How many NHL clubs have won three consecutive Stanley Cups? Between 1962 and 1964, the Toronto Maple Leafs won three consecutive Stanley Cups, with the 1963 squad being their greatest. No other club has done so.
The Montreal Canadiens are the only team to win four straight championships, doing so from 1939 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1949. They’ve also been involved in five more series that ended with no victory; the most recent was in 2007 when they lost to the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime of game seven of the finals.
The Chicago Black Hawks are the only other club to have won three consecutive titles. From 1951 to 1953, they did so without making it to the final game of any season. Instead, all the Hawks had to play in those years were one-and-done playoff runs that saw them defeat Detroit (1951), Boston (1952), and Toronto (1953) before losing to Montreal in 1952 and 1955.
In total, only six teams have won three consecutive Stanley Cups: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and Los Angeles Kings. The New York Rangers were the first team to do so back in 1926-27-28, but they finished second each year so they’re not considered true champions.
During the Original Six era, Montreal won 10 of the 25 Stanley Cups; Toronto won nine, and Detroit won five. During this time period, Chicago won only one Stanley Cup, in 1961, while Boston and New York did not.
The first six seasons of the NHL were extremely competitive, with each team winning roughly half of their games. In fact, only one team, the Montreal Canadiens, failed to win at least 20 games during that span. The remaining five teams all finished with more than 50 wins.
In addition to being the most successful franchise during the Original Six days, Montreal also has the highest percentage of games won (3170 out of 7395, 42.97%). The Toronto Maple Leafs have the second best record at home (2066 out of 4794, 43.41%), while the Detroit Red Wings have the best record on the road (2054 out of 4810, 42.89%).
The Boston Bruins are the most balanced team during this time period, with equal numbers of wins, losses, and ties (253). The Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers both have less than 100 points earned in the standings.
Overall, the Original Six teams won a total of 25 Stanley Cups between them. They won ten times each during the years when the league had only six teams, from 1956 to 1972.
With 23 series victories, the Montreal Canadiens have the most in the Stanley Cup Finals.
TEAM
SERIES
SERIES W
Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup Finals
6
Boston Bruins
Stanley Cup Finals
6
Pittsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup Finals
5
Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Finals
5
Only four teams have come back from a 3-0 hole in a best-of-seven playoff series in the NHL’s more than 100-year existence, while 195 have gone on to win. Only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings after trailing 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. The Maple Leafs then went on to defeat the Chicago Black Hawks 4-3 in seven games to win their first championship.
The most recent comeback occurred last year when the Montreal Canadiens came back from three games to none against the Boston Bruins to win the series 4-3. The Habs went on to beat the New York Rangers 4-2 in the next round before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 2003, the Colorado Avalanche became the first third-seed to knock off a second-seed by defeating the Dallas Stars 4-3 in overtime of game six of their Western Conference Quarterfinals series. The Avs went on to lose the next two games to end their season.
The Anaheim Ducks are the most recent team to do it. Down 3-0 against the San Jose Sharks in the First Round of the 2002 Playoffs, they won four straight to advance to the next round where they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in five games.
The Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 24 times. The Montreal Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups than any other franchise. The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks are second with 13 each.
Stanley Cup Finals attendance figures show that many fans love their hockey, but few will ever see a game in person. The record for highest-attended sports event is held by MLB’s World Series (Game 6) final score: 33,622, which set a new American League record. It was also a record for any single game in any major North American sport.
The NHL has attempted to increase its popularity by having all playoff games be best-of-seven series rather than the previous format of best-of-five. In 1995–96, 16 of the league’s 30 teams made the playoffs, the largest number since 14 went head to head in 1983–84. The New Jersey Devils were the first team to qualify under this format by winning the Stanley Cup after being eliminated in five games by the Vancouver Canucks.
There have been attempts to expand the Finals beyond two days, but none have succeeded.
Since the 1914-15 season, a total of 103 Cups have been won by 20 current NHL clubs and five teams that no longer exist.
Stanley Cup
First award
1893
First winner
Montreal Hockey Club (4) (AHAC)
Most wins
Montreal Canadiens (24)
Most recent
Tampa Bay Lightning (3)
First place: Edmonton Oilers (1986-87), second place: Calgary Flames (1988-89), third place: New York Rangers (1993-94), fourth place: Dallas Stars (1998-99), fifth place: Colorado Avalanche (2000-01), sixth place: Detroit Red Wings (2007-08), eighth place: Chicago Blackhawks (2012-13).
Eight NHL teams have won both the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year. 1. Edmonton Oilers (1986-87) Calgary Flames (1988-1989). The Rangers of New York (1993-1994). The Dallas Stars are fourth (1998-1999). Avalanche of Colorado (2000-2001)
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