Quebec Junior Hockey League facts for kids
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| Region(s) | Quebec |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Kevin Figsby |
| Chairman | John Struthers |
| Former name(s) | Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League (1988-1998) Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (1998-2014) |
| Founded | 1988 |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Associated Title(s) | Fred Page Cup (Eastern Championship) Royal Bank Cup (National Championship) Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central Championship) |
| Recent Champions | Princeville Titans (2019) |
| Most successful club | Longueuil Collège Français (8) |
| Headquarters | Longueuil, Quebec |
| Website | LHJAAAQ |
The Ligue de Hockey Junior du Québec (LHJQ), also known as the Quebec Junior Hockey League (QJHL), is a top-level Canadian Junior A ice hockey league. It is part of Hockey Québec and a member of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The team that wins the QJHL playoffs gets to compete for the Fred Page Cup. This cup is played against the winners of the Central Junior A Hockey League and the Maritime Hockey League, plus a host team. The winner of the Fred Page Cup then moves on to compete for the Centennial Cup, which is a national championship.
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History of the League
The Quebec Junior Hockey League started in 1988. It grew from an earlier league called the Quebec Junior A Hockey League, which ran from 1972 to 1982. The QJHL has always been a strong league. In its early years, three teams won the Central Canadian Championship (the Dudley Hewitt Cup). These were the Longueuil Sieurs in 1990, and the Chateauguay Elites in 1993 and 1994.
In 1994–95, teams from the QJHL started competing for the Fred Page Cup. This cup is for the Eastern Canadian region. The Joliette Nationals won the very first Fred Page Cup in 1995. So far, the QJHL has won four Eastern Canadian titles. Other winners include the Joliette Action, Lennoxville Cougars, and St. Jerome Panthers. Even though Quebec teams have played in the national tournament seven times since 1988, none have won the national title yet.
In the 2002–03 season, Champlain College Lennoxville formed a team called the Lennoxville Cougars. They played in the LHJAAAQ. The Cougars were coached by former NHL player Stéphan Lebeau. Their disciplined style of play helped them win the Napa Cup, which is the league championship. They also won the Fred Page Cup that year. At the Royal Bank Cup, the Cougars finished with one win and three losses. They were knocked out after losing in the semi-finals to the Camrose Kodiaks.
During the 2003–04 season, the St-Eustache Gladiateurs were ranked as the 5th best team in Canada. However, they lost the league finals to the Valleyfield Braves. Since Valleyfield was hosting the Fred Page Cup, both teams got to play in the tournament. The Gladiateurs and Braves both had a 2–0 record before playing each other. Valleyfield won that game 4–0. Saint-Eustache then lost to the Nepean Raiders in double-overtime. The Valleyfield Braves lost the championship game to Nepean.
In 2014, the league made some big changes. Richard Morency, who had been president for 12 years, stepped down. The league also changed its name to the Quebec Junior Hockey League. They dropped the "AAA" from their name and introduced a new logo. That summer, the Valleyfield Braves returned to the league. Their owners bought another team, the LaTuque Wolves, and brought the Braves name back. Another long-time team, the Kahnawake Condors, moved to Chambly, Quebec. They became the Chambly Forts. Soon after, the Gatineau Mustangs from another league joined the QJHL as the Gatineau Flames. This was the first Hull-based team since 2001. The Flames later bought the Lachine Maroons team. The league also removed the Sherbrooke Cougars because they were seen as a college team. The Saint-Hyacinthe Laureats also left the league around this time. The league then split into two divisions.
Current 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
The La Coupe NAPA is the championship trophy awarded to the winner of the Quebec Junior Hockey League playoffs each season.
| 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 |
Former Teams in the League
Over the years, many teams have been part of the Quebec Junior Hockey League. Some have moved, changed their names, or stopped playing. Here are some of the teams that used to be members:
- Kahnawake Condors / Chambly Forts - This team moved to Chambly in 2015, but stopped playing before the 2021-2022 season.
- L'Extreme D'Aylmer - This team stopped playing after the 2000–01 season.
- Lachine Maroons - This team moved to Gatineau in 2015 and became part of the Gatineau Flames.
- La Tuque Wolves - This team's rights were used to bring back the Valleyfield Braves.
- Les Husky de Cowansville - This team stopped playing after the 1999–00 season.
- Le National de Joliette - This team stopped playing in January 2000.
- Le Junior Canadiens de Montreal - This team stopped playing after the 1999–00 season.
- Les Dragons de Saint-Hyacinthe - This team stopped playing after the 1999–00 season.
- Les Chevaliers de St-Jean - This team stopped playing after the 2001–02 season.
- Montreal-North Arctic - This team stopped playing after the 2018–19 season. It started in 2002 as the St-Eustache Patriotes.
- Saint-Félicien Multiconcessionnaire - This team stopped playing after the 2008–09 season.
- Saint-Hyacinthe Lauréats - This team left the league in 2015.
- Saint-Lazare Revolution - This team was sold in 2019 and became the West Island Shamrocks.
- Sherbrooke Cougars - This team was removed from the league in 2015.
- Thetford Mines Filons - This team moved and became the La Tuque Wolves.
- Valleyfield Braves (defunct) - This team left the league to join another league called the LNAH.
- Vaudreuil-Dorion Mustangs - This team was sold and moved to Saint-Lazare in 2017.
