 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Alberta |
| Founded | 1907 (1907) |
| Headquarters | Red Deer |
| Chairman | Len Samletzki |
| CEO | Rob Litwinski |
| Official website | |
| www | |
Hockey Alberta is thegoverning body of allice hockey inAlberta, Canada and is affiliated withHockey Canada. It was founded in 1907 as theAlberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) to be the governing body for Alberta intra-cityice hockey play. As of the 2024-25 hockey season, the chair of the board of directors was Len Samletzki, and the chief executive officer for operations management was Rob Litwinski.[1]
Hockey had been played for over 10 years before Alberta was proclaimed a province in 1905. Play took place on an exhibition or friendly basis. As teams developed, a need developed for a governing body to administer the game at a provincial level for intra-city games. At a November 29, 1907 meeting inRed Deer, the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association was founded, with R.N. Brown elected as the first president of the organization.[2]
In 1914, the AAHA would be one of the founding associations for theCanadian Amateur Hockey Association, formed at meetings held on December 4, 1914 in the Chateau Laurier atOttawa.
In 2007, the centennial of the association was celebrated with the hosting of theAllan Cup in Stony Plain.
In 1907 senior amateur hockey was organized into two tiers; the "A" level saw associations from Edmonton, Strathcona and Battleford, Saskatchewan. This "A" level was only technically amateur. A second "B" level was formed that was "pure amateur." In the 1907-08 season, theEdmonton Hockey Club would win the Alberta "A" championship and challenge theMontreal Wanderers for theStanley Cup.
While Calgary was larger than Edmonton at the time of the AAHA founding, the Calgary associations declined to participate until joining the Senior "A" league in 1910. The Calgary Shermans, named for their rink, were the first team from Calgary. In 1910, Edmonton would again challenge for theStanley Cup, this time against theOttawa Senators. This would be the last challenge for the Stanley Cup from AAHA teams. After the founding of the professionalNational Hockey Association, Canada's amateur senior teams would compete for theAllan Cup, which they do to this day.
For more information, seeBig-4 League.
In 1919, under the guidance of AAHA league president Allan McCaw, a new elitesenior amateur league was established in Alberta with two teams each in Calgary and Edmonton.[3] The league's intention was to compete for theAllan Cup, emblematic of Canada's national senior championship.[4] TheTigers were created, along with theCanadians to represent Calgary, while theEdmonton Eskimos and Dominions represented Alberta's capital.[3] The Calgary teams were hosted at theVictoria Arena, which had been converted into a hockey rink in 1918.[5]
While the Big Four League billed itself as an amateur circuit, it became known as a notorious example of a "shamateur" league, as amateur teams secretly employed professional players in an attempt to gain an upper hand on their competition.[4] When the Big Four announced their intention to compete in the Allan Cup playdowns, thePacific Coast Hockey Association sent a letter of protest to theCanadian Hockey Association, demanding that the league be declared professional, thus ineligible to compete for the Allan Cup.[3] The CHA agreed, and stripped the league of its amateur standing after only one season.[6]
The controversy continued to haunt the Big Four in its second season. Repeated accusations were made by teams against their opponent's star players, accusing them of being pros.[7] An accusation against the Eskimos' goaltender,Bill Tobin by the two Calgary teams led both to threaten to pull out of the league.[3] While Tobin was vindicated, the threats led the league to suspend operations, formally canceling the championship.[3] The Tigers and Eskimos, however, agreed to play their own playoff, known as theIntercity Championship. The Tigers defeated the Eskimos in a two-game, total goal series, but the Big Four League was finished.[8]
After the Big Four League disbanded and the Tigers and Eskimos formed the openly professionalWestern Canada Hockey League, the AAHA could concentrate on true amateur play. Various senior leagues have existed since 1921, and teams such as theCalgary Stampeders andEdmonton Flyers have played for and won the Allan Cup.
Alberta junior teams played against Saskatchewan Hockey Association teams to qualify for theMemorial Cup dating back to 1919. The first Alberta junior team to qualify for the Memorial Cup Finals was the Calgary Canadians in 1924. The Canadians would win the Memorial Cup in 1926.
Like the rest of Canada, the junior leagues have developed into various tiers as the number of teams and popularity of ice hockey has grown. Today the CHL'sWestern Hockey League is the top junior level league operating in Alberta. Hockey Alberta operates theAlberta Junior Hockey League which was formed in 1963.
In the 2024–25 season, Hockey Canada and its four western affiliates –BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta,Hockey Saskatchewan andHockey Manitoba – piloted the Western Canadian Development Model (WCDM). Under the WCDM,junior leagues will adopt most of theWestern Hockey League rulebook, excluding some sections, and restrictions on 15-year-old affiliate players in theWestern Hockey League were loosened.[9] Players that will be 18-years of age or older in the calendar year will be allowed to choose whether to use full-face protection or half-face protection, whilst younger players will be required to use full-face protection.[10]
The WCDM was expanded in the 2025–26 season to include the following rules changes:[11]
