ANAVET Cup
The ANAVET Cup is an ice hockey trophy, won through a best-of-seven series conducted annually by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. It is played between the Turnbull Cup champions of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and the Canalta Cup champions of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The winner of the ANAVET Cup earns the western region's berth in the Centennial Cup, the national Junior A championship. The series has been contested since 1971, except from 2013 to 2017, when it was replaced by the Western Canada Cup, and from 2020 to present, when it was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, 2021) and format changes to the national championship.
Portage Terriers hoist ANAVET Cup (2005) | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Junior Hockey League |
| Awarded for | Western region champion |
| Country | Canada |
| History | |
| First award | 1971 |
| Most wins |
|
| Most recent | Portage Terriers (2019) |
The term "ANAVET" comes from the Canadian non-for-profit organization ANAVETS, or Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada.
The Western region's ANAVET Cup Champion traditionally played against the Pacific region's Doyle Cup champion for the Abbott Cup, the Western Canadian Championship. However, the Abbott Cup diminished in importance following the reorganization of the national championship in 1990. The Abbott Cup was then presented to the winner of the round-robin game, between the Pacific champion and Western champion, during the larger national competition; this practice ended, and the Abbott Cup was retired, after the 1999 season.