The NHL teams that never won the Stanley Cup are Buffalo, Vancouver, Columbus, Minnesota, Nashville, Ottawa, San Jose, Seattle, Utah and Winnipeg. That is 10 of the 32 teams.
The other 22 teams have won at least once. Carolina won the most recent Cup, in 2026, over Vegas. Our guide to most Stanley Cups by team has the totals for all 22.
The tool below counts the Cups your team has won since you were born.
Which NHL teams have never won the Stanley Cup?
Ten NHL teams without a Stanley Cup are still waiting for a first Cup. NHL Records lists no Cup win for any of them through the 2026 Final.
All ten joined the league in 1970 or later. All six Original Six teams have won.
This table shows each team’s start year and its wait through the 2026 Final. Each wait is 2026 minus the start year.
| Team | Joined | Years waiting | Finals lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres | 1970 | 56 | 2 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 1970 | 56 | 3 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 1979 or 1999 | 47 or 27 | 0 |
| San Jose Sharks | 1991 | 35 | 1 |
| Ottawa Senators | 1992 | 34 | 1 |
| Nashville Predators | 1998 | 28 | 1 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 2000 | 26 | 0 |
| Minnesota Wild | 2000 | 26 | 0 |
| Seattle Kraken | 2021 | 5 | 0 |
| Utah Mammoth | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
Teams that lost a Stanley Cup Final
Five of the ten teams have played in a Final and lost. Vancouver and Buffalo have lost five between them.
NHL Records lists these runner up finishes:
- Buffalo: 1975 to Philadelphia and 1999 to Dallas.
- Vancouver: 1982 to the Islanders, 1994 to the Rangers and 2011 to the Bruins.
- Ottawa: 2007 to Anaheim.
- San Jose: 2016 to Pittsburgh.
- Nashville: 2017 to Pittsburgh.
Teams that never reached a Final
Winnipeg, Columbus, Minnesota, Seattle and Utah have never played in a Final. The other 27 teams have all reached a Final, as a winner or runner up.
Columbus and Minnesota joined in 2000 and have waited 26 years.
Seattle and Utah are the newest NHL teams without a Stanley Cup. Through 2026 they have played 5 and 2 seasons.
Why the Jets show two start years
NHL Records lists the Winnipeg Jets franchise from 1979 to 80. The NHL.com expansion history lists the Atlanta Thrashers, who joined in 1999. That club moved to Winnipeg in 2011.
The two NHL pages disagree, so this guide shows both. The wait is 47 years from 1979 and 27 years from 1999.
Has your team won since you were born?
Pick a team and type the year you were born. See every Cup since then, season by season.
Did Vancouver, Seattle or Ottawa ever win the Cup?
Clubs with those city names did, long before today’s teams existed. The NHL.com champions list shows the Vancouver Millionaires in 1915. It shows the Seattle Metropolitans in 1917.
The same list shows an earlier Ottawa Senators club with seven Cups. Three came in 1909, 1910 and 1911, before the NHL began.
This table sets each earlier club beside today’s team.
| Earlier club | Cup years | Today’s team | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlier Ottawa Senators | 1909, 1910, 1911, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1927 | Ottawa Senators | 1992 |
| Vancouver Millionaires | 1915 | Vancouver Canucks | 1970 |
| Seattle Metropolitans | 1917 | Seattle Kraken | 2021 |
NHL Records lists no Cup win for the Canucks, the Kraken or today’s Senators. Each of the three is still a team that never won the Stanley Cup.
How long did the other teams wait for a first Cup?
Sixteen teams joined the NHL in 1967 or later and then won a Cup. St. Louis waited longest, 52 years.
This table shows each team’s start year, first Cup year and wait. Each wait is the Cup year minus the start year.
| Team | Joined | First Cup | Years waited |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | 1967 | 2019 | 52 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 1967 | 2012 | 45 |
| Washington Capitals | 1974 | 2018 | 44 |
| Dallas Stars | 1967 | 1999 | 32 |
| Florida Panthers | 1993 | 2024 | 31 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 1979 | 2006 | 27 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1967 | 1991 | 24 |
| New Jersey Devils | 1974 | 1995 | 21 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 1979 | 1996 | 17 |
| Calgary Flames | 1972 | 1989 | 17 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 1993 | 2007 | 14 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 1992 | 2004 | 12 |
| New York Islanders | 1972 | 1980 | 8 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 1967 | 1974 | 7 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 2017 | 2023 | 6 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1979 | 1984 | 5 |
What the waits show
Eleven of the sixteen won within 27 years. Five waited 31 years or more.
Three of those five waited more than 40 years: Los Angeles, Washington and St. Louis. Buffalo and Vancouver have waited 56 years, longer than any of the sixteen.
The quickest first Cups
Edmonton won in 1984, five years after joining. Vegas joined in 2017. It beat Florida for the 2023 Cup, six years later.
Four of the sixteen won within eight years: Edmonton, Vegas, Philadelphia and the Islanders.
A Cup takes 16 playoff wins, four in each of four rounds. Carolina won 16 games and lost 3 on the way to the 2026 Cup. Our guide to how many rounds are in hockey has the path.
Which Canadian NHL teams have never won?
Three of Canada’s seven teams are NHL teams without a Stanley Cup: Vancouver, Ottawa and Winnipeg. Seven of the 25 US teams have never won.
The seven US teams are Buffalo, Columbus, Minnesota, Nashville, San Jose, Seattle and Utah. No Canadian team has won since Montreal in 1993.
What about the Arizona Coyotes and Utah?
Utah began play in 2024 to 25 as a new franchise. The NHL approved it in April 2024.
NHL Records lists the Utah Mammoth from 2024 to 25. It lists the Winnipeg Jets from 1979 to 80.
The Coyotes never won a Cup. NHL Records lists the Arizona Coyotes franchise as inactive after 2023 to 24.
Our guide to how many NHL teams there are shows the 32 teams by division.
Waiting list questions
Which NHL team has waited longest for a first Cup?
Buffalo and Vancouver have waited longest, 56 years each. Both joined the league in 1970.
Which NHL teams have never reached the Stanley Cup Final?
Five teams have never reached a Final. They are Winnipeg, Columbus, Minnesota, Seattle and Utah.
How many NHL teams have never won the Stanley Cup?
Ten of the 32 are NHL teams without a Stanley Cup. The other 22 teams have at least one Cup.
Have all the Original Six teams won the Stanley Cup?
Yes. Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and the New York Rangers have all won at least once.
Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought?
Toronto, among teams that have won. The Maple Leafs last won in 1967, 59 years ago.
Among teams that have never won, Buffalo and Vancouver have waited longest, 56 years each.
Which team waited longest before winning a first Cup?
St. Louis waited longest. The Blues joined in 1967 and won in 2019, a wait of 52 years.
Who won the most recent Stanley Cup?
Carolina won in 2026 over Vegas. It was the second Cup for the Hurricanes, after 2006.
Take your shot
One of these teams has never won the Stanley Cup. Which one?
Pick one to take your shot.
Checked against NHL Records and NHL.com
NHL Records, Stanley Cup winners
NHL.com, Stanley Cup champions list
Checked November 2026
