The National Hockey League (NHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference championship series of the NHL. The Conference Finals are best-of-seven series. The two series are played in late May each year after the first and second rounds of the playoffs and before the Stanley Cup Final. The remaining two teams in the Eastern conference and Western Conference after the second round play off. The winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals receive the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl respectively. The series winners go on to the Stanley Cup Final.
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Before the 1967–68 season, the NHL was made up only of a single division. From the 1967–68 season through the 1973–74 season, the NHL was made up of two divisions (as opposed to conferences), the East Division and the West Division.
Following the 1973–74 season, the NHL again realigned. The East and West Divisions were renamed the Prince of Wales and Clarence Campbell Conferences, respectively. At the time, the new conferences and divisions had little to do with North American geography and geographical references were removed.
Beginning in the 1981–82 season, the conferences and the playoffs were realigned. The NHL was hoping to reduce travel costs in the face of a struggling economy and high energy prices. The regular season and playoffs were also altered to emphasize divisional match-ups.
Beginning in the 1993–94 season, the names of conferences and divisions were changed to reflect their geographic locations. At the instigation of then-new NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the NHL made the change to help non-hockey fans better understand the game, as the National Basketball Association, National Football League, and Major League Baseball all use geographic-based names for their conferences and divisions. Therefore, the Campbell Conference became the Western Conference and the Wales Conference became the Eastern Conference. The respective winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals receive the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.
Four currently active franchises (Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and Columbus Blue Jackets) have never appeared in a Conference Final. The Hurricanes, when known as the Hartford Whalers, and the Coyotes, when known as the Winnipeg Jets, never appeared in a Conference Final.
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Games | Eventual Cup Winner |
| 1982 | New York Islanders | Quebec Nordiques | 4 |
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| 1983 | New York Islanders | Boston Bruins | 6 |
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| 1984 | New York Islanders | Montreal Canadiens | 6 | |
| 1985 | Philadelphia Flyers | Quebec Nordiques | 6 | |
| 1986 | Montreal Canadiens | New York Rangers | 5 |
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| 1987 | Philadelphia Flyers | Montreal Canadiens | 6 | |
| 1988 | Boston Bruins | New Jersey Devils | 7 | |
| 1989 | Montreal Canadiens | Philadelphia Flyers | 6 | |
| 1990 | Boston Bruins | Washington Capitals | 4 | |
| 1991 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston Bruins | 6 |
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| 1992 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston Bruins | 4 |
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| 1993 | Montreal Canadiens | New York Islanders | 5 |
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| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Games | Eventual Cup Winner |
| 1994 | New York Rangers | New Jersey Devils | 7 |
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| 1995 | New Jersey Devils | Philadelphia Flyers | 6 |
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| 1996 | Florida Panthers | Pittsburgh Penguins | 7 | |
| 1997 | Philadelphia Flyers | New York Rangers | 5 | |
| 1998 | Washington Capitals | Buffalo Sabres | 6 | |
| 1999 | Buffalo Sabres | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 | |
| 2000 | New Jersey Devils | Philadelphia Flyers | 7 |
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| 2001 | New Jersey Devils | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5 | |
| 2002 | Carolina Hurricanes | Toronto Maple Leafs | 6 | |
| 2003 | New Jersey Devils | Ottawa Senators | 7 |
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| 2004 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Philadelphia Flyers | 7 |
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| No Conference Finals played due to the lockout. | ||||
| 2006 | Carolina Hurricanes | Buffalo Sabres | 7 |
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| 2007 | Ottawa Senators | Buffalo Sabres | 5 | |
| 2008 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Philadelphia Flyers | 5 | |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Carolina Hurricanes | 4 |
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| 2010 | Philadelphia Flyers | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | |
| 2011 | Boston Bruins | Tampa Bay Lightning | 7 |
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| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Games | Eventual Cup Winner |
| 1982 | Vancouver Canucks | Chicago Black Hawks | 5 | |
| 1983 | Edmonton Oilers | Chicago Black Hawks | 4 | |
| 1984 | Edmonton Oilers | Minnesota North Stars | 4 |
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| 1985 | Edmonton Oilers | Chicago Black Hawks | 6 |
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| 1986 | Calgary Flames | St. Louis Blues | 7 | |
| 1987 | Edmonton Oilers | Detroit Red Wings | 5 |
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| 1988 | Edmonton Oilers | Detroit Red Wings | 5 |
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| 1989 | Calgary Flames | Chicago Blackhawks | 5 |
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| 1990 | Edmonton Oilers | Chicago Blackhawks | 6 |
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| 1991 | Minnesota North Stars | Edmonton Oilers | 5 | |
| 1992 | Chicago Blackhawks | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | |
| 1993 | Los Angeles Kings | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7 |
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Games | Eventual Cup Winner |
| 1994 | Vancouver Canucks | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 | |
| 1995 | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Blackhawks | 5 | |
| 1996 | Colorado Avalanche | Detroit Red Wings | 6 |
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| 1997 | Detroit Red Wings | Colorado Avalanche | 6 |
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| 1998 | Detroit Red Wings | Dallas Stars | 6 |
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| 1999 | Dallas Stars | Colorado Avalanche | 7 |
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| 2000 | Dallas Stars | Colorado Avalanche | 7 | |
| 2001 | Colorado Avalanche | St. Louis Blues | 5 |
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| 2002 | Detroit Red Wings | Colorado Avalanche | 7 |
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| 2003 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | Minnesota Wild | 4 | |
| 2004 | Calgary Flames | San Jose Sharks | 6 | |
| No Conference Finals played due to the lockout. | ||||
| 2006 | Edmonton Oilers | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 5 | |
| 2007 | Anaheim Ducks | Detroit Red Wings | 6 |
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| 2008 | Detroit Red Wings | Dallas Stars | 6 |
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| 2009 | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Blackhawks | 5 | |
| 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | San Jose Sharks | 4 |
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| 2011 | Vancouver Canucks | San Jose Sharks | 5 | |
Legend: CF = Conference Final; SCF = Stanley Cup Final; Bolded year denotes win
| Team | CF appearances | CF wins | % | Cup wins | % | Last CF | Consecutive CF | Consecutive SCF appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Red Wings | 10 | 6 | 60% | 4 | 66.7% | 2009 | 4 | 2 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 9 | 7 | 77.8% | 5 | 71.4% | 2006 | 3 | 3 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 9 | 4 | 44.4% | 0 | 0% | 2010 | - | - |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 9 | 2 | 22.2% | 1 | 50% | 2010 | 2 | - |
| Colorado Avalanche | 8 | 2 | 25% | 2 | 100% | 2002 | 4 | - |
| New Jersey Devils | 6 | 4 | 66.7% | 3 | 75% | 2003 | 2 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 6 | 4 | 66.7% | 3 | 75% | 2009 | 2 | 2 |
| Boston Bruins | 6 | 3 | 50% | 1 | 33.3% | 2011 | 3 | - |
| Dallas Stars | 6 | 3 | 50% | 1 | 33.3% | 2008 | 3 | 2 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 6 | 3 | 50% | 2 | 66.7% | 2010 | 2 | - |
| New York Islanders | 4 | 3 | 75% | 2 | 66.7% | 1993 | 3 | 3 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 4 | 1 | 25% | 0 | 0% | 2007 | 2 | - |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2002 | 2 | - |
| Calgary Flames | 3 | 3 | 100% | 1 | 33.3% | 2004 | - | - |
| Vancouver Canucks | 3 | 3 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 2011 | - | - |
| Anaheim Ducks | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 1 | 50% | 2007 | 2 | - |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 1 | 50% | 2009 | - | - |
| New York Rangers | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | 1 | 100% | 1997 | - | - |
| San Jose Sharks | 3 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2011 | 2 | - |
| Ottawa Senators | 2 | 1 | 50% | 0 | 0% | 2007 | - | - |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 2 | 1 | 50% | 1 | 100% | 2011 | - | - |
| Washington Capitals | 2 | 1 | 50% | 0 | 0% | 1998 | - | - |
| St. Louis Blues | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2001 | - | - |
| Florida Panthers | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 1996 | - | - |
| Los Angeles Kings | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 1993 | - | - |
| Minnesota Wild | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2003 | - | - |
Note: The Colorado Avalanche totals include two Conference Finals appearances as the Quebec Nordiques (both losses), and the Dallas Stars totals include two Conference Finals appearances as the Minnesota North Stars (one win; subsequent Stanley Cup Final loss).
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