 | |
| Countries | Canada |
|---|---|
| Region(s) | Ontario |
| Membership | Ontario Hockey Association |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Championship | J. Ross Robertson Cup |
| Associated Title(s) | Allan Cup |
| Recent Champions | Stoney Creek Tigers (2024) |
| Website | allancup |
Allan Cup Hockey (ACH), also known as theOHA Senior “AAA” Hockey League, is asenior ice hockey league with three teams inSouthern Ontario. The league was founded in 1990 as theSouthwestern Senior "A" Hockey League. It is governed by theOntario Hockey Association andHockey Canada. The league champions go on to play for theAllan Cup each year. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two and as a result it merged with theEastern Ontario Senior Hockey League in 2008.
The league had three teams at the start of the 2024–25 ACH season:
| Team | Centre | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| Dundas Real McCoys | Dundas, Ontario | 2000 |
| Stoney Creek Tigers | Stoney Creek, Ontario | 2023 |
| Wentworth Gryphins | Flamborough, Ontario | 2022 |
In April 2024, the league announced that an expansion team based inRichmond Hill, Ontario would debut in the 2024–25 season, however, this did not materialize.[1][2] The league then announced that it planned to expand to 8 – 10 teams, and that it had retained a sports marketing firm to identify prospective owners.[3] The search was reportedly focused on markets of 10,000 inhabitants or more, with an arena with capacity for 500 – 1,500 spectators, and the ability to pay theCA$100,000 expansion fee.[4] Markets identified as potential candidates for expansion includedBrantford,King City,Orangeville,Guelph,Cambridge,Caledon, andStratford.[5][4]
The league traces its history back to 1890. The first season of Ontario Hockey Association senior hockey was the 1890-91 season, for theCosby Cup.Ottawa Hockey Club won the first ever Senior title defeating Toronto St. Georges 5–0. The first "Major" league came in 1929, known as theOHA Senior A Hockey League. The league lasted for fifty seasons, its teams winning 16Allan Cups. The league was replaced by theContinental Senior A Hockey League in 1979. The Continental league was renamed the OHA Senior A Hockey League in 1980 and lasted until 1987. Teams of the Continental league won 4 Allan Cups.[citation needed]
In 1990, theSouthwestern Senior "A" Hockey League was incorporated through the merger between theCentral Senior "B" Hockey League, theSeaway-Cyclone Senior "B" Hockey League, and theSouthern Ontario Senior "A" Hockey League.
It becameMajor League Hockey in 2003. The formation of theMajor League Hockey marked the first time since 1987 and the folding of theOHA Senior A Hockey League that theOntario Hockey Association (OHA) has crowned a top level senior league. In 2005, the OHA also granted theEastern Ontario Senior Hockey League the same status.[citation needed]
In 2008, theBrantford Blast became the first OHA team since theBrantford Motts Clamatos in 1987 to win theAllan Cup. As hosts of the2008 Allan Cup, the Blast failed to win their league and were allowed to bypass the OHA Final against theWhitby Dunlops and theRenwick Cup against theThunder Bay Hawks. After almost a months rest, the Blast competed at home for the Allan Cup and won the entire thing. After suffering their only loss of the tournament to theShawinigan Xtreme in the first game, the Blast defeated theBentley Generals to clinch second in their division. They defeated the Robertson Cup andEOSHL championWhitby Dunlops in the quarter-final. They then knocked off theMajor League Hockey andRenwick Cup championDundas Real McCoys in the semi-final. They met Bentley again in the final, and defeated them 3-1 to win the Canadian National Senior "AAA" crown.[citation needed]
In the 2008 off-season, Major League Hockey ran into some issues. TheWindsor St. Clair Saints, the league's only college team, walked away from the league. TheTillsonburg Vipers have officially left the league, as they have applied for expansion into the independentWestern Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.[6] ThePetrolia Squires are stranded far away from Brantford and Dundas and have also been accepted into theWestern Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League. In the EOSHL, theFrankford Huskies andMarmora Lakers have walked away as well.[citation needed]
Major League Hockey merged with theEastern Ontario Senior Hockey League in 2008, when AAA-level senior hockey in the OHA shrunk to only five teams.[7]
In 2011, the league changed its name toAllan Cup Hockey. In 2015, two new teams were added: theHamilton Steelhawks and theThorold Athletics.[citation needed]
Former OHA presidentBrent Ladds served as the commissioner of Allan Cup Hockey from 2013 to 2016.[8]
In 2017, the league announced that theThorold Athletics were taking leave for the 2018-19 season.[9] For the 2019-20 season, theStoney Creek Generals franchise relocated and merged with theBrantford Blast.[10] The Blast was sold to the owners of the Generals in 2018 and was on leave for the 2018-19 season.[11] For the 2020-21 ACH season, theWhitby Dunlops announced a leave of absence, and the Caledon Crusaders were added as an expansion team. It was then announced that the season would be cancelled entirely.[12] The league returned to action in 2022 with an 8-game schedule.[13] In 2022, theBrantford Blast announced that it would not take part in the 2022–23 season.[14] In 2023, the team announced that it did not plan to return to the league citing a lack of competition.[15] The Brampton Buccaneers ceased operations during the 2023–24 season.[16] In 2023, the Hamilton Steelers folded and theStoney Creek Tigers joined as an expansion team.[17]
The teams of the ACH league play for the league championshipJ. Ross Robertson Cup. In 2024, theStoney Creek Tigers won the league championship and theDundas Real McCoys took theAllan Cup.[18][19] In 2025, the ACH champions will play off against the champions of the “AA”Ontario Elite Hockey League (OEHL) in a best-of-three series, with the winner going on to represent Ontario at the 2025 Allan Cup Challenge tournament inInnisfail, Alberta.[20][21][22]
Major League Hockey[edit]
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Bolded teams won the Robertson Cup asOntario Hockey Association champions.
