 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | ECHL team with the most points in the regular season |
| History | |
| First award | 1988–89 ECHL season |
| First winner | Erie Panthers |
| Most wins | Alaska Aces Toledo Walleye (5 each) |
| Most recent | Kansas City Mavericks |
The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. The Brabham Cup has been awarded 34 times to 16 different franchises since its debut in 1989.[1]
Unlike the playoff championship, which was originally awarded with the Riley Cup and now the Kelly Cup, the trophy was introduced during the league's inaugural season in 1988 by the league's board of governors and was named after in recognition of Henry Brabham, who co-founded the ECHL in 1988–89 with five teams in four states. Brabham, who was the first inductee into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2008, owned three of the original five teams. The Virginia businessman was crucial to the league surviving its earliest seasons.
Only five Brabham Cup winners have gone on to win the ECHL Kelly Cup playoff championship, with the Alaska Aces doing so three times, despite the guaranteed home-ice advantage in all rounds of the playoffs.
Eight franchises — the Alaska Aces, Cincinnati Cyclones, Florida Everblades, Idaho Steelheads, Knoxville Cherokees franchise (including the Pee Dee Pride), Louisiana IceGators, Toledo Storm franchise (including Toledo Walleye), and the Thunderbirds/Nailers franchise (the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds and the Wheeling Thunderbirds/Nailers) have won the Brabham Cup on multiple occasions, with the Aces and Storm/Walleye winning five times, the Everblades winning four, the former Cherokees/Pride and Thunderbirds/Nailers franchises having won three each, while the others have two.
Defunct franchises are listed in italics.
| Year | Winner | Points | Playoff result | Cup # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | Erie Panthers | 77 | Lost Semifinals (CAR)[2] | 1 |
| 1989–90 | Winston-Salem Thunderbirds | 82 | Lost Riley Cup Finals (GRE)[3] | 1 |
| 1990–91 | Knoxville Cherokees | 97 | Lost Division Semifinals (LOU)[4] | 1 |
| 1991–92 | Toledo Storm | 95 | Lost Division 1st Round (LOU)[5] | 1 |
| 1992–93 | Wheeling Thunderbirds | 88 | Lost Riley Cup Finals (TOL)[6] | 2 |
| 1993–94 | Knoxville Cherokees | 94 | Lost 1st Round (LOU)[7] | 2 |
| 1994–95 | Wheeling Thunderbirds | 97 | Lost 1st Round (BIR) | 3 |
| 1995–96 | Richmond Renegades | 105 | Lost Riley Cup Quarterfinals (JAX) | 1 |
| 1996–97 | South Carolina Stingrays | 100 | Won Kelly Cup[8] | 1 |
| 1997–98 | Louisiana IceGators | 96 | Lost Kelly Cup Semifinals (PEN)[9] | 1 |
| 1998–99 | Pee Dee Pride | 106 | Lost Conference Finals (MIS)[10] | 3 |
| 1999–00 | Florida Everblades | 108 | Lost Conference Quarterfinals (AUG)[11] | 1 |
| 2000–01 | Trenton Titans | 104 | Lost Kelly Cup Finals (SC)[12] | 1 |
| 2001–02 | Louisiana IceGators | 116 | Lost Division Semifinals (JAC)[13] | 2 |
| 2002–03 | Toledo Storm | 104 | Lost Division Finals (CIN)[14] | 2 |
| 2003–04 | San Diego Gulls | 108 | Lost Division Semifinals (AK) | 1 |
| 2004–05 | Pensacola Ice Pilots | 107 | Lost Conference Quarterfinals (GVL)[15] | 1 |
| 2005–06 | Alaska Aces | 113 | Won Kelly Cup[16] | 1 |
| 2006–07 | Las Vegas Wranglers | 106 | Lost Conference Semifinals (IDH)[17] | 1 |
| 2007–08 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 115 | Won Kelly Cup[18] | 1 |
| 2008–09 | Florida Everblades | .7301 | Lost Division Finals (SC)[19] | 2 |
| 2009–10 | Idaho Steelheads[20] | 103 | Lost Kelly Cup Finals (CIN)[21] | 1 |
| 2010–11 | Alaska Aces[22][23] | 97 | Won Kelly Cup[24] | 2 |
| 2011–12 | Alaska Aces | 97 | Lost Conference Finals (LV) | 3 |
| 2012–13 | Alaska Aces | 106 | Lost Conference Semifinals (STK) | 4 |
| 2013–14 | Alaska Aces | 97 | Won Kelly Cup | 5 |
| 2014–15 | Toledo Walleye | 107 | Lost Conference Finals (SC) | 3 |
| 2015–16 | Missouri Mavericks | 109 | Lost Conference Semifinals (ALN) | 1 |
| 2016–17 | Toledo Walleye | 106 | Lost Conference Finals (COL) | 4 |
| 2017–18 | Florida Everblades | 112 | Lost Kelly Cup Finals (COL) | 3 |
| 2018–19 | Cincinnati Cyclones | 110 | Lost Division Finals (TOL) | 2 |
| 2019–20 | Not awarded2 | |||
| 2020–21 | Florida Everblades | .6673 | Lost Conference Semifinals (SC) | 4 |
| 2021–22 | Toledo Walleye | .7083 | Lost Kelly Cup Finals (FLA) | 5 |
| 2022–23 | Idaho Steelheads | 119 | Lost Kelly Cup Finals (FLA) | 2 |
| 2023–24 | Kansas City Mavericks | 114 | Lost Kelly Cup Finals (FLA) | 1 |
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