Hewitt-Dudley Memorial Trophy

The Dudley Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy awarded to the Central Canadian Junior A Champion. The trophy is currently decided by round robin tournament format, at the conclusion of the playoffs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, and Superior International Junior Hockey League, to determine the central seed to the Royal Bank Cup. The Royal Bank Cup is the Canadian National Junior A Championship and is only competed for by teams within the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

The current format includes the champions of the OJHL, NOJHL, and SIJHL and a pre-selected host city, but in the past has included the champions of the Central Canada Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League, and even the champion of the Callaghan Cup (Atlantic Provinces).

The trophy is named after George Dudley and W. A. Hewitt, two pioneers of amateur hockey in Ontario.

From 1984 until 1995 the Thunder Bay Flyers of the United States Hockey League competed for the Dudley Hewitt Cup, possibly the most successful competition in the event's history with 4 titles in 12 years.

The 2002 Dudley Hewitt Cup marked a new chapter in Ontario hockey history. Since the mid-1990s, the OPJHL and NOJHL had squared off in a head-to-head series to determine the Central Canadian seed in the Royal Bank Cup. In 2001, a new Thunder Bay-area league, called the Superior International Junior Hockey League, was founded. Late in the 2001-02 season of the OPJHL and NOJHL, the CJAHL informed them that instead of a series the Dudley would be competed for through a round robin format. The NOJHL and OPJHL decided to protest the new format by boycotting the Dudley Hewitt Cup, but without the OPJHL's governors knowledge, the heads of the NOJHL and SIJHL worked out a backroom deal that they would compete for the Cup without the OPJHL's involvement. The NOJHL's Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats swept SIJHL's Dryden Ice Dogs, while the OPJHL's Brampton Capitals sat at home with no avenue for advancement. The subterfuge by the NOJHL led to an agreement in 2003 to allow the championship to be played in a round robin style. Also, it marked the end of any dominance the NOJHL had at the interleague level as no NOJHL champion had won the DHC since 2002 until 2012.

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