Hockey Central contains records for the NHL and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The coveted Calder Cup has been a motivational force for American Hockey League teams throughout the League's 69-year history. It is one of our sport's greatest challenges and ultimate honors to hoist the Calder Cup in victory.
The trophy is named for Frank Calder, who served as the National Hockey League's first President from 1917 to 1943. During the 1920's, Mr. Calder was instrumental in guiding hockey into the mainstream of American's major cities including Boston, New York, Detroit and Chicago, while helping in the formation of the American League.
A total of 25 different cities have had their AHL member club win the Calder Cup, including the original Cleveland Barons, who played in the AHL from 1936 to 1972 and won nine championships. The Hershey Bears have won the most championships of all franchises with a record total of eleven championships, the first in 1947 and the most recent in 2010, and have played in a record 22 Finals series in their 80 seasons.
Twenty-six members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have won the Calder Cup, including Terry Sawchuk, Emile Francis, Gerry Cheevers, Larry Robinson, Johnny Bower, Al Arbour, Frank Mathers and Tim Horton.
Not only have great players won the Calder Cup, but outstanding coaches have also hoisted the AHL's championship trophy. Hall of Famer Fred "Bun" Cook holds the distinction of winning seven Calder Cups in his career; no other AHL head coach has ever won more than three.
In 2004, Tampa Bay's John Tortorella became just the fourth man ever to win both the Stanley Cup and the Calder Cup as a head coach. Other current NHL head coaches with Calder Cup titles on their resumes include Nashville's Barry Trotz (Portland, 1994), Atlanta's Bob Hartley (Hershey, 1997) and Carolina's Peter Laviolette (Providence, 1999).
More than 100 players and coaches have won both the Calder Cup and Stanley Cup in their careers, including Andy Bathgate, Brian Engblom, Adam Graves, Doug Harvey, Martin Lapointe, Pete Mahovlich, Billy Smith and three-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Roy.
Calder Cup-winning teams have impacted significantly on the success of their NHL parent clubs. The Montreal Canadiens twice have won the Stanley Cup in the year following Calder Cup championships by their AHL affiliate. On three occasions an AHL club and their NHL affiliate won their respective championships in the same year. In 1976 and 1977, the Montreal Canadiens and their AHL affiliate, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, won their respective League titles. More recently the 1995 Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils also had their AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, win the Calder Cup championship that same year.
Only one team in 73 years has been able to win the Calder Cup in three consecutive seasons. The Springfield Indians, under the leadership of Hockey and AHL Hall of Famers Eddie Shore and Jack Butterfield, skated to Calder Cup championships in 1960, 1961 and 1962.
© National Hockey League, NHL, the logo of the NHL and the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.
All NHL logos and marks and team names and team logos depicted here in are the property of the NHL and the respective teams. All rights reserved.