North American Hockey League (Alternity)

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) was founded in Montreal, Quebec in November 1917. In the eighty years since the League's founding, the number of teams and their compositions have changed dramatically. Most notably was upon the outbreak of the Canadian Civil War in 1957, when all Canadian teams were expelled from the NAHL, and as a result, the league was forced to expand and add more teams in their absence. When the war ended with a truce in 1963, the positions in the league vacated by Canadian teams hadn't even been half-replaced. Over the next twenty-five years, the remaining empty slots in the NAHL were slowly filled – in part by four Cascadian teams and a single team from Quebec, the sole non-American teams in the League.

The League's championship, the Stanley Cup Finals, are played in the first months of each year. The Stanley Cup title and trophy are awarded to the champions of a best-of-six or best-of-seven (on rare occasion, best-of-five) playoff series. Most recently, the Cup was awarded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who defeated the defending champions, the Aurora Avalanche, 4-2 in a best-of-six series that ended June 7, 1997.

Atlantic Division
(* Denotes a non-American team)

1920s

 * 1927 – The now-defunct Ottawa Senators defeat the Boston Bruins 2-0.
 * 1928 – The New York (now Manhattan) Rangers defeat the now-defunct Montreal Maroons 3-2.
 * 1929 – The Boston Bruins defeat the New York Rangers 2-0.

1930s
The Yorktown Lakers made six appearances in the Finals in the 1930s, but won only a single title, in 1932. This has led to the '30s being described as "the Disappointing Decade" for the Lakers.
 * 1930 – The Montreal Canadiens (now the Montreal Quebecois) defeat the Boston Bruins 2-0.
 * 1931 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2.
 * 1932 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the New York Rangers 3-0.
 * 1933 – In a reversal of the previous year, the Rangers defeat the Lakers 3-1.
 * 1934 – The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1.
 * 1935 – The now-defunct Montreal Maroons defeat the Yorktown Lakers 3-0.
 * 1936 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Yorktown Lakers 3-1.
 * 1937 – The Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers 3-2.
 * 1938 – The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Yorktown Lakers 3-1.
 * 1939 – The Boston Bruins defeat the Yorktown Lakers 4-1.

1940s

 * 1940 – The New York Rangers defeat the Yorktown Lakers 4-3.
 * 1941 – The Boston Bruins defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-0.
 * 1942 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3.
 * 1943 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Boston Bruins 4-0.
 * 1944 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0.
 * 1945 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3.
 * 1946 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1.
 * 1947 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1.
 * 1948 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1.
 * 1949 – For the second consecutive year, the Yorktown Lakers defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-0.

1950s
The 1950s were largely dominated by the Detroit Red Wings, with six appearances and five wins (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, and 1958) to only a single loss to the Montreal Canadiens (now the Montreal Quebecois) in 1956. The '50s are also known for when all Canadian teams were expelled from the league, following the outbreak of civil war in that country in 1957.


 * 1950 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers 4-3.
 * 1951 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-0.
 * 1952 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-0.
 * 1953 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1.
 * 1954 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3.
 * 1955 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3.
 * 1956 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1.
 * 1957 – Due to the outbreak of the Canadian Civil War in March, and the subsequent expulsion of all Canadian teams from the League, the 1957 Final was the first – and so far, only – to ever be cancelled (as the defending Cup champions, the Montreal Canadiens, were scheduled to compete against the Boston Bruins).
 * 1958 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers 3-2.
 * 1959 – The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3.

1960s

 * 1960 – The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Yorktown Lakers 4-2.
 * 1961 – The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2.
 * 1962 – In a reversal of the 1960 season, the Yorktown Lakers defeat the defending Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.
 * 1963 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1.
 * 1964 – In a second straight year, the Yorktown Lakers defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3.
 * 1965 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.
 * 1966 – The New York Rangers defeat the defending Yorktown Lakers 4-1.
 * 1967 – The Parksville Chargers defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.
 * 1968 – The Halifax Wanderers defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1.
 * 1969 – The New York Rangers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3.

1970s

 * 1970 – The Boston Bruins defeat the Minnesota North Stars 4-0.
 * 1971 – The New York Rangers defeat the defending Boston Bruins 4-2.
 * 1972 – In a reversal of the previous year, the Bruins defeat the Rangers 4-2.
 * 1973 – The Buffalo Sabres defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.
 * 1974 – The Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Boston Bruins 4-2.
 * 1975 – The Long Islanders defeat the defending Philadelphia Flyers 4-2.
 * 1976 – The Vancouver Cascades defeat the defending Long Islanders 4-3.
 * 1977 – The Miko Scouts defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2.
 * 1978 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Boston Bruins 4-2.
 * 1979 – The Montreal Quebecois defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.

1980s

 * 1980 – The Yorktown Lakers defeat the Manhattan Rangers 4-2.
 * 1981 – The Long Islanders defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2.
 * 1982 – The Miko Scouts defeat the defending Long Islanders 4-3.
 * 1983 – The Long Islanders defeat the Vancouver Cascades 4-1.
 * 1984 – The Chesapeake Superiors defeat the Falmouth Atlantics 4-2.
 * 1985 – The Calgary Central defeat the Falmouth Atlantics 4-3.
 * 1986 – The Hartford Whalers defeat the Long Islanders 4-1.
 * 1987 – The Manhattan Rangers defeat the defending Hartford Whalers 4-3.
 * 1988 – The Edmonton Oilers defeat the defending Manhattan Rangers 4-2.
 * 1989 – The Vancouver Cascades defeat the defending Edmonton Oilers 4-0.

1990s

 * 1990 – The Falmouth Atlantics defeat the Washington Senators 4-3.
 * 1991 – The Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Minnesota North Stars 4-2.
 * 1992 – The Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0.
 * 1993 – The Montreal Quebecois defeat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3.
 * 1994 – The Miko Scouts defeat the Fargo Mohawks 4-1.
 * 1995 – The Falmouth Atlantics defeat the Manhattan Rangers 4-2.
 * 1996 – The Aurora Avalanche defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3.
 * 1997 – The Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the defending Aurora Avalanche 4-2.