Pacific Division (NHL) facts for kids
The Pacific Division is a group of ice hockey teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). It's one of two divisions that make up the Western Conference. The division was created in 1993 when the league changed how its teams were organized.
The Pacific Division is like the grandchild of an older division called the Smythe Division. Another division, the Northwest Division, used to exist too, but it's gone now. Out of all the teams in the Pacific Division back in 1993, only the Anaheim Ducks had never been in the Smythe Division before. Interestingly, the Arizona Coyotes were in the Smythe Division when they were known as the original Winnipeg Jets.
Most teams in the Pacific Division are located in the southwestern United States and Western Canada. You'll find three teams in California, two in Alberta, and one team each in Arizona, British Columbia, and Nevada.
The San Jose Sharks have won the most Pacific Division titles, with six wins. Five teams from the Pacific Division have won the Stanley Cup, which is the NHL's championship trophy. These winners include the Dallas Stars in 1999, the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, and the Los Angeles Kings in both 2012 and 2014.
Contents
How the Division Changed Over Time
The Pacific Division has seen many teams come and go since it started. This happens because the NHL sometimes "realigns" its divisions, moving teams around to make travel easier or to balance the competition.
Early Years (1993–1998)
When the Pacific Division first began in 1993, it included:
- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
- Calgary Flames
- Edmonton Oilers
- Los Angeles Kings
- San Jose Sharks
- Vancouver Canucks
These teams mostly came from the old Smythe Division. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were a brand new team joining the league. In 1995, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Avalanche. They joined the Pacific Division for a few years.
Mid-Years (1998–2013)
In 1998, there was a big change. Several teams like the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks moved to the new Northwest Division. The Pacific Division then welcomed the Dallas Stars and the Phoenix Coyotes from the Central Division.
From 2006 to 2013, the division stayed mostly the same, with the Anaheim Ducks changing their name from "Mighty Ducks" to just "Ducks."
Recent Years (2013–Present)
Another major realignment happened in 2013. The Northwest Division was closed down. The Dallas Stars moved to the Central Division. This brought the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks back to the Pacific Division.
In 2014, the Phoenix Coyotes changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes. Then, in 2017, a new team called the Vegas Golden Knights joined the division. The Seattle Kraken also joined in the 2020-2021 season, making the division even bigger.
Division Champions
A "division champion" is the team that finishes with the best record in their division during the regular season. Here are the teams that have won the Pacific Division title:
- 1994 – Calgary Flames
- 1995 – Calgary Flames
- 1996 – Colorado Avalanche
- 1997 – Colorado Avalanche
- 1998 – Colorado Avalanche
- 1999 – Dallas Stars
- 2000 – Dallas Stars
- 2001 – Dallas Stars
- 2002 – San Jose Sharks
- 2003 – Dallas Stars
- 2004 – San Jose Sharks
- 2005 – No season due to a player lockout
- 2006 – Dallas Stars
- 2007 – Anaheim Ducks
- 2008 – San Jose Sharks
- 2009 – San Jose Sharks
- 2010 – San Jose Sharks
- 2011 – San Jose Sharks
- 2012 – Phoenix Coyotes
- 2013 – Anaheim Ducks
- 2014 – Anaheim Ducks
- 2015 – Anaheim Ducks
- 2016 – Anaheim Ducks
- 2017 – Anaheim Ducks
- 2018 – Vegas Golden Knights
- 2019 – Calgary Flames
Season Standings
This table shows how teams finished in the Pacific Division each season. Teams highlighted in green made it to the playoffs.
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | Calgary (97) | Vancouver (85) | San Jose (82) | Anaheim (71) | Los Angeles (66) | Edmonton (64) | ||
| 1994–95 | Calgary (55) | Vancouver (48) | San Jose (42) | Los Angeles (41) | Edmonton (38) | Anaheim (37) | ||
| 1995–96 | Colorado (104)† | Calgary (79) | Vancouver (79) | Anaheim (78) | Edmonton (68) | Los Angeles (66) | San Jose (47) | |
| 1996–97 | Colorado (107)‡ | Anaheim (85) | Edmonton (81) | Vancouver (77) | Calgary (73) | Los Angeles (67) | San Jose (62) | |
| 1997–98 | Colorado (95) | Los Angeles (87) | Edmonton (80) | San Jose (78) | Calgary (67) | Anaheim (65) | Vancouver (64) | |
| 1998–99 | Dallas (114)‡† | Phoenix (90) | Anaheim (83) | San Jose (80) | Los Angeles (69) | |||
| 1999–2000 | Dallas (102) | Los Angeles (94) | Phoenix (90) | San Jose (87) | Anaheim (83) | |||
| 2000–01 | Dallas (106) | San Jose (95) | Los Angeles (92) | Phoenix (90) | Anaheim (66) | |||
| 2001–02 | San Jose (99) | Phoenix (95) | Los Angeles (95) | Dallas (90) | Anaheim (69) | |||
| 2002–03 | Dallas (111) | Anaheim (95) | Los Angeles (78) | Phoenix (78) | San Jose (73) | |||
| 2003–04 | San Jose (104) | Dallas (97) | Los Angeles (81) | Anaheim (76) | Phoenix (68) | |||
| 2004–05 | No season due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | |||||||
| 2005–06 | Dallas (112) | San Jose (99) | Anaheim (98) | Los Angeles (89) | Phoenix (81) | |||
| 2006–07 | Anaheim (110)† | San Jose (107) | Dallas (107) | Los Angeles (68) | Phoenix (67) | |||
| 2007–08 | San Jose (108) | Anaheim (102) | Dallas (97) | Phoenix (83) | Los Angeles (71) | |||
| 2008–09 | San Jose (117)‡ | Anaheim (91) | Dallas (83) | Phoenix (79) | Los Angeles (79) | |||
| 2009–10 | San Jose (113) | Phoenix (107) | Los Angeles (101) | Anaheim (89) | Dallas (88) | |||
| 2010–11 | San Jose (105) | Anaheim (99) | Phoenix (99) | Los Angeles (98) | Dallas (95) | |||
| 2011–12 | Phoenix (97) | San Jose (96) | Los Angeles (95)† | Dallas (89) | Anaheim (80) | |||
| 2012–13 | Anaheim (66) | Los Angeles (59) | San Jose (57) | Phoenix (51) | Dallas (48) | |||
| 2013–14 | Anaheim (116) | San Jose (111) | Los Angeles (100)† | Phoenix (89) | Vancouver (83) | Calgary (77) | Edmonton (67) | |
| 2014–15 | Anaheim (109) | Vancouver (101) | Calgary (97) | Los Angeles (95) | San Jose (89) | Edmonton (62) | Arizona (56) | |
| 2015–16 | Anaheim (103) | Los Angeles (102) | San Jose (98) | Arizona (78) | Calgary (77) | Vancouver (75) | Edmonton (70) | |
| 2016–17 | Anaheim (105) | Edmonton (103) | San Jose (99) | Calgary (94) | Los Angeles (86) | Arizona (70) | Vancouver (69) | |
| 2017–18 | Vegas (109) | Anaheim (101) | San Jose (100) | Los Angeles (98) | Calgary (84) | Edmonton (78) | Vancouver (73) | Arizona (70) |
| 2018–19 | Calgary (107) | San Jose (101) | Vegas (93) | Arizona (86) | Vancouver (81) | Anaheim (80) | Edmonton (79) | Los Angeles (71) |
Stanley Cup Winners from the Pacific Division
The Stanley Cup is the biggest prize in the NHL. Here are the teams that won it while being part of the Pacific Division:
- 1996 – Colorado Avalanche
- 1999 – Dallas Stars
- 2007 – Anaheim Ducks
- 2012 – Los Angeles Kings
- 2014 – Los Angeles Kings
Presidents' Trophy Winners from the Pacific Division
The Presidents' Trophy is given to the team with the best regular season record in the entire NHL. These Pacific Division teams have won it:
- 1997 – Colorado Avalanche
- 1999 – Dallas Stars
- 2009 – San Jose Sharks
Pacific Division Titles by Team
This table shows how many times each team has won the Pacific Division title. Teams in bold are currently in the division.
| Team | Wins | Last win |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | 6 | 2017 |
| San Jose Sharks | 6 | 2011 |
| Dallas Stars | 5 | 2006 |
| Calgary Flames | 3 | 2019 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 3 | 1998 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 1 | 2012 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 1 | 2018 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 0 | — |
| Los Angeles Kings | 0 | — |
| Vancouver Canucks | 0 | — |
Related Pages
- NHL Eastern Division
- NHL Western Division
- Adams Division
- Norris Division
- Patrick Division
- Smythe Division
- Atlantic Division (NHL)
- Central Division (NHL)
- Metropolitan Division
- Northeast Division (NHL)
- Northwest Division (NHL)
- Southeast Division (NHL)
See also
In Spanish: División Pacífico de la NHL para niños
