from Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun,

For much of the past decade, the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues have been the NHL’s poster boys for underachievers everywhere.

Year after year, these two franchises tease their fan bases with outstanding regular seasons, tugging at the heart strings of their supporters with promises of bigger and better riches to come once spring arrives.

Then the playoffs start. And, not long afterward, disappointment reigns supreme.

Entering the 2016 post-season, the Blues had won just one playoff series in 14 years. Had that trend continued this time around, coach Ken Hitchcock and, quite possibly, general manager Doug Armstrong, may well have found themselves on the unemployment line.

As for the Sharks, they are just two years removed from the humiliation of becoming just the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series, bowing out to the rival Los Angeles Kings in 2014.

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