As February nears, the city of Boston has a certain buzz to it. Maybe it’s because the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, a welcome return for New Englanders — though it wasn’t a particularly long hiatus. Or maybe it’s because of the other February Boston tradition: the Beanpot.
One of Boston’s most revered sporting events, the Beanpot is an annual men’s college hockey tournament featuring 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 probably already knew that, but if you’re new here, welcome. Here’s everything you need to know about the Beanpot.
⏪ REWIND: Boston University wins the 2025 Beanpot
What is the Beanpot?
One of Boston’s most prestigious sporting events, the Beanpot is an annual college hockey tournament featuring the four major DI men’s hockey teams in the Boston area, competing for bragging rights and the coveted Beanpot trophy. The tournament follows a two-round format, where the winners of the two semifinal games advance to the championship game, while the losers meet in the consolation game.
The Beanpot was originally held in the old Boston Arena, but it quickly expanded to the 14,000-seat Boston Garden in 1954. Since 1996, the tournament has been played at TD Garden, home of the NHL’s Boston Bruins. The Beanpot is typically held on the first two Mondays of February, a tradition beginning in 1959. It routinely features four of the highest-attended DI men’s hockey games each season, often selling out TD Garden with a crowd of over 17,000 fans for all four games.
So, why is it called the Beanpot? The tournament was originally known as the New England Hockey Invitational, but before the inaugural tournament in 1952, Boston Globe writer Leonard M. Fowle referred to it as the “so-called ‘Beanpot’ tournament” in reference to Boston’s colonial culinary specialty, baked beans. After the 1952 tournament, then-Boston Bruins owner Walter Brown donated a silver bean pot as the tournament’s trophy, and the name stuck.
The current trophy is a replica, while the original pot sits in a glass case at TD Garden, where it is protected with alarms and round-the-clock security. According to collegehockeynews.com, the last time the original trophy was awarded was 2005, when Chris Bourque — son of Bruins legend Ray Bourque — scored the overtime winner for BU.
Why is the Beanpot so important?
Besides bragging rights and tradition of the Beanpot, the tournament’s timing is also significant, as it begins the important stretch toward conference championships and the NCAA tournament. Former Boston College head coach Jerry York even referred to it as the start of “Trophy Season,” where the Beanpot is the first of three trophies for his team to capture, along with the Hockey East trophy and the NCAA tournament trophy.
To put into perspective how important the Beanpot is, consider this: in 72 seasons, none of the competing teams has ever won the national championship without first winning the Beanpot in that same season. The Terriers came close to both in 2025, when a Beanpot victory spurred a second-semester turnaround that ultimately led to a Frozen Four championship appearance, but they ultimately came up short in the loss to Western Michigan.
Which team has won the most Beanpots?
Boston University is the defending champion and the all-time winningest team in the Beanpot, capturing 32 championships and holding a 96-48-0 overall record. Boston College follows in second with 20 championships. BU also has the longest winning streak of the four teams, winning six in a row from 1995 to 2000.
Here’s a look at 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. All games are broadcast on NESN. Boston College will face Harvard at 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 2, followed by Boston U. playing Northeastern at 8 p.m. The winning teams will meet in the championship on Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The consolation game will be played prior to the title game, at 4:30 p.m.
The 2026 Beanpot schedule is as follows:
Monday, Feb. 2
Monday, Feb. 9
- 4:30 p.m | Third-Place Game
- 7:30 p.m. | Championship Game
