The NHL stands for the National Hockey League and while the league has played games across the world in the past, the current 32 franchises are all based in North America.
There are 7 NHL teams presently situated in Canada and they are the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens. The former Canadian NHL teams that never had a returning team to their city were the Quebec Nordiques and the Hamilton Tigers.
What Canadian NHL Teams No Longer Exist?
There have been several other Canadian NHL teams in the past. The most popular was the Quebec Nordiques who played in the league between 1979 and 1995 before relocating to Denver, Colorado as the Colorado Avalanche. Prior to joining the NHL, the Nordiques played in the now-defunct World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1979.
The following is a list of former Canadian NHL teams and when they played:
- The Montreal Wanderers 1917-18
- The Toronto Hockey Club: 1917-1919; This club was also known as the Toronto Arenas and Toronto Blueshirts and won the Stanley Cup in 1917-18, the first season of the NHL. The team was sold and renamed the Toronto St Patricks from 1919-27 when it evolved to the Toronto Maple Leafs
- The Quebec Bulldogs, also known as the Quebec Athletic Club: 1919-20; The franchise then relocated to Hamilton, Ontario as the Hamilton Tigers
- The Hamilton Tigers: 1920-25
- The Ottawa Senators: 1917-34
- The Montreal Maroons: 1924-38
- The Quebec Nordiques: 1979-95
- The Winnipeg Jets: 1979-96
The Rebirth of the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators
The original Winnipeg Jets franchise played in the WHA from 1972 to 1979 and then merged with several other WHA clubs into the NHL. The Jets were sold after playing their last game on April 28th, 1996 and became the Phoenix Coyotes. The franchise has since been renamed the Arizona Coyotes. In June, 1997 the NHL awarded an expansion franchise to Atlanta, Georgia with the team being named the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers began play in 1999-2000 as the second NHL club to play in the city. The former Atlanta Flames played in the location from 1972 to 1980 before relocating to Canada as the Calgary Flames. The Thrashers followed suit and moved to Canada in 2011 and became the second franchise to play under the name the Winnipeg Jets.
The original Ottawa Senators were founded in 1883 and won 11 Stanley Cups under a host of different names including the Ottawa Generals, Ottawa Silver Sevens and Ottawa Hockey Club. However, since the NHL didn’t begin play until 1917-18, just four of these trophies were won as members of the NHL as the Senators. The club moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1934 and played as the St. Louis Eagles but folded in 1935. The Senators were then reborn as an NHL franchise on December 6th, 1990 and the team then began play in 1992-93.
List of All Current Canadian NHL Teams
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks were originally founded in 1945 and played in either the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) or Western Hockey League (WHL) until being admitted to the NHL in 1970-71. The team has yet to win a Stanley Cup but made it to the Final in 1981-82, 1993-94 and 2010-11. They won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season team in 2010-11 and 2011-12. As of 2021 they had made the playoffs 28 times.
* Note-The President’s Trophy was first awarded by the NHL for the 1985-86 season.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames played in the NHL from 1972 to 1980 as the Atlanta Flames in Atlanta, Georgia before relocating to Calgary. The club won the Stanley Cup in 1988-89 and lost the Final in 1985-86 and 2003-04. They captured the Presidents’ Trophy in 1987-88 and 1988-89. As of 2021 they had made the playoffs 24 times.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers were founded in 1971 as the Alberta Oilers and competed in the WHA in 1972-73. The club’s name was changed to the Edmonton Oilers in 1973-74 and it remained in the WHA until 1979 when it joined the NHL in the WHA-NHL merger. The team has won the Stanley Cup five times, in 1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1989-90 and lost in the Final in 1982-83 and 2005-06. The Oilers also won the Presidents’ Trophy in 1985-86 and 1986-87 and have made the playoffs 23 times as of 2021.
Winnipeg Jets
The franchise was founded in 1999 as the Atlanta Thrashers and relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. The club has yet to win a Stanley Cup, reach the Final or win a Presidents’ Trophy. As of 2021 they had made the playoffs five times.
The original Winnipeg Jets were formed in 1972 and played in the WHA until merging into the NHL in 1979. The team then relocated to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996 and the franchise is currently known as the Arizona Coyotes. When playing in the NHL, this edition of the Jets also failed to win a Stanley Cup or President’s Trophy or reach a Stanley Cup Final. They did make the playoffs 11 times though.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The club was originally founded in 1917 as the Toronto Arenas and became the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919 before finally settling on the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927. The franchise has won the Stanley Cup 13 times, in 1917-18, 1921-22, 1931-32, 1941-42, 1944-45, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1950-51, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64 and 1966-67. It was beaten in the Final in 1920-21, 1932-33, 1934-35, 1935-36, 1937-38, 1938-39, 1939-40, 1958-59 and 1959-60. As of 2021 the franchise had made the playoffs 70 times but had yet to win a Presidents’ Trophy.
Ottawa Senators
The current Senators franchise began playing in the NHL in 1992 and has yet to win a Stanley Cup but won the President’s Trophy in 2002-03. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2006-07 and have made the playoffs 11 times.
The original Ottawa Senators franchise existed from 1883 to 1954 and played in various leagues, including the NHL from 1917 to 1934. That franchise was credited with winning 11 Stanley Cups with four of them coming in the NHL era in 1920, 1921, 1923 and 1927.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens were founded in 1909 and played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) from 1910 to 1917 when the NHL was formed. They hold the record for most Stanley Cup victories with 24 which came in 1915-16, 1923-24, 1929-30, 1930-31, 1943-44, 1945-46, 1952-53, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1970-71, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1985-86 and 1992-93. They lost the Final in 1916-17, 1917-18, 1925-25, 1946-47, 1950-51, 1951-52, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1966-67, 1988-89 and 2020-21. They have made the playoffs 85 times but have yet to win a President’s Trophy.
Map of Canadian NHL Teams
Related Questions
What is the Most Popular NHL Team in Canada?
The answer to this question will always be extremely debatable. The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs are the oldest franchises so it would stand to reason that they have the largest fan bases. The Canadiens have a large French-speaking following while the Leafs were traditionally supported by the majority of English-speaking Canadians until the NHL expanded to Vancouver and beyond in Canada starting in 1970. It’s a personal choice who you support but most fan polls either list Montreal or Toronto as the most popular.
What Canadian non-NHL Teams won the Stanley Cup?
The first Stanley Cup was won in 1893 before the NHL was formed in 1917. The following Canadian teams won the trophy until the first NHL club, the Toronto Arenas, hoisted it in 1918: The Montreal Hockey Club, The Montreal Victorias, The Winnipeg Victorias, The Montreal Shamrocks, Montreal AAA, The Ottawa Silver Sevens, The Montreal Wanderers, The Kenora Thistles, The Ottawa Hockey Club, The Quebec Bulldogs, The Toronto Hockey Club and The Vancouver Millionaires.
It should also be noted that the Montreal Canadiens won the title in 1916 when the club was a member of the National Hockey Association.
Do All Canadian Provinces Have an NHL Team?
The only Canadian provinces which have an NHL team are British Columbia (Vancouver Canucks), Alberta (Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers), Manitoba (Winnipeg Jets), Ontario (Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators), and Quebec (Montreal Canadiens).
Jamie is the founder of Hockey Response and he is the chief writer/ lead editor. Jamie has been playing hockey for over 20 years. He was the defenseman of the year in NL and has played Jr A level hockey. Jamie has coached several kids hockey camps and he was the assistant coach of the Western Kings.