Brabham Cup - History

History

Unlike the playoff championship, which was originally awarded with the Riley Cup and now the Kelly Cup, the trophy was introduced during the league's inaugural season in 1988 by the league's Board of Governors and was named after in recognition of the honorable Henry Brabham, who founded the ECHL in 1988-89 with five teams in four states. Brabham, who was the first inductee into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2008, owned three of the original five teams. The dedication of the Virginia businessman was crucial to the league surviving to span from coast-to-coast while advancing 465 players and countless coaches, on-ice officials and front office personnel to the National Hockey League.

While only three Brabham Cup winners have gone on to win the ECHL Championship (One of which, the Alaska Aces, has won the Kelly Cup both times they were awarded the Brabham Cup) in their respective years, it remains the most likely position to produce the Kelly Cup winner, because the Brabham Cup winner is guaranteed home-ice advantage in all rounds of the Kelly Cup playoffs, provided the team advances to each round.

Six franchises — the Florida Everblades, Knoxville Cherokees/Pee Dee Pride, Louisiana IceGators, Toledo Storm/Walleye, Winston-Salem/Wheeling Thunderbirds/Nailers, and the Alaska Aces have won the Brabham Cup on multiple occasions, with the Nailers and former Cherokees/Pride franchise winning three each, and the others with two. However, only the Everblades, and the Aces remain in the ECHL. The Wheeling Nailers were originally referred as the (Winston-Salem, North) Carolina Thunderbirds until 1992 before moving to Wheeling that year, changing their nickname to the Nailers before the start of the 1995–96 season. The Toledo Walleye were originally called the Storm before its sale and suspension of operations two years after the 2006–07 season for construction of the new Lucas County Arena, changing their name to the Toledo Walleye to resume play for the 2009–10 season.