Blue Jackets approach top win streaks in sports history
Columbus will try to tie Pittsburgh's NHL record of 17 straight victories on Thursday
Last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets were a lottery team, toiling near the bottom of the NHL standings.
So when this season rolled around, hope was almost non-existent. They were considered one of the worst teams in the league, ready to contend for the first-overall selection in the entry draft.
Well, we've come a long way since then, as the Blue Jackets have reeled off 16 straight wins — one away from tying the NHL record — and are the top team in the league. Take that, experts.
With Columbus on the cusp of making history as it prepares to face Washington on Thursday, here's a look at how the Jackets' run stacks up with best win streaks in professional sports.
NHL: 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins — 17 straight wins
A turbulent, grief-stricken season turned into something magical in 1993 for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mario Lemieux, who missed 24 games after being diagnosed with cancer, returned to the lineup in early March and led Pittsburgh on the greatest run in NHL history.
The Penguins would win 17 straight games, Lemieux would register 60 points during the streak and the team would solidify the President's Trophy.
The streak ended with a 6-6 tie against the New Jersey Devils in the final game of the regular season.
The team failed to win its third consecutive Stanley Cup, ousted by the New York Islanders in the second round of the playoffs, but the only other team to come close to breaking the record — besides Columbus — was the 2013 version of the Pens, who won 15 straight.
In the game that broke the record, Pittsburgh's 16th win, the Penguins defeated the New York Rangers 10-4, highlighted by Lemieux scoring five goals.
NFL: 2003-04 New England Patriots — 21 straight wins
The longest winning streak in NFL history stretches across two seasons and features arguably the greatest coach-quarterback duo ever in Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
The 2003 New England Patriots finished the regular season on a 12-game win streak before reeling off three straight in the playoffs, beating the Carolina Panthers 32-29 for their second Super Bowl title in three seasons.
Brady and company opened up the 2004 season winning six straight to push the total to 21 victories in a row. It took a rookie Ben Roethlisberger to take down Goliath, with the Pittsburgh Steelers ending the streak in Week 8 with a 34-20 victory.
The Patriots would have their revenge, taking out Big Ben and the Steelers in the AFC Championship game later that season, en route to their third Super Bowl in four seasons.
MLB: 1916 New York Giants — 26 straight wins
The longest winning streak in MLB history happened more than a century ago in 1916, when the Giants played in New York and not San Francisco.
That version of the Giants won 26 straight games, but didn't have the type of dominant season others on this list had. They finished the year 86-66, which was only the fourth-best record in the National League.
They also tied once during the streak, which wasn't counted towards official statistics.
The 1935 Chicago Cubs hold the record for consecutive wins without a tie at 21, while the "Moneyball" Oakland Athletics of 2002 won 20 straight for the American League record.
NBA: 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers — 33 straight wins
Led by five future Hall of Famers, the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers won 33 straight games, the longest streak in the NBA and in North American professional sports.
Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Pat Riley and Jerry West powered the Lakers to a 69-13 season that ended with them putting championship rings on their fingers.
What's even more impressive about the streak is that on four separate occasions, they had to play three games in three nights, something unheard of in today's sport.
The 2012-13 LeBron-led Miami Heat came close, winning 27 straight, and so did the recent Golden State Warriors, who won 28 straight over the course of two seasons.
But in the era of back-to-back-to-backs, the Lakers trump all.