The “Dutton Curse” Collapse

A phenomenon related to the New York Rangers’ 53-season Stanley Cup drought

The year was 1940. The New York Rangers won their third Stanley Cup by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 games to 2. Manager and head coach Lester Patrick and Frank Boucher won the cup for the second time, their first time being as players. In 1941 and 1942, they would lose in the preliminary playoff rounds to the Detroit Red Wings (in three games) and the Maple Leafs (in six games). They would not advance to the finals again until 1950, when they lost to Detroit in seven games; they led the series 3–2 before Detroit forced a seventh game. In the overtime period of the seventh game, Pete Babando scored to give Detroit their fourth championship title.

After the 1950 finals, the Rangers entered a period of mediocrity, missing the playoffs for thirteen of the next seventeen seasons. They would appear in the playoffs four times during that span; three of those occurrences happened between 1956 and 1958. There were only six teams in the league during that timeframe, and in those eighteen years, Montreal won a whopping eight titles, while Toronto won four, Detroit had three, and the Chicago Black Hawks claimed only one. Chicago’s loss to Toronto in the 1962 finals marked the beginning of a long drought that lasted until 2010.

In March 1965, however, the NHL began the process of expanding the league to twelve teams, which would become a reality shortly before the start of the 1967–68 season. The six markets who received new teams were Oakland, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, of which the latter 4 teams still exist as of the start of the 2021–22 season. The season before, the Rangers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1962, but lost to Montreal in 4 games in the first round. This appearance marked the start of a long streak of playoff appearances by the Rangers which reached its high point when they lose the finals in 1972 to the Boston Bruins, who had won the Stanley Cup in 1970 and would not win another cup until 2011.

Shortly after the finals, however, the league announced a second team in the New York market, nicknamed the Islanders, who would begin play at Nassau Coliseum in the 1972–73 season. The Islanders won only 12 games in their inaugural season, which saw the Atlanta Flames enter the league as well. They would register only 19 wins in the following season, but in 1975, they would win 33 games and make the playoffs for the first time. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rangers had home advantage, and both teams won the first two games, sending the series to a third game where the Islanders defeated the Rangers on the road 4–3 after J.P. Parise scored 11 seconds into overtime. This marked the end of the Rangers’ playoff streak, as the team would not qualify for the playoffs again until 1978. However, the Islanders would qualify for the playoffs in 1976 and 1977, but would lose in the semifinals to Montreal in both years. Both teams would qualify for the 1978 playoffs, with the Islanders being upset by Vancouver in the quarterfinals and the Rangers losing in the first round to the Buffalo Sabres. In 1979, the Rangers and the Islanders met in the semifinal round for the first and only time, with the lower-seeded Rangers upsetting the Islanders in six games en route to the finals, where they lost to Montreal in five games, which was their last appearance in the finals until 1994. The next season, things got interesting.

In 1980, the playoffs were expanded from 12 to 16 teams, with all but five of the league’s teams qualifying for the playoffs. This happened because the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers entered the NHL as a result of the dissolution of the WHA. While the Rangers lost in the second round to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Isles upset the Buffalo Sabres in six games in the semifinals to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they upset the Flyers in six games thanks to an overtime goal from Bobby Nystrom. This was not only the first hockey championship for a team based in the New York metropolitan area since 1940, but it would also mark the start of something that would be unheard of for a team in any major league: the team would go on to win 19 straight playoff series in five years, including four straight championships. In 1981, they would defeat the Minnesota North Stars in five games after sweeping the Rangers in the second round, which was where the “1940!” chant came into existence.

The 1982 playoffs would not get off to a good start. The Isles were tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of that years playoffs after four games, of which the Isles won the first two games. The team would only lose two more games en route to their third straight championship, which would be capped off with a 4 game sweep of the Vancouver Canucks, who would not make the finals again until 1994. The following year, the Isles defeated the Edmonton Oilers in yet another four-game sweep to win their fourth straight championship. A team winning four straight championships in four years would never be seen again after that title. 1984 saw the Isles win three more playoff series before they faced the Oilers in the finals for a second consecutive year. This time, however, the Isles could not upset the heavily-favored Oilers, who defeated them in five games. This marked the end of the longest championship streak in all of North American sports since the launch of the NBA in 1946.

After the Islanders won their third championship, the New Jersey Devils came into the league, having been relocated from Kansas City via Denver. The team was founded in 1974 as the Kansas City Scouts, and became the Colorado Rockies in 1976 after suffering financial problems during its two years in Kansas City. In 1982, John McMullen bought the team and moved it to New Jersey in search of better financial conditions. The Devils did not make the playoffs in their first five seasons in New Jersey, while both the Rangers and the Isles both made the playoffs during that time. The 1987 playoff series between the Islanders and the Washington Capitals saw Pat LaFontaine score the game winning goal in the fourth overtime of the seventh game of the series, sending them to the second round, where they lost to Philadelphia in seven games (on both occasions, they were down 3–1 in those series). In 1988, the Devils upset the Isles in six games in the first round and defeated the Washington Capitals in the second round before facing the Bruins in the semifinals. After the third game of the series (a 6–1 loss to Boston), a risque conversation between Devils head coach Jim Schoenfeld and referee Don Koharski resulted in Schoenfeld being suspended for the fourth game of the series. An injunction sought by the state of New Jersey caused Schonefeld to be granted clearance to coach game four, where amateur officials worked in place of league officials who protested the decision. With the series tied at two games, Schonefeld served his suspension in game 5 in Boston, and the Devils would go on to lose the series to the Bruins in seven games; the Bruins would lose the 1988 finals to the Oilers 4–0–1, with the lone tie (3–3) coming in game 4 of the series in Boston as a result of a power outage at the Boston Garden.

The year before the Devils made the playoffs for the first time, Red Dutton passed away at the age of 89, resulting in the curse of 1940 finally taking hold. The Rangers would not win a Stanley Cup or finish first in the league for the rest of his life, but the Isles would post their worst record since their second season in the league in the 1988–89 season, which would mark the beginning of the events that led to their worst period in the team’s history. After winning their playoff series with the Capitals in 1987, the Isles would only win two more playoff series before they entered a long playoff series win drought. A 1990 first round playoff series matchup between the Rangers and the Isles saw the Rangers win in six games, and both the Rangers and the Devils made the playoffs in 1991. The following year, the Rangers finished first in the league’s regular season, clinching the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time. They would go on to defeat the Devils in seven games in the first round and lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the second round. They would miss the playoffs in 1993, which is when the Isles defeated the Capitals in six games and the heavily-favored Penguins in seven games to face the Canadiens in the semifinals, where they fell in five games. In November of that year, Rudy Giuliani would be elected as the mayor of New York City, and this was when the Rangers and the Devils began to experience good fortunes while the Isles began to perform poorly.

In 1994, all 3 New York area hockey teams qualified for the playoffs. The Rangers and the Islanders met in the first round of the playoffs for the most recent time in memory, with the Rangers sweeping the Isles in four games before defeating the Capitals in five games. The Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins in the first two rounds, setting up a matchup between the Rangers and the Devils in the third round. Both teams split the first four games, but the Devils won the fifth game, which would put the Rangers in danger of extending their Stanley Cup drought. The day before the sixth game, Mark Messier announced that his team would win it. He would go on to score a hat trick in the sixth game, forcing a seventh game at Madison Square Garden. In the seventh game, Brian Leetch scored first midway through the second period, and the Rangers held on to a 1–0 lead before Devils forward Valeri Zelepukin tied the game with 7.7 seconds left, forcing the game into overtime. After a scoreless first overtime period, Stéphane Matteau scored for the Rangers at 4:24 of the second overtime period, sending the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1979.

The final round of the playoffs pitted the Rangers (who were the regular season champion with 112 points) against the Canucks (who had only 85 points). The Rangers lost the first game in overtime 3–2, but then won the next three games to take a 3–1 series lead and have a chance at winning the cup for the first time since 1940. In the fifth game, Vancouver responded by scoring six goals in a 6–3 win, sending the series back there for the sixth game. The Canucks would force a seventh game in New York thanks to a goal by Geoff Courtnall that was confirmed by video review.

In the seventh game, the Rangers jumped to a 2–0 lead in the first period, with Trevor Linden cutting the deficit to 2–1 thanks to a shorthanded goal in the first half of the second period. Mark Messier answered back for the
Rangers with six minutes left in the second period to make it 3–1, but a power play goal by Linden at 4:50 of the third period cut the deficit to 3–2. The Canucks tried to tie the game in the last half of the third period. Seven minutes of real time passed by during the final 37 seconds of the game due to two clock reviews that caused three face-offs to be placed in Vancouver’s offensive zone, including one with 1.6 seconds left. As soon as that final face-off was taken, it became very clear: the Rangers had won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 53 seasons, ending the curse of 1940.

Shortly after the Rangers won the championship, the league saw a lockout that delayed the start to the 1994–95 season and shortened the season to 48 games as a result of a dispute over a planned salary cap. In that season, the Islanders finished with the second-worst record in the league, while the
Rangers lost in the second round to the Flyers, who would be upset by the Devils in the third round. The 1995 finals pitted the Devils against the heavily-favored Red Wings, who had won the Presidents’ Trophy that year. In a stunning upset, the Devils defeated the Red Wings in a four game sweep to win their first ever Stanley Cup. The next year, however, the Devils did not qualify for the playoffs after the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were two points ahead of the Devils, clinched the final playoff slot; the Rangers would lose to the Penguins in the second round that year. The Rangers would only make one more playoff appearance before the end of this century: a third round loss to the Flyers in 1997 that featured a 6–3 home loss where Eric Lindros scored his first playoff hat trick. Meanwhile, the Devils began a long playoff qualification streak that included a second round loss to the Rangers in 1997, as well as first round losses in 1998 and 1999. The Rangers’ loss in the semifinal round in 1997 was exacerbated by a collapse in the 1997–98 season, as the Rangers only scored 197 goals and finished in eleventh place in the Eastern Conference, which would begin a long playoff drought that would last until well after the 2003–04 season.

In 2000, the Devils won their second Stanley Cup by defeating the Dallas Stars (who were the defending champions) in six games on Jason Arnott’s goal at 8:20 of the second overtime period. The team would advance to the finals in 2001, where they led the series 3–2 and had a chance to win their second straight championship. Their opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, forced a seventh game in Denver with a 4–0 victory in the sixth game. Colorado would go on to win the seventh game 3–1, clinching their second championship in franchise history. The Devils were able to qualify for the playoffs in 2002, but were upset by the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the first round despite not having home advantage. This was also the year when the Islanders ended their seven-season playoff appearance drought; after finishing with their worst record since 1973 in the previous season, they faced the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs. During the fourth game of the series, a penalty shot goal by Shawn Bates gave the Islanders a 4–3 lead in the game, which also forced them to tie the series. The higher-seeded Maple Leafs won the series in seven games, with the home team winning every game.

In 2003, both the Devils and the Isles made the playoffs again, with the Isles qualifying by only five points. They were no match for the heavily-favored Ottawa Senators in the first round, and would lose the series in five games. Meanwhile, New Jersey beat both the Bruins and the Lightning in the first and second rounds to reach the semifinals, where they upset the Senators in seven games. In the finals, they faced the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a series where the home team won the first five games. The Devils had a chance to win the championship in the sixth game, but the Ducks responded to a hit by Scott Stevens on Paul Kariya by having a Kariya goal late in the second period of a 5–2 win, forcing a seventh game back at the Meadowlands. In that game, New Jersey recorded a 3–0 shutout against Anaheim, giving them the Stanley Cup for the third time in history. This was also the last playoff game where white jerseys where worn by the home team, as the NHL approved an experimental rule change for colored jerseys to be worn by the home team as a one-year experiment for the 2003–04 season. That year, two of the three New York area teams lost in the first round: the Devils lost to the Flyers in five games, while the Isles lost to the eventual champion Lightning in the five games. Bill Davidson would win two championships as owner that year, with the Detroit Pistons winning the NBA finals eight days after Tampa won their first title in franchise history. In September of that year, the NHL began experiencing the longest labor dispute in its history, which would result in the complete cancellation of the 2004–05 season and the declaration of the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL as the de facto hockey champions.

The labor dispute was resolved in July 2005, when the league approved a salary cap for the first time in its history, along with new rule changes such as the shootout. The relaunch of the league in 2005–06 saw the Devils sweep the Rangers in four games in the first round, but their playoff run ended when the lost to the Hurricanes in round two in five games. The 2006–07 season saw all three New York area teams make the playoffs, with the Isles losing in five games in the first round to Buffalo (who eliminated the Rangers in round two) and the Devils losing to Ottawa in round two. The Devils and the Rangers faced off in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, where Sean Avery committed an infamous incident against Marin Brodeur. The Rangers would go on to win the series in five games, but would lose to the Penguins in five games in the second round. Both teams lost in the first round of the 2009 playoffs in seven games, but the Islanders won the draft lottery that took place prior to the playoffs and used their number-one pick to select John Tavares. The Devils were upset in the first round by Philadelphia in five games in 2010, which would mark their last playoff appearance in a 13 year span that began in 1997. The following season started out bad for all three New York area teams, with the Isles in their second year of their rebuilding and the Devils experiencing their worst season since 1995–96. The Rangers and the Hurricanes battled for the last playoff spot, with the Rangers making the playoffs by two points, narrowly avoiding a situation where no team from the area would make the playoffs for the first time since 1966, but the team’s season ended in a loss to the Washington Capitals in five games in the first round.

2012 would be a year where the Devils and the Rangers would face off in the third round for the second time in history. In a reversal of a previous fortune, the Devils upset the Rangers in six games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Kings after trailing the series 3–0. After a lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, Tavares participated in hist first playoff series with the Islanders, which was a six-game first round loss to the Penguins; the Rangers suffered a loss in the second round to the Bruins after upsetting the Capitals in seven games in the first round. The Rangers rebounded in the 2013–14 season when they beat Philadelphia in seven games before upsetting Pittsburgh in seven games and defeating Montreal in six games to make the finals for the first time since 1994, where they would lose to the Kings in five games after trailing 3–0 in the series. In 2015, the Isles would lose the first round in seven games to the Capitals, while the Rangers and Lightning battled against each other in an unforgettable seven game series. A 2–0 shutout by Tampa Bay in game 7 at Madison Square Garden was the first game 7 loss by the Rangers at home in franchise history. A few weeks later, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the 2016 election, and the momentum began to turn away from the Rangers.

The 2016 playoffs saw a series between the Islanders and the Florida Panthers, who were both looking to end playoff series win droughts. The Isles won two of the first three games of the series, with Florida’s win in the fourth game tying the series at two games apiece. After an overtime win in game 5 by the Isles, the series shifted back to Barclays Center, where Florida led 1–0 for much of game 6 before the Isles forced overtime. With 9:19 left in the second overtime, John Tavares scored to give the Islanders their first playoff series victory since 1993. This would turn out to be one of only three playoff series to ever be played in Brooklyn, the other two being second round losses to Tampa in 2016 and Carolina in 2019.

Following the Islanders’ first playoff series win since 1993, the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons started out bad for all three New York area teams. The Devils failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth time since their loss in the 2012 finals. Although the Islanders had a poor start to the season, a coaching change caused them to chase for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference; the team would be denied the last spot in favor of the Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Rangers would be eliminated in a second-round loss to the Senators after a first-round upset over the Canadiens. The Devils would ultimately win the draft lottery to select Nico Hischier in the league’s 2017 draft, marking the beginning of the team’s rebuilding process. In 2018, with the Rangers and the Islanders well out of playoff contention, the Devils were battling for the last playoff spots with the Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets; Florida was eliminated in the final game of the season, which saw the Devils clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2012, although they were ranked eighth because they had lost the season series with the Blue Jackets. They would ultimately lose to the Lightning in five games in the first round.

Following the Washington Capitals’ victory in the 2018 finals over the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, the longest-tenured head coach in the league, Barry Trotz, resigned from the team; he had coached the Nashville Predators for its first fifteen seasons of existence. He would eventually be hired as the head coach of the Islanders a few days later by former Devils general manager Lou Lamouriello, who worked with the team during their thirteen-year playoff qualification streak from 1997 to 2010. In his first season as general manager of the Isles, the team got off to one of its best starts in franchise history, while the Devils experience issues with player injuries. The rebuilding of the Rangers began shortly after the season started, with the team trading away veteran players just like it did in the latter half of the 2003–04 season. The Isles finished in second place in their division, their highest placing since their 1988 division title, before sweeping Pittsburgh in four games in the first round for their first playoff series sweep since 1993. However, they got swept by Carolina in the second round, marking the first time since 1993 where a team who swept a first round series got swept in the second round.

As the 2019–20 season approached, it was predicted that none of the three teams based in the New York area would make the playoffs that year. The season got off to a normal start thanks to a strong performance by the Isles, who were a mediocre road team ever since John Tavares was drafted, but began performing well at home one season before they won their first playoff series since 1993. The Rangers began to improve on their record from the previous season, coming within third place in the divisional standings numerous times, while the Devils got off to a weak start that they would attempt to recover from. As the end of the year approached, all three New York area teams began struggling and it was expected to become clear that no team from the New York area would make the playoffs for the first time since 1966. A few weeks after the league’s last outdoor event, Rudy Gobert tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this positive test, the season was suspended. Here were the Eastern Conference regular season standings at the time the season was suspended:

Under the rules of the playoffs since 2013–14, the top three teams in each division and the two teams outside of those six teams qualify for the playoffs. In May 2020, the NHL declared that the 2019–20 season had been completed, and the playoffs would begin during the late summer of 2020 in two cities with no fans allowed to attend (with a limited amount of family members being able to attend the final round). Since not every team played an equal amount of games this season, the teams were sorted by points percentage instead of regular season points to determine who would participate in the 2020 playoffs. The top two teams in each division would play three more regular season games against each other to determine seeding, while the eight teams in each conference listed after them would have to play a best-of-five play-in series for the last four playoff spots. Had the points formula been applied in the usual manner, none of the three New York area teams would have made the playoffs for the first time since 1966. The implementation of the special 2020 playoff tournament thus extended the playoff qualification streak for those three teams combined to 53 seasons, which was the same length as the Rangers’ Stanley Cup drought.

In the play-in series, the Rangers were unable to clinch a playoff spot, as they had lost the series to the Hurricanes in three games. On the other hand, the Islanders fared better, as they defeated the Panthers in four games to clinch a playoff spot. After dispatching the Capitals in five games, the Isles upset Philadelphia in seven games after the latter forced a seventh game while trailing the series 3–1. This set off the first of two consecutive matchups with the Lightning in the semifinals; this one resulted in Tampa winning the series in six games. The Rangers would become the first team that participated in a playoff tournament to win a draft lottery as a result of these circumstances, and selected Alexis Lafreniere with the first pick in the 2020 draft.

The 2020–21 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and saw a FIFA World Cup-style group stage where each team played the seven other teams in its regional group 8 times. Just like the last season, there were numerous predictions that neither the Isles, the Devils, or the Rangers would make the playoffs due to the Bruins, Capitals, Penguins, and Flyers emerging as strong contenders. The Isles finished in fourth place in their regional group ahead of the Rangers after the latter team’s playoff chase faltered with three games left to go, while the Flyers did not make the postseason. The Isles then upset the Penguins in six games in the first round before dispatching the Bruins in six games in the second round, causing another matchup with the Lightning in the semifinals. Both teams split the first four games in the series, with each team winning one game at home and on the road. The home team won the next two games thereafter: an 8–0 shutout by Tampa in game 5 and a 3–2 win by the Isles in game 6 on an Anthony Beauviller goal that was scored 1:08 into overtime. The Isles became the second team in NHL history to force a seventh game after losing a shutout of 8 goals or more in a playoff series, but would lose the seventh game 1–0 on the road. The participation extended the playoff qualification streak for all three New York area hockey teams to 54 seasons, surpassing the Rangers’ cup drought.

Within three years of Lamouriello’s hiring, the Islanders became the team with the highest average age of players in the NHL, which had been occupied by the Rangers shortly before the 1997–98 season began. The Isles were forced to begin the 2021–22 season with 13 straight road games as their new arena was under construction, and many analysts overestimated their chances at making the postseason for a fourth year in a row, which has not happened since the end of the team’s 1975–1988 playoff streak. Meanwhile, the Rangers and Devils were expected to begin the season as non-contenders due to their long rebuilding processes that they experienced during the 2018–21 period. The rebuildings of both teams during that period, including the additions of Hischier and Lafreniere to the rosters of both teams, may mark the beginning of a return to the early years of the John Tavares era, but whatever happens remains to be seen.

With the playoff qualification streak for these teams surpassing the Rangers’ cup drought length in the spring of 2021, it is now only a matter of time until there will be a situation where the Rangers, the Islanders, and the Devils will be headed to the draft lottery instead of the playoffs. Such a situation where all three teams missed the playoffs has not happened since 1966, when the Rangers were the NHL’s only New York team.

– Joseph Alexander Lambert, November 2021