Buffalo Just Ended 14 Years of Hockey Misery, and Now the Jets Own the Worst Drought in North America
Here's a wild stat that really puts things in perspective: for most of the year, the New York Jets and Buffalo Sabres were both sitting in the same terrible club. They both held the unwanted title of "longest active playoff drought in North American sports." That partnership just got broken up, and it happened in brutal fashion for Jets fans.
The Sabres clinched a playoff berth on Saturday to finally snap their 14-year postseason drought, the longest in NHL history. They did it with six games still to play. Now the Jets are standing completely alone with 15 years without a playoff appearance. It's not a record anyone wants to own.
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This makes the Sabres' turnaround even more insane when you think about the timing. Last December 7th, the Jets got officially eliminated. The very next day, the Sabres dropped their third straight game to fall to 11-14-4. They looked like they were headed for a 15th consecutive season without making the playoffs. The trajectory looked bleak. The trajectory looked like the Jets.
Instead, what happened next was one of the greatest turnarounds in NHL history. The Sabres ripped off an absolutely dominant stretch and now sit at 46-22-8, tied for first place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Goalie Alex Lyon told ESPN last week while they were closing in on their playoff berth: "I think we try to take a lot of pride in just representing the crest well, and that's been fun and the city has been great."
The Jets Are Still Waiting
So what does this mean for New York? They're still stuck in their 15-year drought. Their new head coach Aaron Glenn, who played for the organization in the past, made it clear 14 months ago that his mission is to end this nightmare for the crest he once represented. The pressure is on. The Jets have a chance to learn from what Buffalo just accomplished: if you believe hard enough and execute well enough, you can turn things around faster than anyone expects.
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