Longest droughts of the Big Four

The Chicago Cubs celebrating their World Series victory

Just over a week ago, the Chicago Cubs did the impossible and won their first World Series title in 108 years. Nicknamed the Lovable Losers by many due to their less than glamorous history, the Cubbies have had the weight of the world lifted off of their shoulders. Before Wednesday’s championship victory, the Cubs held the longest drought between league titles out of the four major leagues in North America (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL). This post will look into the teams that currently hold that title in each of these leagues.

MLB

Sticking with baseball, the Cleveland Indians now hold the longest drought in the MLB. Oddly enough, this is the very same team that Chicago beat in the World Series. In what is considered to be one of the most memorable World Series in history (especially game seven), the Cleveland Indians blew a 3-1 series lead and came up short losing in front of their home fans. Cleveland’s last World Series came in 1948 so it is safe to say that their fans have experienced their fair share of disappointments. 

The city itself hadn’t even won a major sports title in 52 years until this past June when LeBron James and the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in a heated seven-game NBA Finals. That being said, an Indians’ victory would have been a huge accomplishment for the blue-collar city. In the meantime, fans will have to hold out hope that the Indians will have a better run next year and that the Cavs can defend their title. As for their football team (the Browns), they won’t be competing for a championship anytime soon… but hey, miracles can happen.

NBA

Currently, there are 12 teams who have never won a championship but the longest streak belongs to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have zero championships and have failed to make an appearance in the finals since 1951 (back when they were the Rochester Royals). When a team associates its name with that of royalty and ruling one would assume said team knows a thing or two about winning. The exact opposite can be said for Sacramento’s club.

Past years have seen a team that was able to compete with some of the NBA’s best and make a deep playoff push. However, that has not been the case since the early 2000’s and the team itself has failed to play a postseason game since the 2005-06 season. Since then, the team has struggled and even faced the potential of relocating to multiple cities within the United States. Now that a new ownership group is running the organization, rumours of the team moving are a thing of the past. That being said, if the team doesn’t start winning the name Kings may have to be as well.

NFL

Nine of the NFL’s 32 teams have failed to bring a Super Bowl title back to their fans. My Buffalo Bills (who went to four straight Super Bowls in the early 90’s) are sadly a part of that group. At the moment, the Arizona Cardinals hold the longest streak for a Super Bowl victory drought. Their last title came in the 1947 season when they won the NFL Championship (prior to the AFL-NFL merger). It is safe to say that this franchise is hungry as their drought approaches 70 years.

The Arizona Cardinals have had their fair share of chances to end their championship drought. Since their most recent Super Bowl appearance in 2008, the Cards have had some up and down years but appeared to get it together last year. After boasting an impressive record of 13-3 in 2015, they wound up losing to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship game. With the second half of the NFL season now underway, the Cardinals have a lot of work to do in order to make a playoff push. As quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald continue to age, the window of opportunity with Arizona’s current squad is closing quickly. They do have some good young pieces to build around but will have to find suitable replacements for their seasoned veterans if they want to seriously contend again.

NHL

There are currently two teams who are tied for the longest drought in the hockey. These two teams are the St. Louis Blues and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blues joined the league in the 1967-68 season and have yet to win hockey’s most desired trophy. The Leafs however, have 13 titles in franchise history but haven’t won or even appeared in a Stanley Cup final since 1967 (the year before the Blues were a team).

The Blues have been a serious threat in the Western Conference for some time now and have featured some very talented rosters that were more than capable of winning a championship. For whatever reason those teams could never get it together and always seemed to choke in the playoffs. St. Louis appears to be a well structured team for the time being as they have quality forwards, defence and goalies. Whether or not they can finally get over the hurdle remains to be seen but they should have a few more years where they can have a shot at it.

As for the Leafs, they have had very limited success recently and fans have not been happy. While this Original Six franchise may have a storied past, it has only tasted the playoffs once since the 2003-04 season. That lone playoff appearance was in 2013 and ended in heartbreak. After a restructuring of the organization’s front office, things appear to be headed in a positive direction for Toronto. With the likes of Lou Lamoriello, Brendan Shanahan and Mike Babcock calling the shots and young players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Morgan Reilly in development, the Leafs are poised to have a promising future. As a Leafs fan, I am keeping my expectations low for now and will enjoy watching the team grow and play exciting hockey before they contend for a Stanley Cup.