For the first time in 46 years, there will be no Stanley Cup playoff hockey north of the border.
After a Philadelphia win over Washington on Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators were officially eliminated from postseason contention, meaning the NHL's Canadian hockey teams will be preparing for the draft rather than fighting for hockey's greatest prize.
A rare occurrence indeed, as this will mark only the second time in NHL history where every Canadian team will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs, with 1970 being the other.
This will be the first time since 1970 that there will be no Canadian teams in the #NHL playoffs 🇺🇸 @SBNationNHL pic.twitter.com/LvayKmhxdi
— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) March 31, 2016
Don't forget that only Toronto and Montreal represented Canada in the NHL back in those days.
Despite a win for Ottawa in Winnipeg, no Canadian team ranks higher than 21st in the overall standings:
Fittingly, this year's top prospect is American-born Auston Matthews.
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