2024-25 marks the seventh consecutive season that both the Bolts and Crunch have earned a playoff berth.
The Tampa Bay Lightning this season added another accomplishment to further its reputation as one of the premier organizations in the NHL.
Tampa Bay's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, won their game last Wednesday by a 3-2 score in overtime to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.
With Syracuse’s playoff berth, the Lightning—who are set to begin their eighth consecutive Stanley Cup Playoffs run—now hold some bragging rights over the rest of the NHL.
Tampa Bay and Syracuse have each qualified for the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons. That is the longest active run by any NHL organization in which both its NHL and AHL teams have qualified for the playoffs.
Tampa Bay takes the streak from the Boston Bruins, which had qualified for the postseason at both levels for the previous 11 seasons before Boston missed this season.
Lightning vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois said the organization focuses on establishing its culture at both levels.
“We take a lot of pride in what goes on in Syracuse. We invest a lot of resources there, we make sure we have really good people, we've had really good coaching staff over the years and invested in good coaching staffs. Right now, we're fortunate enough that (Crunch head coach) Joel Bouchard and his assistants are overseeing the day to day operations there and doing a great job helping players realize their individual potential, and also the team realizing its collective potential.”
The Crunch have played in the Calder Cup Playoffs in each of the previous four seasons and also qualified each year from 2017-2019. There was no Calder Cup postseason in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, so those seasons are omitted league-wide.
The Colorado Avalanche are the next closest organization with five straight seasons of both NHL and AHL postseason showings.
Tampa Bay won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, and the team’s 87 playoff wins and 146 playoff games played since the 2014-15 season both lead the NHL.
Syracuse has also earned prolonged postseason success.
The Crunch made the Calder Cup Final in 2017 and have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, the second-longest active run in the AHL behind only the Providence Bruins’ 11-year stretch.
This season’s success in Syracuse was especially impressive because the team had to overcome more injuries than in any season prior, BriseBois said. He credited general manager Stacy Roest as well as Bouchard and a pair of first-year staff members in athletic trainer Alex Maring and physical therapist Tyler Bacarro for working through those injuries.
“It really is a collective success. A lot of people contribute. It starts with our scouts who find really good players for our organization, and then the development staff and Bouchard’s staff take over from there. It's very important, and the fact we've made the playoffs every year is important for us, because I think it provides the right environment for our players to grow and develop.”
Success in Syracuse also helps the Lightning. Tampa Bay saw numerous players recalled from their AHL affiliate to play during the 2024-25 regular season, and some earned first NHL appearances and goals along the way.
“I’m mostly grateful,” BriseBois said, “because the quality of the work that takes place in Syracuse eventually translates into us having the ability to continue to compete at the NHL level and continue to chase championships in Tampa.”
Tampa Bay will open their playoff push on Tuesday when they host the Florida Panthers at 8:30 p.m. in Game One of the opening round.
Syracuse then opens its playoff run Friday on the road against the Rochester Americans.
