Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA on Wikimedia
Hockey’s charm is that anything can happen, even if it doesn’t seem like it when the puck drops. Though every franchise has rough stretches, a few teams have produced campaigns so brutal that they became shorthand for things going sideways. It’s time we took an unfortunate walk down Memory Lane to revisit some of the worst franchises on the ice.
1974–75 Washington Capitals
Expansion is supposed to be bumpy, but the inaugural Capitals turned bumpy into a smoking crater. They finished 8–67–5 for 21 points, a record still cited as the worst season mark in NHL history. Even their road record was mythical in its misery, which made every win hit even harder.
1992–93 San Jose Sharks
San Jose’s second NHL season is the one you bring up when someone says, “At least we’re not setting records.” The Sharks went 11–71–2 and established a then-league record for losses. Not only that, they managed a 17-game losing streak. Yikes all around.
1989–90 Quebec Nordiques
This season had the special sting of being awful—all without the new team excuse. Quebec stumbled to 12–61–7 (31 points) and finished last in the league, all while allowing 407 goals, which is a pretty clear sign the defensive structure was more wish than plan.
2016–17 Colorado Avalanche
Colorado’s 48-point finish in an 82-game season was the modern-era kind of disaster that feels impossible until you watch it unfold. They went 22–56–4 and landed at the bottom of the standings, with offense and defense both taking serious hits. If you ever need a reminder that talented franchises can still face-plant, here it is.
2019–20 Detroit Red Wings
Detroit’s season was so bleak it became a benchmark for the salary-cap era, and not the fun kind. The Red Wings finished with a .275 points percentage, which put them in historically rare air, and their struggles felt relentless from start to finish.
