The Hockey East Tournament has been held at the conclusion of the Hockey East regular season since the league's inception. In the league's first two tournaments in 1985 and 1986, all seven league members were invited to the Hockey East Tournament, with the top seed recieving a quarterfinal bye. From 1987 to 1989, the last place team failed to qualify, and the top two seeds would recieve quarterfinal byes. While the Championship has always been decided by a single game, the other rounds have changed several times over the years. The tournament has currently had an unchanged format since 1998.