NEW YORK (AP) Brock Nelson scored twice as the New York Islanders beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 Wednesday night and clinched a playoff berth. The Mariners are back in the postseason for the first time since 2001, ending the longest active playoff drought in any of the four major North American professional sports. Depending how they attack their pitching this offseason, and how young players like Josh Jung and Leody Taveras develop, I could even be talked into Texas as a wild-card team next year. The Mariners had the longest postseason drought in the four major men's North American sports. San Francisco had the Angels on the ropes in the Fall Classic, but after storming back from a 5-0 deficit with eight outs remaining to win Game 6, the Halos won Game 7 and the title behind a strong pitching performance from rookie right-hander John Lackey. The next-longest is the Denver Broncos, who haven't reached the playoffs since 2015 when they wonSuper Bowl 50. Longest active playoff droughts in North American sports The Jets' 12-season streak of postseason misses is the worst among the four major North American The Sacramento Kings clinched a playoff spot Wednesday night with a 120-80 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, so the Jets (12 years) now own the longest active As of 2023, the Los Angeles Angels, a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, have a playoff drought that extends back to 2014, making it nine years since their last The club also lost to the Yankees in the ALDS in 1998 and 1999 and wouldnt pick up its first postseason series win until 2010. He has a lot of work ahead of him. The team that now holds the longest active drought is the NBA's Sacramento Kings, who haven't tasted playoff basketball since the 2005-2006 season. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. And in the words of All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, that task should be easy. With a first-round exit in the 2022 playoffs, the Maple Leafs tied the record for longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history, matching the New York Rangers mark from 1940 to 1994. In the span of four days, the longest postseason drought in each league was erased. When will they make the postseason next? 2020 Marlins (16 seasons)Finish: Lost in NLDS. Not only do the Jets have the longest playoff drought in the NFL, they hold the distinction by five years over anyone else. 12 longest active playoff droughts in NFL, NBA, MLB, @ProFootballTalk. 6 Golden State vs. No. Few would have guessed that the answer would come in Ilya Samsonov, a first-round pick who flamed out in Washington to the extent he wasnt given a qualifying offer last summer. The fade began the next year and by 2018, the O's would lose 115 games as part of a massive scorched earth rebuild. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Little did they know that was just the beginning of their heartache as the Mariners have failed to make the playoffs since 2001. While young infielders Robin Yount and Paul Molitor gave the Brewers a solid foundation, the clubs veteran-laden roster was not built for sustainable success after reaching the World Series in 1982, with many of its key players swiftly declining in the following seasons. The last time they made the playoffs was back in 2008, and have won 80 or more games just twice since then. I'm thinking 2025. As a result, the Jets move up on the list and now sit with the second-longest active postseason drought in all major sports. The Hornets nearly squeaked into the playoffs this past spring. Charles Barkley Drops Bold Prediction Ahead of Odds are in favor of the Mariners extending their playoff drought to 17 years. Unfortunately for Jets fans, this is only tied with the longest playoff drought in franchise history, as they missed the playoffs in every season between 1970-80. That 12 season drought is currently the longest of ANY team out of the four major professional sports (NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL). There was the Lou Lamoriello era as GM, which involved a successful teardown which in turn led to getting Auston Matthews first overall in 2016, adding a cornerstone superstar to jumpstart the rebuild but also some significant mistakes against the salary cap and at the draft table. Buffalo drafted Jack Eichel with the No. Buffalo Sabres 11 seasons (last appearance in 2010-11). Three months later, Shanahan made one of his first major changes, dismissing two veteran hockey executives and hiring a then-28-year-old Kyle Dubas out of junior hockey to become one of the youngest assistant GMs in NHL history. Charles Barkley Drops Bold Prediction Ahead of 23 Apr 2023 08:22:53 The Seattle Mariners, who had not been to the postseason since Ichiro's rookie year in 2001, clinched a wild-card spot over the weekend thanks to Cal Raleigh's The iPhone hadnt been invented yet; people were using flip phones and those awful Nokias. The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired general manager Ron Hextall, director of hockey operations Brian Burke and assistant general manager Chris Pryor after the club failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. It took nine long years to here, longer than it should have, but this is a team that is now one of the favorites to end one of the longest championship droughts in professional sports history. He spent the previous 12 years as a sportswriter with The Globe and Mail.