Allan Cup Hockey (ACH), formerly Major League Hockey until 2011, is the top tier Canadian

senior ice hockey 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. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...

league in the province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. Founded in 1990, as the Southwestern Senior "A" Hockey League, the ACH is a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. The ACH's champion contends for the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are the ...

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 the

Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League The Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League, or EOSHL, is a top Senior ice hockey league in Eastern Ontario that operated from 2003 to 2008, merged into the Major Hockey League in 2008 and resumed its operations from 2019 onwards. The EOSHL is gov ...

in 2008.

History

Major League Hockey gained its name in 2003. Since 1990, Major League Hockey was known as the Southwestern Senior "A" Hockey League. This league was created through a merger between the Central Senior "B" Hockey League, the Seaway-Cyclone Senior "B" Hockey League, and the Southern Ontario Senior "A" Hockey League. The formation of 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

the same status. Major League Hockey, despite its formation in 1990, has its roots scattered across a variety of leagues dating back as far as 1959. The first season of Ontario Hockey Association senior hockey was the 1890-91 season, for the

Cosby Cup The Cosby Cup was the trophy given to the champions of the Ontario Hockey Association from its founding in 1890 until its replacement in 1899 by the J. Ross Robertson Cup for senior ice hockey. History The Cosby Cup was donated by businessman ...

. 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 season, its teams winning 16

s. The league was replaced by the Continental 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. In 2008, the Brantford Blast became the first OHA team since the Brantford Motts Clamatos in 1987 to win the

. As hosts of 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 the

Bentley Generals The Lacombe Generals were a Senior AAA ice hockey team from Lacombe, Alberta, Canada that played in the Chinook Hockey League. The Generals are four-time national champions, having won the Allan Cup in 2009 and 2016 in Steinbach, Manitoba, ...

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, 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 WOAA Senior AA Hockey League is a Canadian senior ice hockey league governed by the Western Ontario Athletic Association. The league operates in Southwestern Ontario. History Format The league uses Hockey Canada playing rules but is not o ...

. The Petrolia Squires are stranded far away from Brantford and Dundas and have also been accepted into the

. In the EOSHL, the Frankford Huskies and

Marmora Lakers The Marmora Lakers were a Senior "AAA" ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association's Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League from 2003 to 2008, based in Marmora, Ontario, Canada. The team was coached by Shawn Antoski and managed by Curtis Tr ...

have walked away as well. Major League Hockey merged with the

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 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. The team has yet to return as of the 2019-20 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 season, the Whitby Dunlops announced a leave of absence, and the Caledon Crusaders were added as an expansion team. It was later announced that the season would be cancelled entirely. The league returned to action in 2022 with an 8-game schedule.

Teams

League champions

Southwestern Senior "A"

:1991 Exeter Mohawks :1992 Exeter Mohawks :1993 Dunnville Mudcats :1994 Dorchester Dolphins :1995 Ohsweken Riverhawks :1996 Bothwell Bullets :1997 Bothwell Bullets :1998 Aylmer Blues :1999 London MacMaster Chevys :2000 Cambridge Hornets :2001 Simcoe Gunners :2002 Dundas Real McCoys :2003 Dundas Real McCoys

Major League Hockey

:2004 Aylmer Blues :2005 Aylmer Blues :2006 Dundas Real McCoys :2007 Brantford Blast :2008 Dundas Real McCoys :2009 Dundas Real McCoys :2010 Dundas Real McCoys :2011 Dundas Real McCoys

EOSHL

:2004 Belleville Macs :2005 Norwood Vipers :2006 Whitby Dunlops :2007 Whitby Dunlops :2008 Whitby Dunlops

Allan Cup Hockey

:2012 Dundas Real McCoys :2013 Brantford Blast :2014 Brantford Blast :2015 Dundas Real McCoys :2016 Stoney Creek Generals :2017 Stoney Creek Generals :2018 Stoney Creek Generals :2019 Stoney Creek Generals :2020 ''playoffs cancelled'' :2021 ''season cancelled'' :2022 Dundas Real McCoys Bolded teams won the Robertson Cup as Ontario Hockey Association champions.

Allan Cup winners

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Brantford Blast *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Dundas Real McCoys *

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

Stoney Creek Generals

Former member teams

''Please note: All teams in this list are listed ONLY with the last league they were involved with.''

ACH/MLH/Southwestern Sr. A

* Aylmer Blues * Baltimore Clippers * Bothwell Bullets * Cambridge Hornets * Creemore Valley Hawks * Dorchester Dolphins * Dunnville Mudcats * Exeter Mohawks * Ingersol B's * London Admirals * Norwood Vipers * Ohsweken Riverhawks * Orillia Tundras *

Oxford Blues ''Oxford Blues'' is a 1984 British comedy-drama sports film written and directed by Robert Boris and starring Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and Amanda Pays. It is a remake of the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ''A Yank at Oxford'' and was Lowe's first ...

* Petrolia Squires * Point Edward Comets * Simcoe Gunners * Stoney Creek Generals (franchise relocated, merged with Brantford Blast) * Strathroy Jets * Tillsonburg Vipers * Welland Whalers * Windsor St. Clair Saints

Eastern Sr. A

* Cobourg Lynx * Deseronto Bulldogs * Kingston Aces *

* St. Lawrence Falcons * Tamworth Braves

Southern Ontario Sr. A

* Smithville Real McCoys * Tillsonburg Maroons * Woodstock Gems

Southern Int. B

* Ayr Rockets * Milton Aeros * Norwich Imperials * Paris 29ers * Plattsville Combines *

Port Dover Lakers A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

* Rockton Real McCoys * Six Nations Redmen * St. Marys Stone Town Flyers

Southern Counties Int. B

*Caledonia Seniors * Cheltenham Harvesters * Delhi Leafs * Elmira Polar Kings * Fergus Flyers * Lucan-Ilderton Jets * New Hamburg Screaming Eagles * Preston Jesters * Simcoe County Kings

Central Int. C

* Arthur Tigers * Goderich Sailors * New Hamburg Panthers * Port Elgin Sunocos

Central Sr. A

* Durham Huskies * Elora Rocks * Harriston Blues *Hillsburgh Seniors * Palmerston 81's *

Tavistock Royals The Tavistock Royals are a senior hockey team based out of Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League. Championships The Tavistock Royals have won three WOAA "AA" Championships, as they ...

Northern Sr. A

* Creemore Chiefs * Grand Valley Harvesters * Honeywood Cougars * Owen Sound Canadians * Shelburne Muskies

OHA Int. C

* Clinton Colts * Kincardine Texacos * Lucknow Lancers * Milverton Four Wheel Drives *

Mitchell Red Devils Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) * Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...

*Seaforth Seniors *Southampton Seniors *

Wiarton Redmen Wiarton () is a community in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the western end of Colpoys Bay, an inlet off Georgian Bay, on the Bruce Peninsula. Wiarton is notable for the Wiarton Willie Festival ...

Seaway-Cyclone Sr. B

* Alvinston 77's * Dresden Lumber Kings *Lambeth Seniors * Wallaceburg Whalers * Walpole Island Hawks * Watford Generals

Seaway-Cyclone Int. B

* Glencoe Centennials

Seaway Int. C

*Blenheim Seniors * Leamington Lakers * Tilbury Selects * Wheatley Omsteads

Seaway-Western Int. C

* Chatham Royals * Forest Boyds *Sandwich West Seniors

Western/Tri-County Int. C

* Belmont Blazers * Point Edward Easy Movers

Cyclone Int. D

* West Lorne Blues

References

External links

Official ACH websiteOHA website
{{OHA Senior 1 Senior ice hockey