Victoria Cup (ice hockey)

The Victoria Cup is a game or series of games played between professional ice hockey teams from Europe and the North American National Hockey League (NHL) that is currently on hiatus. The event has been held twice, in 2008 and 2009.

The Victoria Cup was announced in 2007 as one of the highlight events to celebrate 2008, the 100th anniversary of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The Victoria cup is so named to commemorate the first recorded organised indoor ice hockey game, played in 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In the two editions of the event held so far, different criteria were used to choose the competing teams. One challenger, from Europe, was the winner of the IIHF European Champions Cup (in the 2008 Victoria Cup) and then the Champions Hockey League (2009 edition). The other, from North America, was chosen by the National Hockey League head office from among the teams that open their NHL season with games in Europe. The IIHF publicly stated their wish to have the NHL champion (winner of the Stanley Cup) represent the NHL but the NHL did not agree to that proposal, though the Chicago Blackhawks who challenged for the Victoria Cup in 2009 would go on to win the Stanley Cup later that season.

On October 1, 2008, the first Victoria Cup was awarded to the New York Rangers, winners by a score of 4-3 of a single game playoff against the Metallurg Magnitogorsk, winners of the 2008 European Champions Cup played at the PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland. The game was played under IIHF rules. Referees were split between the NHL and the IIHF.

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