Allan Cup hosting duties has CBS hockey community buzzing
By Craig Westcott
There’s probably nobody more excited about the news Conception Bay South will be hosting next year’s Allan Cup championships than Paul Connors.
The at-large councillor has a son, nephew and nephew-in-law on the host CB Blues, and is one of the team’s biggest fans, driving back and forth to Clarenville two nights in a row one recent weekend to see the senior hockey team tangle with the rambunctious-styled Caribous in the Avalon East Senior Hockey League semi-finals.
So not surprisingly, Connors was the first at last week’s public council meeting to raise the selection of CBS to host Canada’s national amateur hockey championship in 2026.
“This is a tournament that any town that has a senior hockey team would love to have, and we’ve got it (coming) here,” said Connors. “Our rink (the new CBS Arena) was built to hold events like this. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re after hosting a number of Atlantic, national, and provincial events up there and I’m sure we’ll do a great job again. Thank you to the Blues and our recreation staff for putting together the proposal and were successful in it, and I’m looking forward to a great tournament next year with teams from Ontario, out West and some other Atlantic Canadian teams.”
The Allan Cup has been played since 1909. This will mark only the third time it has been hosted in Newfoundland. Only four Newfoundland teams have ever managed to capture the cup – the Corner Brooks Royals twice – in 1985 and 1986, the Clarenville Caribous in 2011, and the Grand Falls Cataracts in 2017. Current Blues players Danny Wicks, Brandon Bussey and Nick Lindstrom were members of that Cataracts team.
Six teams are expected to fight it out for the national senior hockey championship; the host CB Blues, whichever team wins next year’s Herder Trophy, which is the prize for this province’s best senior amateur hockey team, along with championship teams from Ontario, the Maritimes and Western Canada, as well as the team that wins this year’s Allan Cup, which will be invited back to defend its title.
The Blues are touting the tournament as a chance to raise their national profile, expand their community outreach, strengthen partnerships with local minor hockey groups and profile their commitment to the region.
Details about the playing schedule and tickets will be announced in the coming months.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our players, coaches, volunteers, and fans,” Blues general manager and coach Jonathan Kavanagh said at the February 27 press conference announcing the event. “The Town of Conception Bay South has rallied around the Blues for years, building one of the largest fan bases in the Avalon East Senior Hockey League. Our players and sponsors have worked tirelessly to create a stable franchise capable of hosting an event of this stature. We are thrilled to bring a national championship to our home and share this momentous occasion with everyone who has supported us along the way. We look forward to welcoming teams from across the country, showing them the warm hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador is famous for, and putting on an event everyone will remember.”
Mayor Darrin Bent said he has no doubt the Allan Cup tournament will be a source of immense pride for everyone involved. “We are thrilled to see this iconic Canadian championship come to our community,” he said.
Perhaps few will be prouder though than the players, including Blues’ captain Kyle Tibbo, who is the aforementioned nephew-in-law of councillor Connors. Tibbo is the nephew of Connors wife Michelle (nee Tibbo) and the son of former CBS Recreation Director Dave Tibbo, and like a number of his teammates, he played elite level junior hockey on the mainland before returning to Newfoundland and lacing up the skates for the top provincial league.
“Representing our hometown team on a stage as big as the Allan Cup is a dream come true for me and my teammates,” said Tibbo. “Some of us have competed for the Allan Cup in previous seasons, but having the chance to do it for the Blues — and on home ice — is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We can’t wait to make our community proud.”