Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
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Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Head Office	North Bay, Ontario
Official Web site	NOJHL
Temporary Chairman	Hector Seguin
COO	Hector Seguin
Founded	1978
Regional Champions	3
National Champions	0
2007-08 Champion	Sudbury Jr. Wolves

The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Tier II Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, the Northern Ontario Hockey Association, and Hockey Canada. The North Bay Skyhawks also compete in inter-league games with the Central Junior A Hockey League. The winner of the NOJHL playoffs competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup with the winners of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Superior International Junior Hockey League. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup then moves on to compete for the Royal Bank Cup.

The Modern NOJHL

The current incarnation of the NOJHL is comprised of six Ontario teams, one Quebec team and one American team. With teams in North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Michigan, Blind River, Iroquois Falls, and Manitoulin Island, and Temiscaming, Quebec the league is spread across the southern region of Northeastern Ontario and corresponding sections of Quebec and Michigan.

The story of the current NOJHL began in 1972. The NOJHL was not on stable footing and was competing as a Junior "A" league. In Southern Ontario, the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League was looking to expand North. The league's two top teams, the Sudbury Wolves and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, accepted an invitation from the OMJHL to compete in the high octane league. The next best team, the North Bay Trappers chose not to stick around either and jumped to the Ontario Hockey Association's new Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. With the top tier of talent sheered off, the only remaining team in the league was the Chelmsford Canadiens. A season before, the Espanola Screaming Eagles had been a member of the league, but opted to drop to the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League in 1971 -- the Canadiens joined them in 1972.

The NOHA Jr. B Hockey League came into prominence in the late 1960s. In 1970, the Capreol Hawks joined and won a championship in their first year. In 1971, Espanola jumped on board, followed by Chelmsford in 1972. In 1973, the Canadiens moved to Rayside-Balfour and became the Canadians. The Onaping Falls Huskies joined in 1974, and the Nickel Centre Native Sons joined in 1976.

In 1978, the top teams of the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League created the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and were promoted to Tier II Junior "A". With the five former Jr. "B" clubs and the Sudbury Cubs, the league was back in action. In 1981, the Elliot Lake Vikings jumped into the fold. In 1983, the Onaping Falls Huskies dropped out despite winning three league titles in the past four seasons. After a one season hiatus, they came back for two more years and then folded for good. In 1986, Rayside-Balfour went on hiatus and Capreol folded, dropping the league down to four teams. The Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, also down to four teams, operated with the NOJHL as essentially two divisions of the same league. With an interlocking schedule, the NOJHL survived the 1986-87 season, the OPJHL did not and folded after the season concluded. Also, after 8 years of trying and failing, an NOJHL champion defeated an OPJHL champion for the Ontario Hockey Association championship. The Nickel Centre Power Trains defeated the Owen Sound Greys 4-games-to-2 for the right to compete for the Dudley Hewitt Cup -- the Central Canadian Junior "A" Championship. The next year, the Canadians were back and a new team known as the Thessalon Flyers entered the league. In 1988, the Haileybury 54's joined the league and in 1989 so did the Rouyn-Noranda Capitales. Thessalon folded in 1990, Haileybury moved to Powassan in 1991 and the Timmins Golden Bears joined as well. A season later, Sudbury became Nickel Centre and then later folded. In 1994, Powassan moved to Sturgeon Falls and the Parry Sound Shamrocks joined the league. In 1996, Rouyn-Noranda folded to make way for a new Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team that was moving to their town. In 1999, Timmins moved to Iroquois Falls, Elliot Lake moved to Nickel Centre, and the Soo Thunderbirds were founded. Also in 1999, Parry Sound moved to a new OPJHL (founded in 1993). A year later, Nickel Centre moved to Blind River and the Sudbury Jr. Wolves were founded. In 2002, Sturgeon Falls moved to North Bay. A season after that, a team from Manitoulin joined and Espanola jumped over to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Finally, in 2005, the league's most dominant team in history and the last remaining shred of the original NOJHL, Rayside-Balfour, folded. They did not go without leaving their mark. From 1996 until 2002, the team won 7 straight NOJHL Championships, three Dudley Hewitt Cups, and once came within one win of winning the Royal Bank Cup as national champions.

There were six teams in the NOJHL as of 2007. The 2006-07 league champions, the Soo Indians, took a year off in an attempt to sell. A year later they came back as the Soo Eagles. Also, in the summer of 2008 the Temiscaming Royals jumped from the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League to the NOJHL to expand the league to eight teams. Temsicaming is the second Quebecois team in NOJHL history, after the Rouyn-Noranda Capitales who were in the league from 1989 to 1996.

The Teams

2008-09 Team Locations in Northeastern Ontario

2008-09 McNamara Trophy Playoffs

For the next round of the playoffs, please go to the Dudley Hewitt Cup.

For the National Championship, please go to the 2009 Royal Bank Cup.

Copeland-McNamara Trophy Champions

Copeland-McNamara Trophy

Former Member Teams

• Capreol Hawks
• Garson Falconbridge Native Sons
• Nickel Centre Native Sons
• Onaping Falls Huskies
• Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats
• Rouyn-Noranda Capitales
• Soo Michigan Realtors
• Thessalon Flyers

Moved On

• North Bay Trappers
• Parry Sound Shamrocks
• Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
• Sudbury Wolves

League records

Season Records

• Most Points, One Season:

196 - Denis Castonguay, Rayside Balfour, 1983-84

• Most Goals, One Season:

97 - Denis Castonguay, Rayside Balfour, 1983-84

• Most Assists, One Season:

106 - John Stos, Rayside Balfour, 1991-92

• Most Penalty Minutes, One Season:

384 - Andy Hodgins, Espanola, 1991-92

• Largest margin of victory:

Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats 30 - Elliot Lake Vikings 3 on January 28, 1992

See also

• Northern Ontario Hockey Association
• Ontario Hockey Federation
• Canadian Junior A Hockey League
• Hockey Canada
• Elliot Lake Vikings

External links

• NOJHL's Official Website