# Kelly Cup

The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning team for one year and is returned at the start of the following year's playoffs, although the trophy itself has been replaced three times with the first two iterations preserved in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player award is also given out as part of the Kelly Cup Championship ceremonies. Nick Vitucci, Dave Gagnon and Cam Johnson are the only players to win the award on multiple occasions, with Johnson the only player to win the award in consecutive years.
Eighteen different teams have won the ECHL Championship, with nine (Alaska, Allen, Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida, Hampton Roads, Idaho, South Carolina, and Toledo) winning multiple times. The Florida Everblades hold the record for most championships won with four. The Colorado Eagles, who won it in 2018 for their second consecutive title, moved to the American Hockey League in 2018–19. In 2019, the Eagles' ownership did not return the Kelly Cup to the ECHL before the playoffs, leading to the league creating a replacement trophy for the 2019 Kelly Cup playoffs. The Eagles' ownership eventually returned the cup before the 2019–20 season, and the league returned its status to be the primary trophy. The 2019 Kelly Cup was the fourth copy of the trophy, but was allowed to be kept by the Newfoundland Growlers when the previous cup returned to circulation.
On one occasions an ECHL club has won the Kelly Cup coincidentally with its NHL affiliate winning the Stanley Cup: 2024 when the Florida Panthers and their ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades both won. This also occurred with its AHL affiliate winning the Calder Cup: 2009 when the Hershey Bears and their ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays both won.

## Playoff format

The Kelly Cup playoffs is an elimination tournament, consisting of four rounds of a best-of-seven series. The format has changed often throughout the years. Since 2016–17, the top four point earners from each division qualify. The first two playoff rounds are played within each division, followed by the conference finals (contested between the four division winners), and ending with the Kelly Cup finals (featuring the two conference champions).

## List of ECHL champions

    MVP was a member of the defeated team in the Kelly Cup Finals
| Season | Winning team | Score | Losing team | MVP |
| 1989 | Carolina Thunderbirds (1) | 4–3 | Johnstown Chiefs | Nick Vitucci |
| 1990 | Greensboro Monarchs (1) | 4–1 | Winston-Salem Thunderbirds | Wade Flaherty |
| 1991 | Hampton Roads Admirals (1) | 4–1 | Greensboro Monarchs | Dave Flanagan / Dave Gagnon |
| 1992 | Hampton Roads Admirals (2) | 4–0 | Louisville Icehawks | Mark Bernard |
| 1993 | Toledo Storm (1) | 4–2 | Wheeling Thunderbirds | Rick Judson |
| 1994 | Toledo Storm (2) | 4–1 | Raleigh IceCaps | Dave Gagnon (2) |
| 1995 | Richmond Renegades (1) | 4–1 | Greensboro Monarchs | Blaine Moore |
| 1996 | Charlotte Checkers (1) | 4–0 | Jacksonville Lizard Kings | Nick Vitucci (2) |
| 1997 | South Carolina Stingrays (1) | 4–1 | Louisiana IceGators | Jason Fitzsimmons |
| 1998 | Hampton Roads Admirals (3) | 4–2 | Pensacola Ice Pilots | Sebastien Charpentier |
| 1999 | Mississippi Sea Wolves (1) | 4–3 | Richmond Renegades | Travis Scott |
| 2000 | Peoria Rivermen (1) | 4–2 | Louisiana IceGators | J. F. Boutin / Jason Christie |
| 2001 | South Carolina Stingrays (2) | 4–1 | Trenton Titans | Dave Seitz |
| 2002 | Greenville Grrrowl (1) | 4–0 | Dayton Bombers | Simon Gamache / Tyrone Garner |
| 2003 | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (1) | 4–1 | Columbia Inferno | Kevin Colley |
| 2004 | Idaho Steelheads (1) | 4–1 | Florida Everblades | Dan Ellis |
| 2005 | Trenton Titans (1) | 4–2 | Florida Everblades | Leon Hayward |
| 2006 | Alaska Aces (1) | 4–1 | Gwinnett Gladiators | Mike Scott |
| 2007 | Idaho Steelheads (2) | 4–1 | Dayton Bombers | Steve Silverthorn |
| 2008 | Cincinnati Cyclones (1) | 4–2 | Las Vegas Wranglers | Cedrick Desjardins |
| 2009 | South Carolina Stingrays (3) | 4–3 | Alaska Aces | James Reimer |
| 2010 | Cincinnati Cyclones (2) | 4–1 | Idaho Steelheads | Robert Mayer / Jeremy Smith |
| 2011 | Alaska Aces (2) | 4–1 | Kalamazoo Wings | Scott Howes |
| 2012 | Florida Everblades (1) | 4–1 | Las Vegas Wranglers | John Muse |
| 2013 | Reading Royals (1) | 4–1 | Stockton Thunder | Riley Gill |
| 2014 | Alaska Aces (3) | 4–2 | Cincinnati Cyclones | Rob Madore |
| 2015 | Allen Americans (1) | 4–3 | South Carolina Stingrays | Greger Hanson |
| 2016 | Allen Americans (2) | 4–2 | Wheeling Nailers | Chad Costello |
| 2017 | Colorado Eagles (1) | 4–0 | South Carolina Stingrays | Matt Register |
| 2018 | Colorado Eagles (2) | 4–3 | Florida Everblades | Michael Joly |
| 2019 | Newfoundland Growlers (1) | 4–2 | Toledo Walleye | Zach O'Brien |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | Fort Wayne Komets (1) | 3–1 | South Carolina Stingrays | Stephen Harper |
| 2022 | Florida Everblades (2) | 4–1 | Toledo Walleye | Cam Johnson |
| 2023 | Florida Everblades (3) | 4–0 | Idaho Steelheads | Cam Johnson (2) |
| 2024 | Florida Everblades (4) | 4–1 | Kansas City Mavericks | Oliver Chau |