They earned the # 3 seed in the Western Conference for the Stanley Cup playoffs ( extending their professional sports record of post-season appearances to 20 seasons ), finishing behind the Vancouver Canucks ( 117 ) and San Jose Sharks ( 105 ).

Gilbert Brulé had returned to the team midway through the season after starting 2005-06 with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets and earned the airBC Trophy as the playoff MVP after scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 18 post-season games, including 5 goals and 12 points in the finals.

However, he earned the decision, and became the first Ranger pitcher to win a post-season home game in franchise history.

Crum's prolific post-season play and calm demeanor earned him the monikers " Mr. March " and his most well-known nickname, " Cool Hand Luke.

The Men's Basketball team earned post-season berths in the NCAA tournament or NIT four straight seasons between 2002 and 2005 and also in 2011.

Wedge again earned post-season honors when he was named the International League Manager of the Year and Baseball America's Triple A Manager of the Year.

The following season he earned his first post-season honour, when he was named a Second Team NHL All-Star.

The Aztecs earned their first ever Division 1 post-season win.

In 1933 – 34, Johnson earned his fourth consecutive post-season all-star nod, on the second team.

In the post-season that year, he struggled in two appearances during the ALDS, pitching three innings and allowing two earned runs with a 6. 00 ERA.

These are games where teams have already earned a post-season bid and have secured their playoff seeding before the end of the regular season, and want to rest / protect their starters by benching them for those remaining regular season games.

On October 28 Cain capped an impressive post-season performance as he pitched scoreless innings in Game 2 of the World Series to become the fifth pitcher to pitch at least 20 innings in the postseason without allowing an earned run.

Yastrzemski signed with the Red Sox organization, which sent him to the minor-league Raleigh Capitals in, where he led the league with a. 377 batting average, They then moved him to the Minneapolis Millers for the post-season and the season.

Gilmour's dynamic two-way play lead him to becoming one of the only players in history to lead in post-season scoring without making it to the Stanley Cup Finals ; Peter Forsberg would also achieve that feat in 1999 with the Colorado Avalanche.

Though Schmidt had just a career. 191 post-season batting average with no home runs and five RBIs, his bat came alive in the World Series, hitting two homers and driving in seven runs against the Kansas City Royals to earn him the World Series MVP Award.

This win made him the first goaltender to win a post-season game as a member of five different teams: St. Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit and Calgary.

" Also during the 1992 post-season ( when McCarver worked for CBS ), Norman Chad criticized McCarver in Sports Illustrated by saying that he's someone who " when you ask him the time, will tell you how a watch works ," a reference to McCarver's habit of over-analyzing.

On April 17, 2010, Okur ruptured his Achilles ' tendon during the first game of the post-season against the Denver Nuggets, eliminating him from the remainder of the NBA playoffs, as well as the World Basketball Championships in his native Turkey later that summer.

His low point of the season came when Walter went down in the fourth quarter during the regular season finale against Arizona and suffered a third degree shoulder separation, forcing him to miss the Sun Devils ' post-season Sun Bowl game ( a 27-23 victory over Purdue ).

Wedge was honored with his third post-season award when The Sporting News named him Minor League Manager of the Year.

With his best years behind him, Money finally made the post-season with the Milwaukee Brewers, losing in his only World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.

He did not make the Dodgers ' post-season roster, and following their loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1983 National League Championship Series, the Dodgers traded him and infielder Ross Jones to the New York Mets for Carlos Diaz and Bob Bailor.

The home run tied him with Bernie Williams for first place all-time in post-season home runs.

He went on to record 17 points in 13 post-season games that year to earn the Jari Kurri trophy as playoff MVP and win his second Kanada-malja trophy in three years with TPS.

Completing the post-season with 13 goals, he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year as the playoff MVP.

The Orioles got another post-season gem from ALCS MVP Mike Boddicker and his " foshball " in Game 2.

Worthy had a strong rookie campaign, but he broke his leg at the end of the season and could only watch helplessly as the Lakers, also hobbled by injuires in the post-season to Bob McAdoo and Norm Nixon, were swept by the powerful 76ers, led by regular season and Finals MVP Moses Malone, in the 1983 NBA Finals.

Nowitzki took home the NBA Finals MVP honors, after averaging 26 points a game during the series, shedding the Mavericks label as " soft ", and putting an end to the Mavericks post-season futility.

MSC has also had many student athletes selected for post-season honors and All-Americans.

Matched with his Pro Bowls, Eller had a nine-year consecutive streak with some sort of post-season honor which began in 1967 with his Second-team All-pro selection and ended in 1975 with his All-NFC honors.

Allen received 1967 Coach of the Year honors for leading the Rams to an 11-1-2 record and the NFL Coastal Division title, their first post-season berth since 1955.

In 1983 he was first-team All-NFC, the first of seven seasons in which he'd receive post-season honors in the NFL, including being selected six times for the Pro Bowl ( in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, and 1993 ).

This marks the first time in seven seasons that any Illusion players were selected for league, post-season honors.

McNown set numerous school records in passing and offense, became the Pac-10's all-time career leader in total offense, and won a collection of post-season honors, including Pac-10 co-Offensive Player of the Year, the Pop Warner Memorial Trophy for best senior player on the West Coast, consensus first-team All-American honors, and the Johnny Unitas Award as the top senior quarterback in college football.

2003 was a disappointing one for Boulder ; as reigning conference champions they were expected to challenge again for post-season honors, but their 2-0 opening day defeat to Kansas City Brass set the tone for the rest of the campaign.

Autumn baseball oftentimes signifies excitement in the air for fans who root for teams on the cusp of making the post-season, as well as those that made it.

The Indians finished with a 96 – 66 record tied with the Red Sox for best in baseball, their seventh Central Division title in 13 years and their first post-season trip since 2001.

The Cowboys defeated the Eagles for the first Cowboys ' post-season win since the 1996 season, ending a streak of six consecutive NFL post-season losses.

The Lions have not had much success during the Super Bowl era: the Lions are one of four current NFL teams that have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl, and the team is 1-10 in post-season play during that period.

In 1995, now as Indianapolis, the two both posted borderline 9 – 7 records to tie for second against Buffalo, yet the Colts once again reached the post-season having swept the season series.

They would not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season game for another 13 years.

In the 2010 post-season it was reported that Crowe's influence was critical in persuading Greg Inglis, one of the world's best players, to renege on his deal to join the Brisbane Broncos and sign for the Rabbitohs for 2011.

While regular season and post-season games in the NFL are all broadcast by national television contracts on CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network, the television broadcasts are for the most part handled by the individual teams.

In 1969, the American League expanded when the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots, were admitted to the league prompting the expansion of the post-season for the first time since the creation of the World Series.

The division winners in each half qualified for the post-season, though if a team were to win both halves, the team with the best overall record, regardless of division, qualified as a wild card.

Lynam finished the season 16 – 23, and overall Philadelphia finished 36 – 46, failing to reach the post-season for the first time since 1974 – 75.

In 24 seasons of play, the Hornets have compiled an overall record of 934 – 986, and have qualified for the post-season twelve times.

They would not return to the post-season for four years, despite the emergence of young centremen Doug Weight and Jason Arnott.

Following their post-season loss to the Islanders in 1976, Vancouver did not have another winning season for sixteen years, though they made the playoffs nine times in that span.

After qualifying for the post-season in 2001 and 2002 as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference ( losing to the eventual Stanley Cup winners Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings, respectively ), the Canucks became regular contenders for the Northwest Division title.

The Blue Jays won the pennant, giving Winfield a chance at redemption for his previous post-season futility.

He is tied only with Kenny Lofton for appearing in the post-season with six different teams.

On August 31, 2006, with the Red Sox post-season chances fading, Wells ' wish of finishing his career playing for a West Coast team and a playoff contender was granted when he was traded back to the Padres for top catching prospect George Kottaras.