The 2008 Royal Bank Cup was the 38th Junior "A" 2008 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The national championship was won by the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
The Royal Bank Cup was competed for by the winners of the Doyle Cup, Anavet Cup, Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Fred Page Cup and the host team, the Cornwall Colts of the Central Junior A Hockey League.
The tournament ran from May 3–11, 2008 with games played at the Ed Lumley Arena in Cornwall, Ontario.
Teams
Cornwall Colts (Host) - The Colts are the hosts of the Royal Bank Cup. They lost the Central Junior A Hockey League quarter-final and have not played since. The Colts struggled through the first half of their season and were inconsistent in the second half. Finishing second in their division, the Colts finished sixth place in an eleven team league. This ranking resulted their first round match up with the dominant Smiths Falls Bears, who made quick work of the Colts. Regular Season: 31 wins, 24 losses, 1 tie, 4 overtime losses Playoffs: Lost to Smiths Falls Bears 1-4 Camrose Kodiaks (Pacific) - The Kodiaks are the Alberta Junior Hockey League and Doyle Cup champions. The Kodiaks are led by CJAHL Player of the Year Joe Colborne. Colborne is ranked 28th overall by NHL Central Scouting for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Regular Season: 49 wins, 8 losses, 5 overtime losses Playoffs: Defeated Olds Grizzlys 4-2, Defeated Drumheller Dragons 4-1, Defeated Fort McMurray Oil Barons 4-3, Defeated Penticton Vees (BCHL) 4-1 Humboldt Broncos (Western) - The Broncos are the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Anavet Cup champions. The Broncos survived a scare in the SJHL Final, coming back from a 3–1 deficit to the underdog Kindersley Klippers. The Broncos made quick work of the MJHL champion Portage Terriers in the Anavet Cup, sweeping them in four games. Regular Season: 48 wins, 9 losses, 1 overtime loss Playoffs: Defeated Nipawin Hawks 4-2, Defeated Flin Flon Bombers 4-0, Defeated Kindersley Klippers 4-3, Defeated Portage Terriers (MJHL) 4-0 Oakville Blades (Central) - The Blades are the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and Dudley Hewitt Cup champions. Star goaltender Scott Greenham will not be attending the tournament despite leading the Blades to the OPJHL and Central Canadian Championships. Having accepted a scholarship to play for the Alaska Nanooks, he would lose his NCAA eligibility if he played in the Royal Bank Cup because his age (21). Regular Season: 39 wins, 6 losses, 4 overtime losses Playoffs: Defeated Milton Icehawks 4-1, Defeated Georgetown Raiders 4-1, Defeated Aurora Tigers 4-2, Defeated Markham Waxers 4-1, Won Dudley Hewitt Cup (4-0) Weeks Crushers (Eastern) - The Crushers are the Fred Page Cup champions. They lost the Maritime Junior A Hockey League semi-final, but hosted and won the Fred Page Cup. The Crushers upset the CJAHL's top ranked team, the Pembroke Lumber Kings, in the Eastern Canadian final. Regular Season: 35 wins, 22 losses, 2 overtime losses Playoffs: Defeated Truro Bearcats 4-2, Lost to Yarmouth Mariners 1-4, Hosted and Won Fred Page Cup (4-1)
Event
The 2008 Royal Bank Cup was kicked off with an announcement from the CJAHL that it was shortening its name to the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
The first game of the tournament was between the Western Champion Humboldt Broncos and the Host Cornwall Colts. The Colts, who finished the season barely breathing and only played five playoff games, held the Broncos to only one goal in the first period. In the second period, the Colts fell apart and allowed six more goals on the next 16 shots over the last forty minutes. Humboldt's Laurent Benjamin scored a hat trick, while Taylor Nelson made 21 saves in the 7–0 shutout victory.
The early game on day two was between the Eastern Champion Weeks Crushers and the Pacific Champion Camrose Kodiaks. Weeks came out strong and took an early 1–0 lead, but the Crushers started taking a lot of penalties which killed their momentum. The Kodiaks scored five unanswered goals to win the game 5–1. In the late game, the Eastern Champion Oakville Blades challenged Cornwall. The Blades came out flat and left the first period down 2–0. Oakville returned on fire in the second period, scoring three goals in less than three and a half minutes. The momentum did not last, and the Colts took advantage by eventually pulling out an unexpected 5–4 victory.