How Many NHL Teams Have Won Back-to-Back Stanley Cups?

When it comes to team and individual sports, the general belief is that it’s much harder to defend or retain a championship than it is to win one. The main reason for this is the opposition now knows how good you actually are and will be better prepared to do whatever it takes to knock you off your perch.

As far as winning back-to-back Stanley Cups goes, there are nine different NHL franchises throughout history that have won Lord Stanley’s mug at least twice in a row. Some teams have hoisted the trophy in three or four consecutive seasons with the longest streak being five years running.

List of Consecutive Stanley Cup Winners

Consecutive Stanley Cup Wins	Team	Years Won
5 Cups	Montreal Canadiens	1955-56 to 1959-60
4 Cups	Montreal Canadiens	1975-76 to 1978-79
4 Cups	New York Islanders	1979-80 to 1982-83
3 Cups	Toronto Maple Leafs	1946-47 to 1948-49
3 Cups	Toronto Maple Leafs	1961-62 to 1963-64
2 Cups	St. Louis Eagles	1919-20 to 1920-21
2 Cups	Montreal Canadiens	1929-30 to 1930-31
2 Cups	Detroit Red Wings	1935-36 to 1936-37
2 Cups	Detroit Red Wings	1953-54 to 1954-55
2 Cups	Montreal Canadiens	1964-65 to 1965-66
2 Cups	Montreal Canadiens	1967-68 to 1968-69
2 Cups	Philadelphia Flyers	1973-74 to 1974-75
2 Cups	Edmonton Oilers	1983-84 to 1984-85
2 Cups	Edmonton Oilers	1986-87 to 1987-88
2 Cups	Pittsburgh Penguins	1990-91 to 1991-92
2 Cups	Detroit Red Wings	1996-97 to 1997-98
2 Cups	Pittsburgh Penguins	2015-16 to 2016-17
2 Cups	Tampa Bay Lightning	2019-20 to 2020-21

Brief History of the Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup was donated Lord Stanley of Preston, England in 1892 when he was the Governor General of Canada. It’s the oldest trophy in North American professional sports but was first competed for by amateur teams in Canada. It then became the symbol of professional ice hockey dominance in 1913 when the National Hockey Association (NHA) and Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) played for it.

The NHA eventually evolved into the NHL with the league’s inaugural season coming in 1917-18 and the trophy has been exclusive to the NHL since 1927. The Stanley Cup wasn’t awarded in 1919 due to a flu pandemic and again in 2004-05 because of an NHL lockout.

What NHL Team has the Longest Stanley Cup Winning Streak?

The longest streak of consecutive Stanley Cups belongs to the Montreal Canadiens as they won the silverware five straight seasons from 1955-56 to 1959-60, posting a 20-5 won-loss record in the final series. The Habs also hold the NHL record for most Stanley Cups at 24 and the most final appearances with 35. They were crowned league champions for the first time in 1916 with their last triumph coming in 1992-93.

It should also be noted that the Canadiens took on the Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHA for the Stanley Cup in 1919. However, the series was cancelled after five contests due to the flu epidemic. Each team had won and lost two games at the time of the cancellation with the other encounter ending in a tie. It has been the only time in Stanley Cup history that the trophy wasn’t awarded after playoff games had taken place.

What NHL team is the Most Recent Team to Win Back-to-Back Stanley Cups?

The latest squad to notch two Stanley Cups in a row is the Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, the franchise lifted the trophy twice in a space of just 10 months as they won it in the Covid 19-shortened campaigns in 2019-20 and 2020-21. They took care of the Dallas Stars in six games to capture the crown on Sept. 28th, 2020 and downed the Montreal Canadiens in five games to win it again on July 7^th, 2021. Tampa Bay now has three Stanley Cups under their belt as they won it for the first time in 2003-04 by edging the Calgary Flames in seven games.

What NHL Player Has Won the Most Consecutive Stanley Cups?

Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard, Henri Richard, Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion, Doug Harvey, Tom Johnson, Dickie Moore, Jean Beliveau, Donnie Marshall, Claude Provost, Jean-Guy Talbot and Bob Turner all  currently share the NHL record for most consecutive Stanley Cups won at five. All 11 of these players suited up for the Montreal Canadiens’ league-record five straight Stanley Cups between 1956 and 1960. Henri Richard holds the record for most cups won during a career with 11 to his name.

The current streak for consecutive Stanley Cup victories is three and is held by Pat Maroon as he hoisted it in 2018-19 with the St. Louis Blues and the following two seasons with Tampa Bay. Players can win the championship in consecutive seasons with different clubs due to changing teams via trades and free agency for example.

What NHL Coach Has Won the Most Consecutive Stanley Cups?

Toe Blake won the Stanley Cup five times in a row with the Montreal Canadiens from 1955-56 to 1959-60 to hold the record for most consecutive championship victories. He also won the trophy again with the team in 1964-65, 1965-66 and 1967-68.  However, Scotty Bowman has been the most successful NHL coach in history with nine Stanley Cups. Bowman won the title with the Canadiens in 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78 and 1978-79. He also won the Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991-92 and with the Detroit Red Wings in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 2001-02.

Final Thoughts

Winning the Stanley Cup is obviously no easy feat, especially today with 32 NHL teams competing for it. However, it’s even harder to defend the trophy and that’s why the feat has been achieved just 16 times since 1920. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a shot at making it three straight Cup wins in 2021-22, but along with requiring a great deal of skill, heart and determination, winning a championship also means you usually take advantage of the breaks that come your way.

With the NHL using a salary-cap wage system, parity in the league is at an all-time high and it’s going to take a Herculean effort for any team to equal the record of five straight Stanley Cups.