It’s been 31 long years since Lord Stanley’s mug has been raised on Canadian soil. The last team to achieve this feat was the 1992-1993 Montreal Canadians led by future hockey hall of fame inductees Patrick Roy and Dennis Savard. That’s not to say a Canadian team hasn’t come close since. In the three decades since there have been six finals that have included a Canadian team, and we’re going to look back at all of them.

Which Canadian team has the best chance of ending Canada's #StanleyCup drought? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/91lcyUKKhJ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 19, 2024

In the year following Canada’s last Stanley Cup, the Vancouver Canucks went on a magical run to the 1994 finals where they would come face to face with the president trophy winning New York Rangers. Vancouver was expected to be outmatched by a strong Rangers team that included various legends of the game, most notably captain Mark Messier. The first game at Madison Square Garden ended in a Canucks overtime win after forward Martin Gelinas tied the game with a minute remaining in regulation, igniting a spark of hope across Vancouver. This hope was swiftly quashed by New York who took the next three games somewhat handedly. After battling back to win the next two, Vancouver sat just one game away from taking the cup back to Canada for the second straight season. Unfortunately the rangers would ultimately pull out the win in game seven, 3-2 in what would unknowingly be the first of many American championships to come.

It took ten years for a Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup final again when the Calgary Flames took on the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was an iconic finals for Canadian hockey fans but not for the right reasons. Late in game six in a series that Calagry led 3-2, Martin Gelinas scored what appeared to be a goal that very well could’ve secured Calgary their first Stanley Cup since 1989. However the ruling on the ice was no goal, despite the replays seemingly showing the puck was definitively in the net. This would go on to be one of the most controversial calls in Stanley Cup playoff history and is still heavily debated to this day. The Lightning would go on to win the game and the series in seven, leaving a sour taste in mouths across Canada.

After a lockout season the year prior the 2006 finals would be played between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers. Similarly to the 1994 Canucks, the Oilers would go down 3-1 in the opening four games of the series. Edmonton would claw back in game 5 with a shorthanded overtime winner by Fernando Pisani, this being the first shorthanded overtime winner in Stanley Cup finals history. Game six was a four to nothing Oilers shutout leading to yet another Canadian finals game seven in Carolina. The Hurricanes would lead by two heading into the third, but an early third period goal by Edmonton’s Pisani left the crowd on edge. Carolina would seal the game late with an empty net goal by Justin Williams who would go on to be known for his game seven heroics. The Hurricanes captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history leaving Canada now 0-3 in finals since 1993.

For the third straight season a different Canadian team would manage to make the finals. The 2007 finals would be played between the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks with both teams matching up rather equally. To the surprise of many, Anaheim walked over Ottawa in five games, although three of the Ducks four wins were decided by one goal. The fifth and decisive game was an Anaheim blowout six to two. Canada was handed its third finals loss in three years.

The 2011 finals would be Vancouver’s second appearance on this list and third finals in franchise history; they were previously 0-2. This finals is regarded by many as one of the most entertaining finals over the last couple decades as both Boston and Vancouver hated each other. Not only on the ice, but even off the ice. The players on both sides would throw shots at each other in the media and some of this still is occurring to this day. The series started off electrically for Vancouver as they jumped to a two to none series lead with a 1-0 game one win and an overtime winner in game two just eleven seconds in. Boston would come back with two blowouts at home to knot the series at two, going back to Vancouver. The teams would trade home victories once more leading to a seventh game in Vancouver. Once more Vancouver was left stunned as the Bruins came up victorious 4-0, inciting literal riots in the streets of Vancouver.

It would be ten years before a Canadian team would make it back to the finals, when The Montreal Canadiens went on a miracle run in a shortened COVID season. After majorly upsetting all three teams that stood before them in Vegas, Toronto, and Winnipeg, the Lightning would quickly give Montreal a reality check. The Lightning took down Montreal in five games once again crushing the hopes for a Canadian Stanley Cup parade.

No Canadian team has come close since, however this year has promise. Four Canadian teams have made it into this year’s NHL postseason. The Jets, Canucks, Leafs, and Oilers as they all finished in the top end of this year’s standings in what may be Canada’s best chance at a cup in recent memory. Only time will tell if 2024 will be the year that the Stnaley cup comes back to Canada, and back home.