MIDGET SCHOLARSHIP TOURNAMENT
HISTORY
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MIDGET SCHOLARSHIP TOURNAMENT HISTORY |
In 1978 Bruce Allison, then President of the PCAHA and later President of the BCAHA, developed the concept of the Midget All-star Tournament. It was his feeling that too many 16 year olds were leaving the local scene and high school to play Junior Hockey, and that some encouragement had to be given these young men to stay in their communities and complete high school. At the time, the concept of combining education with sports was relatively under-developed, and it was an accepted practice for players to abandon their education to pursue competitive hockey careers. The tournament was not designed to keep players out of the Junior ranks, but was intended instead to allow athletes to be aware of the alternatives open to them. At the same time the highly successful PCAHA Scholarship Program was initiated.
It should be noted that since the late 1970's virtually every Major Junior, Junior "A", and Junior "B" league and team has developed educational programs to encourage players to continue their schooling. Most Junior teams offer their own scholarships and bursaries, as do many Minor Hockey Associations.
Mr. Allison approached Canada Dry Ltd. with his idea and, following a meeting with Canada Dry representative Dudley Delapenha, Canada Dry enthusiastically embraced the concept. The first Canada Dry Midget "A" All-star Tournament was held in April, 1978.
The format of the Tournament from 1978 to 1985 involved three teams, one each from old Zones 1, 2, and 3, playing a single or double round-robin with a championship final game. Since the restructuring of the PCAHA in 1985, the event has consisted of four teams, two each from the two PCAHA Conferences (Fraser Valley Conference and Greater Vancouver Conference). Player and coaching staff selection criteria have remained largely unchanged since the inaugural tournament in 1978.
Canada Dry continued to sponsor the Tournament for 18 seasons, concluding with the 1995 Tournament. From 1996 to 1998 the Tournament was presented by the Vancouver Canucks and sponsored by Dueck G.M. Danone Crystal Springs replaced Dueck G.M. for 1999.
1978 Zone 1 All-stars 1979 Zone 1 All-stars 1980 Zone 2 All-stars 1981 Zone 1 All-stars 1982 Zone 3 All-stars 1983 Zone 2 All-stars 1984 Zone 2 All-stars 1985 Zone 3 All-stars 1986 G.V.C. "Knights" 1987 G.V.C. #1 (Green) 1988 F.V.C. #2 (White) 2000 F.V.C. "Oilers" |
1989 G.V.C. #1 (Green) 1990 G.V.C. #1 (Green) 1991 F.V.C. #2 (Green) 1992 F.V.C. #1 (Blue) 1993 G.V.C. Blue Team 1994 F.V.C. Red Team 1995 G.V.C. Green Team 1996 G.V.C. "Silverados" 1997 F.V.C. "Corvettes" 1998 F.V.C. "Blazers" 1999 G.V.C. "Canucks" |
The PCAHA and its corporate partners maintain a strong commitment to the goal of combining education with participation in the great game of hockey.