The Hockey East conference is home to some of college hockey’s best rivalries. Since the conference’s formation in 1984, it has sent 118 teams to the NCAA Tournament—more than any other conference during that time. Its success as an elite conference also shows up at the NHL Draft, with more of its players being selected by NHL clubs than any other conference in the league.
The Hockey East regular season ends with an all-conference tournament. The winner of the tournament gets a automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.
When ties occur between two teams, the conference uses tiebreakers to determine seeding for the playoffs. Head-to-head winning percentage, common games, and other factors are used to reduce the number of tied teams until a single team is separated from the rest of the pack.
In the case of three or more teams tied, the process begins anew with each additional criterion being used in order until one team is separated from the rest. If a tiebreaker is not able to separate the teams, the teams are declared co-champions.
The conference’s reach continues to grow with the addition of new state-of-the-art facilities that have dramatically increased capacity and amenities for fans. TD Garden has become a recognized leader in hosting college hockey events, with crowds soaring to record levels for the Beanpot and Hockey East Championships.
Its student-athletes have excelled off the ice as well. The conference is the proud host of the Hockey Humanitarian Award, an honor given annually to a player who exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship. The award has been presented by the conference since its inception and is voted on by its member schools.
As part of the league’s commitment to promoting goodwill, Hockey East teams and their alumni have supported charitable initiatives around the region. Among those are an annual event held in February to raise funds for breast cancer research and awareness. The first year saw close to $20,000 raised by Hockey East schools for the Friends of Mel’s Foundation and the American Cancer Society.
A total of 167 students have been named to the Hockey East All-Academic team this year. Those students have maintained a minimum 3.0 grade point average for the academic period. The list includes a record number of goaltenders, with all but one making the cut this year. The league is proud of all its students-athletes, who continue to make an important contribution to their community and the sport as a whole.