Has any team ever came back from 0-3 deficit in NHL history?

[lextune]

That breaks down from the 60s and onward, poster clearly said before 1950.

I see you only read the headline, lol.

Here's a helpful chart from the article you didn't read.

 

[BraveCanadian]

I see you only read the headline, lol.

Here's a helpful chart from the article you didn't read.

Edit - and I misread this as disagreeing with me and shall repent

 

[Regal]

That reminds me when the blackhawks came back against Vancouver from 3-0. I think the return of David Bolland had a big part to do with it

The Hawks also scored shorthanded with less than 2 minutes left to force OT in game 7 before losing.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Scores were:

6-3
3-0
4-1
5-1

Sharks really had a golden chance to win the cup if they win that series

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

According to ChatGBT

No team in NHL history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in all three series of a single postseason. However, comebacks from a 3-0 series deficit have occurred four times in NHL history:

1. **1942 Toronto Maple Leafs**: Came back from 3-0 down in the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings to win the series 4-3.

2. **1975 New York Islanders**: Came back from 3-0 down in the quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the series 4-3.

3. **2010 Philadelphia Flyers**: Came back from 3-0 down in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins to win the series 4-3.

4. **2014 Los Angeles Kings**: Came back from 3-0 down in the first round against the San Jose Sharks to win the series 4-3.

While these instances are remarkable, no team has managed to pull off this feat in all three rounds of the playoffs in a single postseason.

 

[New Jersey Devil]

9 teams have been down 3-0 and forced game 7
4 of those teams won, and 5 have lost.

The 1942 Leafs did it to win the cup but their finals was only the 2nd round of hockey for them. No one has done it in the 4th round to get win 16 quite yet.

Winners who forced game 7:
2014 Kings defeat Sharks, (RND 1/4)
2010 Flyers defeat Bruins, (RND 2/4)
1975 Islanders defeat Penguins, (RND 2/4)
1942 Maple Leafs defeat Red Wings, (RND 3/3)

Forced game 7 but ultimately lost:
2011 Red Wings lost to Sharks, (RND 2/4)
2011 Blackhawks lost to Canucks, (RND 1/4)
1975 Islanders lost to Flyers, (RND 3/4)
1945 Red Wings lost to Maple Leafs, (RND 2/2)
1939 Bruins lost to Rangers, (RND 2/3)

TBD:
2024 Oilers vs Panthers, (RND 4/4)

Notes:
1939 (6 teams qualify for playoffs): Bruins had a bye in round 1.
1942 (6 teams): The 1st round was best-of-3, and the Leafs had a bye in round 1.
1945 (4 teams): Not sure why it was only 4 teams but my guess is WW2.
1975 (12 teams): 1st round was best-of-3.
2010+ (16 teams): Nothing of note as it's similar to today.

NY Rangers lost to Boston. Boston was up 3-0 in the series.

Interesting how in 2010 and 2011, three separate teams forced a game 7 after being down 3-0. Fun times in the NHL.

That was the only time in NHL history that there was a playoff series that one team was up 3 games to 0 and the other team wins at least the next 3 games to force a game 7 in consecutive years.

Also, only twice in NHL history that there were multiple playoff series that one team was up 3 games to 0 and the other team wins at least the next 3 games to force a game 7 in the same year. (1975 & 2011).

The Hawks also scored shorthanded with less than 2 minutes left to force OT in game 7 before losing.

And Chicago almost won in overtime in game 7, too.

According to ChatGBT

No team in NHL history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in all three series of a single postseason. However, comebacks from a 3-0 series deficit have occurred four times in NHL history:

1. **1942 Toronto Maple Leafs**: Came back from 3-0 down in the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings to win the series 4-3.

2. **1975 New York Islanders**: Came back from 3-0 down in the quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the series 4-3.

3. **2010 Philadelphia Flyers**: Came back from 3-0 down in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins to win the series 4-3.

4. **2014 Los Angeles Kings**: Came back from 3-0 down in the first round against the San Jose Sharks to win the series 4-3.

While these instances are remarkable, no team has managed to pull off this feat in all three rounds of the playoffs in a single postseason.

What do you mean "all three rounds" & "all three series"?

 

[JianYang]

View attachment 885891



I got you

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So I knew the isles came back from 0-3 before but I had no clue they came back from 0-3 twice in the same year.

That is insane.

 

[lawrence]

Has any team ever came back from 0-3 deficit in NHL history?

San Jose Sharks in 2011 came back down 3 games to zero to beat the Detroit Red wings in round 2. You said NHL history, right? not specifically to a finals? yea that one.

 

[Toene]

This is the first time it'll happen in the SCF, and pre 1950's hockey doesn't really count as it wasn't a truly professional league at the time.

Asinine take.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

I see you only read the headline, lol.

Here's a helpful chart from the article you didn't read.

Fine, I read through the article. Despite the fact that there are countless data points on the average player not making enough to justify it as their only job being pretty well documented before 1950, I decided to humor you.

The chart you posted literally is titled 'Top earning pro hockey players vs average household income' and they aren't hiding the fact that they are basing it on data from a handful of the best players at the time. Not everybody was making Gordie Howe money, in fact, most weren't. From the article

"Gordie Howe saw his salary as right winger for the Detroit Red Wings climb steadily throughout the 1940s. In his rookie year—the 1945 through 1946 season—Howe earned just $2,700 in U.S. currency. His pay would rise to $5,000 for the 1946 through 1947 season, $6,000 for the 1947 through 1948 season, $7,000 for the 1948 through 1949 season, and $8,000 for the 1949 through 1950 season. "

and also from the article

'How do these ‘30s professional hockey salaries compare to the earnings of the average American family? The average net income amount reported by the IRS for 1931 was $4,217.40, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The $10,000 salaries for star hockey players during this time amounted to more than twice the average net income in America.'

So if Gordie freaking Howe is barely making more than twice the Average Joe, top earning professions were dunking on top earning hockey players, and your average player was most certainly working two jobs.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

9 teams have been down 3-0 and forced game 7
4 of those teams won, and 5 have lost

This is an interesting data point. Small sample size obviously, but it goes to show how tough that 4th win can be. You'd think the team coming off 3 straight wins would have the momentum and be the favorite to win game 7 (with all the pressure on the other team), but they've lost game 7 more often than not.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

History in the making...

 

[Whalers Fan]

So the islanders come back from 0-3 to win. Come back from 0-3 again in the very next round but lose. And then rattle off 4 straight cups?

There were a few Montreal Cup wins in there between the 1975 Islanders and those four straight Cups.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

They say the current average US salary is roughly 60K. Multiplied by 2.4, that's 146K salary in today's money. For star players, nonetheless.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

It's funny that 5/10 comebacks from 0-3 down to 3-3, and 2/4 completed reverse sweeps (potentially 3/5) actually happened since lockout.

No team even forced a game 7 in the prior 35 years leading up to 2010, but it's happened 5 times since. Definitely driven by greater parity in the league.

 

[Leaf Fans]

That breaks down from the 60s and onward, poster clearly said before 1950. Most players in the league couldn’t afford to play just hockey alone before then, that is just a fact. After the war was over and more money came to the game in the 50s, that changed, but the argument he made is fair.

There is a graph in the article that shows top hockey player salaries above the median family income 1904-2020

 

[Leaf Fans]

4 Times in NHL, 1 time in MLB and never in the NBA.

Didn't a team come back from 3 games down is last year's NBA final?

 

[Leaf Fans]

Fine, I read through the article. Despite the fact that there are countless data points on the average player not making enough to justify it as their only job being pretty well documented before 1950, I decided to humor you.

The chart you posted literally is titled 'Top earning pro hockey players vs average household income' and they aren't hiding the fact that they are basing it on data from a handful of the best players at the time. Not everybody was making Gordie Howe money, in fact, most weren't. From the article

"Gordie Howe saw his salary as right winger for the Detroit Red Wings climb steadily throughout the 1940s. In his rookie year—the 1945 through 1946 season—Howe earned just $2,700 in U.S. currency. His pay would rise to $5,000 for the 1946 through 1947 season, $6,000 for the 1947 through 1948 season, $7,000 for the 1948 through 1949 season, and $8,000 for the 1949 through 1950 season. "

and also from the article

'How do these ‘30s professional hockey salaries compare to the earnings of the average American family? The average net income amount reported by the IRS for 1931 was $4,217.40, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The $10,000 salaries for star hockey players during this time amounted to more than twice the average net income in America.'

So if Gordie freaking Howe is barely making more than twice the Average Joe, top earning professions were dunking on top earning hockey players, and your average player was most certainly working two jobs.

Players would often work jobs in the summer. Though the league was then and is now professional.

 

[GKJ]

I wanted to say you were wrong, but yeah, actually. Sharks were held to five goals over 4 games.
6-3
3-0
4-1
5-1

Games 6 and 7 were closer than those scores indicated. Game 6 was 1-1 halfway through the 3rd, and Game 7 was 2-1 into the 3rd with 2 late empty nets.

 

[egelband]

What is Google and how do you use it?

Don’t you have a radio shack nearby?

 

[weastern bias]

Sharks fan here, I hate this thread

Didn't a team come back from 3 games down is last year's NBA final?

The Celtics forced a game 7 in the ECF after being down 3-0 last year but they lost game 7

San Jose Sharks in 2011 came back down 3 games to zero to beat the Detroit Red wings in round 2. You said NHL history, right? not specifically to a finals? yea that one.

Actually, the Sharks were up 3-0 and Detroit forced game 7, the Sharks just won and avoided infamy *whispers*for three more years*whispers*

Games 6 and 7 were closer than those scores indicated. Game 6 was 1-1 halfway through the 3rd, and Game 7 was 2-1 into the 3rd with 2 late empty nets.

Yeah, it was weird, game 4 was decisive but game 5 was the only real spanking, but it was so bad I knew the Sharks were gonna blow it after 5 games still up 3-2 in the series

 

[GKJ]

Sharks fan here, I hate this thread


The Celtics forced a game 7 in the ECF after being down 3-0 last year but they lost game 7


Actually, the Sharks were up 3-0 and Detroit forced game 7, the Sharks just won and avoided infamy *whispers*for three more years*whispers*


Yeah, it was weird, game 4 was decisive but game 5 was the only real spanking, but it was so bad I knew the Sharks were gonna blow it after 5 games still up 3-2 in the series

The Kings were in their heads after Game 5, and then there was the Justin Williams goal in game 6 that was controversial, and at that point they deny there was nothing they could do. The Kings did hold a big territorial advantage in Game 7

 

[Bizz]

Last time it happened legitimately Philly defeated Boston after being down 0-3 in the 2010 ECF.

2014 happened because the Kings were allowed to intentionally injure both Vlasic and Hertl after the Sharks won the first 3 games.

 

[Juicy Pop]

Google would have gotten you your answer.



Way off. Happened in 1942 in the Finals and it was every bit of a professional league. Adding teams doesn't make things more professional. It would be like saying Ford wasn't a professional automaker before 1950.



Yikes!

Yeah, if you perform an activity for pay then you're a professional.

I don't understand why people want to warp the definition to some higher measure.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

Players would often work jobs in the summer. Though the league was then and is now professional.

Yes, most players worked summer jobs or even side jobs throughout the year. If you want to distinguish between a time when players could dedicate their entire lives to hockey and when they needed another job to make ends meet, that's understandable. It's likely that fringe players in the 1930s and 1940s felt they had to leave the NHL to get a 'real' job, and there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that. Some people here are getting overly defensive about the semantics of the word "professional" when it was clear what the poster meant.