Allan Cup facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allan Cup |
|
|---|---|
The Allan Cup trophy
|
|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Given for | Senior champion of Canada |
| History | |
| First award | 1909 |
| Most wins | Port Arthur Bearcats/Thunder Bay Twins (9) |
| Most recent | Wentworth Gryphins (2025) |
The Allan Cup is the championship trophy given to the best senior amateur ice hockey team in Canada each year. Senior hockey is for adult players who are not professionals. The trophy was donated in 1909 by Sir H. Montagu Allan from Montreal. The most recent champions are the Wentworth Gryphins, who won in 2025.
Contents
History of the Allan Cup
Why was the Allan Cup created?
Back in 1908, Canadian ice hockey was changing. The best amateur teams decided to create their own league, the Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union (IPAHU), because they didn't want to play against professionals.
At the time, the famous Stanley Cup was given to the top professional team. This left the amateur teams without a major trophy to compete for. To solve this, Sir Montagu Allan, a businessman from Montreal, donated the Allan Cup in 1909. It was created to be the top prize for Canada's amateur hockey champions.
The first team to win the Allan Cup was the Ottawa Cliffsides. However, they soon lost it in a "challenge" game to the team from Queen's University. In the early days, teams could challenge the champion for the Cup, similar to how the Stanley Cup was first awarded.
A New Way to Compete
Organizing a national championship across a huge country like Canada was difficult. In 1914, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) was formed to manage amateur hockey. A year later, the CAHA changed the rules for the Allan Cup. Instead of challenges, teams would now compete in playoffs to find a national champion.
For many years, the money made from Allan Cup games helped support Canada's national team. The team that won the Allan Cup often got to represent Canada at the Olympic Games and the Ice Hockey World Championships. This tradition lasted from 1920 until 1964, when a full-time national team was created.
The Allan Cup was not awarded in 1945. During World War II, it was difficult for teams to travel, and many players had important jobs to do for the war effort.
The Modern Allan Cup
Today, the Allan Cup is the championship for Senior AAA hockey teams. While senior hockey isn't as popular as it once was, the Allan Cup remains a very important trophy in Canadian hockey history.
The championship is decided in a tournament hosted by one of the competing teams. Teams from across the country play to see who is the best. The original trophy is now kept in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the winning team receives a replica.
List of Allan Cup Champions
For many years, the champions were decided in a final series between the best team from Eastern Canada and the best team from Western Canada. Since 1981, the winner is usually decided in a tournament format. Below is a list of champions since 1981.
| Recent Allan Cup Champions (1981–Present) | ||||
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Final Score | Location |
| 1981 | Petrolia Squires | St. Boniface Mohawks | 5-1 | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| 1982 | Cranbrook Royals | Petrolia Squires | 4-1 (series) | Cranbrook, British Columbia |
| 1983 | Cambridge Hornets | St. Boniface Mohawks | 4-0 (series) | Cambridge, Ontario |
| 1984 | Thunder Bay Twins | Cambridge Hornets | 4-1 (series) | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| 1985 | Thunder Bay Twins | Corner Brook Royals | 4-3 (series) | Corner Brook, Newfoundland |
| 1986 | Corner Brook Royals | Nelson Maple Leafs | 4-0 (series) | Nelson, British Columbia |
| 1987 | Brantford Motts Clamatos | Nelson Maple Leafs | 4-0 (series) | Brampton, Ontario |
| 1988 | Thunder Bay Twins | Charlottetown Islanders | 4-0 (series) | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| 1989 | Thunder Bay Twins | St. Boniface Mohawks | 2-0 (series) | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| 1990 | Montreal-Chomedey Construction | Abbotsford Flyers | 4-2 (series) | Vaudreuil, Quebec |
| 1991 | Charlottetown Islanders | Thunder Bay Twins | 4-0 (series) | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| 1992 | Saint John Vito's | Stony Plain Eagles | 6-2 | Saint John, New Brunswick |
| 1993 | Whitehorse Huskies | Quesnel Kangaroos | 7-4 | Quesnel, British Columbia |
| 1994 | Warroad Lakers | St. Boniface Mohawks | 5-2 | Warroad, Minnesota |
| 1995 | Warroad Lakers | Stony Plain Eagles | 3-2 | Stony Plain, Alberta |
| 1996 | Warroad Lakers | Stony Plain Eagles | 6-1 | Unity, Saskatchewan |
| 1997 | Powell River Regals | Warroad Lakers | 7-3 | Powell River, British Columbia |
| 1998 | Truro Bearcats | London Admirals | 6-1 | Truro, Nova Scotia |
| 1999 | Stony Plain Eagles | Powell River Regals | 6-3 | Stony Plain, Alberta |
| 2000 | Powell River Regals | Lloydminster Border Kings | 4-1 | Lloydminster, Saskatchewan |
| 2001 | Lloydminster Border Kings | Petrolia Squires | 7-2 | Sarnia, Ontario |
| 2002 | St-Georges Garaga | Stony Plain Eagles | 4-2 | Powell River, British Columbia |
| 2003 | Île-des-Chênes North Stars | Stony Plain Eagles | 3-2 (2OT) | Dundas, Ontario |
| 2004 | St-Georges Garaga | Ministikwan Islanders | 5-0 | Saint-Georges, Quebec |
| 2005 | Thunder Bay Bombers | Montmagny Sentinelles | 4-3 | Lloydminster, Saskatchewan |
| 2006 | Powell River Regals | Whitby Dunlops | 7-1 | Powell River, British Columbia |
| 2007 | Lloydminster Border Kings | Whitby Dunlops | 4-3 | Stony Plain, Alberta |
| 2008 | Brantford Blast | Bentley Generals | 3-1 | Brantford, Ontario |
| 2009 | Bentley Generals | South East Prairie Thunder | 4-3 (2OT) | Steinbach, Manitoba |
| 2010 | Fort St. John Flyers | Bentley Generals | 4-1 | Fort St. John, British Columbia |
| 2011 | Clarenville Caribous | Bentley Generals | 5-3 | Kenora, Ontario |
| 2012 | South East Prairie Thunder | Rosetown Red Wings | 4-1 | Lloydminster, Saskatchewan |
| 2013 | Bentley Generals | Clarenville Caribous | 3-0 | Red Deer, Alberta |
| 2014 | Dundas Real McCoys | Clarenville Caribous | 3-2 (2OT) | Dundas, Ontario |
| 2015 | South East Prairie Thunder | Bentley Generals | 2-0 | Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| 2016 | Bentley Generals | South East Prairie Thunder | 4-3 (OT) | Steinbach, Manitoba |
| 2017 | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | Lacombe Generals | 7-4 | Bouctouche, New Brunswick |
| 2018 | Stoney Creek Generals | Lacombe Generals | 7-4 | Rosetown, Saskatchewan |
| 2019 | Lacombe Generals | Innisfail Eagles | 5-2 | Lacombe, Alberta |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Hamilton, Ontario | ||
| 2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Hamilton, Ontario | ||
| 2022 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Hamilton, Ontario | ||
| 2023 | Dundas Real McCoys | Clarenville Caribous | 5-3 | Dundas, Ontario |
| 2024 | Dundas Real McCoys | Southern Shore Breakers | 6-1 | Dundas, Ontario |
| 2025 | Wentworth Gryphins | Clarenville Caribous | 9-5 | Waterdown, Ontario |
Most Championships by Province
This list shows how many times teams from each province, territory, or U.S. state have won the Allan Cup.
| Allan Cups by Province/State | ||
| Rank | Region | Championships |
| 1 | Ontario | 52 |
| 2 | Manitoba | 12 |
| 3 | British Columbia | 11 |
| 4 | Quebec | 9 |
| 5 | Alberta | 8* |
| 6 | Saskatchewan | 4* |
| - | Washington | 4 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 3 |
| - | New Brunswick | 3 |
| 10 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 4 |
| - | Nova Scotia | 2 |
| 11 | Prince Edward Island | 1 |
| - | Yukon | 1 |
(*) Two championships won by teams from Lloydminster are included only in the total for Saskatchewan.
See also
- Allan Cup Hockey
- Clarkson Cup
- Hardy Cup (ice hockey)
Images for kids
-
The T. B. Patton Cup was the trophy for senior champions in Western Canada.
-
The G. P. Bolton Memorial Trophy was the trophy for senior champions in Eastern Canada.
