1985 Valor Cup Tournament

 

This season's tournament could be anyone's first Valor Cup win in the CIHA. In the round robin, the Saskatoon Cats took first place by winning the last three games after the first three were a one-loss, two-tie split. The Moncton Bears started the first three with wins but then lost the next three, finishing in second place. Both Oakville Oaks and Fredericton Vikings finish with two wins, three losses, and one tie. Even though both had the same record, the Oaks took third place because they beat the Vikings twice, while the Vikings beat both the Bears and the Cats to get their two wins, enough to play in the semi-finals.

Semi-Finals

The match-up between Saskatoon and Fredericton was supposed to be a one-sided game in favour of the Cats, but the Vikings had other ideas. In both first and second periods was Cats pure game play to give them a comfy 4-0 lead going into the third period, around 15 minutes left of the game Dave Messier did something that no player could ever do in any Valor Cup tournament, as he scored four goals to tie it up and force overtime, despite numbers of shots made by the Cats the Vikings needs one to win and that shot was made by Bill Boyle after Dave Messier passed it to him while the Cats players were all over Dave, with that the Fredericton Vikings became the first fourth seed team in the Valor Cup Tournament history the advance to the finals.

The Oakville Oaks played very well as Vince Olson led the team with two goals and four points in a 4-2 win over the host Moncton Bears to advance to the Valor Cup Finals. After the game, sadness washed over the arena as John Handley and Eric Gall said goodbye to the Bears fans, knowing that, after the 1985-86 season, they would begin their pro careers. Also, after 15 years behind the bench, coach Chris Culdee said goodbye too, as he took the offer to coach the NIHA’s Chicago Lancers next season. “It’s a hard thing to feel right now. I try to keep this news as low profile as possible until we finish the tournament.” Bears GM Gordon Hill said in an interview after the semi-final game.

Valor Cup Finals

Oakville Oaks vs. Fredericton Vikings

As the puck dropped to begin the first period, out of nowhere, Vince Olson skated to the net and scored for the Oaks, but the Vikings got their goal made by Dave Messier to tie it up, and it was like that as the first period came to an end. The second period started with Ted Savage score a goal to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead, until Leonard Ellsworth tied it up for the Oaks, then the turning point was when Ed Thibault got a boarding penalty which the Oaks could get a powerplay goal but Bill Boyle got the puck and speeded thru the Oaks defencemen for a breakaway and scored a penalty kill goal and the second period ends with the Vikings take a 3-2 lead. Third period started hot as Warren Burk scored two goals to give the Oaks their first lead of 4-3, but it didn’t last long as Wayne Daoust score to tie it up then Bill Boyle score again to lead and Ted Savage would scored one more for the Vikings, then the Oaks would score a goal made by Leonard Ellsworth but it was too little too late as the clock hit zero to end the finals as the Fredericton Vikings are the 1985 Valor Cup Champions with the score 6-5 over the Oakville Oaks. The Vikings would be the second-lowest-seeded team to win it, just a rank higher than the 1973 Valor Cup Champion Nanaimo Greyhounds. CIHA President Randy Howard presents the Valor Cup MVP to Bill Boyle, then Randy Howard hands the Valor Cup to Dave Messier as he raises it up in front of his teammates, and the Vikings celebrate.

1984 CIHA Valor Cup Tournament

The round-robin was a crazy one; in the first place, the host Buffalo Bees had a good streak, winning the first four games but losing the last two to both the Oaks and the Bears, which angered Ryan Byron Sr. There were words that both Sr and Jr butting heads throughout the season even though the Bees have been successful for the past four years. The OMJHA Smyth Cup champion, the Oakville Oaks, did well, but their losses to the Bees and twice to the Forest Kings hurt their chance to take first place, and they finished second, 3-3. The Forest King won twice over the Oaks and the Bears, but their two blowout losses to the Bees hurt them so much that they lost to the Bears on the last day of the round-robin. It was almost another déjà vu for the Moncton Bears as they lost the first four games, and many believed that the Bears may get another winless tournament run, but they won their first over the Bees and their second over the Forest Kings to go to the semi-finals, finishing 4th.

Semi-Finals

Buffalo Bees vs. Moncton Bears

First-place Buffalo Bees held their ground against the Bears after the Bears tied it at two after the second period; midway in the third, William VanDean scored twice for the Bees as the third period came to an end as the Buffalo Bees are going to the finals for the third year in a row winning the semi-final game 4-2.

Oakville Oaks vs. Abbotsford Forest Kings

It was a back-and-forth match between the Forest Kings and the Oaks as each scored goals all the way to the third period when Aaron Boyer scored from point spot to tie the game up with only 30 seconds left, the Forest Kings tried to score as Ryan Wedgewood got an open net shot, but it bounces off the post, and the clock hit zero, and both teams are going to overtime. 4:50 minutes left into overtime, Ryan Wedgewood got another chance to score when he took the puck and passed through the Oaks defence, shot past the goalie, and scored the overtime winner 6-5 and moved on to the finals.

Valor Cup Finals

Buffalo Bees vs. Abbotsford Forest Kings

The first period came and gone, with Buffalo scoring a goal made by Todd Zemlak by pure luck; in the second period, it took Abbotsford top star Ryan Wedgewood to score a goal to tie it up, but 15 seconds later, Mark O’Reilly broke the tie game to give the Bees the lead as the second period came to an end, it was all Buffalo in the third as William VanDean scored twice as the clock ticks away many were expect both Sr. and Jr. celebrate together instead Jr. went to the team's locker room to get everything together while Sr. looks like a very not happy owner, the clock hit zero the Buffalo Bees wins the team’s first Valor Cup championship winning 4-1 over the Abbotsford Forest Kings, William VanDean was named the Valor Cup MVP, and Greg Dahlstrom received the Valor Cup Trophy and raise it up as the Bees fans celebrate.

1983 CHIA Valor Cup Tournament

 

All four teams wear the Valor Cup 10th-anniversary logo as a patch on their jerseys.

With much hype in Medicine Hat, fans were in for a surprise in the round-robin. The Cougars kept their winning streak going by finishing 6-0 in first place spot for the second time in a row. Meanwhile, the Hawks, the Bees, and the Loups battled, and all three finished with a 2-4 record; the Bees took 2nd place over 3rd place Hawks and last place Loups is by goal against average.

Semi-finals

Buffalo Bees vs. Medicine Hat Hawks

The Hawks, Ross Featherstone, scored a goal, but it would be the only one for them as the Bees de-feathered the Hawks by scoring two goals in the second period. Two more in the third period made by William VanDean, Greg Dahlstrom, Floyd Currie, and Mark O’Reilly shared a goal as the Buffalo Bees won the semi-final over the Hawks 4-1 and headed to the Valor Cup finals for the second time in a row.

Lethbridge Cougars vs. Sherbrooke Loups

The Cougars had lousy news: Greg Finley suffered a lower-body injury and will be out for this game, so backup goalie Luke Catred, a 2nd round pick from the 1982 draft from Victoria B.C., must defend the net in hopes for the Cougars' winning streak stays in tack. While the Loups had their own issue, Jesse Matthews was approved to join Boston College. The problem was that she couldn’t play the rest of the tournament once it was made. Despite each team losing a player a piece, however, it was a back-and-forth all the way to the final minute of the third, where Lenny Tardif scored a goal to tie it up 4-4. In overtime, both teams made multiple attempts to score until 3:29 left. Anders Krzysztof scored the winner in overtime (5-4ot) as the Lethbridge Cougars moved on to the Valor Cup Finals.

Valor Cup Finals

Lethbridge Cougars vs. Buffalo Bees

For the first time in five years, a Valor Cup final is a rematch from a previous season between the Cougars and the Bees. In the first period, Karl Fuhr scored two goals, both were shorthanded, to give the Cougars the lead. In the second period, the Bees bounced back with a powerplay goal by Greg Dahlstrom, which they needed as they kept shooting at Luke Catred until the clock hit zero. As the third period began, it was all Cougars. As the last ten minutes came, the Cougars scored two more goals. As the third period ended, the Cougars won 4-1. The Lethbridge Cougars are the 1983 CIHA Valor Cup Champions, and Karl Fuhr became the Valor Cup MVP.

1982 CIHA Valor Cup Tournament

Round Robin

Fans came together from all over Canada and even the U.S.A. for this year's tournament in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The Lethbridge Cougars top the tournament with a perfect six wins for a 1st place finish. Coming in 2nd place is the tournament host Sherbrooke Loups, as they are 2-3-1 with a total of 5 points, mainly with a 4-2 win over the Highlanders. The Buffalo Bees lost four games to the Cougars and the Loups, but they got two critical wins over New Glasgow to finish 3rd place and move on to the semi-finals. Ending the tournament last is the New Glasgow Highlanders; even though they got one win, it isn’t enough as the tournament rules go that you need two wins to advance.

Semi-Finals

The Cougars got a bye to the finals, meaning they will see who will face them. The Loups have beaten the Bees twice in the round-robin, but in the semi-finals, the Bees got payback as Floyd Currie made 2 goals and 4 points to lead the Bees to a 6-3 win and have a date with the Cougars for the Valor Cup.

Valor Cup Finals

Lethbridge Cougars vs. Buffalo Bees

First Period: The Bees gave the Cougars a sting as they scored first by William VanDean and Greg Dahlstrom, who scored a goal five minutes before the period ended. The Bees took the lead with a score of 2-0.

Second Period: Within six minutes, the Cougars bounced back as Jack Burk and Karl Fuhr each scored a goal to tie the game up; it would take almost four minutes left into the period for a goal to be made, and that’s what Jack Burk did with his second goal of the game to break the tie, and as the period ended the Cougars know that come the third period it’ll be a war.

Third Period: With the Cougars leading 3-2, the Bees were shooting all over Greg Finley as he was a brick wall for the Cougars; over the other end, Sam Dempsey was holding his end very well for a rookie goalie, 1:10 left into the final period the Bees choose to pull Sam for an extra attacker, halfway to the bench Sam got hit on the helmet from a puck and a referee called too many men on the ice penalty which gave the Cougars a powerplay, and took advantage as Jack Burk scored his third goal and the Cougars celebrates as the clock hit zero with the score of 4-2 and for the second time in team history the Lethbridge Cougars are the CIHA Valor Cup Champions with Karl Fuhr hoisted the cup. At the same time, Jack Burk hugs the Valor Cup MVP trophy.

1981 CIHA Valor Cup Tournament

 

Many came for this year's Valor Cup tournament at the Maroon Auditorium in Waterloo, Ontario, as four teams battled for a chance of becoming the 1981 CIHA Valor Cup Champions. The host team, the Waterloo Maroons, started hot in a big way and finished the round-robin perfect 6-0-0 record with 12 points thanks to Larry Arsenal, who made a record of 18 goals, 36 points, and made a record of scoring 3 goals in every 6 games in what everyone calls it “the six hat-tricks,” also Pat Hudson made history by getting 4 shutouts out of his 6 wins but also set a record for the fewest goals against with only letting in just 3 goals. The WCLH’s Lethbridge Cougars may lose 2 games to the Maroons, but they won 4 games, including 2 key overtime wins over the Loups, as they finished 2nd place, but Jack Burk kept the team in the tournament with 9 goals and 20 points. Sherbrooke Loups got 2 wins, but those came from the Oshawa Diamonds. The rest are losses, with 2 heartbreaking overtimes by the Cougars and 2 ugly, painful losses to the Maroons. The Diamonds played very poorly, barely scoring only 3 goals and finishing in last place with 6 losses. The rule goes that they are eliminated if the 4th seed team does not win at least 2 games. With that rule, the Maroons would get a bye in the semi-final, moving on to the finals waiting for who wins the Cougars Loups semi-finals.

Semi-finals

Lethbridge Cougars vs. Sherbrooke Loups

Both teams are aiming for a date with the Maroons; as the first period started, the Loups came firing shots at Cougars goalie Shawn Hoff like crazy until 3:31 left in the first, the Loups finally scored a goal made by Shawn Thomas, as the first period ends there is a shoving match between the two then Shawn Hoff fell and twisted his blocker arm, with that questions are up in the air on if Shawn can be 100% for the second period. As both teams came back on the ice, on the Cougars' end, the goalie that standing in front of the net was not Shawn Hoff but Greg Finley, the son of the Cougars' GM Frank Finley, the Loups believed that this was an easy scoring spree, but as the second period pass the 10:00 mark, it became opposite as Karl Fuhr, Jack Burk, and Wes Roy each scored a goal for the Cougars. When the second period ended, it was 3-1. In the third period, the Loups couldn’t find a way to score as Greg was a brick wall and holding his ground solidly as the Cougars added two more goals before the third ended. The clock hit zero to end the game with a 5-1 Cougars win, and they are headed to the Valor Cup Finals to face the Waterloo Maroons.

Valor Cup Finals

Waterloo Maroons vs. Lethbridge Cougars

During the national anthem, Maroons Larry Arsenal and Cougars Jack Burk were eyeing each other. As the puck dropped, both were determined to outplay one another Larry may not be as good as Jack, but Larry has teammates helping him out more like Larry helping them as he made three assists in the first period to take a 3-1 lead. The Cougars bounced back by scoring two goals, but 20 seconds after a 3-3 tie game, Larry scored a goal to give the Maroons a 4-3 lead as the second period ended. In the third period, the Cougars ran out of gas as the Maroons added three more goals, two of them were by Larry Arsenal, as the Maroons celebrated along with the fans at the Maroon Auditorium, winning the 1981 Valor Cup Championship with the score of 7-3. Larry lifted the Valor Cup along with the MVP award of the tournament.

1980 CIHA Valor Cup tournament

 

Standings:

1. Barrie Admirals

2. Abbotsford Forest Kings

3. Verdun Knights

4. Nanaimo Sharks

Story:

Before the tournament began, all four teams came together at the Nanaimo Hall with the tournament's new rules and announcements. One of the new rules is that the 4th seed team can qualify for the semi-finals if they win 2 games of the now-expanded 6 games. If they cannot, they are eliminated, even if they win just one game, and the first-seed team moves on to the finals. Another announcement was that the Waterloo Maroons would host the 1981 CIHA Valor Cup tournament. The next one was the Valor Star tournament, an All-star event starting this June. Finally, CIHA President Joseph McGeorge announced that after both the Valor Cup and the Valor Star, he is no longer the CIHA President as he will hand that job over to Randy Howard, who is happy to take the role, "It is an honour to take a role to keep an eye on all three leagues, I'm excited to get to work with some of the best minds here at the CIHA."

Round-Robin

The Nanaimo Sharks started the tournament with a 2-1 win over the Barrie Admirals. The Sharks would win one more 4-2 over the Abbotsford Forest Kings. After that, they went on losing the last four games to finished 4th, luckily for them, they got 2 wins which they will play in the semi-finals. The Abbotsford Forest Kings and the Verdun Knights made history by ending their matchup in a 2-2 tie. They would face each other on the last day of the round-robin where Abbotsford beat Verdun in a 4-2 must-win game to go to the semi-finals as both finished with the same record of 2-3-1 with the Forest Kings win, they are placed 2nd while the Knights finished 3rd. The Barrie Admirals lost the tournament opener to the Nanaimo Sharks, but after that, they won the rest, including a 7-1 blowout win over the Sharks to finish 1st place with a 5-1 record.

Semi-Finals

Barrie Admirals vs. Nanaimo Sharks

In the first period, the Admirals were all over Shark's goalie Oscar Williams, 24 shots were made, and Oscar let in 4 goals as the first period ended. The Admirals were pretty much in a comfort zone. As the second period passed, the Sharks scored 2 goals, but the Admirals held on until the second period ended with a 4-2. The Admirals held their ground in the third period in a big way; as the clock turned to 1:34 left, Dylan Bouchard scored one more to complete a hat-trick, and with that, the game was over, and the Admirals are heading to the Valor Cup Championship beating the Sharks 5-2.

Abbotsford Forest Kings vs. Verdun Knights

Right off the gate, the Knights were firing shots from left to right until Josh Lucas finally scored a goal on Forest Kings goalie Frank Ford; the first period came to an end with the Knights on top 1-0. The Forest Kings came back as Ed Bram scored two goals, and the second period came to an end as the score was 2-1 Forest Kings. In the third, the Knights kept on shooting, but Frank Ford was holding his ground; as the clock was ticking away, the Knights pulled their goalie for an extra attacker to tie the game, but it didn't work as Luke White flipped the puck up in the air and slides right to the empty net, after that the third period came to an end and the Forest Kings wins it 3-1 and headed to the 1980 Valor Cup finals.

1980 Valor Cup Finals

Barrie Admirals vs. Abbotsford Forest Kings

Abbotsford had a hard time scoring against Barrie in the round-robin as the Admirals outscored the Forest Kings 9-2. In the first period, the Forest Kings may have finally found a way to outplay the Admirals as forward Jack Lazar, in his second season with the Forest Kings, scored a goal that the Admirals defence did not see it coming it raddle them good, as the first period came to an end with the score of 1-0. The second period was tight between the two teams; midway into the second, another Forest Kings player that the Admirals defence did not expect would be rookie forward Ryan Wedgewood, who sneaked into a breakaway and scored to make it 2-0. Everything fell apart for the Admirals as Ed Bram and Luke White scored two goals, and Barrie scored two goals. Still, it was too late as the horn sounded off to end the game with the score of 6-2, and the Abbotsford Forest Kings are the 1980 CIHA Valor Cup Champions. The Valor Cup MVP, Ed Bram, lifted the cup over his head in front of his teammates as the celebration began.

1979 Valor Cup Tournament

 

Story

At Ottawa’s Royal Banquet Hall, CIHA President Joseph McGeorge made two announcements. The first one is naming the host for the 1980 Valor Cup Tournament, after meetings within the league presidents, the owners, and GMs made their vote, the result is the tournament will be held at Nanaimo BC, home of the Nanaimo Sharks where their arena got approved by the city to give it an upgrade from 2000 seats to 3500 seat capacity arena which it’s a significant benefit for both the Sharks and the city of Nanaimo. The second announcement is that there will be a showcase tournament that will feature junior stars of the WCLH, OMJHA, AQHL, and a mix of rookies and 2nd-year junior players from all 3 leagues. The tournament will be called the “Valor Star.” The event will be at the Ottawa Civic Forum in the Summer of 1980.

The Kitchener Legionnaires dominated this year's tournament and finished the round-robin with four wins and zero losses. John Herbco scored 10 goals, 15 assists, and 25 points within 4 games.

The Kenora Pioneers and Cape Breton Warriors lost twice to the Legionnaires in a blowout result. Both shared victories, but the Pioneers finished 2nd over the Warriors by goals.

Valor Cup Semi-Finals Kenora Pioneers vs. Cape Breton Warriors

The Pioneers may have 2nd place over the Warriors, but in the first period, they did not look good as the Warriors scored two big impact goals followed by two more in the second period. The Pioneers scored two goals in the third period, but it was not enough as the clock turned to zero, and the Cape Breton Warriors are going to the Valor Cup finals with a 4-2 win.

 1979 Valor Cup Championship Kitchener Legionnaires vs. Cape Breton Warriors

As the puck was dropped to start the first period, shots were made from end to end, the goalies were brick walls, and the defences held the offences until the first-period end. The second period was the same until 3:25 left the Warriors' Luke Davis scored a goal to give them the lead over the Legionnaires 1-0 as the second period ended. John Herbco scored two straight goals for the Legionnaires in the third period. 1:10 left, and the Warriors pulled their goalie, hoping that an extra player would turn the tide in their favour. It didn’t work as John Herbco took control of the puck and lobbed it down all the way to the empty net to seal the deal, as the clock hit zero with the final score of 3-1 and the Legionnaires celebrate winning the Valor Cup. At the same time, John Herbco is named the Valor Cup MVP for the second time in his career.

1978 Valor Cup Tournament

 1978 Valor Cup Tournament (Toronto, Ontario)

Teams: Fargo Owls, Kitchener Generals, Trois-Rivieres Titans

Standings

Trois-Rivieres Titans: 2W, 2L

Kitchener Generals: 2W, 2L

Fargo Owls: 2W, 2L

Story

For the first time in CIHA Valor Cup history that three teams are battling for the Valor Cup together back to back. This time, however, all three teams finished the same record with 2 wins and 2 losses, but the only difference is that the Titans finished 1st with the most goals with 15 after their last game of the tournament, where they won a 7-1 blowout over the Fargo Owls.

2nd vs. 3rd semi-finals: With the Titans moving on to the finals, they’ll wait to see who goes to the finals with them. In the first period, the Owls played strong, but the Generals took over in the 2nd period, and then the Generals finish the Owls off in the 3rd period; as the clock hits zero, the Generals are going to the Valor Cup finals with a 5-2 final over the Owls.

1978 Valor Cup finals: Period number 1 was wild, shots were made by both teams, and both goalies were on their heads as the 1st period ends with a score of 0-0. In the 2nd period, the Titans finally broke through the wall as Jaune Fredette scores on a breakaway, but the Generals got it back as Patrick Herbco shot on point to tie the game as the buzzer sound as the 2nd-period end with a 1-1 tie game. The 3rd period was all Generals as Patrick Herbco, Neil Kelly, forward Sam Ricky, and Ed Greer score a goal as the 3rd period ended with the score of 5-1, and the Kitchener Generals is the 1978 Valor Cup champions with Patrick Herbco the Valor Cup MVP.

1977 Valor Cup tournament

 

1977 Valor Cup tournament: Winnipeg, MA

Teams: Fargo Owls, Kitchener Generals, Trois-Rivieres Titans.

Standings

Trois-Rivieres Titans: 4W, 0L.

Kitchener Generals: 2W, 2L.

Fargo Owls: 0W, 4L.

Story:

The Fargo Owls may become the first American team to be part of the Valor Cup tournament, but they became the first team to be eliminated after going winless. For the third time in four years that a 3rd seed team finish the round-robin round winless.

Kitchener Generals had a half and half tournament with 2 wins and 2 losses, but Patrick Herbco helped the team stay in the competition with crucial game playing with scoring goals and assisting teammates in advancing to the finals.

The Trois-Rivieres Titans dominated the whole tournament finished 4-0 and made a Valor Cup record of 20 goals while just letting in just 3 goals.

The Valor Cup Finals was what everyone thought was supposed to be a one-sided final, but the Titans faced a different Generals.

In the first period, the Titans take the lead by scoring 3 goals within 10 minutes, then only 2 minutes left; in the first period, the Generals Cal Winston scores a goal with help from Patrick Herbco.

The second period was all Generals game playing as Patrick Herbco scored 2 goals within 4 minutes to tie the game until 4 minutes left in the second Allen Guay broke the tie game with a long shot and hit the top corner.

The third period is where things get rougher for both goalies as they took shots like crazy from everywhere. 10 minutes left, Patrick hit a hat trick to tie the game at four apiece. With 1 minute left, controversy struck the Generals with what many fans call it “the high stick goal” as Andre Doucet lift his stick high enough to tip the puck in the net, the Generals claim it was a high stick to the Titans defence Andre is 6”11, while Generals goalie Sam Rogers is 5”10 so it is hard to call a high stick penalty. The Titans win it 5-4 final and complete their historic season as they are the 1977 Valor Cup Champions, and Mark Lewis is named MVP of the 1977 Valor Cup.

1976 Valor Cup Tournament

 

1976 Valor Cup Tournament: Vancouver B.C.

Teams: Lethbridge Cougars, Kitchener Legionnaires, Moncton Bears.

Standings

Lethbridge Cougars: 3 W, 1 L.

Kitchener Legionnaires: 3 W, 1 L.

Moncton Bears: 0 W, 4 L.

Story:

This year's tournament was a successful showcase for both the Cougars and Legionnaires performed great as both teams finished in a tie for first place with three wins, one loss. As for the Bears, not so much as they finish a 0-4 record, and as the tournament rules go, if the last place team ends without a win, they are eliminated.

The Valor Cup Final was an epic back and forth game. In the first period, the Cougars draw first blood with Cliff Burns scoring two goals, followed by Herb Holmes putting in a goal to make it 3-1. The second period was a turning point for the Legionnaires where goalie Jake Phillips came in after Kirk Smith twisted his knee late in the first; Jake played so well it gave John Herbco to score with one minute left in the second to make 3-2. The third period is where John Herbco shines as he sets up a pass to defence Leon Kirkland as he slaps it and goes past goalie Tony Will into the net, and the game is tied 3-3 as the third period hits zero. For the first time in Valor Cup history, the finals will be decided in overtime. Shots after shots save after saves. With 3:50 minutes to go in overtime, John Herbco dash through two defensemen then shoots the puck and scores the Valor Cup clincher goal. As the Legionnaires celebrate a 4-3 overtime win, both Jake Phillips and Tony Will shake hands with each other in respect for their performance. The 1976 Valor Cup MVP John Herbco raises the Valor Cup as the Legionnaires become the first OMJHA team to win it all.

1975 Valor Cup tournament

 

1975 Valor Cup tournament: Montreal, Quebec

Teams: Lethbridge Cougars, Oakville Oaks, Drummondville Les Rouges

Standings

Lethbridge Cougars: 3 W, 1 L.

Drummondville Les Rouges: 2 W, 2 L.

Oakville Oaks: 1 W, 3 L.

Story:

Hockey fans were in a treat as the 1975 Valor Cup would be a future star showcase with talents on the ice every game, the Cougars, Les Rouges game was the best game fans enjoyed, and pro hockey scouts eyeing on that right player for the draft. The Cougars won that game 6-5.

Cougars Cliff Burns is making a name for himself, scoring 12 goals in 4 games, the most in Valor Cup tournament history. The best game that Burns made was the last game of the round-robin against the Les Rouges, scoring five goals in an 8-2 win, creating one of the biggest blowouts in the tournament.

What was worse than getting blown out by the Cougars? How about losing the semi-finals to the Oaks that Les Rouges beat in the round-robin twice in a shutout result, the reason for this semi-final loss was the Les Rouges didn’t take the Oaks seriously even with their upset win over the Cougars. The Oaks beat the Les Rouges 5-4 overtime after the Oaks came back from behind 4-0 after the 2nd period and forced overtime.

The Valor Cup finals was a rubber match as both the Cougars and the Oaks had a win in a piece from each other in the round-robin, but in the end, the Cougars came out on top with Cliff Burns scoring three goals, three assists with a total of 6 points as the Cougars wins it 7-3 over the Oaks. Cliff was named MVP in the tournament.

1974 Valor Cup tournament

 1974 Valor Cup tournament: Toronto, Ontario

Standings

Sherbrooke Loups: 4 W, 0 L

Burlington Metros: 2 W, 2 L

Brandon Buffalos: 0 W, 4 L

Story

For the 2nd year in a row, the Valor Cup tournament is playing in the Toronto Forum in Toronto, Ontario. Before the match started, the League had a banquet at the Toronto Sparkle Hall with the Name brothers announcing the names of the six new teams coming in for the 1974-75 season.

Paul Name, the AQHL president, was the first to announce the names for the two teams from Verdun QC. They are called the “Verdun Knights.” From New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, the team’s name is the “New Glasgow Highlanders.”

The OMJHA president Franklin Name welcomes the League from Barrie after many fan votes; the team’s name will be the “Barrie Admirals.” Oshawa named their team the “Oshawa Diamonds,” the same name as the team was called since the 1930s until the team folded in 1969 due to the passing of Jack O’Brian.

WCLH president James Name did not waste time and announce the two teams are the “Moose Jaw Wings” and the “Kenora Pioneers.” Moose Jaw Wings, named in honor of the Royal Canadian Air Force. For the town of Kenora, the Pioneers is the team’s new name from a “name a team contest” and voted the best name.

Sherbrooke went perfect for the 2nd time, while the Metros went split 2 apiece, and the Buffalos did not do so well, ending in winless. The tournament rule goes if the 3rd seeded team goes winless; they are eliminated.

With the Buffalos out of the picture, it is just the Metros vs the Loupes. It was a back and forth in both the first and the second period, but in the 3rd period, the Loupes top star forward Jaune Dupont score three straight goals as the Loupes takes it 6-3 over the Metros to win the 1974 Valor cup championship, Jaune Dupont is named the 1974 Valor Cup MVP.

1973 CIHA Valor Cup

 

Standings

Sherbrooke Loups: 4 W, 0 L.

Burlington Metros: 1 W, 3 L.

Nanaimo Greyhounds: 1 W, 3 L.

Story:

The Valor Cup tournament kicked off at the Toronto Forum in Toronto. Both Metros and Greyhounds had hard times in the round-robin with both finished with 1-3 record. In comparison, the Loups played comfortably with a 4-0 record. What’s rubbed both the Greyhounds and the Metros the wrong way was at a motel next door beside them was the Sherbrooke Loups room celebrating, the Loups believes that they are going to be the first Valor Cup champions chanting “PREMIERS CHAMPIONS!” which translate first champions. Unhappy with it, both teams used it as motivation.

The semi-round between the Greyhounds and Metros was a great game as Greyhounds forward Eric Dunn scored 2 goals, 2 assists to help the Greyhounds win 4-3 after coming back from being behind 3-1 after the 2nd period. 

The Greyhounds shocked the world as they beat the Sherbrooke Loups 3-1 to become the first-ever CIHA Valor cup champions lead by the first Valor Cup MVP forward Eric Dunn who had 1 goal, 2 assists.