Which NHL team had a 54-year Stanley Cup drought?

The New York Rangers had the 54-year Stanley Cup drought, ending it by winning the 1994 championship.

New York won the Stanley Cup in 1940, then went without another title until defeating the Vancouver Canucks in the 1994 Final. The commonly cited 54-year span runs from 1940 to 1994, although season-by-season calculations sometimes describe it as 53 intervening seasons.

The drought became associated with the so-called Curse of 1940, a popular legend that grew around the team’s long championship absence. During the wait, the Rangers did reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1950, 1972, and 1979, but lost each series.

The 1994 team was led by captain Mark Messier, defenseman Brian Leetch, goaltender Mike Richter, and coach Mike Keenan. New York defeated Vancouver in seven games, with the deciding Game 7 played at Madison Square Garden. Brian Leetch won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.