The San Jose Sharks made headlines to start the 2023-24 season, losing their first 11 games. While this start was one of the worst in NHL history, they were able to pick up several wins in the following weeks. They now sit at a record of 2-13-1, holding a goal differential of -51. The Sharks’ abysmal performance thus far this year brings the question to mind: who are the worst teams in NHL history and what will the Sharks need to do to end up amongst them?
Here is a look at the five teams who had the worst seasons in the history of the league.
1989-90 Quebec Nordiques (12-61-7)
During the 1989 offseason, the Quebec Nordiques saw a lot of turnover. They replaced their head coach, drafted Mats Sundin with the first overall pick, and traded Walt Poddubny, their leading goalscorer from the season prior, to the New Jersey Devils. They also added Guy Lafleur, who had come back from retirement after being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The new-look Nordiques got off to a rough start, winning just five of their first 18 games. The team then went on to win just four games over the following two months. As the team continued to struggle, they made several trades, sending off a total of seven players. The moves did not work.
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The Nordiques ended the season with just 12 wins. They had the fewest goals in the NHL that year, and their goals-against average (GAA) was a whopping 5.05. No team has had a GAA of over five since. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this disaster of a season is that the Nordiques had three Hall of Famers suit up for them that year: Lafleur, Joe Sakic, and Peter Stastny.
1972-73 New York Islanders (12-60-2)
1972-73 was the New York Islanders’ inaugural season, and it is safe to say that it was a disaster. After winning their second game of the campaign, they won just two of their next 30 matchups. It did not get better from there. They won just one game in December and miraculously defeated the reigning champion Boston Bruins by a score of 9-7 in January. The team was able to go 4-1 against the subpar California Golden Seals, but they had no more than one win against any other team in the league. Had they not been able to string together a three-game winning streak in the last two weeks of the season, they would likely be at the top of this list. The Islanders’ first season was one to remember for all the wrong reasons.
1992-93 San Jose Sharks (11-71-2)
The San Jose Sharks entered 1992-93 looking to improve upon their inaugural season the campaign prior. They did not. The team’s 71 losses remain the most in NHL history to this day. Their goals against (414) nearly doubled their goals for (218), and they finished the season a whopping 63 points out of a playoff spot. Three of the four goalies that made appearances for the Sharks that season had a GAA of above five and the team was shut out a league-high six times. It remains the worst season in franchise history (and the Sharks have had some poor seasons in their 30-year history).
1974-75 Washington Capitals (8-67-5)
The 1974-75 Washington Capitals add to this list as another expansion team that had a train wreck of a first year. Their point percentage of .131 is the worst in NHL history. Backup goalie Michel Belheumer, who led the team with a 5.38 GAA, posted a record of 0-24-3. To start the season, the Capitals lost their first 37 road games. It was not until March 28th, in a game against the California Golden Seals in Oakland, that they were able to get their first victory on the road. It felt momentous: the unthinkable had happened. A trash can from the old Oakland-Alameda Coliseum was used as a faux Stanley Cup to immortalize the occasion. It was marked by each player on the team’s name, and they paraded it around the locker room to celebrate the accomplishment. The 1974-75 Capitals were laughably bad.
1992-93 Ottawa Senators (10-70-4)
The 1992-93 Ottawa Senators top off this list as having an even worse inaugural season than the 1974-75 Capitals. As the league expanded from 21 to 24 teams, it surprised many that Ottawa was awarded a franchise heading into the season. They played at the Ottawa Civic Centre, which sat just 6,500 fans, though the Senators were not exactly doing anything on the ice that begged more fans to come to their games. Astoundingly, they topped the Capitals record for longest road losing streak and longest road losing streak to start a season, losing their first 39 games away from home. Their sole road victory came on April 3rd, in a 5-3 victory against the New York Islanders. This game ended up being the only points they collected on the road all season. While the Senators were abysmal on the road in 1992-93, they were not much better at home, setting the record for longest home losing streak in NHL history (11). While there have been some impressively bad teams in the history of the NHL, the 1992-93 Ottawa Senators top the list.
Bad Teams
Nowadays, the NHL is largely made up of teams that can compete at the pro level on a nightly basis. However, every so often, a team will come along that wows us with how poorly they play. The San Jose Sharks did just that last season through their first 11 games, but they managed to win 19 games. It is unlikely that we will see a team worse than the two expansion teams that find themselves at the top of these rankings, as the league’s contemporary expansion rules are conducive to teams immediately becoming competitive in their infancy.
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