Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada to compete, with the provision that the Stanley Cup winners were to be recognized as "World's Champions". The phrase was repeatedly engraved on the Cup, and continued to be used, when the NHL began admitting American franchises. When the NHL assumed formal control of the Cup in 1947, the resulting agreement required "that the winners of this trophy shall be the acknowledged World's Professional Hockey Champions" (in contrast to the IIHF's Ice Hockey World Championships, at the time contested only by amateurs). When the World Hockey Association commenced play in the 1970s, they sought to challenge for the Stanley Cup,
2016–17 Hong Kong Season Play-off 2016–17 Hong Kong Season Play-off 2016–17 Season Play-off for the 2016–17 Hong Kong football season is the 5th season of the tournament. The play-off semi-finals are played in one match each, contested by the teams who finished in 2nd and 3rd place in the Premier League table, the winners of the Senior Challenge Shield and the champions of the FA Cup. The winners of the semi-finals go through to the final, with the winner of the final gaining participation for the 2018 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off. Eastern defeated Kwoon Chung Southern in the final to win the play-offs. This