Canadian Junior Hockey League

Canadian Junior Hockey League Head Office Calgary, Alberta Official Website http://cjhlhockey.com/ Chairman Paul Lake Founded 1993 Member Leagues 11 Member Teams 143 2008-09 Champion Vernon Vipers (BCHL)

The Canadian Junior Hockey League is the governing body of all Junior "A" ice hockey leagues within the jurisdiction of Hockey Canada. The champion of the CJHL wins the Royal Bank Cup.

History

In reality, the CJHL received its start in 1970 when the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Canada Hockey League tore away from the major branches of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and became its own governing body (what would become the Canadian Hockey League). These "Major Junior" Leagues only competed against each other and did not include other Junior "A" leagues that were left behind. The Major Junior League also were permitted to exclusively compete for the Memorial Cup, a right given to all Junior "A" leagues prior to 1970.

In May 1970, Frank McKinnon tabled a motion at the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association AGM to allow the remaining Junior "A" Leagues to compete at a national level for a national championship. The motion was granted and McKinnon and the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association donated the Manitoba Centennial Trophy to the new championship in honour of 100 years of ice hockey in Manitoba. The leagues that would be involved in that first year were the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League (TBJHL), Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League (SOJHL), Central Junior A Hockey League (CenJHL), Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association (NOJHA), Maritime Junior Hockey League (MarJHL), and New Brunswick Junior Hockey League (NBJHL).

Some of these leagues formed a formal precursor to the CJHL in 1990 that would be known as the Canada West Association. This organization would be the catalyst for the creation of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League in 1993. In 2008, the league was rebranded the "Canadian Junior Hockey League".

Leagues that have been involved in the CAHA Junior "A" playoff structure have been: the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League (PCJHL), the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL), KJHL, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League (TBJHL), SOJHL, the Metro Junior A Hockey League (MetJHL), and the PEIJHL. Also, a single team from the United States Hockey League known as the Thunder Bay Flyers, which originated in the TBJHL, played sporadically in the National structure between 1984 and 1995.

To determine a Grand Champion, the winners of each league playdown in four regional championships -- the Fred Page Cup, the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Anavet Cup, and the Doyle Cup. The winners of the four regionals playoff with a host city for the Royal Bank Cup to determine the National Champion.

Member leagues

League Provinces Teams 2009-10 Champion Pacific Zone British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) British Columbia 17 Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) Alberta 16 Western Zone Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Saskatchewan 12 Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) Manitoba 11 Central Zone Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) Northwestern Ontario 5 Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) Northeastern Ontario 8 Central Canadian Hockey League (CCHL) GH, CO Regions 21 Ontario Junior A Hockey League (OJAHL) GH, CO Regions 15 Eastern Zone Central Junior A Hockey League (CJHL) Eastern Ontario 12 Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (LHJAAAQ) Quebec 14 Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MJAHL) NS, NB, & PEI 11

Former member leagues

• Can-Am Junior Hockey League
• Eastern Junior Hockey League
• Island Junior Hockey League
• Maritime Junior Hockey League
• Metro Junior A Hockey League
• New Brunswick Junior Hockey League
• Northern Manitoba Junior Hockey League
• Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association
• Ontario Junior Hockey League
• Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (1972-1987)
• Pacific Coast Junior A Hockey League
• Quebec Junior A Hockey League
• Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League
• St. John's Junior and Senior Hockey League
• St. John's Junior Hockey League
• Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League
• Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League

Championships

• Royal Bank Cup
• Doyle Cup
• Anavet Cup
• Dudley Hewitt Cup
• Fred Page Cup
• CJHL All-Star Game
• World Junior A Challenge

Defunct Championships

• Abbott Cup
• Eastern Centennial Cup Championship
• Callaghan Cup

Branch Championships

• Frank L. Buckland Trophy
• Mowat Cup
• Turnbull Cup
• William T. Ruddock Trophy

Acknowledgments

The recovery of the lost history of the Tier II Junior A system in Canada has taken years and countless hours of research, dozens of newspaper, and the contact of multiple statisticians.

People of note in this project:

Directly

• Dave Clamen (Researcher)
• Devan Mighton (Researcher)
• Paul C. Beugeling (Researcher, BCHL and Vernon Vipers) - http://members.shaw.ca/vernonfranchise/
• Al McGimpsey (Researcher, MJHL and Manitoba)

Indirectly

• Marty Knack (Researcher)
• David Harrison (NOJHL Statistician)
• Ralph Slate (Researcher) - http://www.hockeydb.com/
• Paul Wilkinson (OPJHL Statistician)
• Penny McEwen (SJHL Statistician)
• The AJHL (Providing their own stats online)

See also

• List of Canadian Junior Hockey League team names
• List of Canadian Tier II Junior A Seasons
• List of NHL Draft Picks taken from Canadian Junior A
• List of WHA Draft Picks taken from Canadian Tier II Junior A
• List of Ontario Tier II Junior A Seasons
• CJHL Player of the Year Award
• Roland Mercier Trophy