All 5 New York/New Jersey NBA/NHL Teams Qualified For The Playoffs

All five New York/New Jersey NBA or NHL teams qualified for the playoffs and will be involved in 4 different, largely simultaneous preliminary series.

In the NBA, in series commencing today, the 76ers of Philly are huge favorites vs the Brooklyn Nets while in another, perceived much more competitive series, the Cleveland Cavaliers are roughly 8 plus to 5/person to person favorites vs the New York Knicks.

Meanwhile in the NHL, starting two days hence on Monday night April 17th, the Carolina Hurricanes are roughly 2 to 1 series favorites vs the New York Islanders.

On Tuesday in a series considered virtually even, the New Jersey Devils have home advantage (do they? as at the Rangers the crowd is for the Rangers while at New Jersey, it has been half and half and not the kind one puts in coffee) vs the New York Rangers.

This is just the second time in 48 possibilities (that counts the Devils’ previous incarnation as the Kansas City Scouts in ’75 and the Colorado Rockies ’76-’83) that all 5 of these franchises have qualified for the playoffs in the same year. It happened in 1994 and after the Rangers “prelim’d” the Isles and 7’d the Devils in 2 overtimes in the semis, they ended a 54 year/53 seasons title drought by 7’ing the Vancouver Canucks.

Also in ’94, after “prelim’ing” the Nets and winning respective quarters and semis in 7 vs first the Bulls and then the Pacers, the Knicks lost games 6 and 7 at Houston vs the Rockets in the NBA final.

That is the closest any city or area came to winning both the NBA and NHL crowns in the same year/season.

Stephane Matteau, (his son, currently, I believe playing for a team in Germany  is Stefan and started his NHL career with the Devils),  scored not only the above referenced Rangers’ 7 game,2 overtime  “semis” series winning goal vs the Devils in ’94, but also a game 3, second overtime “gamer.”