Poor Corey Perry.
The Tampa Bay Lightning winger became the first player in NHL history to lose three Stanley Cup Finals in a row for three different teams. Perry spent the 2020 season with and Dallas Stars, who lost to the Lightning in six games, and then played for the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, who lost to the Lightning in five games. When Perry finally teamed up with the same Lightning team he lost to in the previous two seasons in 2022, well, you know what happened: The Colorado Avalanche won in six games to clinch its first title in 21 years.
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After last year’s loss, Perry joined Hall-of-Famer Marián Hossa as the only player to lose two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams. Hossa almost endured a similar fate after reaching the Finals for a third time following losses the 2008 and 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, respectively. Fortunately for Hossa, his losing streak ended in 2010 when he joined the Chicago Blackhawks, who beat the Philadelphia Flyers in four games. Hossa went on to win two more titles with Chicago.
Now, Perry stands alone as quite possibly the unluckiest player in hockey.
The 36-year-old Perry spent his first 14 seasons in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks until moving between the Stars, Canadiens and Lightning in the past three seasons. He signed a two-year deal with Tampa Bay, meaning he should, at the very least, break the cycle of losing with a new team in 2023 if the Lightning reaches a fourth consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
Unsurprisingly, Perry joined the Lightning before the 2022 season, in part, because of the team’s recent success.
“I think obviously their winning culture in the past few years,” Perry said in July. “Coming into a team that I’ve seen firsthand, the last two years. At the end of the day, where I’m at in my career, I want to win. I want to be a part of that and I’m looking forward to it.”
Sadly, his curse got in the way of the Lightning’s possible three-peat. Perry scored one goal and tallied two assists in the series.
The Lightning already have the third-best odds to win the Stanley Cup at +900, per BetMGM, after the Avalanche (+450) and Toronto Maple Leafs (+850).
Maybe next year, Perry.
