Most recent season or competition: 2024 Centennial Cup | |
Formerly |
|
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Sport | Ice hockey |
First season | 1971 |
Country | Canada |
Most recent champion(s) | Collingwood Blues (1st) (2024) |
Most titles | Vernon Vipers (6) |
TV partner(s) | TSN |
Sponsor(s) | |
Related competitions | |
Official website | Centennial Cup Website |
The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of junior A ice hockey. It is a ten-team round robin featuring the winners of all nine CJHL member leagues as well as a pre-selected host city.
The championship has also been known as the National Junior A Championship in 2019, it was formerly known as the Royal Bank Cup from 1996 to 2018 and the Manitoba Centennial Cup from 1971 to 1995. It is currently branded as the Centennial Cup after Tim Hortons, the title sponsor of the 2022 national junior 'A' championship, withdrew its sponsorship for the 2023 season in response to the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal. [1]
The Manitoba Centennial Trophy was presented to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) by the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) to commemorate their centennial year of 1970. At that time, the CAHA reconfigured their junior tiers, creating two separate classifications – Major junior and Junior A. The major junior teams were grouped into the three regional leagues that made up the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (CMJHL), while the Junior A tier included the remaining junior teams in the provincial/regional leagues that later formed the Canadian Junior Hockey League. It was determined that the Memorial Cup, which had served as the CAHA's national championship tournament, would become the new championship trophy for the CMJHL while the Manitoba Centennial Trophy served as the trophy for the champions of the new Junior A division.[ citation needed ] Earl Dawson and Bill Addison were the named initial trustees of the trophy, both of whom were past presidents of the MAHA. [2] The tournament subsequently became known as the Centennial Cup.
From 1971 to 1978 and from 1982 to 1984, the Centennial Cup pitted the Abbott Cup champion (Western Canada) versus the Dudley Hewitt Cup champion (Eastern Canada). A three-team tournament format, splitting Eastern Canada into two regions, was introduced in 1979 and used until 1981. The Centennial Cup permanently moved back to the tournament format in 1986, with the addition of a predetermined host team to the field. It later expanded to a five-team tournament in 1990 when the Abbott Cup series was discontinued in favour of allowing both the ANAVET and Doyle Cup winners to advance to the national championship. For the 1996 tournament, the trophy gained a sponsor and became the Royal Bank Cup. The ANAVET and Doyle Cups were temporarily replaced by the Western Canada Cup, which determined the two Western seeds for the Royal Bank Cup, from 2013 to 2017. During this time, the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League won the 2013 Royal Bank Cup, where they had gained entry into the tournament as the Western Canada Cup runner-up making them the first team in Centennial Cup/Royal Bank Cup history to win the national championship without being the host or a regional champion.
Overtime is common as the Junior A championships with the longest game in the tournament's history started on May 12, 2007, at 2007 Royal Bank Cup between the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the host Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League. The Spruce Kings won the game 3–2 6:01 into the fifth overtime period. [3] The game lasted 146:01, just short of the CJAHL record set by the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and the Pickering Panthers in the 2007 Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League playoffs (154:32). [4]
After the 2018 Royal Bank Cup, Royal Bank of Canada ended their sponsorship agreement with the Canadian Junior Hockey League. After going by the name National Junior A Championship in 2019, the CJHL and Hockey Canada reverted the title back to its original name — the Centennial Cup — for its 50th anniversary in 2020. [5] In December 2019, Tim Hortons was unveiled by Hockey Canada as the presenting sponsor for the Centennial Cup. [6] The 2020 and 2021 tournaments were later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the only times the championship has not been played since 1970. [7]
Starting in 1990, the tournament used a five-team round-robin followed by a playoff. The format for qualification of the participating teams was based on four regional champions and the host team.
Ahead of the 2022 Centennial Cup, the tournament's format was changed to include the winners of the nine member leagues of the CJHL: the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Quebec Junior Hockey League (LHJQ) and Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MHL) plus a host city pre-determined by the CJHL. [8]
The Red Deer Rustlers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League defeated the Charlottetown Islanders of the Island Junior Hockey League in 1971 to claim the inaugural Canadian Junior A championship and Manitoba Centennial Trophy.
The 1972 Centennial Cup gained national attention when the Guelph CMC's of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League were in the final game of a four-game sweep of the Red Deer Rustlers and their leading scorer Paul Fendley lost his helmet during a body check and struck his head on the ice, knocking him into a coma. The National Hockey League prospect regained consciousness and died two days later from head trauma. [9]
The 1990 Centennial Cup marked the only year that the national championship was decided between two teams from the same province or league. The host Vernon Lakers defeated the New Westminster Royals 6–5 in overtime to win the national championship. Both teams were members of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.
The final Centennial Cup from this era was awarded to the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 1995.
Note: Champions are in bold.
Every tournament in the Royal Bank Cup era was played as a round-robin tournament between five teams. In May 1996, the inaugural Royal Bank Cup was held in Melfort, Saskatchewan. The first winner of the Royal Bank Cup was the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League.
In 2018, the championship was renamed the National Junior A Championship after the Royal Bank of Canada dropped their sponsorship of the event.
Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Brooks Bandits | Prince George Spruce Kings | 4–3 | Brooks, Alberta |
With the national championship scheduled to return to Manitoba for its 50th anniversary in 2020, Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League announced that the championship return to its original name, the Centennial Cup.
Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [lower-alpha 1] | Portage la Prairie, Manitoba | ||
2021 | Penticton, British Columbia | |||
2022 | Brooks Bandits | Pickering Panthers | 4–1 | Estevan, Saskatchewan |
2023 | Brooks Bandits | Battlefords North Stars | 4–0 | Portage la Prairie, Manitoba |
2024 | Collingwood Blues | Melfort Mustangs | 1–0 | Oakville, Ontario |
2025 | Okotoks, Alberta [11] |
Winners of the Centennial Cup (1971–1995), Royal Bank Cup (1996–2018), and National Junior A Championship (2019) by province.
The Pembroke Lumber Kings won the 2011 Royal Bank Cup, and became the first Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) team to win the National Junior A Championship since the 1976 champion Rockland Nationals. In 2015, the Portage Terriers broke a 41-year-old drought for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, being the first team to win the Junior A championship since the 1974 Selkirk Steelers. The Maritimes provinces have only won two championships. To date, no teams from the Quebec Junior Hockey League, Superior International Junior Hockey League, or the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League have won the Junior A championship.[ citation needed ]
Rank | Province | Champions | Hosts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | British Columbia | 14 | 6 |
2 | Ontario | 12 | 14 |
3 | Alberta | 11 | 6 a |
4 | Saskatchewan | 10 | 11 a |
5 | Manitoba | 3 | 6 |
6 | Prince Edward Island | 1 | 5 |
7 | Nova Scotia | 1 | 4 |
a The 2016 Royal Bank Cup was hosted by the Lloydminster Bobcats, members of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, who played their games in an arena on the Saskatchewan side of their biprovincial border city.
Winners of the Centennial Cup (1971–1995), Royal Bank Cup (1996–2018) and National Junior A Championship (2019–present) by team.
There has been a consecutive national champion on four occasions: the Prince Albert Raiders won in 1981 and 1982, while the Vernon Lakers/Vipers won in 1990 and 1991 (as the Lakers), and again in 2009 and 2010 (as the Vipers), and the Brooks Bandits in 2022 and 2023 and since there was no champion in 2020 & 2021, they technically won 3 consecutive championships, winning in 2019 as well.
The Prince Albert Raiders also hold a record for appearing in the championship final three consecutive times, in 1977, 1978 and 1979. The Raiders also reached the national finals five times in six years (1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982), while winning a total of four championships (1977, 1979, 1981, 1982) during that span. The Raiders moved up to Major Junior Western Hockey League after their 1982 Junior A championship, where they soon won the Memorial Cup for the major junior national championship in 1985.
Team | Province | League | Champions |
---|---|---|---|
Vernon Lakers/Vipers | British Columbia | BCHL | 6 (1990, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2010) |
Brooks Bandits | Alberta | AJHL | 4 (2013, 2019, 2022, 2023) |
Prince Albert Raiders | Saskatchewan | SJHL | 4 (1977, 1979, 1981, 1982) |
Aurora Tigers | Ontario | OPJHL | 2 (2004, 2007) |
Guelph CMC's/Platers | Ontario | SOJHL/OPJHL | 2 (1972, 1978) |
Humboldt Broncos | Saskatchewan | SJHL | 2 (2003, 2008) |
Penticton Knights/Vees | British Columbia | BCJHL/BCHL | 2 (1986, 2012) |
Portage Terriers | Manitoba | MJHL | 2 (1973, 2015) |
Red Deer Rustlers | Alberta | AJHL | 2 (1971, 1980) |
Thunder Bay Flyers | Ontario | USHL | 2 (1989, 1992) |
Weyburn Red Wings | Saskatchewan | SJHL | 2 (1984, 2005) |
Burnaby Express | British Columbia | BCHL | 1 (2006) |
Calgary Canucks | Alberta | AJHL | 1 (1995) |
Camrose Kodiaks | Alberta | AJHL | 1 (2001) |
Chilliwack Chiefs | British Columbia | BCHL | 1 (2018) |
Cobourg Cougars | Ontario | OJHL | 1 (2017) |
Collingwood Blues | Ontario | OJHL | 1 (2024) |
Fort McMurray Oil Barons | Alberta | AJHL | 1 (2000) |
Halifax Oland Exports | Nova Scotia | MJAHL | 1 (2002) |
Kelowna Spartans | British Columbia | BCHL | 1 (1993) |
North York Rangers | Ontario | OPJHL | 1 (1983) |
Notre Dame Hounds | Saskatchewan | SJHL | 1 (1988) |
Olds Grizzlys | Alberta | AJHL | 1 (1994) |
Orillia Travelways | Ontario | OPJHL | 1 (1985) |
Pembroke Lumber Kings | Ontario | CCHL | 1 (2011) |
Richmond Sockeyes | British Columbia | BCJHL | 1 (1987) |
Rockland Nationals | Ontario | CJHL | 1 (1976) |
Selkirk Steelers | Manitoba | MJHL | 1 (1974) |
South Surrey Eagles | British Columbia | BCHL | 1 (1998) |
Spruce Grove Mets | Alberta | AJHL | 1 (1975) |
Summerside Western Capitals | Prince Edward Island | MJAHL | 1 (1997) |
West Kelowna Warriors | British Columbia | BCHL | 1 (2016) |
Yorkton Terriers | Saskatchewan | SJHL | 1 (2014) |
The Roland Mercier Trophy is awarded to the Most Valuable Player of the National Junior A Championship.
Records included in this section took place in either Royal Bank Cup and Manitoba Centennial Cup tournament games and Manitoba Centennial Cup National Final Series games only.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadian junior A ice hockey leagues and teams and was formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the Centennial Cup.
The Humboldt Broncos are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team from Humboldt, Saskatchewan. Established in 1970, the Broncos play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
The Oakville Blades are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Oakville, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
The Brooks Bandits are a junior A ice hockey team in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play in Brooks, Alberta, Canada, with home games at the Centennial Regional Arena. The team was formerly in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), until they joined the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in February 2024.
The Spruce Grove Saints are a junior A ice hockey team in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada, with home games at Grant Fuhr Arena. The team was originally a member of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), but joined the British Columbia Hockey League on February 1, 2024.
The Abbott Memorial Cup, commonly referred to as the Abbott Cup, was awarded annually from 1919 through 1999 to the Junior "A" ice hockey Champion for Western Canada.
The Weyburn Red Wings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Weyburn, Saskatchewan playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games at the Crescent Point Place, which has a seating capacity of 1,750. The team colours are red and white. Radio station CHWY-FM K106 broadcasts all Red Wings road games, and select home games. All home games are webcast on HockeyTV.
The Royal Bank Cup 2005 was the 35th Junior "A" 2005 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
The 2003 Royal Bank Cup was the 33rd Junior "A" 2003 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
The 2001 Royal Bank Cup is the 31st Junior "A" 2001 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
The 2008 Royal Bank Cup was the 38th Junior "A" 2008 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The national championship was won by the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
The 1992 Centennial Cup is the 22nd Junior "A" 1992 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
The 2010 Royal Bank Cup was the 40th Junior "A" 2010 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The 2010 Royal Bank Cup marked the 40th consecutive year a national championship has been awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970.
The 2010–11 CCHL season was the 50th season of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). The twelve teams of the CCHL played a 62-game schedule.
The 2011 Royal Bank Cup was the 41st Junior "A" 2011 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The 2011 Royal Bank Cup marked the 41st consecutive year a national championship has been awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 teams did not finish the season after it was announced that they planned to join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season. The regular season league champions receive the Dave Duchak Trophy. The playoff champions receive the Inter Pipeline Cup. The winner of the AJHL playoffs continues on to play in the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines Canadian Junior A champion.
The Western Canada Cup (WCC); was the Junior 'A' ice hockey championship for western Canada from 2013 to 2017. The annual five-team event consisted of the host team and the champions from the four western leagues, and was used to determine the two Western seeds for the national championship, known at that time as the RBC Cup.
The 2016 Royal Bank Cup was the 46th Canadian junior A Ice Hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. It was the 46th consecutive year a national championship was awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970. Hockey Canada junior hockey council chairman Brent Ladds served as chairman of the 2016 Royal Bank Cup organizing committee.
The 2017 Royal Bank Cup was the 47th Canadian junior A Ice Hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League and the 47th consecutive year a national championship was awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970. The tournament was played at the Cobourg Community Centre in Cobourg, Ontario.
The 2022 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons was the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) championship for the 2021–22 season and the 50th Canadian junior A ice hockey national championship, played at Affinity Place in Estevan, Saskatchewan from May 18 to 29, 2022. It was the first year the event has been played since 2019 and also the first since its name reverted to the Centennial Cup. The Brooks Bandits defeated the Pickering Panthers in the championship game to win the national title.
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