The William Ryan Trophy is a Canadian ice hockey series to determine the Northwestern Ontario seed of the Keystone Cup - the Western Canada Junior "B" Hockey Crown.
History[]
The Thunder Bay Junior B Championship has been awarded since 1933. From 1997 until 2004, the right to compete in the Keystone Cup was an epic battle between the champions of the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League and the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League. After six championships competed for, each league had three Northwestern Ontario titles each, but in the last two years of competition the TBJBHL won both years. As the NSHL folded in 2004, the TBJBHL won the 8 year series five championships to three. Since Tier II Junior "A" hockey in the region has expanded from just the Thunder Bay Flyers in 2000 to the 7-team Superior International Junior Hockey League in 2007, the local talent pools have been severely taxed making the Junior "B" teams less dominant at the National level. The result has been the shrinking down the TBJBHL to 3 Junior teams mixed in with a bunch of top tier Minor "AAA" teams and of course the all-out folding of the NSHL in 2004.
Since the 2004-05 season, the TBJBHL/LJHL champion has been uncontested and has earned automatic berth into the Keystone Cup. The only time the Northwestern Ontario champion has ever won the Western Canadian title was in 1999 when the Fort William Hurricanes went the distance.
The region has hosted the Keystone Cup five times. Thunder Bay, Ontario hosted the Cup in 1994, 1999 and 2009. Schreiber, Ontario hosted the second ever Cup in 1984 and again in 2004.
Champions[]
note: All champions listed from 2005 to present are as a result winning the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League (2015-2016)/Lakehead Junior Hockey League (2017 on) playoffs as that league is the only Junior B league in the region and no interleague playoff was required
- 1933 Juvenile Monarchs
- 1934 Juvenile Monarchs
- 1935 Maroons
- 1936
- 1937 Red Indians
- 1938 Chapples Wolverines
- 1939 Maroons
- 1940 Canadian Legion Rangers
- 1941 North Star Juvenile
- 1942 East End Juvenile
- 1943 Ferraris East End
- 1944 North Star Millers
- 1945 Columbus Club Millers
- 1946 Nesco North Stars
- 1947 Nesco North Stars
- 1948 Nesco North Stars
- 1949 Columbus Canadians
- 1950 Hurricane Rangers
- 1951 Columbus Canadians
- 1952 Columbus Canadians
- 1953 East Ends
- 1954 East End AA
- 1955 Canadians
- 1956 Canadians
- 1957 Canadians
- 1958 Westfort AA
- 1959 Canadians
- 1960 Hurricane Rangers
- 1961 Canadians
- 1962 Canadians
- 1963 Canadians
- 1964 Canadians
- 1965 Canadians
- 1966 Canadians
- 1967 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1968 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1969 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1970 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1971 Canadians
- 1972-1976 none
- 1977 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1978 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1979 Zysko Blades
- 1980 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1981 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1982 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1983 Nip Rock
- 1984 Andrews
- 1985 Nip Rock
- 1986 Thunder Bay Hornets
- 1987 Thunder Bay Hornets
- 1988 Thunder Bay Hornets
- 1989 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1990-1993 none
- 1994 Westfort Maroons
- 1995 Fort William Hurricanes
- 1996 Northwestern Wildcats
- 1997 Northwestern Wildcats
- 1998 Hearst Elans
- 1999 Hearst Elans
- 2000 Fort William Hurricanes
- 2001 Westfort Maroons
- 2002 Aguasabon River Rats
- 2003 Nipigon Elks
- 2004 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2005 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2006 K&A Wolverines
- 2007 K&A Wolverines
- 2008 K&A Wolverines
- 2009 K&A Wolverines
- 2010 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2011 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2012 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2013 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2014 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2015 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2016 Thunder Bay Northern Hawks
- 2017 Nipigon Elks
Inter-league play Champions[]
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Northwest Wildcats (TBJBHL) | Marathon Renegades (NSHL) |
| 1997-98 | Hearst Elans (NSHL) | Fort William Hurricans (TBJBHL) |
| 1998-99 | Hearst Elans (NSHL) | Fort William Hurricans (TBJBHL) |
| 1999-00 | Fort William Hurricans (TBJBHL) | Aguasabon River Rats (NSHL) |
| 2000-01 | Westfort Maroons (TBJBHL) | Aguasabon River Rats (NSHL) |
| 2001-02 | Aguasabon River Rats (NSHL) | Westfort Maroons (TBJBHL) |
| 2002-03 | Nipigon Elks (TBJBHL) | Wawa Travellers (NSHL) |
| 2003-04 | Thunder Bay Northern Hawks (TBJBHL) | Wawa Travellers (NSHL) |
There has been no trophy competition since the demise of the NSHL after the 2003-04 season. The trophy is now awarded to the champion of the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League.
See also[]
- Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League
- North of Superior Junior B Hockey League
- Hockey Northwestern Ontario
- Northern Ontario Hockey Association
- Ontario Hockey Federation
External links[]
| Leagues competing for the Keystone Cup | |
|---|---|
| British Columbia (former) | Kootenay International Junior Hockey League · Pacific International Junior Hockey League · Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League |
| Alberta (former) | Calgary Junior Hockey League · Capital Junior Hockey League · Heritage Junior B Hockey League · North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League · North West Junior Hockey League |
| Saskatchewan (former) | Prairie Junior Hockey League |
| Manitoba | Capital Region Junior Hockey League · Keystone Junior Hockey League |
| Ontario | Lakehead Junior Hockey League |
| Cyclone Taylor Cup · Russ Barnes Trophy · Athol Murray Trophy · Baldy Northcott Trophy · William Ryan Trophy · Hockey Canada | |
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