View source for CPL Shield

{{distinguish|North Star Shield}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{infobox sports award
| name           = 
| image          = 
| imagesize      = 
| league         = [[Canadian Premier League]]
| description    = Finishing the regular season with the best record
| year           = 2023, 2019 (retroactively)
| most_awards    = [[Cavalry FC]] (2 shields)
| holder         = Cavalry FC ([[2023 Canadian Premier League season|2023]], 2nd shield)
}}
The '''Canadian Premier League Shield''' or '''CPL Shield''' is a trophy awarded annually to the [[Canadian Premier League]] (CPL) club with the best regular season finish. Although this award does not signify a league championship, as that is decided during the [[Canadian Premier League Finals]], the winning team is awarded an equal monetary prize to the eventual playoff champions, and a berth in the next season’s [[CONCACAF Champions Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://northerntribune.ca/canadian-premier-league-regular-season-award/|title=Prize Pool: CPL Regular Season Champion To Get Money, Trophy|author=John Jacques|publisher=Northern Tribune|date=September 18, 2022|access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref>

== History ==
At the end of the [[2022 Canadian Premier League season]], the league announced that they would begin to recognize the regular season accomplishments of its member clubs to have more similarity with soccer competitions around the world, which put less emphasis on [[post-season]] results.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/canadian-premier-league-announces-plans-to-recognize-regular-season-champions|title=Canadian Premier League announces plans to recognize regular season champions|author=Charlie O’Connor-Clarke|publisher=[[Canadian Premier League]]|date=September 18, 2022|access-date=October 19, 2023}}</ref> At the time, the Canadian Premier League did not recognize a regular season winner. The CPL Shield was first unveiled near the end of the [[2023 Canadian Premier League season|2023 Canadian Premier League]] regular season.<ref name="CTV-news">{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/canadian-premier-league-revamps-trophy-case-with-new-hardware-up-for-grabs-1.6572355 |title=Canadian Premier League revamps trophy case with new hardware up for grabs|publisher=CTV News|date=September 21, 2023|access-date=October 19, 2023}}</ref><ref name=trophies>{{cite news|url=https://canpl.ca/article/canadian-premier-league-announces-new-trophies|title=Canadian Premier League announces new trophies|publisher=[[Canadian Premier League]]|date=September 21, 2023|access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> [[Cavalry FC]] were the first team to hoist the trophy following their 2023 regular season championship. The CPL Shield was also awarded retroactively to the clubs with the best regular season records from all previous seasons, meaning that Cavalry FC were also the first de-facto winners of the trophy for their first place finish in the [[2019 Canadian Premier League season|inaugural 2019 season]]. Due to the unconventional format used for a [[2020 Canadian Premier League season|shortened season in 2020]], due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Canada|COVID-19 pandemic]], the league did not retroactively award the trophy to any team for that year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Canadian Premier League's Island Games: Everything you need to know|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/canadian-premier-leagues-island-games-everything-need-know/|date=August 12, 2020|access-date=October 19, 2023|website=Sportsnet.ca}}</ref>

===Design===
The trophy is a silver shield measuring about {{convert|46|cm}} in diameter and weighing {{convert|9|kg}}. The CPL Shield has 13 edges to represent each of the [[provinces and territories of Canada]] and features a gold CPL logo (which is a stylized maple leaf) in the centre.<ref name="CTV-news" /> The trophy sits on a removable wooden base.

== Winners ==
<!--
{{legend|#CFECEC| Team also won the [[Canadian Premier League Finals]].|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|#ADFF2F| Team also won the [[Canadian Championship]].|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|#ECCFEC| Team also won the Canadian Premier League Finals and Canadian Championship.|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
-->
{{dagger}} – Trophy awarded retroactively
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" |Season
! rowspan="2" |Teams
! rowspan="2" |Winner
! colspan="7" |Record
! rowspan="2" |Playoff result
! rowspan="2" |Coach
|-
! {{tooltip|Pld|Matches played}}
! {{tooltip|W|Wins}}
! {{tooltip|D|Draws}}
! {{tooltip|L|Losses}}
! {{tooltip|Pts|Points}}
! {{tooltip|+/-|Point margin}}
! {{tooltip|PPG|Points per match}}
|-
| data-sort-value="2019" | <span style="visibility:hidden;color: transparent">{{dagger}} </span>[[2019 Canadian Premier League season|2019]] {{dagger}}
| 7
| [[Cavalry FC]]
| 28 || 19 || 5 || 4 || 62 || 6 || 2.21
| {{sort|2|Runner-up}}
| style="text-align:left;" | {{Sort|Wheeldon Jr., Tommy| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tommy Wheeldon Jr.]] }}
|-
| [[2020 Canadian Premier League season|2020]]
| 8
| colspan="10" | ''Not awarded''
|-
| data-sort-value="2021" | <span style="visibility:hidden;color: transparent">{{dagger}} </span>[[2021 Canadian Premier League season|2021]] {{dagger}}
| 8
| [[Forge FC]] 
| 28 || 16 || 2 || 10 || 50 || 0{{efn|name=Totalwins|1st tiebreaker: total wins}} || 1.79
| {{sort|2|Runner-up}}
| style="text-align:left;" | {{sort|Smyrniotis, Bobby| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Bobby Smyrniotis]] }}
|-
| data-sort-value="2022" | <span style="visibility:hidden;color: transparent">{{dagger}} </span>[[2022 Canadian Premier League season|2022]] {{dagger}}
| 8 
| [[Atlético Ottawa]]
| 28 || 13 || 10 || 5 || 49 || 2 || 1.75
| {{sort|2|Runner-up}}
| style="text-align:left;" | {{sort|González, Carlos González| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Carlos González (football manager)|Carlos González]] }}
|-
| [[2023 Canadian Premier League season|2023]]
| 8
| [[Cavalry FC]] (2)
| 28 || 16 || 7 || 5 || 55 || 13 || 1.96
| {{sort|2|Runner-up}}
| style="text-align:left;" | {{Sort|Wheeldon Jr., Tommy| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tommy Wheeldon Jr.]] }} (2)
|}
{{notelist}}

== Records ==
{{see also|List of soccer clubs in Canada by competitive honours won}}
=== Shield wins by club ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Team
! Winners
! Runners-up
! Year(s) won
! Year(s) runners-up
|-
| [[Cavalry FC]]
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 1
| [[2019 Canadian Premier League season|2019]], [[2023 Canadian Premier League season|2023]]
| [[2021 Canadian Premier League season|2021]]
|-
| [[Forge FC]]
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 3
| [[2021 Canadian Premier League season|2021]]
| [[2019 Canadian Premier League season|2019]], [[2022 Canadian Premier League season|2022]], [[2023 Canadian Premier League season|2023]]
|-
| [[Atlético Ottawa]]
| align=center | 1
| align=center | 0
| [[2022 Canadian Premier League season|2022]]
| {{n/a|}}
|-
|}

=== Shield wins by province ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Province
! Winners
! Runners-up
|-
| {{flagdeco|Ontario}} [[Ontario]]
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 3
|-
| {{flagdeco|Alberta}} [[Alberta]]
| align=center | 2
| align=center | 1
|-
|}

=== Winner's records in the CONCACAF Champions Cup ===
{{see also|Canadian soccer clubs in international competitions}}
Starting in 2023, the CPL Shield winner earned Canada's berth in the following year's [[CONCACAF Champions Cup]].<ref name=trophies/>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style=text-align:center;"
!Year
!Club
!Starting round
!Result
|-
| [[2022 CONCACAF Champions League|2022]]
| [[Forge FC]]{{efn|Although Forge was the regular season champion in 2021, they qualified to the Champions League due to their placement in the [[2021 CONCACAF League]], as the CPL Shield berth was only first awarded in 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://canpl.ca/article/forge-become-first-cpl-team-to-plat-in-the-concacaf-champions-league-how-did-they-get-here|title=Forge become first CPL team to play in the Concacaf Champions League: How did they get here?|author=Benedict Rhodes|publisher=[[Canadian Premier League]]|date=February 14, 2022|access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref>}}
| Round of 16
| Round of 16
|-
| [[2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup|2024]]
| [[Cavalry FC]]
| Round one
| Round one
|-
|}

== See also ==
* [[Maurice Podoloff Trophy]], an NBA trophy having the same function as the CPL Shield.
* [[NWSL Shield]], an NWSL trophy with the having function as the CPL Shield.
* [[Presidents' Trophy]], an NHL trophy having the same function as the CPL Shield.
* [[Supporters' Shield]], an MLS trophy having the same function as the CPL Shield.
* [[Wooden spoon (award)|Wooden Spoon awards]], an award given to a team with the worst regular season record.

== References ==
; Notes
{{notelist}}
; Sources
{{reflist}}

{{CPL Shield winners}}
{{Canadian Premier League}}

[[Category:Canadian Premier League]]
[[Category:Canadian Premier League trophies and awards]]
[[Category:Regular season trophies and awards|Canadian Premier League Shield]]
[[Category:Awards established in 2023]]
[[Category:2023 establishments in Canada]]