O'Brien Trophy (ice hockey)

O'Brien Trophy
SportIce hockey
Awarded for1910–17: NHA champion
1921–1927: NHL playoff champion
1927–1938: NHL Canadian Division champion
1939–50: NHL playoff runner-up
History
First award1910 NHA season
Final award1949–50 NHL season
First winnerMontreal Wanderers
Most winsMontreal Canadiens (11)
Most recentNone (Retired trophy)

The O'Brien Trophy, or O'Brien Cup,[1][2][3][4] as labelled on the trophy itself, is a retired trophy that was awarded in 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 honour of his son, Ambrose O'Brien. The Cup was fabricated using silver from an O'Brien mine.

The Cup has been awarded under four definitions. From 1910 through 1917, it was awarded to the NHA champion. In 1921, the Cup was transferred to the NHL and awarded to the NHL playoff champion until 1926–27. From 1927–28 until 1937–38, it was awarded to the Canadian Division regular season champion. Starting with the 1938–39 season, it was awarded to the NHL playoff runner-up. After 1949–50, the Cup was retired and has not been awarded since. In total, the Cup has been awarded in 41 seasons to twelve different teams. The Cup is now in the collection of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference TheOBrienCup was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Coleman(1966) p. 189
  3. ^ "Hockey Begins". Time Magazine. Time Inc. November 28, 1927. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010.
  4. ^ Jenish, D'Arcy (2008). The Montreal Canadiens: 100 years of glory. Random House of Canada Limited. ISBN 978-0-385-66324-3.