The Panthers are just four wins away from defending their crown.
Florida, which took seven games to defeat the Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, has made it all the way back to the title round in 2025 — and against the same opponent. But if the Panthers, now armed with veteran Brad Marchand, can defeat Edmonton once again, they’ll join an exclusive club among NHL’s championship teams.
If the Panthers secure this year’s title, they would join the relatively short list of teams to have ever won consecutive Stanley Cups — a feat that has been accomplished just twice so far in the 21st century.
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Here’s what to know about the history of back-to-back Stanley Cup Final winners, from the early days of the NHL to some dominance in Tampa Bay in the early 2020s.
MORE: The full history of Stanley Cup Final rematches, including Panthers-Oilers
How many back-to-back Stanley Cup champions have there been?
Since the Stanley Cup became the NHL Championship in 1927, there have been 17 separate instances of a team winning at least back-to-back Stanley Cups. However, if the data is tracked only in the expansion era, which began in 1967, then there have been a total of 10 teams to win at least two consecutive titles.
A large majority of those feats came before the turn of the current century. Only two teams, the Penguins (2016, 2017) and the Lightning (2020, 2021) have gone back-to-back in the 21st century. Before then, there was actually a significant history of teams going on dynastic runs.
Sticking with the expansion era (starting in 1967-68), the first team to go back-to-back came immediately with the Montreal Canadiens from 1968-69. Around a decade later, Montreal went on another dominant run, winning four-straight titles from 1976-79.
The Edmonton Oilers also went back-to-back on two separate occasions in the 1980s, first winning consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 1984 and 1985, then again in 1987 and 1988. Other teams to win at least two straight Stanley Cups in the expansion era but prior to 2000 include the Flyers, Islanders, Penguins, and Red Wings.
Here’s a full breakdown of every NHL team to win at least two straight Stanley Cups since the start of the expansion era.
| Consecutive titles | Team | Years |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2020, 2021 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2016, 2017 |
| 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 1997, 1998 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1991, 1992 |
| 2 | Edmonton Oilers | 1987, 1988 |
| 2 | Edmonton Oilers | 1984, 1985 |
| 4 | New York Islanders | 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 |
| 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1974, 1975 |
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 1968, 1969 |
MORE: When was the last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup?
When was the last back-to-back Stanley Cup champion?
The last time an NHL team won at least two straight Stanley Cups was the Lighting in 2020 and 2021.
In 2020, Tampa Bay, led by head coach Jon Cooper, defeated the Dallas Stars in six games to win the title. Victor Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy that season.
The following year, the Lightning beat the Canadiens in five games in the Stanley Cup Final, going back-to-back as Andrei Vasilevskiy earned the Conn Smythe Trophy.
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Has there ever been a Stanley Cup three-peat?
Disregarding the expansion era, there have been five cases of an NHL team winning at least three straight Stanley Cups, but by only three teams.
The Toronto Maple Leafs did it twice. In 1947, 1948, and 1949 Toronto won the title, then 13 years later, the team did it again. The Maple Leafs won three straight Stanley Cups from 1962-64.
The Montreal Canadiens are the other franchise to win at least three consecutive Stanley Cups on two separate occasions. From 1956-60, Montreal secured all of the titles, then the Canadiens did it again from 1976-79.
From 1980 to 1983, it was the Islanders that reigned supreme over the NHL, winning all four Stanley Cup Finals in that period. Here is the full history of NHL teams winning at least three straight Stanley Cups, not regarding for the expansion era.
| Consecutive titles | Team | Years |
| 4 | New York Islanders | 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 |
| 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 |
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1962, 1963, 1964 |
| 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 |
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1947, 1948, 1949 |
What’s the most Stanley Cups won in a row?
In the expansion era, the most Stanley Cups won in a row, four, has been matched by two teams. Both the Canadiens and Islanders have gone for four-straight titles at some point since 1967, and believe it or not, those two runs went back-to-back.
Montreal won every Stanley Cup from 1976-1979. Then, when the Canadiens’ run ended, the Islanders took over by winning every title from 1980-83.
However, when looking at the full extent of NHL history, there has been an instance of five straight Stanley Cup wins. That also came from the Canadiens, who won every title from 1956-60.
