The Varsity Blues graduates were a successful
OHA Senior A League team in the 1920s and 1930s. They won the
J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions in 1921, 1927, 1929, and 1930. Toronto also became Canadian national champions with their victories at the
1921 Allan Cup and the
1927 Allan Cup. During the
1920 Allan Cup playoffs,
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) president
Frederick E. Betts expressed concerns that the Varsity Blues team had violated the rules by participating in both the
Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the
Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU) playoffs. At the 1920 general meeting, the CAHA debated the issue and decided that the team was eligible for the Allan Cup.
1928 Winter Olympics The University of Toronto Graduates as the
1927 Allan Cup champions were chosen to represent the
Canada men's national team in
ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics. Conn Smythe coached the team during the OHA season, but refused to go to the Olympics due to disagreements on which players were added to the team by the
Canadian Olympic Committee. The Graduates went without Smythe, led by team captain
Red Porter, and Olympic Committee member
W. A. Hewitt, who oversaw the team's finances. The format of the Olympics hockey tournament saw the Canadians receive a
bye into the second round, without any games in the first week. Despite the wait to play, the Graduates won all three games by scoring 38 goals and conceding none, to win the gold medal.
1928 Olympic roster: •
Charles Delahaye •
Franklyn Fisher •
Louis Hudson •
Herbert Plaxton •
Hugh Plaxton •
Roger Plaxton • John Primeau •
Frank Sullivan •
Joseph Sullivan •
Ross Taylor •
Dave Trottier Some sources show the names of
Norbert Mueller and
John Porter as being on the Olympic roster, but those two names are not listed in the "Official" Olympic Winter Games guide. ==Junior team==