See British Home Championship for the football competition. - The British Championship is the most “prestigious” ice hockey cup competition in the United Kingdom, and also the longest established ice hockey competition.
The competition is effectively the post-season playoffs of the first-tier league in the country to determine the British champions for the season. They are therefore held after the regular season, whereby the positions in the league ladder determine entry and seeding. The first placed team in the league is considered to have won the national league title as a separate title, but the British champion for the season is historically considered to be the winner of the post-season playoffs.
In its current format, the eight highest placed teams in the first-tier Elite Ice Hockey League contest quarter finals, the winners going on to semi finals and then the deciding one-leg final.
Early years
There were three instances of an early championship; the first was in the 1929-30 British Ice Hockey season which was the inaugural season of organised league ice hockey in Britain. The championship was won by London Lions when known as the Patton Cup. The second edition the following season was abandoned after Manchester and Glasgow couldn't agree on dates for their semi-final tie. The winner was to have met the English Club champions London Lions in the final. The third instance took place during the 1959–60 British National League season.
Modern edition
From 1966 it became an annual event when known as the Icy Smith Cup and then after 1982 it had several sponsors and names including the Heineken Championship Cup and latterly as the Sekonda Playoff Championship Cup. Some contests were only recognised as representing the Championship retroactively. At present, the Championship is just known as EIHL Playoffs.
Champions SeasonWinnerRunner-up 1930 London Lions (1) Glasgow Mohawks 1960 Brighton Tigers (1) Nottingham Panthers 1966 Murrayfield Racers (1) Durham Hornets 1967 Glasgow Dynamos (1) Murrayfield Racers 1968 Paisley Mohawks (1) Durham Wasps 1969 Murrayfield Racers (2) Glasgow Dynamos 1970 Murrayfield Racers (3) Glasgow Dynamos 1971 Murrayfield Racers (4) Durham Wasps 1972 Murrayfield Racers (5) Fife Flyers 1973 Whitley Warriors (1) Murrayfield Racers 1974 Whitley Warriors (2) Streatham Redskins 1975 Murrayfield Racers (6) Streatham Redskins 1976 Ayr Bruins (1) Streatham Redskins 1977 Fife Flyers (1) Southampton Vikings 1978 Fife Flyers (2) Southampton Vikings 1979 Murrayfield Racers (7) Streatham Redskins 1980 Murrayfield Racers (8) Solihull Barons 1981 Murrayfield Racers (9) Streatham Redskins 1982 Dundee Rockets (1) Streatham Redskins 1983 Dundee Rockets (2) Durham Wasps 1984 Dundee Rockets (3) Murrayfield Racers 1985 Fife Flyers (3) Murrayfield Racers 1986 Murrayfield Racers (10) Dundee Rockets 1987 Durham Wasps (1) Murrayfield Racers 1988 Durham Wasps (2) Fife Flyers 1989 Nottingham Panthers (1) Ayr Bruins 1990 Cardiff Devils (1) Murrayfield Racers 1991 Durham Wasps (3) Peterborough Pirates 1992 Durham Wasps (4) Nottingham Panthers 1993 Cardiff Devils (2) Humberside Seahawks 1994 Cardiff Devils (3) Sheffield Steelers 1995 Sheffield Steelers (1) Murrayfield Racers 1996 Sheffield Steelers (2) Nottingham Panthers 1997 Sheffield Steelers (3) Nottingham Panthers 1998 Ayr Scottish Eagles (1) Cardiff Devils 1999 Cardiff Devils (4) Nottingham Panthers 2000 London Knights (1) Newcastle Riverkings 2001 Sheffield Steelers (4) London Knights 2002 Sheffield Steelers (5) Manchester Storm 2003 Belfast Giants (1) London Knights 2004 Sheffield Steelers (6) Nottingham Panthers 2005 Coventry Blaze (1) Nottingham Panthers 2006 Newcastle Vipers (1) Sheffield Steelers 2007 Nottingham Panthers (2) Cardiff Devils 2008 Sheffield Steelers (7) Coventry Blaze 2009 Sheffield Steelers (8) Nottingham Panthers 2010 Belfast Giants (2) Cardiff Devils 2011 Nottingham Panthers (3) Cardiff Devils 2012 Nottingham Panthers (4) Cardiff Devils 2013 Nottingham Panthers (5) Belfast Giants 2014 Sheffield Steelers (9) Belfast Giants 2015 Coventry Blaze (2) Sheffield Steelers 2016 Nottingham Panthers (6) Coventry Blaze 2017 Sheffield Steelers (10) Cardiff Devils 2018 Cardiff Devils (5) Sheffield Steelers 2019 Cardiff Devils (6) Belfast Giants 2020–21 Did not take place due to COVID-19 2022 Cardiff Devils (7) Belfast Giants 2023 Belfast Giants (3) Cardiff Devils 2024 Sheffield Steelers (11) Belfast Giants 2025 Nottingham Panthers (7) Cardiff Devils 2026 Cardiff Devils (8) Sheffield Steelers
References