League History

Allan Cup Hockey (ACH)is the business name for the OHA Senior “AAA” Hockey League that has a tradition dating back to 1891!  

Only teams that are registered at the Senior “AAA” level with Hockey Canada are eligible to compete for the Allan Cup, Canada’s oldest (1908) amateur hockey trophy.  There were 23 registered Senior “AAA” clubs from the Powell River Regals in B.C. to the Clarenville Caribous in Newfoundland for the 2009/2010 season and Allan Cup Hockey was the only league to have all of its member teams in the “AAA” category.  Kenora Ontario will host the 2011 Allan Cup Tournament from April 18-23, 2011 and another Ontario team will be one of six qualifiers.  The Allan Cup Tournament format was expanded by Hockey Canada from four to six teams as a Senior Hockey pilot project in 2004 and it was deemed a success that will continue for the immediate future.

Players that now compete for Allan Cup Hockey OHA Senior “AAA” clubs experienced many challenges and opportunities as they progressed through various levels of competitive hockey.  Game skills were learned and varied competency levels were attained and a common desire is to keep playing the sport that they love in a highly competitive environment.  Some ACH players have chased the ‘Canadian Dream’ to be a professional hockey player and were successful at the highest level, the NHL. ACH fans appreciate the willingness of these former pros to continue playing the game within our league.  Other ACH players have enjoyed success at the minor professional, major college and junior levels before opting to pursue other career opportunities and none presently list ‘hockey-player’ as their vocation.  They are competing for the love of the game; to continue to experience competition at the highest level within a family oriented environment and to enjoy the comradeship of spending time with a group of friends.

Nick Smith, the ACH Leading Scorer and MVP for 2010/2011 said at the season’s end, “I played professional hockey in the NHL, North America and Europe before coming to the Dundas McCoy’s and I have found over the last two years in the OHA Senior “AAA” circuit that Major League Hockey has made great strides in a positive way to promote its product. I feel the league has prided itself on being able to put on a great show for its fans. The involvement from the respective community has been overwhelming and it has been a great experience both on and off the ice.  For the children and families in the smaller towns who may not get to see an NHL or Junior A hockey game in person, this is a great substitute if not a perfect solution.”

curtosy pointstreaksite.com http://allancup.pointstreaksites.com/view/allancup/allan-cup-hockey/allan-cup-hockey-history