The Calder Cup

The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League (AHL). First awarded in the 1937–38 season, it is named after Frank Calder, first president of the National Hockey League. The Calder Cup is distinct from the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the Rookie of the Year in the National Hockey League.[1]

Teams from 28 different cities have won the Calder Cup. The Hershey Bears have won 12 championships, the most of any team currently in the AHL, and have competed in 24 finals, the most of any team in AHL history, compiling a 12–12 record in the finals. Teams representing Cleveland, Ohio are second, with 10 total championships (nine by the Barons franchise, which competed in the league until 1973, and the city's current team - the Cleveland Monsters - winning the 10th in 2016.)[2]

On May 11, 2020, the AHL cancelled the remainder of the 2019–20 AHL season and the 2020 Calder Cup playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the first time that a Calder Cup champion was not awarded in the trophy's history.[3] It was also not awarded in 2021 as the league did not hold a playoff (even though the AHL did play a delayed and shortened regular season).[4]

The Most Valuable Player of the playoffs is awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy. It was first awarded in 1984 and is named after the former president of the AHL, Jack Butterfield. The trophy has been won by 35 different players, with none having won it more than once.[5]

List of winners

Key

Note: All Jack A. Butterfield Trophy winners played for the winning team, unless otherwise noted.

The Philadelphia Phantoms swept the Chicago Wolves to win the 2005 Calder Cup in front of a playoff record crowd of 20,103.
The Hamilton Bulldogs celebrate their Calder Cup win in 2007
The Chicago Wolves celebrate winning the 2008 Calder Cup
Season Winning team Series Losing team Jack A. Butterfield Trophy Winning head coach
1936–37 Syracuse Stars (1) 3–1 Philadelphia Ramblers Not awarded Eddie Powers
1937–38 Providence Reds (1) 3–1 Syracuse Stars Fred (Bun) Cook
1938–39 Cleveland Barons (1) 3–1 Philadelphia Ramblers Bill Cook
1939–40 Providence Reds (2) 3–0 Pittsburgh Hornets Fred (Bun) Cook (2)
1940–41 Cleveland Barons (2) 3–2 Hershey Bears Bill Cook (2)
1941–42 Indianapolis Capitals (1) 3–2 Hershey Bears Herb Lewis
1942–43 Buffalo Bisons (1) 3–0 Indianapolis Capitals Art Chapman
1943–44 Buffalo Bisons (2) 4–0 Cleveland Barons Art Chapman (2)
1944–45 Cleveland Barons (3) 4–2 Hershey Bears Fred (Bun) Cook (3)
1945–46 Buffalo Bisons (3) 4–3 Cleveland Barons Frank Beisler
1946–47 Hershey Bears (1) 4–3 Pittsburgh Hornets Don Penniston
1947–48 Cleveland Barons (4) 4–0 Buffalo Bisons Fred (Bun) Cook (4)
1948–49 Providence Reds (3) 4–3 Hershey Bears Terry Reardon
1949–50 Indianapolis Capitals (2) 4–0 Cleveland Barons Ott Heller
1950–51 Cleveland Barons (5) 4–3 Pittsburgh Hornets Fred (Bun) Cook (5)
1951–52 Pittsburgh Hornets (1) 4–2 Providence Reds King Clancy
1952–53 Cleveland Barons (6) 4–3 Pittsburgh Hornets Fred (Bun) Cook (6)
1953–54 Cleveland Barons (7) 4–2 Hershey Bears Fred (Bun) Cook (7)
1954–55 Pittsburgh Hornets (2) 4–2 Buffalo Bisons Howie Meeker
1955–56 Providence Reds (4) 4–0 Cleveland Barons John Crawford
1956–57 Cleveland Barons (8) 4–1 Rochester Americans Jack Gordon
1957–58 Hershey Bears (2) 4–2 Springfield Indians Frank Mathers
1958–59 Hershey Bears (3) 4–2 Buffalo Bisons Frank Mathers (2)
1959–60 Springfield Indians (1) 4–1 Rochester Americans Pat Egan
1960–61 Springfield Indians (2) 4–0 Hershey Bears Pat Egan (2)
1961–62 Springfield Indians (3) 4–1 Buffalo Bisons Pat Egan (3)
1962–63 Buffalo Bisons (4) 4–3 Hershey Bears Bill Reay
1963–64 Cleveland Barons (9) 4–0 Quebec Aces Fred Glover
1964–65 Rochester Americans (1) 4–1 Hershey Bears Joe Crozier
1965–66 Rochester Americans (2) 4–2 Cleveland Barons Joe Crozier (2)
1966–67 Pittsburgh Hornets (1)[A] 4–0 Rochester Americans Baz Bastien
1967–68 Rochester Americans (3) 4–2 Quebec Aces Joe Crozier (3)
1968–69 Hershey Bears (4) 4–1 Quebec Aces Frank Mathers (3)
1969–70 Buffalo Bisons (5) 4–0 Springfield Kings Fred Shero
1970–71 Springfield Kings (4) 4–0 Providence Reds Johnny Wilson
1971–72 Nova Scotia Voyageurs (1) 4–2 Baltimore Clippers Al MacNeil
1972–73 Cincinnati Swords (1) 4–1 Nova Scotia Voyageurs Floyd Smith
1973–74 Hershey Bears (5) 4–1 Providence Reds Chuck Hamilton
1974–75 Springfield Indians (5) 4–1 New Haven Nighthawks Ron Stewart
1975–76 Nova Scotia Voyageurs (2) 4–1 Hershey Bears Al MacNeil (2)
1976–77 Nova Scotia Voyageurs (3) 4–2 Rochester Americans Al MacNeil (3)
1977–78 Maine Mariners (1) 4–1 New Haven Nighthawks Bob McCammon
1978–79 Maine Mariners (2) 4–0 New Haven Nighthawks Bob McCammon (2)
1979–80 Hershey Bears (6) 4–2 New Brunswick Hawks Doug Gibson
1980–81 Adirondack Red Wings (1) 4–2 Maine Mariners Tom Webster and J.P. LeBlanc (co-coaches)
1981–82 New Brunswick Hawks (1) 4–1 Binghamton Whalers Orval Tessier
1982–83 Rochester Americans (4) 4–0 Maine Mariners Mike Keenan
1983–84 Maine Mariners (3) 4–1 Rochester Americans Bud Stefanski John Paddock
1984–85 Sherbrooke Canadiens (1) 4–2 Baltimore Skipjacks Brian Skrudland Pierre Creamer
1985–86 Adirondack Red Wings (2) 4–2 Hershey Bears Tim Tookey[B] Bill Dineen
1986–87 Rochester Americans (5) 4–3 Sherbrooke Canadiens David Fenyves John Van Boxmeer
1987–88 Hershey Bears (7) 4–0 Fredericton Express Wendell Young John Paddock (2)
1988–89 Adirondack Red Wings (3) 4–1 New Haven Nighthawks Sam St. Laurent Bill Dineen (2)
1989–90 Springfield Indians (6) 4–2 Rochester Americans Jeff Hackett Jim Roberts
1990–91 Springfield Indians (7) 4–2 Rochester Americans Kay Whitmore Jim Roberts (2)
1991–92 Adirondack Red Wings (4) 4–3 St. John's Maple Leafs Allan Bester Barry Melrose
1992–93 Cape Breton Oilers (1) 4–1 Rochester Americans Bill McDougall George Burnett
1993–94 Portland Pirates (1) 4–2 Moncton Hawks Olaf Kölzig Barry Trotz
1994–95 Albany River Rats (1) 4–0 Fredericton Canadiens Corey Schwab & Mike Dunham Robbie Ftorek
1995–96 Rochester Americans (6) 4–3 Portland Pirates Dixon Ward John Tortorella
1996–97 Hershey Bears (8) 4–1 Hamilton Bulldogs Mike McHugh Bob Hartley
1997–98 Philadelphia Phantoms (1) 4–2 Saint John Flames Mike Maneluk Bill Barber
1998–99 Providence Bruins (1) 4–1 Rochester Americans Peter Ferraro Peter Laviolette
1999–00 Hartford Wolf Pack (1) 4–2 Rochester Americans Derek Armstrong John Paddock (3)
2000–01 Saint John Flames (1) 4–2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Steve Begin Jim Playfair
2001–02 Chicago Wolves (1) 4–1 Bridgeport Sound Tigers Pasi Nurminen John Anderson
2002–03 Houston Aeros (1) 4–3 Hamilton Bulldogs Johan Holmqvist Todd McLellan
2003–04 Milwaukee Admirals (1) 4–0 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wade Flaherty Claude Noël
2004–05 Philadelphia Phantoms (2) 4–0 Chicago Wolves Antero Niittymäki John Stevens
2005–06 Hershey Bears (9) 4–2 Milwaukee Admirals Frederic Cassivi Bruce Boudreau
2006–07 Hamilton Bulldogs (1) 4–1 Hershey Bears Carey Price Don Lever
2007–08 Chicago Wolves (2) 4–2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Jason Krog John Anderson (2)
2008–09 Hershey Bears (10) 4–2 Manitoba Moose Michal Neuvirth Bob Woods
2009–10 Hershey Bears (11) 4–2 Texas Stars Chris Bourque Mark French
2010–11 Binghamton Senators (1) 4–2 Houston Aeros Robin Lehner Kurt Kleinendorst
2011–12 Norfolk Admirals (1) 4–0 Toronto Marlies Alexandre Picard Jon Cooper
2012–13 Grand Rapids Griffins (1) 4–2 Syracuse Crunch Tomáš Tatar Jeff Blashill
2013–14 Texas Stars (1) 4–1 St. John's IceCaps Travis Morin Willie Desjardins
2014–15 Manchester Monarchs (1) 4–1 Utica Comets Jordan Weal Mike Stothers
2015–16 Lake Erie Monsters (1) 4–0 Hershey Bears Oliver Bjorkstrand Jared Bednar
2016–17 Grand Rapids Griffins (2) 4–2 Syracuse Crunch Tyler Bertuzzi Todd Nelson
2017–18 Toronto Marlies (1) 4–3 Texas Stars Andreas Johnsson Sheldon Keefe
2018–19 Charlotte Checkers (1) 4–1 Chicago Wolves Andrew Poturalski Mike Vellucci
2019–20 No Calder Cup playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic[6]
2020–21 No Calder Cup playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 Chicago Wolves (3) 4–1 Springfield Thunderbirds Josh Leivo Ryan Warsofsky
2022–23 Hershey Bears (12) 4–3 Coachella Valley Firebirds Hunter Shepard Todd Nelson (2)

^ A. Calder Cup won by second franchise known as the Pittsburgh Hornets. Previous franchise became the Rochester Americans.
^ B. Tim Tookey, Butterfield Trophy winner in 1985–86, played for the Hershey Bears, and is the only Butterfield Trophy winner to date to have played for a losing team in the Calder Cup finals.

Number of Calder Cups won by team

Bold denotes an active AHL team

Team Championships Runner Up PCT.
Hershey Bears 12 12 .500
9 5 .643
7 2 .778
Rochester Americans 6 10 .375
Buffalo Bisons 5 4 .556
Adirondack Red Wings 4 0 1.000
Providence Reds 4 3 .571
Maine Mariners 3 2 .600
Nova Scotia Voyageurs 3 1 .750
Pittsburgh Hornets 3 4 .429
Chicago Wolves 3 2 .600
Grand Rapids Griffins 2 0 1.000
Indianapolis Capitals 2 1 .667
Philadelphia Phantoms 2 0 1.000
Albany River Rats 1 0 1.000
Binghamton Senators 1 0 1.000
Cape Breton Oilers 1 0 1.000
Charlotte Checkers 1 0 1.000
Cincinnati Swords 1 0 1.000
Hamilton Bulldogs 1 1 .500
Hartford Wolf Pack 1 0 1.000
Houston Aeros 1 1 .500
Cleveland Monsters 1 0 1.000
Ontario Reign (Manchester Monarchs) 1 0 1.000
Milwaukee Admirals 1 0 1.000
New Brunswick Hawks 1 1 .500
Norfolk Admirals 1 0 1.000
Portland Pirates 1 1 .500
Providence Bruins 1 0 1.000
Saint John Flames 1 1 .500
Sherbrooke Canadiens 1 1 .500
Syracuse Stars 1 1 .500
Texas Stars 1 2 .333
Toronto Marlies 1 1 .500
Bridgeport Islanders (Sound Tigers) 0 1 .000
Manitoba Moose 0 1 .000
Springfield Thunderbirds 0 1 .000
Baltimore Clippers 0 1 .000
Binghamton Whalers 0 1 .000
Coachella Valley Firebirds 0 1 .000 Utica Comets 0 1 .000
Syracuse Crunch 0 2 .000
Philadelphia Ramblers 0 2 .000
Quebec Aces 0 3 .000
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 0 3 .000
0 4 .000

References

General
  • "Calder Cup Champions". American Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  • "Jack A. Butterfield Trophy". American Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  • "Calder Cup Winners". Slam! Sports. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2008-06-07.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  • "Calder Cup–History". LegendsofHockey.net. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
Specific
  1. ^ "Calder Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2006-04-23. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  2. ^ "The Story of the Calder Cup". American Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2008-02-10. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  3. ^ "AHL cancels remainder of 2019-20 season". American Hockey League. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  4. ^ "American Hockey League Announces Plans for 2021 Playoffs, Sets Calendar for 2021-22". OurSports Central. April 29, 2021.
  5. ^ "Jack A. Butterfield". American Hockey League. 2006-01-05. Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  6. ^ "AHL cancels remainder of 2019-20 season". American Hockey League. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2020-05-11.

External links

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