Stanley Cup playoffs facts for kids

The Stanley Cup playoffs (also known as Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley in French) is an exciting yearly tournament. It's where teams battle it out to win the Stanley Cup, which is the championship trophy for the National Hockey League (NHL). This tournament happens after the regular season.

Sixteen teams, eight from each of the league's two conferences, get to play in the playoffs. They qualify based on how many points they earned during the regular season. The tournament has four rounds, and each round is a "best-of-seven" series. This means a team needs to win four games to move on. The very last round is called the Stanley Cup Final, where the two conference champions play each other for the Cup!

The NHL is special because it names its playoffs after its championship trophy. This tradition comes from the Stanley Cup being North America's oldest professional sports trophy. It was first given out in 1893, more than 20 years before the NHL even started!

The trophy was donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley of Preston, who was then the Governor General of Canada. It was originally meant for Canada's best amateur ice hockey team. From 1893 to 1914, the team that won the Cup kept it until another team challenged them and won. Professional teams started being able to challenge for the Cup in 1906.

In 1915, the Cup became an official championship between the winners of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). After some leagues merged and others stopped playing, the NHL was formed in 1917. The Stanley Cup officially became the NHL's championship trophy before the 1926–27 season.

The NHL has always used a playoff tournament to decide its champion. The way the playoffs work has changed over the years, from the NHL's beginning in 1917 to how it is set up today.

How the Stanley Cup Playoffs Work Now

No. 88 - Nate Schmidt of the Washington Capitals skates near the Stanley Cup playoffs logo during their May 10, 2017 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins

Playoff Series Format

The Stanley Cup playoffs have four rounds. Each round is a best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games wins the series. The games are played in a 2–2–1–1–1 pattern. This means the team with "home-ice advantage" hosts games one, two, five, and seven. Their opponent hosts games three, four, and six. Games five, six, and seven are only played if they are needed to decide the series winner.

Qualifying for the Playoffs

Eight teams from each conference make it to the playoffs. The top three teams from each of the four divisions automatically qualify. Two more teams from each conference also make it. These are called "wild cards" and are the teams with the most points that didn't finish in the top three of their division.

In the First Round, teams are split into two groups within each conference. Each group has the top three division teams and one wild card team. The wild card team with fewer points plays against the division winner with the best record. The other wild card team plays against the other division winner. The remaining two series are between the second and third place teams from the divisions.

The winners of the First Round move on to the Second Round. After that, the winners advance to the conference finals. The two winners of the conference finals then play in the Stanley Cup Final.

Home-Ice Advantage

In the first two rounds, the team that finished higher in the standings gets home-ice advantage. After that, the team with the better regular season record gets home-ice advantage, no matter their original seeding. If there's a tie in records, the league has special rules to decide who gets home ice. The team with home-ice advantage hosts games one, two, five, and seven.

Overtime Rules

Unlike the regular season, where games can end in a shootout, playoff games have special overtime rules. If a game is tied after three periods, teams play 20-minute sudden-death periods of five-on-five hockey. This means the first team to score wins the game! Playoff games can go on for a long time, but only two games have ever reached six overtime periods.

History of the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Early Days of the Cup

The Stanley Cup was created in 1892 and was first called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. It was named after Lord Stanley of Preston, who gave it as a prize for Canada's best amateur hockey team. The first team to win the Cup was the Montreal Hockey Club in 1893.

From 1893 to 1914, the team that won the Cup kept it until they lost their league title or another team challenged them and won. Back then, most leagues didn't have formal playoffs. The team that finished first in the regular season won the league title.

As the Cup became more famous, professional teams wanted to win it too. In 1906, professional teams could challenge for the Cup. In 1908, the Allan Cup was created for amateur teams, and the Stanley Cup became the top prize for professional hockey. In 1915, the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) agreed that their champions would play each other every year for the Stanley Cup. This ended the old "challenge game" system.

The NHL Takes Over

The National Hockey League (NHL) started in November 1917. It took over from the NHA. From 1917 to 1920, both NHL and PCHA teams could play for the Stanley Cup. The NHL champion would then play against the winners of other leagues, like the PCHA and later the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), to decide the Stanley Cup winner.

In 1924, the NHL playoffs grew to include three teams. By 1926, after other leagues merged or stopped playing, the NHL became the main league for the Stanley Cup. Even though the Cup wasn't officially given to the NHL until 1947, from 1926 onwards, the NHL playoffs and the Stanley Cup playoffs were basically the same thing.

Original Six Era (1942–1967)

By the 1942–43 season, only six teams were left in the NHL. These teams are now known as the "Original Six". From 1943 to 1967, all playoff games were best-of-seven series. The top four teams made the playoffs. The first-place team played the third-place team, and the second-place team played the fourth-place team. The winners then played in the Stanley Cup Final. During this time, Detroit Red Wings fans started a fun tradition of throwing an octopus onto the ice for good luck!

Expansion Era (1967–1993)

In 1967, the NHL grew from six teams to twelve. The playoff format stayed mostly the same, with four teams from each division making the playoffs. All series were still best-of-seven. Over the years, as more teams joined the league, the playoff system changed to include more teams and different ways of seeding them. By the 1981–82 season, the playoffs returned to divisional matchups, with the top four teams from each division qualifying.

Modern Era (1993–Present)

The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks warming up before Game 2 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final

For the 1993–94 season, the NHL changed its playoff structure to be based on conferences instead of divisions. Eight teams from each conference made the playoffs. The top teams in each division were seeded first and second in their conference. The next six best teams in each conference also qualified. All series were best-of-seven.

The NHL changed its divisions again for the 2013–14 season. The current playoff system is similar to the 1982 system. The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, plus two wild card teams from each conference. The first round matches division winners against wild cards, and second-place teams against third-place teams within their divisions. The winners then move on to the next rounds, leading to the conference finals and finally the Stanley Cup Final.

Playoffs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Special playoff formats were used in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, the regular season ended early. So, a 24-team format was used. The top four teams in each conference played a round-robin tournament to decide their seeding. The other eight teams in each conference played in a best-of-five series to see who would advance.

In 2021, because the border between Canada and the United States was closed, the NHL temporarily changed its divisions. All Canadian teams were put into one division. The top four teams in each of these new divisions made the playoffs. The first two rounds were played within these divisions. The four division champions then played in the Stanley Cup Semifinals, with the winners going to the Stanley Cup Final.

Cool Traditions and Trends

Playoff Upsets

Compared to other major sports leagues, it's quite common for underdog teams to win in the NHL playoffs. This might be because the playoff style is different from the regular season. Teams have to win four games against the same opponent. A team that was great at scoring in the regular season might struggle against a strong defensive team or a fantastic goalie in the playoffs.

In the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, something amazing happened: all the division winners were knocked out in the first round! Also, for the first time ever, a team that won the Presidents' Trophy (for having the best regular season record) was swept 4–0 in the first round.

Big Comebacks

The NHL also has more "game seven comebacks" than other leagues. This is when a team comes back from being down 0–3 in a best-of-seven series to win the series 4–3. This has happened four times in NHL history:

• The Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942
• The New York Islanders in 1975
• The Philadelphia Flyers in 2010
• The Los Angeles Kings in 2014

In baseball, this has only happened once, and it has never happened in the NBA playoffs!

Canadian Teams in the Playoffs

Even though the NHL has more American teams than Canadian teams, there have only been two times when no Canadian teams made the playoffs: in 1970 and 2016. However, the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 are the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.

Conn Smythe Trophy

The Conn Smythe Trophy is given to the most valuable player (MVP) of the entire NHL postseason, not just the final series. While it's usually given to a player from the team that makes it to the finals, it's a unique award because it covers all playoff games.

Playoff Beards

Many NHL players grow beards during the playoffs. They don't shave until their team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup! This tradition started in the 1980s with the New York Islanders and is often copied by fans.

Post-Series Handshakes

At the end of a playoff series, players and coaches from both teams line up and shake hands. This is seen as a great tradition in sports, showing respect between competitors. While it's almost always done, there have been a few rare times when players chose not to participate.

Not Touching Conference Trophies

It's common for players to avoid touching or lifting the Prince of Wales Trophy (for the Eastern Conference champion) or the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (for the Western Conference champion) after winning the conference finals. Many players believe the Stanley Cup is the only trophy they should hoist. However, there have been exceptions, and some teams that touched the trophy still went on to win the Stanley Cup.

There are many other interesting traditions and stories connected to the Stanley Cup.

Because the Ice Hockey World Championships happen at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs, only NHL players whose teams have been eliminated can play in the World Championships. This rule has been in place since 1977.

Playoff Appearances by Teams

As of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs

|