There’s only one Kelly Cup for the ECHL champion. Unfortunately, the ECHL never got their cup back from last year.
No matter what level of hockey you’re at, there’s a good chance the championship trophy is a “cup”. The NHL famously has their historic championship Stanley Cup awarded every year. In the AHL minor league system, they have the Calder Cup. One level below the AHL at the ECHL, they have the Kelly Cup.
Well, at least they did have the Kelly Cup, because according to the league the trophy itself was never returned by their current champion.
"As stated by ECHL Commissioner Emeritus Patrick J. Kelly yesterday morning, the tradition of returning the Championship Trophy to the League was not honored by the Colorado Eagles. Despite a confirmed plan with Eagles’ management to return the Kelly Cup to the ECHL in December 2018, the arrangement was not fulfilled"
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The Colorado Eagles are the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. Prior to moving up to the AHL last season, the Eagles were apart of the ECHL and won the league championship. As league champions, they were allowed to keep the trophy for one year but never returned it.
Unlike other professional sports, hockey only has one championship trophy. While every year’s Super Bowl, World Series, or NBA Finals champion gets a shiny, brand new trophy all their own, the NHL only has one Stanley Cup.
That’s a tradition that goes down to hockey’s minor leagues, with there being only one championship trophy, which apparently the Colorado Eagles are holding hostage.
It’s a very odd move by the Colorado Eagles. Yes, they might be champions and want a nice centerpiece for their trophy case, but they were awarded the trophy with the expectation that they weren’t allowed to keep it. Besides, why would they want a championship trophy for a league they don’t even belong too?
The ECHL announced they created another Kelly Cup, which will become the ‘official” Kelly Cup and awarded to this year’s ECHL champion. They are still holding open the possibility that the Eagles decide to return the version they currently have. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time they have had to make another Kelly Cup, but all former versions are held in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In a statement, the Eagles said they tried to return the trophy, but the league has ignored their attempts. This is an odd, yet amusing, story that we would never expect to happen in the NHL. Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised. Remember how excited Alex Ovechkin as when the Washington Capitals finally on the cup last year?
The thought of keeping the cup and not returning it so the party would never end definitely crossed his mind. Meanwhile, the 2019 Kelly Cup final is currently underway with the Newfoundland Growlers holding a three games to one lead over the Toledo Walleye.