TheNational Hockey League'sCanadian Division was formed after expansion in 1926. The division existed for 12 seasons until 1938. Despite its name, the division contained at least one team based in theUnited States throughout its existence. Its champion was awarded theO'Brien Trophy.[1]
During its run as a separate division, when considered as a whole the Canadian Division was the slightly less successful of the league's two divisions, winning fiveStanley Cup championships compared with seven won by theAmerican Division. Under the cross-over playoff format then in use, Canadian Division teams contested just one intra-divisional Finals, compared to three such series played by American Division teams. Notably however, Canadian teams won all twelve division titles and were the only teams from the division to reach the Finals during this time. Also, each of the four Canadian teams then in existence won the Cup at least once.
