League-wide regular season rankings of the final two teams in the playoffs in the NHL and NBA over the last ten years:
| NHL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Finalist Ranks | Winner Rank | |
| 2006-2007 | 4 vs 9 | 4 | |
| 2007-2008 | 1 vs 4 | 1 | |
| 2008-2009 | 3 vs 8 | 8 | |
| 2009-2010 | 3 vs 18 | 3 | |
| 2010-2011 | 1 vs 7 | 7 | |
| 2011-2012 | 9 vs 13 | 13 | |
| 2012-2013 | 1 vs 5 | 1 | |
| 2013-2014 | 10 vs 12 | 10 | |
| 2014-2015 | 5 vs 7 | 7 | |
| 2015-2016 | 4 vs 11 | 4 |
Average winner rank: 5.8
Average loser rank: 7.7
Lowest ranked champion: 13
| NBA | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Finalist Ranks | Winner Rank | |
| 2006-2007 | 3 vs 7 | 3 | |
| 2007-2008 | 1 vs 3 | 1 | |
| 2008-2009 | 2 vs 4 | 2 | |
| 2009-2010 | 3 vs 9 | 3 | |
| 2010-2011 | 3 vs 5 | 5 | |
| 2011-2012 | 3 vs 4 | 4 | |
| 2012-2013 | 1 vs 3 | 1 | |
| 2013-2014 | 1 vs 5 | 5 | |
| 2014-2015 | 1 vs 7 | 1 | |
| 2015-2016 | 1 vs 3 | 3 |
Average winner rank: 2.8
Average loser rank: 4.1
Lowest ranked champion: 5
The lowest ranked champion in the NBA has a higher rank than the average champion rank in the NHL. Interesting to note that in both leagues the higher ranked team between the two in the finals won 6/10 times.