By Josh Casper, Features writer

In 1938, Edward VIII, the former Prince of Wales, publicly congratulated the NHL’s Boston Bruins on winning the Prince of Wales Trophy, which he had donated nearly a decade-and-a-half earlier, for the only time on record.

Two years earlier, the entire British Empire listened with bated breath as King Edward VIII told his subjects that he could not be their king without the support of the woman he loved. He was thus abdicating the throne, and he would become the Duke of Windsor the following year. ‘The Abdication,’ like ‘The Cup,’ is self-explanatory. Royalty, like sports, is, if nothing else, theater. The Royal Family attempted to erase Edward, now a failed king remembered as the charismatic Prince of Wales, from history so the new reticent king might step out of his brother’s vast shadow.

Similar mythology surrounds the Prince of Wales Trophy, such as why the Montreal Canadiens had their name engraved twice. The silver chalice hovers above an uncut crystal at the base – to symbolize ice – and is buttressed by four legs shaped like gold hockey sticks, surrounded by four golden hockey pucks. Francophone hockey fans often mistake the Prince of Wales feathers atop the trophy, which is emblazoned with the Royal Arms of Canada, for a fleur de lis. Prince Edward gifted the $2,500 trophy (equal to about $45,000 today) to the NHL in 1925.

As the Prince of Wales, Edward was renowned worldwide, especially in North America, where he became a symbol of a generation as the jazz-loving bachelor who also endured the travails of war. In 1919, Edward crisscrossed Canada from St. John’s, Nfld., to Vancouver on a special Canadian Pacific Railway train.

“I want Canada to look upon me as Canadian, if not actually by birth, yet certainly in mind and spirit,” said the Prince of Wales in St. John’s.

Edward developed a particular affection for the Canadian West and its pioneering ranchers. Before coming back east to America, the prince bought a cattle ranch in Alberta’s High River Valley that he visited five times during the next decade. He said the Canadian West was one of the few places that treated him like a person rather than a prince.

“Canada is a great country,” said Edward to comedian Will Rogers. The prince described Canadians as vigorous and confident.

Americans were more acquainted with the Prince of Wales than with hockey. But that was slowly changing. Ice hockey at the 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympics garnered almost as much attention as (Chariots of Fire runner) Harold Abrahams at the Paris Summer Games. Team Canada and the United States facing off for gold only stoked expectations. Suddenly, hockey was heating up.

The Prince of Wales, a devoted sportsman, took particular interest and planned to attend. Then, days before the final, the avid steeplechaser was thrown from his horse while trying to clear a five-foot jump.

Edward’s equerry noticed a protruding bone: “I am afraid your collarbone is broken, sir.”

Unable to move his mangled shoulder, the prince drolly replied: “Yes, I believe it is.”

The gold-medal game was shaping up to be a similarly gruesome affair. By the first intermission, the players’ blood-soaked sweaters tinged the ice with a crimson hue, mainly from Harry ‘Moose’ Watson, who was bloodied and knocked out cold for two minutes but returned to score the go-ahead goal. Led by captain Dunc Munro, Canada shut down the Americans and claimed the gold with a 6-1 victory. The U.S. took silver and Great Britain got the bronze.

Though he missed the banquet while recovering from surgery, the Prince of Wales was determined to meet Team Canada. The day before they were set to depart, Edward invited them to York House. Manager William ‘Billy’ Hewitt and Munro led the team into the prince’s study. As they sat by the fireplace, Prince Edward turned to Munro and said, “You will know that dislocating a collarbone is not serious. It easily comes out and is easily put back.”

They laughed. Hockey was a rough sport. No helmets. So was point-to-point racing. Not wanting a dead Prince of Wales, the British Racing Association made helmets mandatory in 1924.

The prince had never been to a hockey game, but Hewitt was impressed by his hockey IQ. Edward even recognized Harold McMunn, who was added to the Allan Cup-winning Toronto Granites team that represented Canada.

Like the prince, Munro later admitted that his biggest obstacle came after dark. “Just think of the temptation,” said Munro of the casinos filled with young French ingenues. “But we resisted it.”

Hewitt had them in bed by 10 o’clock, something the prince never mastered. Edward’s nocturnal speakeasy adventures became such press fodder during his 1924 New York holiday that King George V never allowed him to return.

“It seemed a great hardship then,” Munro quipped. “We did not always feel too friendly to Mr. Hewitt, but we are glad of (him) now.”

In 1924, when the NHL added two clubs, the Montreal Maroons and the first U.S. club, the Boston Bruins, Munro signed a three-year, $22,500 contract with the Maroons (over $400,000 today). He played in the first NHL game on U.S. soil, a 2-1 Bruins win at 5,000-seat Boston Arena (now Northeastern’s Matthews Arena) over the Maroons.

To familiarize American audiences with pro hockey, newspaper scribes described the new Prince of Wales Trophy as the NHL pennant, given to the NHL champion, whether or not they beat a western team for the Stanley Cup.

“It is not the intention of the prince that his Cup shall displace the Stanley Cup. There is a championship trophy in Canada, the Stanley Cup, but that is the supreme prize of all.”

Had the 1924-25 season gone smoothly, the Hamilton Tigers might’ve won the first Prince of Wales Trophy, but incensed that they would not receive a $200 bonus, Hamilton quit on the eve of the 1924 playoffs. The third-place Canadiens, next up, got to defend their 1923 Stanley Cup and beat second-place Toronto for the NHL title before losing the Stanley Cup final to Victoria of the Western Canada League.

After the Hamilton players declared they would never again play for Hamilton, Tex Rickard, building a new Madison Square Garden, pounced to help bring hockey to his new arena. The New York Americans were born. Instead of awarding the Prince of Wales Trophy to Montreal, the NHL brass saw an opportunity.

The Prince of Wales Trophy was to be awarded to future NHL champions, so NHL president Frank Calder decided that the winner of the first game at MSG between the New York Americans and Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 15, 1925, would receive the trophy until the next NHL championship.

The Canadiens, reeling without terminally ill goaltender Georges Vezina, beat the Americans 3-1 to earn the first Prince of Wales Trophy. The defending NHL champions, the Canadiens later engraved their name twice: once for their 1924 NHL title and again for winning the Prince of Wales Trophy game.

In March, before an afternoon game between the Maroons and Canadiens, thousands of fans queued in front of silversmith Mappin & Webb’s display window on Rue Ste-Catherine to see the Prince of Wales Trophy, which stayed in Montreal. Munro and his Maroons, who were at Madison Square Garden as spectators, kept the trophy in Montreal, winning the 1926 NHL title and the last inter-league Stanley Cup.

Much more was decided that December 1925 day than who possessed the Prince of Wales Trophy. The NHL was transformed forever. If they weren’t already, the beckoning bright lights of Broadway and dollar signs of Wall Street would forever be part of pro hockey.

From 1927 to 1938, the Prince of Wales Trophy was given to the winner of the American Division. From 1938 to 1967, it was presented to the NHL’s regular-season champion. Since expansion in 1967, the trophy has been awarded to a division or conference champion for the regular season or playoffs. Most recently, since 1993-94, it’s served as the title trophy for the Eastern Conference playoff champ.

This article appeared in our 2025 Playoff Special issue. Our cover story focuses on Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who looks primed for another deep playoff run. We also include features on other Cup contenders, including the Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and more. In addition, we give our power ranking of the top playoff teams heading into the 2025 post-season.

You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.

By Jack Sponagle, The Hockey News intern

Sometimes, small places can produce big names in the world of hockey. Despite these players coming from remote areas and small communities, their success in the world of hockey proves that it doesn’t matter where you come from. You can always set your sights on the NHL, because in the end, everyone was just a kid from somewhere at one point.

Al MacInnis: Inverness, N.S.

Known for his weapon of a slapshot, MacInnis played 23 NHL seasons with Calgary and St. Louis on his way to a Hall of Fame career. MacInnis was born in Inverness, N.S., with a population of 1,300, but was raised in Port Hood, a nearby fishing village with a population of 900. He was the seventh-born of eight children.

Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron Sutter: Viking, Alta.

All six brothers of the legendary Sutter family come from this small Alberta town of about 970 people. At least one Sutter brother played in the NHL every season from 1976-77 through 2000-01. And all six of them played in the NHL at the same time from 1982-83 through 1986-87.

The town of Viking was settled by Scandinavian settlers, explaining its name. Viking can also lay claim to Carson Soucy, the current New York Rangers blueliner.

Nicklas Lidstrom: Krylbo, SWE

Undoubtedly, one of the best defensemen to ever play the game, Lidstrom hails from Krylbo, a small market town of 2,500 people. Lidstrom’s seven Norris Trophies are tied for second all-time with Doug Harvey, behind only Bobby Orr (eight).

Travis Sanheim: Elkhorn, Man.

Sanheim was born to grain-farming parents in Elkhorn, a small village in Manitoba near the Saskatchewan border of around 450 residents. More than 19,000 spectators fit into the Flyers’ home rink, the Wells Fargo Center, meaning that you could fit about 43 times the population of Elkhorn into the stadium.

Carey Price: Anahim Lake, B.C.

Born in Vancouver, the 15-year NHL veteran was raised in Anahim Lake, a small town in central B.C. with a population of around 360. The closest organized hockey for Price to play as a child was five hours away, meaning a 10-hour round trip. Eventually, his father bought a personal plane to fly the two of them back and forth for practices and games.

Pheonix Copley: North Pole, Ala.

Copley has 77 NHL games under his belt for the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues. Copley’s hometown of North Pole boasts a population of around 2,700. What makes the town stand out is its year-round Christmas celebration. Here are some of the town’s actual street names: Kris Kringle Drive, St. Nicholas Drive and Santa Claus Lane. No, we’re not kidding.

Jake Sanderson: Whitefish, Mont.

One of two Montana-born NHL players, Sanderson hails from Whitefish (approximate population of 7,200). Son of former NHLer Geoff Sanderson, who himself is from Hay River, N.W.T. (approximate population of 3,400), Sanderson and his family moved to Calgary when he was 12.

Erik Karlsson: Landsbro, SWE

The 15th overall pick in 2008, Karlsson has seen action in 1,084 games. If Karlsson plays for another four or five seasons, he could have more games played than Landsbro (approximate population of 400) has residents.

Mikko Rantanen: Nousiainen, FIN

Nousiainen is a town in the southwestern area of Finland that has 4,600 residents. Rantanen left Nousiainen for Colorado when he was drafted by the Avalanche 10th overall in 2015.

James Reimer: Morweena, Man.

Since arriving in the NHL in 2010-11, the 37-year-old journeyman netminder has played for Toronto, San Jose, Florida, Carolina, Detroit, Anaheim and Buffalo – but his roots are in Morweena, Man. Morweena has a population of around 150. In his NHL career, Reimer has both won (225) and lost (187) more games than there are people in Morweena.

Jonas Hiller: Felben-Wellhausen, SUI

A veteran of 404 NHL games, Hiller was born in Felben-Wellhausen, a town that was made by the merger of two villages called – wait for it – Felben and Wellhausen in 1983. It had a population of around 2,900 as of December 2018.

Jordin Tootoo: Churchill, Man.

The first Inuk player in NHL history, Tootoo played in 723 NHL games with Nashville, Detroit, New Jersey and Chicago. Tootoo’s hometown, Churchill (approximate population of 900), is known as the polar bear capital of the world, so much so that it is illegal to lock the doors of your car in the event that someone needs to get inside to get away from a polar bear. While he was born in Churchill, Tootoo and his family moved to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, when he was young, and that’s where he first learned to play hockey.

Garnet Hathaway: Kennebunkport, Maine

Originally born in Naples, Fla., Hathaway was raised in Kennebunkport from the time he was six months old. Kennebunkport is a small resort town near the New Hampshire border with a population of 3,700, and it’s famously home to the Bush (George H.W. and George W.) family’s summer compound.

Hannu Jarvenpaa: Ii, FIN

Jarvenpaa played in 114 NHL games for the Winnipeg Jets in the late 1980s. What makes him stand out is his hometown’s two-letter name. Spelt with just two I’s, Ii is the shortest location name in Finland. Jarvenpaa, a member of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame, calls those two letters home. Ii had a population of 9,900 as of December 2023.

John LeClair: St. Albans, Vt.

LeClair was born in a small town not far from the Vermont/Quebec border. St. Albans, with around 7,000 residents, did not have any organized hockey when LeClair was growing up. LeClair and his friends had to play in an old railroad shed.

Andrei Kuzmenko: Yakutsk, RUS

With a population of over 280,000 people, Yakutsk isn’t exactly a small town. What makes it stand out is that Yakutsk is the coldest major city in the world. It has an average daily temperature of minus-8 degrees Celsius, and in the winter temperatures can range between minus-20 at its highest and a record low of minus-64. So you can see why the Kings winger seems so at home on the ice.

Morgan and Conor Geekie: Strathclair, Man.

Boston center Morgan Geekie and Tampa Bay center Conor Geekie both grew up in Strathclair, Man. In 2016, the population barely exceeded 700. The two brothers played many sports growing up in Strathclair, and in fact, they often signed up for every sport offered just to ensure there would be enough players to field a team.

Ryane Clowe: Fermeuse, Nfld.

Clowe had a 491-game career that was plagued with concussion issues that were so severe they even ended his coaching career. Clowe had returned to Newfoundland to coach the Newfoundland Growlers, a now-defunct ECHL team based in St. John’s, about 50 miles from Fermeuse (approximate population of 300).

Elias Pettersson: Ange, SWE

Pettersson – the Vancouver Canucks center, not the Vancouver Canucks defenseman – was born in Sundsvall, Swe., but raised in Ange. Ange is a town of nearly 3,000. Pettersson played youth hockey in Ange, but had to play his junior hockey in Timra, about 60 miles away, due to the lack of opportunities in Ange. Ange is also the hometown of Samuel Pahlsson, a 798-game veteran in the NHL and Stanley Cup champion with Anaheim.

Bryan Trottier: Val Marie, Sask.

Val Marie is a village of roughly 130 people that’s nestled between Swift Current and the Montana border. Val Marie is where the Islanders legend and Hall of Famer grew up, alongside his brother Rocky, who played in 38 NHL games. Trottier scored more playoff points (182) than there are residents in Val Marie.

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