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.
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.
Year | Champion | Runner-up | Series | |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 |