The Curse of Corey Perry.

The National Hockey League is one of the most competitive sports leagues anywhere on the globe and never is that more true than during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Considered to be one of the most grueling tournaments in all of sports, many great players never manage to win a championship and simply reaching the Stanley Cup Final can be considered an impressive feat.

That's why it has been so impressive to see veteran forward Corey Perry make 3 consecutive Stanley Cup Finals and what makes it all the more impressive is that Perry has done it with 3 different teams.

Perry began his run of 3 consecutive Cup Finals as a member of the Dallas Stars inside of the NHL's tightly sealed playoff bubble at the height of the pandemic. Perry played well for the Stars, especially considering he had cost the Stars just $1.5 million on a 1 year deal, and even had a big moment in the Stanley Cup Final when he won Game 5 for the Stars in overtime.

Unfortunately Perry and the Stars would eventually lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning, with the Lightning taking the series 4 - 2.

Getting a contract the following season proved to be more difficult for Perry who would eventually sign a league minimum contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Unexpectedly, Perry would once again make a run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals with what was an underdog Canadiens team the entire way through.

Perry would once again play well in the playoffs, even scoring during the Final, but once again he tasted defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, this time with the Lightning taking the series 4 - 1.

The old saying goes if you can't beat them, join them, and that was exactly what Perry would do the following season. Now as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning Perry finds himself in his third consecutive Stanley Cup Final and despite his stellar play across all 3 of those playoff runs he once again finds himself starring at the possibility of defeat.

The Colorado Avalanche have taken as commanding of a 2 - 0 lead in a series as you're ever going to see after a 7 - 0 blowout of the Lightning in Game 2, and you have to start to wonder... is Corey Perry cursed?

While things may look bleak for the 37 year old veteran, we have seen a similar situation like this in the past and the good news for Perry is that story had a happy ending. I am of course referring to a run by former NHL forward Marion Hossa, one that also saw him compete in 3 consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.

In his first stab at the cup Hossa made the Finals as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins where he would eventually lose to the Detroit Red Wings, with the Wings eventually winning the series 4 - 2. Rather than wait to lose to the Red Wings a second time, like Perry did with the Lightning, Hossa immediately switched sides the following season only to once again lose in the Final. This time as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, Hossa would be defeated by his former Penguins teammates with the Penguins winning the series 4 - 3.

It wouldn't be until the following season that the curse would be lifted for Hossa, with the talented forward finally capturing the Stanley Cup as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks would eventually win the series over the Philadelphia Flyers 4 - 2.

Perry can still mirror what Hossa managed to do and lift the curse in his third consecutive Cup Final, but it will be an uphill battle for the Lightning if they hope to help him achieve that goal.