2020-21 Canadian Senior Season



This is the 2020-21 Canadian Senior Hockey season.

2021 Allan Cup Qualifying
The format itself and the host for the 2021 Allan Cup has not been announced. The 2020 Allan Cup was scheduled to take place in Hamilton and Dundas, Ontario. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic the event was cancelled along with the rest of activity under the sanctioning of Hockey Canada on March 12, 2020. No word if the tournament would be re-awarded to Hamilton and Dundas or if a long discussed format change (of returning to an East-West format) will be implemented for the 2021 event. By the time the event was cancelled apparently Dundas, Ontario had been named host, as that community was listed as one of the four host cities affected by the cancellation of the Centennial Cup, Allan Cup, Telus Cup and Esso Cup.

On October 22nd the Spruce Grove Examiner issued a report stating that the 2021 Allan Cup would not be held due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The information came from the Innisfail Eagles but was not confirmed by either Hockey Alberta or Hockey Canada. But, based on the wording it was likely they meant for any of the teams from Alberta as the Stony Plain Eagles cancelled their season within a few days of Innisfail.

On February 5th Hockey Canada announced that all national championships under its jurisdiction were cancelled for the 2020-21 playing season. This includes the 2021 Centennial Cup, 2021 Allan Cup, 2021 Telus Cup, and 2021 Esso Cup.

Atlantic Region
Each of the four provinces would hold its' own provincial tournament or have a qualifying method determined for the year. Newfoundland and Labrador as well as New Brunswick would have one representative based upon playoffs the previous playing season such as the defending Herder Memorial Trophy champion representing the province the following year in Allan Cup qualifying and New Brunswick had the defending champion of the best league in the province represent the province in Allan Cup qualifying.

New Brunswick
No teams have announced that they will be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup as the Panthères du Haut-Madawaska requested a year's leave of absence due to a lack of players caused by restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic as many of the team's players are from Maine and Quebec.

Newfoundland and Labrador
Senior level ice hockey on the island of Newfoundland was in turmoil since 2017-18. The winner of the 2020 Herder Memorial Trophy would have the right to compete for the 2021 Allan Cup however, the Herder was cancelled due to disagreements over the organization of senior hockey within the province. Based on the past few years it is highly unlikely any teams will attempt to compete for the Allan Cup this season. No leagues even made it to the were planning to play stage.

Nova Scotia
No teams had announced that they would be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup

Prince Edward Island
No teams had announced that they would be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup.

Quebec (East) Region
The Quebec region has not had any teams commit to the Senior AAA level and attempt to compete for the Allan Cup since 2008. The Outaouais Senior A Hockey League began play with the 2018-19 season. The league has stated it would like to compete for the Allan Cup within the first couple of years and eventually host the tournament sometime in the not to distant future. The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey is a semi-professional league and its teams are ineligible for Allan Cup play. No teams have announced that they would participate in Allan Cup qualifying.

Ontario (Central Region)
If teams were registered in each of the 3 governing regions in the province; Ontario would have the two Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) associations (Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO) and Ontario Hockey Association (OHA)) meet for the OHF championship then the winner would play the Hockey Northwestern Ontario representative for the Renwick Cup and the region's berth in the Allan Cup tournament.

Hockey Eastern Ontario
No teams have announced that they will be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup

Ontario Hockey Association
The members of Allan Cup Hockey are all eligible to compete for the 2021 Allan Cup.

On August 9, 2020, Ian Young, the owner of the Whitby Dunlops announced they would be taking the 2020-21 season off to attempt to regroup and bring the franchise back for 2021-22.

On August 27, 2020, Allan Cup Hockey announced the addition of the Caledon Crusaders for the 2020-21 season.

ACH would cancel the 2020-21 season on December 23rd.

Hockey Northwestern Ontario
No teams had announced that they would be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup

Manitoba
No teams had announced that they would be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup

Saskatchewan
No teams had announced that they would be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup

Alberta
The Innisfail Eagles announced on July 26th that they joined the Ranchland Senior Hockey League and that they will be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup. Around the same time the Stony Plain Eagles also announced they would be registered as Senior AAA for the season and are likely to play an independent schedule. The two teams would have been scheduled for a best-of-seven series for the provincial championship and a spot in the 2021 McKenzie Cup against the British Columbia representative but Innisfail is sitting out the season after their league unanimously voted to cancel the season. This would apparently also put Stony Plain out of contention for the Allan Cup as there would be no senior AAA playoffs. Stony Plain would cancel their season on October 22nd. The province would later announce on January 7th that all provincial championships under its jurisdiction were cancelled for the 2020-21 playing season.

British Columbia
No teams had announced that they would be attempting to qualify for the 2021 Allan Cup

note: traditionally, teams from the Yukon have played under the sanctioning of the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association and there are no teams are registered for this year.

Regional
Due to the lack of teams playing across Canada and Hockey Canada's announcement on February 5th all of the Allan Cup qualifiers were cancelled.


 * 2021 McKenzie Cup (Pacific Region Qualifier: Alberta-British Columbia))
 * 2021 Rathgaber Cup (Western Region Qualifier: (Manitoba-Saskatchewan))
 * 2021 Renwick Cup (Central Region Qualifier: (Ontario)) (ACH champ vs Hockey Eastern Ontario (OHF representative)) vs Hockey Northwestern Ontario representative)
 * 2021 Quebec Allan Cup Qualifier
 * 2021 Atlantic Region Allan Cup Qualifier

Provincial

 * 2020-21 Allan Cup Hockey season (de facto Ontario Hockey Federation qualifier)
 * 2021 Alberta Senior AAA Playoffs
 * 2020 Herder Memorial Trophy (Newfoundland and Labrador Senior provincial championship) The 2020 event was cancelled due to disagreement over logistical issues for many teams to play a regular season
 * 2021 Manitoba Senior AAA Playoffs Cancelled November 30th
 * 2021 Saskatchewan Senior AAA Playoffs No teams registered
 * 2021 Savage Cup (BC Senior AAA playoffs) No teams registered

Senior AAA Leagues
There were two leagues in Canada where all of the members are registered at the Senior AAA level for 2019-20 (the Ontario based Allan Cup Hockey and the Alberta based Chinook Hockey League. The ChHL would fold after playing with only two teams for the 2019-20 season.


 * 2020-21 Allan Cup Hockey Season

Senior AA/Senior A
Many leagues play with a mix of teams from both levels.

Newfoundland and Labrador
Senior hockey in the province is in a state of transition for several seasons. A re-organization of senior hockey has been called for by many of the teams in the hopes of making so teams will be able to play. The Central/West Senior Hockey League would end up cancelling its 2019-20 season on November 20th. No official word on any of the leagues returning for the 2020-21 season

Nova Scotia

 * No teams or leagues

New Brunswick

 * 2020-21 Beausejour Senior Hockey League season
 * 2020-21 Circuit de Hockey Senior Roger-Lizotte season
 * 2020-21 Ligue de Hockey Senior Acadie-Chaleur season 

Prince Edward Island

 * 2020-21 West Prince Senior Hockey League season league does not play

Quebec
Hockey Mauricie is looking to form a Senior A league with players aged 21-25. As of a posting on August 16, 2018 it appears seven communities have expressed an interest in joining this proposed league; however, no league has taken to the ice as of the 2019-20 season. The region's league became the Ligue de Hockey Senior AAA du Quebec for 2017-18.


 * 2020-21 LSAHL season (season was to start September 11th, no games scheduled as of February 14th, March 1st decision due on status of season,
 * 2020-21 Ligue de Hockey Cote-Sud season
 * 2020-21 Ligue de Hockey Senior AAA du Quebec season
 * 2020-21 Ligue de Hockey Senior du Richelieu season
 * 2020-21 Ligue de Hockey Senior du Lac-au-Fleuve season
 * 2020-21 Ligue Regionale de Hockey season
 * 2020-21 QSAAHL season

Ontario

 * 2020-21 EOSAHL season
 * 2020-21 WOAA Senior season

Manitoba
The league champions advance to the 2021 Manitoba Cup, which is the provincial Senior A Playoffs.

As of November 12th the province of Manitoba has closed all indoor sports and recreation facilities.


 * 2020-21 Carillon Senior Hockey League season
 * 2020-21 North Central Hockey League season
 * 2020-21 South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League Season
 * 2020-21 Tiger Hills Hockey League season

Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan Hockey Association holds provincial playoffs separate of the league playoffs. There are four class champions (A (Henderson Cup), B (Yorkton Terrier Trophy), C (Jack Abbott Memorial Trophy), and D (J.W. Hamilton Trophy). Classification is based on community population). On December 16th the SHA announced the cancellation of provincial playoffs for the 2020-21 playing season at all levels.

The Triangle Hockey League ceases operations after the 2019-20 season. Four of the five members join with 3 new teams to form the Sask East Hockey League for 2020-21.

The Saskatchewan Treaty Hockey League is officially announced on September 25th with plans to play with at least ten teams hopefully for the 2020-21 season.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority issued a statement around September 9th that stated:
 * "Tournaments, out-of-province travel, and games of any kind are not sanctioned by the SHA at this time. This applies to minor, junior, and senior hockey." essentially putting all play in the province on hold.

As of November 27th all sport in the province is on an indefinite hold. The earliest date of a restart would have been January 12th.

The SHA would release a statement on January 12th extending the prohibition on games for at least 4 more weeks but also state that the chances of anything starting back up before the end of March were bleak.
 * 2020-21 Big Six Hockey League Season (league started November 6th play suspended with November 27th announcement through at least Dec 17, hadn't shown an indication restarting as of January 25th, )
 * 2020-21 Highway Hockey League Season (league started November 13th play suspended with November 27th announcement)
 * 2020-21 Long Lake Hockey League Season (league started November 7th play suspended with November 27th announcement)
 * 2020-21 Notekeu Hockey League season (league started November 13th play suspended with November 27th announcement)
 * 2020-21 Qu'Appelle Valley Hockey League Season (league started November 2nd play suspended with November 27th announcement
 * 2020-21 Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League Season (league had not started play prior to November 27th announcement, league appears to have cancelled season)
 * 2020-21 Sask East Hockey League Season (league started November 13th play suspended with November 27th announcement, )
 * 2020-21 Saskatchewan Treaty Hockey League Season
 * 2020-21 Sask Valley Hockey League Season (league started November 6th play suspended with November 27th announcement, )
 * 2020-21 Sask West Hockey League Season (league started November 13th play suspended with November 25th league announcement,  )
 * 2020-21 Twin Rivers Senior Hockey League Season (league started October 30th play suspended with November 27th announcement, season does not resume)
 * 2020-21 Wheatland Hockey League season (league started November 13th play suspended with November 27th announcement )
 * 2020-21 White Mud Hockey League Season (league started November 13th play suspended prior to November 20th games, season does not resume)

note: The Sask/Alta Senior Hockey League has teams that are based in Saskatchewan but the furthest advancing Alberta based team advances to the Alberta Senior AA playoffs.

Alberta
The league champions as well as a host team qualify for the 2021 Alberta Senior AA playoffs. The furthest advancing playoff Alberta based team in the North Peace Hockey League is also eligible as well. Hockey Alberta would cancel all of its' provincial championships on January 7, 2021.

On February 15th Hockey Alberta along with the provinces Junior B, Junior C, and Senior league officials decided that all of the leagues playing at those levels seasons were over if they had not already cancelled their seasons. This act was more symbolic as league's had already cancelled what was left of their seasons or didn't start to begin with.


 * 2020-21 East Central Senior Hockey League season (Senior A) (League started November 13th; play stopped after November 21st games, games being cancelled on a week by week basis, )


 * 2020-21 North Central Hockey League (Alberta) season


 * 2020-21 North Peace Hockey League Season (season delayed in October, being reviewed in December and )


 * 2020-21 Ranchland Hockey League season


 * 2020-21 Sask/Alta Senior Hockey League season (League started November 6th; play stopped after November 28th games, games being cancelled on a week by week basis, )

British Columbia
BC only has one league that plays completely within its borders. However, the North Peace Hockey League has teams from BC and Alberta. The NPHL champion qualifies for the Alberta Senior AA/A Provincial tournament. But the two BC based teams are eligible for the 2021 Coy Cup.


 * 2020-21 Central Interior Hockey League Season

On December 2nd the province banned all adult indoor team sports due to a large spike in the number of cases in the province. The order came after a men's old timers team from the interior region had gone to Alberta, which was already in defiance of the provincial health order. The order also pushed youth sports to a more restrictive level including no spectators and other restrictions on game play an practices.

The British Columbia Men's senior "AA" championship for the province is called the Coy Cup. The 2021 Coy Cup would have been held in late March, 2021. But with the CIHL not playing this season the probability of the tournament being held was slim to none. BC Hockey would officially cancel the tournament.

Yukon
No teams, they traditionally play under the authority of BC Hockey.

Northwest Territories
No leagues

Nunavut

 * 2020-21 Iqaluit Senior Hockey League season (league had been playing a normal schedule due to ongoing circumstances but stopped play in early April due to a spike in the number of cases in the community leading to a lock down of the community.)
 * 2020-21 Rankin Inlet Senior Hockey League season (league started November 8th, play stopped after games of November 9th when restrictions put in place on November 11th for at least two weeks, play resumed December 14th, became first senior league in Canada to complete regular season and playoffs for 2020-21 season)