Quebec Junior Hockey League Explained

Quebec Junior Hockey League
Pixels:225
Region:Quebec
Leader Title:Commissioner
Leader Name:Kevin Figsby
Leader Title2:Chairman
Leader Name2:John Struthers
Former Names:Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League (1988-1998)
Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (1998-2014)
Founded:1988
Teams:13
Champions:Princeville Titans
Season:2019
Most Successful Club:Longueuil Collège Français (8)
Assc Champ:Fred Page Cup (Eastern Championship)
Royal Bank Cup (National Championship)
Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central Championship)[1]
Headquarters:Longueuil, Quebec
Website:LHJAAAQ

The Ligue de Hockey Junior du Québec (LHJQ) or Quebec Junior Hockey League (QJHL) is a Hockey Québec Canadian Junior A ice hockey league and is a member of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The winner of the QJHL playoffs competes for the Fred Page Cup against the winners of the Central Junior A Hockey League and the Maritime Hockey League and the host team, which is on a three-year cycle between the MHL, CJHL and LHJQ. The winner of the Fred Page Cup then moves on to compete for the Centennial Cup.

History

The Quebec Junior Hockey League is an offshoot of the Quebec Junior A Hockey League that lasted from 1972 to 1982. Founded in 1988, the QJHL has been a rather strong league, with three Central Canadian Champions (Dudley Hewitt Cup) in its early years: the Longueuil Sieurs in 1990 and the Chateauguay Elites in 1993 and 1994. In 1994–95 they were grouped into the Eastern Canadian region to compete for the Fred Page Cup. The Joliette Nationals won the first Fred Page Cup in 1995. To this day, the QJHL has four Eastern Canadian titles, the others going to the Joliette Action, Lennoxville Cougars, and St. Jerome Panthers. No Quebec team has ever won the national title despite attending the tournament seven times since 1988.

In 2002–03, Champlain College Lennoxville got a team to play in the LHJAAAQ - Lennoxville Cougars, based on the campus of College Champlain and Bishop's University. The Cougars, who were coached by former NHLer Stéphan Lebeau formed a discipline style of hockey. The method paid off, and Lennoxville captured the Napa Cup as league champions and won the Fred Page Cup. Lennoxville finished the Royal Bank Cup 1–3, the Cougars exited the tournament with semi-finals loss to the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL.

In 2003–04, the CJAHL and the LHJAAAQ saw the St-Eustache Gladiateurs ranked #5 overall in Canada. However, the Gladiateurs lost the finals to the Valleyfield Braves. Because Valleyfield was hosting the Fred Page Cup, the Gladiateurs got a berth in the tournament. Saint-Eustache and Valleyfield each held a 2–0 tournament record going into the all-LHJAAAQ match-up that would decide the winner and who gets a bye to the championship finals. Valleyfield won the game 4–0, and Saint-Eustache then lost to the Nepean Raiders 3–2 in double-overtime. The Valleyfield Braves lost the championship game 4–0 to Nepean.

In 2014, 12-year president Richard Morency announced his resignation, but staying on until the transition to the new leadership. The league also announced that it was re-branding itself the Quebec Junior Hockey League (dropping the "AAA" designation) and introduced the corresponding new league logo. The summer also saw the return of the Valleyfield Braves to the League. Owners of the team purchased the LaTuque Wolves, regained rights to the Braves name and logo and brought the team back to the Aréna Salaberry. Another long-time QJHL member, Kahnawake Condors, who were established in 1999 moved to Chambly, Quebec, to be re-branded as the Chambly Forts. Shortly after that move, the Gatineau Mustangs of the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League made the jump to the league as the Gatineau Flames, becoming the first Hull-based team since the Aylmer Extreme that had lasted one season in 2000–01. Several weeks after announcing the Gatineau Flames as a member, the Flames purchased the Lachine Maroons and absorbed the franchise rights. The league expelled the Sherbrooke Cougars because the league considered them as a college team and had ties to Bishop's University. The Saint-Hyacinthe Laureats withdrew from the league, possibly in conjunction with the Cougars. The league split into two divisions.

Teams

Team Centre
Cégep Beauce-Appalaches Condors Saint-Georges
Côte-du-Sud Everest Montmagny
Gatineau Flames Buckingham (Gatineau)
L'Indigo de Granby Granby
Joliette Predateurs Joliette
Laval VC Laval
Longueuil Collège Français Longueuil
Montreal-Est Rangers Montreal-Est
Montreal Phoenix Pierrefonds
Princeville Titans Princeville
St-Jérôme Panthers Saint-Jérôme
Terrebonne Cobras Terrebonne
Valleyfield Braves Salaberry-de-Valleyfield

La Coupe NAPA playoff champions

YearChampionRunner-upSeries
1989 Longueuil Collège Français
1990 Longueuil Collège Français
1991 Montreal Olympics
1992 Joliette Nationals
1993 Châteauguay Élites
1994 Châteauguay Élites
1995 Joliette Nationals
1996 Contrecoeur Éperviers
1997 Longueuil Collège Français
1998 Coaticook Frontaliers
1999 Valleyfield Braves Contrecoeur Blackhawks 4-3
2000 Coaticook Frontaliers
2001 St-Jérôme Panthers
2002 Valleyfield Braves Longueuil Collège Français 4-3
2003 Lennoxville Cougars Longueuil Collège Français 4-0
2004 Valleyfield Braves St-Eustache Gladiateurs 4-1
2005 Vaudreuil Mustangs St-Jérôme Panthers 4-1
2006 Joliette Action College Lafleche Titans 4-2
2007 Joliette Action Longueuil Collège Français 4-0
2008 Sherbrooke Cougars Joliette Action 4-2
2009 Sherbrooke Cougars Princeville Titans 4-0
2010 Terrebonne Cobras Longueuil Collège Français 4-1
2011 Longueuil Collège Français Valleyfield Braves 4-1
2012 Princeville Titans St-Jérôme Panthers 4-1
2013 Longueuil Collège Français Lachine Maroons 4-0
2014 Granby Inouk Sherbrooke Cougars 4-3
2015 Longueuil Collège Français Sherbrooke Cougars 4-3
2016 Longueuil Collège Français Granby Inouk 4-0
2017 Terrebonne Cobras Longueuil Collège Français 4-1
2018 Longueuil Collège Français Terrebonne Cobras 4-1
2019 Princeville Titans Terrebonne Cobras 4-1
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 Longueuil Collège Français Beauce-Appalaches Cegep Condors 4-1
2023 Terrebonne Cobras Beauce-Appalaches Cegep Condors 4-3

Former member teams

Timeline of teams in the QJHL

External links

Notes and References

  1. The QJAAAHL no longer competes in the Central Zone of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. They now compete for the Fred Page Cup in the Eastern Zone.