1979 Air Canada Cup
The 1979 Air Canada Cup was Canada's inaugural national midget 'AAA' hockey championship. It took place April 16 – 22, 1979 at the Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association established the Air Canada Cup for the 1978–79 season as the new official midget championship, replacing the invitational Wrigley National Midget Tournament.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 16 – 22, 1979 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Venue(s) | Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, MB |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Couillard de Ste-Foy |
Runner-up  |  St. Michael's College |
Third place  |  Notre Dame Hounds |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Scoring leader(s) | Claude Drouin |
| MVP | Pierre Rioux |
1980 → | |
The Couillard de Ste-Foy (Quebec) captured the first national championship, defeating St. Michael's College Buzzers (Ontario) in the gold medal game. The Notre Dame Hounds (Saskatchewan) took the bronze medal.[1][2]
Future National Hockey League players competing at the inaugural Air Canada Cup were Garry Galley, Paul Gillis, Mike Moller, Randy Moller, Tony Tanti, James Patrick, and future Hall of Fame defenceman Al MacInnis.
Teams
| Result | Team | Branch | City |
 | Couillard de Ste-Foy | Quebec | Ste-Foy, QC |
 | St. Michael's College Buzzers | Ontario | Toronto, ON |
 | Notre Dame Hounds | Saskatchewan | Wilcox, SK |
| 4 | Ottawa West 79's | Ottawa District | Ottawa, ON |
| 5 |  North Shore Winter Club | British Columbia | North Vancouver, BC |
| 6 |  Antigonish Novas | Nova Scotia | Antigonish, NS |
| 7 |  PEI Eastern | Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown, PE |
| 8 |  St. James Canadians | Manitoba | Winnipeg, MB |
| 9 |  Moncton Flyers | New Brunswick | Moncton, NB |
| 10 |  Red Deer Chiefs | Alberta | Red Deer, AB |
| 11 |  Corner Brook | Newfoundland | Corner Brook, NL |
| 12 | Andrews Maroons | Thunder Bay District | Thunder Bay, ON |
Round robin
Standings
| Rank | Team | W-L-T | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | St. Michael's College Buzzers | 4-1-0 | 24 | 11 | 8 |
| 2 | Notre Dame Hounds | 4-1-0 | 25 | 14 | 8 |
| 3 | North Shore Winter Club | 4-1-0 | 27 | 18 | 8 |
| 4 | St. James Canadians | 1-3-1 | 15 | 18 | 3 |
| 5 | Red Deer Chiefs | 1-4-0 | 20 | 25 | 2 |
| 6 | Andrews Maroons | 0-4-1 | 10 | 35 | 1 |
Scores
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|
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Standings
| Rank | Team | W-L-T | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | Couillard de Ste-Foy | 5-0-0 | 41 | 5 | 10 |
| 2 | Ottawa West 79's | 3-1-1 | 19 | 13 | 7 |
| 3 | Antigonish Pirates | 2-3-0 | 20 | 23 | 4 |
| 4 | PEI Eastern | 2-3-0 | 16 | 29 | 4 |
| 5 | Moncton Flyers | 1-3-1 | 16 | 22 | 3 |
| 6 | Corner Brook | 1-4-0 | 10 | 30 | 2 |
Scores
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Playoffs
Bronze medal game
- Notre Dame 7 - Ottawa West 2
Gold medal game
- Ste-Foy 9 - St. Michael's College 7
Individual awards
- Most Valuable Player: Pierre Rioux (Ste-Foy)
- Top Scorer: Claude Drouin (Ste-Foy)
- Most Sportsmanlike Player: Paul Houck (North Shore)
See also
References
- "Ste Foy wins midget title", Regina Leader-Post, p. 22, 1979-04-23, retrieved 2013-04-26
- "Quebec captures midget hockey title", The Montreal Gazette, p. 49, 1979-04-22, retrieved 2013-04-26