THEY’RE IN! Inside Golden Knights Historically Successful Start

With the Utah Hockey Club beating the Calgary Flames in regulation, the Vegas Golden Knights have officially punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights have qualified for the playoffs in seven of their first eight seasons.

They’re not the first team to do so, nor are they the first to win the Stanley Cup in just six seasons. However, it needs to be acknowledged just how much harder it was for the Golden Knights to do so than for their predecessors.

The Golden Knights are the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs in seven of their first eight years.

When the Edmonton Oilers entered the league in 1980, they qualified for the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons. The Golden Knights missed the postseason in year five, so this is one record they won’t be able to touch. However, it’s worth mentioning that in 1980, there were 16 NHL teams, and they all made the playoffs.

The St. Louis Blues entered the league in 1968 and clinched a playoff berth in nine of their first ten seasons— and only time will tell if the Golden Knights can do the same. In 1968, 12 of the 16 NHL teams qualified for the postseason.

After entering the league in 1927, the New York Rangers made the playoffs for the first nine straight years. Of course, there were only 10 teams in the league at that point, and six qualified for the postseason… but I digress.

Slight Exceptions

Now, there are a few slight exceptions due to relocation. When the Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1981, they made the playoffs for 11 straight seasons; however, they had existed for eight seasons already and missed the postseason in two of them. 

The relocated Quebec Nordiques made the playoffs in seven of their first eight seasons— they missed the playoffs the first season of their existence— and then qualified for the playoffs for seven consecutive years. When they relocated to Denver in 1996 and became the Colorado Avalanche, they made the playoffs for 10 straight seasons.

In 1994, the Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas and became the Dallas Stars. They made the postseason in seven of their first eight seasons. However, the Minnesota North Stars had existed for 26 seasons before relocating.

How the Golden Knights Measure (C)Up

The 2024-25 season is still ongoing, but let’s compare the Golden Knights’ first seven seasons to those of their predecessors, starting with how they set the tone for the standard of success they would hold the franchise to. In their first season, the Golden Knights went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final— they were the fourth team to accomplish that.

In 1918, after the first NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs– known then as the Toronto Hockey Club– defeated the Montreal Canadiens to claim the O’Brien Cup and advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Back then, there were just four NHL teams, and one– the Montreal Wanderers– withdrew midseason after their arena burnt down. The NHL Champion went on to play the PWHA Champion for the Stanley Cup; the Toronto Hockey Club defeated the Vancouver Millionaires.

The St. Louis Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season. However, in 1068, there were only three postseason rounds. 

Read More: The Price of a Cup: Inside the Golden Knights Depleted Pipeline

Now, for where it matters: the hardware. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, the sixth year of their existence. 

In 1929, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in their fifth season. There were 10 professional teams, and six of them made the postseason. It’s also worth noting that they only played 44 regular-season games.

The Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1984 and again in 1985 in their fifth and sixth seasons.

The Montreal Canadiens lost the NHL Championship Title to the Toronto Hockey Club in 1918; in 1919, they went all the way. They defeated the Ottawa Senators, earning the right to play the PWHA Champion; the Canadiens defeated the Seattle Metropolitans to claim their first franchise Stanley Cup.

In 1928, the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in their second year of existence. There were ten teams and three playoff rounds. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in their first year of existence, 1918, as the Toronto Hockey Club and again in their fifth season, 1922, as the Toronto St. Pats. By 1922, the league had increased from three teams to four.

Everyone Hates a Winner

While I won’t go as far as to call the Golden Knights’ level of success ‘unprecedented,’ it certainly is significant. They have achieved all of their success— the consistency of making the postseason, the deep playoff runs, and the championship— during an era that is unprecedentedly challenging. 

The Golden Knights entered the league in 2017 as the 31st team; when they won the Stanley Cup in 2023, there were 32 teams. In their era of existence, half of the teams in the league qualify for the postseason. Gone are the days when 16 of 21 teams made the playoffs, like in 1987. 

Winning the Stanley Cup has never been easy. It doesn’t matter how many wins you need, two or 16– this is the hardest trophy to win in sports. However, winning and consistently succeeding in an era where there are 31 other teams with the same goal can’t be understated. 

It’s not unprecedented. But it is unparalleled.