O'Brien Trophy
| O'Brien Trophy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Established | 1910 |
| Current holder(s) | None (Retired trophy) |
| Awarded to the | 1910–17: NHA champion 1918–1927: NHL playoff champion 1927–1938: NHL Canadian Division champion 1939–50: NHL Playoff runner-up |
The O'Brien Trophy, or O'Brien Cup,[1][2][3] as labelled on the trophy itself, is a retired trophy that was awarded in the the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) ice hockey leagues of North America from 1910 to 1950. It was originally donated to the NHA by Canadian Senator M.J. O'Brien in honor of his son, Ambrose O'Brien, and has been awarded under four definitions: from the 1910 to 1916–17 NHA seasons, it was awarded to the NHA champion; for the 1917–18 season, the trophy was transferred to the NHL and awarded to the NHL playoff champion until 1927. Starting in the 1927–28 season, it was awarded to the Canadian Division Champion until 1938; and starting with the 1938–39 season, it was awarded to the NHL Playoff Runner-Up. In 1950, the trophy was retired for good and has not been awarded since. The trophy has been awarded at the end of 41 seasons to 12 different teams. It is now in the collection of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Contents |
History
The Cup was donated to the National Hockey Association by Canadian Senator Michael J. O'Brien in honour of his son, Ambrose O'Brien, who was credited with the formation of the National Hockey Association, the forerunner to the NHL. The trophy was originally to be given to the NHA's championship team.[4] Made entirely from silver from the O'Brien mine, the trophy's value was estimated at $600. Like the Stanley Cup, trustees were named for the trophy. These were NHA executives Harry Trihey, Emmett Quinn and T. Yates Foster.[5]
After the NHA suspended in 1917, it was taken over by the National Hockey League and awarded to the NHL champions and the winner of this trophy would move on to face the winners of other leagues for the Stanley Cup. In 1925, the NHL inaugurated the Prince of Wales Trophy, which also was presented to the NHL champions.
From 1927–28 onwards, one year after the NHL expanded to two divisions in 1926, the trophy was awarded to the winner of the Canadian Division, while the Prince of Wales Trophy was awarded to the winner of the American Division.[6] It would be awarded under this definition until the end of the 1937–38 season.
The 1938–39 NHL season saw the NHL move back to a single division, and from that point on the trophy was awarded to the Stanley Cup runner-up. The trophy was not formally awarded from 1939 to 1943 and it would not be until 1944 that the winning teams from that period were inscribed on the trophy. At the end of the 1949–50 NHL season the trophy was retired and has not been awarded since.[4] It is now in the collection of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario and is on display with other historic trophies in the entrance to the Panasonic Hometown Hockey exhibit.
The Montreal Canadiens have won it the most, having won the trophy 10 times. The Toronto Maple Leafs have won it the second most, a total of nine times, seven as the Maple Leafs, once as the St. Patricks and once as the Torontos. The Detroit Red Wings have won the trophy the most times of any American team, having won it five times.
Winners
| Wins | Team |
|---|---|
| 11 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs (6 wins) St. Patricks (1 win) Toronto[A] (1 win) |
| 6 | Ottawa Senators |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 2 | Quebec Bulldogs |
| Montreal Maroons | |
| Boston Bruins | |
| 1 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| New York Rangers | |
| Toronto Blueshirts |
- Key
- * = Defunct Teams
- ^ = Eventual Stanley Cup champions
NHA Champion
| Season | Winner | Win # |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | Montreal Wanderers * ^ | 1 |
| 1910–11 | Ottawa Senators * | 1 |
| 1911–12 | Quebec Bulldogs * ^ | 1 |
| 1912–13 | Quebec Bulldogs * ^ | 2 |
| 1913–14 | Toronto Blueshirts * ^ | 1 |
| 1914–15 | Ottawa Senators * | 2 |
| 1915–16 | Montreal Canadiens ^ | 1 |
| 1916–17 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 |
NHL Playoff Champion
| Season | Winner | Win # |
|---|---|---|
| 1917–18 | Torontos (nicknamed the Arenas)[A] | 1 |
| 1918–19 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 |
| 1919–20 | Ottawa Senators * ^ | 3 |
| 1920–21 | Ottawa Senators * ^ | 4 |
| 1921–22 | Toronto St. Patricks ^ (Formerly Toronto) |
2 |
| 1922–23 | Ottawa Senators * ^ | 5 |
| 1923–24 | Montreal Canadiens[B] | 4 |
| 1924–25 | Montreal Canadiens[B] | 5 |
| 1925–26 | Montreal Maroons[B] * ^ | 1 |
| 1926–27 | Ottawa Senators[B] * ^ | 6 |
NHL Canadian Division Champion
| Season | Winner | Win # |
|---|---|---|
| 1927–28 | Montreal Canadiens | 6 |
| 1928–29 | Montreal Canadiens | 7 |
| 1929–30 | Montreal Maroons * ^ | 2 |
| 1930–31 | Montreal Canadiens ^ | 8 |
| 1931–32 | Montreal Canadiens | 9 |
| 1932–33 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 |
| 1933–34 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 |
| 1934–35 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 |
| 1935–36 | Montreal Maroons * | 2 |
| 1936–37 | Montreal Canadiens | 10 |
| 1937–38 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 6 |
NHL Playoffs Runner-Up
| Season | Winner | Win # |
|---|---|---|
| 1938–39 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7 |
| 1939–40 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 8 |
| 1940–41 | Detroit Red Wings | 1 |
| 1941–42 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 |
| 1942–43 | Boston Bruins | 1 |
| 1943–44 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1 |
| 1944–45 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 |
| 1945–46 | Boston Bruins | 2 |
| 1946–47 | Montreal Canadiens | 11 |
| 1947–48 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 |
| 1948–49 | Detroit Red Wings | 5 |
| 1949–50 | New York Rangers | 1 |
Source: Fischler(1983), p.34.
Notes
- ^ A. The Toronto club was operated by Arena Co., and had no nickname from 1917 to 1918.
- ^ B. These years are listed on page 34 of Fischler(1983), but are not listed on the Hockey Hall of Fame website. The team pictures for the 1925-26 Maroons and the 1926-27 Senators both show the O'Brien Cup as one of the trophies won that season.
See also
- List of National Hockey League awards
- List of pre-NHL seasons
- Stanley Cup
- National Hockey Association
References
- Coleman, Charles (1966). Trail of the Stanley Cup. National Hockey League.
- Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley Walton (1983). The Hockey Encyclopedia. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0025384007.
- General
- "O'Brien Trophy history". LegendsofHockey.net. http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/silver_splashobrien.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
- "Stanley Cup Champions and Finalists". NHL. http://www.nhl.com/cup/champs.html. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
- Specific
- ↑ Coleman(1966) p. 189
- ↑ "Hockey Begins". Time Magazine (Time Inc.). November 28, 1927. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,751734,00.html.
- ↑ Jenish, D'Arcy (2008). The Montreal Canadiens: 100 years of glory. Random House of Canada Limited. ISBN 9780385663243.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "O'Brien Trophy history". LegendsofHockey.net. http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/silver_splashobrien.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
- ↑ "O'Brien Trophy Trustees Named". Ottawa Citizen: p. 8. February 22, 1910.
- ↑ "History of the Prince of Wales Trophy". LegendsofHockey.net. http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/silver_splashprinceofwales.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
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