Quebec Junior Hockey League

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.

Quebec Junior Hockey League
Region(s)Quebec
CommissionerKevin Figsby
ChairmanJohn Struthers
Former name(s)Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League (1988-1998)
Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (1998-2014)
Founded1988
No. of teams12
Associated Title(s)Fred Page Cup (Eastern Championship)
Royal Bank Cup (National Championship)
Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central Championship)[1]
Recent ChampionsPrinceville Titans (2019)
Most successful clubLongueuil Collège Français (8)
HeadquartersLongueuil, Quebec
WebsiteLHJAAAQ

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.

Quebec Junior "AAA" Logo until 2014.

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

TeamCentre
Cégep Beauce-Appalaches CondorsSaint-Georges
Côte-du-Sud EverestMontmagny
Gatineau FlamesBuckingham (Gatineau)
Granby InoukGranby
Joliette PredateursJoliette
Laval VCLaval
Longueuil Collège FrançaisLongueuil
Montreal-Est RangersMontreal-Est
Princeville TitansPrinceville
St-Jérôme PanthersSaint-Jérôme
Terrebonne CobrasTerrebonne
Valleyfield BravesSalaberry-de-Valleyfield
West Island ShamrocksPierrefonds

La Coupe NAPA playoff champions

Year Champion Runner-up Series
1989Longueuil Collège Français
1990Longueuil Collège Français
1991Montreal Olympics
1992Joliette Nationals
1993Châteauguay Élites
1994Châteauguay Élites
1995Joliette Nationals
1996Contrecoeur Éperviers
1997Longueuil Collège Français
1998Coaticook Frontaliers
1999Valleyfield BravesContrecoeur Blackhawks4-3
2000Coaticook Frontaliers
2001St-Jérôme Panthers
2002Valleyfield BravesLongueuil Collège Français4-3
2003Lennoxville CougarsLongueuil Collège Français4-0
2004Valleyfield BravesSt-Eustache Gladiateurs4-1
2005Vaudreuil MustangsSt-Jérôme Panthers4-1
2006Joliette ActionCollege Lafleche Titans4-2
2007Joliette ActionLongueuil Collège Français4-0
2008Sherbrooke CougarsJoliette Action4-2
2009Sherbrooke CougarsPrinceville Titans4-0
2010Terrebonne CobrasLongueuil Collège Français4-1
2011Longueuil Collège FrançaisValleyfield Braves4-1
2012Princeville TitansSt-Jérôme Panthers4-1
2013Longueuil Collège FrançaisLachine Maroons4-0
2014Granby InoukSherbrooke Cougars4-3
2015Longueuil Collège FrançaisSherbrooke Cougars4-3
2016Longueuil Collège FrançaisGranby Inouk4-0
2017Terrebonne CobrasLongueuil Collège Français4-1
2018Longueuil Collège FrançaisTerrebonne Cobras4-1
2019Princeville TitansTerrebonne Cobras4-1
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2022Longueuil Collège FrançaisBeauce-Appalaches Cegep Condors4-1
2023Terrebonne CobrasBeauce-Appalaches Cegep Condors4-3

Former member teams

Timeline of teams in the QJHL

  • 1988 - Black Lake Miners play in 1988 Centennial Cup playdowns as Quebec's only Jr. A team
  • 1988 - Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League is officially founded
  • 1990 - St. Antoine Rapidos join league
  • 1990 - Laval-Bourassa Cobras join league
  • 1991 - St. Antoine Rapidos become Louiseville Jaguars
  • 1991 - Laval-Bourassa Cobras become Montreal-Nord Cobras
  • 1991 - Ste-Marie Beaucerons join league
  • 1992 - Ste-Marie Beaucerons become Loretteville Riverains
  • 1992 - Louisville Jaguars become Saint-Jerome Panthers
  • 1994 - Coaticook Frontaliers join league
  • 1994 - Valleyfield Elites join league
  • 1995 - Lachine Maroons join league
  • 1996 - Warwick Titans join league
  • 1998 - Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League becomes Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League
  • 1998 - Joliette National cease operations in January 1998
  • 1998 - Valleyfield Elites become Valleyfield Braves
  • 1999 - Kahnawake Condors join league
  • 2000 - Montreal Junior Canadiens fold
  • 2000 - Aylmer Extreme join league and fold after the 2000–01 season
  • 2000 - Cowansville Husky fold
  • 2000 - Saint-Hyacinthe Dragons fold
  • 2002 - Saint-Eustache Gladiateurs join league
  • 2002 - Lennoxville Cougars join league
  • 2003 - Lennoxville Cougars become College Champlain Cougars
  • 2002 - Warwick Titans become College Lefleche Titans
  • 2002 - St-Jean Chevaliers fold
  • 2003 - l’Ile Perrot Mustangs join league
  • 2003 - La Plaine Cobras become Terrebonne Cobras
  • 2004 - St-Lawrence of Quebec Lions join league
  • 2004 - l’Ile Perrot Mustangs become Vaudreuil Mustangs
  • 2005 - Coaticook Frontaliers become Granby Inouk
  • 2006 - Saint-Eustache Gladiateurs become Saint-Eastache Patriotes
  • 2005 - Joliette Action join league
  • 2007 - St-Lawrence of Quebec Lions become Quebec AssurSports
  • 2007 - College Champlain Cougars become Sherbrooke Cougars
  • 2008 - Saint-Eustache Patriotes become Sainte-Therese Nordiques
  • 2008 - Quebec AssurExperts move and become Thetford Mines Filons
  • 2008 - Sainte-Agathe Montagnards join league
  • 2008 - College Lefleche Titans become Princeville Titans
  • 2008 - Saint-Felicien Multiconcessionnaire fold after three seasons
  • 2009 - Sainte-Therese Nordiques become Rousseau-Sports Junior AAA Laval
  • 2009 - Joliette Action become Joliette Traffic
  • 2010 - Thetford Mines Filons become La Tuque Wolves
  • 2010 - Rousseau-Sports Junior AAA Laval become Laval Arctic
  • 2011 - Joliette Traffic become Montreal-Est Rangers
  • 2011 - Laval Arctic become St. Leonard Arctic
  • 2013 - Valleyfield Braves dissolve franchise to seek membership with the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey (LNAH)
  • 2014 - La Toque Wolves relocate to Valleyfield and become the Valleyfield Braves. The ownership reclaims the rights to the Braves name and logo
  • 2014 - League shortens name to Quebec Junior Hockey League
  • 2015 - Kahnawake Condors relocate to Chambly and become Chambly Forts
  • 2015 - Gatineau Flames purchase Lachine Maroons franchise and join league from Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League
  • 2015 - Sherbrooke Cougars expelled from league
  • 2015 - Saint-Hyacinthe Lauréats withdraw from league
  • 2016 - League returns to the full name of Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League
  • 2017 - Vaudreuil-Dorion Mustangs sold and relocated to St-Lazare Revolution.
  • 2017 - Ste-Agathe Montagnards are sold and relocated to St-Gabriel-de-Brandon
  • 2017 - Côte-du-Sud Everest join league and began play in 2018–19
  • 2018 - St-Léonard Arctic relocates to Montreal-North
  • 2018 - St-Lazare Revolution relocated to Pierrefonds, renamed Lac-St-Louis Revolution
  • 2019 - Lac-St-Louis Revolution renamed as West Island Shamrocks
  • 2019 - Franchise awarded to Cegep de Beauce-Appalaches Condors. The team was set to begin during the 2020-2021 season, but the debut was pushed back to 2021-2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • 2021 - Chambly Forts fold

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.
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