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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Competition | Calder Cup playoffs |
| Awarded for | Winner of theAmerican Hockey League playoffs |
| History | |
| First award | 1937 |
| First winner | Syracuse Stars |
| Most wins | Hershey Bears (13) |
| Most recent | Abbotsford Canucks (1) |
TheCalder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in1937 to theSyracuse Stars.[N 1]
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilianmahogany. In its current shape, the trophy has a two-tiered square base with commemorative plaques for each of the AHL's 20 most recent champions: 12 on the bottom tier and 8 on the top tier. Each time a new championship plaque is added, the oldest plaque is retired and joins a display at theHockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
TheHershey Bears have won the Cup more times than any other team, with thirteen victories in franchise history. TheCleveland Barons come in second with nine; theSpringfield Indians/Kings are third with seven. Eight teams have won back-to-back championships; theSpringfield Indians of 1960–62 are the only team to have won three straight Calder Cup championships.
On three occasions an AHL club has won the Calder Cup coincidentally with its NHL affiliate winning the Stanley Cup: in1976 and1977 when theMontreal Canadiens and their AHL affiliate, theNova Scotia Voyageurs both won, and in1995, when theNew Jersey Devils andAlbany River Rats both won.[1] This also occurred within the ECHL, with its ECHL affiliate winning theKelly Cup: in2009 when theSouth Carolina Stingrays and their AHL affiliate, theHershey Bears both won.
The Calder Cup was not awarded in 2020 and 2021 as the AHL did not hold a playoff due to effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[2]
The trophy is named afterFrank Calder, who was the first president of theNational Hockey League.[1] TheCalder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the Rookie of the Year in theNational Hockey League, was also named after Calder.
As a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the2019–20 AHL season was cancelled and the Calder Cup was not awarded in 2020. Previously, it had been the oldest continuously awarded professional ice hockey playoff trophy, having been presented annually from 1936–37 to 2018–19.[N 2]