The F.G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy is awarded to the regular season champion of the American Hockey League's North Division. It is the oldest trophy awarded by the AHL, but it passed through two leagues previously. It is one of the oldest trophies in professional hockey. It is named after Teddy Oke, one of the founders of the Canadian Professional Hockey League (CPHL) in 1926, who presented it to the inaugural CPHL champion–the London Panthers.
The 1928–29 CPHL champions, the Windsor Bulldogs, took the trophy with them when they defected to the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1929–30. The Oke Trophy remained the championship trophy of the IHL until 1936, when the league played an interlocking schedule with the Can-Am League, maintaining the two leagues while forming the umbrella of the International-American Hockey League (I-AHL), the precursor of the AHL.
The I-AHL operated as this "circuit of mutual convenience" for the IHL and Can-Am for its first two years, with the IHL's four surviving teams comprising the I-AHL's West Division. They continued the trophy's tradition in the new league when it was awarded to the West Division champions, the Syracuse Stars. The Stars went on to become the I-AHL's first champions by winning the Calder Cup.
The Oke Trophy remained the West Division championship through to the 1951–52 season. In the 1952–53 season, the AHL lost two teams, bringing an end to East and West divisions, making the Oke the trophy for the AHL team with the best regular-season record for a stretch of nine seasons (note that this would happen again in 1976–77, when the AHL contracted for a single season). When the AHL again expanded to East and West divisions in the 1961–62 season, the 1960–61 Oke Trophy champions, the Springfield Indians, took the trophy with them to the East Division, while a newly created John D. Chick Trophy became the West Division's trophy that same year. The AHL has realigned divisions several times since 1961–62, with the Oke Trophy following the previous winning team to the new division; this ended in the 2011–12 season, when the AHL expanded to six divisions and the Oke moved to a newly created division despite the 2010–11 winner not moving. This was repeated in the 2015–16 season, when the Oke did not follow the 2014–15 winner when the divisions contracted to four.
Canadian Professional Hockey League champions (1927–1929)
↑ The IHL's Buffalo Bisons are unrelated to the team of the same name that later won the Oke Trophy in the AHL–these two wins do not follow to the AHL Bisons.
↑ The London Tecumsehs are the renamed London Panthers, the same team that was the first ever winner of the Oke Trophy, in the CPHL.
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). As of the 2024–25 AHL season, all 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an AHL team. Historically, when an NHL team does not have an AHL affiliate, its players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL franchises.
The Canadian Professional Hockey League, also known as Can-Pro, was a minor professional hockey league founded in 1926. After three seasons, it became the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1929. The Can-Pro name was then given to a new league of IHL farm teams which operated in the 1929–30 season.
The Syracuse Stars were a minor professional ice hockey team from Syracuse, New York, for ten seasons from 1930–31 to 1939–40. The Stars name had previously been used by sports teams, including several Syracuse Stars baseball teams from the 19th century. The team played at the New York State Fair Coliseum on the New York State Fairgrounds. The Stars were affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Americans.
The 1936–37 AHL season was the first season of the International-American Hockey League, known in the present day as the American Hockey League. The IAHL was formed when the International Hockey League and the Canadian-American Hockey League agreed to play an interlocking schedule after being cut down to only four teams each.
The 1937–38 AHL season was the second season of the International-American Hockey League, known in the present day as the American Hockey League. It was the second season in which the International Hockey League and Canadian-American Hockey League played an interlocking schedule as a "circuit of mutual convenience" with an interlocking schedule. Teams played a 48 game season, with the IHL serving as the West Division and the C-AHL serving as the East Division. The Cleveland Barons won the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as the Western Division champions, while the Providence Reds won the Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1938–39 AHL season was the third season of the International-American Hockey League, known in the present day as the American Hockey League. It was also the first season that the I-AHL played as a fully unified league. For the previous two seasons, the International Hockey League and Canadian-American Hockey League had played as a "circuit of mutual convenience" with an interlocking schedule. However, on June 29, 1938, the IHL and C-AHL formally merged into a single circuit under the I-AHL name.
The 1941–42 AHL season was the sixth season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams played 56 games each in the schedule. The Indianapolis Capitals won the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as the Western Division champions, and the Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1942–43 AHL season was the seventh season of the American Hockey League. Seven teams played 56 games each in the schedule, while an eighth team, the New Haven Eagles ceased operations 32 games into the season, in January 1943. The Buffalo Bisons won the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as the Western Division champions, and their first Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1943–44 AHL season was the eighth season of the American Hockey League. Six teams played in a 54 game schedule. The Cleveland Barons won the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as the Western Division champions, while the Buffalo Bisons won their second consecutive Calder Cup.
The 1944–45 AHL season was the ninth season of the American Hockey League. Seven teams played 60 games each in the schedule. The Cleveland Barons won their third F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as West Division champions, and their third Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1946–47 AHL season was the 11th season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams played 64 games each in the schedule. The Cleveland Barons won their fifth F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as West Division champions. The Hershey Bears won their first Calder Cup.
The Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy is presented annually to the AHL team that finishes the regular season with the most points or highest points percentage. The award is named after late former AHL board member Macgregor Kilpatrick.
The 1947–48 AHL season was the 12th season of the American Hockey League. Eleven teams played 68 games each in the schedule. The Cleveland Barons won their sixth F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as West Division champions, and won their fourth Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1948–49 AHL season was the 13th season of the American Hockey League. Eleven teams played 68 games each in the schedule. The Wally Kilrea Trophy for the league's "top point scorer," is renamed the Carl Liscombe Trophy. The St. Louis Flyers won their first F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as West Division champions. The Providence Reds and won their third Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1949–50 AHL season was the 14th season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams played 70 games each in the schedule. The Cleveland Barons won their seventh F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as West Division champions. The Indianapolis Capitals and won their second Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1950–51 AHL season was the 15th season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams were scheduled to play 70 games each, however the New Haven Eagles folded midseason. The Cleveland Barons won their eighth F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as West Division champions, and their fifth Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1951–52 AHL season was the 16th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 68 games each in the schedule. The Pittsburgh Hornets won their first F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy as West Division champions, and their first Calder Cup as league champions.
The 1952–53 AHL season was the 17th season of the American Hockey League. The league loses two teams, bringing an end to East & West Divisions. The F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy is now awarded to the regular season champions. Seven teams played 64 games each in the schedule. The Cleveland Barons won their ninth Oke Trophy, and their sixth Calder Cup.
The 1961–62 AHL season was the 26th season of the American Hockey League. The league initiates the James C. Hendy Memorial Award for outstanding team or league executives. The league resumes East and West Divisions. The John D. Chick Trophy is first awarded for the West Division champions of the regular season. The F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy is awarded to East Division champions of the regular season. Eight teams played 70 games each in the schedule. The Springfield Indians finished first overall again in the regular season, and won their third consecutive Calder Cup championship.
Frederick Gilmore "Teddy" Oke was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, referee, team owner, sponsor, miner, and highly successful stock broker who started F.G. Oke and Company in 1922. Oke played for the Toronto Tecumsehs and Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Halifax Crescents of the Maritime Professional Hockey League (MPHL). He was the owner of the minor-league Kitchener Flying Dutchmen of the Canadian Professional Hockey League.
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