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Since 1962, fans have come to expect that the Chicago Blackhawks will lose in the Stanley Cup final. Since 1976, the same has held true for the Philadelphia Flyers. This year, one of those two teams is finally going to win.

Both the Blackhawks and Flyers have reached the Stanley Cup final five times since they last won the National Hockey League’s playoff championship. The Blackhawks won in 1961, but then lost in 1962, 1965, 1971, 1973 and 1992. The Flyers won in 1975, but then lost in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987 and 1997. One of those two teams will set a record with six straight visits without getting to taste any champagne.

Chicago and Philadelphia are both considered “good” hockey markets, although both have run dry in the Stanley Cup final for extended periods. The Blackhawks have the longest streak dating back to 1961 when Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita helped deliver Chicago its first Stanley Cup in 27 years. Chicago’s new streak is 49 years.

In the Chicago marketplace, that streak is not considered long. The Chicago White Sox baseball team went 88 years between World Series championships (1917 and 2005). The Chicago Cubs baseball team has gone 102 years (its last title was 1908).

Should the Blackhawks win, the Toronto Maple Leafs would hold the longest dry spell at 43 years (its last title and Stanley Cup final appearance was 1967). Next in line is the Boston Bruins at 40 years (1970), but there is also the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues that have never won since entering the NHL in 1967-68. Other teams never to have won the Stanley Cup are the Buffalo Sabres (since 1970-71 expansion), Vancouver Canucks (since 1970-71 expansion) and Washington Capitals (since 1974-75 expansion).

The next longest dry spell is the Philadelphia Flyers: 35 years since their second-straight Stanley Cup title in 1975. For the record, the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team waited only 28 years between its 1980 and 2008 World Series titles, so 35 years for the Flyers is a long time.

So which one of these two NHL franchises will put an end to their long droughts? For hockey fans in one of those two cities, there will be a Stanley Cup parade like none other. For hockey fans in the opposite city, it will be wait until next year for yet another long summer.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The Stanley Cup finalist who played in the NHL Winter Classic has lost each of the last two finals: the Penguins played outdoors and lost the Stanley Cup in 2008; the Red Wings played outdoors and lost the Stanley Cup in 2009. Will the same hold true for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010?… The Stanley Cup finalist with Marian Hossa on its roster has lost each of the last two finals: Hossa and the Penguins lost in 2008; Hossa and the Red Wings lost in 2009. Will the same hold true for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010?

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
Five players from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 1961 Stanley Cup championship team are also honoured members of the Hockey Hall of Fame: Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pierre Pilote and Al Arbour. Arbour, it should be noted, was in fact honoured as a builder (for his coaching), not as a player… Three players from Philadelphia Flyers’ 1975 Stanley Cup championship team are also honoured members of the Hockey Hall of Fame: Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent…. The Blackhawks’ 1961 head coach Rudy Pilous is an honoured member of the Hockey Hall of Fame; the Flyers’ 1975 head coach Fred Shero is not an honoured member.

OLYMPIC CHARM
Three players on the 2010 Blackhawks won a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics: Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews… two players on the 2010 Flyers won a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics: Chris Pronger and Mike Richards. Jeff Carter, it should be noted, did not play, but was a stand by had Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf been injured.

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