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37-853: Prior to their 2024 departure, the Saints' franchise was the only franchise remaining from the inception of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). The franchise began as the Edmonton Movers in 1963 before it merged with the Edmonton Maple Leafs organization to become the Edmonton Mets for the 1972–73 season. It then relocated to Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Mets for the 1974–75 season. During its first stint in Spruce Grove,

74-512: A banker, purchased the Hannath & Hart Brewery in 1862. By 1864, one of his partners had died, while the other (Patrick Cosgrave) left to found his own brewery. The business was renamed O'Keefe and Company. It was the first to produce lager beer in Canada, along with the traditional ale and porter . In 1891, the company was incorporated as O'Keefe Brewing Company Limited. In 1911 another new brewery

111-872: A league record ten AJHL championships and won the Centennial Cup in 1995, the Canadian Championship of Junior A hockey, now known as the Royal Bank Cup. After a game on February 21, 1980, the AJHL was shaken by a tragedy. Twenty-year-old Trevor Elton, Captain of the Sherwood Park Crusaders was hit cleanly along the boards by a player on the St. Albert Saints in St. Albert . Elton landed and went into convulsions and died later that night while in hospital. On November 26, 2010,

148-522: A period of consolidation and cutting costs. It closed breweries in Ottawa, Quebec and Cleveland. Faced with declining sales and profits, it renamed itself Carling O'Keefe in 1973. As a new venture, Carling O'Keefe began making Carlsberg and distributing Tuborg in 1973. The company continued the acquisitions of the Taylor era. The company bought two more brewers: Doran's of Northern Ontario, and National Brewing of

185-542: A semifinal game. The loser of the championship game then faced the winner of the semifinal game for the runner-up qualifier. The winner of the championship and the runner-up game advanced to the Royal Bank Cup . Alberta Junior Hockey League 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

222-580: A single win at Martinsville Speedway en route to a ninth-place finish in the points standings. In 1976, Carling O'Keefe became a minority partner in the Toronto Argonauts professional football team and continued to do so until 1991. Carling O'Keefe also held ownership of the NHL 's Quebec Nordiques . Both franchises were sold due to the impending merger with Molson. The company, however, maintained promotional interests in both teams. In addition, during

259-461: Is the former mansion owned by Eugene O'Keefe in Toronto . It now serves as a residence for Toronto Metropolitan University . The O'Keefe brewery facility was located at Victoria and Gould streets, just east of Yonge Street . It was sold to Ryerson in 1966. The brewery was demolished and used as a parking lot for several decades, and later a Ryerson parking garage was built on-site. The site is now part of

296-617: The 10 Dundas East mixed-use development, including a movie theatre used as lecture rooms by Ryerson (as part of a deal for air rights over their parking garage), a parking garage and the Ryerson book store. Other O'Keefe buildings on the east side of Victoria were converted for Ryerson's use, including the bottling plant and warehouse (built in 1953) at 122 Bond Street that became home to the School of Image Arts. The main O'Keefe's regional office building (285 Victoria Street, built 1946-48) becoming home to

333-574: The BCHL in the 2024–25 season . Following the announcement, the teams' remaining AJHL games for the 2023–24 season were cancelled, and nearly all trace of the five departing teams, including statistics for the current and previous seasons, had been removed from the AJHL website. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams organized into 2 divisions; the North Division and the South Division. Following

370-600: The Doyle Cup , which had been the qualifier for the AJHL and BCHL champions, and the ANAVET Cup , which had been the qualifier for the MJHL and SJHL champions. The qualifying system reverted the Doyle and ANAVET Cups in 2018. The tournament began with round-robin play between the five team followed by the top two teams playing in championship game and the third and fourth place teams playing in

407-694: The Edmonton Maple Leafs , the Lethbridge Sugar Kings , Calgary Cowboys , and the Calgary Buffaloes . The Edmonton Safeway Canadians and Maple Leafs later merged in 1971 to become the Edmonton Mets, then moved to Spruce Grove to become the Spruce Grove Mets in 1974. They lasted only three seasons in Spruce Grove; however, they won the AJHL title twice, and the Manitoba Centennial Trophy in 1975. In 1976, they moved again to become

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444-535: The Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Drayton Valley Thunder played the first modern-era regulation outdoor junior hockey game, at MacDonald Island in Fort McMurray . The game was known as the "Northern Classic". The 5,000 tickets available for the game sold out in less than an hour, and consequently broke the league attendance record of 4,400. A new attendance record was set in 2017 as 5,989 fans watched

481-493: The O'Keefe Brewery in 1934. Canadian Breweries purchased numerous other brewers – some to shut down, and some solely for their brands. In 1969, Canadian Breweries was acquired by a subsidiary of Rothmans , which renamed the company as Carling O'Keefe in 1973. The company was sold in 1987, then merged with Molson in 1989. In 1840, Thomas Carling began a small brewing operation in London , Upper Canada , selling beer to soldiers at

518-652: The St. Albert Saints , where they won three more league titles. In 2004, the team returned to Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Saints . This well-travelled franchise has sent over 30 players into the National Hockey League (NHL), including Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier . One of the AJHL's most famous franchises, the Red Deer Rustlers , joined the league in 1967, capturing the championship in their first season. The Rustlers had attempted to join

555-669: The Western Canada Junior Hockey League , but were blocked by the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association , and instead placed in the AJHL. In 1971, the Rustlers captured the first Manitoba Centennial Trophy as national Junior A champions. The Rustlers, who featured all six Sutter brothers who would go on to the NHL, won eight AJHL titles and two Centennial Trophies during their existence. They were expelled from

592-640: The 2024-2025 season. The AJHL responded to the announcement by cancelling most of the five teams' remaining scheduled matches except those between each other. It was then decided that the five Alberta-based teams would play out the rest of the 2023-24 season as a separate division under the aegis of the BCHL . Over 50 former Saints' players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League , including Mark Messier , Stu Barnes , Mike Comrie , and Steven Reinprecht . Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OTL = Ties/Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against The Western Canada Cup

629-686: The AJHL champ played for the Doyle Cup against the champion of the British Columbia Hockey League . The winner of the Doyle Cup then advanced to the national championship tournament. From 2013 to 2017, instead of the Doyle Cup, the AJHL playoff winner participated in the Western Canada Cup . Teams from the AJHL have captured the Centennial Cup 11 times, as Canadian Junior A champions. The championship trophy had previously been named

666-656: The AJHL playoffs continues on to play in the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines Canadian Junior A champion. The early 1960s saw a much different junior hockey scene in Alberta than what currently exists. The Edmonton Oil Kings were the only true Junior-A-calibre team in the province and drew most of the top talent Alberta had to offer. The Oil Kings were the Western Canadian champions from 1962 until 1966, Abbott Cup champions in 1954 and from 1960 to 1966, and Memorial Cup national champions in 1963 and 1966. In 1966,

703-615: The Faculty of Business in 1967 until they moved into the new Ryerson Business Building (renamed the Ted Rogers School of Management) at Bay & Dundas in 2006. It is presently known as the Victoria Building. E. P. Taylor began forming Canadian Breweries Limited (CBL) in 1930, beginning with Brading Brewery of Ottawa and Kuntz Brewery of Kitchener. Carling was merged into the-then Brewing Corporation of Ontario later that year. O'Keefe

740-641: The Manitoba Centennial Trophy (1971–1994), and the Royal Bank/RBC Cup (1996–2019). As of 2006, nearly 200 AJHL alumni have gone on to play in professional leagues. Among them: Carling O%27Keefe Carling O'Keefe was a brewing company in Canada that is now part of Molson Coors . The company's origins can be traced to Canadian Breweries , which bought the Carling Brewery in 1930 and

777-456: The Mets won the 1975 Centennial Cup as Canadian Jr. A national champions and two league championships. After three years in Spruce Grove, the franchise relocated again to nearby St. Albert to become the St. Albert Saints in 1977. The franchise captured four AJHL championships during its time in St. Albert. After 27 years in St. Albert, arena issues caused the franchise to return to Spruce Grove as

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814-714: The Molson Coors Brewing Company. Carling O'Keefe's Toronto location on Carlingview Drive (named for the brewery) is now a Molson brewery. O'Keefe, in 1969, was the first television sponsor of the Montreal Expos on CBC and remained affiliated with the team for many years, sponsoring a team MVP award in the early 1970s. Carling O'Keefe was a major supporter of Langley Speedway, a 3/8th-mile paved stock car oval, in Langley, British Columbia. They often sponsored races and season points championships. For example, Tom Berrow

851-583: The Oil Kings helped create the Western Hockey League . The issue in 1964 was that there were hundreds of junior-calibre players in the province, but really only one team to play for. A group of business and hockey people got together in 1964 and decided to form a Junior "A" league in an attempt to truly develop Alberta hockey. The original league consisted of the Edmonton Safeway Canadians ,

888-645: The Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints play the last game at Northlands Coliseum . On May 2, 2012, the AJHL approved a request from the St. Albert Steel to relocate the team from St. Albert to Whitecourt to become the Whitecourt Wolverines . On January 20, 2024, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) announced that the Blackfalds Bulldogs , Brooks Bandits , Okotoks Oilers , Sherwood Park Crusaders , and Spruce Grove Saints would join

925-525: The Spruce Grove Saints in 2004. Since returning to Spruce Grove, the team has won five AJHL playoff championships and five regular season titles, but have not advanced to the National Junior A Championship after failing to advance past the Doyle Cup or Western Canada Cup qualifiers. On January 20, 2024, it was announced that the team, along with four other AJHL teams, would join the BCHL in

962-605: The US. In 1981, Carling O'Keefe, responding to the entry of Budweiser by Labatt's , licensed Miller High Life beer for production in Canada. The beer, unlike its other beers was not sold in the "stubby" bottle, instead, it was sold in the long-neck clear bottle. This began the decline of the stubby, which was phased out in the 1980s. Carling O'Keefe was bought by Elders IXL of Australia in 1987. Carling O'Keefe began bottling Elders' Foster's Lager . Carling O'Keefe merged with Molson Brewery to form Molson Breweries Canada in 1989. At

999-507: The United States. In the UK, it first licensed the production of Carling Black Label in 1952 to Hope & Anchor. Along with Hope & Anchor, CBL built a national brewing group starting in the late 1950s, developing Northern Breweries and Charrington United Breweries. Taylor resigned as chairman of CBL in 1966, and CBL was sold to Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada in 1969. Under Rothmans, it began

1036-464: The announcement in January 2024 that the Blackfalds Bulldogs , Brooks Bandits , Okotoks Oilers , Sherwood Park Crusaders , and Spruce Grove Saints would join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season , the teams' remaining AJHL games for the 2023–24 season were cancelled. An official statement from the AJHL said that it had received expressions of interest from "various partners and stakeholders" about joining

1073-684: The league, however, in 1989, and formally folded in 1992 when the Red Deer Rebels joined the WHL. In 1971, the Calgary Canucks were founded following the demise of the Cowboys and Buffaloes. Today, the Canucks are the oldest franchise still operating in the AJHL. It was founded with a mandate to focus on giving Calgary-area kids a place to play while focusing on their educational needs. The Canucks have captured

1110-590: The league. In April 2024, the league announced that the Devon Xtreme would join the North Division as an expansion team in the 2024–25 season . The AJHL playoff championship cup was originally known as Carling O'Keefe Cup before it began going by several other sponsored names: The winners of the AJHL playoffs then advance to the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines the Canadian Junior A champions. Historically, from 1971 to 2012 and from 2018 to 2019,

1147-585: The local military camp . When he died, his sons William and John took over, naming it the W & J Carling Brewing Co. John Carling became a prominent figure in Canadian business and politics; he was knighted in 1893 and died in 1911. The Carling Brewery then changed hands several times. In 1930, the Carling company was merged into the Brewing Corporation of Ontario , founded by E. P. Taylor . Eugene O'Keefe ,

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1184-519: The time of the merger, Molson was the second-largest Canadian brewing company, while Carling O'Keefe was third. The merger put the combined company ahead of former market leader Labatt's and made it the sixth-largest North America brewery. Seven Canadian plants were closed due to consolidation. Molson would later add US brewer Miller Brewing as a minority partner, then buy out Elders and Miller. In 2005, Molson merged with Coors to form Molson Coors Brewing Company . Carling brands are currently owned by

1221-491: Was a postseason tournament between the playoff champions of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), and a previously selected host team from one of the leagues. It ran from 2013 to 2017 with the top two teams qualifying for the Royal Bank Cup Junior A national championship tournament. It replaced

1258-464: Was built with an annual capacity of 500,000 barrels. O'Keefe was one of the first to use trucks for beer delivery, the first to build a mechanically refrigerated warehouse, and one of the first to advertise extensively. O'Keefe died in 1913. The company became owned by a holding company, O'Keefe Limited, controlled by Sir Henry Pellatt , Sir William Mulock and Charles Vance Millar , who served as its president until his death in 1926. O'Keefe House

1295-584: 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 (previously known as the Carling O'Keefe trophy and Gas Drive Cup). The winner of

1332-504: Was one of the major targets, but the acquisition was not completed until 1934. Canadian Breweries Limited was a conglomerate, having purchased about 30 breweries. Some of the original brand names stayed in use during this time. The company closed some breweries, reducing its number of brands to just six in 1959. It also expanded into the United States, starting with a Carling Brewery in Cleveland, Ohio in 1934. By 1971, it had seven breweries in

1369-489: Was the 1976 Carling O'Keefe Super Stock Points Champion. Their Company name was painted on the front stretch of the track and was part of the "Winner's Circle" celebration. In 1974, Carling USA sponsored a NASCAR car driven by Canadian short track driver Earl Ross and owned by former NASCAR driver Junior Johnson in the Winston Cup Series . Over the course of the season, Ross earned four top fives, nine top tens, and

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