Who Is the Best Back-to-Back Stanley Cup Champion Since 2000?

Incredibly, there was a period in 1976-88 where just three NHL teams (Canadiens, Islanders, Oilers) won all 13 Stanley Cups, including a pair of four-peats (1976-79 Canadiens, 1980-83 Islanders), and the 1986 Canadiens broke up Edmonton’s near five-peat.

50 years of #StanleyCup Champions 🏒🏆 pic.twitter.com/sXfmARc0Y7

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 18, 2025

But you may have noticed only three repeats have happened in the 21st century (salary cap era), and they’ve all made NHL news in the last decade. Each team had success prior to that repeat too, but let’s rank them from best to worst team based on their title reigns.

We’ll use the Simple Rating System (SRS) metric (adjusts goal differential for schedule strength) from Hockey Reference and stats over both seasons combined.

BACK-TO-BACK STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/aBV3KD0hgY

— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 18, 2025

1. 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins (130-64-19)

• SRS: 2nd in 2016, 4th in 2017
• Goal Differential: +129 in 213 games
• Points: 215 (2nd)

While Sidney Crosby led the Pittsburgh Penguins to a Stanley Cup win in 2009, it took seven years before another with new goalie Matt Murray and interim coach Mike Sullivan, who took over during the 2015-16 season.

Pittsburgh had to beat a tough Washington team (120 points) and made a 3-2 comeback against a talented Tampa team who lost in the Finals in 2015 before defeating a so-so San Jose team led by an old Joe Thornton. A year later, the Pens survived Game 7s against Washington and Ottawa (an overtime classic) before beating Nashville (No. 13 in SRS) in six games.

There is nothing like a Game Seven in the #StanleyCup Playoffs, especially when a trip to the Final is on the line.

Chris Kunitz scored the GWG in Game 7 to send the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/DCjMcEQ7xQ

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 25, 2021

They have the best star power with Conn Smythe winners Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, were the most consistent of these three in the regular season, but they did draw favorable Stanley Cup Finals opponents.

2. 2024-25 Florida Panthers (131-70-10)

• SRS: 1st in 2024, 10th in 2025
• Goal Differential: +139 in 211 games
• Points: 208 (T-6th)

After a miracle run to the SCF in 2023, coach Paul Maurice’s team was statistically the best in 2024 thanks to great depth and goaltending. They did almost blow a 3-0 lead in the SCF to the Oilers, but they held Connor McDavid’s team down in a 2-1 win in Game 7.

Both Florida and Edmonton had mediocre regular seasons before getting hot in the playoffs and meeting in a classic rematch that Florida won again.

But when you look at Florida Panthers futures, this team can become the first to three-peat since the 1980-83 Islanders, which would put them on their own pedestal.

3. 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning (113-52-9)

• SRS: 2nd in 2020, 7th in 2021
• Goal Differential: +134 in 174 games
• Points: 167 (4th)

A year after the unfathomable first-round sweep by Columbus, Steven Stamkos’ Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded in the 2020 COVID bubble season, beating the top-ranked Bruins and taking down Dallas in the Finals.

After a 56-game season in 2021, the Lightning won a 1-0 Game 7 against the Islanders in the semi-finals before defeating a Montreal team that’s statistically one of the weakest in Cup history.

Tampa had nice stats, but it feels fair to ding them for the shortened pandemic seasons and weakest SCF competition.