Pacific
Coast Amateur Hockey Association
MIDGET SCHOLARSHIP TOURNAMENT
HISTORY
In 1978 Bruce Allison, then
President of the PCAHA and later President of BC Hockey, developed the concept
of the Midget All-star Tournament. It was his feeling that too many Midget
players 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 undeveloped, 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.
Beginning in 1996 the Tournament has been supported by the Vancouver Canucks
organization and specifically since 2006 by the Vancouver Canucks Alumni
Association. This includes sponsoring the four (4) $500 Midget Special
Bursary Awards.
The Tournament championship
has been won by the following teams:
1978 - Zone 1 All-stars |
1994 - F.V.C. Red Team |
The PCAHA and its corporate
partners maintain a strong commitment to the goal of combining education with
participation in the great game of hockey.