Definition of a winning streak....
In sports, a winning streak refers to a consecutive number of games won. A winning streak can be held by a team, as in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or by an individual, as in tennis. A winning streak that extends through a single season is known as a perfect season.
The longest winning streak in any professional sports may have been Jahangir Khan's 555 consecutive wins in squash from 1981 to 1986, but perhaps the most famous winning streak is by Roger Federer in professional tennis.
- In 2001, Federer ended Pete Sampras's 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon in the fourth round of the tournament.
- Federer won his 11th consecutive Grand Slam singles match in straight sets when he defeated Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round of the 2007 French Open. This tied John McEnroe's open era male record for the most consecutive straight-set victories in Grand Slam singles tournaments.
- Federer's two winning streaks of 27 consecutive Grand Slam match wins (2005-06, 2006-07) are two wins shy of the open era male record set by Rod Laver from 1969-70.
- Federer's 40 consecutive match wins at Wimbledon (2003-08) was one win shy of the all-time male record set by Björn Borg from 1976-81.
- Federer's 40 consecutive match wins at the US Open (2004-09) is an open era male record.
- Federer is the only player to win 40 consecutive matches at two different Grand Slams (2003-08 Wimbledon and 2004-09 US Open). He is also the only player to win 19 consecutive matches at three different Grand Slams (2006-08 Australian Open).
The NHL's (National Hockey League) longest winning streak belongs to the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins who won 17 straight games, however in the IHL (International Hockey League) the 1990 Peoria Rivermen, a farm club of the St. Louis Blues, finished their championship season with a 58-19-5 record and easily won the IHL title with 121 points. In all, the team set 41 world, professional, league and franchise records while playing before 300,000 fans, making the Rivermen the most watched local team in Peoria sports history but also set a world professional hockey record with an 18 game winning streak between Oct. 6, 1990 and Nov. 22, 1990.
