Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
What do people honestly think? That the Flames will bottom out for a couple of seasons, and then suddenly contend for division championships and Stanley Cups? At some point, the team should be expected to show improvement, which will take time and likely result in more than one or two 7–11 finishes in the course of the next decade. It is ridiculous to think that the only two positive outcomes in hockey are in the top and bottom five of the standings.
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Well, the three examples of teams who have successfully rebuilt from bottom-dwellers into Champions, the Blackhawks, Kings, and Penguins, all experienced very sudden reversals of fortune.
The Blackhawks had seasons of 59,65, and 71, points then went 88 points, 104, 112.
The Penguins went 69, 65, 58, 58, 105, 102, 99.
Kings 68, 71, 79, 101, 98, 95.
So the modern pattern is definitely several years of dwelling at the bottom, followed by sudden, massive improvement.