Last season was a historic time for the Pacific Division. It was the first time a team from its respective division won the Stanley Cup since 2013-14 (Los Angeles Kings). The Vegas Golden Knights finished the Florida Panthers in five games, making short work of the team. This season, it has another chance to produce another Stanley Cup champion.
The Edmonton Oilers are down, 3-2, against those same Panthers and have Connor McDavid heating up. Previously, Florida was up, 3-0, with Sergei Bobrovsky holding the world in the palm of his hands. Now, it's a series and any team can hoist Lord Stanley.
But let's look at the western-most division in the NHL and see how many times they've produced a Stanley Cup champion. One would figure that they've had plenty of cracks at it, specifically with players like McDavid and Jack Eichel. However, they started off in 1993, with the league realigning and forming after the days of the Smythe Division.
Stanley Cups from the Smythe days won't be included in this. It's focusing on the western-most group in the NHL, when it went from six teams to seven, then five, then eight. So how many champions have come from the Pacific Division?
The Pacific Division has produced a Stanley Cup champion six times
The Pacific Division has produced a Stanley Cup champion six times, with the Vegas Golden Knights (2022-23) being the most recent. They've had four division winners hoist the Stanley Cup, with only the Los Angeles Kings (2011-12 and 2013-14) being the only non-division winner.
The winner with the highest point total in their clinching season were the Dallas Stars with 114 (1998-99). The fewest? The Kings, who had 95 points in 2011-12. This was when they were the eighth seed in the Western Conference and rode the incredible goaltending of former Golden Knight, Jonathan Quick, to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Of the eight Pacific Division members, only three have never won the NHL's ultimate prize. The Vancouver Canucks (three Stanley Cup Final appearances), Seattle Kraken (joined the NHL in 2021-22) and San Jose Sharks (one Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2015-16) have never won it all in their respective franchise history.
That number could go up this year if the Edmonton Oilers complete their reverse sweep. The division hasn't been at the top of producing champions, especially when compared to other divisions like the Central (10). However, the Vegas Golden Knights would love to add another to their division's collection next season, too. It'll be fun watching the two teams duke it out in the upcoming years.
Year | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
1995-96 | Colorado Avalanche | Defeated the Florida Panthers (4-0) |
1998-99 | Dallas Stars | Defeated the Buffalo Sabres (4-2) |
2006-07 | Anaheim Ducks | Defeated the Ottawa Senators (4-1) |
2011-12 | Los Angeles Kings | Defeated the New Jersey Devils (4-2) |
2013-14 | Los Angeles Kings | Defeated the New York Rangers (4-1) |
2022-23 | Vegas Golden Knights | Defeated the Florida Panthers (4-1) |