What We Play For

League Titles

The heart and soul of the Minnesota Amateur Hockey League is league play. The way the #MAHL is set up, there are multiple smaller leagues making up the entire entity. These leagues are formed geographically with nearby towns in the same leagues to help with travel. This obviously also leads to local rivalries which as I’ve mentioned in the past is one of the biggest aspects of the league. The regular season is 30 games long, 15 home games and 15 road games. There are no playoffs for the regular season title with the team finishing atop the league at the end of the year getting crowned league champs. Winning your league is a big deal, giving your town a sense of pride and bragging rights for the next year.

The MAHL's grand prize, the Kellogg Cup

The Kellogg Cup

League titles are great and all, but there is only one thing on the minds of every team in the MAHL at the start of every season, the Kellogg Cup. Donated to the league by Frank B. Kellogg in 1916 after being elected Senator of Minnesota. The sterling silver cup sits on a wooden base with winning teams getting permanently immortalized next to the year they won it. How the cup is won has changed over time. The first couple years the Cup was a one game series. It was then a best of 5 series from 1921-1929 and a best of 7 series from 1930-1956 until the league completely revamped the playoff structure in 1957 and made every round, including the final, single elimination. The Kellogg Cup is one of the hardest trophies to win in sports, making it all that much sweeter if you are able to bring it back to your town. To win the cup, you must go through what is essentially a second season. The top 4 teams from each league at the end of the regular season qualify for the playoffs where they compete against other teams in their region. Four teams move on from each region and advance to the Super Series. From there you have to win the Super 16, Great Eight, and Semi Final just to get a shot at the Kellogg Cup. If you are able to then win the Final and claim the cup, you will become a legend in your hometown.

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