History of NHL Stanley Cup Three-Peats

It takes a great team to win just one Stanley Cup given the grueling NHL regular season and long postseason, making it all the more impressive when a team wins consecutive Cups.

The Florida Panthers sealed their second consecutive Stanley Cup win on June 17th, 2025, meaning the quest for the sixth three-peat in NHL history is on.

Here, we'll take you through every Stanley Cup three-peat in NHL history.

Toronto Maple Leafs (1947-1949)

At the time of writing, the Toronto Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967 and haven't been past the second round of the playoffs since 2003/04. The fanbase is desperate to see the team return to its past standards.

That level was established by the Leafs teams that won six Stanley Cups between 1941/42 and 1950/51, including three in a row between 1946/47 and 1948/49. The first of the three-peat was won 4-2 over the Montreal Canadiens, and the second two Cup wins in that span were 4-0 sweeps against the Detroit Red Wings.

Center Syl Apps captained the team in the first two of its three-straight Stanley Cup wins, before prolific point producer Ted Kennedy took over after Apps' 1948 retirement.

Goaltender Turk Broda was a key part of those teams. He started all 60 regular-season games, as well as every playoff game, in all three seasons during the three-peat.

The team includes a long list of Hockey Hall of Fame members: Apps, Kennedy, Broda, Harry Watson, Max Bentley, and head coach Hap Day.

Montreal Canadiens (1956-1960)

The Montreal Canadiens won an unmatched five straight Stanley Cups from 1955/56 to 1959/60.

Ice Hockey luminaries such as Maurice and Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, Bert Olmstead, Jacques Plante, Dickie Moore, and Doug Harvey played for at least some of those teams.

The first of the Cup wins in this streak was a 4-1 series win over the Detroit Red Wings, who had Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay at this time. Beliveau scored seven goals to lead his team to lift the Cup.

The next season, Montreal beat the Boston Bruins 4-1, with Geoffrion and Maurice "Rocket" Richard leading the way with four goals each in the series. Plante allowed five goals in as many games and posted a .961 SV%.

The midway point of Montreal's five-year run at the top of the NHL was a 4-2 series win against Boston. Geoffrion had five goals and three assists, Harvey had two goals and five assists from defense, Beliveau had two goals and four assists, and Rocket Richard had four goals.

The fourth of the Habs' five-straight Cup wins was a 4-1 Stanley Cup Final victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were led by former Canadien Olmstead. Geoffrion and Ralph Backstrom had seven points each, followed by Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard and Harvey with six each.

The fifth and final of this spell of dominance was a 4-0 sweep over the Leafs. Pocket Rocket had eight points in the series, Beliveau had three game-winning goals, and Plante led in five goals and had a .958 SV%.

Toronto Maple Leafs (1962-1964)

The more recent of Toronto's two three-peats happened in the early 1960s, when the team was coached by Punch Imlach.

The Leafs faced the Chicago Black Hawks, led by Bobby Hull, in the 1962 Stanley Cup Final. The series was tied 2-2 after Game 4, but an 8-4 Game 5 win for the Leafs put momentum on their side, and they went on to win the series 4-2. Frank Mahovlich, George Armstrong, and Tim Horton each had seven points for Toronto.

Toronto played Gordie Howe and the Detroit Red Wings in the 1963 Cup Final and won the series 4-1. Dave Keon posted team highs of four goals and six points, and goaltender Johnny Bower had a .936 SV% and 2.00 goals against average.

The Leafs played the Red Wings again in the 1964 Final, and this time, the series went to a Game 7. Detroit led the series 3-2 entering Game 6, but a Leafs overtime victory in that game, followed by a 4-0 shutout win in Game 7, saw them retain the Cup. In Game 7, the Leafs had four different goalscorers, and Bower made 33 saves.

Montreal Canadiens (1976-1979)

We already covered the Habs' five Stanley Cups in a row in the late '50s and early '60s, and they won another four in consecutive seasons in the second half of the 1970s.

Guy Lafleur, Pete Mahovlich, Jacques Lemaire, Ken Dryden, Larry Robinson, Steve Shutt, and Guy Lapointe were at the heart of the later Canadiens dynasty, with Scotty Bowman coaching.

Montreal won the 1976 Stanley Cup in a 4-0 sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers, who entered these playoffs having won two straight Stanley Cups. The Broad Street Bullies had Bobby Clarke, Andre 'Moose' Dupont, Dave 'The Hammer' Schulz, Bill Barber, and 1976 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Reggie Leach, but they couldn't get past the Habs' Lefleur, Lemaire, Lapointe, Dryden, Shutt, and more.

The Canadiens won the Cup via sweep once again in '77, this time beating the Boston Bruins. Dryden allowed just one goal per game with a .935 SV%, Lefleur had nine points, and Lemaire scored four goals.

Montreal played Boston again in '78, and this time, the Habs won the series 4-2. The Canadiens won the first two games, the Bruins rattled off consecutive wins to tie the series at 2-2, and then the Habs won Game 5 and Game 6 by identical 4-1 scores to lift the Cup. Robinson led the team with six points, and Shutt and Lefleur each scored three goals.

The Canadiens sealed the four-peat with a 4-1 series win over the Phil Esposito-led New York Rangers in '79. Lemaire scored four goals, Bob Gainey followed with three, and Lefleur, Shutt, and Yvon Lambert all scored twice. Dryden was below his usual standards with 11 goals allowed on a .883 SV%, but the Habs' 19 goals scored were too much for New York.

New York Islanders (1980-1983)

The New York Islanders are the most recent team to win at least three consecutive Stanley Cups, and they followed the Habs' four consecutive titles with four of their own.

The Islanders met the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1980 Cup Final and won the series 4-2, thanks in part to Bob Nystrom's Game 6 overtime winner. Mike Bossy had four goals and seven assists in the series, and Bryan Trottier added eight points, including two game-winning goals.

New York faced the Minnesota North Stars in the following year's Cup Final and won in five games. Four Islanders had at least seven points, led by Bossy's four goals and four assists for eight points. Isles goaltender Billy Smith allowed more than three goals per game (16 goals allowed in the series), but New York scored 26 goals to storm past their opponents.

In '82, the Islanders swept the Vancouver Canucks. Defenseman Denis Potvin led the team with nine points (two goals, seven assists), and Bossy scored seven goals, including two game-winners. The Isles scored 18 goals in four games, including six in both Game 1 and Game 2, and they shut out the 'Nucks in Game 3.

The last of New York's four consecutive titles, and their most recent Stanley Cup win, was in '83 when they swept Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, and the Edmonton Oilers. Five Islanders players had multiple goals in the series, Smith allowed just six goals, and young players Duane and Brent Sutter led the team with seven and five points, respectively.

NHL Stanley Cup Failed Three-Peat Bids

On 13 occasions, a team successfully repeated to win two consecutive Stanley Cups, but failed to make it three.

• Ottawa Senators (won in 1920 and 1921; Lost to Toronto St. Patricks in 1922 Final)
• Montreal Canadiens (won in 1930 and 1931; Lost to New York Rangers in 1932 semifinals)
• Detroit Red Wings (won in 1936 and 1937; Missed 1938 playoffs)
• Detroit Red Wings (won in 1954 and 1955; Lost to Montreal Canadiens in 1956 Final)
• Montreal Canadiens (won in 1965 and 1966; Lost to Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967 Final)
• Montreal Canadiens (won in 1968 and 1969; Missed 1970 playoffs)
• Philadelphia Flyers (won in 1974 and 1975; Lost to Montreal Canadiens in 1976 Final)
• Edmonton Oilers (won in 1984 and 1985; Lost to Calgary Flames in 1986 Division Finals)
• Edmonton Oilers (won in 1987 and 1988; Lost to Los Angeles Kings in 1989 Division Semifinals)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (won in 1991 and 1992; Lost to New York Islanders in 1993 Division Finals)
• Detroit Red Wings (won in 1997 and 1998; Lost to Colorado Avalanche in 1999 Conference Semifinals)
• Pittsburgh Penguins (won in 2016 and 2017; Lost to Washington Capitals in 2018 second round)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (won in 2020 and 2021; Lost to Colorado Avalanche in 2022 Final)