Which NHL Team Has the Most Stanley Cups?
By
Amelia Walker
Senior Content Writer Updated: 10 July 2023
Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer
Amelia Walker is a Senior Content Writer at Betting.US. She has a law degree and deep knowledge of the gambling laws in the United States. Her mission is to keep players informed about responsible gambling, while her passion for sports helps her create useful guides. Amelia has over a decade of experience in betting, which has positioned her as a trusted voice among our readers.
Hockey Team with the Most Stanley Cups
- Most Stanley Cups by Team
- A Look at Which Teams Have Won the Most NHL Championships
- The History of the Stanley Cup
- Impressive Winning Streaks
- Intense Cup Rivalries
- Unforgettable Stanley Cup Moments
- Stanley Cup Records
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize in the National Hockey League. In the finals, the winners of the Eastern and Western conferences compete against one another to try and win the oldest sports trophy in North America. However, which hockey team has won the most Stanley Cups? What stories has this famous final created? Today, we’re going to show you all of that, and much more.
Who’s Won Most Stanley Cups by Team? An Introduction
Answering the question of who’s won the most Stanley Cups by team is easy: the Montreal Canadiens have won 24 titles. This is no small achievement, and it shows how capable the team has been, and continues to be, since the competition began. We’ll take a more in-depth look at other teams with the most NHL championships later in this blog.
Which Teams Have Won The Most NHL Championships?
If you’re looking for the team with the most NFL championships, it’s the Montreal Canadiens. They’ve won a total of 24 Stanley Cups at the time of writing, putting them 11 wins ahead of the current number two, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have 13 Stanley Cups to their name. They’re followed by the Detroit Red Wings, who’ve won a total of 11 Stanley Cups at the time of writing.
So, the NHL team with the most Stanley Cups is the Montreal Canadiens. However, in the table below, we’ll show you a breakdown of all NHL teams with Stanley Cup victories between 1915 and 2022.
| Team | Number of Stanley Cups Won |
|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 24 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 13 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 11 |
| Boston Bruins | 6 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 6 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 5 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 5 |
| New York Islanders | 4 |
| New York Rangers | 4 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 3 |
| New Jersey Devils | 3 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 3 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 2 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 2 |
| Dallas Stars | 1 |
| St. Louis Blues | 1 |
| Calgary Flames | 1 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 1 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 1 |
| Washington Capitals | 1 |
If you were looking for a breakdown of the most Stanley cups by team, that’s the most accurate and up-to-date table you’ll find. As you’re here, we assume you’re an NHL fan, so you might like to bet on the NHL online too. If that’s the case, make sure you check our recommended North American bookmakers page, as all these sites have been hand-picked and vetted by our team of online sports betting experts.
The History of the Stanley Cup: A Brief Introduction
The Stanley Cup is one of the most famous trophies in North American sports. It was first awarded in 1893 by Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, who was then Governor General of Canada, to amateur ice hockey teams in both Ontario and Quebec. Since then, it has become known as the championship prize for the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America, although Canadian teams from other leagues have won it before the NHL existed.
Originally named the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, it was first awarded in 1893 to the Montreal Hockey Club, and it stayed local to Canada for a couple of decades, until ice hockey gained more widespread popularity. Eventually, teams from the US became involved, and, in 1917, the cup became the championship trophy for the newly formed National Hockey League, the NHL, which remains the main North American ice hockey league to this day.
The actual cup has undergone several transformations over the years. Originally a small silver bowl, today, it takes the form of a huge trophy, with the names of winning teams and players inscribed on its different tiers. Winning team names started to be added in 1907, and it’s a practice that continues to this day.
Notable Winning Streaks
When talking about the teams with the most Stanley Cup wins, it’s almost impossible to avoid talking about winning streaks. To date, the Montreal Canadiens have the most impressive winning streak in NHL history. They managed to win the championship a staggering five consecutive years between 1956 and 1960. To this day, they continue to be the NHL team with the most Stanley cups, with 24 under their belt.
However, it’s not just the Canadiens who have shown impressive streaks in the championship. For example, the New York Islanders won four consecutive championships between 1980 and 1983. At the time, the team was led by some of the best players in history, like Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, and Denis Potvin. They were a dominating force at the time, but ironically, since their four-year streak they’ve failed to win the cup again.
Intense Cup Rivalries
Intense rivalries are at the heart of the Stanley Cup’s long history, generating a thrilling competitive spirit and bringing fans into the game. These rivalries can include team-on-team rivalries and, more rarely, player-versus-player rivalries. Fans love rivalries as they often create a more action-packed game, and it can sometimes get pretty fiery on the rink!
One of the oldest and biggest rivalries is between the two original teams that competed for the cup – the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. They share the longest active rivalry at 125 years, dating back to December 4, 1906, when the teams met twice on the same day, playing their second game immediately after the first due to darkness setting in at 4pm.
These two clubs met again in the 1918 final where they faced off in another seven-game set. The next year saw them clash yet again in the postseason, marking eight consecutive campaigns featuring head-to-head competition.
The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens is another good example of a team rivalry, and it’s one of the most heated in the league. When they play against each other, you’ll often see high emotions in the stands, nail-biting finishes, and dramatic twists. The fierce competition between these two Original Six teams has produced some of the best games in living memory, and it’s a great example of why rivalries can be positive factors in sports.
When it comes to the modern era, the most notable rivalry is probably that between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Known for their intense playoff battles and mutual disdain, these two teams have provided some of the most exciting moments in hockey, leaving fans on the edge of their seats.
Unforgettable Stanley Cup Moments
With so much history, the Stanley Cup Finals has provided countless memorable moments. In Game 4 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, Patrick Kane scored what many consider one of the greatest goals of all time. With the puck just sitting outside of the crease, he managed to find a small hole in Thomas’ glove hand side and score his now legendary goal.
Another example comes from 2006 when Sidney Crosby hoisted the Stanley Cup high above his head and broke into tears shortly afterwards. The emotion he showed was intense, and it made headline news around the world, showing how much events like this actually mean to players.
We could go on forever talking about memorable moments, including when Mario Lemieux scored the Penguins’ only goal in double overtime, when Darren McCarty fought Claude Lemieux in front of an ecstatic Joe Louis Arena crowd, and so on. These kinds of memories are what make the Stanley Cup, and the NHL in general, so beloved among fans.
Stanley Cup Records
When it comes to Stanley Cup records, there’s no shortage of stats and achievements to look at. Of course, the most notable record is the one we’ve talked about countless times already; the Montreal Canadiens winning the most NHL championships to date, with 24 wins under their belt.
While most records get broken eventually or updated with the progress of technology and the game’s rules, they’re always notable, especially when it comes to the Stanley Cup.
Conn Smythe holds the record for being the oldest player (at age 43) to compete in the event, while Mark Messier leads both the regular seasons + playoffs combined total games played list. The last team to go undefeated in the playoffs was the 1960 Canadiens.
