The Stanley Cup is widely considered the greatest trophy in all of sports. It's certainly the hardest to earn.
A team must win 16 games across four separate best-of-seven playoff series for the honor of being crowned champions of the National Hockey League.
This year, the Florida Panthers are looking to defend their 2024 title from the same opponent they defeated last year: The Edmonton Oilers. It's just the 12th time in NHL history a Stanley Cup Final has featured a rematch from the previous season and the first since 2009 (Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings).
The Oilers are looking to become the first since the Penguins that same year to flip the script from the preceding campaign and lift the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990. They'd also end a 30-season long championship drought without a Canadian team winning the final. The Montreal Canadiens were the last to do it in 1993.
Every Stanley Cup Finals winner: Series results by year
Since the NHL's official inaugural season in 1917, there have been 27 different franchises to claim the Stanley Cup - 22 of which are still active today.
Only twice in that span has the Stanley Cup not been awarded. Once in 1919, when the series between the Canadiens and Seattle Metropolitans was cancelled after five games due to the Great Influenza epidemic (also known as the Spanish Flu), and again for the 2004-05 lockout.
Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Series Result |
|---|---|---|---|
1917 | Seattle Metropolitans | Montreal Canadiens | 3-1 |
1918 | Toronto Hockey Club | Vancouver Millionaires | 3-2 |
1920 | Ottawa Senators | Seattle Metropolitans | 3-2 |
1921 | Ottawa Senators | Vancouver Millionaires | 3-2 |
1922 | Toronto St. Patricks | Vancouver Millionaires | 3-2 |
1923 | Ottawa Senators | Edmonton Eskimos | 2-0 |
1924 | Montreal Canadiens | Calgary Tigers | 2-0 |
1925 | Victoria Cougars | Montreal Canadiens | 3-1 |
1926 | Montreal Maroons | Victoria Cougars | 3-1 |
1927 | Ottawa Senators | Boston Bruins | 2-0 |
1928 | New York Rangers | Montreal Maroons | 3-2 |
1929 | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | 2-0 |
1930 | Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | 2-0 |
1931 | Montreal Canadiens | Chicago Blackhawks | 3-2 |
1932 | Toronto Maple Leafs | New York Rangers | 3-0 |
1933 | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3-1 |
1934 | Chicago Blackhawks | Detroit Red Wings | 3-1 |
1935 | Montreal Maroons | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3-0 |
1936 | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3-1 |
1937 | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | 3-2 |
1938 | Chicago Blackhawks | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3-1 |
1939 | Boston Bruins | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-1 |
1940 | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-2 |
1941 | Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 |
1942 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | 4-3 |
1943 | Detroit Red Wings | Boston Bruins | 4-0 |
1944 | Montreal Canadiens | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-0 |
1945 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | 4-3 |
1946 | Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | 4-1 |
1947 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | 4-2 |
1948 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 |
1949 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 |
1950 | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | 4-3 |
1951 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 |
1952 | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | 4-0 |
1953 | Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | 4-1 |
1954 | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | 4-3 |
1955 | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | 4-3 |
1956 | Montreal Canadiens | Detroit Red Wings | 4-1 |
1957 | Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | 4-1 |
1958 | Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | 4-2 |
1959 | Montreal Canadiens | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-1 |
1960 | Montreal Canadiens | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-0 |
1961 | Chicago Blackhawks | Detroit Red Wings | 4-2 |
1962 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 |
1963 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | 4-1 |
1964 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Red Wings | 4-3 |
1965 | Montreal Canadiens | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-3 |
1966 | Montreal Canadiens | Detroit Red Wings | 4-2 |
1967 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | 4-2 |
1968 | Montreal Canadiens | St. Louis Blues | 4-0 |
1969 | Montreal Canadiens | St. Louis Blues | 4-0 |
1970 | Boston Bruins | St. Louis Blues | 4-0 |
1971 | Montreal Canadiens | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-3 |
1972 | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | 4-2 |
1973 | Montreal Canadiens | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 |
1974 | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | 4-2 |
1975 | Philadelphia Flyers | Buffalo Sabres | 4-2 |
1976 | Montreal Canadiens | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-0 |
1977 | Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | 4-0 |
1978 | Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | 4-2 |
1979 | Montreal Canadiens | New York Rangers | 4-1 |
1980 | New York Islanders | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-2 |
1981 | New York Islanders | Minnesota North Stars | 4-1 |
1982 | New York Islanders | Vancouver Canucks | 4-0 |
1983 | New York Islanders | Edmonton Oilers | 4-0 |
1984 | Edmonton Oilers | New York Islanders | 4-1 |
1985 | Edmonton Oilers | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-1 |
1986 | Montreal Canadiens | Calgary Flames | 4-1 |
1987 | Edmonton Oilers | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-3 |
1988 | Edmonton Oilers | Boston Bruins | 4-0 |
1989 | Calgary Flames | Montreal Canadiens | 4-2 |
1990 | Edmonton Oilers | Boston Bruins | 4-1 |
1991 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Minnesota North Stars | 4-2 |
1992 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-0 |
1993 | Montreal Canadiens | Los Angeles Kings | 4-1 |
1994 | New York Rangers | Vancouver Canucks | 4-3 |
1995 | New Jersey Devils | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 |
1996 | Colorado Avalanche | Florida Panthers | 4-0 |
1997 | Detroit Red Wings | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-0 |
1998 | Detroit Red Wings | Washington Capitals | 4-0 |
1999 | Dallas Stars | Buffalo Sabres | 4-2 |
2000 | New Jersey Devils | Dallas Stars | 4-2 |
2001 | Colorado Avalanche | New Jersey Devils | 4-3 |
2002 | Detroit Red Wings | Carolina Hurricanes | 4-1 |
2003 | New Jersey Devils | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 4-3 |
2004 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Calgary Flames | 4-3 |
2006 | Carolina Hurricanes | Edmonton Oilers | 4-3 |
2007 | Anaheim Ducks | Ottawa Senators | 4-1 |
2008 | Detroit Red Wings | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 |
2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Detroit Red Wings | 4-3 |
2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-2 |
2011 | Boston Bruins | Vancouver Canucks | 4-3 |
2012 | Los Angeles Kings | New Jersey Devils | 4-2 |
2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | Boston Bruins | 4-2 |
2014 | Los Angeles Kings | New York Rangers | 4-1 |
2015 | Chicago Blackhawks | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-2 |
2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins | San Jose Sharks | 4-2 |
2017 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Nashville Predators | 4-2 |
2018 | Washington Capitals | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-1 |
2019 | St. Louis Blues | Boston Bruins | 4-3 |
2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Dallas Stars | 4-2 |
2021 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 |
2022 | Colorado Avalanche | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-2 |
2023 | Vegas Golden Knights | Florida Panthers | 4-1 |
2024 | Florida Panthers | Edmonton Oilers | 4-3 |
The Panthers have their work cut out for them in their efforts to become the first team since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 & 2021 to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. If that were to happen, it'd be the third time this century the league will have seen back-to-back champions. It happened 11 times between 1917-99, not including the five separate instances a franchise won three or more consecutive Stanley Cups in that span.
Game 1 between Florida and Edmonton is set to drop puck on Wednesday at 8pm ET. The Oilers have home-ice advantage, getting things started at Rogers Place for the first two contests before the series shifts to Amerant Arena in Sunrise, Florida for Games 3 and 4.