Professional ice hockey has been played in the UK since the 1930s and the GB team won the Olympic gold medal in 1936. Ice hockey is now the number-one attended indoor professional sport in the UK and overall it is the third largest winter spectator sport in the UK after football and rugby union.
Belfast Giants, Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers compete in the Erhardt Conference. This is named after Carl Erhardt who captained Great Britain to their Olympic gold in 1936. The winners are awarded the Erhardt Trophy.
Braehead Clan, Edinburgh Capitals, Dundee Stars, Fife Flyers and Hull Stingrays make up the Gardiner Conference. This is named after Charlie Gardiner - the Edinburgh-born netminder who captained Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 1934. The winners are awarded the Gardiner Trophy.
Each side plays teams in their own Conference eight times (four at home and four away) and face sides in the other Conference four times (twice at home and twice away). The winner of the League title is the side with the most points from their full 52-game season.
Teams also compete for the Challenge Cup. This competition sees the 10 clubs split into two groups of five, following by a two-legged quarter-final, two-legged semi-final and a two-legged final.
The season ends with the play-offs, which culminates in a final-four weekend at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham in April.
| Season | League | Play-Offs | Challenge Cup | British Knockout Cup | Erhardt Conference | Gardiner Conference | ||||||
| Champions | Runners-Up | Champions | Runners-Up | Champions | Runners-Up | Champions | Runners-Up | Champions | Runners-Up | Champions | Runners-Up | |
| 2003-04 | Sheffield Steelers | Nottingham Panthers | Sheffield Steelers | Nottingham Panthers | Nottingham Panthers | Sheffield Steelers | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2004-05 | Coventry Blaze | Belfast Giants | Coventry Blaze | Nottingham Panthers | Coventry Blaze | Cardiff Devils | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2005-06 | Belfast Giants | Newcastle Vipers | Newcastle Vipers | Sheffield Steelers | Cardiff Devils | Coventry Blaze | Sheffield Steelers | Coventry Blaze | — | — | — | — |
| 2006-07 | Coventry Blaze | Belfast Giants | Nottingham Panthers | Cardiff Devils | Coventry Blaze | Sheffield Steelers | Cardiff Devils | Coventry Blaze | — | — | — | — |
| 2007-08 | Coventry Blaze | Sheffield Steelers | Sheffield Steelers | Coventry Blaze | Nottingham Panthers | Sheffield Steelers | Coventry Blaze | Basingstoke Bison | — | — | — | — |
| 2008-09 | Sheffield Steelers | Coventry Blaze | Sheffield Steelers | Nottingham Panthers | Belfast Giants | Manchester Phoenix | Belfast Giants | Manchester Phoenix | — | — | — | — |
| 2009-10 | Coventry Blaze | Belfast Giants | Belfast Giants | Cardiff Devils | Nottingham Panthers | Cardiff Devils | — | — | --- | --- | — | — |
| 2010-11 | Sheffield Steelers | Cardiff Devils | Nottingham Panthers | Cardiff Devils | Nottingham Panthers | Belfast Giants | — | — | — | — | --- | --- |
| 2011-12 | Belfast Giants | Sheffield Steelers | Nottingham Panthers | Cardiff Devils | Nottingham Panthers | Belfast Giants | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012-13 | Nottingham Panthers | Belfast Giants | Nottingham Panthers | Belfast Giants | Nottingham Panthers | Sheffield Steelers | — | — | Belfast Giants | Nottingham Panthers | Braehead Clan | Fife Flyers |
| 2013-14 | Belfast Giants | Belfast Giants | ||||||||||
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