Hockey teams with the most Stanley Cups in History
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The conversation around hockey teams with the most Stanley Cups is really a history of eras: Original Six strangleholds, expansion upsets, cap-era mini-dynasties, and today’s parity. Taken together, it answers the big question—which NHL teams have won the most Stanley Cup titles—while showing how styles and rosters changed across decades. Here’s a clear, source-backed leaderboard of NHL teams with the most Stanley Cups, grouped by tiers that remain remarkably stable at the top.
At a glance
- Canadiens 24; Maple Leafs 13; Red Wings 11 (NHL.com).
- Six-Cup tier: Bruins (6), Blackhawks (6) (Hockey-Reference).
- Five-Cup tier: Oilers (5), Penguins (5) (Hockey-Reference).
- Four-Cup tier: Islanders (4), Rangers (4) (Hockey-Reference).
- Three-Cup tier: Avalanche (3), Devils (3), Lightning (3) (Hockey-Reference).
The all-time leader: Montreal Canadiens — 24
No franchise defines hockey teams with the most championships like Montreal. Multiple distinct dynasties—five straight Cups from 1956–60 and four straight from 1976–79—anchor a record total that still stands alone. Hall-of-Fame depth, elite goaltending, and special-teams control were consistent traits across eras. (NHL.com)
- Signature streaks: 5-peat in the late 1950s; 4-peat in the late 1970s.
- Last Cup: 1993, the most recent by a Canadian team.
Second place: Toronto Maple Leafs — 13
Toronto’s banner count spans early multi-Cup runs in the 1940s and 1960s. The long modern drought doesn’t change the place of the Maple Leafs on any list of NHL teams with the most Stanley Cups; historically, defense, crease strength, and opportunistic scoring marked their title years. (NHL.com)
- Title years include: 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947–49, 1951, 1962–64, 1967.
- Second all-time in total championships.
Third place: Detroit Red Wings — 11
Detroit’s total comes from longevity and two modern surges: back-to-back in 1997–98 and additional Cups in 2002 and 2008. Puck-moving blue lines and two-way centers underpinned a possession game that translated in every round. (NHL.com)
- Four Cups from 1997–2008 headline the cap-era transition.
- Third on the all-time championships list.
Six-Cup tier: Boston Bruins — 6; Chicago Blackhawks — 6
Both Original Six clubs sit next in the ranking of hockey teams with the most Stanley Cups. Boston’s titles stretch from Eddie Shore to 2011’s defense-first champion; Chicago’s modern three-in-six (2010, 2013, 2015) showcased possession dominance and depth scoring. (Hockey-Reference) If you're curious about the what baseball team has the most world series team, read our deep dive on the MLB!
- Bruins titles: 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, 2011.
- Blackhawks titles: 1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015.
Five-Cup tier: Edmonton Oilers — 5; Pittsburgh Penguins — 5
Two franchises that won across distinct eras. Edmonton’s 1980s burst (four Cups in five seasons, then 1990) set scoring records; Pittsburgh matched longevity with two-era success—early 1990s and the Crosby-Malkin years in 2009, 2016, and 2017. (Hockey-Reference)
- Oilers dynasty window: 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990.
- Penguins split titles across pre-cap and cap eras.
Four-Cup tier: New York Islanders — 4; New York Rangers — 4
The Islanders’ four-peat from 1980–83 remains one of the sport’s defining achievements, followed by a fifth consecutive Final appearance. The Rangers’ banners—culminating in 1994—reflect anchor goaltending and heavy top-pair minutes in their winning years. (Hockey-Reference)
- Islanders: four straight Cups, 1980–83.
- Rangers: titles in 1928, 1933, 1940, 1994.
Three-Cup tier: Colorado Avalanche — 3; New Jersey Devils — 3; Tampa Bay Lightning — 3
Three franchises share this tier. Colorado’s Cups (1996, 2001, 2022) bookend generations of star cores; New Jersey’s defense-and-goaltending template delivered in 1995, 2000, and 2003; Tampa Bay’s 2004 title and 2020–21 repeat define the modern, cap-era mini-dynasty. (Hockey-Reference)
- Avalanche: 1996, 2001, 2022.
- Devils: 1995, 2000, 2003.
- Lightning: 2004, 2020, 2021.
FAQ
Which NHL teams have won the most Stanley Cup titles?
Montreal (24) leads the leaderboard of hockey teams with the most championships, followed by Toronto (13) and Detroit (11).
Why count by franchise rather than city?
Championships follow franchise lineage, so relocations don’t reset totals—standard practice in official records.
Do recent champions change the top tier?
Recent wins mostly shuffle the middle tiers; the top three totals have been stable for decades (NHL.com).
Which clubs are closest to moving up a tier?
Teams in the four- and three-Cup tiers—Islanders, Rangers, Avalanche, Devils, Lightning—are the most likely to climb next, depending on current windows and cores.
Where can the complete year-by-year list be verified?
The league’s official champions page provides every winner, runner-up, and season context in one place.
The Shape of Stanley Cup History
The final ledger puts history in plain view: Montreal, Toronto, and Detroit anchor any list of hockey teams with the most Stanley Cups, with tiers below them shifting as modern contenders rise. Read as a snapshot, it answers which NHL teams have won the most Stanley Cup titles while showing how expansion and the cap era produced shorter, sharper surges. Those mini-dynasties keep reshaping the middle of the board and sustaining debate around hockey teams with the most championships every June. Taken together, the pattern is a living ranking of NHL teams with the most Stanley Cups that updates with each new banner.
