Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired.
29-572: The Whitby Dunlops were a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the Allan Cup Hockey league. The team began play in 2004, and is on a leave of absence as of the 2020–21 season. Two previous teams have also played as the Whitby Dunlops. The first played in the OHA Senior A League from 1954 to 1960, winners of the 1958 World Ice Hockey Championships . The second was a junior ice hockey team for
58-713: A permanent Canada men's national ice hockey team . Since 1984 the Allan Cup has been competed for by teams in the Senior AAA category. Although interest in senior ice hockey has diminished over its history, the Cup retains an important place in Canadian ice hockey. The Cup championship is determined in an annual tournament held in the city or town of a host team, playing off against regional champions. The Cup has been won by teams from every province and from Yukon , as well as by two teams from
87-592: A split occurred in the competition of ice hockey in Canada. The top amateur teams left the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , which allowed professionals, to form the new Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union (IPAHU), a purely amateur league. The trustees of the Stanley Cup decided that the Cup would be awarded to the professional ice champion, meaning there was no corresponding trophy for
116-417: A time when most households didn't have a television and few hockey games were broadcast, local arenas were filled to capacity to watch the local team take on a rival. The popularity of Senior hockey declined in the 1980s and 1990s. A number of long-running leagues and teams vanished. Today, many players choose to play organized recreational hockey, sometimes referred to as "commercial hockey." The popularity of
145-768: The Allan Cup . In their second year the Dunlops finished in first place in the EOSHL. They prevailed in a rematch versus the Norwood Vipers, winning the league championship in a 6-game series for the Re/Max Upper Canada Realty Cup. The EOSHL champion Dunlops played the Major League Hockey champion Dundas Real McCoys defeating them 3 games to 1 in a best-of-five series for the J. Ross Robertson Cup. The Dunlops hosted
174-682: The Bank of Montreal , Dr. H. B. Yates of McGill University , (donor of the Yates Cup to the Intercollegiate Rugby Union in 1898) and Graham Drinkwater , four-time Stanley Cup champion. The trophy was originally presented to the Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal , Quebec, members of the IPAHU, to award to the champions of the IPAHU. The first IPAHU champion, and by extension, first winner of
203-579: The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) was formed as a national governing body for the sport with W. F. Taylor as its first president. One of the CAHA's first decisions, in 1915, was to replace the challenge system with a series of national playoffs. Starting in 1920, the Allan Cup champion team would represent Canada in amateur play at the Olympics and World Championships. The CAHA used
232-639: The National Hockey League and Junior hockey has also supplanted Senior hockey in many towns across Canada. In Canada: In the United States: Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada . It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal , and has been competed for since 1909. It was won by the Dundas Real McCoys in 2024 . In 1908,
261-557: The Ontario Hockey Association 's Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League for the 2004–2005 season. The first revived season for the Dunlops was a success on the ice, finishing second overall in the league with a 25-7-0 record. The team played in the league finals versus the Norwood Vipers losing the series in 6 games. The EOSHL was elevated from AA status to AAA status after the 2004–05 season, becoming eligible to contend for
290-518: The United States which played in Canadian leagues. The city with the most Allan Cup championships is Thunder Bay with 10, including four won as Port Arthur before the city's amalgamation. The original Cup has been retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame , and a replica is presented to the champions. Listed are all of the challenges of the early years of the Allan Cup, bolded are the final winner of
319-573: The 1962–63 season. The original Whitby Dunlops were founded from the remnants of the former Oshawa Generals junior team of 1952–53. After the Hambly Arena fire destroyed the Generals home ice, the team was disbanded and some of the older players on the team along with coach and manager Wren Blair , became the Oshawa Truckmen and operated from Bowmanville, Ontario for the 1953–54 season. In 1954,
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#1732858572819348-683: The Allan Cup, but would compete for the new Alexander Cup . The Allan Cup would be competed for on a more purely amateur basis from teams in smaller centres of Canada. The major league concept broke up by 1953, and the Alexander Cup competition was retired after 1954. The reigning Allan Cup champion was usually chosen to represent Canada in ice hockey at the Olympic Games or the Ice Hockey World Championships . The practice lasted from 1920 to 1964, when Father David Bauer established
377-428: The CAHA take control of the Allan Cup and its profits from the trustees, and use the funds to build amateur hockey in Canada. He felt the move justified as the CAHA had evolved and was able to manage its own affairs. His motion asked for H. Montagu Allan to donate the cup to the CAHA, and establish an Allan Cup committee which included trustee William Northey . In February 1945, CAHA president Frank Sargent announced
406-690: The Canadian Senior Hockey Championship, in 1957 and 1959. Their 1957 win earned them the right to represent Canada at the 1958 World Ice Hockey Championships , where they won the World Championship. Notable members of the team are, former Whitby mayor Bob Attersley , former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Sid Smith and Boston Bruins president Harry Sinden . Harry Sinden was captain of the 1958 Dunlops, while former Leaf captain Sid Smith
435-566: The Cup was the Ottawa Cliffsides hockey club. After the season, the Cliffsides were defeated in the first-ever challenge by the Queen's University hockey club of Kingston, Ontario . In the early years, trustees of the Cup quickly came to appreciate the difficulties of organizing a national competition in so large a country. In 1914, at the suggestion of one of the trustees, Claude C. Robinson ,
464-593: The Mohawks were renamed the Dunlops. Unlike the previous Senior A version of the Dunlops which descended in part from the Oshawa Generals, the Junior A team played against the revived Oshawa Generals during the 1962–63 season. The current Dunlops were revived by a group of 31 local business and hockey personalities led by former Bowmanville Eagles owner Mike Laing who became the president. The Dunlops were granted membership in
493-698: The Oshawa Truckmen were relocated to Whitby and were temporarily known as the Whitby Seniors, playing out of the Whitby Community Arena. The team was soon sponsored by the Dunlop Rubber Company , and renamed the Whitby Dunlops. The team started as a Senior B team, winning its division the first year. The following year the Dunlops moved up to the OHA Senior A League . The Dunlops won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions in 1957 and 1959. This Senior A team would go on to win two Allan Cups ,
522-641: The Robertson Cup. In the Ontario championship, Whitby downed the Kenora Thistles in two straight games to earn a second consecutive berth in the Allan Cup. After a tie in their first game, Whitby reached the Allan Cup finals with three wins in a row. The Dunlops lost 4–3 in the championship game to the Lloydminster Border Kings . The Dunlops finished first overall in the regular season in the EOSHL. In
551-481: The amateur championship of Canada. The Allan Cup was donated in early 1909 by Montreal businessman and Montreal Amateur Athletic Association president Sir H. Montagu Allan to be presented to the amateur champions of Canada. It was to be ruled like the Stanley Cup had, passed by champion to champion by league championship or challenge. Three trustees were named to administer the trophy: Sir Edward Clouston, President of
580-441: The cancellation of the 1945 Allan Cup playoffs. It was the first season in which the trophy was not contested since the inaugural 1909 Allan Cup . The cancellation was caused by the reluctance to travel during wartime conditions, and the players' need to work rather than playing hockey. In 1951, the CAHA set up a "major league" of competition from the semi-pro and professional senior leagues. The leagues would no longer compete for
609-523: The championship game to the host team, the Powell River Regals . The Dunlops played their third season with a strong core of returning players to finish first overall in the EOSHL, and sweep through the playoffs defeating the Norwood Vipers in four games for the Re/Max Upper Canada Realty Cup. The Dunlops played the Major League Hockey champions Brantford Blast defeating them in 4 games, for
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#1732858572819638-564: The chance to restore Canada's pride was worth it. After a 14-game exhibition tour of Europe the Dunlops competed at the World Championships in Oslo, Norway . It was a traumatic time for Canadian hockey. We'd lost at the '56 Olympics and nobody could believe it," recounted Sinden, noting Canada boycotted the 1957 worlds because the Soviets had invaded Hungary. "In 1958, when we finally went, everyone
667-611: The defending Allan Cup champions, Thunder Bay Bombers in a best-of-three series for the Renwick Cup played on three consecutive nights at Iroquois Park. The Dunlops defeated the Bombbers 2 games to 1 to win the Renwick Cup and the right to go to the 2006 Allan Cup, in Powell River, British Columbia . After losing their first game, Whitby reached the Allan Cup finals. The Dunlops lost 7–1 in
696-524: The ice and struck his head during a fight. He had brain surgery the next day, but died on January 2, 2009. The OHA subsequently debated its rules for wearing hockey helmets , to be properly worn and securely fastened. The Dunlops lost the MLH final to the Dundas Real McCoys 4-games-to-none. Note: OL = Overtime loss Listed in chronological order from first season played, with dates in parentheses. Senior ice hockey Senior hockey leagues operate under
725-465: The jurisdiction of Hockey Canada or USA Hockey . They are not affiliated in any way with professional hockey leagues. Many former professional players play Senior hockey after their pro careers are over. The top Senior AAA teams in Canada compete annually for the Allan Cup . From the beginning of the 1900s until the 1970s, Senior hockey was immensely popular across Canada, particularly in rural towns. At
754-564: The playoffs, Whitby defeated the Norwood Vipers 4–1, and the Simcoe County Tundras 4–0 to win the league championship. The Dunlops then defeated the Dundas Real McCoys 4–0 to win the Robertson Cup. This series win guaranteed the Dunlops a third consecutive appearance in the Allan Cup. In the 2008 Allan Cup , Whitby lost twice with one tie game. The EOSHL folded and the Dunlops joined Major League Hockey . On December 12, 2008, Dunlops player Don Sanderson fell without his helmet on
783-468: The profits from Allan Cup games as a subsidy for the national team. Competition for the cup was originally a one-game format, then a two-game total goals format. In 1925, CAHA leaders Silver Quilty and Frank Sandercock , changed the format to a best-of-three series due to increased popularity of the games and demand for a longer series. At the CAHA general meeting in March 1927, W. A. Fry requested to have
812-510: Was a playing coach. The Town of Whitby honoured this great team for their incredible achievements with their induction into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame. As Canada's representative to the 1958 World Championships, the team took an ocean liner to the championships in Norway because team manager Wren Blair was terrified of flying. Everyone was sick for six days because of the rough waters but
841-621: Was anxious to get back what was lost. — Wren Blair The 1958 Whitby Dunlops were inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. The Senior A Dunlops folded after 1960, and the void in Whitby was filled by the Whitby Mohawks, a junior ice hockey team for the 1960–61 season. The Mohawks played their first season as a Junior B team. After one season, they were promoted to play in the new Metro Junior A League . In their third season,
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