The NHL Teams With The Most Stanley Cup Wins All Time
By Jim Lynch
The Vegas Golden Knights made history this season winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Vegas has only been in the league for six seasons, some teams have more than six Stanley Cup banners in their rafters. Today, let’s go over how many Stanley Cups every NHL team has won thus far.
The NHL Teams With The Most Stanley Cup Wins All Time
Looking for their first championship:
Currently 11 teams are still out looking for their first Stanley Cup. The Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets are all looking for their first cup.
Of these teams, the Panthers most recently made it to the Stanley Cup Final, they lost to the Golden Knights this past season. Before that the Nashville Predators were in the Final in 2017. In fact, five of these 11 teams have not even been to the Stanley Cup Final before, Columbus, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Arizona and Seattle all have not been to the Final round of the postseason.
One Stanley Cup
Winning that first Stanley Cup has to be the hardest, and for fans there is nothing like seeing your team hoist the Cup for the first time and raise a banner. Since 2018, three teams have won their first Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues all winning the Stanley Cup. Other first time winners include the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars. One interesting element has to be that all but the Flames and Stars championships have come in salary cap era.
Two Stanley Cups
Only two teams have won the Stanley Cup just twice. The Los Angeles Kings won two cups in three seasons in 2012 and 2014, while the Flyers won back to back Cups in 1974 and 1975.
Three Stanley Cups
The Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche have all won the Stanley Cup three teams. It will be interesting to see which of these teams will be first to get to four Cups, as all three teams are really good.
Four Stanley Cups
The New York teams both sit at four. The New York Rangers last won the Stanley Cup in 1994, before that their most recent championship was in 1940. The Islanders on the other hand last won in 1983, they won four straight championships from 1980-1983. The Islanders 19 consecutive playoff series wins is still one of the most impressive feats in all of sports history.
Five Stanley Cups
Only two teams have won five Stanley Cups. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers both won five championships thus far. The Penguins won three with Sidney Crosby and two with Mario Lemieux. Their championships consist of two sets of back to back Cups in 1991 and 1992 as well as 2016 and 2017. The team also won the Cup in 2009, their second season reaching the Stanley Cup Final in a row. On the flip side the Edmonton Oilers have won five Stanley Cups all spanning from 1984 to 1990.
Six Stanley Cups
Now we enter a spot where only original six teams are. From six Stanley Cups on, five original six teams have been more successful than any other team in the league. The Blackhawks and Bruins each have won Six Stanley Cups. Chicago last won in 2015, whereas Boston won in 2011.
11 Stanley Cups
The Detroit Red Wings sit alone with 11 Stanley Cup victories. Their last time hoisting the Stanley Cup came in 2008.
13 Stanley Cups
The Toronto Maple Leafs are next up with 13 Stanley Cups. However, they have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967, and they have not been to the Stanley Cup Final since then. Their championship drought is the longest active championship drought in the NHL currently at 55 seasons, the next best would be the Sabres and Canucks both on 52 seasons. What stings even more for the Maple Leafs is the fact that they have not won a Stanley Cup since the end of the Original Six era.
24 Stanley Cups
The Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups. Their last championship came in 1993. While the Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, they do have the 11th longest active Stanley Cup drought. They have not won a championship in 29 seasons.
It will be interesting to see which team moves up the rankings next season in 2024.