Unbeknownst to many staff and students currently walking the halls, Osgoode Hall Law School has a long and illustrious history of playing ice hockey. The Osgoode Hall “Legalities” legacy began over 130 years ago, and this year, after a two and a half year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the revival of the Osgoode Hall hockey team continues to build on that legacy.
Osgoode’s storied hockey history began in 1890 when Osgoode Hall was one of the founding members of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). They entered teams in all three levels of the OHA (Senior, Intermediate, and Junior), the Ontario-Quebec Intermediate Intercollegiate series, and the Ontario Intercollegiate Athletic Association (OIAA). The OIAA operated within the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU), which became known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and is now formally known as “U-Sports.”
Osgoode’s first hockey triumph came against Queen’s University in the final for the Cosby Cup and OHA title, winning in 1894. They then went on to defeat the University of Toronto by a score of 17-16 in a two-game total points series en route to the 1898 final. In 1924, they defeated the Royal Military College (RMC) in the Ontario-Quebec Intermediate Intercollegiate series finals. This year, the Osgoode Hall hockey team looks to add another championship victory to the history books at the 2023 Queen’s Law Cup held in Kingston.
While the hockey team’s shutdown over the pandemic resulted in the loss of a few long-standing traditions, this year’s revival of the team breathes new life into the program and the future traditions of the Osgoode Hall hockey team. For example, the team has organized the inaugural Osgoode Hall Charity Classic game, a friendly intrasquad game to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, an organization that provides programs, services, research, and advocacy to support people affected by neuromuscular disorders. Additionally, the team has arranged to play the University of Toronto Law hockey team in the inaugural Crosstown Rivalry Game at Varsity Arena downtown. The team has also scheduled a friendly exhibition game against past players in the annual Osgoode Hall Alumni Game. Finally, there are plans for a sponsorship game versus the folks at Stikeman Elliott LLP, a long-time supporter of Osgoode hockey. The season culminates with the 2023 Queen’s Law Cup, a competitive hockey tournament that began in 2004 among most Ontario-based law schools.
With the reboot of the Osgoode hockey team, this season not only carries on the traditions set out by many players-turned-lawyers before us but also marks the beginning of many new traditions that the Osgoode Hall Hockey Team will carry on for future students and alumni to enjoy. This year’s team is comprised of twenty-six skaters, two goalies, and three coaches. The team is undeniably young in terms of legal education: made up of seventeen first-years, five second-years, five third-years, and one LLM student. On the ice, however, there is plenty of zest, skill, and grit to create a well-rounded hockey team.
And yet, most people think that all we do is read.
You can follow the team’s journey on Instagram at @OsgoodeHallHockey
(Top Row – Left to Right): Michael Lusignan (LLM), Andrew Neayem (3L), Matt Sullivan (1L), Arjun Prasad (1L), Riley Therrien (2L), William Brown (3L), Ryan Erdman (3L), Ryan Pedersen (1L), Henry Rhyu (1L), Zack Kryworuchka (3L), Kieran Guttormson (1L), Steven Marchand (3L), Andy Nesbitt (3L), James Papaeliou (2L), Jason Corry (1L), Carter Brodkorb (2L), Kyle Farren (1L), Josh Holtzman (1L).
(Bottom Row – Left to Right): Corbin Boes (2L), Alice Sandiford (1L), Nick Magee (1L), Kenji Chang (1L), Brandon Jang (1L), Devon Oates (2L), Cam Davie (1L), Matt Garay (1L), Mason Pinheiro (1L), James Price (1L).
Not in Photo: Matt Voccino (3L) & Tegpal Khaira (1L).
Osgoode Hall Hockey Team, 1957/58
Osgoode Hall Hockey Team, 1892