Challenge Cup (UK ice hockey)

Challenge Cup

Established	1997
Current holder	Sheffield Steelers
Most successful club	Nottingham Panthers (8 titles)

The Challenge Cup, hosted annually by the Elite Ice Hockey League, is a cup competition for ice hockey clubs in the United Kingdom. It is one of three competitions run each season by the Elite League, the others being the EIHL league championship and the play-off championship, the latter of which follows directly from the former, and also crowns the British national champion. Prior to the formation of the Elite League in 2003, the Challenge Cup was organised by the Ice Hockey Superleague. Only EIHL clubs may enter the Challenge Cup, but unlike the play-offs, the competition itself is entirely independent of the league season.

First awarded during the 1997–98 season, the Challenge Cup has had numerous different formats depending on the number of teams participating and the format of other competitions run during a particular season. The first six finals were single games played at a predetermined venue, and during the first eleven seasons of the Elite League finals were contested over two legs. The final returned to a single game in the 2014–15 season. No final was contested in 2020–21, as the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The most successful team in the history of the competition has been Nottingham Panthers who have taken home the trophy on eight occasions, including five-in-a-row between 2010 and 2014. The current holders of the trophy are Sheffield Steelers, who won the trophy for a sixth time having defeated the Guildford Flames 3-1 in the 2023–24 final, a record twelfth appearance in the showpiece.