Malmo + Moscow + Victory Cups = <3

[Victor 11,143]

Since coming into the league in S65 and S66, respectively, Moscow and Malmo have won a combined 13 Victory Cups as regular season champions. That's as many as 13 of the other VHL franchises combined in the same time period. The only team keeping pace with the Menace and Nighthawks is Vancouver with 6 Victory Cups of their own.

 

Of course, Victory Cups don't translate into Continental Cups very well in the modern era, with Moscow and Malmo only have 4 championships to show for their regular season dominance. Only once each have they followed up a regular season crown with playoff triumph – in S70 (Moscow) and S79 (Malmo).

 

It almost raises the question of what is most important in the VHL. Regular season stats are the first thing that potential Hall of Famers are judged on and all end-of-season awards except playoff MVP are entirely based on regular season performance. For that reason Malmo and Moscow are rightfully considered very successful franchises since inception, yet you could argue both have regrets from “only” winning 2 Continental Cups apiece in some 30 seasons. Perhaps one of the two will add to their playoff success after another strong regular season performance from both teams.