 | |
| Formerly | CIAU men's ice hockey, CIS men's ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1961 |
| No. of teams | 35 |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion | Ottawa Gee-Gees (2025) |
| Most titles | Alberta Golden Bears (16) |
| Broadcasters | Sportsnet TVA Sports |
| Official website | usports.ca/mice |
U Sports men's ice hockey is the highest level of play of men'sice hockey at theuniversity level and operates under the auspices ofU Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports.[1] As of the 2018 season, 48 teams fromCanadian universities are divided into threeathletic conferences, drawing from three regional associations of U Sports:Canada West Universities Athletic Association,Ontario University Athletics, andAtlantic University Sport.[1] At the end of every season, eight teams compete for the David Johnston University Cup, awarded to theU Sports Men's Hockey Championship team.
The Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union was established in 1961 by Major W.J. McLeod, Athletic Director of theRoyal Military College of Canada.[2][3] By the 1962-63 season, the CIAU had created a National Championship for theirice hockey playoffs: theDavid Johnston University Cup.
The first ever national championship was competed for inKingston, Ontario between theUBC Thunderbirds and theMcMaster Marlins. The Marlins won the game 3-2.
The CIAU had competition in Canadian post-secondary varsity hockey at a national level, but rivalries only existed on an exhibition basis. The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, nowCanadian Collegiate Athletic Association, held national championships between 1975 and 2001. At one time, seven conferences in the CCAA sanctioned hockey, but only two do today — the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference and theQuebec Student Sport Federation (now known by its French initialism of RSEQ).
In 1978, the governing body of the league changed its name to the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union. The body's name was changed in 2001 to Canadian Interuniversity Sport, and most recently in 2016, to the current U Sports.
The most successful team in U Sports history is theAlberta Golden Bears with 16David Johnston University Cup titles, winning 28% of all championships awarded to date. This is followed by theToronto Varsity Blues (last in 1984) and theUNB Reds (last in 2024) with 10 championships apiece. The reigning champions are theUNB Reds, who defeated theUQTR Patriotes 4-0 in Toronto, Ontario in March 2024.
On April 4, 2016,St. Thomas University announced the discontinuation of their men's hockey program, reducing the teams participating in theAtlantic University Sport (AUS) conference to seven.[4]
On August 12, 2016,Kori Cheverie was announced as an assistant coach for theRyerson Rams men’s ice hockey team, making her the first female full-time assistant coach in U Sports men’s hockey history.[5]
TheMacEwan Griffins andTrinity Western Spartans joined the Canada West conference beginning with the 2020-21 season.[6][7] However, theLethbridge Pronghorns announced the discontinuation of their hockey programs following the 2019-20 season due to budgetary constraints.[8] Furthermore, following the cancellation of the 2020–21 season, theLaurentian Voyageurs discontinued their men's ice hockey program in 2021 leaving U Sports with 35 men's ice hockey teams.[9]
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Founded | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia University | Axemen | Wolfville | NS | 1838 | Andrew H. McCain Arena | 1,800 |
| Dalhousie University | Tigers | Halifax | NS | 1818 | Halifax Forum | 6,300 |
| St. Francis Xavier University | X-Men | Antigonish | NS | 1853 | Charles V. Keating Millennium Centre | 1,501 |
| Saint Mary's University | Huskies | Halifax | NS | 1802 | Dauphinee Centre | 1,200 |
| Université de Moncton | Aigles Bleu | Moncton | NB | 1864 | Jean-Louis Lévesque Arena | 1,516 |
| University of New Brunswick | Reds | Fredericton | NB | 1785 | Aitken University Centre | 3,278 |
| University of Prince Edward Island | Panthers | Charlottetown | PEI | 1969 | MacLauchlan Arena | 1,400 |
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Founded | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacEwan University | Griffins | Edmonton | AB | 1938 | Downtown Community Arena | 1,000 |
| Mount Royal University | Cougars | Calgary | AB | 1910 | Flames Community Arenas | 1,940 |
| Trinity Western University | Spartans | Langley | BC | 1962 | Langley Events Centre | 5,276 |
| University of Alberta | Golden Bears | Edmonton | AB | 1908 | Clare Drake Arena | 3,009 |
| University of British Columbia | Thunderbirds | Vancouver | BC | 1906 | Thunderbird Sports Centre | 7,500 |
| University of Calgary | Dinos | Calgary | AB | 1966 | Father David Bauer Olympic Arena | 1,750 |
| University of Manitoba | Bisons | Winnipeg | MB | 1877 | Max Bell Centre | 1,600 |
| University of Regina | Cougars | Regina | SK | 1974 | The Co-operators Centre | 1,300 |
| University of Saskatchewan | Huskies | Saskatoon | SK | 1907 | Merlis Belsher Place | 2,700 |
The following schools previously sponsored ice hockey but currently do not field a varsity men's team.
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Years Active | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of St. Joseph's College | Memramcook | NB | 1934–1949† | Program suspended | |
| Technical University of Nova Scotia | Halifax | NS | 1923–1964 | Program suspended | |
| Saint Dunstan's University | Saints | Charlottetown | PEI | 1935–1969 | Amalgamated intoPrince Edward Island |
| Mount Allison University | Mounties | Sackville | NB | 1895–1998 | Program suspended |
| St. Thomas University | Tommies | Fredericton | NB | 1938–2016† | Program suspended |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | Beothuks | St. John's | NL | 1964–1982 | Program suspended |
| Cape Breton University | Capers | Sydney | NS | 1968–1995 | Program suspended |
| University of King's College | Blue Devils | Halifax | NS | 1919–1948 | Program suspended |
† only includes years of collegiate play
The following are annual U Sports trophies and awards:[10]
| Sports |
|  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conferences | ||||||
| Pacific members |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie members | ||
| See also | ||
