The Army–Royal Military College men's ice hockey rivalry is a college ice hockey rivalry between the Army Black Knights men's ice hockey and RMC Paladins men's ice hockey programs. The first meeting between the two occurred on 2 February 1923 and was largely recurring afterwards.
Both RMC and Army were earlier adopters of ice hockey programs in their respective countries. After World War I, the first conflict that included both Canada and the United States on the same side, the two academies were looking to strengthen ties to one another. In 1921, Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur wrote a letter to Maj. Gen. Sir Archibald Macdonell, suggesting the two institutions arrange a meeting between their respective ice hockey teams. Two years later the details were finalized and RMC travelled to West Point for the inaugural meeting. The match was held on Stuart Rink a natural, seasonal surface and kicked off a rivalry between the two schools that has endured for over a century.[2]
In the first 15 years of the annual rivalry, RMC held the distinct advantage, going 14–0–1 from 1923 to 1938. Army was able to earn its first victory in 1939 but then the series was suspended during World War II (RMC did not field a team during the war except for a single game against Army in 1942). When the Reds returned in 1949, Army found itself as the better of the two and closed the gap in the series record. RMC would not win back-to-back games until the early 1980s but that stretch was fleeting for the Paladins. Army put together several winning streaks over the years and eventually took the lead in the series in the 1990s. The series was halted after 2006 and did not resume until 2011. Upon its return, Army won eight consecutive matches, their longest streak to date, before RMC stopped the run in 2020. From 2021 through 2023, the annual games were cancelled in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the two finally resumed the series in 2024.[3]
Full game results for the rivalry, with rankings beginning in the 1998–99 season.[1]