Thursday was a dark day in Boston sports, with Celtics and Bruins both losing

BOSTON -- If we can be perfectly frank with one another here, then we can say this: It has been a minute since a Boston sports team has won a championship. 

The last one came in February 2019, courtesy of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Stephon Gilmore and the New England Patriots. (And courtesy of Jared Goff and a young Sean McVay. Again, we're being frank here, people.) For most cities, a "drought" of almost four years is quite literally nothing. It's not a drought at all. But just like dogs age differently than humans, years pass differently for Boston sports. Or at least, they used to.

Now, in this post-championship-every-two-years-minimum era, the triumphs are a bit more muted. And the latest accomplishment from the local teams came to a dramatic end on Thursday night.

With the Bruins unable to pull off a late comeback down in Tampa, and with the Celtics falling in overtime at home to the Knicks, both of Boston's winter sports teams lost on Thursday.

Such an instance would have been hardly remarkable for the past 75 years, as the winter sports seasons are long, and teams ... tend to lose games from time to time. But this time, it was noteworthy, as it marked the first time both the Bruins and Celtics had lost on the same night in more than a calendar year. It was Jan. 6, 2022 the last time that happened.

It was a stretch of 36 straight nights of the Bruins and Celtics playing on the same night without both teams losing.

Obviously, that streak has been powered by both teams being the best in their respective leagues this season. The Celtics' OT loss -- featuring a couple of clanked free throws from Jaylen Brown in overtime that could have given Boston a late lead -- dropped them to 35-15 on the season. They still own the NBA's best record.

And the Bruins, well, they just haven't wasted much time losing hockey games this season. After falling 3-2 in Tampa, the Bruins now sit at a preposterous 38-6-4 on the season. 

Big picture ... the Bruins and Celtics will probably be all right through the regular season. And maybe one or both of them they'll end up breaking that long, cold championship-less stretch for Boston come June. But for now, both the Bruins and Celtics are licking their wounds from a tough Thursday night. If you know or care for any Boston sports fans in your life, it's best to keep them all in your thoughts on Friday and beyond. This may sting for a while ... or at least until the teams get back into action on Saturday.