Longest Stanley Cup Final Droughts in NHL History

The Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup Final since the 1966-67 season. | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Stanley Cup Final is back on Tuesday night, with the Hurricanes set to host the Golden Knights in Game 1 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Golden Knights have experienced unprecedented early success in the NHL, already reaching three Cup Finals in nine seasons since joining the league in 2017-18. The Canes, however, haven’t been to the Stanley Cup Final in two decades, when they won the franchise’s lone championship in 2006 against the Oilers.

Carolina’s two-decade gap wasn’t even close to the longest Stanley Cup title drought among NHL teams. There are still several teams that have never even experienced the glory of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup, and some who have been seeking their chance to win the league’s ultimate prize for several decades. This year’s series is the 133rd edition of the Stanley Cup Final. Lord Stanley’s Cup is the oldest North American championship trophy in existence, and as such, some teams have been in pursuit of it for a very long time.

We’re going to take a look at the longest active and all-time Stanley Cup title droughts in league history, as well as what teams have not yet won a championship.

Longest active Stanley Cup title droughts

Team	Length of Drought	Last Championship Season	Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance
Toronto Maple Leafs	59 years	1966-67	1967
Vancouver Canucks	56 years	N/A (Joined NHL in 1970)	2011
Buffalo Sabres	56 years	N/A (Joined NHL in 1970)	1999
Philadelphia Flyers	51 years	1974-75	2010
New York Islanders	43 years	1982-83	1984
Calgary Flames	37 years	1988-89	2004
Edmonton Oilers	36 years	1989-90	2025
San Jose Sharks	35 years	N/A (Joined NHL in 1991)	2016
Ottawa Senators	34 years	N/A (Joined NHL in 1992)	2007
Montreal Canadiens	33 years	1992-93	2021

Notably, six of the 10 longest Stanley Cup title droughts belong to Canadian teams, as a team from Canada has not won the championship since the Canadiens lifted the Cup in 1993.

No team has experienced as much postseason pain as the Maple Leafs, who are pushing 60 years without a championship while playing under the spotlight as the NHL’s biggest market. Now, fans in Toronto will be forced to watch one of their former stars and franchise greats in Mitch Marner as he competes for a Cup with the Golden Knights.

The Maple Leafs’ drought is both the league’s longest active title drought and the longest in NHL history. Here’s how is stacks up against the other historic droughts:

Team	Length of Drought	Start Year	End Year
Toronto Maple Leafs	59 years	1968	Ongoing
Vancouver Canucks	56 years	1971	Ongoing
Buffalo Sabres	56 years	1971	Ongoing
New York Rangers	53 years	1941	1994
St. Louis Blues	51 years	1968	2019
Philadelphia Flyers	51 years	1976	Ongoing
Chicago Blackhawks	48 years	1962	2010
Arizona Coyotes	45 years	1980	2024
Los Angeles Kings	44 years	1968	2012
New York Islanders	43 years	1984	Ongoing

There have been six franchises that have experienced Stanley Cup Final droughts of more than 50 years. Two of those Cup-less streaks have since been snapped, with the Rangers winning the title in 1994 and the Blues in 2019. Five of the league’s 10 longest title droughts remain active, however, with the Maple Leafs, Canucks, Sabres, Flyers and Islanders still seeking to end their respective misfortunes.

Teams that have never won a Stanley Cup Final

Team	Date of Entry to NHL	Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance	Total Playoff Appearances
Buffalo Sabres	1970	1998-99	30
Vancouver Canucks	1970	2010-11	29
San Jose Sharks	1991	2015-16	21
Ottawa Senators	1992	2006-07	18
Nashville Predators	1998	2016-17	16
Minnesota Wild	2000	N/A	15
Winnipeg Jets	1999	N/A	9
Columbus Blue Jackets	2000	N/A	6
Seattle Kraken	2021	N/A	1
Utah Mammoth	2024	N/A	1

10 of the NHL’s 32 teams have never won the Stanley Cup. The longest-tenured franchises still without a championship are the Sabres and Canucks, who entered the league in 1970. Over half a century has passed since their debut campaigns, yet both organizations are still seeking their first Cup.

Unfortunately for those 10 teams, they’ll have to wait at least another year for a chance to end their title droughts, as none have qualified for this year’s Stanley Cup Final.

---