From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Central Junior A Hockey League (CJHL) is a
Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league
operating in eastern Ontario, Canada[2].
The league is sanctioned by the Ottawa District Hockey
Association and Hockey Canada and are members of the Canadian Junior Hockey
League. The winner of the CJHL playoffs competes for the Fred Page Cup with
the winners of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey
League and the Maritime Junior A Hockey
League.[3]
The winner of the Fred Page Cup then moves on to compete for the Royal Bank
Cup.[3]
- Ottawa-Hull & District Junior Hockey
League 1961 - 1964
- Central Junior "A" Hockey League 1964 to
Present
History
The league started in 1961 as the "Ottawa-Hull District Junior
Hockey League", under the sponsorship of the Montreal
Canadiens of the National Hockey League, in hope
of a better development program.[2]
The league has featured such NHL stars as Steve Yzerman and Larry Robinson,
for which its two divisions are named. As this league was for the
Ottawa District, teams out of the area were not allowed to compete,
with one exemption - Pembroke. In the early years, any
player in the league was automatically a member of the Montreal
Canadiens, and were forced into a contract which would disallow
them to sign with any other National Hockey League team if they
were ever to achieve such greatness. The Canadiens also wanted the
league to be strictly for development, allowing 4 19-year-olds and
5 18-year-olds per team with the rest of the players being 17 or
younger. This was met with much anger and disappointment with
players who had just reached their 20's, but the league
substantially gained in popularity, and they were ignored.[2]
A remarkable alumnus of the league is 4-time Stanley Cup Champion Billy Smith of New York
Islanders fame, a former member of the Smiths Falls
Bears. In 1963, the Montreal Canadiens allowed the Chicago
Blackhawks-sponsored Brockville Braves into the
league.
In the late 1960s, the Cornwall Royals applied to enter into
what is now the Ontario Hockey League, when they
were turned away, they applied to join the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League and were accepted. In 1973, the Hull
Hawks, also departed for the QMJHL. In 1975, the Canadian
Hockey Association informed the league that they had to allow
20-year-olds into their league, as all other leagues of their
calibre already were doing.[2]
In February 1966, players from the Hawkesbury Braves went on
strike over coaching issues. The Braves brought in replacement
players from midget and Jr. B leagues for a game against the Cornwall
Royals. The Braves went on to win 43-0. It still stands as the
highest margin of victory in the league to date.
In 1976, Bryan Murray, now head coach
of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, took over as head
coach of the Rockland Nationals. With Murray at
the wheel, the Nationals won the leagues, the region, and then went
on to win the National Championship as Centennial Cup Champions. The financial
cost of the playoff run was too much for the team's backers to
handle, and, declaring bankruptcy, the team played their last game
winning the Canadian National Championship.[2]
The Nationals have resurrected since then as a member of the Eastern Ontario
Junior C Hockey League.[4]
After the ruling that allowed 20-year-olds to play in the
league, teams began attempting to "buy" championship teams by going
after former Major Junior players. The effect of this resulted in
the labeling of the league as a "goon league" or "bush
league" as the league got more violent. The fan base dwindled,
and by 1984 there were only 5 teams left in the league, all on the
verge of bankruptcy.[2]
The owners of the five teams approached the owners of Ottawa's
Talisman Hotel and asked them to purchase the league. Through new
management and rule changes, the league barred 20-year-olds from
the Major Junior ranks, created a limit of 5 20-year-olds
(homegrown from the CJHL), and banned the paying of players. The
new rules worked, and the league was once again successful.[2]
The league then approached the Canadian Hockey Association, and
requested a new system. After the fall of the Rockland Nationals,
the league realized there was a revenue problem amongst its teams.
The league demanded longer regular seasons and a shorter National
playdown schedule to determine the National Champion. This new
system was guaranteed to increase revenue amongst all teams
nation-wide as they were allowed to have more home games,
increasing revenue through ticket sales, and decreased the travel
expenditures that forced the Rockland Nationals to fold when they
won the National Championship.[2]
The league began flourishing, and by the early 90's, had
expanded over 2-fold. Teams that had folded during the "dark days"
of the late 70's and early 80's came back. The league even allowed
for the expansion of their first American hockey team, the Massena
Americans. Also, now a member of the OHL, the Cornwall Royals
moved from Cornwall. In response, the CJHL allowed the Messena
Americans to move to Cornwall, hoping the Cornwall Colts
could help the city fill its competitive hockey "void".[2]
The Gloucester Rangers hosted the last
Centennial Cup tournament in 1995 before it was transformed into
the Royal Bank Cup. The Rangers boosted NHL stars like Mathieu
Dandeneault and Robert
Esche. The Gloucester Rangers were seconds away from defeating
the Calgary
Canucks in the final, until the Canucks scored a last-minute
goal and won it all in overtime, to continue the drought of a CJHL
team winning the National Junior "A" Championship.
In 2004-05, the Central Junior Hockey League saw higher
attendance figures in all arenas with the NHL
lockout. All teams in the CJHL had doubled their
attendance.
In April 2007, it was announced that the Kemptville
73's were joining the CJHL as its 11th member team. The 73's
formerly played in the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League.
The Cornwall Colts became the 4th team in CJHL history to play
host to a Centennial/Royal Bank Cup tournament in 2008. The Colts
managed to qualify for the semi-finals, but were ousted 7-1 by the
Humboldt
Broncos. Since 1995, no other CJHL teams qualifty for the Royal
Bank Cup finals, as seven different teams came short since
1997.
In 2009, the Carleton Place Canadians, another former EOJBHL
team, was announced as the league's 12th franchise. They will begin
play during the 2009-10 season.
The Teams
Record is broken down by Win-Loss-Overtime Loss-Shootout
Loss.
2007-08 Team Locations in Greater Ottawa Region
(x-) denotes berth into playoffs, (y-) denotes elimination
from playoffs, (z-) clinched division.
The league has re-aligned the two divisions with the addition of
Carleton Place. [5]
2008-09 Bogart Cup
Playoffs
- For the Eastern Canada Championship, please go to the
Fred Page
Cup.
- For the National Championship, please go to the 2009 Royal
Bank Cup.
Bogart Cup
Champions
Please note: In chart, league champions are bolded.
Regional
Championships
Former
Member Teams
- Arnprior
Packers, became members of the Eastern Ontario Jr. B Hockey
League
- Cornwall
Royals, became members of the QMJHL in 1972
- Eastview Astros, franchise lasted only one season in the
1960's
- Gatineau Actionaires
- Hull
Hawks, became members of the QMJHL in 1972
- Rockland Nationals, folded due to
bankruptcy in 1977
- Thurso Lions
League
records
- Best record: 1972-73 Pembroke Lumber Kings
(47-4-4)
- Worst record: 1987-88 Smiths Falls Bears
(4-52-0)
- Largest margin of victory: Cornwall Royals 43 -
Hawkesbury Braves 0 in February 1966
- Most goals, one season: Luc Chabot (101) -- 1985-86
Pembroke Lumber Kings
- Most assists, one season: Peter White (136) -- 1987-88
Pembroke Lumber Kings
- Most points, one season: Peter White (226) -- 1987-88
Pembroke Lumber Kings
- Most penalty minutes, one season: Frank Manson (416) --
1992-93 Ottawa Senators
- Most goals, career: Luc Chabot (255) -- Pembroke Lumber
Kings
- Most assists, career: George Dupont (332) -- Nepean
Raiders/Pembroke Lumber Kings
- Most points, career: Luc Chabot (490) -- Pembroke
Lumber Kings
- Most penalty minutes, career: Travis Albers (942) --
Nepean/Cornwall/Kanata/Brockville
- Most minutes played, one season: Christian Soucy (3109)
-- 1990-91 Pembroke Lumber Kings
- Most wins, one season: Grant Robb (36) -- 1987-88
Pembroke Lumber Kings
- Lowest goals against average, one season: Ian Dams
(2.24) -- 2004-05 Nepean Raiders
- Highest save percentage, one season: Jean-Pascal
Lemelin (0.929) -- 1990-91 Hawkesbury Hawks
- Most shutouts, one season: Mitch O'Keefe (6) -- 2003-04
Gloucester Rangers
- Most minutes played, career: Mark Byrne (11,143) --
Nepean Raiders
- Most wins, career: Grant Robb (87) -- Pembroke Lumber
Kings
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