The Stanley Cup Finals are arguably the most exciting playoffs in sports. Every goal feels like it means so much, and players are literally putting their bodies on the line to win.
The NHL is comprised of 31 teams. 24 of them are based in the continental United States, while there are seven teams based in Canada. When you think of hockey, you always think of how dominant Team Canada is at the Olympics, so surely the NHL teams in Canada are dominant.
This is only partially true. There have been Canadian-based hockey teams that have developed into dominant dynasties. The Canadiens have the record for the most Stanley Cup appearances with 35 and wins with 24. They even won five Stanley Cups in a row from 1956-1960 and 15 in a 23-year span.
The Maple Leafs rank third with 21 appearances and second with 21 wins. Still, there hasn’t been a Canadian-based NHL team that has won the Stanley Cup for over 30 years.
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Here is a look back at the last time a Canadian team has won a Stanley Cup, and the drought since.
When was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup?
The last time that a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993. The Canadiens, fittingly, beat the Kings. Montreal won the series 4-1 despite dropping the first game of the series 4-1 at home. The Canadiens won the next three games in overtime and capped their championship with a 4-1 win in Game 5.
Since Montreal won, there have been 31 Stanley Cup champions. A Canadian hockey team has competed in the Stanley Cup Finals eight times. Every instance has ended with the Canadian team losing.
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Canadian NHL teams Stanley Cup history
Six of the seven Canadian teams have won the Stanley Cup. Here is a look at their last win, and how they have fared since.
Montreal Canadiens
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 35
- Stanley Cup Wins: 24 – 1916, 1924, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993
- Last Stanley Cup Finals Appearance: 2021 – Lost to the Lightning
The Canadiens are arguably the most dominant franchise in NHL history. They lead the league in Stanley Cup Finals appearances and wins by a wide margin. Montreal is the last Canadian franchise to have won a Stanley Cup, but it happened in 1993. Since then, they have only had one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, and it ended with them losing to the Lightning in 2021.
Toronto Maple Leafs
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 24
- Stanley Cup Wins: 11 – 1918, 1922, 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967
- Last Stanley Cup Finals Appearance: 1967 – Beat the Canadiens
The Maple Leafs have the third-most appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals with 24. Their 13 wins are the second-most, but Toronto hasn’t been to the Stanley Cup Finals in the last five decades. It isn’t that they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, the Maple Leafs haven’t been to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1967.
Edmonton Oilers
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 9
- Stanley Cup Wins: 5 – 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990
- Last Stanley Cup Finals Appearance: 2025 – TBD vs. Panthers
Edmonton’s appearance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals helped break a tie and moved them firmly into seventh place for most appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers have won five of their eight trips to the finals, with their most recent win being in 1990. Edmonton made the finals in 2024, but fell in seven games to the Panthers.
MORE: When was the last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup?
Calgary Flames
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 3
- Stanley Cup Wins: 1 – 1989
- Last Stanley Cup Finals Appearance: 2004 – Lost to the Lightning
The Flames are tied with three other franchises with three Stanley Cup Finals appearances. They haven’t made it back to the finals since 2004. Calgary played in the Stanley Cup in 1976, 1989 and 2004, with its lone win coming in 1989. It took six games, but the Flames won the series 4-2.
Vancouver Canucks
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 3
- Stanley Cup Wins: 0
- Last Stanley Cup Finals Appearance: 2011 – Lost to the Bruins
The Canucks also have three Stanley Cup Finals appearances, but unlike the Flames, they are still searching for their first cup win. Vancouver got swept by the Islanders in 1982, lost to the Canucks in seven games in 1984 and again in seven games in 2011, but this time to the Bruins.
Ottawa Senators
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1
- Stanley Cup Wins: 0
- Last Stanley Cup Finals Appearance: 2007 – Lost to the Ducks
Ottawa is a little murky. This iteration of the Senators has been to one Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, and lost to the Ducks in five games. Ottawa had a founding team of the NHL that had won 11 championships, including five Stanley Cups. The team had financial struggles and moved to St. Louis in 1934, and the franchise was set to move back to Ottawa, but the league ended up suspending the franchise. 54 years later in 1992, our version of the Senators was formed, and while they appreciate the history of a hockey franchise in Ottawa, they do not recognize the titles or Stanley Cup victories as their own, and started fresh in 1992.
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Winnipeg Jets
- Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
- Stanley Cup Wins: 0
- Last Stanley Cup Finals Appearance: N/A
The Jets have yet to make the Stanley Cup Finals, even if you include their tenure as the Atlanta Thrashers. Between the combined 25 seasons, the Thrashers/Jets have made the playoffs nine times, but haven’t ever made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
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