It’s been over three decades since a Canadian team lifted the Stanley Cup
Hockey enthusiasts across Canada have shown tremendous patience as they eagerly await the return of the Stanley Cup north of the border. Unfortunately, their wait continues, as Canada’s championship drought has now extended to 33 years. The Montreal Canadiens, the nation’s last hope this season, were ousted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
The last time the Stanley Cup was celebrated on Canadian soil was on June 9, 1993. That year, the Canadiens triumphed over Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings in a decisive five-game series. It was a time when Jurassic Park was dominating the box office, Roseanne and Home Improvement were household staples on TV screens across America, and Janet Jackson’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” was a chart-topping hit.
Ever since that victory, the Stanley Cup has remained south of the Canadian border, residing in the United States for the past 33 consecutive seasons. The Canadiens’ recent elimination just shy of the Stanley Cup Final means the wait for Canada continues.
Hockey fans in Canada have exhibited quite a bit of patience waiting for the Stanley Cup to make its return north of the border — and they’ll have to wait a little longer. The country’s Cup drought has officially reached 33 years after the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
On June 9, 1993, the Canadiens passed around the Stanley Cup after beating Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings in five games. Jurassic Park was mauling its competition at the box office. Roseanne and Home Improvement were on just about every TV in America. Janet Jackson’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” was topping the billboard charts.
Since then, the Stanley Cup has taken up residence in the United States for 33 straight seasons following the Canadiens’ elimination on the doorstep of the Stanley Cup Final.
This season, only three teams got a shot to end the drought, but two of them failed to make it out of the first round. The Ottawa Senators were swept out of the playoffs by the Hurricanes, and an injury to Connor McDavid hampered the Edmonton Oilers in their first-round defeat at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks.
With another year (at least) of waiting ahead, here is each Canadian team’s Stanley Cup drought.
- Stanley Cup wins: 13
- Years won: 1967, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1951, 1949, 1948, 1947, 1945, 1942, 1932, 1922, 1918
- Stanley Cup wins: 0
- Years won: N/A
Calgary Flames | 37 years
- Stanley Cup wins: 1
- Years won: 1989
Edmonton Oilers | 36 years
- Stanley Cup wins: 5
- Years won: 1990, 1988, 1987, 1985, 1984
Ottawa Senators | 34 years
- Stanley Cup wins: 0
- Years won: N/A
Montreal Canadiens | 33 years
- Stanley Cup wins: 23
- Years won: 1993, 1986, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1973, 1971, 1969, 1968, 1966, 1965, 1960, 1959, 1958, 1957, 1956, 1953, 1946, 1944, 1931, 1930, 1924, 1926
Winnipeg Jets | 15 years
- Stanley Cup wins: 0
- Years won: N/A
