Organizers of Junior A hockey's newest championship have an identity now after unveiling a logo for the Western ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Cup.
"The logo kicks it all off. It's the starting point for the event," Kirk Lamb, chairman of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, told reporters at Frank Clare Arena in Nanaimo on Thursday morning. "We wanted some elements in it.
"We wanted it to represent the four leagues. We wanted it to represent that these were the four best teams coming out of the leagues and we wanted to keep it modern and very simple - to represent that this is a new way forward for us."
The Western ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Cup features champions from the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Manitoba Junior Hockey League. They will participate in a five-team tournament, along with the host Nanaimo Clippers, in the inaugural event slated for April 26 to May 5, 2013.
The logo features a shield and banner motif, with each league represented by a star.
The tournament, which will be hosted by the MJHL in 2014, AJHL in 2015 and SJHL in 2016, is expected to include a round-robin schedule, followed by two semifinals and the championship game. The winner and runner-up will both represent Western ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ at the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship.
"Nanaimo is the right city for this inaugural event due to the strong support from the Clipper organization, our fans and business supporters," said host committee chair Graham Calder.
"As we move toward the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, we will be reaching out to the great volunteer community in Nanaimo to help stage this event and to set a very high standard for this tournament going forward."
