With the Toronto Maple Leafs once again falling in a Game 7, they have the worst win percentage in Stanley Cup playoff clinching games (10 minimum) since 2006. At the exact opposite end of that list is the Chicago Blackhawks who have the best record in clinching games in the playoffs. It's a major difference and what separates a Toronto team that can't get to the third round of the playoffs from a Blackhawks dynasty that won three Stanley Cups and made two other conference finals in a seven year span.
Over the past 20 years, the Blackhawks have a record of 16-5 (.752 win percentage) in Stanley Cup playoff clinching games with the next closest team being the Edmonton Oilers with a record of 12-4 (.750 win %) and the Montreal Canadiens with a record of 9-3 (.750 win %). Chicago doesn't have the most wins over that span, as two teams have racked up 20 wins, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. This just means that the Blackhawks in their prime were able to get the jobs done quicker.
The Lightning have a record of 20-13 (.606 win %) and the Penguins have a record of 20-23 (.465 win %) since the 2006 playoffs. But looping back to where we began, the Maple Leafs have a record of 2-14 (.125 win %) in Stanley Cup playoff clinching games in the past 20 years.
Some fanbases just get to experience success and happiness, while others are stuck in misery and the organizations have to face constant failure. For the Blackhawks' sake, when they do get back to contending in the playoffs, the hope is that this new era can pick up where some of the legends left off last decade.
