The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning team for one year and is returned at the start of the following years playoffs. The Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player award is also given out as part of the Kelly Cup Championship ceremonies. Nick Vitucci and Dave Gagnon are the only players to win the award on multiple occasions.
15 different franchises have won the ECHL Championship, with five (Hampton Roads, Toledo, South Carolina, Cincinnati and Idaho) winning multiple times. The Hampton Roads Admirals, predecessor of the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League, and the South Carolina Stingrays hold the record for most championships won with three. Current possession of the trophy belongs to the Cincinnati Cyclones, who won it in 2010 after a five game victory over the Idaho Steelheads in the Kelly Cup Final.
List of ECHL Champions[]
Season | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | MVP |
---|---|---|---|---|
1988–89 | Carolina Thunderbirds | 4–3 | Johnstown Chiefs | Nick Vitucci |
1989–90 | Greensboro Monarchs | 4–1 | Winston-Salem Thunderbirds | Wade Flaherty |
1990–91 | Hampton Roads Admirals | 4–1 | Greensboro Monarchs | Dave Flanagan / Dave Gagnon |
1991–92 | Hampton Roads Admirals | 4–0 | Louisville Icehawks | Mark Bernard |
1992–93 | Toledo Storm | 4–2 | Wheeling Thunderbirds | Rick Judson |
1993–94 | Toledo Storm | 4–1 | Raleigh Icecaps | Dave Gagnon |
1994–95 | Richmond Renegades | 4–1 | Greensboro Monarchs | Blaine Moore |
1995–96 | Charlotte Checkers | 4–0 | Jacksonville Lizard Kings | Nick Vitucci |
1996–97 | South Carolina Stingrays | 4–1 | Louisiana IceGators | Jason Fitzsimmons |
1997–98 | Hampton Roads Admirals | 4–2 | Pensacola Ice Pilots | Sebastien Charpentier |
1998–99 | Mississippi Sea Wolves | 4–3 | Richmond Renegades | Travis Scott |
1999–00 | Peoria Rivermen | 4–2 | Louisiana IceGators | J. F. Boutin / Jason Christie |
2000–01 | South Carolina Stingrays | 4–1 | Trenton Titans | Dave Seitz |
2001–02 | Greenville Grrrowl | 4–0 | Dayton Bombers | Simon Gamache / Tyrone Garner |
2002–03 | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies | 4–1 | Columbia Inferno | Kevin Colley |
2003–04 | Idaho Steelheads | 4–1 | Florida Everblades | Dan Ellis |
2004–05 | Trenton Titans | 4–2 | Florida Everblades | Leon Hayward |
2005–06 | Alaska Aces | 4–1 | Gwinnett Gladiators | Mike Scott |
2006–07 | Idaho Steelheads | 4–1 | Dayton Bombers | Steve Silverthorn |
2007–08 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 4–2 | Las Vegas Wranglers | Cedrick Desjardins |
2008–09 | South Carolina Stingrays | 4–3 | Alaska Aces | James Reimer |
2009–10 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 4–1 | Idaho Steelheads | Robert Mayer / Jeremy Smith |
See Also[]
- ECHL Awards