The 10 Best Players to Never Win a Stanley Cup in Their Career
In hockey, there is only one goal. One thing that drives every hockey player to be the best. The one thing that will make hockey players play with bruises, cuts, severe injuries, blood, sweat, and tears. The holy grail of the sport, the Stanley Cup, is something every player dreams of hoisting.
It is not only the best-looking trophy but the single hardest trophy to win. Sixteen wins to be able to call yourself a champion after a grueling 82-game regular-season schedule.
The fact that this trophy began as simply a bowl turned into what it is today is a story itself. So many legends, Hall of Famers, and superstars have been so lucky to call themselves Stanley Cup champions.
Here are the 10 best players to never win a Stanley Cup.
However, there are those who played for many years that did not get the chance to hoist the Cup, and some did not even play in the Finals. Many factors go into this including poor performances, first Finals jitters, and simply getting outplayed.
For some, they qualify as Hall of Famers because of offensive production but may be held out because of a lack of championships.
As some of these players are still playing, their hopes of being a Stanley Cup champion are growing grim as their playing days are winding down. Some players are lucky enough to get a Cup in their first season and some play 20 years without even reaching the Finals.
The playoffs are a grind and more intense than the regular season. Some teams, and players, are not built for playoff hockey and run out of steam early. The punishment hockey players put themselves through for even a chance to win a Stanley Cup is that of imagination.
They suffer through pain that we as everyday individuals can not imagine. The players who made the playoffs but did not win a championship suffer the most, coming within a goal, a game, or even a power play of winning it all to come up short.
Here are the ten best players to never win a Stanley Cup.
Joe Thornton
Forward Joe Thornton, also known as “Jumbo Joe”, is a regular-season player known for his offensive production. He was part of some really good teams, most notably the San Jose Sharks.
However, when it comes to the playoffs, his teams disappeared. His offensive production was still there as he posted 32 goals and 102 assists for 134 points in 187 playoff games. For his career, he made 19 playoff appearances, all without winning the Cup.
While with the Boston Bruins, he got to the semifinals. With the San Jose Sharks, he lost in the Finals during the 2015-16 season. With the Toronto Maple Leafs, he had a first-round exit, and he made it to the second round with the Florida Panthers.
Roberto Luongo
Goaltender, and newest Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Roberto Luongo made the playoffs 7 years in his NHL career, playing 70 games with a record of 34-35 in the process.
He was poised and determined to win a Stanley Cup during his career, but he ran into some better goaltending and never raised the Cup.
Luongo was terrific in the regular season and played equally well in the postseason, regardless of what his record was. While with the Vancouver Canucks, he reached the Stanley Cup Finals during the 2010/11 season but fell to the Bruins.
If it were not for the play of Luongo, the Canucks would not have made it to the Final that season. While playing for the Florida Panthers, his teams were always out early, never advancing past the first round.
Marcel Dionne
Forward Marcel Dionne was part of one of the most prolific lines in hockey, the “Triple Crown Line”. The line dominated, but even with all of that firepower, the Los Angeles Kings never got past the quarterfinals.
While playing with the New York Rangers, Dionne and his teammates did not get past the division semifinals.
Dionne did not win a Cup, but it was not for lack of effort or production. Dionne played in the playoffs for 9 seasons, contributing 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points in 49 games. Although he did not raise Lord Stanley, he remains one of the best players in NHL history.
Adam Oates
Center Adam Oates had 15 playoff appearances in his career. He played 163 playoff games, scoring 42 goals and 114 assists for 156 points. He has been considered one of the best passers of the 1990s.
He lost in the conference finals with the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins, and he lost in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Washington Capitals and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
With the St. Louis Blues, he lost in the division finals, and with the Philadelphia Flyers, he did not make it past the conference quarterfinals. He had a great career but no Cup.
Surprisingly, he did not win a Cup with St. Louis as he was teammates with winger Brett Hull, and together they were as dominant as winger and center could be. They had good teams in St. Louis but could not manage a trip to the Finals.
Phil Housley
Defenseman Phil Housley appeared in the playoffs for 13 years, playing 83 games and scoring 13 goals and 43 assists for 56 points. An offensive, yet underrated, defenseman, he is one of the top defensemen born in the United States.
He had a successful career, combining offensive talent and defensive grit. He is, unfortunately, one that did not get it done in the playoffs.
While in the playoffs, he lost in the division finals with the Buffalo Sabres, lost in the division semifinals with the Winnipeg Jets, lost in the conference quarterfinals with the St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs, and finally, lost in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Washington Capitals.
Curtis Joseph
Goaltender Curtis Joseph made 14 playoff appearances in his NHL career, compiling a record of 63-66 in 133 games. He withstood plenty of games in which his team was outshot and outplayed, keeping them in games they had no business being in.
Joseph was underrated in the fact that he played well during the ’90s when scoring was up, but he never got the awards and recognition that others did. He battled every night and had a high compete level that other goalies did not have.
In his playoff career, he lost in the conference quarterfinals with the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. He also lost in the conference semifinals with the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings, and with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he lost in the conference finals.
Never winning the big one hurt, but he is still considered an underrated netminder.
Eric Lindros
Center Eric Lindros was a massive power forward who did everything he could to get his hands on the Cup, however, that never happened. He appeared in the playoffs 6 times, playing a total of 53 games. He averaged a point per game, scoring 24 goals and 33 assists for 57 points in 53 games.
Part of the feared, yet dominant, Legion of Doom line, Lindros did everything on the ice from scoring goals to fighting. Unfortunately, he suffered some concussions that derailed him a bit and cost him his career.
Although he had a successful career he did not have a chance to lift Lord Stanley. With the Philadelphia Flyers, he lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. He later played with the Dallas Stars, but they did not qualify for the playoffs during his time there.
Pavel Bure
Forward Pavel Bure had an impressive career, most remembered for his blazing speed and breakaway moves. However, he made the playoffs 5 times, playing in 64 games, totaling 35 goals and 35 assists for 70 points.
His speed was somewhat limited in the playoffs due to the fact that that time of the season is tighter checking and physical. He used that to be creative and get his teammates more involved, but that wasn’t enough to win.
With the Vancouver Canucks, he came as close as he would get to becoming a champion, losing in the Stanley Cup Finals during the 1993/94 season. With the Florida Panthers, he was ousted in the conference quarterfinals.
Bure still found a way to score and get quality chances but he eventually ran out of time to win the Cup.
Henrik Lundqvist
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist played his entire career with the New York Rangers. In his entire career, he made playoff appearances 12 times with the Blueshirts, compiling a record of 61-67 in 130 games.
Although he did not win the big one, he was outstanding in the games he did play. During his outstanding career, he did manage to make the Cup Finals once, losing to the Los Angeles Kings.
Without a Stanley Cup championship, he is still a sure-fire Hall of Famer. His career is one that can only be told by him, one of the more underrated goalies of all time.
He will remain one of the best goaltenders of all time never to win a Cup, but his lack of winning was not because of a lack of effort. He gave his all to bring another Cup to New York, and if it were not for his health issues, he may have won before his career came to an end.
Brad Park
Defenseman Brad Park remains one of the best defensemen in NHL history, most notably while with the New York Rangers. He appeared in the playoffs 17 times, scoring 35 goals and 90 assists for 125 points in 161 games.
While playing with the Rangers and the Bruins, they both lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. He also played with Detroit in the playoffs, losing in the division semifinals.
Park did not come out a champion, but he had a great career, and not winning a Cup should not define him and his storied career.
Related Story. The Top 10 Stanley Cup Playoff Upsets In NHL History. light
Park will go down as one of the greatest defensemen ever, and his play on the ice spoke for him. Cup or no Cup, he was a winner.