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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Joe Lago

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Format, Teams, Rules & Changes Through the Years

NHL Stanley Cup Stanley Cup playoffs
Matthew Tkachuk kisses the Stanley Cup after Florida won the 2024 Final. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Since the 1926-27 season, the NHL champion has been awarded Lord Stanley's Cup, one of the most prestigious trophies in sports. The long, arduous journey to become the last team standing makes the Cup arguably the most difficult to win in North American sports.

The Stanley Cup playoffs has always been a tough road to navigate. What has changed repeatedly over the decades is the format that determines the NHL's postseason winner.

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