Measured across the 19-year existence of the Carolina Hurricanes, a decade may seem like a proportionately long time, but measured against NHL hockey history, it's relatively short especially when it comes to Stanley Cup championships. In the modern NHL the average drought between championship appearances is 21 seasons. The longest drought is 47 seasons, and twelve active NHL teams, over one third of the teams in the league, have never won a championship. In other professional sports, some of the droughts are longer and even more legendary, and one has to look no further than a few miles down the road to find a pro sports team dealing with the recent agony of defeat after coming so close to sports' ultimate prize.
The Cup Returns to Raleigh: Hurricanes 10th Anniversary Stanley Cup Celebration
