Ranking Best Canadian Sports Teams: NHL, NBA, MLS, MLB

Canada has been a present force in almost every single sporting league in North America. From the NBA, NHL, MLS, and the MLB, you can have multiple Canadian teams to wager on. So far, most of these Canadian teams have left their mark in the game, and it cannot be denied that Canada has enjoyed success from these teams’ elite performances over the years.

Which Canadian Teams are the Most Successful?

There are a total of 12 Canadian teams playing in four different North American sports leagues, with the NHL having the most number of Canadian teams at seven. The MLS sports a total of three clubs, while the MLB and the NBA have one Canadian team each. It is worth noting that there are no Canadian teams in the NFL just yet, considering that the country has its prominent football league.

The Edmonton Oilers are the latest Canadian team to reach any league final image

Over the years, Canadian teams have become quite fun to watch, with multiple teams coming up with impressive strides and showing that they have what it takes to perform on the big stage. With that said, measuring the success of a team can be a real ordeal, considering that one can take a team’s record over the years as a point of reference, and even the number of players from a respective team who won MVPs and other individual accolades.

However, all teams in all sports leagues play for a much bigger goal than just season records, individual accolades, and many more – a championship. And that is the best basis that we can use to determine which Canadian team has been more successful in their respective leagues over the years.

Team	League	Championships
Montreal Canadiens	NHL	24
Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	13
Edmonton Oilers	NHL	5
Toronto Blue Jays	MLB	2
Toronto Raptors	NBA	1
Toronto FC	MLS	1
Calgary Flames	NHL	1
Winnipeg Jets	NHL	0
Ottawa Senators	NHL	0
Vancouver Canucks	NHL	0
CF Montreal	MLS	0
Vancouver Whitcaps	MLS	0

As it stands, the Montreal Canadiens are the most successful team among Canadian squads in four North American leagues. The Toronto Maple Leafs follow suit with 13 titles and joins the Canadiens as the only team to have double-digit title wins. The Edmonton Oilers rank third on the list with five championships, followed by the Toronto Blue Jays, who won twice in the MLB. The Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, and the Calgary Flames all have one title won each.

It is worth noting that all of these title wins have taken a long time ago. In the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens were the last to win a championship in 1993, while the Oilers came close to ending that Canadian drought in the previous season’s Stanley Cup Final. In the MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993, but never reached the World Series stage after that. In the MLS, Toronto FC has a lone winning year in three appearances, clinching the MLS Cup in 2017.

The most recent Canadian team win? The Toronto Raptors secured its first league title ever in the 2019 NBA Finals but has not reached elite playoff contention level ever since after going through a rebuild and missing out on deep playoff runs in the 2020s.

A Standard of Success: Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are the winningest team in Canada image

As the winningest Canadian team, the Canadiens definitely hold the distinction of being the standard of success in Canadian sports. After all – winning a total of 24 titles is such a promise as it is the second-most league title wins in various sports leagues, with the New York Yankees being the only team ahead of the list with 27 league titles won. It cannot be denied that the Canadiens have high hopes of being a promising team to look out for over the years. The team did had a chance to come up with a huge campaign in 2021 and end their decades-long title drought, but ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, the Canadiens are a contending team in the NHL right now, which means fans can hope for them to add more to the title tally in the coming years.

A City of Champions: Toronto

The Toronto Raptors were the latest team in the city to win a league championship image

When it comes to championships by teams in a city, Toronto is indeed the finest one to look out for as its three sports teams, The Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto FC have all won at least one title in their respective leagues. This just shows how Toronto teams are playing at a high level and have managed to capture a league title at least once over the years. While not all of them are seen as contenders right now, it is worth noting that teams take time to rebuild, and we can expect them to actually come back stronger in the coming years as well.

A Sport Dominated by Canadians: The NHL

The NHL is dominated by many Canadian teams image

Among 12 Canadian sports teams in North American top-tier leagues, there are a total of seven teams that are in the NHL, and four of those have at least won a single league title, with the Canadiens leading the title tally at 24 in 35 appearances. If you are not impressed, it is worth noting that the top three teams in the NHL with at least 10 or more championships are dominated by Canadian teams, with the Maple Leafs coming in second with 13 league titles. With these teams, including the Edmonton Oilers and even the Calgary Flames being a promising contender to watch in the league right now, it is no secret that Canadian teams are indeed considered to be beasts in the ice hockey rink at this point in time.

Canada Rising

Considering the fact that they are present in almost every league that many fans follow, it is easy to say that Canadian teams expect a lot of praise for their success in various leagues, and that is why they are truly relevant in the sports world at this point. If you are not impressed, it should be noted that Canada finished 12th overall in the medal haul of the 2024 Paris Olympics – tallying a total of 27 medals. That says a lot about the country’s rise to prominence in the sports world as well.

Don’t miss out on the latest scoops in the sports and esports world! Here at GambleSpot, you can be sure to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in your favorite leagues! See our news, blogs, game predictions, tournament previews, game analyses, betting guides, and many other sports-related content that you can use to come up with informed wagers for a chance to score handsome rewards in your bets!