The Toronto Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team is an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team operated by the Varsity Blues athletics program of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. They are members of the

Ontario University Athletics Ontario University Athletics (OUA; french: Sports universitaires de l'Ontario) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providin ...

conference and compete in

U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the ...

. The Varsity Blues senior team won 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 th ...

in 1921 and 1927, and won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

at the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; german: II. Olympische Winterspiele; it, II Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, II Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. M ...

. The team is based at

Varsity Arena Varsity Arena, located at 299 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontarioretrieved from http://rrs.osm.utoronto.ca 2007-10-22 is an indoor arena that opened on December 17, 1926, and is primarily home to the ice hockey teams of the University of Toronto, ...

on the University downtown campus in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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 Ca ...

. The Varsity Blues have won 39 conference titles in the OUA as well as 10

Championships: 1965-66, 1966-67, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77 and 1983-84.

History

The Varsity Blues were founded in 1891, and are the longest continuously operated ice hockey program in the city of Toronto. The program currently includes only players enrolled at the University, however the Varsity Blues have historically had a

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team for students, and a

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 ...

team for graduates. Notable coaches of the Varsity Blues include

Conn Smythe Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe, Military Cross, MC (; February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs ...

, Ace Bailey, Tom Watt, and Mike Keenan, and

Lester Bowles Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

later

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolo ...

recipient and

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...

. David Bauer played for the Varsity Blues during the 1945–46 season, before becoming a Basilian priest and then founding the

Canada men's national ice hockey team The Canada men's national ice hockey team (popularly known as Team Canada; french: Équipe Canada) is the ice hockey team representing Canada int ...

in 1963.

Senior team

The Varsity Blues graduates were a successful OHA Senior A League team in the 1920s and 1930s. They won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions in 1921, 1927, 1929, and 1930. Toronto also became Canadian national champions with their victories at the

1921 Allan Cup The 1921 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1920–21 season. The CAHA had an agreement since 1918 which limited the location of the Allan Cup finals or semi-final games t ...

and the

1927 Allan Cup The 1927 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for the 1926–27 season. According to CAHA president Frank Sandercock Frank Ernest Sandercock (August 16, 1887October 27, 1942) was a Can ...

. During the

1920 Allan Cup The 1920 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1919–20 season. History During the 1920 Allan Cup playoffs, CAHA president Frederick E. Betts expressed concerns that the Tor ...

playoffs,

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...

(CAHA) president

Frederick E. Betts Frederick Everett Betts (October 17, 1870February 23, 1942) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator and businessman. He concurrently served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Associa ...

expressed concerns that the Varsity Blues team had violated the rules by participating in both the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

(OHA) and the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU) playoffs. At the 1920 general meeting, the CAHA debated the issue and decided that the team was eligible for the Allan Cup.

1928 Winter Olympics

The University of Toronto Graduates as the

champions were chosen to represent the Canada men's national team in

ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was the third Olympic Championship, also serving as the third World Championships and the 13th European Championships. Canada, represented by the Universi ...

. Conn Smythe coached the team during the OHA season, but refused to go to the Olympics due to disagreements on which players were added to the team by the

Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ( ...

. The Graduates went without Smythe, led by team captain Red Porter, and Olympic Committee member

W. A. Hewitt William Abraham Hewitt (May 15, 1875September 8, 1966) was a Canadian sports executive and journalist, also widely known as Billy Hewitt. He was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1903 to 1966, and sports editor of the ''T ...

, who oversaw the team's finances. The format of the Olympics hockey tournament saw the Canadians receive a bye into the second round, without any games in the first week. Despite the wait to play, the Graduates won all three games by scoring 38 goals and conceding none, to win the gold medal. 1928 Olympic roster: *

Charles Delahaye Frederick Charles Delahaye, sometimes spelled Delahay or Delahey (March 19, 1905 – March 17, 1973), was a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winte ...

* Franklyn Fisher *

Louis Hudson Henry Dewey Louis Hudson (May 16, 1898 - June 24, 1975) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He is an Olympian who competed at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz in ice hockey where the Canada national men's ice hockey team ...

Herbert Plaxton Herbert Alfred Wellington "Bert" Plaxton (April 22, 1901 – November 7, 1970) was a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics. In 1928 he was a member of the University of Toronto Grads, the Canadian team which w ...

Hugh Plaxton Hugh John Plaxton (May 16, 1904 – December 1, 1982) was a Canadian ice hockey player and politician. During his hockey career he competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal with Canada, and later played 17 games in the Na ...

Roger Plaxton Hayward Alan Roger "Rod" Plaxton (June 2, 1904 – December 20, 1963) was a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux ol ...

*John Primeau * Frank Sullivan * Joseph Sullivan *

Ross Taylor Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor (born 8 March 1984) is a former international cricketer and former captain of the New Zealand national team. Batting predominantly at number four, when he announced his retirement from international cricket at ...

Dave Trottier David Thomas Trottier (June 25, 1906 – November 14, 1956) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the 1928 Olympic Games, winning a gold medal, and played in the National Hockey League for 11 seasons. He won the Stanl ...

Some sources show the names of

Norbert Mueller Norbert Edward "Stuffy" Mueller (February 14, 1906 – July 6, 1956) was a Canadian ice hockey player, born in Waterloo, Ontario, who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic ...

and John Porter as being on the Olympic roster, but those two names are not listed in the "Official" Olympic Winter Games guide.

Junior team

The Varsity Blues formerly operated a junior ice hockey team, that played in the OHA in the 1930s, but withdrew from the junior loop during the 1939–40 season. Former NHL players

and

Dunc Munro Duncan Brown Munro (January 19, 1901 – January 3, 1958) was a Canadian Olympic ice hockey player who played with and coached the Montreal Maroons. He was born in Moray, Scotland. When he was still a child his family moved to Toronto, Ontario, ...

all played for the Varsity Blues.

Season-by-season results

NHL alumni

List of

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

alumni involved with the Varsity Blues. (seasons in parentheses)

References

Sources

External links

Toronto Varsity Blues men's hockey websiteToronto Varsity Blues men's hockey history

{{Defunct OHL Ice hockey teams in Toronto University of Toronto U Sports men's ice hockey teams Toronto Varsity Blues Ice hockey teams representing Canada internationally