10 champions in 10 seasons

[scoop 3,382]

I am a fan of parity. I think many others are as well. Who wants to see the same time win over and over? (The obvious exception, of course, is if it is their own team.) The recent VHL champions do demonstrate that we have had a healthy dose of parity as of late. Twelve seasons have passed since Vancouver won three straight Continental Cups from Season 80 through Season 82, and in those twelve seasons, only two teams have won multiple championships. With the league having been at 16 teams for over 20 seasons now, it is harder for teams to dominate the way that Seattle did when they won it all in four of six (or, stretching it out, five of ten) seasons. While the additional competition does make it harder for teams to win several championships in a short span, it also makes it harder for teams to win even once. Four teams (New York, Helsinki, Riga, and Los Angeles) have not won a single Cup in the 16-team era.

 

This doesn't mean that we can't dream for a 16-season stretch in which every team wins exactly one championship. Okay, so that kind of stretch may seem a bit farfetched, considering things have to line up very perfectly, and with the unpredictability of the playoffs, it would be very unlikely (though the unpredictability may actually help in this cause just as much as it could hinder it). Currently, we have nine unique champions, beginning with Vancouver in Season 86. This is tied for the longest string of unique champions in VHL history, overlapping with the S84 through S91 run which was the first to reach nine.

 

To extend the streak, we just need to see one of seven specific teams win this season. Those seven teams are Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Helsinki, Malmo, Riga, and Warsaw. Of those European teams, three are almost certainly going to make the playoffs (Malmo, Riga, and Warsaw). The North American Conference is looking more like a six-team race, meaning we might see only one of Chicago and New York in the post-season (Los Angeles will not make it. With the playoff field looking to have four or five teams for whom a Continental Cup would mean ten champions in ten seasons, it would seem to be close to a 50/50 chance.

[Victor 10,829]

Wonder what the longest previous streak was. I know there was a point all 8 original franchises won in 8 successive seasons (would have been including S26 Vasteras and S32 New York) but then we got some dynasties after Quebec and Cologne came in which would have ruined it.

 

So might already be in record setting territory.

[scoop 3,382]

2 hours ago, Victor said:

Wonder what the longest previous streak was. I know there was a point all 8 original franchises won in 8 successive seasons (would have been including S26 Vasteras and S32 New York) but then we got some dynasties after Quebec and Cologne came in which would have ruined it.

 

So might already be in record setting territory.

The longest was 9, and it was just previously from 84 to 91. Chicago ruined it by winning in 92, but it didn't set things back too far.