Any Examples of A Team Making Back to Back Finals Losing First Year and Still Doing Worst Second Year

[bobholly39]

I feel as though in Hockey, we've seen a few examples of teams making the finals, coming close to winning yet actually losing....only to come back the next year and win (sometimes, skip a year in between, but win).

Any examples of the opposite, where a team makes back to back finals (or close to back to back), loses both times but does even worst the second time?

Pittsburgh 2008 lost.....Pittsburgh 2009 wins
Edmonton 1983 lost.....Edmonton 1984 wins
Detroit 1995 lost and swept.....Detroit 1997 wins.

If you skip a few years....you could even say Anaheim 2003 loses....2007 wins. Vegas 2018 loses....2023 wins.

I ask this obviously with Florida in the finals this year, back to back, after making it last year and losing.
How far back do we have to go to have a team lose back to back finals? And worst - do even worst the 2nd time around then the first? Has this happened often? Ever?

Ideally in the 4 round era vs the 2 round era, as it's a tougher and longer road, I assume there are more examples of this with just 2 rounds.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

IIRC 1968 St Louis was competitive in all of the games in their first finals while being swept, but the next 2 trips not so much

 

[MadLuke]

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]Column1[/TD]
[TD]Column2[/TD]
[TD]Column3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1977-78[/TD]
[TD]Boston Bruins[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1969-70[/TD]
[TD]St. Louis Blues[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1968-69[/TD]
[TD]St. Louis Blues[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1963-64[/TD]
[TD]Detroit Red Wings[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1959-60[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1957-58[/TD]
[TD]Boston Bruins[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1954-55[/TD]
[TD]Montréal Canadiens[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1951-52[/TD]
[TD]Montréal Canadiens[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1948-49[/TD]
[TD]Detroit Red Wings[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1941-42[/TD]
[TD]Detroit Red Wings[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1939-40[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1938-39[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1935-36[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1921-22[/TD]
[TD]Vancouver Millionaires[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

If I did not made an excel error, that would be the teams loosing in a final that lost the year before, the 78 Bruins did win 2 more games than in 77.

Before the 4 round hockey, small league, not sure that it match the spirit of the question if there is any case (and the Blues is a bit of an post expension anomaly), seem to never have happened in "modern" time.

 

[JianYang]

This is deviating from your question, but I thought of the redwings from 95 and 96.

In 95, they were swept in the final. In 96, they were considered arguably the greatest team ever and were a heavy cup favourite but failed to reach the finals.

 

[Davenport]

MadLuke's chart indicates that the Imlach Leafs reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1958-59 and 1959-60, losing both times to the greatest dynasty in the history of the NHL, and actually - seemingly - putting up less of a fight in 1959-60. Toronto won one game in 1958-59, in overtime, and lost another game by one goal. The next year, they didn't win a single game, and got smoked in games three and four, which were played at Maple Leaf Gardens.

 

[Crosby2010]

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]Column1[/TD]
[TD]Column2[/TD]
[TD]Column3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1977-78[/TD]
[TD]Boston Bruins[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1969-70[/TD]
[TD]St. Louis Blues[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1968-69[/TD]
[TD]St. Louis Blues[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1963-64[/TD]
[TD]Detroit Red Wings[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1959-60[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1957-58[/TD]
[TD]Boston Bruins[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1954-55[/TD]
[TD]Montréal Canadiens[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1951-52[/TD]
[TD]Montréal Canadiens[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1948-49[/TD]
[TD]Detroit Red Wings[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1941-42[/TD]
[TD]Detroit Red Wings[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1939-40[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1938-39[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1935-36[/TD]
[TD]Toronto Maple Leafs[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1921-22[/TD]
[TD]Vancouver Millionaires[/TD]

[TD]

TRUE​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

If I did not made an excel error, that would be the teams loosing in a final that lost the year before, the 78 Bruins did win 2 more games than in 77.

Before the 4 round hockey, small league, not sure that it match the spirit of the question if there is any case (and the Blues is a bit of an post expension anomaly), seem to never have happened in "modern" time.

From that chart, Boston did better in 1978, also had a better regular season too. St. Louis was swept in 1968, 1969 and 1970. They improved in the regular season in 1969 and 1970. But they might fall into what you are looking for. Sweep or not, they at least made the games close in 1968 and to an extent 1969. But they were shellacked by the Bruins in 1970, only the overtime in Game 4 with the Orr goal was close. So they apply here.

1964 Wings got within an overtime goal of winning the Cup, so as close as that can be.

The Habs in 1955 had lost Richard and still took the Wings to 7 games. Did the same thing in 1954 only to lose in overtime. They lost in regulation in 1955. Not sure that is "worse" really. They missed Richard.

 

[The Panther]

In 96, they were considered arguably the greatest team ever...

I mean, they hadn't won the Cup in 41 years.

 

[JianYang]

I mean, they hadn't won the Cup in 41 years.

At the time, their regular season was being compared to that Habs team that lost 8 games all year or whatever it was.

The roster at that point in time does not really have relevancy to their success or lack thereof for the previous 41 years. Expectations in 1996 were sky high.