Detroit Red Wings Qualify for 25th Straight NHL Postseason
On Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings clinched a spot in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs due to the Boston Bruins loss to Ottawa. This marked the 25th straight season the Red Wings have qualified for the playoffs.
Detroit is not expected to have much success in the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, they open against a depleted Tampa Bay Lightning team and could surprise the Lightning. During the season, the teams split four games.
The last time a Detroit Red Wings teams missed the postseason was in 1990. Since April of 1990, many things have changed.
The population of the U.S. was only 249 million; it is now estimated at over 322 million.
George H.W. Bush was U.S. President, Mikhail Gorbachev led the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall was intact, albeit for only two months after the NHL season ended on April 1.
The Internet was still not born, as we know it today. A smartphone as we know them today did not exist.
That year Jack Nicklaus played his first event on the senior tour, which he won. Nick Faldo won his second consecutive Masters. The San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl and the Miami Hurricanes NCAA football’s national title.
Derrike Cope won that year’s Dayton 500 and Liverpool was closing in on its 18th title in the topflight football league in England. Liverpool has not won a title since 1990.
In 1990, the Boston Bruins were the Presidents’ Trophy winner with 101 points recording 46 wins with 26 losses and 9 ties.
The last place team amongst the 21 NHL teams that season was the Quebec Nordiques who won just 12 of their 80 games.
Wayne Gretzky earned the Art Ross Trophy playing for Los Angeles scoring 142 points. Second in scoring was Gretzky’s former teammate at Edmonton Mark Messier with 129.
Patrick Roy the phenomenal goaltender for the Montreal Canadians has a league leading save percentage of .912. Goals against average was won by Mike Luit at 2.53 for the St. Louis Blues.
A great deal has happened since April of 1990 with many changes having taken place. Yet, one thing has remained the same, the Detroit Red Wings hockey team continues to lace up their skates each April to start the NHL postseason.
