Allan Cup
Encyclopedia
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur
men’s ice hockey
champions of Canada
. It has been competed for since 1909. The current (2011) champion is the Clarenville Caribous
hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador
.
, which allowed professionals, to form the new Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union
(IPAHU), a purely amateur league. The trustees of the Stanley Cup
decided that the Cup would be awarded to the professional ice champion, meaning there was no corresponding trophy for the amateur championship of Canada. The Allan Cup was donated in early 1909 by Montreal businessman and Montreal Amateur Athletic Association president Sir H. Montagu Allan
to be presented to the amateur champions of Canada. It was to be ruled like the Stanley Cup had, passed by champion to champion by league championship or challenge. Three trustees were named to administer the trophy: Sir Edward Clouston, President of the Bank of Montreal
, Dr. H. B. Yates of McGill University
, (donor of the Yates Cup
to the Intercollegiate Rugby Union in 1898) and Graham Drinkwater
, four-time Stanley Cup
champion.
The trophy was originally presented to the Victoria Hockey Club
of Montreal, members of the IPAHU, to award to the champions of the IPAHU. The first IPAHU champion, and by extension, first winner of the Cup was the Ottawa Cliffsides hockey club. After the season, the Cliffsides were defeated in the first-ever challenge by the Queen’s University
hockey club of Kingston, Ontario
.
In the early years, trustees of the Cup quickly came to appreciate the difficulties of organizing a national competition in so large a country. In 1914, at the suggestion of one of the trustees, Claude Robinson, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
(CAHA) was formed as a national governing body for the sport. One of the CAHA's first decisions, in 1915, was to replace the challenge system with a series of national playoffs. Starting in 1920, the Allan Cup champion team would represent Canada in amateur play at the Olympics and World Championships. This was discontinued in the 1960s
with the introduction of the Canadian national team.
In 1928 the trustees turned over responsibility for the Cup to the CAHA. By 1951, many senior teams had become semi-professional or professional. In 1951, the CAHA set up a "major league" of competition from the semi-pro and professional senior leagues. The leagues would no longer compete for the Allan Cup, but would compete for the new Alexander Cup
. The Allan Cup would be competed for on a more purely amateur basis from teams in smaller centres of Canada. The major league concept broke up by 1953, and the Alexander Cup competition was retired after 1954.
Since 1984 the Allan Cup has been competed for by teams in the Senior AAA category. Although interest in senior ice hockey has diminished over its history, the Cup retains an important place in Canadian ice hockey. The Cup championship is determined in an annual tournament held in the city or town of a host team, playing off against regional champions.
The Cup has been won by teams from every province and from the Yukon
, as well as by two teams from the United States
which played in Canadian leagues. The city with the most Allan Cup championships is Thunder Bay
with 10, including four won as Port Arthur
before the city's amalgamation. The original Cup has been retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame
, and a replica is presented to the champions.
{*} denotes event held in multiple locations. Applicable locations are listed on the event's specific article.
(*) Saskatchewan
totals include championships won by teams from Lloydminster
.
Senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
men’s ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
champions of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It has been competed for since 1909. The current (2011) champion is the Clarenville Caribous
Clarenville Caribous
The Clarenville Caribous are a senior ice hockey team based in Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador as part of the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League...
hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
.
History
In 1908, a split occurred in the competition of ice hockey in Canada. The top amateur teams left the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey AssociationEastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association was a men's amateur, later professional ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with six clubs: four from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and two from the Federal Amateur Hockey League, to bring...
, which allowed professionals, to form the new Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union
Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union
The Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union was the premier amateur ice hockey league in Canada after the split between the amateur and professional ice hockey teams of the Eastern Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1908.-History:...
(IPAHU), a purely amateur league. The trustees of the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
decided that the Cup would be awarded to the professional ice champion, meaning there was no corresponding trophy for the amateur championship of Canada. The Allan Cup was donated in early 1909 by Montreal businessman and Montreal Amateur Athletic Association president Sir H. Montagu Allan
H. Montagu Allan
Sir Hugh Andrew Montague Allan, CVO was a Canadian banker, ship owner, and a sportsman who donated the Allan Cup, the trophy symbolic of men's amateur ice hockey supremacy in Canada.-Early life:...
to be presented to the amateur champions of Canada. It was to be ruled like the Stanley Cup had, passed by champion to champion by league championship or challenge. Three trustees were named to administer the trophy: Sir Edward Clouston, President of the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
, Dr. H. B. Yates of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, (donor of the Yates Cup
Yates Cup
The Yates Cup is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport federation. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back to 1898 and surpassing both the Grey...
to the Intercollegiate Rugby Union in 1898) and Graham Drinkwater
Graham Drinkwater
Charles Graham Drinkwater was a Canadian ice hockey player, businessman and philanthropist. Drinkwater played for the Montreal Victorias in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in the early era before professionalism. Drinkwater was a rare player in that he had the ability to play both...
, four-time Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champion.
The trophy was originally presented to the Victoria Hockey Club
Montreal Victorias
The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating...
of Montreal, members of the IPAHU, to award to the champions of the IPAHU. The first IPAHU champion, and by extension, first winner of the Cup was the Ottawa Cliffsides hockey club. After the season, the Cliffsides were defeated in the first-ever challenge by the Queen’s University
Queen's Golden Gaels
The Queen's Gaels are the athletic teams that represent Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Team colours are blue, red, and gold. Its main home is Richardson Memorial Stadium on West Campus....
hockey club of Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
.
In the early years, trustees of the Cup quickly came to appreciate the difficulties of organizing a national competition in so large a country. In 1914, at the suggestion of one of the trustees, Claude Robinson, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....
(CAHA) was formed as a national governing body for the sport. One of the CAHA's first decisions, in 1915, was to replace the challenge system with a series of national playoffs. Starting in 1920, the Allan Cup champion team would represent Canada in amateur play at the Olympics and World Championships. This was discontinued in the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
with the introduction of the Canadian national team.
In 1928 the trustees turned over responsibility for the Cup to the CAHA. By 1951, many senior teams had become semi-professional or professional. In 1951, the CAHA set up a "major league" of competition from the semi-pro and professional senior leagues. The leagues would no longer compete for the Allan Cup, but would compete for the new Alexander Cup
Alexander Cup
The Alexander Cup was the Canadian national Major senior ice hockey championship trophy from 1950 until 1954.-History:Introduced in 1950, the Alexander Cup was created to bridge the gap between amateur and professional ice hockey and to create a new "open" level for both pros and amateurs alike...
. The Allan Cup would be competed for on a more purely amateur basis from teams in smaller centres of Canada. The major league concept broke up by 1953, and the Alexander Cup competition was retired after 1954.
Since 1984 the Allan Cup has been competed for by teams in the Senior AAA category. Although interest in senior ice hockey has diminished over its history, the Cup retains an important place in Canadian ice hockey. The Cup championship is determined in an annual tournament held in the city or town of a host team, playing off against regional champions.
The Cup has been won by teams from every province and from the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, as well as by two teams from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which played in Canadian leagues. The city with the most Allan Cup championships is Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
with 10, including four won as Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Ontario
Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Port Arthur was the district seat of Thunder Bay District.- History :...
before the city's amalgamation. The original Cup has been retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
, and a replica is presented to the champions.
Challenges
Only listed are the final champions of the season, some teams may have carried the Allan Cup through winning challenges halfway through these seasons, but finishing the season with the trophy is what counted. For those teams who did not finish the season with the cup, they can be viewed by looking at articles for the first few Allan Cups.EWLINE
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Playoffs
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{*} denotes event held in multiple locations. Applicable locations are listed on the event's specific article.
Most championships by province
This is a list of champions by province, territory, or state. Since 1909, the Allan Cup has been awarded 102 times.EWLINE
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(*) Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
totals include championships won by teams from Lloydminster
Lloydminster
Lloydminster is a Canadian city which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan...
.
See also
- Alexander CupAlexander CupThe Alexander Cup was the Canadian national Major senior ice hockey championship trophy from 1950 until 1954.-History:Introduced in 1950, the Alexander Cup was created to bridge the gap between amateur and professional ice hockey and to create a new "open" level for both pros and amateurs alike...
- Clarkson CupClarkson CupThe Clarkson Cup is an ice hockey trophy, which since 2009 has been awarded to the winner of the Canadian Women's Hockey Championship. Like the Stanley Cup, it was created by and named after a former Governor General of Canada: Adrienne Clarkson....
- Hardy CupHardy CupThe W. G. Hardy Trophy, more commonly referred to as the Hardy Cup, was the Canadian national Intermediate "A" ice hockey championship from 1967 until 1984. From 1985 until 1990, the Hardy Cup was the Canadian national senior championship for Senior "AA" after senior and intermediate hockey were...
- Ice Hockey World ChampionshipsIce Hockey World ChampionshipsThe Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...