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

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

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 university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. They are members of the

Ontario University Athletics Ontario University Athletics (OUA; ) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, ...

conference and compete in

U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...

. The Varsity Blues senior team won the

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 most recently won by the Wentworth Gryphins ...

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 b ...

for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

at the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Swit ...

. The team is based at

Varsity Arena Varsity Arenaretrieved from http://rrs.osm.utoronto.ca 2007-10-22 is an indoor arena located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus, and open ...

on the University downtown campus in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. The Varsity Blues have won 39 conference titles in the OUA; and 10

championships in 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 ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

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 ice hockey, Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate un ...

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 Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey (July 3, 1903 – April 7, 1992) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs for eight seasons, from 1926–1933. His playing career ended with a hit he encountered with Edd ...

, Tom Watt, and

Mike Keenan Michael Edward Keenan (born October 21, 1949) is a Canadian-American former professional hockey coach. Previously, he served as head coach and/or general manager with several NHL teams between 1984 and 2009. He currently ranks fifth in playoff win ...

, and

Lester Bowles Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as leader of the Liberal party fro ...

later

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

recipient and

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

. 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; ) is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally. The team ...

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 The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, an ...

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 to ...

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, the profit of C$16,000 from the 1927 Allan Cup exceeded the combined pr ...

. 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 Toro ...

playoffs,

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; ) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup, ...

(CAHA) president Frederick E. Betts 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. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

(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 Univer ...

. 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; ), also known as Team Canada, is a private nonprofit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee. It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization. History Cana ...

. 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 ''To ...

, 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 * Franklyn Fisher * Louis Hudson * Herbert Plaxton *

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. In 1928 he was a member of the University of Toronto Grads, the Canadian team which won the gol ...

*John Primeau * Frank Sullivan * Joseph Sullivan *

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

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 Wi ...

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 The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

players

and Dunc Munro all played for the Varsity Blues.

Season-by-season results

Senior and collegiate play

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points'' † The International Intercollegiate League (IIL) was a joint venture between Canadian and American colleges.
‡ The Toronto Varsity team was made up of active students. Their opponent, referred to as the 'Toronto Varsity Grads', was a squad composed of alumni.
¿ Sometime between 1953 and 1955 the CIAU changed their name to QOAA (Quebec-Ontario Athletic Association).

Collegiate only

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points'' Note: Totals include results from 1954–55 onward.

NHL alumni

List of

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

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

References

Sources

External links

*
Statistics and standings archive
{{Defunct OHL Varsity Blues University of Toronto U Sports men's ice hockey teams Toronto Varsity Blues Ice hockey teams representing Canada internationally Ice hockey clubs established in 1891 1891 establishments in Ontario