Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for men's hockey when most of its current members split from what is today known as ECAC Hockey, after disagreements with the Ivy League members. The women's league began play in 2002.
On October 5, 2011, the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (an ACC member outside football) announced they would be joining Hockey East as the conference's first non-New England school in 2013 after the CCHA folded. On March 22, 2016, Notre Dame subsequently announced their men's hockey team would leave Hockey East for the Big Ten Conference at the start of the 2017–2018 season. The University of Connecticut (UConn) and Hockey East jointly announced on June 21, 2012, that UConn's men's team, then in Atlantic Hockey, would join the school's women's team in Hockey East in 2014. On October 24, 2013, Merrimack College, already a member of the Hockey East men's league, announced that it would upgrade its women's team from club level to full varsity status effective in 2015 and join the Hockey East women's league.
On May 2, 2017, the College of the Holy Cross announced that it would join Hockey East for women's hockey only starting in 2018–19.
Conference records
Men's
Teams' records against current conference opponents.
| Hockey East | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=11% | School | Boston College Eagles | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](boston-college-eagles-men-s-ice-hockey) | Boston University Terriers | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](boston-university-terriers-men-s-ice-hockey) | UConn Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](uconn-huskies-men-s-ice-hockey) | Maine Black Bears | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](maine-black-bears-men-s-ice-hockey) | UMass Minutemen | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](umass-minutemen-ice-hockey) | UMass Lowell River Hawks | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](umass-lowell-river-hawks-men-s-ice-hockey) | Merrimack Warriors | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](merrimack-warriors-men-s-ice-hockey) | New Hampshire Wildcats | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](new-hampshire-wildcats-men-s-ice-hockey) | Northeastern Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](northeastern-huskies-men-s-ice-hockey) | Providence Friars | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](providence-friars-men-s-ice-hockey) | Vermont Catamounts | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=8% | [](vermont-catamounts-men-s-ice-hockey) | Hockey East | color=#FFFFFF}};" width=9% | Total |
|---|
| Boston College Eagles | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](boston-college-eagles-men-s-ice-hockey) | | | | 131 | 139 | 21 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 72 | 55 | 10 |
| Boston University Terriers | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](boston-university-terriers-men-s-ice-hockey) | 136 | 128 | 20 | | | | 10 | 6 | 2 | 68 | 55 | 14 |
| UConn Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](uconn-huskies-men-s-ice-hockey) | 3 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 2 | | | | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Maine Black Bears | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](maine-black-bears-men-s-ice-hockey) | 51 | 71 | 9 | 55 | 68 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 4 | | | |
| UMass Minutemen | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](umass-minutemen-ice-hockey) | 17 | 74 | 4 | 14 | 70 | 8 | 43 | 18 | 4 | 28 | 58 | 10 |
| UMass Lowell River Hawks | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](umass-lowell-river-hawks-men-s-ice-hockey) | 45 | 69 | 10 | 34 | 78 | 11 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 46 | 81 | 5 |
| Merrimack Warriors | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](merrimack-warriors-men-s-ice-hockey) | 23 | 75 | 7 | 22 | 92 | 8 | 27 | 8 | 5 | 22 | 72 | 10 |
| New Hampshire Wildcats | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](new-hampshire-wildcats-men-s-ice-hockey) | 66 | 77 | 16 | 52 | 113 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 56 | 70 | 12 |
| Northeastern Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](northeastern-huskies-men-s-ice-hockey) | 55 | 171 | 16 | 64 | 167 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 58 | 19 |
| Providence Friars | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](providence-friars-men-s-ice-hockey) | 53 | 121 | 14 | 59 | 111 | 19 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 58 | 67 | 7 |
| Vermont Catamounts | color=#FFFFFF}};" | [](vermont-catamounts-men-s-ice-hockey) | 16 | 49 | 7 | 24 | 53 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 1 | 29 | 29 | 8 |
Note: Northeastern defeated Boston University in the 2020 Beanpot championship in double overtime. However, due to NCAA rules about non-postseason games, the match is officially recorded as a tie.
## Men's Championships
*Main article: Hockey East men's ice hockey tournament*
The Hockey East Championship Game has been held in Boston since 1987. Originally held at the Boston Garden, it moved to TD Garden in 1996. Prior to moving to Boston, the first two men's Hockey East championships were held in Providence, Rhode Island at the Providence Civic Center.
The semifinal and final games are held on consecutive nights in mid-March at TD Garden. The quarterfinal round takes place the previous weekend, and the opening round is the midweek prior to the quarterfinals. Eight teams in the league advance to the quarterfinal round. In the opening round, seeds six, seven, and eight host seeds 11, 10, and nine, respectively. After a reseeding, the top three seeds host the winners of the Opening Round while the four seed hosts the five seed in the Quarterfinals.
### Championships, Frozen Fours, and NCAA Tournament Appearances
::data[format=table]
| School | NCAA
Championships | NCAA
Runner-Up | NCAA
Frozen Fours | NCAA
Tournament
Appearances | Conference
Championships | Conference
Tournament
Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | **5**
(1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012) | **7**
(1965, 1978, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2024) | **26**
(1948-50, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1985, 1990, 1998-2001, 2004, 2006-08, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2024) | **38**
(1948-50, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1984-87, 1989-91, 1998-2001, 2003-08, 2010-16, 2021, 2024, 2025) | **22**
(1980, 1981, 1984-87, 1989-91, 2001, 2003-05, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016-18, 2020, 2024, 2025) | **14**
(1965, 1978, 1987, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010-12, 2024) |
| Boston University | **5**
(1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009) | **7**
(1950, 1967, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2015, 2025) | **25**
(1950, 1951, 1953, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974-78, 1990, 1991, 1993-97, 2009, 2015, 2023-25) | **40**
(1950, 1951, 1953, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974-78, 1984, 1986, 1990-98, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005-07, 2009, 2012, 2015-18, 2021, 2023-25) | **22**
(1938, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1994-98, 2000, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2023) | **17**
(1951, 1952, 1972, 1974-77, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2023) |
| Connecticut | | | | **1**
(2025) | | **1**
(2000) |
| Maine | **2**
(1993, 1999) | **3**
(1995, 2002, 2004) | **11**
(1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007) | **19**
(1987-91, 1993, 1995, 1999-2007, 2012, 2024, 2025) | **3**
(1988, 1993, 1995) | **6**
(1989, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2025) |
| Massachusetts | **1**
(2021) | **1**
(2019) | **2**
(2019, 2021) | **6**
(2007, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) | **1**
(2019) | **2**
(2021, 2022) |
| Massachusetts Lowell | | | **1**
(2013) | **9**
(1988, 1994, 1996, 2012-14, 2016, 2017, 2022) | **2**
(2013, 2017) | **3**
(2013, 2014, 2017) |
| Merrimack | | | | **3**
(1988, 2011, 2023) | | |
| New Hampshire | | **2**
(1999, 2003) | **7**
(1977, 1979, 1982, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003) | **22**
(1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997-2000, 2002-11, 2013) | **8**
(1992, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010) | **3**
(1979, 2002, 2003) |
| Northeastern | | | **1**
(1982) | **8**
(1982, 1988, 1994, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022) | **1**
(2022) | **4**
(1982, 1988, 2016, 2019) |
| Providence | **1**
(2015) | **1**
(1985) | **5**
(1964, 1983, 1985, 2015, 2019) | **16**
(1964, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2014-19, 2025) | **3**
(1964, 1983, 2016) | **4**
(1964, 1981, 1985, 1996) |
| Vermont | | | **2**
(1996, 2009) | **6**
(1988, 1996, 1997, 2009, 2010, 2014) | **1**
(1996) | |
::
## Women's Championships
*Main article: List of Hockey East Women's Ice Hockey Tournament champions*
The Hockey East Championship was held in Boston from its inception in 2003 until 2007. The event was held at Northeastern's Matthews Arena in 2003 and 2004 before moving to BU's Walter Brown Arena in 2005. The tournament returned to Matthews Arena in 2006, was held at UNH's Whittemore Center in 2007, and at UConn's Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum in 2008. The tournament went back to UNH in 2009, Providence in 2010, and the last campus to host was Boston University in 2011. The tournament moved to Hyannis, Massachusetts in 2012, and Lawler Arena on the Merrimack College campus in North Andover, Massachusetts in 2016.
### Championships, Frozen Fours, and NCAA Tournament Appearances
::data[format=table]
| School | NCAA
Championships | NCAA
Runner-Up | NCAA
Frozen Fours | NCAA
Tournament
Appearances | Conference
Championships | Conference
Tournament
Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | | **1**
(2016) | **7**
(2007, 2011-13, 2015-17) | **11**
(2007, 2011-19, 2021) | **5**
(2014-18) | **3**
(2011, 2016, 2017) |
| Boston University | | **2**
(2011, 2013) | **2**
(2011, 2013) | **7**
(2010-15, 2025) | **2**
(2011, 2013) | **6**
(2010, 2012-15, 2025) |
| Connecticut | | | | **1**
(2024) | **2**
(2024, 2025) | **1**
(2024) |
| Holy Cross | | | | | | |
| Maine | | | | | | |
| Merrimack | | | | | | |
| New Hampshire | | | **2**
(2006, 2008) | **5**
(2006-10) | **4**
(2006-09) | **5**
(1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1996) |
| Northeastern | | **1**
(2021) | **3**
(2021-23) | **6**
(2016, 2018, 2019, 2021-23) | **6**
(2012, 2019, 2020-23) | **9**
(1988, 1989, 1997, 2018-23) |
| Providence | | | | **2**
(2005, 2021) | **1**
(2010) | **5**
(1985, 1992-95) |
| Vermont | | | | | | |
::
## Rivalries
Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern all take part in the annual Beanpot tournament with Harvard of ECAC Hockey.
The previously existing rivalry between Boston College and Notre Dame, the Holy War on Ice, became a conference matchup with Notre Dame's arrival in Hockey East. The two are rivals in other sports as well, as both are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference for most sports (though Notre Dame's football team remains independent, they play BC in that sport on a regular basis). Maine also has a rivalry with New Hampshire, often called "The Border War". Providence and UConn also have a rivalry which spills over from the basketball court.
::data[format=table]
| UConn-UMass rivalry | | 71 | 1929 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
::
## Conference arenas
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Map_of_Hockey_East_members_beginning_with_2017-18.png" caption="Hockey East membership beginning in 2017-18. <br>Holy Cross (in green) joined the women's league in 2018-2019."]
::
::data[format=table]
| Vermont Catamounts}}"| Vermont | Albert L. Gutterson Fieldhouse | 4,003 | 1963 |
|---|---|---|---|
::
## Awards
### Men's
At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each Hockey East team vote which players they choose to be on the three All-Conference Teams: first team, second team and rookie team (except for [1985–86](1985-86-ncaa-division-i-men-s-ice-hockey-season) when no rookie team was selected). Additionally they vote to award up to 6 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. Hockey East also awards a Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player and names a tournament all-star team, which are voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. Four of these awards have been bestowed every year that Hockey East has been in operation. In addition, the Scoring Champion and Goaltending Champions are named based solely on statistics the players made during the season.
### All-Conference Teams
::data[format=table]
| All-Tournament Team | [1985](1985-hockey-east-men-s-ice-hockey-tournament) |
|---|---|
::
### Individual awards
::data[format=table]
| William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player | [1985](1985-hockey-east-men-s-ice-hockey-tournament) |
|---|---|
::
### Team Awards
::data[format=table]
| Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award | [1991-92](1991-92-ncaa-division-i-men-s-ice-hockey-season) |
|---|---|
::
### Women's
The award for the top HEA player each year is the Cammi Granato Award, awarded since 2009. The NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Player of the year, the Patty Kazmaier Award, has been won by HEA players Brooke Whitney (Northeastern) in 2002, Alex Carpenter (Boston College) in 2015, Kendall Coyne (Northeastern) in 2016, Daryl Watts (Boston College) in 2018, and Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) in 2021.
## Television rights
Since the 2019–2020 season, Hockey East games have aired regionally on NESN and are available in the rest of the United States and in Canada on Paramount+ and SportsLive.
Games previously aired nationally on NBCSN through the 2016 Hockey East Championship game, and on American Sports Network prior to the service's closure.
On April 6, 2022, Hockey East reached a six-year media rights agreement with ESPN and ESPN+ that will bring games to ESPN's television and streaming platforms;
- 300 games per season with all contests available on ESPN+.
- 3 games per season that will air on ESPNU.
## References
## References
1. (March 15, 2010). ["BU nabs spot in Hockey East semis; Maine next – ESPN Boston"](https://www.espn.com/boston/news/story?id=4996043). *ESPN*.
2. ["He Could Go All the Way"](http://www.uscho.com/m/he/?data=history). *U.S. College Hockey Online*.
3. ["Maine news, sports, politics and obituaries — Bangor Daily News"](http://sports.bangordailynews.com/2010/04/21/sports/hockey-east-thrives-in-amplsquodownamprsquo-year/).
4. [https://www.nesn.com/hockey-east/ Hockey East News, Schedule, Scores, Statistics, Video – NESN.com]
5. (June 2024)
6. Connelly, Jim. (March 22, 2016). ["Sources: Notre Dame leaving Hockey East for Big Ten in 2017"](http://www.uscho.com/2016/03/22/sources-notre-dame-leaving-hockey-east-for-big-ten-in-2017/).
7. (June 21, 2012). ["UConn Men's Hockey to Join Hockey East in 2014–2015"](http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/men/pres1112/201206/jun21hea.php). *Hockey East*.
8. (October 24, 2013). ["Merrimack College Women’s Ice Hockey to Join Division I, Hockey East Ranks in 2015–16"](http://www.merrimackathletics.com/sports/wice/2013-14/releases/20131009na529b). *Merrimack College Athletics*.
9. Horgan, Candace. (2017-05-02). ["Holy Cross to join Women’s Hockey East for 2018-19"](http://www.uscho.com/2017/05/02/holy-cross-to-join-womens-hockey-east-for-2018-19/).
10. [link](https://archive.today/20120918034829/http://www.uscho.com/standings/index.php?season=20102011&conf=he&gender=m). (2012-09-18)
11. [link](https://archive.today/20120914093259/http://www.uscho.com/standings/index.php?season=20102011&conf=he&gender=w). (2012-09-14)
12. [http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/03/06_hockey.php New England Hockey Journal: Hockey East playoff bracket set]
13. [http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_hockey/articles/2010/03/21/eagles_bear_down_in_ot_win_hockey_east_title/ Eagles bear down in OT, win Hockey East title – The Boston Globe]
14. (2012-03-15). ["UMaine’s Abbott named Hockey East Player of the Year, Hobey Baker finalist"](http://mainecampus.com/2012/03/15/umaines-abbott-named-hockey-east-player-of-the-year-hobey-baker-finalist/). *The Maine Campus*.
15. ["Hockey East Awards"](https://www.augenblick.org/chha/hea_awd.html). *College hockey Historical Archive*.
16. ["Hockey East and CBS Interactive Announce Multi-Year Partnership"](https://hockeyeastonline.com/men/articles/2020/02/hockey-east-and-cbs-interactive-announce-multi-year-partnership.pdf). *Hockey East*.
17. ["Hockey East and NESN Announce Multi-Year Partnership"](https://hockeyeastonline.com/men/articles/2019/09/hockey-east-and-nesn-announce-multi-year-partnership.php). *Hockey East*.
18. ["2019-2020 Hockey East Association Men's And Women's Game Schedule: Watch Live On CBS All Access"](https://www.cbs.com/shows/hockey-on-cbs-all-access/news/1009531/2019-2020-hockey-east-association-men-s-and-women-s-game-schedule-watch-live-on-cbs-all-access/). *CBS Interactive*.
19. ["NBCSN and Hockey East Sign Multi-Year Extension"](https://hockeyeastonline.com/men/pres1314/201310/oct8nbc.pdf). *Hockey East*.
20. ["NBCSN to Televise Hockey East Championship Weekend"](https://hockeyeastonline.com/men/pres1516/201603/mar2nbc.pdf). *Hockey East*.
21. ["Hockey East League Television Package Announced"](https://hockeyeastonline.com/men/pres1617/201609/sep26mtv.pdf). *Hockey East*.
22. ["HOCKEY EAST ANNOUNCES SIX-YEAR MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITH ESPN AND ESPN+"](https://hockeyeastonline.com/articles/2022/04/hockey-east-announces-six-year-media-rights-agreement-with-espn.php). *Hockey East*.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"]
This article was imported from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_East) and is available under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the [article history page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_East?action=history).
::