Which NHL Team Has Most Instagram Followers?

Brian Foisy Nov 04, 2025, 3:03 PM

min read

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby prepares to take a face-off with Matt Grzelcyk (24) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 17, 2025.

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

You don’t need a BetMGM hockey article to tell you that social media has become a ubiquitous piece of everyday life.

That ubiquity has, of course, seeped into sports, where every team needs a dedicated social media staff to manage and create content on every conceivable platform. How else will we see the Halloween costumes of players and their wives? Or know that it’s the birthday of a player who retired in 1991?

Instagram, in particular, is one of the most essential platforms for all sports.

Since its founding in 2010, Instagram has become one of the largest social media platforms, boasting approximately 171 million active users in the United States and an additional 19.25 million in Canada.

Not only is social media a business tool for these NHL franchises but it’s also a testament to their clout and reach. Here’s a look at where all the NHL franchises stack up in their follower counts as of November 4.

NHL Team Instagram Followings

Rank	Team	Handle	Followers
1	Pittsburgh Penguins	@penguins	2,889,062
2	Chicago Blackhawks	@nhlblackhawks	1,851,037
3	Boston Bruins	@nhlbruins	1,779,594
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	@mapleleafs	1,576,511
5	New York Rangers	@nyrangers	1,400,073
6	Montreal Canadiens	@canadiensmtl	1,111,430
7	Edmonton Oilers	@edmontonoilers	1,091,504
8	Washington Capitals	@capitals	1,052,407
9	Detroit Red Wings	@detroitredwings	985,735
10	Colorado Avalanche	@coloradoavalanche	832,355
11	Vegas Golden Knights	@vegasgoldenknights	830,787
12	Tampa Bay Lightning	@tblightning	794,411
13	Philadelphia Flyers	@philadelphiaflyers	782,002
14	Vancouver Canucks	@canucks	776,404
15	Los Angeles Kings	@lakings	754,862
16	St Louis Blues	@stlouisblues	722,660
17	Dallas Stars	@dallasstars	700,100
18	Minnesota Wild	@minnesotawild	659,212
19	San Jose Sharks	@sanjosesharks	656,451
20	Seattle Kraken	@seattlekraken	626,569
21	Florida Panthers	@flapanthers	612,882
22	New Jersey Devils	@njdevils	582,160
23	Carolina Hurricanes	@canes	561,572
24	Anaheim Ducks	@anaheimducks	549,712
25	Winnipeg Jets	@nhljets	541,561
26	Buffalo Sabres	@buffalosabres	505,018
27	Nashville Predators	@predsnhl	496,657
28	Calgary Flames	@nhlflames	493,678
29	New York Islanders	@nyislanders	485,231
30	Columbus Blue Jackets	@bluejacketsnhl	468,150
31	Ottawa Senators	@senators	418,101
32	Utah Mammoth	@utahmammoth	240,985

Which NHL Team Has Most Instagram Followers?

The Pittsburgh Penguins currently have the most followers, by a significant margin. More than a million followers separate the Penguins from the next-highest, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Why is this the case? Pittsburgh’s Big Three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang rose to prominence at a very opportune time for the broader adoption of social media.

Their two most recent Stanley Cups came within 6 and 7 years of Instagram’s launch. Additionally, much of Instagram’s Gen Z user base grew up as Crosby and the Big Three became a significant force in the NHL.