US-based Original Six Red Wings, Rangers, Bruins, Blackhawks eliminated from playoffs for 1st time

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The Original Six teams based in the United States have a rich history, combining to hoist the Stanley Cup 27 times.

And now, they share an unwanted distinction.

Detroit, Boston, Chicago and the New York Rangers will all miss the playoffs in the same year for the first time in NHL history.

The Red Wings have 11 Stanley Cups, trailing the totals won by the Canadian-based Original Six teams. Montreal has won 23 Cups and Toronto has 13. The Maple Leafs have earned a spot in the playoffs that start Saturday. The Canadiens, who lost to Chicago in a shootout Monday night, are on the brink of earning the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.

Detroit was slowly improving under general manager Steve Yzerman until this year. The Hall of Fame player was hired away from Tampa Bay in 2019 and the patience he asked for is running thin.

A year after losing a tiebreaker for the last spot in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings took a step back this season and were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday.

“We had a clear goal coming into the season,” Detroit's Lucas Raymond said after a 6-4 win over Dallas. “You know how close we were last year. The only next step is being in the playoffs. We were very determined to get there. Obviously, we weren’t able to do it.”

The Blackhawks are the last-place team in the Central Division for the third straight year and will finish ahead of only San Jose in the NHL. Earlier this century, they were a league power with three Cups from 2010-15 to give the franchise a total of six.

While no one in the Motor City or Windy City was shocked by another lackluster season on the ice, the Rangers and Bruins were expected to be playoff teams.

A year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy with an NHL-high 114 points and reaching the Eastern Conference final, the Rangers were hoping to possibly hoist the Cup for the first time in more than three decades and fifth time in franchise history. Peter Laviolette's second season behind the bench in New York simply didn't pan out, guiding a team that was hovering around .500 and out of contention during the last week of the regular season.

Boston started the season with high hopes and will finish it with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The rebuilding franchise traded captain Brad Marchand last month at the trade deadline, dealing the last remaining member of its sixth championship team in 2011.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL