Toronto Varsity Blues men's ice hockey

The Toronto Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team operated by the Varsity Blues athletics program of the University of Toronto. The Varsity Blues senior team won the Allan Cup in 1921 and 1927, and won the gold medal for Canada at the 1928 Winter Olympics.

Toronto Varsity Blues men's ice hockey
UniversityUniversity of Toronto
ConferenceOUA
OUA West Division
First season1891
Head coachDarren Lowe
24th season
CaptainWilly Paul
ArenaVarsity Arena
Capacity: 4,116
ColorsBlue and White
   
Fight song"The Blue and White"
U Sports Tournament championships
1965-66, 1966-67, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71,
1971-72, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77 and 1983-84
Conference Tournament championships
1906-07, 1907-08, 1910-11, 1912-13, 1914-15,
1919-20, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1923-24, 1924-25,
1925-26, 1927-28, 1928-29, 1931-32, 1939-40,
1946-47, 1947-48, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1955-56,
1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1961-62, 1963-64,
1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70,
1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1974-75, 1976-77,
1977-78, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1992-93

The Blues play in the Ontario University Athletics conference and are coached by Darren Lowe. The team is based at Varsity Arena on the University downtown campus in Toronto, Ontario.

The Varsity Blues have won 39 conference titles in the OUA as well as 10 U Sports Championships: 1965-66, 1966-67, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77 and 1983-84.[1][2]

History
Team picture, 1899.
Blues goalie during 2013-14 season.

The Varsity Blues were founded in 1891, and are the longest continuously operated ice hockey program in the city of Toronto.[3] The program currently includes only players enrolled at the University, however the Varsity Blues have historically had a junior ice hockey team for students, and a senior ice hockey team for graduates.

Notable coaches of the Varsity Blues include Conn Smythe, Ace Bailey, Tom Watt, and Mike Keenan, and Lester Bowles Pearson later Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Prime Minister of Canada.

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 in 1963.[4]

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.[5] Toronto also became Canadian national champions with their victories at the 1921 Allan Cup and the 1927 Allan Cup.[6]

1928 Winter Olympics
1928 Olympic Gold Medal-winning Canadian men's ice hockey team

The Varsity Blues were chosen to be the Canada men's national ice hockey team and competed in ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics. The team, coached by Conn Smythe, won the Olympic gold medal for Canada after going undefeated in the medal round robin.

1928 Olympic roster:[7]

Some sources[8] show the names of Norbert Mueller and John Porter as being on the Olympic roster, but those two names are not listed in the "Official" Olympic Winter Games guide.[9]

Junior team

The Varsity Blues formerly operated a junior ice hockey team, that played in the Ontario Hockey Association in the 1930s, but withdrew from the junior loop during the 1939–40 season. Former NHL players Hugh Plaxton, Dave Trottier and Dunc Munro all played for the Varsity Blues.

Season-by-season results
SeasonGamesWonLostTiedPointsWinning
Pct. (%)		Goals
for		Goals
against		Standing
1937–381129040.18227476th OHA
1938–3914110350.17927634th Group 1
1939–4017116020.059391086th OHA

NHL alumni
Blues player in 2013-14 season.

List of National Hockey League alumni involved with the Varsity Blues.[10] (seasons in parentheses)

See also

References
  1. "History". U SPORTS. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  2. "Ontario University Athletics (OUA)". oua.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  3. "Toronto Marlboros Hockey Club - Toronto Marlboros". www.torontomarlboros.com.
  4. Shea, Kevin (March 13, 2009). "Spotlight - One on One with Father David Bauer". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  5. "Senior Series". Ontario Hockey Association. 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  6. "Allan Cup Archives". Allan Cup. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  7. The Official Olympic Games Companion: The Complete Guide to the Olympic Winter Games 1998 Edition, London - Washington: Brassey’s Sports, 1998, p. 128, ISBN 1-85753-244-9
  8. "ESPN.com - Olympics History". sports.espn.go.com.
  9. The Official Olympic Games Companion: The Complete Guide to the Olympic Winter Games 1998 Edition, London - Washington: Brassey’s Sports, 1998, p. 128, ISBN 1-85753-244-9
  10. "Legends of hockey alumni search". Archived from the original on 2004-09-01. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
Preceded by
Toronto Granites		 Canada men's Olympic ice hockey team
1928		 Succeeded by
Winnipeg Hockey Club
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