March 13, 2018
University Cup renamed after former Waterloo President
The U Sports Men’s Hockey Championship Trophy is now the “David Johnston University Cup”
On Tuesday, March 13, U SPORTS announced that the U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship trophy, the University Cup, has been renamed to the “David Johnston University Cup,” after former Governor General of Canada and University of Waterloo President.
“Having personally worked as the hockey coach under David’s leadership, it is exciting to see him receive this recognition,” said Head Coach of Men’s Hockey Brian Bourque who attended the live announcement today in Toronto with Director of Athletics and Recreation Roly Webster.
Born and raised in Ontario, Johnston served as the Governor General from 2010 to 2017, the 28th since Canadian Confederation and was the fifth president of the University of Waterloo from 1999-2010, leaving a lasting impression on campus.
Mike Lazaridis, founder of BlackBerry, said Johnston “led the University of Waterloo during the most prolific growth period in its history. He worked tirelessly to position the University of Waterloo as a world-class institution of math, science, engineering, health and the arts.”
During his 11-year tenure at the University of Waterloo, Johnston oversaw unprecedented growth in the university's reputation, research capacity and leadership capabilities.
Johnston completed his university studies with distinction in three countries including the United States (Harvard AB 1963), England (Cambridge LLB 1965) and Canada (Queen’s LLB 1966). While at Harvard, he was named to the all-American hockey team twice and is in Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Johnston was a gritty and incredibly hard-work defender for the Harvard hockey team who became an all-American because of his determination. Although not the biggest person (weighing in at only 150 lbs), Johnston had the heart and smarts to become an elite hockey player. According to Webster, it’s this talent and drive that’s made Johnston one of the most respected and well-known Canadians.
“It is a perfect fit to have his experience in university leadership, and as a former student-athlete to be bestowed this honour.”
