If misery loves company, he’s a lonely man in Florham Park today.
On Saturday afternoon, as a result of the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres officially clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Sabres, like the New York Jets, entered the 2025-26 season with an active 14-year playoff drought. The Jets extended their drought to 15 years with a 3-14 season in 2025. Buffalo, however, is officially off to their league’s playoffs for the first time since 2011.
It means that the Jets officially stand alone with the longest active playoff drought in the “Big 4” professional sports leagues of North America (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL).
The second-longest drought in the Big 4 now belongs to the Los Angeles Angels at 11 seasons. The Angels last made the MLB playoffs in 2014, when they lost the American League Division Series to the Kansas City Royals.
The NHL’s Detroit Red Wings are third at 10 seasons, while the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets are fourth at nine seasons, although they have a good chance to snap that streak this year.
In the NFL, the second-longest skid after New York belongs to the Atlanta Falcons at eight seasons. Atlanta last made the postseason in 2017.
Year after year, Jets fans become lonelier in their misery. Wearing a Jets jersey in public has become a badge of honor, a message to fellow humans that you have suffered through the worst of the worst and deserve the utmost respect for your unparalleled bravery.
