Men’s Ice Hockey (OUIHC) regains Blues Status
The Oxford University Ice Hockey Club are proud to announce the reinstatement of Blues status to the men’s team at the Vincent’s Club. The club have re-entered the men’s team into the top university league (BUIHA Division 1) as the Oxford University Blues.
Roughly 18 months ago, the outcome of the longest meeting in the history of the Oxford Men’s Blue Committee, was a loss of Blues status for men’s ice hockey after the Men’s Blues players resigned from the OUIHC. The subsequent formation of the Oxford Ice Hockey Trust by these players and the disaffiliation from the University resulted in failure to reinstate Blues status as they were not recognised as a University team – unanimously agreed on by all Blues captains at the Men’s Blues Committee meeting. The Oxford Ice Hockey Trust now operates under the control of the remaining individuals from 2012 and their team, the Oxford Blues, does not have affiliation with the University, the Sports Federation or the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club.
The revival of the Men’s Blues team over the summer of 2014 has paved the way to recognition from the Men’s Blues Committee as a bona fide Blues team capable of awarding Blues to matriculated students who play the recognised Varsity Match against the Cambridge Blues. The attainment of Blues by male ice hockey players dates back to the acquisition of Blues status in 1933 but despite 79 years of hockey history since this date, no Blues have been awarded since the 2012 season when Oxford beat Cambridge 17-1 on home ice. The club and sport at the University boasts a distinguished list of Blues athletes and alumni that includes Clarence Campbell and Lester B. Pearson (former Prime Minister of Canada).
Given the high turnover of student athletes in university sport, the current men of the OUIHC have yet to earn their Blues, or even play a recognised Varsity Match, something that up until the 2014 season has not been possible. With the opportunity presented, this may well lead to an official Blues Varsity to be played between these two historic institutions and in any case is another chapter in the history of the sport that dates back to 1885.