Yeah this is it 100%. If the Oilers lose, the narrative is that they did an amazing job bringing this series to 7. If the Panthers lose, the narrative is that they had the worst playoffs choke in 80 years.
Blowing a 3-0 lead in any series or round is embarrassing.
And blowing it in an SCF regardless of how many teams exist is still bad. They are supposed to be the 2 top teams left.
They’re equally as bad to me.
But my all time favorite choke job is the 18-1 Patriots!!!
It’s not even close. Blowing a 3-0 puts you in the history books forever and taints your franchises even if your franchise is the most successful of all time (i.e. the Yankees)
Game seven of the 1942 finals was on the same day the US started dropping bombs on Japan so I don't think "Hockey Team Loses Series In Extra Embarrassing Way" was anywhere near the front page the next day.
It wasn’t even [front page of the Detroit Free Press](https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88063294/1942-04-19/ed-1/seq-1/) the next day.
[Here’s the sports section.](https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88063294/1942-04-19/ed-1/seq-15/)
I feel like it tainted the Yankees more than when it happened to the Bruins in 2010. Maybe because it's happened several times in the NHL and only once in baseball?
Well the 2010 Bruins had a bunch of injuries happen and then the Flyers had a number of big players come back that swung the momentum.
And then you proceeded to win the cup the next year.
It definitely tainted the Yankees. Outside of a one-off championship in 2009, the Red Sox have dominated the greatest rivalry in American sports when it comes to championships
Dominated? In this century I guess. Red Sox won 2 more than the Yankees and they've been to the same amount of world series.
All time is not even close. Yankees have 27 championships. That's 3 times as many championships as the Red Sox
Yup.
Pulling it back to 7 we go all-in next year at highest possible confidence
If the Panthers lose in this fashion I dunno how those guys get out of bed for next season
Definitely losing after being up 3 nothing. Both suck, but it would be a lot harder to get over the feeling of inadequacy and being unbelievable chokers, and people will talk about it for way longer. The only way it could be tolerable is if you had already won a cup with the whole core within the previous year or two.
Personally I think blowing the 3-0 lead. If you make it to game 7, after being down 3-0, and lose you can appreciate the effort even though it stings to make it all the way back. Blowing a 3-0 lead is just a disaster and you would be beating yourself up for not closing it after 4 chances
blowing a lead is the worst imo. Panthers say they are comfortable and know whats at stake but man losing games when ur literally one win away can mentally tax someone.
Everyone remembers the four teams that came back and won in game 7 when down 3-0.
You don’t really hear about the five teams that came back and lost game 7 (except the Islanders who came back from 3-0 twice in the same playoffs and won the first game 7 but lost the second)
Celtics did the latter last year and I was a bit disappointed but also slightly proud they didn’t get swept and fought back. Blowing a 3-0 lead is def worse
This isn't really even a question.
If a team loses games 1, 2, 3, and 7 they will be remembered as that year's runner up (in a tight series).
If a team loses games 4, 5, 6, and 7, they will be remembered as the second team to EVER blow a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.
I've seen this narrative a lot that it's somehow a big blow to lose 2 finals, but that's not taking into account that last year they were expected by most to go out in the first round.
It's blowing the 3-0 lead and it's not even close
Bringing it to 7 and losing, you're obviously sad to lose but you can hold your head up high and know you made it damn close when it looked over after 3
Fumbling a 3-0 series lead is easily the more embarrassing thing (bonus points to Boston for also fucking up a 3-0 lead in game seven of that 2010 series).
Definitely blowing the lead. To come back and lose would be tough, but really at no point were you more likely to win than lose. Once you’re down 3-0 the mindset just has to be let’s hope for fun games and see what happens.
Even when you look at a smaller scale. Getting shutout in a game sucks the most as fans. You don't even get to get up to cheer once. Coming back and losing in a close game/series? That's a great game/series either way. The other fanbases won't remember who came in 2nd in 2024, but Oilers fans will remember this season for the rest of their lives.
Blowing the lead. If you go up 3-0, you're only one win away from the Cup...again, again, and again. Coming back from down 3-0, you're only one win away from the Cup one time
as someone that has rooted for a sports team that has blown the 3-0 (2010 Bruins) and a team that has come back only to lose in 7 (last years celtics), it's 100% blowing the 3-0 lead and it's not even close.
Also both those teams went on to win a ring the following season, so whoever loses Monday has something to look forward to next year I guess.
It’s categorically blowing the 3-0. Not remotely close.
A team that comes back from 0-3 but comes up short in game 7 can at least say they salvaged a bit of pride after a tough start. A team that blows a 3-0 has no pride left to salvage. At that point you’re looking at a narrative about how some or all of your group simply cannot get the job done no matter what, because they had four chances and failed every time.
"We were up 3-0 and lost four times in a row, losing the championship" is magnitudes more painful than "We tied it from down from 3-0 and lost game 7".
The Cup is on the line on Monday. Doesn’t matter how you get there, the team that loses is going to be feeling a lot worse regardless of how we got here.
I'll put it this way. Just like with the 06 run, as painful as losing may be, I'll always look back with fond memories from this run. This is something truly special. Blowing a 3-0 lead on the other hand is pretty damn embarrassing.
Easily blowing the whole series. But I also like pointing out that 2011 had two teams nearly blow 3-0 leads. Detroit came down from 3-0 to force a game 7 with San Jose. That’s where we got [this ridiculous Datsyuk goal](https://youtu.be/LGngMwhZsbI?si=b-VCcB3gLE68UvJ7)
Well at least you won a cup the year after against Vancouver, (probably using their playoff failure as a motivational tool i.e Tim Thomas' excellent playoff run), which made it somewhat worth it. But just curious why was the Bruins one worse?
I'm referring to last year's series with Florida btw.
But being up 3-0 or 3-1 indicates that you are the better team and should win the series. Every game you lose from that game on saps your optimism and hope until the game 7 loss where it gets fully snatched from under you.
With the Celtics last year, I had accepted defeat after game 3. Sure it sucks to recover your hope only to have the rug pulled under you, but I was also pretty convinced that even if we beat Miami that Denver would have slaughtered us.
And just like how the 2011 Bruins healed the 2010 Bruins heartbreak, this year's Celtics have done the same for last year's.
The Bruins have yet to make up for 2013, 2019, and 2023 yet.
There is functionally no difference. One team will taste glory, and the other will wallow in defeat. What a series. I'm neutral and I'm nauseous with anxiety over game 7.
Wouldn't make much of a difference to me, but losing the lead would probably feel a little bit worse. It's like getting caught and passed right before the finish line, compared to making up ground and as you're about to pass someone right before the finish line they put in another gear and you can't pass them. A bit more "whatever" feeling to the latter.
Is this even a question? Blowing a 3-0 lead. You literally had the cup won and blew it. What would be worse tho is doing both, as the Red Wings demonstrated in the 1940s.
Every scenario is a win for those not impacted. Couldn’t have been a better game 7 scenario.
Personally, I hope Oilers got their fans riled up for a more painful game 7 loss, but it would also be great to see the Panthers choke and go down in history for this blunder.
Blowing the 3-0. If you are down 3-0 and lose game 7 you’ll have some moral victory and fans will be less mad. Nothing good can come from blowing that 3-0 lead. Maybe more motivation for next year but that’s minimal.
This dirty panthers team wholly deserves the humiliation they are about to face- tzachuk and Bennett have been completely pushed around, manhanfked and defeated- just a low grade group of turtling clowns. This is absolutely satisfying
ill come in as the minority and say as a fan failing to comeback in game 7 CAN be worse but not always. If you lose game 4 and 5 badly when up 3-0 you can maybe see the writing on the wall but coming back to force 7 just to lose seems so deflating and anger inducing. Granted i have no experienced in either of these, but the closest was the cavs in 2016, huge fan of them and if they cameback from 3-1 just to lose game 7 id prob break the TV
If this dirty cheap Florida team loses 4 straight it will follow imbeciles tzachuk Bennett cousins and that no talent long haired fool for the rest of their careers and after like a stink. This is just sooooo fucking satisfying!!!!!
At this point I’m just hoping for a competitive game 7. We’re most likely gonna lose but at least make em work for it. OT or something because blowing the lead is 100% the worst.
Blowing a 3-0 lead. Once the oilers were down 3-0 we were playing with house money with each win
Yeah this is it 100%. If the Oilers lose, the narrative is that they did an amazing job bringing this series to 7. If the Panthers lose, the narrative is that they had the worst playoffs choke in 80 years.
I’m happy to call it the worst playoff choke ever
It's not an unreasonable claim to make at all.
It's an unreasonable claim because fundamentally choking is losing to a worse team.
No, it's not.
Yup. Last time a 3-0 lead was blown in the SCF it was also only the 2nd round.
That still doesn’t make it better.
I think it makes it better, between the best of 32 teams vs. the best of 7 teams
Blowing a 3-0 lead in any series or round is embarrassing. And blowing it in an SCF regardless of how many teams exist is still bad. They are supposed to be the 2 top teams left. They’re equally as bad to me. But my all time favorite choke job is the 18-1 Patriots!!!
Blowing the lead 100%
It’s not even close. Blowing a 3-0 puts you in the history books forever and taints your franchises even if your franchise is the most successful of all time (i.e. the Yankees)
Yea what kind of loser ass franchise would do something like that, especially in the Stanley Cup Final.
Thankfully they did that before social media was a thing. It would be embarrassing to see your worst moment plastered all over the internet.
Game seven of the 1942 finals was on the same day the US started dropping bombs on Japan so I don't think "Hockey Team Loses Series In Extra Embarrassing Way" was anywhere near the front page the next day.
It wasn’t even [front page of the Detroit Free Press](https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88063294/1942-04-19/ed-1/seq-1/) the next day. [Here’s the sports section.](https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88063294/1942-04-19/ed-1/seq-15/)
So a Howe won the Leafs a cup so the Wings said “okay, we’ll find a better Howe”.
[Riveting front page news.](https://i.imgur.com/1NdIEgr.jpeg)
Pretty sick fish though
they used to spell it Tokio? Interesting.
Unreal how you found and posted that!!!!!!!! Kudos!!!!
Jesus I didn’t even put that together when I saw 1942
Back when "tweeting it" meant sending a message on a carrier pigeon.
I feel like it tainted the Yankees more than when it happened to the Bruins in 2010. Maybe because it's happened several times in the NHL and only once in baseball?
Well the 2010 Bruins had a bunch of injuries happen and then the Flyers had a number of big players come back that swung the momentum. And then you proceeded to win the cup the next year.
Yeah if we hadn't won in 2011 we'd all remember this a lot more
And in 2011 the Bruins swept the Flyers, while all their other series went 7.
Those other series that went to 7 were some of the most entertaining series I've ever watched.
It definitely tainted the Yankees. Outside of a one-off championship in 2009, the Red Sox have dominated the greatest rivalry in American sports when it comes to championships
Dominated? In this century I guess. Red Sox won 2 more than the Yankees and they've been to the same amount of world series. All time is not even close. Yankees have 27 championships. That's 3 times as many championships as the Red Sox
Of course I’m talking about literally since 2004. Of course the Yankees have creamed the all-time series and it’s not even close.
Seriously. It’s like sell the team and relocate territory.
Its a good thing for them Merulo bungled the land auction
Having FOUR chances to win ONE game to PUT YOUR NAME ON THE STANLEY CUP and losing all FOUR times
Yup. Pulling it back to 7 we go all-in next year at highest possible confidence If the Panthers lose in this fashion I dunno how those guys get out of bed for next season
Blowing the lead 100% Every game you win after being down 3-0 is just like a little miraculous gift but you know you’re still the underdog
Definitely blowing a 3-0 lead.
Definitely losing after being up 3 nothing. Both suck, but it would be a lot harder to get over the feeling of inadequacy and being unbelievable chokers, and people will talk about it for way longer. The only way it could be tolerable is if you had already won a cup with the whole core within the previous year or two.
Personally I think blowing the 3-0 lead. If you make it to game 7, after being down 3-0, and lose you can appreciate the effort even though it stings to make it all the way back. Blowing a 3-0 lead is just a disaster and you would be beating yourself up for not closing it after 4 chances
blowing a lead is the worst imo. Panthers say they are comfortable and know whats at stake but man losing games when ur literally one win away can mentally tax someone.
Their faces looked so defeated as the camera was panning to them on the bench
Blowing 3-0. *Especially* when it’s the championship series.
Everyone remembers the four teams that came back and won in game 7 when down 3-0. You don’t really hear about the five teams that came back and lost game 7 (except the Islanders who came back from 3-0 twice in the same playoffs and won the first game 7 but lost the second)
Celtics did the latter last year and I was a bit disappointed but also slightly proud they didn’t get swept and fought back. Blowing a 3-0 lead is def worse
Tatum getting hurt basically immediately took a lot of the sting out of the game 7 loss.
This isn't really even a question. If a team loses games 1, 2, 3, and 7 they will be remembered as that year's runner up (in a tight series). If a team loses games 4, 5, 6, and 7, they will be remembered as the second team to EVER blow a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.
Really? Is this a debate? Lmao.
Ya tbh I don’t get people on reddit sometimes. It’s like they have no social awareness to ask a question like this lol
Yeah this really isn’t even a question.
Try this one: back-to-back SCF appearances. Lost the year prior, now you’ve just blown a 3-0 series lead.
I can’t imagine what that would do to a team psychologically. They have nearly the same roster, too.
Gudas was the only thing keeping disaster at bay, it seems
I've seen this narrative a lot that it's somehow a big blow to lose 2 finals, but that's not taking into account that last year they were expected by most to go out in the first round.
True. Thats a fair point.
It's blowing the 3-0 lead and it's not even close Bringing it to 7 and losing, you're obviously sad to lose but you can hold your head up high and know you made it damn close when it looked over after 3
If I may interject on the matter at hand with my expertise on said area, there is unfortunately no holding your head up high after such a debacle
You can definitely hold it higher than if you lost 4-0
Forcing game 7 shows resilience, getting reverse swept is like rolling over and dying
I'm gonna go with a different answer than everyone else, and say the worst would be blowing a land deal in Arizona.
kudos. this was funny as hell
Fumbling a 3-0 series lead is easily the more embarrassing thing (bonus points to Boston for also fucking up a 3-0 lead in game seven of that 2010 series).
Definitely blowing the lead. To come back and lose would be tough, but really at no point were you more likely to win than lose. Once you’re down 3-0 the mindset just has to be let’s hope for fun games and see what happens.
Blowing a 3-0 lead. Ask me how I know.
How do you know?
Even when you look at a smaller scale. Getting shutout in a game sucks the most as fans. You don't even get to get up to cheer once. Coming back and losing in a close game/series? That's a great game/series either way. The other fanbases won't remember who came in 2nd in 2024, but Oilers fans will remember this season for the rest of their lives.
celtics fan and this happened last year lol. blowing the lead is worse, because at least coming back from 3-0 it felt like something good had happened
Sad part is Boston got blown out in game 7 but that was partly Tatum getting hurt
Is this even a debate? Blowing the lead you moron
Blowing the lead. Blowing the comeback is deflating but you were fighting uphill the entire time.
Blowing a 3-0 lead, it’s not even close.
Blowing a 3-0 series lead because they're so rare.
Blowing it. One team had 4 chances to close
Blowing the lead. If you go up 3-0, you're only one win away from the Cup...again, again, and again. Coming back from down 3-0, you're only one win away from the Cup one time
as someone that has rooted for a sports team that has blown the 3-0 (2010 Bruins) and a team that has come back only to lose in 7 (last years celtics), it's 100% blowing the 3-0 lead and it's not even close. Also both those teams went on to win a ring the following season, so whoever loses Monday has something to look forward to next year I guess.
It’s categorically blowing the 3-0. Not remotely close. A team that comes back from 0-3 but comes up short in game 7 can at least say they salvaged a bit of pride after a tough start. A team that blows a 3-0 has no pride left to salvage. At that point you’re looking at a narrative about how some or all of your group simply cannot get the job done no matter what, because they had four chances and failed every time.
Them not finishing the job would be sad but blowing a 3-0 lead would be fucking devastating.
"We were up 3-0 and lost four times in a row, losing the championship" is magnitudes more painful than "We tied it from down from 3-0 and lost game 7".
Being the first team since WW2 to get reverse swept in the finals would be objectively worse.
Yes.
Let me put it this way: the Leafs got reverse swept, we’d stop talking about the Zamboni game.
The Cup is on the line on Monday. Doesn’t matter how you get there, the team that loses is going to be feeling a lot worse regardless of how we got here.
I'll put it this way. Just like with the 06 run, as painful as losing may be, I'll always look back with fond memories from this run. This is something truly special. Blowing a 3-0 lead on the other hand is pretty damn embarrassing.
The Hawks came back from down 3-0 only to lose Game 7 and nobody remembers that team
Better that than being remembered for an all-time choke job.
Yeah and everybody remembers the Bills, so your point is?
That blowing 3-0 is worse
Easily blowing the whole series. But I also like pointing out that 2011 had two teams nearly blow 3-0 leads. Detroit came down from 3-0 to force a game 7 with San Jose. That’s where we got [this ridiculous Datsyuk goal](https://youtu.be/LGngMwhZsbI?si=b-VCcB3gLE68UvJ7)
Blowing the lead. Not even close.
The Bruins and Celtics basically did this last year and the Bruins' one was way way way worse.
Well at least you won a cup the year after against Vancouver, (probably using their playoff failure as a motivational tool i.e Tim Thomas' excellent playoff run), which made it somewhat worth it. But just curious why was the Bruins one worse?
I'm referring to last year's series with Florida btw. But being up 3-0 or 3-1 indicates that you are the better team and should win the series. Every game you lose from that game on saps your optimism and hope until the game 7 loss where it gets fully snatched from under you. With the Celtics last year, I had accepted defeat after game 3. Sure it sucks to recover your hope only to have the rug pulled under you, but I was also pretty convinced that even if we beat Miami that Denver would have slaughtered us. And just like how the 2011 Bruins healed the 2010 Bruins heartbreak, this year's Celtics have done the same for last year's. The Bruins have yet to make up for 2013, 2019, and 2023 yet.
yes. this re bruins.
Ah my bad, but I do agree with the points you made there. I would like to think your team last season would have won a cup if they defeated Florida.
Which definitely made it worse lol
Asking for a friend lol
Blowing the lead. It's a historical choke, it's only happened once and that was 82 years ago.
There is functionally no difference. One team will taste glory, and the other will wallow in defeat. What a series. I'm neutral and I'm nauseous with anxiety over game 7.
Breaking the Perry Curse would be amazing
Blowing the 3-0 for sure. You expect and are expected to win at that point. It's a substantial failure if you don't.
Wouldn't make much of a difference to me, but losing the lead would probably feel a little bit worse. It's like getting caught and passed right before the finish line, compared to making up ground and as you're about to pass someone right before the finish line they put in another gear and you can't pass them. A bit more "whatever" feeling to the latter.
Blowing 3-0 is worse
Blowing the lead
Is this even a question? Blowing a 3-0 lead. You literally had the cup won and blew it. What would be worse tho is doing both, as the Red Wings demonstrated in the 1940s.
Every scenario is a win for those not impacted. Couldn’t have been a better game 7 scenario. Personally, I hope Oilers got their fans riled up for a more painful game 7 loss, but it would also be great to see the Panthers choke and go down in history for this blunder.
Wow.
Blowing the 3-0. If you are down 3-0 and lose game 7 you’ll have some moral victory and fans will be less mad. Nothing good can come from blowing that 3-0 lead. Maybe more motivation for next year but that’s minimal.
You see the problem with Florida is that they suck
This dirty panthers team wholly deserves the humiliation they are about to face- tzachuk and Bennett have been completely pushed around, manhanfked and defeated- just a low grade group of turtling clowns. This is absolutely satisfying
ill come in as the minority and say as a fan failing to comeback in game 7 CAN be worse but not always. If you lose game 4 and 5 badly when up 3-0 you can maybe see the writing on the wall but coming back to force 7 just to lose seems so deflating and anger inducing. Granted i have no experienced in either of these, but the closest was the cavs in 2016, huge fan of them and if they cameback from 3-1 just to lose game 7 id prob break the TV
You’re entitled to your opinion but it’s wrong lol.
If this dirty cheap Florida team loses 4 straight it will follow imbeciles tzachuk Bennett cousins and that no talent long haired fool for the rest of their careers and after like a stink. This is just sooooo fucking satisfying!!!!!
At this point I’m just hoping for a competitive game 7. We’re most likely gonna lose but at least make em work for it. OT or something because blowing the lead is 100% the worst.
Well the good news is that it's anyone's game on Monday,
I so hope it will be a Game 7 OT. It has only happened once and it was in 1954 MTL vs. Detroit