Canadian Amateur Hockey Association

Abbreviation	CAHA
Merged into	Hockey Canada
Formation	December 4, 1914 (1914-12-04)
Founded at	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dissolved	1994 (1994)

The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; French: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup, junior ice hockey leagues and the Memorial Cup, amateur minor ice hockey leagues in Canada, and choosing the representative of the Canada men's national ice hockey team.

History

The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) was formed on December 4, 1914, at the Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa. The desire to set up a national body for hockey came from the Allan Cup trustees who were unable to keep up with organizing its annual challenges. The Allan Cup then became recognized as the annual championship for amateur senior ice hockey in Canada.^[1] In 1919, the CAHA became trustees of the Memorial Cup, awarded as the annual championship for junior ice hockey in Canada.^[2]

The CAHA negotiated an agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1940, which recognized junior hockey in Canada as a source of talent for the NHL and provided financial compensation to the CAHA for developing amateur players who were signed to professional contracts.^[3] The agreement included allowing the NHL to sign a limited number of junior age players and began a regulated relationship between amateur and professional hockey.^[4]

The CAHA filled the role of selecting the Canada men's national ice hockey team to represent the country in ice hockey at the Olympic Games and at the Ice Hockey World Championships.^[5] From 1920 until 1963, the CAHA usually chose the reigning Allan Cup champion to represent the country.^[6] For the 1964 Winter Olympics, the CAHA approved a proposal by Father David Bauer which established a permanent national men's team composed of student athletes reinforced with senior hockey players.^[7]

Hockey Canada was formed in 1969 to operate the national team and oversee Canada's involvement in international competition. The CAHA and Hockey Canada had a troubled relationship since a clear definition of responsibilities was never established, and the CAHA's authority over amateur hockey in Canada and its membership within the International Ice Hockey Federation were questioned.^[8][9] In 1994, CAHA president Murray Costello and Hockey Canada president Bill Hay, negotiated a merger between the two organizations. Originally called the Canadian Hockey Association, it has operated as Hockey Canada since 1998.^[10] Combining the two organizations allowed for the profits from the Canada Cup and the Summit Series to be invested into minor ice hockey in Canada, and also allowed professionals into international competition at the World Championships and eventually the Olympics.^[11]

Member branches

List of CAHA member branches from 1914 to 1994:^[12]

Executive personnel

Presidents

List of CAHA presidents from 1914 to 1994:^[13][14]

Vice-presidents

List of notable CAHA vice-presidents who did not serve as president:^[13][14]

• Francis Nelson (1914–1915)
• Norman Dawe (1945–1948)
• Frank McKinnon (1975–1979)

Administrators

List of CAHA administrators from 1914 to 1979:^[13][14]

• Claude C. Robinson – secretary-treasurer (1914–1915)
• W. A. Hewitt – secretary-treasurer (1915–1919), registrar (1921–1925), registrar-treasurer (1925–1961)
• W. C. Bettschen – secretary-treasurer (1919–1920)
• H. E. James – secretary-treasurer (1920–1921)
• W. J. Morrison – secretary-treasurer (1921–1922)
• R. C. Chambers – Amateur Athletic Union of Canada governor (1922–1928)
• Fred Marples – secretary-treasurer (1922–1924), secretary (1926–1945)
• Dave Gill – secretary-treasurer (1924–1925)
• Jack Dunn – secretary (1925–1926)
• George Dudley – secretary (1945–1947), secretary-manager (1947–1960)
• Gordon Juckes – secretary-manager (1960–1961), registrar-treasurer and secretary-manager (1961–1968), executive director (1968–1977)
• David Branch – executive director (1977–1979)

Award recipients

Order of Merit

The CAHA agreed to establish an Order of Merit at the 1960 general meeting, to recognize an individual who "made outstanding contributions to Canadian amateur hockey". The first groups of recipients were named in January and May 1962.^[15][16][17]

List of notable recipients of the Order of Merit:^[17]

Gordon Juckes Award

The CAHA established the Gordon Juckes Award in 1981, to recognize an individual for outstanding contribution to the development of amateur hockey at the national level in Canada.^[18]

List of recipients of the Gordon Juckes Award:^[18]