Eastern Professional Hockey League

The Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league which operated primarily in Ontario and Quebec from 1959 to 1963.

It had its roots in the Quebec Hockey League which was down to three teams in 1959, The Quebec Aces transferred to the American Hockey League (AHL) but the AHL turned down the Montreal Royals because they did not want a team in a National Hockey League (NHL) city.

The Montreal Canadiens, the Royals' parent team, then starting putting together a new league. They had the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens from their junior team (Ottawa-Hull Canadiens). The other NHL teams (except for the Toronto Maple Leafs) were brought in to form the first minor pro league completely owned by the NHL. The NHL had established working relationships with teams in leagues such as the AHL and WHL, but these leagues were not fully under the control of the NHL.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were never fully involved because they felt that the league infringed on their territory.

The Boston Bruins brought in the Kingston Frontenacs. The New York Rangers agreed to sponsor the Trois-Rivières Lions, The Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds were owned by the Chicago Blackhawks. The Detroit Red Wings came in with the Sudbury Wolves.

Teams from Sudbury, Kingston, and Sault Ste. Marie had participated in the 1958-59 OHA Senior Season.

The league was a success on the ice but never did well financially. Most of the cities were too small to support professional hockey. The arenas were old, small, and sub-standard. Junior hockey and NHL hockey on television were strong competitors for the fans' dollars.

During its final season the league. down to four teams, played an interlocking schedule with the International Hockey League.

Following the demise of the EPHL, the NHL created the new Central Hockey League of minor-pro farm teams in larger, midwestern U.S. cities. The EPHL teams were basically transferred to this new league.

Teams

Team name	City	Arena	Years	Comments
Hull-Ottawa Canadiens	Ottawa, Ontario & Hull, Quebec	Ottawa Auditorium & Hull Arena	1959-1963	farm affiliation becomes Omaha Knights
Kingston Frontenacs	Kingston, Ontario	Kingston Memorial Centre	1959-1963	farm affiliation becomes Minneapolis Bruins
Montreal Royals	Montreal, Quebec	Montreal Forum	1959-1961	folded (Montreal Canadiens has two teams in league)
Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario	Sault Memorial Gardens	1959-1962	relocated to Syracuse renamed Syracuse Braves
Sudbury Wolves	Sudbury, Ontario	Sudbury Community Arena	1959-1963	farm affiliation becomes Indianapolis Capitals
Trois-Rivières Lions	Trois Rivieres, Quebec	Colisée de Trois-Rivières	1959-1960	relocated to Kitchener; renamed Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen
Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen	Kitchener-Waterloo	Kitchener Memorial Auditorium	1960-1961	renamed Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers
Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers	Kitchener-Waterloo	Kitchener Memorial Auditorium	1961-1962	folded
North Bay Trappers	North Bay, Ontario	North Bay Memorial Gardens	1961-1962	folded
Syracuse Braves	Syracuse, New York	Onondaga County War Memorial	1962-1963	relocated to St. Louis January 1, 1963 renamed St. Louis Braves
St. Louis Braves	St. Louis, Missouri	St. Louis Arena	1963-1963	join Central Professional Hockey League

Regular Season Champions

• 1959-60 Sudbury Wolves
• 1960-61 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens
• 1961-62 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens
• 1962-63 Kingston Frontenacs

Playoff Champions

• 1959-60 Montreal Royals
• 1960-61 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens
• 1961-62 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens
• 1962-63 Kingston Frontenacs

List of Seasons

• 1959-60 EPHL Season
• 1960-61 EPHL Season
• 1961-62 EPHL Season
• 1962-63 EPHL Season

Award Winners

• EPHL Gentlemanly Player
• EPHL Leading Scorer
• EPHL Most Valuable Player
• EPHL Top Defenceman
• EPHL Top Goaltender
• EPHL Top Rookie
• EPHL All-Star Teams

This article is part of the North American Minor Professional leagues portal