Telus Cup
Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Telus Cup | |
 | |
| Formerly | Air Canada Cup (1979–2003) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| First season | 1979 |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Cantonniers de Magog (2024) |
| Most titles | Notre Dame Hounds (5) |
| TV partner(s) | |
| Sponsor(s) | |
| Official website | Telus Cup website |
The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 ice hockey club championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April. From 1979 to 2003, the national championship was sponsored by Air Canada.
The current champions are the Cantonniers de Magog who won the 2024 Telus Cup.
History
Wrigley Cup (1973–1978)
The forerunner to the Canadian national under-18 championship was the Wrigley National Midget Hockey Tournament, which ran from 1974 though 1978. Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president Jack Devine announced the sanction of the new national midget hockey tournament for the top 12 teams in the country, with the Wrigley Company being the initial sponsor.[1] Gord Renwick organized the first event in 1974, and served as the tournament chairman.[2][3] The 1974 Wrigley Cup was scheduled at the Oshawa Civic Auditorium, with the winning team would earn a trip to the Soviet Union, and future events would be rotated around Canada.[1]
In 1973, prior to Wrigley, the Prince Edward Island provincial government co-sponsored it as part of their "Come Home Year" celebrations. The Wrigley was an invitational event, with each of Canadian Hockey's branches declaring their respective champions through playdowns held during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The champions were invited to take part in the Wrigley each January, a host team comprised the final competitor.
Each year, the winning team represented Canada in the Soviet Union for a series of games against elite teams, including the Soviet Midget Red Army in Moscow, Leningrad, and Riga. The Verdun Midget Maple Leafs won the first Wrigley championship in 1974, defeating Kingston Gurnsey Realtors of Ontario 5–3. The final game was televised live coast-to-coast by the CTV Television Network. Media in USSR reported that the last game between the Leafs and the Red Army team in Moscow was viewed by more than 100 million people on Soviet television, although there were only two television channels in Russia at that time. Verdun lost to the National Russian Team, 6–5.
Air Canada Cup (1979–2003)
Canada's official national midget championship, the Air Canada Cup, was established in 1979. The inaugural tournament was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba and used a format similar to the Wrigley. Each of Canada's twelve branches determined their champions through their own playoff system. The branch champions advanced to the national tournament to play for the Air Canada Cup.
In 1984, the Air Canada Cup was revised to the current six-team format. Five regional champions, decided by inter-branch competition (except for Québec), and a predetermined host team play a round-robin with the top four teams qualifying for the playoff round. A total of 19 games are played over six days of competition.
Telus Cup (2004–present)
After Air Canada's sponsorship ended in 2003, Telus Communications Inc, a subsidiary of Telus Corporation signed on as the new title sponsor and the national championship was rechristened as the Telus Cup in October 2004.[4]
Teams from Saskatchewan and Quebec have been dominant at this event and have captured the most medals. The most successful teams include the Notre Dame Hounds, Regina Pat Canadians, Prince Albert Mintos, Lac St-Louis Lions, Richelieu Riverains (now Collège Charles-Lemoyne), and Red Deer Rebels/Chiefs.
Each year's gold medal game is televised nationally on TSN (English) and RDS (French).
Winners and hosts
| Year | Gold Medal | Silver Medal | Bronze Medal | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Verdun Leafs | Kingston Realtors | Hull Kiwanis | Oshawa, ON |
| 1975 | Barrie Co-ops | Verdun Leafs | Oshawa Parkway | Oshawa, ON |
| 1976 | Calgary Spurs | Toronto Nationals | Swift Current Legionnaires | Calgary, AB |
| 1977 | Don Mills Flyers | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Burnaby Winter Club | Moncton, NB |
| 1978 | Couillard de Ste-Foy | East Ottawa Voyageurs | Toronto-Wexford | Verdun, QC |
| Year | Gold Medal | Silver Medal | Bronze Medal | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Couillard de Ste-Foy | St. Michael's College Buzzers | Notre Dame Hounds | Winnipeg, MB |
| 1980 | Notre Dame Hounds | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | North Shore Winter Club | Cornwall, ON |
| 1981 | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Kitchener Greenshirts | Antigonish Novas | Halifax, NS |
| 1982 | Burnaby Winter Club | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Cape Breton Colonels South Ottawa Warriors (tie) |
Victoria, BC |
| 1983 | Regina Pat Canadians | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Andrews Maroons | Ste-Foy, QC |
| 1984 | North Bay Pine Hill | Notre Dame Hounds | Lions du Lac St-Louis | North Bay, ON |
| 1985 | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Regina Pat Canadians | Calgary Buffaloes | Regina, SK |
| 1986 | Notre Dame Hounds | Toronto Redwings | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Moncton, NB |
| 1987 | Riverains du Richelieu | Notre Dame Hounds | Calgary Buffaloes | Gloucester, ON |
| 1988 | Regina Pat Canadians | Calgary Northstars | Thunder Bay Bearcats | Thunder Bay, ON |
| 1989 | Calgary Buffaloes | Regina Pat Canadians | Wexford Raiders | St. John's, NL |
| 1990 | Riverains du Richelieu | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Notre Dame Hounds | Sorel, QC |
| 1991 | Calgary Northstars | Sherwood Park Chain Gang | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Calgary, AB |
| 1992 | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Thunder Bay Kings | Dartmouth Kings | Dartmouth, NS |
| 1993 | Yorkton Mallers | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Sault Ste Marie Legion | Kitchener, ON |
| 1994 | Regina Pat Canadians | Red Deer Chiefs | L'Intrepide de Gatineau | Brandon, MB |
| 1995 | Thunder Bay Kings | Red Deer Chiefs | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Sherbrooke, QC |
| 1996 | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Thunder Bay Kings | North Kamloops Lions | Kamloops, BC |
| 1997 | Thunder Bay Kings | New Liskeard Cubs | Calgary Royals | New Glasgow, NS |
| 1998 | Riverains du C.C. Lemoyne | Sudbury Nickel Capitals | Calgary Buffaloes | Sudbury, ON |
| 1999 | Regina Pat Canadians | Calgary Flames | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Prince Albert, SK |
| 2000 | Cantonniers de Magog | C.F. de Montréal-Bourassa | Saskatoon Contacts | Montréal, QC |
| 2001 | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Calgary Royals | Toronto Young Nationals | Prince George, BC |
| 2002 | Tisdale Trojans | Dartmouth Subways | Riverains du C.C. Lemoyne | Bathurst, NB |
| 2003 | Calgary Northstars | Gaulois du Collège Antoine-Girouard | St. John's Maple Leafs | Sault Ste Marie, ON |
| 2004 | Brandon Wheat Kings | Riverains du C.C. Lemoyne | Red Deer Chiefs | Kenora, ON |
| 2005 | Saskatoon Contacts | L'Intrépide de Gatineau | Commandeurs de Lévis | Gatineau, QC |
| 2006 | Prince Albert Mintos | Calgary Buffaloes | Patriotes de Châteauguay | Charlottetown, PEI |
| 2007 | Prince Albert Mintos | Red Deer Chiefs | Blizzard du Sém. St-François | Red Deer, AB |
| 2008 | Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves | Winnipeg Thrashers | Blizzard du Sém. St-François | Arnprior, Ontario |
| 2009 | Notre Dame Hounds | Calgary Buffaloes | R.S. de Laval-Bourassa | Selkirk, MB |
| 2010 | Notre Dame Hounds | Mississauga Reps | St. John's Fog Devils | Lévis, QC |
| 2011 | Winnipeg Thrashers | London Jr. Knights | Lac St-Louis Lions | St. John's, NL |
| 2012 | Red Deer Chiefs | Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin | Saskatoon Contacts | Leduc, AB |
| 2013 | Red Deer Chiefs | Ottawa Junior 67's | R.R. de Laval-Montréal | Sault Ste Marie, ON |
| 2014 | Prince Albert Mintos | Grenadiers de Châteauguay | Okanagan Rockets | Moose Jaw, SK |
| 2015 | Toronto Young Nationals | Grenadiers de Châteauguay | Regina Pat Canadians | Rivière-du-Loup, QC |
| 2016 | North York Rangers | Saint John Vito's | Lac St-Louis Lions | Quispamsis, NB |
| 2017 | Cape Breton West Islanders | Blizzard du Sém. St-François | Mississauga Rebels | Prince George, BC |
| 2018 | Notre Dame Hounds | Cantonniers de Magog | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Sudbury, ON |
| 2019 | Toronto Young Nationals | Cantonniers de Magog | Tisdale Trojans | Thunder Bay, ON |
| 2020 | cancelled [a] | Saint-Hyacinthe, QC[b] | ||
| 2021 | cancelled [a][7] | Saint-Hyacinthe, QC[b] | ||
| 2022 | Moncton Flyers | Cantonniers de Magog | Okotoks, AB[c] | |
| 2023 | Blizzard du Sém. St-François[12] | Gaulois de Saint-Hyacinthe | Saskatoon Blazers | Saint-Hyacinthe, QC[b] |
| 2024 | Cantonniers de Magog | Brandon Wheat Kings | Calgary Buffaloes | Membertou, NS |
- Notes
- ^ a b Hockey Canada cancelled the 2020 and 2021 Telus Cups in response to the COVID-19 pandemic[5][6]
- ^ a b c Saint-Hyacinthe, QC was to be the host of the cancelled 2020 Telus Cup and hosted it in 2023.[8]
- ^ Membertou, NS, was originally selected to host the 2021 Telus Cup, but was moved to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] In 2022 Hockey Canada moved the location of the tournament to Okotoks, AB,[9][10] however the Sydney Rush of Nova Scotia remained the host team.[11]
References
- ^ a b MacLaine, Ian (November 8, 1973). "National Final For 12 Midget Teams". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. p. 67.
- ^ "Council honours Gord Renwick". CambridgeTimes. May 23, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ "Gord Renwick". Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ "Canada's National Midget Championship Officially Named the Telus Cup". Hockey Canada. October 14, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ "Hockey Canada statement in response to coronavirus (COVID-19)". Hockey Canada. March 12, 2020.
- ^ "Hockey Canada statement on spring 2021 national championships". Hockey Canada. February 5, 2021.
- ^ "Canada's Sudden Cancellation Of Three Major 2021 Hockey Tournaments". Hockey Canada. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "Sydney Mitsubishi Rush's Telus Cup hosting rights moved to 2022 instead of 2021". Cape Breton Post. May 27, 2020.
- ^ "Cape Breton no longer hosting 2022 Telus Cup; organizers hope to host tournament in the future". CTV Atlantic. March 23, 2022.
- ^ "Okotoks set to host first ever national U18 club championships". Hockey Canada. May 12, 2022.
- ^ "Road to the 2022 TELUS Cup: Sydney Rush". Hockey Canada. May 3, 2022.
- ^ "Schedule | 2023 Men's U18 National Club Championship". www.hockeycanada.ca.
