International Junior B Hockey League
Encyclopedia
The International Junior B Hockey League (IJBHL) was a Canadian
Junior ice hockey
league in the Northern Ontario
and Northern Michigan
regions. The league was controlled by the Northern Ontario Hockey Association
and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
and was founded in 1965 and lasted until the early to mid-1980s.
. The league encompassed the Greater-Sault Ste. Marie region to the West near Schrieber plus the edge of Northern Michigan.
The league became very significant after the NOJHA folded in 1972 and competed against the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League and the Northwestern Ontario Junior Hockey League for Northern Ontario hockey supremacy.
In 1972, the Memorial Cup
-eligible NOJHA folded. The league's top two teams, the Sudbury Wolves
and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
, moved to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League and the North Bay Trappers
moved to the newly formed Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
. This left the Chelmsford Canadiens
and dozens of junior-capable players without a league. This caused the expansion of the infantile NOHA Jr. B Hockey League who took the IJBHL to task in their first three years to win three straight NOHA titles from the IJBHL. In 1973, the Coniston Cubs defeated the Soo Indians, in 1974 the Rayside Balfour Canadians
defeated the Wawa Travellers
, and in 1975 the Onaping Falls Flyers
defeated the Blind River Beavers.
In 1978, the NOHA Junior B Hockey League was promoted to Junior A and became the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Junior ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
league in the Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
and Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
regions. The league was controlled by the Northern Ontario Hockey Association
Northern Ontario Hockey Association
The Northern Ontario Hockey Association is minor and junior level ice hockey governing body. The NOHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The major league run by the NOHA is the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League...
and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....
and was founded in 1965 and lasted until the early to mid-1980s.
History
The International Junior B Hockey League was created in 1965 to fill the gap in the region between the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association and the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey LeagueThunder Bay Junior A Hockey League
The Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league that existed from circa 1920 to 1980. The TBJHL operated in Northwestern Ontario, primarily in the Thunder Bay region....
. The league encompassed the Greater-Sault Ste. Marie region to the West near Schrieber plus the edge of Northern Michigan.
The league became very significant after the NOJHA folded in 1972 and competed against the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League and the Northwestern Ontario Junior Hockey League for Northern Ontario hockey supremacy.
In 1972, the Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
-eligible NOJHA folded. The league's top two teams, the Sudbury Wolves
Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves are the name of the ice hockey team from Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the "Wolves" nearly every year since World War I. The Sudbury Wolves, the senior men's AAA team, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World...
and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey...
, moved to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League and the North Bay Trappers
North Bay Trappers
The North Bay Trappers were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from North Bay, Ontario, Canada. This defunct hockey team was a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association and later the OHA Jr...
moved to the newly formed Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The league dates back to 1954 as the Central Junior B Hockey League. In 1993, the Central Junior B Hockey League was promoted to the...
. This left the Chelmsford Canadiens
Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats
The Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Rayside-Balfour, Ontario, Canada. This defunct hockey team was a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
and dozens of junior-capable players without a league. This caused the expansion of the infantile NOHA Jr. B Hockey League who took the IJBHL to task in their first three years to win three straight NOHA titles from the IJBHL. In 1973, the Coniston Cubs defeated the Soo Indians, in 1974 the Rayside Balfour Canadians
Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats
The Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Rayside-Balfour, Ontario, Canada. This defunct hockey team was a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
defeated the Wawa Travellers
Wawa Travellers
The Wawa Travellers were a Junior "B" team based out of Wawa, Ontario. They played out of the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League.-History:...
, and in 1975 the Onaping Falls Flyers
Onaping Falls Huskies
The Onaping Falls Huskies were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Onaping Falls, Ontario, Canada. This defunct hockey team was a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:Founded in 1974 as a member of the NOHA Jr. B league...
defeated the Blind River Beavers.
In 1978, the NOHA Junior B Hockey League was promoted to Junior A and became the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, the Northern Ontario Hockey Association, and Hockey Canada. The winner of the NOJHL playoffs competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup with the winners of the Ontario...
.
Teams
| Team | Centre | Championships | |||
| Blind River Beavers | Blind River, ON Blind River, Ontario Population trend:* Population in 2006: 3780* Population in 2001: 3969* Population in 1996: 3152 * Population in 1991: 3355-Economy:Its main businesses are tourism, fishing, logging, and uranium refining.... |
1975 | |||
| Chapleau Huskies | Chapleau, ON Chapleau, Ontario Chapleau is a township in Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada. It is home to one of the world's largest wildlife preserves. Chapleau has a population of 2,354 according to the Canada 2006 Census.... |
1967 | |||
| Elliot Lake Vikings Elliot Lake Vikings The Elliot Lake Vikings was a Canadian Junior ice hockey team that originally began playing in the International Junior B Hockey League in 1965. In 1981 the team moved to the Tier II Junior A Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The team was located in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada... |
Elliot Lake, ON | -- | |||
| Marquette Americans | Marquette, MI Marquette, Michigan Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern... |
-- | |||
| North Shore Stars | Schreiber, ON Schreiber, Ontario Schreiber is a municipal township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the northernmost point of Lake Superior along Highway 17. The town, with a population of approximately 900 people, is almost completely located inside the geographic township of Priske, with a small western portion of... |
-- | |||
| Soo Indians | Sault Ste. Marie, MI Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River... |
1972, 1973 | |||
| Soo Rapids/Thunderbirds | Sault Ste. Marie, ON Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in... |
Thessalon Flyers Thessalon Flyers The Thessalon Flyers were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Thessalon, Ontario, Canada. This defunct hockey team was a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and also the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League.-History:... |
Thessalon, ON Thessalon, Ontario Thessalon is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located at the junction of Highway 17 and Highway 129. It is surrounded by but not part of the municipality of Huron Shores, and is part of the District of Algoma.... |
-- | |
| Wawa Travellers Wawa Travellers The Wawa Travellers were a Junior "B" team based out of Wawa, Ontario. They played out of the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League.-History:... |
Wawa, ON Wawa, Ontario Wawa is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District. Formerly known as the township of Michipicoten, the township was officially renamed for its largest and best-known community in 2009.... |
1968, 1971, 1974 |
Marry Pavelich Trophy Playoff Champions
- 1966 Soo Rapids
- 1967 Chapleau Huskies
- 1968 Wawa Travellers
- 1969 Soo Rapids
- 1970 Soo Rapids
- 1971 Wawa Travellers
- 1972 Soo Indians
- 1973 Soo Indians
- 1974 Wawa Travellers
- 1975 Blind River Beavers
- 1976 Soo Thunderbirds
- 1977
- 1978 Thessalon Flyers
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981