NEW YORK — The city of Las Vegas officially became a Hockey City on Oct. 6, 2017, so you might have some items in your stocking that are older than the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
One year ago Thursday, the Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup.
The anniversary is a reminder of just how long it’s been since a major New York professional sports team paraded through the Canyon of Heroes.
I asked Siri and she told me that as of Wednesday, it had been 4,509 days since the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012 and New York City celebrated it.
Eli Manning’s Giants defeated Tom Brady’s New England Patriots to take one title away from Boston.
But Boston has celebrated six championships in the Hub since New York last won — the Patriots three, the Red Sox two and the Bruins one — and with the Celtics leading the NBA Finals, Boston is on its way to a seventh championship.
After the Knicks and Rangers wrapped up their exciting playoff run this spring, the Associated Press highlighted that New York’s eight major professional teams have gone a combined 100 seasons without a win since the Giants won the Lombardi Trophy.
And that championship drought doesn’t even include the New Jersey Devils, who last hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2003.
Now, NYCFC is crowned Major League Soccer champion in 2021, but New York hasn’t celebrated a championship in one of the big four professional sports leagues in over 12 years.
Looking back, the Jets haven’t won a championship since the ’60s, the Knicks since the ’70s, the Mets and Islanders since the ’80s, the Rangers since the ’90s and the Yankees since 2009.
The Nets won two ABA titles in the 1970s, but have never won an NBA title.
That’s a terrible result for teams in the financial capital of the world, led by the Mets and Yankees.
Comments from retired Yankees announcer legend John Sterling
Expansion teams and extra rounds in the playoffs have made it even harder to win a championship. “I saw that when the Yankees won a title,” said John Sterling, the legendary Yankees radio announcer who called the games in 1996, 1998-2000 and 2009.
“It’s a lot tougher than the old Yankees teams because they won championships and went to the World Series. Here you have to win three rounds and that’s very difficult,” Sterling said.
“Since I retired, I watch all the basketball playoffs, hockey playoffs and of course baseball games. It’s hard to keep your team prepared for every round.”
“The Rangers are the surprise team” in the entire New York sports world, said Sterling, who also broadcast games between the Nets and Islanders in their championship years.
The Rangers “have won the Cup once in 84 years and (Madison Square Garden) is sold out.”
Tribute:Pay tribute to Yankees legend John Sterling, who had one of the most unique storytelling styles
Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen may once again miss out on the 12-team MLB playoff format, even though his franchise boasts the highest payroll in major league baseball ($308.5 million, according to Spotrac.com).
Can the Yankees finally end New York’s title drought?
They enter Wednesday with the American League’s best record in 2023, achieved even without the league’s best pitcher, and have a great chance to remain the last team standing in October.
Right-hander Gerrit Cole could return to the Yankees’ starting rotation later this month, and his first opponent could be the American League team most likely to dent the Yankees’ 2024 hopes: the Baltimore Orioles.
For comparison, the Orioles’ combined annual salary of $101 million is $6 million less than three Yankees players (Cole, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto).
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros, the Yankees’ biggest October foe of the past decade, have had a rough year, putting their incredible streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances in jeopardy.
“I think the Yankees definitely have a chance this year,” Sterling said. “I’m not saying they’re going to win … who knows.”
“But the Yankees are a strong enough team that they have a chance.”
