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This is a list of Stanley Cup champions, including the finalists/challengers. Originally, it was referred to as the "Challenge Cup"; the champions held onto the Cup until they either lost their league title to another club, or a champion from another league issued a formal challenge and subsequently defeated the reigning Cup champion in a special game or series. The playoff format for each challenge varied depending on what the two competing clubs agreed to.

Prior to 1912, challenges could take place at any time, given the appropriate rink conditions, and it was common for teams to defend the Cup numerous times during the year. In 1912, the Cup's trustees declared that the Cup was only to be defended at the end of the champion team's regular season. Also during the Cup's challenge era, all of the leagues that played for the trophy had no annual formal Playoff system to decide their own respective championships; whoever finished in first place after the regular season won the league title. Thus, a few league championship games or series were held just to break first place ties and determine who would keep the Cup. These league title games have historically been listed along with the regular inter-league Cup challenges.

In 1915, an agreement between the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was reached in which their respective champions would face each other for the Cup. The NHA dissolved in 1917, and the National Hockey League (NHL) took its place. Then after the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) was born in 1921, it was agreed that all three league champions would play for the Cup. The PCHA and the WCHL merged in 1924, and became the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925.

Since the demise of the WHL in 1926, the Cup has been awarded to the NHL champions.


STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS BY YEAR



Challenge Cup

See Also: Stanley Cup Challenge Games



  • ) Note: Although the Montreal Victorias won the AHA title in 1895, the Stanley Cup trustees had already accepted a challenge from the 1894 Cup champion Montreal HC and Queen's University . As a compromise, the trustees decided that if the Montreal HC won the challenge match, the Victorias would become the Stanley Cup champions. The Montreals eventually won the game, 5-1, and their crosstown rivals were awarded the Cup.''


  • ---) Note: For most of 1904, the Ottawa Senators was not affiliated with any league.''


  • --) Note: The Montreal Wanderers were disqualified as the result of a dispute. After Game 1 ended tied at the end of regulation, 5-5, the Wanderers refused to play overtime with the current referee, and then subsequently refused to play the next game of the series in Ottawa.


''† Note: January 29 game was completed on January 31, because January 29 game was tied at midnight, January 30th and the Mayor of Westmount refused to allow play to continue on the Sunday.''


NHA vs. PCHA champions



NHL vs. PCHA champions



NHL vs. PCHA or WCHL champions



NHL vs. WCHL/WHL champions



NHL champion



  • The league changed the playoff format: In the Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, both second place teams faced each other, as did the two third place teams. Both first place teams received a Bye and automatically advanced to the semifinals, but had to face each other in that playoff round. As a result, two teams from the same division occasionally played each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.



  • Before the start of the 1938-39 season, the league contracted to seven teams, causing the league to implement a one division format. The NHL contracted even further to only six clubs by the 1942-43 season, beginning a period that became known as the Original Six Era.





  • The league changed the playoff format again so that an Eastern Division team would always face a Western Division team in the Stanley Cup ''Semifinals''. Therefore, two teams from the same division could face each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.



  • The league expanded to 18 teams and realigned into two conferences: the Prince Of Wales Conference and the Clarence Campbell Conference . Twelve teams qualified for the postseason, but were seeded 1-12 ''regardless'' of conference. This type of seeding system would continue after the league expanded the playoffs to 16 teams before the 1979-80 Season .





  • The league's two conferences were renamed the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively.




STANLEY CUP FINALS APPEARANCES BY FRANCHISE


The following is a ranking of franchises by number of appearances in the Finals since 1915. Prior to this time, from 1894 to 1914, the Cup was won on a challenge basis.





† - Includes the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals that ended with a no decision due to the Spanish Flu Epidemic

†† - Franchise no longer exists.

††† - Reinstated Ottawa franchise.

Current Franchises with no Finals appearances



Finals to match two first-time (NHL) participants

  • 1927-Boston vs. Ottawa (original franchise)First-ever NHL-NHL finals. Ottawa had appeared in '20, '21 and '23 against teams of other leagues


  • 1928-Montreal Maroons vs. N.Y. Rangers


  • 1996-Colorado vs. Florida



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