Beanpot Hockey Tournament 2026: Schedule, Teams, History And How To Watch

As February approaches, the city of Boston has a special vibe. Maybe it’s because the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, which is a nice return for New England fans — even if it wasn’t a very long absence. Or maybe it is because of another February Boston tradition: the Beanpot.

The Beanpot, one of Boston’s most prestigious sporting events, is an annual men’s college hockey tournament that features the four DI men’s hockey teams in the greater Boston area: Boston University, Boston college, Northeastern, and Harvard.

Of course, if you’re from Boston, you’re obviously aware of this, but if you’re new, welcome. Here’s everything you should know about the Beanpot.

What is the Beanpot?

The Beanpot, one of Boston’s most renowned sporting events, is an annual college hockey tournament in which four major DI men’s hockey teams compete for bragging rights and the coveted Beanpot trophy. The tournament has a two-round structure, with the winners of the two semifinal games advancing to the title game and the losers playing in the consolation game.

The Beanpot was first hosted in the old Boston Arena, but it quickly moved to the 14,000-seat Boston Garden in 1954. Since 1996, the event has been held in TD Garden, home to the NHL’s Boston Bruins. The Beanpot is traditionally celebrated on the first two Mondays of February, a custom that began in 1959. Every season, it hosts four of the most popular DI men’s hockey games, frequently selling out TD Garden with over 17,000 fans in attending.

So, why is it called the Beanpot? The event was initially known as the New England Hockey Invitational, but prior to the inaugural competition in 1952, Boston Globe writer Leonard M. Fowle referred to it as the “so-called ‘Beanpot’ tournament” in allusion to baked beans, a colonial culinary speciality of Boston. Following the 1952 tournament, then-Boston Bruins owner Walter Brown gave a silver bean pot as the trophy, and the name stayed.

The current trophy is a replica, while the original pot is kept in a glass cabinet at TD Garden, where it is protected by alarms and 24-hour security. According to collegehockeynews.com, the original trophy was last awarded in 2005, when Chris Bourque, son of Bruins icon Ray Bourque, scored the overtime winner for Boston University.

Why is the beanpot so significant?

Besides from the bragging rights and legacy of the Beanpot, the event’s timing is essential, as it marks the start of the crucial stretch leading up to conference finals and the NCAA tournament. Former Boston College head coach Jerry York referred to it as the beginning of “Trophy Season,” with the Beanpot being the first of three trophies for his team to win, along with the Hockey East trophy and the NCAA tournament trophy.

Consider this: in 72 seasons, no contending team has won the national title without first winning the Beanpot. In 2025, the Terriers came near to both, with a Beanpot victory sparking a second-semester turnaround that eventually led to a Frozen Four title trip, but they fell short in a loss to Western Michigan.

What team has won the most Beanpots?

Boston University is the defending winner and the Beanpot’s all-time winningest team, with 32 championships and an overall record of 96-48-0. Boston College comes in second, with 20 championships. BU also boasts the longest victory streak among the four teams, having won six successive matches from 1995 to 2000.

Here are the records of the four Beanpot teams:

	Boston College	boston University	harvard	Northeastern
Beanpot Titles	20	32	11	9
First Beanpot Title	1954	1958	1952	1980
Latest Beanpot Title	2016	2025	2017	2024
Beanpot Record	83-60-1	96-48-0	58-85-1	50-94-0

When is the 2026 Beanpot?

This year marks the 73rd edition of the Beanpot. Every game is broadcast on NESN. Boston College will face Harvard at 5 p.m. ET on February 2, followed by a game against Northeastern at 8 p.m. The victorious teams will compete for the title on February 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The consolation game will take place at 4:30 p.m., before the title game.

The 2026 Beanpot schedule is as follows:

Monday, Feb. 2