Telus Cup
Current season or competition: 2014 Telus Cup | |
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| Formerly | Air Canada Cup (1979-2003) |
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Inaugural season | 1978-79 |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 Red Deer Chiefs |
| Most titles |
 Regina Pat Canadians Notre Dame Hounds (4) |
| TV partner(s) | TSN |
| Sponsor(s) | Hockey Canada |
| Official website | Telus Cup Website |
The Telus Cup, formerly the Air Canada Cup, is Canada's national midget ice hockey championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April, with six teams competing for the national title.
The Red Deer Chiefs are current Telus Cup champions, having won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. The 2014 Telus Cup will take place at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.[1][2]
History
Wrigley Cup (1973-1978)
The forerunner to the Canadian national midget championship was the Wrigley National Midget Hockey Tournament which ran from 1974 though 1978. Oshawa, Ontario hosted the very first Wrigley tournament. 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 format that is still in use today. Five regional representatives, decided by inter-branch competition (branch playoffs in Quebec), are joined by a predetermined host team and play a round robin with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals advance to the championship game, the losers play in the bronze medal game. A total of 19 games are played over six days of competition.
Telus Cup (2004-present)
Air Canada's sponsorship of the national championship ended after 2003. As Hockey Canada did not have another sponsor, the 2004 tournament was known simply as the National Midget Championship. Telus signed on as the new title sponsor in October 2004.[3]
Teams from Saskatchewan and Quebec have been dominate at this event and have captured the most medals. The most successful teams include the Calgary Northstars, Blizzard du Séminaire Saint-François (formerly known as the Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy), Notre Dame Hounds, Regina Pat Canadians, Lions du Lac St-Louis, Collège Charles-Lemoyne (formerly the Riverains du Richelieu), Red Deer Chiefs, and Calgary Buffaloes.
All games are broadcast online at fasthockey.com, with the championship game being televised live on TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada's official broadcasters.
Winners and Hosts
Wrigley Cup
| Year |  Gold Medal |  Silver Medal |  Bronze Medal | Location | Host Team |
| 1974 |  Verdun Leafs |  Kingston | Hull Kiwanis |  Oshawa, ON | Oshawa Parkway |
| 1975 | Barrie Co-ops | Verdun Leafs | Oshawa Parkway | Oshawa, ON | Oshawa Parkway |
| 1976 | Calgary Spurs | Toronto Nationals | Swift Current Legionnaires | Calgary, AB | Calgary Spurs |
| 1977 | Don Mills Flyers | Lions du Lac St-Louis |  Burnaby Winter Club |  Moncton, NB | Moncton Flyers |
| 1978 | Couillard de Ste-Foy | East Ottawa Voyageurs | Toronto-Wexford | Verdun, QC | Verdun Leafs |
Telus Cup/Air Canada Cup
| Year | Gold Medal | Silver Medal | Bronze Medal | Location | Host Team (Region) |
| 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 Travelers | 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 | North Bay Pinehill (Central) |
| 1985 | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Regina Pat Canadians | Calgary Buffaloes | Regina, SK | Regina Pat Canadians (West) |
| 1986 | Notre Dame Hounds | Toronto Redwings | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Moncton, NB | Moncton Flyers (Atlantic) |
| 1987 | Riverains du Richelieu | Notre Dame Hounds | Calgary Buffaloes | Glouchester, ON | Gloucester Rangers (Central) |
| 1988 | Regina Pat Canadians | Calgary Northstars | Thunder Bay Bearcats | Thunder Bay, ON | Thunder Bay Bearcats (West) |
| 1989 | Calgary Buffaloes | Regina Pat Canadians | Wexford Raiders |  St. John's, NL | St. John's Capitals (Atlantic) |
| 1990 | Riverains du Richelieu | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Notre Dame Hounds | Sorel, QC | Riverains du Richelieu (Quebec) |
| 1991 | Calgary Northstars | Sherwood Park Chain Gang | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Calgary, AB | Calgary Northstars (Pacific) |
| 1992 | Lions du Lac St-Louis | Thunder Bay Kings | Dartmouth Kings | Dartmouth, NS | Dartmouth Kings (Atlantic) |
| 1993 | Yorkton Mallers | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Sault Ste Marie Legion | Kitchener, ON | Kitchener Greenshirts (Central) |
| 1994 | Regina Pat Canadians | Red Deer Optimist Chiefs | L'Intrepide de Gatineau | Brandon, MB | Brandon Wheat Kings (West) |
| 1995 | Thunder Bay Kings | Red Deer Optimist Chiefs | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Sherbrooke, QC | Cantonniers de Magog (Quebec) |
| 1996 | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Thunder Bay Kings | North Kamloops Lions | Kamloops, BC | North Kamloops Lions (Pacific) |
| 1997 | Thunder Bay Kings | New Liskeard Cubs | Calgary Royals | New Glasgow, NS | Pictou County Weeks (Atlantic) |
| 1998 | Riverains du C.C. Lemoyne | Sudbury Nickel Capitals | Calgary Buffaloes | Sudbury, ON | Sudbury Nickel Capitals (Central) |
| 1999 | Regina Pat Canadians | Calgary Flames | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Prince Albert, SK | Prince Albert Mintos (West) |
| 2000 | Cantonniers de Magog | C.F. de Montréal-Bourassa | Saskatoon Contacts | Montréal, QC | C.F. de Montréal-Bourassa (Quebec) |
| 2001 | Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy | Calgary Royals | Toronto Young Nationals | Prince George, BC | Prince George Cougars (Pacific) |
| 2002 | Tisdale Trojans | Dartmouth Subways | Riverains du C.C. Lemoyne | Bathurst, NB | Miramichi Rivermen (Atlantic) |
| 2003 | Calgary Northstars | Gaulois du Collège Antoine-Girouard | St. John's Maple Leafs | Sault Ste Marie, ON | Sault Ste Marie North Stars (Central) |
| 2004 | Brandon Wheat Kings | Riverains du C.C. Lemoyne | Red Deer Optimist Chiefs | Kenora, ON | Kenora Stars (West) |
| 2005 | Saskatoon Contacts | L'Intrépide de Gatineau | Commandeurs de Lévis | Gatineau, QC | L'Intrépide de Gatineau (Quebec) |
| 2006 | Prince Albert Mintos | Calgary Buffaloes | Patriotes de Châteauguay |  Charlottetown, PE | Charlottetown Islanders (Atlantic) |
| 2007 | Prince Albert Mintos | Red Deer Optimist Rebels | Le Blizzard du Séminaire St-François | Red Deer, AB | Red Deer Optimist Rebels (Pacific) |
| 2008 | Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves | Winnipeg Thrashers | Le Blizzard du Séminaire St-François | Arnprior, ON | Ottawa Valley Titans (Central) |
| 2009 | Notre Dame Hounds | Calgary Buffaloes | Rousseau Sports de Laval-Bourassa | Selkirk, MB | Winnipeg Thrashers (West) |
| 2010 | Notre Dame Hounds | Mississauga Reps | St. John's Fog Devils | Lévis, QC | Commandeurs de Lévis (Quebec) |
| 2011 | Winnipeg Thrashers | London Jr Knights | Lac St-Louis Lions | St. John's, NL | St. John's Privateers (Atlantic) |
| 2012 | Red Deer Optimist Rebels | Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin | Saskatoon Contacts | Leduc, AB | Leduc Oil Kings (Pacific) |
| 2013 | Red Deer Chiefs | Ottawa Junior 67's | Rousseau Royal de Laval-Montréal | Sault Ste Marie, ON | Sault Ste Marie North Stars (Central) |
| 2014 | Moose Jaw, SK | Moose Jaw Generals (West) | |||
| 2015 | Rivière-du-Loup, QC | Albatros du Collège Notre-Dame (Quebec) |
National Championships by Region
| Rank | Region | Branches | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1 | West | SHA, HM, NWO | 17 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Quebec | HQ | 10 | 11 | 14 |
| 3 | Pacific | BCAHA, HA, HN | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| 4 | Central | OHF, ODHA | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| 5 | Atlantic | HNB, HNS, HPEI, HNL | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Note: Wins by host teams and teams prior to regional consolidation have been assigned to the respective regions as they currently exist.
Award winners
See: List of Telus Cup award winners
Telus Cup Alumni
See: List of Telus Cup alumni who played in the NHL
See also
External links
References
- ↑ "Sault to play host to TELUS Cup, Canada's midget hockey championship". Sault Star. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ↑ "Moose Jaw, Sask., to host 2014 TELUS Cup". Hockey Canada. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
- ↑ "Canada's National Midget Championship Officially Named the Telus Cup". Hockey Canada. October 14, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
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