TORONTO, ON – The U SPORTS men’s hockey championship is heading to the nation’s capital.
On Wednesday, U SPORTS announced that the 2025 University Cup tournament would be hosted by the University of Ottawa, with the Gee-Gees bringing the tournament to TD Place, home of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s and the annual Carleton v Ottawa Colonel By Classic.
The 2023 tournament will be hosted by UPEI, while Toronto’s TMU Bold will welcome the U CUP to Maple Leaf Gardens in 2024.
With Ottawa following TMU’s hosting, the tournament makes its way to back-to-back OUA hosts after not showcasing itself in the conference for 14 years, with the AUS taking most of the tournaments over the last two decades.
“U SPORTS is thrilled to partner once again with the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) to bring the University Cup to the nation’s capital for the first time in 2025,” said Lisette Johnson-Stapley, U SPORTS Chief Sport Officer.
“Ottawa has proven to be a great site to promote and showcase the finest in athletic and academic talent in University Sport across our country. The success of the 2020 Final 8 basketball championships hosted in part by the University of Ottawa and OSEG laid the foundation for what we believe will be an outstanding tournament in two years’ time.”
As well, the timing of the tournament may just be perfect for the uOttawa Gee-Gees, who are near the beginning of their development cycle, after making a run to the U CUP and Queen’s Cup Final in 2019-20, before having their U CUP tournament cut short due to COVID-19’s initial onset.
The Gee-Gees program, which disbanded in 2014 amid sexual assault allegations, returned to the ice as a rebuilt program in 2016-17, with head coach Patrick Grandmaitre taking over the program. The complete recruiting class that he and his staff brought in peaked in 2019-20 with the OUA silver medal, yet on their second cycle, they’ve now got the chance to host a national tournament at home.
uOttawa will get an automatic berth in the 2025 tournament.
The University of Ottawa is honoured and excited to bring the 2025 U SPORTS men’s hockey championship to our nation’s capital,” said Sue Hylland, University of Ottawa’s Director of Recreation and Varsity Sports.
“Watching the development and support of our Gee-Gees program under head coach Patrick Grandmaître has shown how deep the love of hockey runs in our region. We look forward to the University Cup in 2025 creating lasting memories for generations to come.”
The 2025 U CUP will be hosted in March 2025, continuing U SPORTS men’s hockey’s return to a normal schedule after shifting later in the year in 2021-22.