U Sports men's ice hockey

U Sports men's ice hockey
FormerlyCIAU men's ice hockey,
CIS men's ice hockey
SportIce hockey
Founded1961
No. of teams35
CountryCanada
Most recent
champion(s)		UNB Reds
(2024)
Most titlesAlberta Golden Bears (16)
TV partner(s)Sportsnet
TVA Sports
Official websiteU Sports men's ice hockey

U Sports men's ice hockey is the highest level of play of men's ice hockey at the university level and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports.[1] As of the 2018 season, 48 teams from Canadian universities are divided into three athletic conferences, drawing from three regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, and Atlantic University Sport.[1] At the end of every season, eight teams compete for the David Johnston University Cup, awarded to the U Sports Men's Hockey Championship team.

History

Windsor Lancers goalie in CIS playoff game (February 16, 2012)

The Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union was established in 1961 by Major W.J. McLeod, Athletic Director of the Royal Military College of Canada.[2][3] By the 1962-63 season, the CIAU had created a National Championship for their ice hockey playoffs: the David Johnston University Cup.

The first ever national championship was competed for in Kingston, Ontario between the UBC Thunderbirds and the McMaster Marlins. The Marlins won the game 3-2.

The CIAU had competition in Canadian post-secondary varsity hockey at a national level, but rivalries only existed on an exhibition basis. The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, now Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, held national championships between 1975 and 2001. At one time, seven conferences in the CCAA sanctioned hockey, but only two do today — the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference and the Quebec Student Sport Federation (now known by its French initialism of RSEQ).

In 1978, the governing body of the league changed its name to the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union. The body's name was changed in 2001 to Canadian Interuniversity Sport, and most recently in 2016, to the current U Sports.

The most successful team in U Sports history is the Alberta Golden Bears with 16 David Johnston University Cup titles, winning 28% of all championships awarded to date. This is followed by the Toronto Varsity Blues (last in 1984) and the UNB Reds (last in 2024) with 10 championships apiece. The reigning champions are the UNB Reds, who defeated the UQTR Patriotes 4-0 in Toronto, Ontario in March 2024.

On April 4, 2016, St. Thomas University announced the discontinuation of their men's hockey program, reducing the teams participating in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference to seven.[4]

On August 12, 2016, Kori Cheverie was announced as an assistant coach for the Ryerson Rams men’s ice hockey team, making her the first female full-time assistant coach in U Sports men’s hockey history.[5]

The MacEwan Griffins and Trinity Western Spartans joined the Canada West conference beginning with the 2020-21 season.[6][7] However, the Lethbridge Pronghorns announced the discontinuation of their hockey programs following the 2019-20 season due to budgetary constraints.[8] Furthermore, following the cancellation of the 2020–21 season, the Laurentian Voyageurs discontinued their men's ice hockey program in 2021 leaving U Sports with 35 men's ice hockey teams.[9]

Teams

Atlantic University Sport

University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
Acadia University Axemen Wolfville NS 1838 Andrew H. McCain Arena 1,800
Dalhousie University Tigers Halifax NS 1818 Halifax Forum 6,300
St. Francis Xavier University X-Men Antigonish NS 1853 Charles V. Keating Millennium Centre 1,501
Saint Mary's University Huskies Halifax NS 1802 Halifax Forum 6,300
Université de Moncton Aigles Bleu Moncton NB 1864 Jean-Louis Lévesque Arena 1,516
University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds Fredericton NB 1785 Aitken University Centre 3,278
University of Prince Edward Island Panthers Charlottetown PEI 1969 MacLauchlan Arena 1,400

Canada West Universities Athletic Association

University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
MacEwan University Griffins Edmonton AB 1938 Downtown Community Arena 1,000
Mount Royal University Cougars Calgary AB 1910 Kenyon Court 1,940
Trinity Western University Spartans Langley BC 1962 Langley Events Centre 5,276
University of Alberta Golden Bears Edmonton AB 1908 Clare Drake Arena 3,009
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Vancouver BC 1906 Thunderbird Sports Centre 7,500
University of Calgary Dinos Calgary AB 1966 Father David Bauer Olympic Arena 1,750
University of Manitoba Bisons Winnipeg MB 1877 Max Bell Centre 1,600
University of Regina Cougars Regina SK 1974 The Co-operators Centre 1,300
University of Saskatchewan Huskies Saskatoon SK 1907 Merlis Belsher Place 2,700

Ontario University Athletics

University Varsity Name City Province Founded Arena Capacity
East Division
Carleton University Ravens Ottawa ON 1952 Carleton Ice House 500
Concordia University Stingers Montreal QC 1896 Ed Meagher Arena 1,000
McGill University Redbirds Montreal QC 1821 McConnell Arena 1,600
Nipissing University Lakers North Bay ON 1909 North Bay Memorial Gardens 4,262
Queen's University Golden Gaels Kingston ON 1841 Kingston Memorial Centre 3,300
Royal Military College of Canada Paladins Kingston ON 1876 Constantine Arena 1,500
University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Ottawa ON 1848 Minto Sports Complex 850
University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks Oshawa ON 2002 Campus Ice Centre 500
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes Trois-Rivières QC 1969 Colisée de Trois-Rivières 3,500
West Division
Brock University Badgers St. Catharines ON 1964 Algoma Central Arena 1,200
Lakehead University Thunderwolves Thunder Bay ON 1947 Fort William Gardens 4,680
Toronto Metropolitan University Bold Toronto ON 1948 Mattamy Athletic Centre 2,796
University of Guelph Gryphons Guelph ON 1964 Gryphon Centre 1,200
University of Toronto Varsity Blues Toronto ON 1827 Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport 2,000
University of Waterloo Warriors Waterloo ON 1957 Columbia Icefield Arena 680
University of Western Ontario Mustangs London ON 1878 Thompson Arena 3,615
University of Windsor Lancers Windsor ON 1857 Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex 500
Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks Waterloo ON 1957 Waterloo Recreation Complex 3,400
York University Lions Toronto ON 1959 Tait McKenzie Centre 1,200

Former teams

The following schools previously sponsored ice hockey but currently do not field a varsity men's team.

University Varsity Name City Province Years Active Cause
University of St. Joseph's College Memramcook NB 1934–1949 † Program suspended
Technical University of Nova Scotia Halifax NS 1923–1964 Program suspended
Saint Dunstan's University Saints Charlottetown PEI 1935–1969 Amalgamated into Prince Edward Island
Mount Allison University Mounties Sackville NB 1895–1998 Program suspended
St. Thomas University Tommies Fredericton NB 1938–2016 † Program suspended
Memorial University of Newfoundland Beothuks St. John's NL 1964–1982 Program suspended
Cape Breton University Capers Sydney NS 1968–1995 Program suspended
University of King's College Blue Devils Halifax NS 1919–1948 Program suspended

† only includes years of collegiate play

Awards

The following are annual U Sports trophies and awards:[10]

  • David Johnston University Cup - Awarded annually to the U Sports men's ice hockey champions
  • Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy – Annual "Player of the Year" awarded to the most outstanding player in U Sports.
  • U Sports Defenceman of the Year - Awarded annually to the most outstanding defenceman in U Sports.
  • U Sports Goaltender of the Year – Awarded annually to the most outstanding goaltender in U Sports.
  • Clare Drake Award - Annual "Rookie of the Year" award presented to "the most outstanding first-year player in U Sports who has exhibited exemplary skill and leadership".
  • R.W. Pugh Award – Awarded annually to the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.
  • Dr. Randy Gregg Award - Awarded annually to reward excellence in the student-athlete. The player who receives this award has exhibited outstanding achievement in ice hockey, academics, and community involvement.
  • Father George Kehoe Memorial Award – Coach of the Year award.
  • U Sports All-Canadian Teams - Each year U Sports names a "First Team", "Second Team", and "All-Rookie Team".

References

  1. ^ a b "U SPORTS Identity". U SPORTS.
  2. ^ Knowles 2000, p. 72.
  3. ^ "History of CIS". Archived from the original on 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  4. ^ "St. Thomas University in Fredericton cuts its men's hockey team". CBC.ca. 2016-04-04.
  5. ^ "Rams announce Cheverie as new assistant coach". Ryerson Rams athletics. 2016-08-12. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  6. ^ "BCIHL announces official cancellation for remainder of 2019-20 season". Trinity Western Spartans. 2020-03-12. Archived from the original on 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  7. ^ "Griffins hockey teams look back fondly on ACAC tenure as they prepare to move into Canada West". MacEwan Griffins. 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  8. ^ "Lethbridge exits Canada West hockey". Canada West. April 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Changes in Varsity Sports". Laurentian Voyageurs. April 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "McGill's Picard-Hooper named player of the year - CIS English". Archived from the original on 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  • Knowles, Steve (2000), "Canadian University Hockey", in Diamond, Dan (ed.), Total Hockey (Second ed.), pp. 69–78, ISBN 1-892129-85-X