The O'Brien Trophy, or O'Brien Cup, as labelled on the trophy itself, is a retired trophy that was awarded in the

National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association (NHA), initially the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited, was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor of today's National Hockey Leagu ...

(NHA) and the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL)

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

leagues of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

from 1910 to 1950. It was originally donated to the NHA by Canadian Senator

M. J. O'Brien The Hon. Michael John O'Brien (19 September 1851 – 26 October 1940) was a railway builder, industrialist and philanthropist. He was named to the Senate of Canada in 1918. He was a founder of the town of Renfrew, Ontario. He was instrumental i ...

in honour of his son,

Ambrose O'Brien John Ambrose O'Brien (May 27, 1885 – April 24, 1968) was a Canadian industrialist and sports team owner. He was a founder of the National Hockey Association (NHA), owner of the Renfrew Millionaires and the founding owner of the Montreal Canad ...

. The Cup was fabricated using silver from an O'Brien mine. The Cup has been awarded under four definitions. From

1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...

through

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

, 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 The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

History

The Cup was donated to the

by Canadian Senator Michael J. O'Brien in honour of his son,

, who was credited with the formation of the

, the forerunner to the NHL. The Cup was originally to be given to the NHA's championship team. Made entirely from silver from the O'Brien mine, the trophy's value was estimated at (over CA$ in dollars). Like the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

, trustees were named for the trophy. These were NHA executives Harry Trihey,

Emmett Quinn Thomas Emmett Quinn (September 10, 1877 – February 9, 1930) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, coach and referee. Quinn served as president of the National Hockey Association (NHA), the predecessor of today's National Hockey League (NHL). Hi ...

and T. Yates Foster. Later, Stanley Cup trustee

William Foran William Michael Foran (February 4, 1871 – November 30, 1945) was an ice hockey executive, Stanley Cup trustee and government official. For over 50 years, he was secretary of the Board of Civil Service Examiners and its follow-up organization ...

would become the sole trustee of the O'Brien Cup. On December 2, 1911, the NHA officially designated the trophy as the league's championship trophy. When the NHA was suspended in 1917, the Cup was held by the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. It remained in their care until 1921. In November 1921, it was announced that the Cup would be given over to the

to be awarded annually to the NHL playoff champions. NHL president

Frank Calder Frank Sellick Calder (November 17, 1877 – February 4, 1943) was a British-born Canadian ice hockey executive, journalist, and athlete. Calder was the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1917 until his death in 1943. He ...

arranged with Ambrose O'Brien a new deed of gift. The Cup, which Calder had secured following the death of Montreal President

George Kennedy George Harris Kennedy Jr. (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He played "Dragline" in ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), winning the Academy Award for Best Supp ...

, was then presented to the NHL champion

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

. In 1925, the NHL inaugurated the

Prince of Wales Trophy The Prince of Wales Trophy, also known as the Wales Trophy, is a team award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL). Named for Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor), it has been awarded for different ac ...

, which also was presented to the NHL playoff champions. From 1927–28 onwards, one year after the NHL expanded to two divisions in

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

, the Cup was awarded to the winner of the Canadian Division, while the Prince of Wales Trophy was awarded to the winner of the American Division. It would be awarded under this definition until the end of the 1937–38 season. The

1938–39 NHL season The 1938–39 NHL season was the 22nd season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Montreal Maroons suspended operations prior to the season. With seven teams left played 48 games each, the league reverted back to a one division format. The ...

saw the NHL move back to a single division, and from that point on the Cup was awarded to the playoff runner-up. The Cup was not formally awarded from 1939 to 1943 and it would not be until 1944 that the winning teams from that period were inscribed on the trophy. At the end of the

1949–50 NHL season The 1949–50 NHL season was the 33rd season of the National Hockey League. Six teams played 70 games each. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the New York Rangers in seven games for the Stanley Cup. It was the Red Wings' fourth championship. Leagu ...

, the trophy was retired and has not been awarded since. It is now in the collection of the

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada and is on display with other historic trophies in the entrance to the Panasonic Hometown Hockey exhibit. The

have won it the most, having won the Cup eleven times. The

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

have won it the second most, a total of eight times, six as the Maple Leafs, once as the St. Patricks and once as the Torontos. The

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

have won the Cup the most times of any American team, having won it five times.

Winners

;Key ** = Defunct Teams *^ =

NHA champion

NHL playoff champion

NHL Canadian Division champion

NHL playoff runner-up

Source: Fischler(1983), p. 34.

Notes

*A. The Toronto club was operated by Arena Co., and had no nickname for the 1917–18 season. *B. The trophy was not awarded during these years, but the Hockey Hall of Fame list these teams as the winners. *C. These years are listed on page 34 of Fischler(1983), but are not listed on the Hockey Hall of Fame website. However, the team pictures for the 1925-26 Maroons and the 1926-27 Senators show the O'Brien Cup as one of the trophies they won in those seasons. *D. These totals include the years for when the trophy was not awarded, but are included in the wins listed by the Hall of Fame. *E. These totals include the years for when the trophy was awarded, but are not included in the wins listed by the Hall of Fame.

References

* * * ;General * * ;Specific {{Featured list Defunct National Hockey League trophies and awards National Hockey Association Awards established in 1910 Awards disestablished in 1950