Phil Housley is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He played 21 NHL seasons with eight different teams. For years, Housley held the marks for points and games played by an American-born NHL player. And yet, ask any NHL player and they’ll frankly tell you they want nothing to do with a career that is comparable to the one assembled by Housley.
That’s because Housley – currently an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators – holds the NHL record for most career games played (1,495) without winning the Stanley Cup. There are several players in this year’s playoffs who’ve also endured through long careers with a Stanley Cup win.
Current playoff participants enduring longest streak without winning Stanley Cup
When it comes to winning the Stanley Cup, better late than never is always an adage that applies. And no one waited longer to sip champagne from Lord Stanley’s mug than Hall of Fame defenseman Raymond Bourque. Bourque played 22 seasons and 1,612 NHL games before finally winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2000-01, his second season with the Avs after twice losing in the Cup final with the Boston Bruins. When NHL President Gary Bettman presented the Cup to Avs captain Joe Sakic, he immediately turned and handed the storied silver chalice off to a deliriously happy Bourque.
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