Adams Division

Last updated
Adams Division
Conference Wales Conference
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Founded1974
Ceased1993
Replaced by Northeast Division
Most titles Boston Bruins (9)

The National Hockey League's Adams Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Adams, the founder of the Boston Bruins. It is the forerunner of the NHL's Northeast Division, which later became the Atlantic Division.

Contents

Division lineups

1974–1976

Changes from the 1973–74 season

  • The Adams Division is formed as a result of NHL realignment
  • The Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs come from the East Division
  • The California Golden Seals come from the West Division

1976–1978

Changes from the 1975–76 season

  • The California Golden Seals moved to Richfield, Ohio, to become the Cleveland Barons

1978–1979

Changes from the 1977–78 season

  • The Cleveland Barons merge with the Minnesota North Stars. The merged franchise continues as the Minnesota North Stars, but leaves the Smythe Division to assume the Barons' place in the Adams Division to prevent the Adams from dropping to only three teams.

1979–1981

Changes from the 1978–79 season

1981–1992

Changes from the 1980–81 season

  • The Minnesota North Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs move to the Norris Division
  • The Hartford Whalers and Montreal Canadiens come from the Norris Division

1992–1993

Changes from the 1991–92 season

  • The Ottawa Senators are added as an expansion team

After the 1992–93 season

The league was reformatted into two conferences with two divisions each:

Regular season Division champions

Season results

(#)Denotes team that won the Stanley Cup
(#)Denotes team that lost Stanley Cup Finals (and since 1981–82 won the Prince of Wales Trophy)
(#)Denotes team that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs
Denotes team with most points in the regular season (winner of the Presidents' Trophy since 1985–86)
Season1st2nd3rd4th5th6th
1974–75 (DC) Buffalo (113)(2) Boston (94)(8) Toronto (78)California (51)
1975–76 (DC) Boston (113)(1) Buffalo (105)(4) Toronto (83)California (65)
1976–77 (DC) Boston (106)(2) Buffalo (104)(5) Toronto (81)Cleveland (63)
1977–78 (DC) Boston (113)(2) Buffalo (105)(3) Toronto (92)Cleveland (57)
1978–79 (DC) Boston (100)(4) Buffalo (88)(6) Toronto (81)Minnesota (68)
1979–80 (2) Buffalo (110)(4) Boston (105)(6) Minnesota (88)(11) Toronto (75)Quebec (61)
1980–81 (5) Buffalo (99)(8) Boston (87)(9) Minnesota (87)(11) Quebec (78)(16) Toronto (71)
1981–82 Montreal (109)Boston (96)Buffalo (93)Quebec (82)Hartford (60)
1982–83 Boston (110)Montreal (98)Buffalo (89)(8) Quebec (80)Hartford (45)
1983–84 Boston (104)Buffalo (103)Quebec (94)Montreal (75)Hartford (66)
1984–85 Montreal (94)Quebec (91)Buffalo (90)Boston (82)Hartford (69)
1985–86 Quebec (92)Montreal (87)Boston (86)Hartford (84)Buffalo (80)
1986–87 Hartford (93)Montreal (92)Boston (85)Quebec (72)Buffalo (64)
1987–88 Montreal (103)Boston (94)Buffalo (85)Hartford (77)Quebec (69)
1988–89 Montreal (115)Boston (88)Buffalo (83)Hartford (79)Quebec (61)
1989–90 Boston (101)Buffalo (98)Montreal (93)Hartford (85)Quebec (31)
1990–91 Boston (100)Montreal (89)Buffalo (81)Hartford (73)Quebec (46)
1991–92 Montreal (93)Boston (84)Buffalo (74)Hartford (65)Quebec (52)
1992–93 Boston (109)Quebec (104)Montreal (102)Buffalo (86)Hartford (58)Ottawa (24)

Playoff Division champions

Stanley Cup winners produced

Presidents' Trophy winners produced

Adams Division titles won by team

TeamWinsLast win
Boston Bruins 9 1993
Montreal Canadiens 5 1992
Buffalo Sabres 3 1981
Hartford Whalers 1 1987
Quebec Nordiques 1 1986
California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons 0
Minnesota North Stars 0
Ottawa Senators 0
Toronto Maple Leafs 0

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References