The Richard F. Canning Trophy is presented annually to the team that advances to the American Hockey League's (AHL) Calder Cup Finals as the playoff winner of the Eastern Conference. Prior to 1998, it was given to the playoffs champion of the Northern Division/Conference.
The award is named after former AHL President Richard F. Canning, who served in that role from 1958 to 1961. He would serve the AHL in various roles for over five decades.
The current holders of the Richard F. Canning Trophy are the Hershey Bears.
| Awarded for | Season | Team | Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Division playoffs champion | 1990 | Springfield Indians ‡ | 1 |
| 1991 | Springfield Indians‡ | 2 | |
| 1992 | Adirondack Red Wings ‡ | 1 | |
| 1993 | Springfield Indians | 3 | |
| 1994 | Portland Pirates ‡ | 1 | |
| 1995 | Albany River Rats ‡ | 1 | |
| Northern Conference playoffs champion | 1996 | Portland Pirates | 2 |
| 1997 | Hamilton Bulldogs | 1 | |
| Eastern Conference playoffs champion | 1998 | Saint John Flames | 1 |
| 1999 | Providence Bruins ‡ | 1 | |
| 2000 | Hartford Wolf Pack ‡ | 1 | |
| 2001 | Saint John Flames‡ | 2 | |
| 2002 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 1 | |
| 2003 | Hamilton Bulldogs | 2 | |
| 2004 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 1 | |
| 2005 | Philadelphia Phantoms ‡ | 1 | |
| 2006 | Hershey Bears ‡ | 1 | |
| 2007 | Hershey Bears | 2 | |
| 2008 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 2 | |
| 2009 | Hershey Bears‡ | 3 | |
| 2010 | Hershey Bears‡ | 4 | |
| 2011 | Binghamton Senators ‡ | 1 | |
| 2012 | Norfolk Admirals ‡ | 1 | |
| 2013 | Syracuse Crunch | 1 | |
| 2014 | St. John's IceCaps | 1 | |
| 2015 | Manchester Monarchs ‡ | 1 | |
| 2016 | Hershey Bears | 5 | |
| 2017 | Syracuse Crunch | 2 | |
| 2018 | Toronto Marlies ‡ | 1 | |
| 2019 | Charlotte Checkers ‡ | 1 | |
| 2020 | Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Not awarded; playoffs not held [1] | ||
| 2022 | Springfield Thunderbirds | 1 | |
| 2023 | Hershey Bears‡ | 6 | |
| 2024 | Hershey Bears | 7 | |