THUNDER BAY – The Red Lake Miners will not be hosting the Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2022.
The event, along with three other regional championships, has been cancelled, with the Canadian Junior Hockey League instead revamping the Centennial Cup national championship to include 10 teams instead of the usual five.
Each of the junior A hockey leagues in Canada, including the Superior International Junior Hockey League, will send their champion to the Centennial Cup, slated for May 19 to May 29 in Estevan, Sask. The host team, the Estevan Bruins of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, will round out the 10-team field.
SIJHL commissioner Darrin Nicholas said the new plan isn’t ideal, but it makes the best of out of bad situation, the hockey season interrupted and delayed by COVID-19 restrictions from coast to coast.
“We just weren’t sure what the traditional format would look like in this environment,” Nicholas said in a release.
“With leagues giving indications they weren’t going to be able to participate in regionals this season as a result in the delays in completing their schedules, I think the CJHL board recognized it needed to find a way to relieve some pressure and uncertainty from the host committees.”
The Dudley Hewitt Cup, which brings together the champions of the SIJHL, the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Junior Hockey League, was awarded to Red Lake and was scheduled to be played from May 10 to May 14.
“After having to cancel our spring national championships in 2020 and 2021, we are excited that today’s announcement is one step closer to crowning national champions in May,” said Dean McIntosh, vice-president of events and properties for Hockey Canada, in a release issued on Tuesday.
Nicholas said the idea of inviting 10 teams to the Centennial Cup was almost mentioned as an afterthought, but the idea gained steam in a hurry.
“Mr. McIntosh sort of floated the idea for a 10-team Centennial Cup as an alternative in front of the CJHL almost as an afterthought, but it quickly caught our attention. After some discussions with the Estevan host committee, they were receptive to the idea and it just grew from there, finally getting Hockey Canada approval late last week.”
Other regional junior A championships axed for 2022 include the Fred Page Cup, the ANAVET Cup and the Doyle Cup.
Nicholas said it's too bad Red Lake will lose out on hosting the regional Dudley Hewitt Cup championship. However, the team does have first right of refusal to host the 2023 Dudley Hewitt Cup, with no current plans to extend the 10-team Centennial Cup format beyond this season.
“If there’s one disappointment to come from this, the postponement of the Dudley-Hewitt Cup in Red Lake is it. They’re a proud community and were looking forward to showcasing it by hosting such a prestigious event. The fact that they even stepped up to tackle an event of this magnitude still in the throes of the pandemic speaks volumes about the type of people involved and their belief in Red Lake. The whole host committee is owed a debt of gratitude for the work they’ve put in to try and make this a reality," he said.
Hockey Canada also announced changes to the Telus Cup and the Esso Cup, which will both run from May 16 to May 22 in a centralized Alberta location, replacing previous host communities in Prince Albert, Sask. and Sydney, N.S.
