Quebec Hockey League

History

The Quebec Hockey League was a minor professional league from 1953-54 through 1958-59.

The Quebec Senior Hockey League (Major) has turned pro in 1953, partly as the result of a dispute between the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The other part was due to the Montreal Canadiens wanting to get Jean Beliveau signed. As long as the Quebec Senior Hockey League (Major) was amateur, Beliveau could play in that league. But when the league turned pro it gave up the rights to Beliveau.

The professional league was not a financial success, unlike the amateur league. But the introduction of television to Canada in 1952 would have killed the league, pro or amateur.

The league also competed for the Edinburgh Trophy from 1954 to 1957. The league champion played against the league champion from the Western Hockey League.

There were only three teams left in the summer of 1959 - Quebec Aces, Montreal Royals, and the Trois-Rivières Lions. The Aces and Royals both tried to get into the American Hockey League (AHL) but the AHL would not accept a team in a city which had a NHL team. This meant only the Aces got in.

The Montreal Canadiens, parent team of the Royals, then helped set up the Eastern Professional Hockey League which took in the Royals and Lions.

Teams

Team	Location	Arena	Tenure	Notes
Shawinigan Falls Cataractes	Shawinigan Falls, Quebec	Shawinigan Municipal Auditorium	1953	Withdrew prior to start of season due to feeling team wasn't competitive
Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QHL)	Chicoutimi, Quebec	Colisee de Chicoutimi	1953-1959	folded
Montreal Royals	Montreal, Quebec	Montreal Forum	1953-1959	joined Eastern Professional Hockey League (1959-1963)
Ottawa Senators (senior)	Ottawa, Ontario	Ottawa Auditorium	1953-1955	folded
Quebec Aces	Quebec City, Quebec	Colisee de Quebec	1953-1959	joined American Hockey League
Sherbrooke Saints	Sherbrooke, Quebec	Sherbrooke Arena	1953-1954	folded
Springfield Indians	West Springfield, Massachusetts	Eastern States Coliseum	1953-1544	rejoin American Hockey League
Valleyfield Braves	Valleyfield, Quebec	Arena Salaberry	1953-1955	folded
Shawinigan Falls Cataractes	Shawinigan Falls, Quebec	Shawinigan Municipal Auditorium	1954-1958	folded
Trois-Rivières Lions	Trois Rivieres, Quebec	Colisée de Trois-Rivières	1955-1959	joined Eastern Professional Hockey League (1959-1963)
Ottawa Jr Canadiens	Ottawa, Ontario games played in Verdun, Quebec	Verdun Auditorium	1956-1957	junior team played limited schedule

Regular Season Champions

• 1953-54 Chicoutimi Saguenéens
• 1954-55 Shawinigan Falls Cataractes
• 1955-56 Shawinigan Falls Cataractes
• 1956-57 Quebec Aces
• 1957-58 Chicoutimi Saguenéens
• 1958-59 Montreal Royals

Playoff Champions

• 1953-54 Quebec Aces
• 1954-55 Shawinigan Falls Cataractes
• 1955-56 Montreal Royals
• 1956-57 Quebec Aces
• 1957-58 Shawinigan Falls Cataractes
• 1958-59 Montreal Royals

Seasons

• 1953-54 QHL Season
• 1954-55 QHL Season
• 1955-56 QHL Season
• 1956-57 QHL Season
• 1957-58 QHL Season
• 1958-59 QHL Season

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