History

MidgetAAACanada.com was launched in 2003 by founder Rick Virag after 1 1/2 years of research as a national resource highlighting the exciting division of Midget AAA Major hockey.

After 10 years of coaching experience Rick realized that there was a need for this resource for organizations, teams, players, coaches, scouts, families and fans providing the nation with a place to follow all of the aciton leading up to the Telus Cup, Canada's only national minor hockey championship.

In November 2003, just two months after launching, MidgetAAACanada.com received an email from Hockey Canada praising us for what we were providing the minor hockey community with their full support of our efforts.

That same season at the 2004 National Midget Championship (now called the Telus Cup), MidgetAAACanada.com and President/CEO Rick Virag was honoured with the ceremonial tournament opening puck drop to kick off the championship. CLICK HERE

Hockey Canada continued its support of MidgetAAACanada.com by placing 11 direct links to MidgetAAACanada.com on www.HockeyCanada.ca, so that visitors to Hockey Canada's site were provided with additional in depth coverage leading up to the National Championship.

To our knowledge we were the only non "core" sponsor links featured on www.HockeyCanada.ca providing official news resource information to the nation, and it was an honour to do so.

(CLICK HERE to check out one of many references to MidgetAAACanada.com Rankings and Awards on www.HockeyCanada.ca. This one appears in the "Atlantic" recap at the beginning and end of the story.)

In 2006, at the Telus Cup, MidgetAAACanada.com was once again recognized nationally as Hockey Canada featured the contributions of the site in a feature article in the Official Hockey Canada Telus Cup Championship Tournament Program.

(CLICK HERE to view).

Since then, we have continued to have a great relationship with Hockey Canada and the entire hockey community as we look forward to working together indefinitely providing the nation with every reason to get excited about minor hockey and grow the game.

From the 160,000 hits we saw the first season, to over 10,000,000 hits in just the fourth season, we couldn't be more proud and excited about the support we've received from the hockey community and our exponential growth.

December 2008 also marked the first annual MidgetAAACanada.com Cup held in Windsor at the beautiful new Windsor Federal Credit Union Center (home of the OHL Windsor Spitfires) and co-sponsored by the OHL Windsor Spitfires and Alliance Hockey (OMHA), City and Mayor of Windsor (Ontario), Windsor AAA Zone, Windsor Minor Hockey and hosted by the Windsor Jr. Spitfires Midget AAA Major

Some of the additional distinguished sponsors of the tournament incuded several NHL Teams (Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks), the OHL, as well as Official MidgetAAACanada.com Cup Premier Sponsors Printer Cartridge Canada, Hilton Hotels (Westmont Hospitality Group), Bauer/Nike, Easton Hockey, Warrior Hockey, Brian's Hockey, Jostens Championship Rings, and many more.

We also have strong support from NHL Sr. Vice President Jim Gregory who has journeys to our Christmas tournament where he meets people, drops pucks, give speeches and does more than anyone can ask for, all in the name of hockey. We are indebted to Mr. Gregory for all of his generosity. CLICK HERE to view a video of Mr. Gregory at our tournament.

We were also delighted to announce our MidgetAAACanada.com Cup Charity of Choice "Jake's House for children with Autism" whom we are dedicated to helping highlight the great work they do in our communities for children and families affected by Autism.

In conclusion, our passion for the game and our national heritage and pastime will always be a source of inspiration as we move forward with our goals. We are dedicated to providing every resource possible to help players take advantage of opportunities in both hockey and life.

At the same time, these resources are also there to help organizations, teams, coaches and scouts realize their goals while providing added excitement for families and fans that will be archived indefinitely, creating awesome memories to look back on for everyone.

If you would like to contribute to MidgetAAACanada.com in any way, shape or form, we welcome your contributions. We are always looking for national and provincial reporters, stories, photos, videos, sponsors and volunteers.

Also if you're interested in working for MidgetAAACanada.com, we are looking for dynamic individuals who love hockey and are looking for rewarding careers.