Ed Chynoweth Cup

The Ed Chynoweth Cup is awarded each spring to the Western Hockey League champion, but the story of the trophy begins with the man behind it. Ed Chynoweth served as president and commissioner of the WHL from 1974 until his passing in 2002, and during those nearly three decades he transformed a struggling regional circuit into one of the premier junior leagues in North America.

When Chynoweth took over, the WHL had ten teams and an uncertain future. By the time he stepped down it had grown to twenty-two franchises, stretching from Portland, Oregon to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and was producing a steady stream of NHL talent. He also served as president of the Canadian Hockey League, helping forge the alliance between the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL that shaped the modern era of junior hockey.

Chynoweth was known for his vision, his integrity, and his deep belief that junior hockey could be both a great spectacle and a genuine launching pad for young careers. He passed away in June 2002, and the WHL renamed the championship trophy in his honor the following year. It was an acknowledgment that the league as it exists today is, in many ways, his creation.

The trophy is instantly recognizable: a wide, ruffled silver bowl - almost floral in its detail - sits atop a large octagonal dark wood base whose many facets are lined with silver name plaques. At the center of the base, a black panel engraved with the cup's name faces outward, framing decades of champions. Every great WHL dynasty - from the Kamloops Blazers of the 1990s to the London Knights and Medicine Hat Tigers of recent years - has had its name added to those panels.