Hockey East is an NCAA Division I ice hockey-only conference based in Wakefield, Massachusetts, that was formed in 1984 after five Eastern College Athletic Conference teams decided to create their own league over scheduling concerns.
Shawn Walsh has made the most consecutive championship appearances with seven (1987–1993).
Massachusetts earned the right to host the title game as the higher seed of the two semifinal winners.
The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament: Note: the 2020 tournament was cancelled prior to the start of the quarterfinal round.
Note: Merrimack was forced to withdraw from the 2021 due to a positive COVID-19 test.