The Allan Cup making a return to Dundas
He and his Dundas Real McCoys were supposed to host the Allan Cup in 2020 along with the Hamilton Steelhawks. Unfortunately, something came up not long before then that kind’ve threw a wrench into the plans. A pandemic. You might’ve heard something about it.
“Hockey Canada shut it down three weeks before the event,” says team president Don Robertson.
COVID-19, you really have been a treat.
He and the other organizers lost thousands of dollars. Most of it they were never able to recoup. Yet they weren’t deterred. Instead, they pivoted. They quickly decided it would simply be held at the J.L. Grightmire Arena the following spring.
“Not knowing … ,” Robertson says, not really needing to finish the sentence.
Yeah, cancelled again. More accurately, it was never really planned at all. Things became clear early on that the pandemic wasn’t going to relent in time. But 2022, oh yeah, that would be the year. Things would surely be sorted out by then and everybody would be back playing. It would be a nice return to normal.
But when inquiries were made about how it might work, well …
“There was still too much uncertainty,” Robertson says. Three up, three down. Enter 2023.
On Wednesday it was announced that the Allan Cup — the national senior hockey championship — will be returning to the ice from April 17 to 22 in Dundas. For real this time. With some tweaks.
Hockey Canada used to run things. Not anymore. The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) will govern it this time. There will be four teams instead of the six that were here when the Valley Town last hosted in 2014. The Steelhawks are not in the league this year, so it’ll now be hosted by the Real McCoys alone.
“And it’s being termed as a challenge for the Allan Cup,” Robertson says.
In the past, champions from different senior leagues across the country vied for it. Now, it’s more of an invitational. Teams can accept a challenge to come play for it.
Fact is, this really takes it back to its roots. In 1909, when it was first awarded by Sir Montagu Allan, this is what was envisioned. Teams could call out the holder of the Cup and play for it. This lasted about a decade until things moved to a playoff system.
This time, the Real McCoys will be there, obviously. So will the highest-placing team in the Ontario league that isn’t Dundas. And the Innisfil Eagles from Alberta, which have accepted the challenge. A fourth team should be announced