Youngest Captains to Win the Stanley Cup, Ranked

Being named a team’s captain in the NHL is an honour and a privilege, and it comes with great responsibility. 

Most captains who win the Stanley Cup are in their late 20s or early 30s, but not these wunderkinds. They improved their team’s hockey odds and found a way to win the Stanley Cup despite their impressionable age. 

Who Are the Youngest Captains to Win the Stanley Cup? 

6. Mario Lemieux (25 years old, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1991)

Mario Lemieux was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1987 at age 22. He led the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup in 1991. 

Lemieux, who also won the 1991 Conn Smythe Trophy, was 25 when he hoisted his first Stanley Cup. The 1991 playoffs were Lemieux’s second taste of postseason action, and he made it count, scoring 44 points in 23 games. 

Only Wayne Gretzky scored more in a single playoffs with 47. 

5. Bobby Clarke (24 years old, Philadelphia Flyers, 1974)

Named captain when he was 23, it only took Bobby Clarke one year to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a Stanley Cup. 

The then-24-year-old scored 16 points in 17 games during the 1974 Cup run, which included three multi-point games. 

Clarke mirrored that point haul in the subsequent playoffs, leading the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cups. The franchise hasn’t won one since, among the teams with the longest Stanley Cup droughts.

4. Ted Kennedy (23 years old, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1949)

The Toronto Maple Leafs had won back-to-back Stanley Cups when Ted Kennedy was named captain in the fall of 1948. As the 23-year-old captain, Kennedy led the team to a third straight championship. 

It was the first time a team won three straight Stanley Cups, though only the Original Six competed.

3. Wayne Gretzky (23 years old, Edmonton Oilers, 1984)

Gretzky became captain of the Edmonton Oilers before the 1983-84 season, propelling the team to their first Stanley Cup that season.

He notched 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 19 playoff games, with the Oilers ending the New York Islanders’ run of four successive Stanley Cups, beating them in five games. 

The Great One won three Cups in the next four seasons as the Oilers’ captain before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.

2. Jonathan Toews (22 years old, Chicago Blackhawks, 2010)

I can’t imagine what it would have been like to end a franchise’s 49-year Stanley Cup drought as a 22-year-old captain. 

Not only did Jonathan Toews pull off the improbable feat as the leader of the Chicago Blackhawks, but he did so in style, becoming one of the youngest Conn Smythe Trophy winners in NHL history.  

1. Sidney Crosby (21 years old, Penguins, 2009)

Sid was still a kid when he drove the Penguins to the Stanley Cup as the team’s fresh-faced 21-year-old captain. 

Not only is Sidney Crosby the youngest captain ever to win, but he lifted the Cup for the first time four years younger than Lemieux, his idol and mentor. 

He scored 31 points in 24 games during the playoff run. Despite that impressive point haul, teammate Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy. 

Who Is the Oldest Player to Win a Stanley Cup?

In 2008, Chris Chelios won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings when he was 46 years old. 

Who Is the Youngest Player to Win a Stanley Cup?

Larry Hillman was 18 years old when he won the Cup with the Red Wings in 1955. 

Who Is the Youngest Goalie to Win the Stanley Cup? 

Patrick Roy was 20 years old when he won the Cup in 1986. 

Who Is the Oldest Goalie to Win the Stanley Cup? 

Despite being the backup for most of the playoff run, Dominik Hasek won the Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Red Wings at 43.