Terry Ryan celebrates his 47th birthday with a huge fight in his remarkable return to pro hockey
He still got it at 47!
ECHL
The ECHL is the third tier of North American professional hockey, below the NHL and the AHL, and the official development league of both. It was founded in 1988 as the East Coast Hockey League and dropped the words when it expanded coast to coast. The ECHL plays for the Kelly Cup, won in 2026 by the Florida Everblades.
| Founded | 1988; renamed ECHL in 2003 |
|---|---|
| Teams | About 30 |
| Level | Third tier, below the NHL and the AHL |
| Role | Official development league of the NHL and AHL |
| Trophy | Kelly Cup |
| 2026 champion | Florida Everblades, their fifth |
| Note | An ECHL alumnus has been on the Cup-winning roster 26 years running |
