Hall of Fame
The 1965-66 Varsity Blues men’s hockey team made history as the inaugural winners of the University Cup, the Canadian intercollegiate men’s hockey championship. That year Tom Watt debuted as head coach and U of T continued their tradition of hockey dominance.
The Varsity Blues won the league title with a hard-fought 13-2-1 record. In the five-team championship tournament in Sudbury, the Blues eked out a 9-7 win over Sir George Williams to open the event. Against St. Francis Xavier, the Blues produced four goals in the final three minutes of play to come from behind and defeat the X-Men 6-4. U of T then romped over the Alberta Golden Bears 8-1 to take the top prize. The title also marked a historic milestone in the athletic history at U of T as both the hockey and football teams were crowned national champions in the same season.
Other team successes included some impressive victories at tournaments in the United States. The Blues were crowned champions in the Christmas College Hockey Festival Beanpot Tournament in Boston, defeating Harvard, and finished first at the Great Lakes Invitational College Tournament in Detroit, where they defeated Michigan Tech, the number-one ranked U.S. college squad.
Wingers Gord Cunningham and Henry Monteith led the league in scoring (43 points) and were named Senior Intercollegiate Hockey League (SIHL) first team all-stars along with centre Paul Laurent and defence man Bob Awrey. Winger Ward Passi earned second team honours.
The 1965-66 championship team included Ed Armstrong (Trainer), Bob Awrey (Captain), Peter Burwash, Gord Cunningham, Gil Farmer (Assistant Captain), Brian Jones, Mike Killoran (Manager), Paul Laurent, Bob McClelland, Pat Monahan, Henry Monteith, Steve Monteith, Keith Noble, Ward Passi (Assistant Captain), Howie Ringham (Trainer), Peter Speyer, Bill Stewart, Murray Stroud, Doug St. John, Bryan Tompson, Jim Wilson, John Wrigley and Head Coach Tom Watt.
