Telus Cup
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 Telus Cup | |
 | |
| Formerly | Air Canada Cup (1979-2003) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Inaugural season | 1978-79 |
| Country |
 Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 North York Rangers (2016) |
| Most titles |
 Regina Pat Canadians Notre Dame Hounds (4 each) |
| TV partner(s) |
TSN (English) RDS (French) |
| Sponsor(s) |
Hockey Canada Telus |
| 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.
The current champions are the North York Rangers who won the 2016 Telus Cup in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.[1] The 2017 Telus Cup will take place in Prince George, British Columbia.
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 current six-team format. Five regional representatives, decided by inter-branch competition (branch playoffs in Quebec), and a predetermined host team play a round robin with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals advance to the gold medal game, the losers play for the bronze medal. 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 signed on as the new title sponsor and the national championship was rechristened as the Telus Cup in October 2004.[2]
Teams from Saskatchewan and Quebec have been dominate at this event and 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.
All Telus Cup round robin, semi-final, and bronze medal games are streamed live by FASTHockey.com. 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 |
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 |
Glouchester, 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, PE |
| 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, ON |
| 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 | Prince George, BC |
National Championships by Region
| Region | Branches | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West | SHA, HM, NWO | 18 | 6 | 7 |
| Quebec | HQ | 10 | 13 | 15 |
| Pacific | BCAHA, HA, HN | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| Central | OHF, HEO | 4 | 8 | 5 |
| Atlantic | HNB, HNS, HPEI, HNL | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Note: Wins by host teams and teams prior to regional consolidation have been assigned to their 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
References
- ↑ "Quispamsis Awarded 2016 TELUS Cup". Hockey New Brunswick. June 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Canada's National Midget Championship Officially Named the Telus Cup". Hockey Canada. October 14, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
External links
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