When the Phoenix Mercury lost to the Dallas Wings on Sunday, it ended an impressive period of sustained success. After a league-leading 10-year streak, the team will not be making the W.N.B.A. playoffs this season.
Being good enough to make the playoffs year after year is surprisingly difficult in sports. Player turnover, coaching changes or injuries, or all three, can lead to a losing record and a postseason on the sideline. Even with expanded playoff fields in many sports, a decade-long run like the Mercury’s is rare in the modern game.
Here’s a look at the current teams around North America that have been consistently good enough for the most seasons.
N.H.L.: Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, 7
Full credit to the Bruins and Leafs for their current seven-season runs. Neither streak includes a Stanley Cup though. The Bruins last lifted the Cup in 2011 and the Leafs in … looking … looking … 1967.
But the most impressive recent playoff streak in hockey goes to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who made it 16 straight times, winning Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Last season, the team missed the playoffs by a point to end that run.
W.N.B.A.: Connecticut Sun, 7
For the Mercury, the 10-year streak coincided with the arrival of Brittney Griner, a first overall draft pick. For the…
