Where the Mariners postseason drought ranks all-time in sports

Florida Panthers: 11 Years: 2001-2012

Edmonton Oilers: 10 Years: 2007-2017

Buffalo Sabres: 10 Years: 2012-Current

Detroit Red Wings: 5 Years: 2017 – Current

No, that’s not inappropriate. He’s asking for a hockey puck. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Anyway, there’s a lot of turnover in hockey. A goalie who has a career year can lead his team to the playoffs nearly on his own. Shoot, if they get hot at the right time, they can lead them to an appearance in the Stanley Cup. Another part of it, and you’ll see it in the NBA as well, is the percentage of teams that make the playoffs every year. 50% get in each year in the NHL.

The longest playoff drought in history in just 11 years for hockey. It was done by the Panthers just after the turn of the millennia. Long gone are the days of Scott Mellanby and Rob Niedermeyer, and the Rubber rats are a thing of the past. One of the most exciting expansion teams in any sport, they started hot by making it to the finals in 1996… and haven’t been good since.

As for the Oilers, they were saved by Connor McDavid. He’s been one of the best players in the NHL and is still only 25. He averages 1.416 points per game, one of the best rates… ever. The Oilers will be dangerous as long as they have him, and he’s got a real shot to approach Jagr for 2nd most points all-time.

It’s the Buffalo Sabres that hold the longest current streak, and with just 35 points (20 points back of the Wild Card) through 45 games, they are likely going to tie the Panthers for the longest streak ever. I mentioned the Red Wings as well since they have the second-longest current streak. Gone are the glory days of the Red Wings with Scotty Bowman at the head. They are one spot out of the Wild Card, and a nice post-Olympics push would give them a shot at the playoffs.

With only a handful of teams in hockey history going a decade without making the playoffs, let’s move on to the NBA. At the top is a team that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Los Angeles Clippers: 15 Years: 1997-2012

Sacramento Kings: 15 Years: 2007-Current

Charlotte Hornets: 5 Years: 2017-Current

This is a bad one, for multiple reasons.

The Clippers and the Kings are tied at 15 seasons. The Clippers were a joke in the NBA for a long time. They had an awful owner, and it’s one of the few times that I know of where the team was taken away from an owner in a professional sport. If not for a vetoed trade by the league itself to keep Chris Paul out of a Lakers uniform, the Clippers streak would likely be longer.

So, it makes sense that they have the longest streak. The ineptitude of the Kings, however, shows just how bad they truly have been.

They even had Demarcus Cousins, pictured above, for a long time. He was supposed to be their saving grace, and get them to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were never able to find a single good player to put alongside him. Even after he was traded away, the team still hasn’t been very good.

It’s unlikely they make it this year, as they are 3.5 games back of the 10th seed, which would get them a spot in the play-in games. I’m not sure if you’d call that a playoff appearance (I wouldn’t), but it looks like they are going to break the all-time NBA Playoff drought record and make it 16 straight seasons.

Like hockey, the second-longest active streak is only five seasons. IN the NBA, an astonishing 16 of 30 teams make the playoffs every year (20 of 30 if you count the play-in, which you shouldn’t), so it’s hard to go a long time without making the playoffs.

Then we get to a team in the NFL that missed out on the playoffs in just as many straight seasons as the Mariners have in baseball.

New Orleans Saints: 20 Years: 1967-1986

Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants: 17 Years

New York Jets: 11 Years: 2011-Current

Denver Broncos: 6 Years: 2016-Current

I don’t think that any NFL team is ever going to break the record of the Saints. Unless you’re horrible mismanaged, hire bad coaches, don’t have a good relationship between your GM and coach, and make bad draft picks.

That’s another way of saying that, hey, maybe the Jets can go another decade without making the playoffs. Although, they did fleece the Seahawks when they sent them Jamal Adams.

Anyway, with the Bills and Browns recently making the playoffs, it puts the Jets as the current active leader at 11 straight seasons without making the playoffs. The Broncos are half a decade behind them and haven’t been there since Tebow was in town. Woof.

The Saints though. 20 straight seasons in the NFL of missing out on the playoffs is incredible. Even Mr. Manning himself couldn’t save them, as he was at the helm for some of the years in that streak. They never even had a winning season during that stretch, going 8-8 twice. In a way, they were like the start of the Mariners franchise, as 1987 was actually their first-ever playoff appearance, just like the Mariners in 1995.

Speaking of the Mariners…

Seattle Mariners: 20 Years: 2002-Current

Pittsburgh Pirates: 20 Years: 1993-2013

Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Years: 2012-Current

For now, we are just looking at current streaks. You’ll see why once we get to the next slide.

You gotta feel a bit for Phillies fans. They were pretty darn good for quite a while. The pitching trio of Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Halladay was insane and makes an argument for being one of the best of all time (even if it came after the World Series). Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins. It was a ton of talent, and they even managed to get a World Series out of it back in 2008.

Since then though, things haven’t been great for the Phillies. 2021 was actually their first season with a winning record since their incredible 102 win 2011 season, and they barely managed it by going 82-20. They’ve had a lot of talent in Realmuto, Wheeler, Nola, and Bryce Harper, but just haven’t been able to figure it out.

Finally, there’s the Mariners. So far in these lists, this ties them with the Saints as the longest playoff drought. It’s easily the longest active one, besting the Kings by five seasons. They’ve had their close calls, with 3 of their 5 winningest seasons in franchise history happening, yet making the playoffs in 0 of those 3 years.

So, where does this Mariners drought compare when you put it up against the all-time droughts in baseball? Let’s find out

Washington Nationals: 30 Years: 1982-2011

Kansas City Royals: 28 Years: 1986-2013

Texas Rangers: 35 Years: 1961-1995 (27 seasons)

Cleveland Indians: 40 Years: 1955-1994 (25 seasons)

Milwaukee Brewers: 25 Years: 1983-2007

Toronto Blue Jays: 21 Years: 1994-2014

Seattle Mariners: 20 Years: 2002-Current

Pittsburgh Pirates: 20 Years: 1993-2013

New Orleans Saints: 20 Years: 1967-1986

Yeah, baseball is definitely the one that has the longest streaks. Even when you take into account that the ones that take place before 1969 shouldn’t count, baseball still holds all five of the longest droughts. I said it earlier, and I’ll say it again. For those who had streaks before 1969, or through that season and beyond, it definitely stinks to miss out. However, there were no playoffs back then. Just a pennant and a trip to the World Series.

It’s what makes the Nationals streak, as well as the Royals streak, so insane. There’s also a bit of irony in the fact that the Nationals missed for so long, and the year they made it is when their divisional for, the Phillies, started missing the playoffs.

Through all of these streaks, there is one thing that stands out on most of the teams. Incredible prospects. The Royals were ranked number one and made the World Series a few years later. The Indians were loaded, as were the Brewers. Having Manny Ramirez, Ryan Braun, or Prince Fielder will do that for you.

So, the Mariners have the 7th longest streak of all-time, tied with the Saints and Pirates. We aren’t out of the woods yet, as the Mariners likely still need another piece or two to be considered a true contender. Things are looking up for Seattle though, and they should halt their drought soon… I hope.