The Tortured Fanbase Department: Ranking the suffering of all 32 NHL fanbases

A quote I often go back to when thinking about being a sports fan is something Acting the Fulemin tweeted nearly five years ago: “I think a lot of people think the point of sports is that your team will win and then you will be happy. That is not the point of sports. The point of sports is to be sad in a group.”

I don’t think anyone has nailed down sports fandom better than this, to be honest. You root for a team in a league that probably consists of 10-30 franchises, and at the end of the season, only one team will truly be happy with their season: the one that wins the championship (unless you follow non-North American soccer leagues; then you have multiple trophies to see your team try to win).

Hockey fans are no different. A sport where luck and funny bounces can make just as much of an impact as the skill of the players can create a plethora of moments of anguish for fans. The Stanley Cup is often considered the toughest trophy in sports to win, so it’s only fitting that losing out on it can cause so much pain.

While the question of who’s had more pain and suffering normally isn’t a competition, here at Daily Faceoff, we decided to make it one. I was joined by managing editor Matt Larkin and news writers Colton Davies, Hunter Crowther, Shane Seney and Tyler Kuehl to rank all 32 teams based on how tough it is to be a fan of them.

A quick shoutout to the late Arizona Coyotes, who would probably be a contender for first if they didn’t just lose their franchise: 27 years, a handful of playoff appearances, only one playoff run beyond the first round, arena problems galore, and a slew of terrible owners that pinched as many pennies as they could all the way to the franchise’s last breath. People always joke about how few fans they really had, but the ones who cared have been through enough. If they do get an expansion team once their arena issues are solved, hopefully it gets done properly.

32. Vegas Golden Knights

Colton’s rank: 32nd
Hunter’s rank: 32nd
Matt’s rank: 31st
Scott’s rank: 32nd
Shane’s rank: 31st
Tyler’s rank: 32nd

Hunter: I mean, this has to be the easiest one on the list, right? Since their inaugural season in 2017-18, when they caught the attention of sports fans around the world by making it to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Washington Capitals, the Vegas Golden Knights have been one of the most successful franchises in professional sports. Three Pacific Division titles, three Western Conference Final appearances, two Stanley Cup Final appearances, and a league championship in 2023-24 — all in seven seasons. Some may not like how they stretch the rules to their advantage, or have an owner who pursues banners instead of profits, or how they’ve become a destination for nearly every player in the league, but like it or not, they are the cream of the crop, and the cream always rises to the top. 

31. Florida Panthers

Colton’s rank: 30th
Hunter’s rank: 27th
Matt’s rank: 32nd
Scott’s rank: 26th
Shane’s rank: 32nd
Tyler’s rank: 31st

Tyler: I am going to catch some (Miami) heat for this, but for me it is hard for me to consider a fanbase “tortured” when the arena Sunrise was empty for years. From first-hand experience, I’ve been to Florida Panthers games where you could have a conversation with a person on the other end of the rink, it was that quiet. Also, it’s difficult to feel sympathy for fans who just won the Stanley Cup. The fans have something to be excited about now, thanks to back-to-back trips to the Final, but to think Cats fans have ever suffered in the franchise’s almost-three-decade history is a distant belief. 

30. Tampa Bay Lightning

Colton’s rank: 31st
Hunter’s rank: 28th
Matt’s rank: 29th
Scott’s rank: 31st
Shane’s rank: 29th
Tyler’s rank: 29th

Colton: There hasn’t been a lot of downfall and turmoil in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. A Cup win in 2004, a few years on the tracks a little bit unstable, but things all started to come back around once Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy and the gang showed up. This fanbase, in all reality, has been spoiled by their success over the last 10 years and even further. A remarkable run in 2014-15, only to get stopped by a dynasty, but it all came to fruition when the Bolts won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and appeared in three straight Stanley Cup Finals. While this fanbase is hurting over the loss of Stamkos, those Cup wins are a far cry from a tortured fan base.

29. Colorado Avalanche

Colton’s rank: 29th
Hunter’s rank: 30th
Matt’s rank: 30th
Scott’s rank: 29th
Shane’s rank: 27th
Tyler’s rank: 20th

Colton: The Colorado Avalanche, are ranked low, and it may be due to recency bias. Colorado for years struggled and finally were able to get themselves to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021-22 dethroning the Tampa Bay Lightning. But it was a battle in a sense to get there. The Avs were a powerhouse in the 1990s and early 2000s and ultimately after all the star power faded away, the Avs were left to rebuild. So the fans in Denver have always craved that top-tier success, that championship pedigree. Right now, even with captain Gabriel Landeskog’s future up in the air, I think Colorado fans are living a great life.

28. Seattle Kraken

Colton’s rank: 27th
Hunter’s rank: 25th
Matt’s rank: 26th
Scott’s rank: 28th
Shane’s rank: 30th
Tyler’s rank: 28th

Scott: I was tempted to put the Seattle Kraken closer to the middle where I have Utah due to how little has happened in their franchise, but they’ve at least been able to watch their franchise play AND even see them in the playoffs, with a series win to boot. The honeymoon phase will probably end soon if they have more seasons like Years 1 and 3, but Seattle is probably quite content with their franchise for the time being, and they haven’t really experienced heartbreak… yet.

27. Boston Bruins

Colton’s rank: 26th
Hunter’s rank: 29th
Matt’s rank: 23rd
Scott’s rank: 27th
Shane’s rank: 28th
Tyler’s rank: 30th

Scott: The Boston Bruins are a tough one to rank because, from the perspective of the city of Boston, the Bruins are a source of disappointment. And then you remember that the reason why they’re viewed that way is because every other major sports franchise in their city has won since the Bruins’ 2011 Cup win, and you realize that it’s because of how spoiled they are. I mean, the Celtics just won the NBA championship! Even if the Bruins aren’t in the best state and only won one Cup with their previous core, they are far from tortured compared to other franchises.

26. Pittsburgh Penguins

Colton’s rank: 28th
Hunter’s rank: 23rd
Matt’s rank: 28th
Scott’s rank: 30th
Shane’s rank: 26th
Tyler’s rank: 24th

Shane: While the very early years of the franchise may have been rough as it took the organization eight years to have a winning season, Pittsburgh Penguins fans don’t have much to complain about. Since the early ’90s, the fan base has been spoiled. Watching some of the game’s greats each and every night can’t be that hard to swallow. With the likes of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis, the early ’90s teams were an absolute wagon on route to two Stanley Cups. Sure, there were some dark times in the early 2000s, but Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin arrived on the scene. Three more Stanley Cups later, the rest is history.  

25. Chicago Blackhawks

Colton’s rank: 24th
Hunter’s rank: 26th
Matt’s rank: 27th
Scott’s rank: 25th
Shane’s rank: 25th
Tyler’s rank: 26th

Scott: If we did these rankings 10 years ago, the Chicago Blackhawks would probably be dead last. But, after what would have been seven straight seasons outside of the playoffs if not for a pandemic expanding the 2020 postseason and Mike Smith singlehandedly dragging down the Oilers, you can feel a bit more remorse for Blackhawks fans, especially now that they have to morally question their fandom during the championship seasons. That said, they’re still the eighth most recent winner, and they just got gifted a franchise talent last year. There are a lot more teams worse off.

24. Los Angeles Kings

Colton’s rank: 20th
Hunter’s rank: 24th
Matt’s rank: 22nd
Scott’s rank: 22nd
Shane’s rank: 24th
Tyler’s rank: 27th

Hunter: Feels like this one was properly ranked, although there’s a case that the Los Angeles Kings have been one of hockey’s middling teams in the last decade. Yes, they won two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, but in the 10 seasons since then, they haven’t won a single playoff round, and they’ve only made the postseason five times. If we want to go further, think about their team in the ’90s: they acquired the greatest player of all-time in Wayne Gretzky and only made it to one Stanley Cup Final in 1993 before missing the playoffs in Gretzky’s last three seasons with the club. The ugly stepsister of L.A. sports, they’d still be sitting at the same table with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers if it weren’t for the two rings in the 2010s. 

23. St. Louis Blues

Colton’s rank: 25th
Hunter’s rank: 20th
Matt’s rank: 25th
Scott’s rank: 23rd
Shane’s rank: 22nd
Tyler’s rank: 23rd

Tyler: Had this team not won the Stanley Cup – in one of the most incredible stories in NHL history – the St. Louis Blues would easily be in the top 10…if not the top five. Prior to 2019, this franchise had gone through hell and back. Whether it be getting annihilated in three straight Finals at the beginning of the team’s history, nearly moving to Saskatoon, or having great teams choke it away in the playoffs, fans in St. Louis have seen it all. However, with the team having won the championship, they have another 20 or so years before we consider them tortured.

22. Washington Capitals

Colton’s rank: 23rd
Hunter’s rank: 19th
Matt’s rank: 24th
Scott’s rank: 24th
Shane’s rank: 23rd
Tyler’s rank: 19th

Shane: It’s hard to be a tortured fan base when you’ve been watching potentially the greatest goal-scorer in league history go to work for almost two decades. Also, the Washington Capitals won a Stanley Cup just six years ago, so while they haven’t won a single playoff round since, at least they have the one somewhat recent Cup on the mantle, right?. The franchise is in a bit of a tough spot as they know Alex Ovechkin’s career is winding down, but kudos to management to not throw the towel in despite the playoff failures and retool on the fly as they look to capitalize on what Ovi has left in the tank. 

21. Detroit Red Wings

Colton’s rank: 19th
Hunter’s rank: 13th
Matt’s rank: 21st
Scott’s rank: 19th
Shane’s rank: 21st
Tyler’s rank: 25th

Matt: It would be a stretch to say we feel sympathy for the Detroit Red Wings fan base in the modern era. This group enjoyed Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, after all, not to mention a 25-year streak of playoff berths. But that streak has given way to an eight-year playoff drought, the second longest active one in the NHL. It feels like a twisted nightmare to see one of your franchise’s all-time heroes, Steve Yzerman, driving the bus and coming closer to taking it off a cliff than to the promised land. Something feels wrong when an Original Six franchise seems so irrelevant. Will that change soon? I’m not totally convinced. Yzerman blinked too early in the rebuild and has spent several summers weighing down his roster with mid-tier veteran signings.

20. Carolina Hurricanes

Colton’s rank: 16th
Hunter’s rank: 22nd
Matt’s rank: 20th
Scott’s rank: 16th
Shane’s rank: 18th
Tyler’s rank: 22nd

Matt: If we view the Carolina Hurricanes through the lens of a fan base that never gets to taste winning: there’s little to pity here. The Canes won the Stanley Cup 18 years ago and have been consistently dominant for six seasons under coach Rod Brind’Amour. The fanbase pain lies in the underachieving, however. Carolina has been a popular Stanley Cup pick among many prognosticators for a half decade now, and this group just never seems to break through, whether it’s because it lacks a superstar scorer or because it never has a Vezina-caliber netminder. So many squandered runs for a team that should’ve taken home a Cup by now under Brind’Amour.

19. New Jersey Devils

Colton’s rank: 21st
Hunter’s rank: 18th
Matt’s rank: 18th
Scott’s rank: 20th
Shane’s rank: 20th
Tyler’s rank: 15th

Shane: The New Jersey Devils fanbase comes in around the 15-20 mark, which seems quite reasonable considering the team won three Stanley Cups from 1994-95 through 2002-03. However, they haven’t done very much since. They’ve made the playoffs just twice in the past 12 seasons and overall, the franchise has made it in just 23 of 41 seasons. Even the best versions of the Devils were boring defensive-first teams who trapped in the neutral zone. While there have been some rough patches throughout the past decade, including a surprising playoff miss last season, it appears the team is very much on the up and up heading into 2024-25. 

18. Utah Hockey Club

Colton’s rank: 15th
Hunter’s rank: 31st
Matt’s rank: 16th
Scott’s rank: 15th
Shane’s rank: 16th
Tyler’s rank: 17th

Tyler: You know what? It has been a while since Salt Lake City has had a winning hockey team (The Utah Grizzlies won the IHL’s Turner Cup in 1995)! All kidding aside, with the team formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes moving into a new home, there is an overwhelming excitement surrounding the Utah Hockey Club, thanks to some big moves made by general manager Bill Armstrong. If you want any argument that these fans are tortured, it’s the fact the city has never had a major hockey team in its city. That in itself would make me mad.

(Ed. note: If the ranking for Utah seems high, it’s because we’re factoring in that some of the tortured Coyotes fans may still be cheering for their relocated team, which is pretty sad. – Matt)

17. Anaheim Ducks

Colton’s rank: 18th
Hunter’s rank: 15th
Matt’s rank: 19th
Scott’s rank: 18th
Shane’s rank: 12th
Tyler’s rank: 16th

Scott: Yeah, the Anaheim Ducks have been in a rebuild for six seasons, and it’s not like their Cup win happened in the last few years. But at the same time, they have one of the best prospect pools in the league to look forward to (even after losing the Connor Bedard lottery), and they did see their best players in the salary cap era lift a Cup, so I can’t feel too bad for them.

16. Dallas Stars

Colton’s rank: 22nd
Hunter’s rank: 14th
Matt’s rank: 17th
Scott’s rank: 17th
Shane’s rank: 13th
Tyler’s rank: 14th

Scott: 1999 is really starting to push the limits of the “you’ve won a Cup somewhat recently” because, well, I was only two when the Dallas Stars won that year. But in what is now a 32-team league, 25 years ago isn’t as long of a Cup drought if you want to assume that a new team should win every year. Plus, they currently have one of the most competitive cores in the league with plenty of young talent still on the way. If they have a few more Conference/Cup Final losses, they’ll certainly rise more in the tortured rankings, but there are still bigger fish to fry on this list.

15. Nashville Predators

Colton’s rank: 17th
Hunter’s rank: 21st
Matt’s rank: 14th
Scott’s rank: 11th
Shane’s rank: 15th
Tyler’s rank: 18th

Shane: If the weather, lack of state income tax and Bridgestone arena vibes were bigger factors in our process, it’s likely Nashville Predators’ fans torture levels would be ranked much lower. On the ice, it took the franchise six seasons to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs once arriving in the NHL in 1998-99 and since, they’ve made one Stanley Cup Final appearance and have made the postseason a reasonable 16 out of 26 seasons. Since 2012-13, the Preds have posted 11 winning seasons in a row and most recently exceeded expectations and landed some big names in free agency. They’re in full win-now mode and have been for quite some time. The Predators have become a destination team around the league and their fan base can’t complain about much. When your arena is loaded with tequila stands, what do you really have to complain about? 

14. New York Rangers

Colton’s rank: 12th
Hunter’s rank: 18th
Matt’s rank: 15th
Scott’s rank: 13th
Shane’s rank: 19th
Tyler’s rank: 13th

Matt: Time flies, eh? It may not feel like the New York Rangers have waited that long for a championship. We all know “Matteau! Matteau!” and the Mark Messier guarantee game and that tremendously entertaining Cup run of 1994. But, uh, that was 30 years ago, you guys. Am I the only author of this article who was even alive when that victory took place? It’s the equivalent of a hockey team in 1994 not winning a Cup since 1964. Over the three decades since, the Rangers have lost in one Final and five Eastern Conference Finals. They’ve had so many ‘This is the Year’ seasons fall flat. Considering how much of their fan base wasn’t around to enjoy 1994, there’s some accumulated pain here.

13. Montreal Canadiens

Colton’s rank: 13th
Hunter’s rank: 10th
Matt’s rank: 13th
Scott’s rank: 21st
Shane’s rank: 14th
Tyler’s rank: 12th

Colton: 1993. Let me say that again, 1993. The last time the Montreal Canadiens, let alone a Canadian franchise, captured the Stanley Cup. Ever since then, fans have been clinging on for another chance to reap in the success. We’re talking about a franchise that has won 24 Stanley Cups and only one since 1993, a 30-year span. The Habs had a team that was destined for contention, with Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher, Shea Weber, etc. But ultimately they fell short to Tampa in 2021. With a new plethora of young high-end talent making their way into Montreal, the fanbase might be able to get out of the dark days soon enough.

12. Edmonton Oilers

Colton’s rank: 14th
Hunter’s rank: 12th
Matt’s rank: 12th
Scott’s rank: 14th
Shane’s rank: 17th
Tyler’s rank: 9th

Hunter: You can look at this a few ways: 1) The Edmonton Oilers won five Stanley Cup championships between 1983-84 and 1989-90 (they were so good in 1989-90, they won without Gretzky), so the lack of titles in the years since should keep fans quiet, or, 2) There are generations of Oilers’ fans who have to rely on adults with either grey hair or no hair telling the same stories, over and over, reliving glory that anyone under 35 years in age doesn’t remember. After losing in the Final against the Hurricanes in 2006, fans dealt with years of struggles, resulting in three consecutive No. 1 overall picks between 2010 and 2012. They continued to be bad, and, again, were “rewarded” with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, taking the greatest player of the 21st century in Connor McDavid. Oh, and Leon Draisaitl, a Hart Trophy- and Ted Lindsay Award-winning center in his own right, gives the modern-day Oilers the best one-two punch in the sport. But year after year, they’ve fallen short, and their most recent Game 7 Stanley Cup Final loss to the Panthers is a heartbreaker that stings fanbases, like putting hydrogen peroxide on a fresh cut. Either it will heal, or it will leave a scar and linger for years to come.

11. Calgary Flames

Colton’s rank: 9th
Hunter’s rank: 12th
Matt’s rank: 9th
Scott’s rank: 8th
Shane’s rank: 9th
Tyler’s rank: 10th

Hunter: The only reason the Calgary Flames are not higher on this list is because they have video footage of their one-and-only championship, and the footage is in color (unlike for some other Canadian franchise on this list … ahem …). Since their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2004 when they lost to the Lightning, the Flames have won just three playoff series and have never made it past the second round. Their arena is terrible, and the new one won’t be ready until at least the 2026-27 season. Following the Matthew Tkachuk trade to the Florida Panthers, where the Flames wound up with a Jonathan Huberdeau who can’t break the 60-point mark, it’s hard not to be pessimistic about a franchise in desperate need of a top-to-bottom rebuild. Not to mention, you never see sunny days when you’re living in the shadow of your provincial rival in the Oilers. But hey, at least they have the Stampede! 

10. New York Islanders

Colton’s rank: 10th
Hunter’s rank: 11th
Matt’s rank: 10th
Scott’s rank: 9th
Shane’s rank: 11th
Tyler’s rank: 5th

Colton: You can factor in the fact the New York Islanders have always been looked at as the “little brother’ compared to the Rangers, or the fact that they lost John Tavares and have truly never been the same since, and it’s been pretty sad. Fans have not asked for much from the Islanders after having the club become a dynasty in the 1980s winning four straight Stanley Cups. But ever since then, it’s been the bottom of the barrel for the Islanders and their fans. After consecutive final four appearances a few seasons ago, it seemed the Islanders were trending towards contention and being able to ride success again, only to flutter out and seemingly have just done nothing.

9. San Jose Sharks

Colton’s rank: 11th
Hunter’s rank: 5th
Matt’s rank: 11th
Scott’s rank: 5th
Shane’s rank: 10th
Tyler’s rank: 11th

Shane: San Jose Sharks fans are currently some of the most excited fans in the league as Macklin Celebrini and company should bring the franchise back to the upper tier in the next three or four seasons. Dating back throughout the Joe Thornton/Patrick Marleau era, the Sharks were always the bridesmaid and never the bride as they made it to the Western Conference Final three times and Stanley Cup Final once. Talk about consistency; from 1997-2019, the team missed the playoffs just twice. Sharks fans don’t have much to complain about if you ask me. 

8. Winnipeg Jets

Colton’s rank: 7th
Hunter’s rank: 9th
Matt’s rank: 8th
Scott’s rank: 12th
Shane’s rank: 7th
Tyler’s rank: 6th

Matt: Whether you factor in legacy fanhood for the previous franchise that moved to Arizona or not, the Winnipeg Jets’ history has been pretty sad. The O.G. Jets never even reached Round 3 of the playoffs while in Winnipeg. The current version began as the woeful Atlanta Thrashers and, since the 2011 move to Winnipeg, has mostly underachieved, with the 2018 Western Conference Final run standing as the longest feather in its cap. I think it’s important to bake the original Jets franchise into this tortured fan ranking – because it highlights how long many Winnipegers have watched their hockey teams do nothing. The Jets are one of two Canadian franchises not to reach a Cup Final this millennium – and are the only Canadian franchise to never reach a Final. Damn, did I just talk myself into ranking them higher? The poor saps.

7. Minnesota Wild

Colton’s rank: 6th
Hunter’s rank: 8th
Matt’s rank: 7th
Scott’s rank: 10th
Shane’s rank: 8th
Tyler’s rank: 7th

Tyler: The State of Hockey has a franchise that has seemingly only put itself in its own way time and time again, doing so at the expense of its fanbase. The Minnesota Wild burst on the scene with their magical run to the Western Conference Final in 2003, which let everyone else around the hockey world know this franchise was for real. However, management has seemingly failed to put together anything more than a first-round-and-out team. Many of the older fans saw this similar story with the North Stars back in the day, 1991 Cinderella run excepted, and are definitely sick of having a mediocre team, despite the promise of something more.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets

Colton’s rank: 8th
Hunter’s rank: 7th
Matt’s rank: 6th
Scott’s rank: 6th
Shane’s rank: 5th
Tyler’s rank: 6th

Matt: Some tortured fan bases drag serious baggage along with them, a rich and agonizing history of near misses and controversial losses. Not the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’re pathetic for the opposite reason. This franchise is quietly 23 seasons old and has done nothing. One real playoff series win, one play-in series win. That’s it. Their .483 points percentage since their 2000-01 inception is the worst in the NHL. The rest of the league doesn’t say, “I feel sorry for you.” They say, “I don’t think about you at all.”

5. Ottawa Senators

Colton’s rank: 5th
Hunter’s rank: 4th
Matt’s rank: 5th
Scott’s rank: 7th
Shane’s rank: 6th
Tyler’s rank: 8th

Colton: From the franchise not being able to find a legitimate home arena to ownership changes and messes behind the scenes, the Ottawa Senators have really had a rough go at it, and more so recently. Guys like Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, and more paved the way for the new-age Sens that reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2006-07. In the new era of Ottawa hockey, the Senators have failed to make the playoffs in seven straight seasons, and in the last 11 years, they have missed the playoffs nine times. The fanbase in Ottawa rides this team hard, not as hard as their Ontario counterpart in Toronto, but they have a very eager fanbase that still holds onto the strong early 2000s teams. Of course, Ottawa went on a miracle run in 2016-17 with Erik Karlsson carrying them to the Conference Final. But since then, it seems hope has been squashed.

4. Philadelphia Flyers

Colton’s rank: 4th
Hunter’s rank: 6th
Matt’s rank: 4th
Scott’s rank: 4th
Shane’s rank: 4th
Tyler’s rank: 4th

Tyler: It is weird to feel sympathy for a team from Philadelphia, especially with the rise of the Eagles, Phillies and 76ers in recent years (Heck, even the Philadelphia Union made it to the MLS Cup Final in 2022). That said, the Philadelphia Flyers have been a team with so much promise over the last 30 years, but have found opportunities to squander greatness. Whether it be the Eric Lindros saga, the Ilya Bryzgalov saga, the Dave Hakstol saga…come to think of it, there have been a lot of negative sagas with the Flyers. Fans have had to see teams with potential flounder in the playoffs thanks to bad goaltending and other instances of poor luck. The Broad Street Bullies’ first of back to back Cups came 50 years ago.

So, for the next two spots, we ran into an issue: we had a dead tie. Both teams had three votes for second and three votes for third, so there was no way to break the tie without valuing someone’s opinion over another. Even after a bit of discussion between the group, we couldn’t really figure it out. So, we decided to expand the panel and ask more writers for their take, which Daily Faceoff news writer Anthony Trudeau was happy to contribute with.

3. Vancouver Canucks

Colton’s rank: 2nd
Hunter’s rank: 3rd
Matt’s rank: 2nd
Scott’s rank: 3rd
Shane’s rank: 2nd
Tyler’s rank: 3rd

Hunter: The proverbial “look at me” franchise that’s never accomplished anything and are now hoping their talented young core can put something in the rafters that isn’t another reminder of failed expectations. No one would fault the Vancouver Canucks for losing to the Islanders in the early 1980s, and there’s no shame in losing to the Rangers’ Team of Destiny © in 1994, but everything since then has been nothing short of disappointing. Think about it: The Mark Messier debacle? Failing to get the Sedin twins a Stanley Cup title? Enabling the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident? Forget the team itself: the city is so insecure about wanting to be a European metropolis that they had a full-scale soccer riot after losing Game 7 against the Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

2. Buffalo Sabres

Colton’s rank: 3rd
Hunter’s rank: 2nd
Matt’s rank: 3rd
Scott’s rank: 2nd
Shane’s rank: 3rd
Tyler’s rank: 2nd

Anthony: The Buffalo Sabres are worse off. Vancouver’s era with Alain Vigneault, Roberto Luongo and the Sedin twins was a longer period of excellence than the Sabres have ever had. Alexander Mogilny is beloved, but never went on a run there, the French Connection only went deep once, and the Dominik Hasek teams were not that good. And to top it off, Vancouver started, failed, and successfully restarted a rebuild in the time that it has taken the Sabres to become relevant again, which they still aren’t. The NHL record playoff streak sits at 13 years and counting for a hockey-mad fanbase that wants a winner so badly.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

Colton’s rank: 1st
Hunter’s rank: 1st
Matt’s rank: 1st
Scott’s rank: 1st
Shane’s rank: 1st
Tyler’s rank: 1st

Matt: Unanimous. Of course it was. Where to begin? Think of the longest-suffering franchises, the starving Sabres and Canucks, never having tasted the Stanley Cup. Then let it sink in that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Cup drought is longer than a pair of 53-year-old Cupless franchises. How utterly embarrassing is that? The last time Toronto won a championship – or even played in the Final – the NHL had six teams, and THE MOON LANDING hadn’t happened yet. The rich tapestry of highs and lows that have happened since – the Doug Gilmour overtime goal, the Wayne Gretzky high stick, “It was 4-1” – all happened in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Players who never even saw a Cup Final with the Leafs are hailed as heroes and receive standing ovations at Scotiabank Arena. No other fan base has such Stockholm Syndrome with its own failures that it congratulates itself for tiny feats, such as winning a single playoff series after going 19 years without doing so. No other fan base expects disaster to happen and almost feels comfortable with it. That’s what happens when you blow third-period, Game 7 leads in 2013, 2018 and 2024, or lose in overtime twice in a row to blow a 3-1 series lead in 2021. Other fan bases point and laugh at the Leafs and revel in their failure. If, for instance, the Blue Jackets are the wallflower kid on the schoolyard, feeling the pain of being totally ignored and forgotten, the Leafs are the chastised kid, hounded by bullies every day, crying themselves to sleep. To cheer for Toronto is to embrace masochism. Don’t believe me? Just follow the cycle of a fan in April, vowing never to support the team again after the latest crushing loss. By next March, that fan will be all in, ready to feel the pain all over again.