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F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy

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The F.G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy is awarded to the regular season champion of the American Hockey League's North Division. It is the oldest trophy awarded by the AHL, but it passed through two leagues previously. It is one of the oldest trophies in professional hockey. It is named after Teddy Oke, the owner of the Kitchener team in the Canadian Professional Hockey League (CPHL) and former player.

The 1928–29 CPHL champions, the Windsor Bulldogs, took the trophy with them when they defected to the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1929–30. The Oke Trophy remained the championship trophy of the IHL until 1936 when the league joined with the Can-Am to form the International American Hockey League (I-AHL), the precursor of the AHL.

The I-AHL operated as a "circuit of mutual convenience" for its first two years, with the IHL's four surviving teams comprising the I-AHL's West Division. They continued the trophy's tradition in the new league when it was awarded to the West Eivision champions, the Syracuse Stars. The Stars went on to become the I-AHL's first champions by winning the Calder Cup.

The Oke trophy remained the west division championship until the 1952–53 season, when it became the trophy for the AHL team with the best regular-season record, while the Calder Cup remained the playoff trophy. The 1960–61 Oke Trophy champions, the Springfield Indians, took the trophy with them, winning the East Division in 1961–62. The newly christened John D. Chick Trophy replaced the Oke Trophy as the West Division's trophy the same year. The AHL has realigned divisions several times since 1961–62, and until the 2011–12 season, the Oke Trophy had followed the previous winning team to the new division.

References

F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Wikipedia