Stanley Cup playoffs: NHL veterans searching for elusive rings
Leaders in games played without lifting the Cup get their chance in 2016
It's a long road to the top. For a few NHL players, that's not a cliché, it's the truth.
The following 10 players have combined for more than 10,000 NHL games played – and a total of zero Stanley Cup rings.
Below, we rank these players hoping to end their personal Stanley Cup droughts by games played, look at how close they've come to hockey's Holy Grail, and give their teams' odds (provided by Bodog) of going all the way this year.
10. Roberto Luongo (Florida)
Career regular-season games: 926
Career playoff games: 64
How close to the Cup: With Vancouver, lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final in 2011.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 20/1
9. Jason Chimera (Washington)
Career regular-season games: 950
Career playoff games: 57
How close to the Cup: With the Capitals, lost Game 7 of East semis in 2012 and 2015.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 4.25/1
8. Jay Bouwmeester (St. Louis)
Career regular-season games: 990
Career playoff games: 18
How close to the Cup: With the Blues, eliminated in quarter-finals in six games in last three seasons.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 9/1
7. Shawn Horcoff (Anaheim)
Career regular-season games: 1,007
Career playoff games: 41
How close to the Cup: With Edmonton, lost Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup final.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 8/1
6. Mike Fisher (Nashville)
Career regular-season games: 1,016
Career playoff games: 100
How close to the Cup: With Ottawa, lost 2007 Stanley Cup final in five games.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 28/1
5. Mike Ribeiro (Nashville)
Career regular-season games: 1,028
Career playoff games: 55
How close to the Cup: With Dallas, lost 2008 Western Conference final in six games.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 28/1
4. Nick Schultz (Flyers)
Career regular-season games: 1,041
Career playoff games: 26
How close to the Cup: With Minnesota, swept in the Western Conference Final in 2003.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 28/1
The top three active leaders in NHL games played without winning a Cup are all on one team, notoriously snake-bitten when it comes to post-season success.
3. Dainius Zubrus (San Jose)
Career regular-season games: 1,293
Career playoff games: 92
How close to the Cup: With New Jersey, lost 2012 Stanley Cup final in five games.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 16/1
2. Joe Thornton (San Jose)
Career regular-season games: 1,367
Career playoff games: 132
How close to the Cup: With the Sharks, lost Western Conference finals in 2010, 2011.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 16/1.
1. Patrick Marleau (San Jose)
Career regular-season games: 1,411
Career playoff games: 147
How close to the Cup: With the Sharks, lost Western Conference finals in 2004, 2010, 2011.
Team's odds of winning Cup: 16/1
Missed their shot in 2016
Then we have those players who would have made the top 10, but their Stanley Cup dreams were put hold for at least another season because their teams missed the playoffs.
The Canucks' Henrik (1,166 games) and Daniel Sedin (1,143 games) were a Game 7 win away in 2011, and Scott Hartnell (1,109 games) of the Blue Jackets lost a Stanley Cup final series in six games with the Flyers the year before.
Canadian veterans Shane Doan (1,466 games) and Jarome Iginla (1,474) would be at the top of this list, but both saw their respective teams miss this year's playoffs.