The Eastern Junior A Hockey League (EJHL, EJAHL) was a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Eastern Junior A Hockey League was in competition for the Manitoba Centennial Cup, the National Junior A Championship from 1975 until 1978.
History
In the mid-1970s, the Maritime Amateur Hockey Association allowed the Eastern Junior B Hockey League of Cape Breton Island to play at the Junior A level. The 1975 Champion Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates and Antigonish Bulldogs refused to jump to Junior A and elected to play in the Northumberland Junior B Hockey League. The EJAHL expanded with a new team in New Waterford and continued on with four teams.
Over the next two seasons, the Sydney Millionaires were the cream of the crop in the EJAHL. Winning both the 1976 and 1977 Regular Season and Playoff Championships, the Millionaires twice made it into the Centennial Cup playdowns. In 1976, the Millionaires were dropped in five games by the Charlottetown Colonels of the Island Junior Hockey League. A year later, the Millionaires first played the Corner Brook Jr. Royals of the Newfoundland Junior A Hockey League sweeping them in the process. In the second round of the playoffs, the Millionaires met Charlottetown again and were swept again.
In the 1977-78 season, the New Waterford Jets found their legs and took both the regular season and playoff crowns. In an anti-climatic ending to the league, the Jets took on the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League's first ever Junior A champion in 1978, the Cole Harbour Colts from Nova Scotia's mainland and were defeated by them.
In 1979, New Waterford repeated as champions. They lost to the MVJHL's Halifax Lions 4-games-to-none in the provincial final.
In 1980, the Northside Trojans won the league. They lost to the MVJHL's Cole Harbour Colts in four straight games.
In the early 1980s, the league was demoted to Jr. B and merged with the Northumberland Junior B Hockey League. In 1992, that league merged with the Mainland Junior B Hockey League to form the Nova Scotia Junior B Hockey League that exists to this day. Even now, the Strait Pirates of Port Hawkesbury still exist and the Cape Breton Canadians who were formed as the Sydney Millionaires in the 1970s are still playing in the NSJHL.
Teams
- Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates (1974-1975) join Northumberland Junior B Hockey League
- North Sydney Victorias (1974-1978) become Northside Victorias
- Antigonish Bulldogs (1974-1975) join Northumberland Junior B Hockey League
- Glace Bay Miners (1974-1980)
- Sydney Millionaires (1975-1980)
- New Waterford Jets (1975-1980)
- Northside Victorias (1978-1979) renamed Trojans
- Northside Trojans (1979-1980)
- County Centennials (1979-1980)
Regular Season Champions
- 1975 Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates
- 1976 Sydney Millionaires
- 1977 Sydney Millionaires
- 1978 New Waterford Jets
- 1979 New Waterford Jets
- 1980 Glace Bay Miners
Playoff Champions
- 1975 Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates
- 1976 Sydney Millionaires
- 1977 Sydney Millionaires
- 1978 New Waterford Jets
- 1979 New Waterford Jets
- 1980 Northside Trojans
National Playdowns
- 1976 - Lost Eastern Manitoba Centennial Cup Semi-final
- Charlottetown Colonels (IJHL) defeated Sydney Millionaires 4-games-to-1 in East MCC semi-final
- 1977 - Lost Eastern Manitoba Centennial Cup Semi-final
- Sydney Millionaires defeated Corner Brook Jr. Royals (NJAHL) 4-games-to-none in East MCC quarter-final
- Charlottetown Generals (IJHL) defeated Sydney Millionaires 4-games-to-none in East MCC semi-final
- 1978 - Lost Eastern Manitoba Centennial Cup Quarter-final
- Cole Harbour Colts (MVJHL) defeated New Waterford Jets 4-games-to-none in East MCC quarter-final
- 1979 - Lost Eastern Manitoba Centennial Cup Semi-final
- Halifax Lions (MVJHL) defeated New Waterford Jets 4-games-to-none in East MCC semi-final
- 1980 - Lost Eastern Manitoba Centennial Cup Semi-final
- Cole Harbour Colts (MVJHL) defeated Northside Trojans 4-games-to-none in East MCC semi-final