Will the Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cups or will the Oilers add to their 5 wins?
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The stage is all set for the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, with the last two teams left standing as they vie for the coveted trophy every NHL player dreams of. A grueling season is about to come to an end as fans get ready to witness a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals between the defending Champions, Florida Panthers, and runners-up, Edmonton Oilers.
Both teams have reached the 2024-25 NHL Stanley Cup Finals after impressive performances in the previous rounds. The Oilers have dropped just four games en route to the Finals, cruising past the Los Angeles Kings in the Conference Quarterfinals (4-1), the Vegas Golden Knights in the Conference Semifinals (4-2), and the Dallas Stars in the Conference Finals (4-1).
On the other hand, the Panthers broke no sweat in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning the series 4-1. But, the Toronto Maple Leafs took them to seven games before Florida could get past the stiff challenge 4-3. The third round once again posed no real threat, and the Panthers overcame the Carolina Hurricanes in just 5 games (4-1).
Edmonton and Florida will look to battle it out once again, and we should be in for an exhilarating series. If last year is anything to go by, fans are in for yet another 7-game thriller. Having said that, as we await the winners of this year’s Stanley Cup Finals, let us take a look at the past Champions of the NHL.
Stanley Cup Winners Over the Years
The Stanley Cup era in the NHL came into existence in 1915. Since then, a total of 27 teams have won the trophy, of which 22 franchises are still active, and 5 are now defunct. Prior to the Stanley Cup era was the Challenge Cup era from 1893 to 1914.
From 1915 to 1926, it was the NHA/NHL vs. the PCHA/WCHL/WHL Champions period. It was only after the 1925-26 season that the NHL solely assumed control of the Stanley Cup competition.
The table below reflects all the Stanley Cup winners from 1926 to 2024.
YearWinners1927Ottawa Senators 1928New York Rangers 1929Boston Bruins 1930Montreal Canadiens 1931Montreal Canadiens 1932Toronto Maple Leafs 1933New York Rangers 1934Chicago Black Hawks 1935Montreal Maroons 1936Detroit Red Wings 1937Detroit Red Wings 1938Chicago Black Hawks 1939Boston Bruins 1940New York Rangers 1941Boston Bruins 1942Toronto Maple Leafs 1943Detroit Red Wings 1944Montreal Canadiens 1945Toronto Maple Leafs 1946Montreal Canadiens 1947Toronto Maple Leafs 1948Toronto Maple Leafs 1949Toronto Maple Leafs 1950Detroit Red Wings 1951Toronto Maple Leafs 1952Detroit Red Wings 1953Montreal Canadiens 1954Detroit Red Wings 1955Detroit Red Wings 1956Montreal Canadiens 1957Montreal Canadiens 1958Montreal Canadiens 1959Montreal Canadiens 1960Montreal Canadiens 1961Chicago Black Hawks 1962Toronto Maple Leafs 1963Toronto Maple Leafs 1964Toronto Maple Leafs 1965Montreal Canadiens 1966Montreal Canadiens 1967Toronto Maple Leafs 1968Montreal Canadiens 1969Montreal Canadiens 1970Boston Bruins 1971Montreal Canadiens 1972Boston Bruins 1973Montreal Canadiens 1974Philadelphia Flyers 1975Philadelphia Flyers 1976Montreal Canadiens 1977Montreal Canadiens 1978Montreal Canadiens 1979Montreal Canadiens1980New York Islanders 1981New York Islanders 1982New York Islanders 1983New York Islanders 1984Edmonton Oilers1985Edmonton Oilers 1986Montreal Canadiens 1987Edmonton Oilers 1988Edmonton Oilers1989Calgary Flames1990Edmonton Oilers 1991Pittsburgh Penguins 1992Pittsburgh Penguins 1993Montreal Canadiens 1994New York Rangers 1995New Jersey Devils 1996Colorado Avalanche1997Detroit Red Wings 1998Detroit Red Wings 1999Dallas Stars 2000New Jersey Devils 2001Colorado Avalanche 2002Detroit Red Wings 2003New Jersey Devils 2004Tampa Bay Lightning 20052004–05 NHL Season Lockout2006Carolina Hurricanes 2007Anaheim Ducks 2008Detroit Red Wings 2009Pittsburgh Penguins 2010Chicago Blackhawks 2011Boston Bruins 2012Los Angeles Kings 2013Chicago Blackhawks 2014Los Angeles Kings 2015Chicago Blackhawks 2016Pittsburgh Penguins 2017Pittsburgh Penguins 2018Washington Capitals 2019St. Louis Blues 2020Tampa Bay Lightning 2021Tampa Bay Lightning 2022Colorado Avalanche 2023Vegas Golden Knights 2024Florida Panthers Which Team Has the Most Stanley Cup Wins in the NHL?
To date, the Montreal Canadiens have won a total of 24 Stanley Cups, which is by far the most any team has won. As a matter of fact, the next best are the Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 and the Detroit Red Wings with 11.
The Canadiens also hold the record for the most appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals with a total of 35. During the mid-1950s, the Canadiens were on a roll, winning the Finals 5 times consecutively from 1956 to 1960. They had another run of 4-straight from 1976 to 1979.
Montreal’s dominance of the NHL from 1951 to 1979 was one of the longest periods of supremacy in sports, as they made 21 appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals during that period, and ended up lifting the Cup a whopping 16 times. However, the Canadiens’ last win came all the way back in 1993, and since then, they have reached the Finals only once in 2021.
List of teams to have won the Stanley Cup at least once.
TeamStanley Cup Wins Montreal Canadiens24Toronto Maple Leafs13Detroit Red Wings11Boston Bruins6Chicago Blackhawks6Edmonton Oilers5Pittsburgh Penguins5New York Rangers4New York Islanders4Colorado Avalanche3New Jersey Devils3Tampa Bay Lightning3Los Angeles Kings2Philadelphia Flyers2Dallas Stars1Florida Panthers1St. Louis Blues1Calgary Flames1Carolina Hurricanes1Anaheim Ducks1Washington Capitals1Vegas Golden Knights1Which Teams Have Never Won the Stanley Cup?
Of the 32 active teams in the NHL, 10 teams have never won the Stanley Cup, of which 5 teams have never made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
TeamNHL Playoff AppearancesStanley Cup Finals AppearancesBuffalo Sabres292Vancouver Canucks293San Jose Sharks211Ottawa Senators171Nashville Predators161Minnesota Wild140Winnipeg Jets90Columbus Blue Jackets60Seattle Kraken10Utah Mammoth00