playoff experience. Some combination of the Caps, Penguins, Bruins and/or Leafs are all going to be tough opponents for the Tampa Bay Lightning on their way to the Cup. San Jose could get lucky if Winnipeg and Nashville are forced to meet again in the Western Conference final, given that those two teams beat the hell out of each other. The road isn’t easy, but it never is.

With a bit of luck, this San Jose Sharks team could finally break the curse and win a Stanley Cup.

Home/NHL