Which NHL Teams have Never Won the Stanley Cup?
Ice hockey fans’ optimism and anticipation before the start of a new season are real. Every team has a chance to win the most coveted trophy in ice hockey at the beginning of the season by winning “one more” championship.
Despite the fact that every team has its sights set on the cup, not every team advances past the playoff round, much less to the cup finals. The beginning of a new season is, however, a chance for players to once again compete and turn their dream of lifting the trophy into a reality.
Twenty-six (26) NHL clubs have held the Stanley Cup 107 times since 1914. However, only 21 of these teams are still competing in the NHL today. Which teams have won the Stanley Cup and which ones have yet to do so are raised as a result.
We will address these queries in this essay, so stick with us.
About The Stanley Cup
Let’s start by giving a brief history of the Stanley Cup.
The Stanley Cup is an NHL trophy that is handed each year to the NHL playoff champions. At least in North America, it is the largest, oldest, and most significant sports trophy. Due to its history and the traditions associated with it, the prize is regarded and valued as it is.
The Stanley Cup wasn’t actually owned by the NHL until 1947, when it was declared to be the league’s de jure (by legal entitlement) championship prize. Moreover, the Stanley Cup served as the NHL’s de facto (but not necessarily legally recognized) championship trophy from its inception in 1926 until they were granted the legal right in 1947 following a meeting with the Stanley Cup trustees.
The problematic part is that, while the cup is still not theirs, the NHL has the authority to forbid clubs and leagues from vying for it. The NHL’s deal with the Stanley Cup Trustees is what grants the franchise the right to use the trophy.
Read more on the history and evolution of the Stanley Cup, and how to get your name on the cup.
How Many NHL Teams Have Won The Stanley Cup?
Currently, there are 32 teams in the NHL, with the most recent (Seattle Krakens) joining the league in 2021. Of the 32 teams, only 21 have the title of Stanley Cup winner. In the end, this leaves 11 teams that have never won the Stanley Cup since they joined the NHL.
Furthermore, only 6 out of the 11 teams to never win a Stanley Cup have made it to the Stanley Cup final. This raises the question: what happened to the remaining five teams? This will be discussed later on in this article.
The Montreal Canadiens are the NHL franchise with the most Stanley Cup wins, with 24 so far. They also have the most consecutive Stanley Cup wins, with five wins from 1955-56 to the 1959-60 season.
List of Teams To Win The Stanley Cup (2023 Updated)
Below is a list of all the teams currently in the NHL that have won the Stanley Cup. They are ranked based on the number of Stanley Cups they possess, from the highest to the lowest. The table also contains the number of times the team has made it to the Stanley Cup finals.
In addition, the most recent winners of the Stanley Cup for the 2022-23 season are the Vegas Golden Knights. The NHL franchise made their second Stanley final appearance as they faced off with the Florida Panthers. Later on, they went on to win and become the new winners of the most prestigious trophy in the NHL.
| Ranking | Franchise | Final Appearances | No. of Stanley Cup |
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 35 | 24 |
| 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 22 | 13 |
| 3 | Detroit Red Wings | 24 | 11 |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | 20 | 6 |
| 5 | Chicago Blackhawks | 13 | 6 |
| 6 | Edmonton Oilers | 7 | 5 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 6 | 5 |
| 8 | New York Islanders | 5 | 4 |
| 9 | New York Rangers | 11 | 4 |
| 10 | Colorado Avalanche | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | New Jersey Devils | 5 | 3 |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 5 | 3 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Flyers | 8 | 2 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | 2 |
| 15 | Dallas Stars | 5 | 1 |
| 16 | St. Louis Blues | 4 | 1 |
| 17 | Calgary Flames | 3 | 1 |
| 18 | Anaheim Ducks | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | Carolina Hurricanes | 2 | 1 |
| 20 | Washington Capitals | 2 | 1 |
| 21 | Vegas Golden Knights | 2 | 1 |
How Many NHL Teams Have Never Won The Stanley Cup?
Now that we have covered the 20 NHL teams that have carried the trophy, let us move on to the 11 teams that haven’t won it yet. The Seattle Krakens, the newest entry, make the list of teams without a Stanley Cup.Â
List of Teams To Never Win The Stanley Cup (2023 Updated)
The table below is a list of teams currently in the NHL that have not won a Stanley Cup. The first six teams have advanced to the finals at least once, while the last five have not made it to the finals.
| Ranking | Teams | Final Appearances | Last Final Appearance |
| 1 | Ottawa Senators | 7 | 1927 |
| 2 | Vancouver Canucks | 3 | 2011 |
| 3 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | 1999 |
| 4 | Florida Panthers | 2 | 2023 |
| 5 | San Jose Sharks | 1 | 2016 |
| 6 | Nashville Predators | 1 | 2017 |
| 7 | Seattle Krakens | 0 | – |
| 8 | Winnipeg Jets | 0 | – |
| 9 | Columbus Blue Jacks | 0 | – |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | 0 | – |
| 11 | Arizona Coyotes | 0 | – |
Top 5 NHL Players That Never Won The Stanley Cup
Several of the greatest NHL players of all time have lifted the “Holy Grail”. The award has been won by some of the best hockey players, including Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. Some of the NHL’s best players, nevertheless, have never won the championship during their careers. Some of the top five are as follows:
Marcel Dionne
The great player Marcel Dionne made some noteworthy contributions to the NHL. Despite his success, he once came close to winning the Stanley Cup but was unsuccessful. While on the top 15 all-time scorers list, the Canadian is the only player on the list without a Stanley Cup. He participated in 18 seasons of hockey and was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1992. He never advanced past the second round of the playoffs at any point in his career.
Summary of Marcel Dionne’s Career
| Position | Center |
| Career Length | 18 Years |
| Achievements | Art Ross Trophy (1979/80) 6th Most Points in the NHL Eight 100+ Points Seasons |
| Teams | Red Wings Los Angeles Kings New York Rangers |
Brad Park
Another outstanding person without a Stanley Cup is Brad Park. The defensemen, who represented the New York Rangers, won the hearts of the community and the press. Later on, when the Rangers hired the defenseman on a $200,000 contract, he would become the highest-paid NHL player.
Throughout the course of his illustrious career, the defenseman scored 896 points in total. In the 18 seasons he spent playing in the NHL, he made the playoffs 17 times and reached the finals three times. His first finals appearance was with the Rangers and then twice with the Boston Bruins.
Summary of Brad Park’s Career
| Position | Defenseman |
| Career Length | 17 Years |
| Achievements | 7-time NHL All-Star 100 NHL Greatest of All Time Inductee Six-time Norris Trophy winner |
| Teams | New York Rangers Detroit Red Wings Boston Bruins |
Adam Oates
In the NHL, the Canadian player competed for 19 seasons. Throughout his career, he twice reached the finals with two different teams, but he was unsuccessful. With 1079 points, Adam Oates held the fifth-highest record for assists. But he held this record while he was a member of the league.
Summary of Adam Oates’ Career
| Position | Center |
| Career Length | 19 Years |
| Achievements | 5-time NHL All-Star 3-time NHL Assistant Leader |
| Teams | Detroit Red Wings St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins Washington Capitals Philadelphia Flyers Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Edmonton Oilers |
Cam Neely
Neely, an enthusiastic player, never won the Stanley Cup throughout his playing career. He belongs to the class of 2005 NHL Hall of Fame inductees and is also known as Bam Bam Cam. With the Boston Bruins, Neely accomplished a feat by scoring 50 goals in 49 games. Only those like Wayne Gretzky have accomplished this feat.
Summary of Cam Neely’s Career
| Position | Right Wing |
| Career Length | 13 Years |
| Achievements | Bill Masterson Trophy 4 time NHL All-Star |
| Teams | Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins |
Pat LaFontaine
One of the greatest players of his era who did not win a Stanley Cup was Pat LaFontaine. From 1983 until 1998, he played, scoring 1013 points in 865 games throughout the course of his career. He is listed as one of the top 100 NHL players.
A year after the Islanders’ fourth straight Stanley Cup victory, Pat signed with them. He once reached the Stanley Cup finals with the Islanders before getting trashed by the Edmonton Oiler.
Summary of Pat LaFontaine’s Career
| Position | Center |
| Career Length | 15 Seasons |
| Achievements | Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy 5 time NHL All-Star Lester Patrick Trophy |
| Teams | New York Islanders Buffalo Sabres New York Rangers |
Check out Greatest NHL Players Who never Won The Stanley for even more players…
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this far. So there you have it: a list of all the teams that have won the Stanley Cup and teams that have yet to win it. If your team is among the franchises to never win a Stanley, there are still many seasons for redemption.
The Seattle Krakens are new to the league and can still make an impact. Although they were unable to make a Stanley Cup appearance in their first year, unlike the Vegas Golden Knights, Still, all teams have one goal, and one goal only – to win the coveted Stanley!
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