The Chicago Blackhawks are likely going to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade, and if they do, they could make NHL history in the process.
The Blackhawks, along with their fellow Original Six club member Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens, are on the outside looking into the playoff picture. The Blackhawks are 13 points out of a wild card spot with 14 games left to go in the season, and the Red Wings are 12 points out in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens find themselves 14 points out of a spot with 15 games left to go.
If all three teams miss the playoffs, it would mark the first time in NHL history that they’ve all missed the postseason in the same year.
The Blackhawks last missed the playoffs in the 2007-08 season, when Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were rookies. After that, they reached the Western Conference Final in five of the next seven seasons, winning three Stanley Cups in the process.
After making the playoffs in 25 consecutive seasons, this would be the second year in the row out of the postseason for the Red Wings, and the Canadiens could miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
