Fans of NHL Teams: What is your team's most Heartbreaking moment in the playoffs?

[KingsFan7824]

The singular moment would probably have to be Game 6 against the Oilers in 1991. Lost in OT on a MacTavish goal. The Kings were 3rd in the league, the best regular season with Gretzky as a King. Not that the Kings would've beaten the Cinderella North Stars in the 3rd round, but it would've been nice to find out.

Can't count the 93 Final, since that was a series of events from McSorley's stick call.

 

[Tkachuky]

2004....

 

[Hooby Dooby Doo]

Trocheck was tripped followed by Tavares tying and then winning it.

Close second- The two times Florida could have closed it out in OT vs NJ in 2012

 

[sTEALtooth]

Well, losing in the SCF to the Pens sucked, but it wasn't totally heartbreaking because we were scratching and clawing just to be in that series...but the 4OT loss to the Stars in '08...that was heartbreaking.

 

[kingsholygrail]

I'm not sure I can think of any singular moment in the playoffs for the Kings that was particularly heartbreaking. McSorley's stick led to events unfolding, but wasn't itself a damning moment.

 

[JoVel]

2011 game 7 against the Bruins was probably my first heartbreak as a true hockey fan.

Losing to Chicago in the finals was probably the worst, but the Penguins and Caps game 7 losses hurt almost as badly.

The ECF game 7 losses in 2016 and 2018 suck especially because both years our opponent in the finals would've been considerably worse than Chicago in 2015. All three seasons we lost to the best team in the league.

 

[Marshall]

Just one?

(Caps fan)

 

[BobColesNasalCavity]

For Flames it's easily 2004 Game 7 against Tampa Bay, followed closely by 2004 Game 6 of the same series

Game 6 2004 against Tampa I would've cried if I wasn't watching it with people.

Game 7 1994 against the Canucks though.... Bure in OT after McLean robbed the Flames on a 3 on 1. I still see counselling because of that.

 

[MartinS82]

David freaking Volek.

This is definitely #1 for Pens fans, with 1996 Conference Finals game 7 vs Florida as the runner up. Felt like that might be our last shot for a while, and it was.

 

[sycamore]

Caps fan...where does one start?

When it comes down to it, we had assembled probably our best team on paper in 2017. Pittsburgh was missing Letang and Murray, It was as if the Hockey Gods were saying: "Here's the Cup. Just take it."

Of course we ended up losing that series. And to me, the most heartbreaking loss was Game 1, a Game where we completely dominated the Penguins, but had three stupid laspes (one by Holtby and one by Orpik that will forever live in infamy) that cost us the game. That game set the tone for the series -- despite being weaker, Pittsburgh were convinced they had us.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Losing game 7 at home,
then losing game 7 at home again
and then losing game 7 at home again
and then losing another game 7 at home again

 

[blue425]

Ron Francis from center ice.

 

[TK 421]

Blues fan, so you know....all of it.

 

[Harry22]

I did not witness the glory days as a fan so for me the most heartbreaking was Carey Price getting injured in game 1 of the 2014 ECF against the Rangers. Completely changed the series and the momentum the Habs got after defeating the Bruins in round 2. I knew then that we would lose that series.

 

[Mass]

In hindsight the early whistle blowing in game 6, but at the time what should have been the tying goal by Hornqvist was the worst. Hockey bounces suck.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I can remember ovechkin hoisting the cup. Everything before that is kind of a blur.

 

[TNT87]

This is definitely #1 for Pens fans, with 1996 Conference Finals game 7 vs Florida as the runner up. Felt like that might be our last shot for a while, and it was.

I agree. Seeing Fitzgerald score from practically the other side of the state was so depressing. A SCF with Colorado would have been incredible. They easily got past the Panthers.

 

[TNT87]

While that was like a knife in the heart when it happened , I think the moment in that series when Stevens was knocked unconscious and shattered his face ... that more than Volek felt like the end of that golden era. For me, that moment serves as a bright line between "unstoppable power forward Kevin Stevens" and "used to be a great power forward Kevin Stevens," and I think those two versions of him are a pretty good metaphor for the '90s Pens.

On one hand, I want to say Pens fans should count themselves lucky that our team has raised the cup five times ... but damn, had that the team won that year, three consecutive cups ... wow.

But had that happened, we'd never have enjoyed the pleasure of playing the "what if ..." game (and I do think it is fun, especially when you can console yourself with other championships). Plus, the butterfly effect of a third consecutive win could have had profound consequences regarding Howard Baldwin's ownership, the team's subsequent bankruptcy, Lemieux assuming ownership and the team being in a position to draft the guys who were instrumental in the team's three most recent cups.

Really good post.

 

[Yukon Joe]

There's a couple possibilities as a Jets fan. High on the list is probably the 1990 Edmonton-Winnipeg series. Edmonton had just spanked the Jets in the playoffs for years, but suddenly the Jets were up 3-1 in the series after Dave Ellett's overtime goal in game 4 - only to see the Oilers win three straight.

But there's only one possible contender for most heartbreaking playoff moment. April 28, 1996. It had been the Jets "Season to Remember", as it was announced at the start of the season that they'd be moving at the end of the season.

Yet somehow, they snuck into the playoffs. Keep winning, and the Jets stay in Winnipeg for at least another day. Jets opponent was the powerhouse Detroit Redwings, yet the Jets had managed to stay competitive in the series, trailing 3 games to 2. It was Game 6, in Winnipeg Arena. But there was no fairy-tale ending - Redwings win 4-1. Jets faithful give a standing ovation to their team that seems like it will never end, with hardly a dry eye in the building.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Bruins: the obvious answer is Too Many Men, but since I started watching them regularly as a kid in 1982, among the moments I experienced personally, it has to be the Petr Klima goal in 1990. I was sitting in balcony 98, right above the net. Boston's goose was pretty much cooked after that.

As an Oiler fan, this actually made me feel sorry for Bruins.

In 1988, it was a steam roll. you guys were swept, and it wasn't even close. (We somehow took 5 games to sweep you)

In 1990, it was without Coffey, without Gretzky, without Fuhr. You guys were so heavily favored.
Robbed Bourque of getting his cup in Boston.

To rub it in even more, the Conn Smyth winner was the goalie you guys traded us.


For some reason, Oilers losing in 2006 was the one that hurt me the most.

Hurt even more than the Steve Smith one.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Sens fan: Probably that loss to the Devils back when. We could have defeated Anaheim pretty handily.

 

[Svechhammer]

As an Oiler fan, this actually made me feel sorry for Bruins.

In 1988, it was a steam roll. you guys were swept, and it wasn't even close. (We somehow took 5 games to sweep you)

In 1990, it was without Coffey, without Gretzky, without Fuhr. You guys were so heavily favored.
Robbed Bourque of getting his cup in Boston.

To rub it in even more, the Conn Smyth winner was the goalie you guys traded us.


For some reason, Oilers losing in 2006 was the one that hurt me the most.

Hurt even more than the Steve Smith one.

Even though I'm a Canes fan, that picture always gets me in the feels. And you know they took that as he could hear the celebration going on outside the room. That's gotta be the worst feeling in the world.

 

[Nessa]

For Flames it's easily 2004 Game 7 against Tampa Bay, followed closely by 2004 Game 6 of the same series

I still have nightmares about this.

 

[Shad]

Losing to a shitty flyers team in 2010 after knocking out two top teams in the east as the 8th seed.

 

[DCRedhawk21]

In recent history, the caps game 7 loss to Montreal in 2010 hurt the most. The team that year was so fun to watch and they had a great season. Then they blew a 3-1 series lead and established the narrative around Ovechkin and the caps that would persist until 2018. This also preceded a very weird period of listlessness and mediocrity that persisted until trotz came on board.

The 2017 game loss to the pens felt just as painful in the moment, but the team basically stayed the course, dealt with some cap casualties, and came back the next year. So it’s hard in hindsight to consider that as heartbreaking, but it’s probably number 2 of this era.