Has it ever happened before? | Syracusefan.com

Has it ever happened before?

SWC75

Bored Historian
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
32,278
Like
62,396
I wondered: have any of the four major league sports in America ever had a game or series between the two teams that have waited the longest to win the championship? The Cubs haven't won since 1908 and the Indians since 1948. Those are not only the two longest streaks of futility in baseball but only one major league sports franchise besides the Cubs has waited longer than the Indians to win: The football Cardinals who, ironically, were the Chicago Cardinals when they won the 1947 NFL championship.

I found one instance where the two teams that had waited the longest in a sport played for the title: the 1944 Stanley Cup. At that time there were six teams in the NHL, (which would remain the situation until 1967). Ironically, the sport's winningest franchise, the Canadiens, had waited the longest, last winning the Cup in 1931 but not since. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks, who had last won in 1938 in the 1944 finals. The other four teams were the Rangers, who won in 1940, (and would next win in 1994), the Bruins, who won in 1941, (and would next win in 1970), the Maple Leafs, who won in 1942 and the Red Wings who won in 1943.

It's hardly a comparable situation: a combined 19 years waiting vs. a combined 176 years and a product of a six team league, but that's the only other instance of this phenomenon.

By the way, if the Cubs win, the Nationals, Padres and Brewers take over as the National league franchises that have waited the longest, (all since 1969). the Nationals were the Expos then. The Brewers were the Seattle Pilots. they became the Milwaukee brewers the next season and were in the American League until 1998.

If the Indians win, then the Texas Rangers, who started life as the second Washington Senators team in 1961, take over as the team that has waited the longest to win in that league. The Houston Astros would be the team that took over for the Cubs in the National League, having been founded in 1962, except they joined the AL in 2013. That means that if the Cubs win, we could not have the two teams that have waited the longest in baseball play for the tile until two of the Indians, Rangers or Astros won a World Series.

In football the NFC teams that have waited the longest are the Cardinals (1947) and the Eagles (1960). The AFC is more problematic. if you discount AFL championships, then the Oilers, Chargers and Bills have been "waiting" since 1960. But all won the ultimate championship they could have won at that time between 1960-65. if you count those AFL titles, then the Cincinnati Bengals, founded in 1968, are the AFC team that has the longest drought. I like that interpretation better. A Cardinals-Bengals Super Bowl would thus duplicated the situation we now have in baseball, although that's 'only' combined 117 years vs. 176. Both those franchises have good teams but they are not having good years this season.

In basketball the match-up to root for if you like this kind of thing would be the Atlanta Hawks, who last won the NBA title in 1958 as the St. Louis Hawks, and the Sacramento Kings, who last won the title as the Rochester Royals in 1951, (three cities ago). That would be a combined 123 years.

In hockey the current match-up to root for is the Toronto Maple Leafs, (who last won in 1967) and the St. Louis Blues, (who began playing in the 1967-68 season, the one surviving franchise from the NHL's first expansion that hasn't won the Stanley Cup) . That would be a combined 97 years.
 
Correction: The Titans have the longest drought in the AFC if you count AFL championships, having last won in 1961. A Titans-Cardinals Super Bowl would be a combined 134 years. If you don't count AFL titles,the Titans, Bills or Chargers could play in that game and it would be 135 years.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
167,141
Messages
4,682,899
Members
5,901
Latest member
CarlsbergMD

Online statistics

Members online
161
Guests online
1,149
Total visitors
1,310


Top Bottom