2010 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs

The 2010 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs were exciting. Congratulation to the Cincinnati Cyclones for winning the 2010 Kelly Cup. If you are not big a hockey fan, you have probably never heard of the ECHL. The ECHL was founded in 1988 by combining teams from the defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League & the All-American Hockey League to form a mid level professional hockey league. The ECHL has twenty teams as of 2010, but is expected to add a few more teams in the upcoming years. Like the AHL, the ECHL has also lost numerous teams throughout the years due to ownership and financial problems.

The teams are spread across the United States and Canada. The ECHL is basically known as one tier level below the American Hockey League(AHL).

The ECHL is looked upon by many in the hockey world as the "The Premier AA" hockey league in North America. The twenty teams in the ECHL serve as feeder teams for AHL teams.

The ECHL, along with the AHL are the only minor leagues that are recognized by the collective bargain agreement of the NHL and NHLPA.

The ECHL has two conferences, the National Conference and the American Conference. In the Kelly Cup Playoffs, seven teams from the National Conference make the playoffs, and eight teams from the American Conference make the playoffs. The team that has the most regular season points wins the Brabham Cup and gets a bye to the conference semifinals and home ice advantage throughout the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The team that wins the ECHL Playoffs is awarded the Kelly Cup. The Kelly Cup is named after Patrick J Kelly, who was one of the founders and first commissioner of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup.

The Kelly Cup is loaned to the winning team for one year and is returned at the start of the following years playoffs. The Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player award is also given out as part of the Kelly Cup Championship ceremonies.

Click here to view a list of previous Kelly Cup Champions

Cincinnati Cyclones: 2010 Kelly Cup Champions

Here are the final results of the 2010 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs:

American Conference

American Conference Quarterfinals: Best out of 5

Winners in blue

Charlotte Checkers(3) vs Toledo Walleye(1)

Reading Royal(3) vs Kalamazoo Wings(2)

Elmira Jackals(2) vs Florida Everblades(3)

South Carolina Stringrays(2) vs Cincinnati Cyclones(3)

National Conference

National Conference Quarterfinals: Best out of 5

Winners in blue

Bakersfield Condors(3) vs Victoria Salmon Kings(2)

Stockton Thunder(3) vs Alaska Aces(1)

Utah Grizzlies(3) vs Las Vegas Wranglers(2)