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.
24-792: Allan Cup Hockey (ACH), also known as the OHA Senior “AAA” Hockey League , is a senior ice hockey league with three teams in Southern Ontario . The league was founded in 1990 as the Southwestern Senior "A" Hockey League . It is governed by the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada . The league champions go on to play for the Allan Cup each year. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two and as
48-731: A best-of-three series, with the winner going on to represent Ontario at the 2025 Allan Cup Challenge tournament in Innisfail, Alberta . Bolded teams won the Robertson Cup as Ontario Hockey Association champions. Senior ice hockey Senior hockey leagues operate under 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
72-585: 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. The league returned to action in 2022 with an 8-game schedule. In 2022, the Brantford Blast announced that it would not take part in the 2022–23 season. In 2023, the team announced that it did not plan to return to the league citing a lack of competition. The Brampton Buccaneers ceased operations during
96-704: A member of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association . The Saints dominated the OCAA early, winning its first three championships in 1968, 1969, and 1970. In 1972, the beginnings of a Saints OCAA dynasty was born. The Saints won the 1973 championship. Then in 1975, they won again. In 1976, they won for the third time in four years and then went on to Camrose, Alberta to defeat Selkirk College and win
120-562: A result it merged with the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League in 2008. The league had three teams at the start of the 2024–25 ACH season: In April 2024, the league announced that that an expansion team based in Richmond Hill, Ontario would debut in the 2024–25 season, however, this did not materialize. The league then announced that it planned to expand to 8 – 10 teams, and that it had retained
144-556: A sports marketing firm to identify prospective owners. 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 the CA$ 100,000 expansion fee. Markets identified as potential candidates for expansion included Brantford , King City , Orangeville , Guelph , Cambridge , Caledon , and Stratford . The league traces its history back to 1890. The first season of Ontario Hockey Association senior hockey
168-821: The 2008 Allan Cup , the Blast failed to win their league and were allowed to bypass the OHA Final against the Whitby Dunlops and the Renwick Cup against the Thunder 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 the Shawinigan Xtreme in the first game, the Blast defeated
192-568: The Allan Cup . From the beginning of the 1900s until the 1970s, Senior hockey was immensely popular across Canada, particularly in rural towns. At 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
216-690: The Bentley Generals to clinch second in their division. They defeated the Robertson Cup and EOSHL champion Whitby Dunlops in the quarter-final. They then knocked off the Major League Hockey and Renwick Cup champion Dundas 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. In the 2008 off-season, Major League Hockey ran into some issues. The Windsor St. Clair Saints ,
240-550: The Major League Hockey marked the first time since 1987 and the folding of the OHA Senior A Hockey League that the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) has crowned a top level senior league. In 2005, the OHA also granted the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League the same status. In 2008, the Brantford Blast became the first OHA team since the Brantford Motts Clamatos in 1987 to win the Allan Cup . As hosts of
264-730: The National Hockey League and Junior hockey has also supplanted Senior hockey in many towns across Canada. In Canada: In the United States: Windsor St. Clair Saints The Windsor St. Clair Saints were a Senior "AAA" ice hockey team based in St. Clair College in Windsor , Ontario , Canada. They joined the Ontario Hockey Association 's Major League Hockey in 2006, only to leave in 2008. The St. Clair Saints hockey club first emerged in 1967 as
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#1732790487455288-679: The 100th Allan Cup this year. Despite the Saints badly outshooting the Blast in every game of the series, the Saints were defeated 4-games-to-none. On April 21, 2008, it was announced through the Windsor Star that the Saints were to cease operations. As the only college team in the league, the Saints felt the MLH was not a good fit. The Saints operated through signing students from their college to play, while other teams could trade and pursue free agents. The Saints may eventually apply for entry into
312-689: The 2023–24 season. In 2023, the Hamilton Steelers folded and the Stoney Creek Tigers joined as an expansion team. The teams of the ACH league play for the league championship J. Ross Robertson Cup . In 2024, the Stoney Creek Tigers won the league championship and the Dundas Real McCoys took the Allan Cup . In 2025, the ACH champions will play off against the champions of the “AA” Ontario Elite Hockey League (OEHL) in
336-559: The CCAA National Championship. In 1977, the Saints won the OCAA again and as well in 1979. In seven seasons, the St. Clair Saints won five OCAA championships and a CCAA National Championship. In this span, the Saints also won a national silver medal and two national bronze medals. It seems that the Saints went on hiatus for much of the next two decades. In 2001, the Saints were back on the ice full-time. In 2002 and 2003,
360-689: The EOSHL, the Frankford Huskies and Marmora Lakers have walked away as well. Major League Hockey merged with the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League in 2008, when AAA-level senior hockey in the OHA shrunk to only five teams. In 2011, the league changed its name to Allan Cup Hockey . In 2015, two new teams were added: the Hamilton Steelhawks and the Thorold Athletics . Former OHA president Brent Ladds served as
384-740: The OHA Senior A Hockey League in 1980 and lasted until 1987. Teams of the Continental league won 4 Allan Cups. In 1990, the Southwestern Senior "A" Hockey League was incorporated through the merger between the Central Senior "B" Hockey League , the Seaway-Cyclone Senior "B" Hockey League , and the Southern Ontario Senior "A" Hockey League . It became Major League Hockey in 2003. The formation of
408-483: The Saints final OCAA game. In 2004, the OCAA announced that it was folding due to lack of interest from competitive colleges. The Saints spent the 2004–05 and 2005-06 campaigns playing an independent exhibition schedule against American and Canadian collegiate and senior clubs. In 2006, the Windsor St. Clair Saints were allowed expansion into the Ontario Hockey Association 's Major League Hockey. Now playing at
432-511: The Saints were again OCAA champions, beating Humber College both times, after more than a two decade gap. In 2001, the CCAA announced that there was not enough national interest in national championships anymore, so neither the 2002 or 2003 teams had the opportunity at earning another national championship for St. Clair College. After finishing in first place for the third straight year, the Saints were almost upset by Sir Sandford Fleming College in
456-588: The Senior AAA level, the Saints were eligible to compete for the Allan Cup . Despite being the only collegiate team in the 5-team MLH (the other four are club teams), the Saints finished first overall in the 2006-07 regular season. In the league semi-finals, the Saints defeated the Tillsonburg Vipers 4-games-to-2. In the league final, the Saints came apart and were swept by the Brantford Blast 4-games-to-none. The 2007-08 Season had them again as
480-554: The commissioner of Allan Cup Hockey from 2013 to 2016. In 2017, the league announced that the Thorold Athletics were taking leave for the 2018-19 season. For the 2019-20 season, the Stoney Creek Generals franchise relocated and merged with the Brantford Blast . The Blast was sold to the owners of the Generals in 2018 and was on leave for the 2018-19 season. For the 2020-21 ACH season, the Whitby Dunlops announced
504-530: The league's only college team, walked away from the league. The Tillsonburg Vipers have officially left the league, as they have applied for expansion into the independent Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League . The Petrolia Squires are stranded far away from Brantford and Dundas and have also been accepted into the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League . In
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#1732790487455528-414: The only collegiate team in the MLH. With a record of 16 wins, 12 losses, and 2 ties, the Saints were in the hunt for a second regular season crown, but fell short finishing in a close third place. Their first round opponents in the league semi-finals were the Brantford Blast . Brantford had stacked their line up with former NHLers at the end of the season, including Brent Gretzky , in preparation to host
552-455: The semi-final and then were beaten in two straight games by Humber in the final. After losing game one 6-3, the Saints battled hard in game two. With leading scorer Pavel Shtefan out of the lineup, the Saints battled into double overtime to lose on a Humber goal 5:11 into the fifth frame. The Saints were baffled by the Humber goaltender as he stopped 79 of 80 shots to win the game. This would be
576-525: Was the 1890-91 season, for the Cosby 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 the OHA Senior A Hockey League . The league lasted for fifty seasons, its teams winning 16 Allan Cups . The league was replaced by the Continental Senior A Hockey League in 1979. The Continental league was renamed
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