Hockey's top 5 crushing defeats

Big Phil

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Just watching the NFL network and their usual "Top 10" lists which I love and it got me thinking, what are hockey's most crushing defeats? I'll limit it to 5 with some honourable mentions. Here is the stipulation, it has to be broadly recognized as a crushing defeat. It can't just be regional. For example, the Leafs losing to the Kings in 1993 is crushing among Leafs fans but it would never crack a top 5 or maybe even 25. Think about this as if you are a neutral fan. International hockey is included in this. It has to be a big game, an important game with championship implications. It can result in a blown lead, a choke job, a monumental upset or even just a bad gaffe. So here we go, this is my list, flame away!

#1 Penguins losing to the Islanders in 1993 - This one just hurts, and even seeing the replay on the Volek overtime goal makes me wince, to this day. There was so much on the line this year that would have made a Penguins Cup win so sweet. Mario getting cancer but still winning the scoring title, the 17 wins in a row which is still a record, the best record in the NHL, the prospect of a three-peat. It would have been interesting to see just how the Penguins and even how much more we would have viewed Mario had they won. That whole series was just an example of how to NOT close a series. The Pens had their chances to put them away but didn't. Even in Game 7 that had a 45-20 difference in shots on goal for the Pens you could almost see things slipping away. Then the bad goals in that game. Barrasso wasn't sharp and there was a goal at the blueline to make it 3-1 Isles. But the Pens tied it late and you figured this was a lot like the 1982 Isles, winning two Cups in a row and making a strong comeback in a clinching game in order to win it in overtime. But no, it didn't work out that way. Mario had that point blank chance in overtime right in front of Healy and 9 times out of 10 the goalie blinks and flops around like a fish out of water once they realize it is Mario but this was one time where Mario actually may have had a little too much patience and didn't shoot it quick enough. Then the overtime goal on a bad line change for the Pens. To this day I don't know whose fault it was. It looks like Francis got off and someone needed to get on in his place. The Islander goal was scored more or less with 4 Pens on the ice. That's Martin Straka who was understandably out of place once he got on the ice trying to get to Volek. Ahh, too bad. But yeah, this is the NHL's #1 upset of all-time I think and is right there as the most crushing defeat.

#2 Oilers losing to Flames in 1986 - Again, this was a team who won two in a row and was poised to win a 3rd. Like the 1993 Pens they were the best team in the NHL that year by a decent margin. They couldn't shake the Flames all series though. Never had a lead the entire series. Had to play catch-up the whole time and win in Game 6 in Calgary. Then there was Game 7. The Oilers turned it on, they actually looked good in the 3rd period. Lots of chances, tons. Then Steve Smith's own goal off of Fuhr's leg. Man, you felt for the rookie. But the Oilers kept coming. Mike Vernon a couple of minutes later almost had the puck bank off his leg into the net on the same sort of play. The Oilers kept coming right up until the whistle. Honestly, the Flames hung on for dear life but regardless they won. But how crushing was that?

#3 1981 Canada Cup final - There was the 1979 Challenge Cup and that was embarrassing but you could at least point to the fact it wasn't a tournament and Team NHL had almost zero preparation time. Sure they wanted to win, but there was no training camp or anything. 1981 wasn't the case. We had a training camp and an entire tournament to figure out the bugs and then came up with the 8-1 egg against the Soviets. This was crushing though. It was a scary time for Canadian hockey. Were we no longer the best in the world? Was this the future? Lots of blame went around. Mike Liut, who deserved some of it, got the majority of it in Bill Buckner-like fashion (Buckner didn't even have the worst error in that inning in the 1986 World Series). People forget, Scotty Bowman was behind the Canadian bench for that game.

#4 Chicago loses to L.A. in 2014 - Maybe this one will look out of place to some, I don't know. I just thought there was so much on the line with this one and it was one of those series where a team lost, but you still almost feel as if they won. Probably because the winner was going to beat the Rangers regardless. But it was the Hawks trying to repeat and get three Cups in 5 years. They came back after a 3-1 series deficit, but coughed up a 2-0 Game 7 lead as well as a 4-3 third period lead to have it go to overtime. Then there was a partial breakaway with Brandon Saad that Jonathan Quick turned away. But then that overtime goal...........oh man, did it have to end that way? I think that is the reason it is so crushing. Such a soft wrister that goes off Nick Leddy and wobbles and lobs over a helpless Corey Crawford who couldn't react to the tip in time. Then it flutters in. The United Center was silent and I still remember Crawford just slouched over after the goal. It was heartbreaking, just one of those series where no one should have been the loser.

#5 Boston loses in "Too many men on the ice game" 1979 to Montreal - Sure the Habs were favoured, but this was just one of those games that everything was right there before it was taken away. Boston kept losing to Montreal, not just in the 1970s, but since World War II. Game 7 and the Bruins get a late goal to make it 4-3. Dryden actually didn't play particularly well in this game and if there was a time the cracks were showing for Montreal it was here. Then the too many men penalty. Then the pass from Lafleur to Lemaire (Don Cherry always swore he was offside) and the quick drop pass to Lafleur for a one-timer. Boom, tie game. In overtime I can't remember the Bruin player (O'Reilly) who had a glorious chance point blank in front of Dryden but it hit him in the logo and bounced out. Then the overtime goal by Yvon Lambert. Just crushing.



Honourable mentions:

1996 World Cup loss to the U.S.
2011 Canucks loss to Boston in the Cup final
1994 Canucks loss to Rangers in the Cup final
1996 Penguins loss to the Panthers
1990 Flames loss to the Kings
 

scott clam

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I think Detroit losing to Colorado in '96 was a more monumental and crushing defeat in Hockey lore than Chicago losing to LA in '14.
 
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quoipourquoi

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I actually would consider the 1993 Maple Leafs, even though you would consider it a regional one. To me, I guess I have less sympathy for teams like the 1993 Penguins or 1986 Oilers or 2014 Blackhawks or literally any Team Canada because they’ve all had major victories in years immediately prior.

1950 and 1979 Rangers stand out to me. Also the images of Giguere in 2003 holding the Conn Smythe and Joe Thornton in 2014 are two of those rough ones.
 

Staniowski

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Just watching the NFL network and their usual "Top 10" lists which I love and it got me thinking, what are hockey's most crushing defeats? I'll limit it to 5 with some honourable mentions. Here is the stipulation, it has to be broadly recognized as a crushing defeat. It can't just be regional. For example, the Leafs losing to the Kings in 1993 is crushing among Leafs fans but it would never crack a top 5 or maybe even 25. Think about this as if you are a neutral fan. International hockey is included in this. It has to be a big game, an important game with championship implications. It can result in a blown lead, a choke job, a monumental upset or even just a bad gaffe. So here we go, this is my list, flame away!

#1 Penguins losing to the Islanders in 1993 - This one just hurts, and even seeing the replay on the Volek overtime goal makes me wince, to this day. There was so much on the line this year that would have made a Penguins Cup win so sweet. Mario getting cancer but still winning the scoring title, the 17 wins in a row which is still a record, the best record in the NHL, the prospect of a three-peat. It would have been interesting to see just how the Penguins and even how much more we would have viewed Mario had they won. That whole series was just an example of how to NOT close a series. The Pens had their chances to put them away but didn't. Even in Game 7 that had a 45-20 difference in shots on goal for the Pens you could almost see things slipping away. Then the bad goals in that game. Barrasso wasn't sharp and there was a goal at the blueline to make it 3-1 Isles. But the Pens tied it late and you figured this was a lot like the 1982 Isles, winning two Cups in a row and making a strong comeback in a clinching game in order to win it in overtime. But no, it didn't work out that way. Mario had that point blank chance in overtime right in front of Healy and 9 times out of 10 the goalie blinks and flops around like a fish out of water once they realize it is Mario but this was one time where Mario actually may have had a little too much patience and didn't shoot it quick enough. Then the overtime goal on a bad line change for the Pens. To this day I don't know whose fault it was. It looks like Francis got off and someone needed to get on in his place. The Islander goal was scored more or less with 4 Pens on the ice. That's Martin Straka who was understandably out of place once he got on the ice trying to get to Volek. Ahh, too bad. But yeah, this is the NHL's #1 upset of all-time I think and is right there as the most crushing defeat.

#2 Oilers losing to Flames in 1986 - Again, this was a team who won two in a row and was poised to win a 3rd. Like the 1993 Pens they were the best team in the NHL that year by a decent margin. They couldn't shake the Flames all series though. Never had a lead the entire series. Had to play catch-up the whole time and win in Game 6 in Calgary. Then there was Game 7. The Oilers turned it on, they actually looked good in the 3rd period. Lots of chances, tons. Then Steve Smith's own goal off of Fuhr's leg. Man, you felt for the rookie. But the Oilers kept coming. Mike Vernon a couple of minutes later almost had the puck bank off his leg into the net on the same sort of play. The Oilers kept coming right up until the whistle. Honestly, the Flames hung on for dear life but regardless they won. But how crushing was that?

#3 1981 Canada Cup final - There was the 1979 Challenge Cup and that was embarrassing but you could at least point to the fact it wasn't a tournament and Team NHL had almost zero preparation time. Sure they wanted to win, but there was no training camp or anything. 1981 wasn't the case. We had a training camp and an entire tournament to figure out the bugs and then came up with the 8-1 egg against the Soviets. This was crushing though. It was a scary time for Canadian hockey. Were we no longer the best in the world? Was this the future? Lots of blame went around. Mike Liut, who deserved some of it, got the majority of it in Bill Buckner-like fashion (Buckner didn't even have the worst error in that inning in the 1986 World Series). People forget, Scotty Bowman was behind the Canadian bench for that game.

#4 Chicago loses to L.A. in 2014 - Maybe this one will look out of place to some, I don't know. I just thought there was so much on the line with this one and it was one of those series where a team lost, but you still almost feel as if they won. Probably because the winner was going to beat the Rangers regardless. But it was the Hawks trying to repeat and get three Cups in 5 years. They came back after a 3-1 series deficit, but coughed up a 2-0 Game 7 lead as well as a 4-3 third period lead to have it go to overtime. Then there was a partial breakaway with Brandon Saad that Jonathan Quick turned away. But then that overtime goal...........oh man, did it have to end that way? I think that is the reason it is so crushing. Such a soft wrister that goes off Nick Leddy and wobbles and lobs over a helpless Corey Crawford who couldn't react to the tip in time. Then it flutters in. The United Center was silent and I still remember Crawford just slouched over after the goal. It was heartbreaking, just one of those series where no one should have been the loser.

#5 Boston loses in "Too many men on the ice game" 1979 to Montreal - Sure the Habs were favoured, but this was just one of those games that everything was right there before it was taken away. Boston kept losing to Montreal, not just in the 1970s, but since World War II. Game 7 and the Bruins get a late goal to make it 4-3. Dryden actually didn't play particularly well in this game and if there was a time the cracks were showing for Montreal it was here. Then the too many men penalty. Then the pass from Lafleur to Lemaire (Don Cherry always swore he was offside) and the quick drop pass to Lafleur for a one-timer. Boom, tie game. In overtime I can't remember the Bruin player (O'Reilly) who had a glorious chance point blank in front of Dryden but it hit him in the logo and bounced out. Then the overtime goal by Yvon Lambert. Just crushing.



Honourable mentions:

1996 World Cup loss to the U.S.
2011 Canucks loss to Boston in the Cup final
1994 Canucks loss to Rangers in the Cup final
1996 Penguins loss to the Panthers
1990 Flames loss to the Kings
I don't think Lemaire was offside. It doesn't look very close.
 

Syckle78

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I actually would consider the 1993 Maple Leafs, even though you would consider it a regional one. To me, I guess I have less sympathy for teams like the 1993 Penguins or 1986 Oilers or 2014 Blackhawks or literally any Team Canada because they’ve all had major victories in years immediately prior.

1950 and 1979 Rangers stand out to me. Also the images of Giguere in 2003 holding the Conn Smythe and Joe Thornton in 2014 are two of those rough ones.
Full agreement. Toronto was much more crushing than all the NHL losses he has listed. You can't consider it a crushing defeat for teams with very recent cups. Which eliminates 09 for me, while it sucked it never really hurt.

For Detroit the top three most crushing defeats in my fanhood are 94 vs. Sharks, 95 vs. Devils and 96 vs. Avs. All of those were soul crushing.
 
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oilsplatzz

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1982: The Los Angeles Kings pull off the greatest comeback in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In a game known forever after as the "Miracle on Manchester," they rally from five goals down in the third period to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime in Game 3 of the Smythe Division Semifinals.
The Oilers, in their third NHL season, set a League record by scoring 417 goals in 80 games; as division champs, they are huge favorites against the Kings, who barely qualify for the playoffs after finishing 24-41 with 15 ties. Los Angeles shocks the Oilers by winning Game 1 in Edmonton, but the Oilers regroup and win Game 2, then grab a 5-0 lead entering the third period of Game 3 at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
Defenseman Jay Wells ends Grant Fuhr's shutout bid at 2:46, and Doug Smith makes it 5-2 at 5:58. The Kings get a glimmer of hope when Charlie Simmer scores at 14:38, and defenseman Mark Hardy cuts the margin to 5-4 at 15:59. With the Kings swarming the Oilers and the Forum crowd behind them, Los Angeles scores the tying goal when Steve Bozek bangs a rebound past Fuhr with five seconds remaining in the third period.
The end comes 2:35 into overtime, when Smith wins a faceoff back to rookie Daryl Evans, whose slap shot beats Fuhr for perhaps the most amazing win in playoff history.
"It was just close your eyes and hope it hits the net," Evans tells the Los Angeles Times 30 years later. "It found a hole over Grant Fuhr's shoulder.
 

oilsplatzz

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ON ONE SIDE OF the Northlands Coliseum hung a sign that read: “We Believe In Miracles.”
On the other side sat a fan in a Montreal Canadiens jacket with a bag over his head.
Between the two, symbolically, it said it all. But really, how do you say it all about what happened to the Oilers and to Edmonton in a span of four days?
You could call it one of the greatest upsets in Stanley Cup history — probably THE greatest when you consider it was a 14th-place club, a team of mere children, a club only two years out of the World Hockey Association … and the team they beat was more than a third-place club; it was the legendary Montreal Canadiens.
CALL IT THE Great Reign Robbery. It certainly signalled the end of the reign of Les Glorieux Canadiens, the most celebrated team in the sport. Two wins in the Hockey Shrine that is the Montreal Forum. One, two, three, and it was history. It was The Great Gretzky. And The Moog Synthesizer. But it wasn’t a fluke. There were no lucky goals in overtime. The Canadiens did not suffer from unbelievably bad goaltending. One, two, three. In total goals, it was 15-6.
IT WAS INTOXICATING — perhaps the greatest single sporting thrill in Edmonton history.
Wayne Gretzky and Andy Moog were the stars of it all. The 20-year-old Gretzky continued to prove the ‘The Great’ is no misnomer as he figured in 11 of the Oiler goals. Moog, a kid with six games of National Hockey League experience, was the 132nd pick in the NHL draft from the Billings Bighorns. But what of the rest of the kids?
They went into the series, the Oilers, as incredible underdogs, To get to the playoffs it was mostly Gretzky.
Nobody else rated much more than a “half share.” But in the series, every regular played up to his ability. And the key to it all, as much as Gretzky and as much as Moog, was probably the third line. Going into the playoffs the Oilers were, at best, a two-line hockey club. Their third line was so bad, they were the hockey equivalent of Spahn and Sain and Pray For Rain. But they did it. And the whole club deserves a “full share” of the credit.
While Oilers respected Canadiens’ outstanding Stanley Cup record, they refused to be awe-struck. They skated and hit Canadiens with rousing checks. “Reggie Houle is a helluva player, but I think we intimidated him,” said Coffey. “He was so busy telling us to get lost, that I think it affected his game.”
  • Houle wasn’t the only forward who got riled. Mild-mannered Doug Jarvis got his dander up when the little Finn, Risto Siltanen, drilled him into the boards. And every time Guy Lafleur looked over his shoulder, he saw Dave Hunter bearing down on him like a semi-trailer. The constant pounding rattled Canadiens to the point where passes were seldom more than tic-tac. No toe, at all. “Towards the end of the second period,” said Oiler Kevin Lowe, “I started feeling sorry for them. All my heroes. Here we were running them and swearing at them. I guess it looked like we had no respect for our elders.”
If Canadiens played with little emotion and looked like bumbling mortals, Oilers showed signs that they could be on the threshold of something bigger. “You’re always surprised when a young team comes on like they did,” said Canadiens’ Bob Gainey.
Are the Oilers now hockey’s most fabled team?
“If I wasn’t there,” said Garry Unger, “I’d still think it was a figment of somebody’s imagination.”
 

Hoser

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1990 Flames loss to the Kings

Eugh, you could collectively count every year's playoffs from '87 to '95 for the Flames save '89 (obviously) and '92 (when they didn't even make it)...

'87? Slayed the dragon the year before, but lost to (admittedly the slightly favoured) Jets in the first round.
'88? President's Trophy winners, swept in the Smythe finals by the Oilers.
'91? HEAVY favourites over the Oilers, Game 7 OT loss in first round.
'93? Favourites over the Kings but give up 18 goals in last two games of first-round (six-game) series.
'94? Favourites over the Canucks, lose Game 6 in OT and Game 7 in double-OT.
'95? HEAVY favourites over the Sharks, ANOTHER Game 7 double-OT choke job!
 

The Panther

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Interesting post by Big Phil.
#1 Penguins losing to the Islanders in 1993
Yes, agree. This remains a difficult one to understand. The Islanders were without Turgeon, so they were basically a bunch of grinders, while the Pens were 1st overall, two-time defending champs, with at least 5 Hall of Famers plus Stevens, Tocchet, Ramsey, Barrasso. I can't really fathom how this one shook down, even having reviewed the series a few times on the NHL network documentary. If Eddie Johnston had been behind the bench (as he was a year later), I would feel comfortable in assuming he'd just been out-coached by the great Al Arbour. But Scotty Bowman was calling the shots, so he's the last guy who should be out-coached. (This was actually the first time the Pens entered the playoffs as clear Cup favorites, and they'd probably peaked too early, so the pressure got to them, I guess...?) One terrible goal allowed by Barrasso in game seven should not be deciding the series -- this one should have been over in four games, or five maximum.
#2 Oilers losing to Flames in 1986
I'm gonna "disagree" with this one. Of course, for Oilers' fans it might be the #1 most disappointing loss in history, but trying to be objective about it, The Flames were just a really, really good team from spring 1986. The Flames were already 4th-overall in 1984-85, and would be 4th overall in 1986-87, and 1st overall in 1987-88 and 1988-89. In spring 1986 they added Joey Mullen and John Tonelli. In the 1986 playoffs, they had 3 Hall of Famers leading them in scoring, plus Paul Reinhart, John Tonelli, Hakan Loob, Gary Suter, Dan Quinn, Mike Vernon, and a healthy Brett Hull scratched.

So, I disagree here just because the Flames were a really good team. (Now, if the Oilers had lost to Vancouver in round one, we'd have a winner....)
#3 1981 Canada Cup final
A big one for Canadian hockey fans, but objectively there's just no shame in losing to one of the greatest teams of all time at its peak. (This being a one-game tournament, it doesn't matter if it's 8-1 or 2-1.)
#4 Chicago loses to L.A. in 2014
Yeah, but both were good teams, close in the standings that season.
#5 Boston loses in "Too many men on the ice game" 1979 to Montreal
I think I can agree with this one -- Boston's entire fanbase was in pain, already with decades of frustration against Montreal, and here they were needing only to hang onto a 3-1 lead with fourteen minutes left, and then they'd be into the Finals against an opponent they would surely beat. Couldn't do it. Even non-Bruins' fans have to feel for that.


I think the Canucks' loss in 2011 is close. Of course, Boston was a top team and no shame in them beating you, but Vancouver had a 2-0 series lead with two more games on home-ice. How do you blow that?? After game two, the Canucks were out-scored 21-4. Given the heartbreak Canucks' fans had already been through in 1994 (following disappointing losses in '93 and '92), and the entire suffering of most of the 70s and 80s, this was harsh.

And I agree with the poster above who mentioned Boston in 1971. Yeah, they won the year prior and the year after, and yeah they lost to a great Montreal team, but after one of the most eye-poppingly dominant regular seasons in history, after having maybe Orr's greatest-ever season, Esposito's greatest-ever season with the highest stats ever, and having 7 of the top-10 scorers in the League, losing in round one was crushing. And they blew 1-0 and 3-2 series leads in the process. Orr was +124 in the season and then -2 in the series.

How about Philly in 1986? Made the Finals in 1985 (first overall in the NHL), 2nd overall in 1986, 2nd overall and made the Finals in 1987. So, what happened in 1986? They somehow lost in round one to the sub-.500 New York Rangers after going 6 and 1 against them in the season.

(One is tempted to mention the Oilers' embarrassing loss to L.A. in 1982 because of the all-time record point differential. However, I think I give the Oil a top-5 exemption from that one simply because they were so young and inexperienced -- their oldest top scorer was 21 and they had a teenage rookie in goal.)
 

The Panther

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Eugh, you could collectively count every year's playoffs from '87 to '95 for the Flames save '89 (obviously) and '92 (when they didn't even make it)...

'87? Slayed the dragon the year before, but lost to (admittedly the slightly favoured) Jets in the first round.
'88? President's Trophy winners, swept in the Smythe finals by the Oilers.
'91? HEAVY favourites over the Oilers, Game 7 OT loss in first round.
'93? Favourites over the Kings but give up 18 goals in last two games of first-round (six-game) series.
'94? Favourites over the Canucks, lose Game 6 in OT and Game 7 in double-OT.
'95? HEAVY favourites over the Sharks, ANOTHER Game 7 double-OT choke job!
Yeah, it's hard to say which Flames' choke was biggest -- there are so many candidates!
Sweden vs Belarus has to be up there. Ruined Tommy Salo‘s legacy to some extent.
Can't believe I forgot this. This is top-5.
 

GMR

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Pretty good choices. When I think of this topic, I think of teams that either never won the Cup or never recovered from the loss, despite having won prior Cups.

1. 1979 Bruins. First thing I thought of when reading the topic is this series. Just look at the goalie's reaction when Lafleur's shot goes in. Totally crushed emotionally. Boston doesn't win another Cup until 2011. Their best chance to finally beat Montreal and likely win a Cup against an upstart Ranger team. Yet, they blow it.

2. 1993 Maple Leafs. This one seems easy too. They were 26 years removed from their last Finals trip. That's an entire generation of fans that never saw their team have success. Since 1993, it's been 27 more seasons (hard to believe) and still no team success. The fact that Montreal was waiting in the Finals that year was bittersweet. Fans were cheated out of a series that would have received tremendous hype.

3. 2011 Canucks. Especially with the riot. Especially since they also lost game 7 in 1994. With another riot to boot. It made the entire franchise and city look bad.

4. 1999 Sabres. Four Superbowl losses in a row in a different sport makes this even more painful. Here's a franchise and city that never won anything. I know they were underdogs, but the controversial way it ended still haunts their fanbase today.

5. 1993 Penguins. They never really recovered from that loss with their group. Mario never had another chance at a Cup. They lost to a weak Islanders team. Missed out on a great chance to win three consecutive Cups.


Honorable mention to the San Jose Sharks playoff woes over the last 20 or so years. It's too difficult to pick any one of their losses. It's more of a body of work.

Is the Miracle on Ice a crushing loss? Despite all the Gold Medals and World Championships, the Soviet players on that team will never stop hearing about this freaking game. Can you imagine how annoying that must be for those guys?

Chicago losing to LA in 2014 seems out of place. They won several other Cups around that time and came back 3-1 in that series. You can't win the Cup every year. LA wasn't a big underdog. They won the Cup only two years prior. So it was hardly an embarrassing loss or one Chicago didn't recover from. They won the Cup again just the following season.

For Detroit, I'd say 2009. Wings fans still talk about that series more today than any other. It was the last time they had a team that could sniff a Stanley Cup. The losses in the 90's were bad, but they were followed by Cups. Sometimes you need to lose to learn how to win.
 
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Kyle McMahon

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#1 has to be the Boston-Montreal too many men game. That's one of the most infamous moments in the history of the NHL. If there's a Bill Buckner moment for hockey, it's this one. The ultimate moment of heartbreak for Boston in the bitter, one-sided Bruins-Habs rivalry. Boston might have won 6 Cups in the 70's. Montreal did win 6, mainly at the Bruins' expense.

As for the runner-up, it would feel wrong not to choose a Washington Capitals game. They could probably claim half the spots in a top 10 list.

Is it the Easter Epic? A good team for several years unable to get out of a tough division in the playoffs. But this time they had a 3-1 series lead on an Islanders team that was clearly in decline, and up until that point in NHL history teams just didn't blow 3-1 leads, it had almost never happened. This was the first year the NHL went to best of 7 first rounds too. The Caps were up 2-0 in this game, at home, before eventually losing in the 4th OT after having dozens of chances to end it themselves.

So then the Capitals go on to blow a 3-1 lead to Pittsburgh a few years later...and then blow another 3-1 lead to Pittsburgh shortly after...and then get up 2-0 on them again the next year....only to let the Penguins back into it by losing another 4 OT game and going on to lose the series. The Nedved Game...good candidate.

Fast forward to the Ovechkin era. Tough Game 7 OT loss to Philly in 2008, but it was their first go and they came back from down 3-1 in the series anyway. 2009...familiar foe in Pittsburgh, familiar result blowing a 2-0 lead and eventually losing at home in game 7. But 2010, this could be the year right? No, same old Caps. Up 3-1 on an overwhelmed Montreal team, somehow find themselves back at home in Game 7, and as usual just can't buy a goal. Think they've broken through finally, only to have the goal waved off rather controversially. Go on to lose....The Halak Game. Worthy candidate.

The crushing loss to the Rangers in 2015, thanks partly to another very questionable goal call that went against them, after being moments away from winning the series in FIVE games. Insane that they let that one get away. 2016 and 2017, two more kick-in-the-nuts losses as favourites against the nemesis Penguins....Game 7 loss in 2017...the Knob of the Stick Game, a very good candidate.
 

Big Phil

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@Big Phil is this single games or series?

A series, but if it is international then possibly just single elimination games.

I didn't put the Miracle On Ice game there because it didn't end the hopes of the Soviets winning gold. It was a different format back then and the round robin totals were added to the medal round totals so the Soviets STILL could have won gold had the Americans not beat the Finns. So in an indirect way it was crushing. Obviously it is the banner game of those Olympics though, but it still didn't eliminate the Soviets.

I don't think Lemaire was offside. It doesn't look very close.

Me neither. Looks good to me. He at least had one foot on the blueline when he got the puck.

Sweden vs Belarus has to be up there. Ruined Tommy Salo‘s legacy to some extent.

It could definitely make the top 5 for sure. Can't believe I didn't even mention that in the honourable mentions. The way it ended as well was just atrocious.
 

Big Phil

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Interesting post by Big Phil.

I'm gonna "disagree" with this one. Of course, for Oilers' fans it might be the #1 most disappointing loss in history, but trying to be objective about it, The Flames were just a really, really good team from spring 1986. The Flames were already 4th-overall in 1984-85, and would be 4th overall in 1986-87, and 1st overall in 1987-88 and 1988-89. In spring 1986 they added Joey Mullen and John Tonelli. In the 1986 playoffs, they had 3 Hall of Famers leading them in scoring, plus Paul Reinhart, John Tonelli, Hakan Loob, Gary Suter, Dan Quinn, Mike Vernon, and a healthy Brett Hull scratched.

So, I disagree here just because the Flames were a really good team. (Now, if the Oilers had lost to Vancouver in round one, we'd have a winner....)

I think it was the way it happened too. Steve Smith banking the shot in off of Fuhr. If the Oilers lose a normal 3-2 game then maybe we look at it differently. The shine is off this one more than, say, the Pens in 1993 because the Oilers won 3 of the next 4 Cups. But just the way that ended was crushing, even just watching as a neutral fan. I re-watched this game the other day in the 3rd period and knowing the outcome I was still "hoping" that the Oilers tied it because you just hate to see a series end on that note. I think that's what makes it pretty universally crushing, it dashed the hopes of a threepeat and it was self-inflicted. Flames were still a good team, but the Oilers had 30 points on them.
 
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Gurglesons

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Dec 18, 2009
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A series, but if it is international then possibly just single elimination games.

I didn't put the Miracle On Ice game there because it didn't end the hopes of the Soviets winning gold. It was a different format back then and the round robin totals were added to the medal round totals so the Soviets STILL could have won gold had the Americans not beat the Finns. So in an indirect way it was crushing. Obviously it is the banner game of those Olympics though, but it still didn't eliminate the Soviets.



Me neither. Looks good to me. He at least had one foot on the blueline when he got the puck.



It could definitely make the top 5 for sure. Can't believe I didn't even mention that in the honourable mentions. The way it ended as well was just atrocious.

Okay.

I gotta go 82-83 sweep of the Flyers and the 08-09 Sharks loss to the Ducks then.

Flyers were a total force that year and would make the finals in two years and got swept by an absolute trash Rags team.

I think Sharks fans would probably say 13-14, but the hype for the 08-09 Sharks to basically get shut out twice and physical and emotionally dominated by the lowly Ducks at the point says it all.
 

Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
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2. 1993 Maple Leafs. This one seems easy too. They were 26 years removed from their last Finals trip. That's an entire generation of fans that never saw their team have success. Since 1993, it's been 27 more seasons (hard to believe) and still no team success. The fact that Montreal was waiting in the Finals that year was bittersweet. Fans were cheated out of a series that would have received tremendous hype.

I thought of that one of course, and being a Leaf fan I got it. But the big thing was in Game 6. Unfair? Yeah, it was a bad call and the chips didn't fall in the Leafs' favour that game, but they had a home game in Game 7 to rectify that. And that was just a normal fair and square loss. Part of me didn't pick it as well because the Leafs went from losers to contenders in one year. It reminds me of when the Atlanta Braves went from "worst to first" from 1990 to 1991. They lost in the World Series with those two dramatic losses in Minnesota in Game 6 and 7 but was it crushing or was it just more like "we are just happy to have turned things around" type of thing? That's how I feel with the Leafs. Even if they lost to Detroit in the first round in overtime you could tell they were back and that alone made the fans happy. I don't know, a tough list to crack. A good hockey story if anything.
 

Dennis Bonvie

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Dec 29, 2007
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how are we defining crushing?

boston's loss to dryden and the habs in '71 was a 2016 NBA finals level upset.

Not really.

Montreal had 8 hall of famers on that team as well as should be hall of famer J.C. Trembley, who was a first team all-star that season.

Boston had 4 HOFers.

And Montreal was still Montreal.
 

Voight

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Feb 8, 2012
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Sweden vs Belarus has to be up there. Ruined Tommy Salo‘s legacy to some extent.

How much of a legacy did he have tho? I guess he did win in 94 but its not like he had an all time great career.

Canadians should get over it since they've won the Gold Medal pretty much every time since then.

It just would have been nice to see The Great One get a Gold Medal to cap off his career (though I suppose he did win a couple CC's) and to a lesser extent Roy, Mess & Bourque.

I think what amplifies is is the insanely dumb decision to put Lindros in the shoot out instead of Gretzky along with a few others.
 

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