Difficult to win cups when your competition consistently has access to better players.
This is the thing that neophytes from across the river just can’t get through their thick skulls. And I’m not talking about NYI fans, they had their dynasty and their chant but have been super humbled over the past 40 years. And older fans of other US original six don’t need reminding, they lived it.
Like 80% of the cups in the 40s-60s were won by the 2 teams that had access to all the local talent. All of that eventually went away with the creation of the draft in the late 60s and the talent spread normalized in the 70s. But the damage was done.
NJD fans think the league (and their org - they don’t like to own the dreck they spewed out from their other 2 stops) started in 1983.