Hockey has been a part of OVC student life since sometime before 1911. As part of the University of Toronto, OVC college teams challenged other U of T colleges, and after the move to Guelph in 1922 the OVC "Vets" played in the Guelph City Hockey League (on and off until approximately 1990) and competed against Ontario Agricultural College teams before joining them at the intercollegiate level to form the OAVC Redmen. Since the founding of the University of Guelph in 1964, varsity-calibre players from the college have played for the Guelph Gryphons.

Competition between DVM classes began sometime before 1926, and an annual tournament was inaugurated in 1931 when Principal C. D. McGilvray donated a prize for "OVC Inter-Year Hockey." The "Challenge Cup" hockey tournament (as it came to be known in the 1970s) has been the main sports event at the school ever since and is the oldest veterinary hockey tournament in the world.

The OVC Alumni Hockey Tournament was established in 1991 by provincial Animal Health Laboratory director Grant Maxie and continues to draw 100-200 alumni each year.