J. Ross Robertson Cup

File:John Ross Robertson cph.3a43699.jpg

The J. Ross Robertson Cup was donated by John Ross Robertson on November 19, 1910, to be awarded annually to the champion of the junior ice hockey division in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA).{{Citation|title=John Ross Robertson fonds|place=Toronto, Ontario|publisher=University of Toronto Libraries|year=1918}} Robertson served as president of the OHA from 1899 to 1905, had founded the Toronto Evening Telegram in 1876, helped establish The Hospital for Sick Children, and was a member of the House of Commons of Canada for Toronto East.{{cite web|url=https://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=b194705&type=Builder&page=bio&list=|title=Robertson, John Ross—Biography—Honoured Builder|year=1947|website=Legends of Hockey|publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame|access-date=January 10, 2021}} He was against professionalism in sports, and felt that "sport should be pursued for its own sake, for when professionalism begins, true sport ends".{{cite book|last=Young|first=Scott|author-link1=Scott Young (writer)|title=100 Years of Dropping the Puck|publisher=McClelland & Stewart|date=1989|location=Toronto, Ontario|isbn=0-7710-9093-5|pages=46–47}}

The OHA first established a junior hockey division for the 1892–93 season, and the J. Ross Robertson Cup was first awarded during the 1910–11 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.ohahockey.ca/view/oha/about-us/oha-history-8683|title=OHA History|website=Ontario Hockey Association|access-date=February 1, 2021|archive-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503152511/http://www.ohahockey.ca/view/oha/about-us/oha-history-8683|url-status=dead}} The cup is a sterling silver bowl {{convert|18.5|in|cm}} tall, engraved with a hockey-playing scene and interlaced maple leaves in bas-relief. The cup is the third of three similarly named trophies Robertson donated to the OHA, which included the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the annual champions of the senior division, and the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the annual champions of intermediate division.Podnieks, Andrew (2005), pp. 8–9

The Memorial Cup was founded in 1919, which gave the opportunity for each season's J. Ross Robertson Cup winner to partake in national playoffs arranged by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for the junior hockey championship of Canada.Podnieks, Andrew (2005), pp. 26–27 The national playoffs culminated in an east-versus-west final, and the Eastern Canada junior champion was also awarded the George Richardson Memorial Trophy from 1932 to 1971.Podnieks, Andrew (2005), pp. 42–43 In 1972, the Memorial Cup format changed to a round-robin tournament and the J. Ross Robertson Cup winner received an automatic berth in the tournament along with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League champions.

The OHA split junior hockey into A and B levels for the 1933–34 season. The junior-A level competed for the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and the junior-B level competed for the newly established Sutherland Cup.Fitsell, J.W. (Bill) (2012), p. 78 The J. Ross Robertson Cup remained the playoffs championship trophy for the top tier of junior hockey in the OHA. The cup was awarded to the OHA Major Junior A Series champion from 1972 to 1974, the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League champion from 1974 to 1980, and has been the championship trophy of the Ontario Hockey League since 1980.2017–18 OHL Media Information Guide, pp. 168–169

The Ontario Hockey League established the Bobby Orr Trophy and the Wayne Gretzky Trophy in 1999, for the respective Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions which compete for the J. Ross Robertson Cup.2017–18 OHL Media Information Guide, p. 145 The Wayne Gretzky 99 Award was established in 1999, and is given to the most valuable player of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs at the conclusion of the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals.{{cite web|url=http://ontariohockeyleague.com/video/wayne-gretzky-99-award-warren-foegele|title=Wayne Gretzky 99 Award|date=May 12, 2017|website=Ontario Hockey League|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|access-date=February 1, 2021}}

File:1910-11 Kingston Frontenacs juniors and the J. Ross Robertson Cup.jpg

File:J Ross Robertson Cup circa 1915.jpg

The OHA's J. Ross Robertson Cup champion was determined by a total-goals series from 1911 to 1932. The number of games played varied by season from one to three games.Ontario Hockey Association (2006), p. W-13Lapp & Macaulay (1997), p. 11

List of winning teams and finalists from 1911 to 1932.{{NoteTag|Champions, total goals and finalists as per the Ontario Hockey Association.}}

Since 1933, the J. Ross Robertson Cup champion has been determined by either the most wins in total-games series, or the most points earned in a series.

List of OHA (to 1979) / OHL (since 1980) winning teams and runner-up finalists since 1933.{{NoteTag|Champions, total games and finalists from 1933 to 1971 as per the Ontario Hockey Association.Ontario Hockey Association (2006), pp. W-13–14 Champions, total games and finalists since 1972 as per Hockey Database.{{cite web|url=https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/167.html|title=Ontario Hockey League|website=Hockey Database|access-date=February 1, 2021}}}}

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• {{cite book|last=Bell|first=Aaron|title=2017–18 OHL Media Information Guide|publisher=Ontario Hockey League|date=2017|location=Scarborough, Ontario|url=http://ohl.uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/ohl/2017/10/18161147/2017-18-OHL-Information-Guide.pdf|access-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217213520/http://ohl.uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/ohl/2017/10/18161147/2017-18-OHL-Information-Guide.pdf|archive-date=February 17, 2019|url-status=dead}}
• {{cite book|last=Fitsell|first=J.W. (Bill)|author-link1=Bill Fitsell|title=Captain James T. Sutherland: The Grand Old Man of Hockey & The Battle for the Original Hockey Hall of Fame|publisher=Quarry Heritage Books|date=2012|location=Kingston, Ontario|isbn=978-1-55082-374-5}}
• {{cite book|last1=Lapp|first1=Richard M.|last2=Macaulay|first2=Alec|title=The Memorial Cup: Canada's National Junior Hockey Championship|publisher=Harbour Publishing|date=1997|location=Madeira Park, British Columbia|isbn=1-55017-170-4}}
• {{cite book|last=Podnieks|first=Andrew|author-link1=Andrew Podnieks|author2=Hockey Hall of Fame|title=Silverware|year=2005|publisher=Fenn Publishing Company|location=Bolton, Ontario|isbn=1-55168-296-6}}
• {{cite book|title=Annual Report: Constitution, Regulations and Rules of Competition|publisher=Ontario Hockey Association|date=2006|location=Cambridge, Ontario}}

• Ed Chynoweth Cup - WHL
• President's Cup - QMJHL
• List of Canadian Hockey League awards

• [http://ontariohockeyleague.com/ Ontario Hockey League]

{{OHL}}

{{OHL trophies}}

Category:1910 establishments in Ontario

Category:Awards established in 1910

Category:Ontario Hockey Association

Category:Ontario Hockey League trophies and awards