Metro Junior A Hockey League
Encyclopedia
----
The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level ice hockey
league based out of Southern Ontario
. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to Junior A. It remained a Jr. A league from 1991 until 1998 when it was absorbed by the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
.
and the Canadian Junior A Hockey League
. As the name suggests, the league originally consisted of Junior B teams in the Toronto area. However, over time, with the defection of teams to the Junior A league, the Metro league accepted teams from wider regions. The league featured many future NHL stars, including Brad Park
(Toronto Westclairs), Wayne Gretzky
(Toronto Nationals
), Eric Lindros
(St. Michael's Buzzers
), Dale Hawerchuk
(Oshawa Legionaires
), Ken Dryden
(Etobicoke Indians), and Curtis Joseph
(King City Dukes
).
During the early years, the "Junior B" league was essentially the minor league feeder for the "Junior A" Ontario Hockey Association. Almost all of the Metro players eventually moved on to play in the OHA. Following the NCAA's 1980 rule change that deemed any OHL players to be professionals, amateur leagues such as the Junior B leagues grew. The Metro league became a key feeder to college hockey programs during the 1980s and 1990s, producing more than 200 future NCAA players.
in net for the Etobicoke Indians. With Dryden in net, the Indians won the Metro league title and made it all the way to the Sutherland Cup
final where they lost 4-games-to-2 to the Kitchener Greenshirts
. Ken Dryden moved on to become one of the most famous NHL goaltender
s of all-time. He played in the 1972 Summit Series, won the 1971 Conn Smythe Trophy
as playoff MVP a season before he was officially a rookie
(which he won the Calder Trophy in 1972 as Rookie of the Year), he won six Stanley Cup
s, and is a Hockey Hall of Fame
er.
, Aurora Tigers
, Dixie Beehives
, Downsview Bees
, North York Rangers
, and the Richmond Hill Rams
left. A year later the Markham Waxers
also left. To make up for the losses, the Metro league took in new members Belleville Bobcats
and the Peterborough Lions
from the folded Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League, and expanded with the Oshawa Legionaires
, Bramalea Blues
, Pickering Panthers
, and Wexford Warriors
. The Etobicoke Selects, Toronto Red Wings, and Markham Royalls joined in 1973. The Kingston Voyageurs
entered the league in 1974.
In 1974, the Metro Champion Bramalea Blues
defeated the Owen Sound Greys
4-games-to-3 to reach the Sutherland Cup
All-Ontario Final. Upon reaching the final, the Blues defeated the Hamilton Red Wings
of the Niagara & District Junior B Hockey League
in Game 1, only to have a brawl involving the teams, officials, and fans breakout to the point that police were called to break up the incident. Due to the brawl, the Blues withdrew from the final and became the only team in Ontario Hockey Association
history to forfeit the Sutherland Cup
.
The 1975 season marked the first junior appearance by a 14-year-old "underage" Wayne Gretzky
for the Toronto Nationals
. In September, Walter Gretzky
had Wayne moved to the City of Vaughan
to play midget hockey for the Toronto Young Nats instead of playing in his hometown of Brantford, Ontario
. In October, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
declared Gretzky and 15-year old Brian Rorabek ineligible because they had established residency too late. Gretzky sued in the Canadian Courts and lost http://www.southcoastal.com/history/gretzky.htm. Because Gretzky could remain in Toronto to play junior (rather than midget hockey), Gretzky tried out for the Junior B team, and made the team. In 28 games, Gretzky scored 27 goals and 33 assists to win Metro Rookie of the Year honours. The next year the team moved to Richmond Hill
and became the Seneca Nationals. Gretzky scored 36 goals and 36 assists in 32 games, and then 40 goals and 35 assists in 23 playoff games to lead his team to a Metro Junior "B" Championship. Sadly, the team came up short of a Sutherland Cup
victory, as the Nationals were stopped dead in the 1977 All-Ontario Semi-final by the Stratford Cullitons
of the Wellington-Waterloo Junior B Hockey League
.
The Henry Carr Crusaders, a team sponsored by the Toronto highschool, joined the Junior "B" ranks in 1980. They won league titles in 1983, 1984, and 1987. Their best season came in 1983, where they went undefeated during the regular season, won the Metro, and then went on to win the Sutherland Cup
as All-Ontario Junior "B" Champions. That team featured future NHLers Bob Essensa
, Paul Cavallini
and Victor Posa
and NHL draft picks Rob Bryden and Allister Brown. In 1991, Henry Carr Highschool dropped its sponsorship of the team, and as of 2006 were known as the Toronto Thunderbirds.
During the 1986-87, a strange occurrence happened with the team that is now known as the Mississauga Chargers
. Then known as the King City Dukes and in their third season in King
since moving from Weston, the team moved mid-season to North York
and renamed itself the North York Civics. The oddity here is that teams rarely do a complete locational move in the middle of a season. The next year they became the Richmond Hill Dukes and skipped around the Greater Toronto Area
for the better part of the next decade trying to find a home.
During the 1988-89 season Kingston's Scott Martin won his second consecutive scoring title and League MVP award. His season totals of 62 goals and 114 points in a mere 42 games came closest to topping the league records set by NHLers Patrick Flatley
during the 1980-81 season (137 points for Henry Carr), and Paul Gardner during the 1973-74 season (77 goals and 132 points for St.Mike's).
The Metro League's move brought into motion changes that ultimately led to the creation of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. After the Metro league declared itself to be a Junior A league, the Central Junior B league followed, declaring itself a Junior A league after the 1992-93 season. Through November 19–21, 1993, the new junior A leagues joined with teams from the other Canadian provincial junior A leagues, and formed the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
, Kingston Voyageurs
, Mississauga Chargers
, and St. Michael's Buzzers
; fled to join the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
. The Richmond Hill Riot
folded. This marked the beginning of the end for the Metro. The Metro Junior Hockey League chose to play outside the CJAHL and CHA in 1995-96.
Hockey history was made on February 21, 1997 when Ryan Venturelli of the Muskoka Bears became the first goaltender in hockey history to score two goals (both empty net) in a hockey game against the Durham Huskies
.
Despite extensive expansion, the league was not able to retain its past glory and was swallowed whole by the OPJHL in 1998. The Metro league folded in 1998, with most of its teams being taken in by the OPJHL, and a lot of its players. So far the most successful of these teams seem to be the Aurora Tigers
, who after winning the OPJHL and Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2004, they took home the Royal Bank Cup 2004
as CJAHL National Champions as well. The league produced numerous stars, both in the NHL and as a feeder for NCAA college hockey, having produced 350 NCAA Division I scholarship athletes from 1980 to 1998.
(*) denotes that there was no clear winner to the Eastern Division in 1998, but Syracuse did maintain a better record than Oshawa in the 1998 playoffs and is the closest the division has to a playoff champion.
EWLINE
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| OHA Junior "A" | |
|---|---|
| SOJHL Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League ----The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 1977.... |
(1970-1977) |
| OPJHL | (1972–1987) |
| MetJHL | (1991-1998) |
| OJHL | (1993-Present) |
| Ontario Hockey Association Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the... |
|
| Canadian Junior Hockey League | |
| OHA Junior "B" | |
| WJBHL Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League ----The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 1977.... |
(1950-1968) |
| EJBHL Eastern Junior B Hockey League The Eastern Junior B Hockey League was a Junior "B" ice hockey league based in Eastern Ontario. They were sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association and Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and competed for the All-Ontario Junior "B" title, the Sutherland Cup.-History:In 1951, the Eastern Group... |
(1950-1972) |
| MetJHL | (1950-1989) |
| NDJBHL Niagara District Junior B Hockey League The Niagara District Junior B Hockey League was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in the Golden Horseshoe of Ontario from 1954 until 1979. The league was a part of the Ontario Hockey Association of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and was eligible for the Sutherland Cup.-History:The... |
(1954-1979) |
| CJBHL | (1954-1993) |
| BCJHL | (1958-1964) |
| MOJBHL Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League The Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League was a Junior "B" ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario. They were sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association and Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and competed for the All-Ontario Junior "B" title, the Sutherland Cup.-History:The league was formed... |
(1970-1978) |
| SWJBHL | (1976-1978) |
| WOHL | (1969-2007) |
| MWJHL | (1973-2007) |
| GHL | (1974-2007) |
| GOJHL Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada... |
(2007-Present) |
| Sutherland Cup Sutherland Cup The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship... |
|
The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level 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 based out of Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to Junior A. It remained a Jr. A league from 1991 until 1998 when it was absorbed by the 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...
.
History
The league began in 1956 as the Metropolitan Toronto junior hockey league. For some time, was a part of the Ontario Hockey AssociationOntario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
and the Canadian Junior A Hockey League
Canadian Junior A Hockey League
The Canadian Junior Hockey League , an association of Canadian Junior A ice hockey leagues and teams, formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the Royal Bank Cup.The CJHL spans the majority of...
. As the name suggests, the league originally consisted of Junior B teams in the Toronto area. However, over time, with the defection of teams to the Junior A league, the Metro league accepted teams from wider regions. The league featured many future NHL stars, including Brad Park
Brad Park
Douglas Bradford Park is a retired ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings...
(Toronto Westclairs), Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
(Toronto Nationals
Toronto Nationals (1970–1980)
The Toronto Nationals are a pair of defunct Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey teams from Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and the Metro Junior B Hockey League.-Jr. A Nationals:...
), Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros
Eric Bryan Lindros is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Lindros played junior hockey in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals prior to being selected first overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques...
(St. Michael's Buzzers
St. Michael's Buzzers
The St. Michael's Buzzers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Canadian Hockey League.-History:...
), Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001...
(Oshawa Legionaires
Durham Fury
The Whitby Fury are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Whitby, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey.-History:This franchise was founded in 1965 as a member of the Eastern Junior B Hockey League...
), Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
(Etobicoke Indians), and Curtis Joseph
Curtis Joseph
Curtis Shayne Joseph is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He last played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League....
(King City Dukes
Mississauga Chargers
The Mississauga Chargers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They are the product of a 1990 merger of two former Metro Junior B franchises, the Thornhill Thunderbirds and the Markham Connection...
).
During the early years, the "Junior B" league was essentially the minor league feeder for the "Junior A" Ontario Hockey Association. Almost all of the Metro players eventually moved on to play in the OHA. Following the NCAA's 1980 rule change that deemed any OHL players to be professionals, amateur leagues such as the Junior B leagues grew. The Metro league became a key feeder to college hockey programs during the 1980s and 1990s, producing more than 200 future NCAA players.
The Early Junior B Years
The early years featured Toronto-based teams such as the St.Mike's Buzzers, Dixie Beehives, Toronto Lakeshore Bruins, Toronto Marlies, Unionville Jets, Aurora Tigers, Whitby Dunlops and the Woodbridge Dodgers. For the most part, the teams served as farm teams at the Junior B level for the Junior A OHA teams. The 1964-65 Season starred a 17-year-old Ken DrydenKen Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
in net for the Etobicoke Indians. With Dryden in net, the Indians won the Metro league title and made it all the way to the Sutherland Cup
Sutherland Cup
The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship...
final where they lost 4-games-to-2 to the Kitchener Greenshirts
Kitchener Dutchmen
The Kitchener Dutchmen are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
. Ken Dryden moved on to become one of the most famous NHL goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
s of all-time. He played in the 1972 Summit Series, won the 1971 Conn Smythe Trophy
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season...
as playoff MVP a season before he was officially a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
(which he won the Calder Trophy in 1972 as Rookie of the Year), he won six Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s, and is a Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
er.
Exodus 1972
In 1972 the Metro B league was reshaped substantially when 6 members left to join the new Ontario Provincial Junior A league. Metro members Ajax SteelersAjax Merchants
The Ajax Merchants are a defunct Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Ajax, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.-Playoffs:*1973 Lost Quarter-final*1974 DNQ...
, Aurora Tigers
Aurora Tigers
The Aurora Tigers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Aurora, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, and the Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:The Aurora...
, Dixie Beehives
Dixie Beehives
----Dixie Beehives are a pair of defunct junior ice hockey teams from Weston, Ontario, which is now part of Toronto, Ontario. They played in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and the Central Junior B Hockey League.-Jr. A Beehives:...
, Downsview Bees
Royal York Royals
The Royal York Royals are a defunct Junior "A" ice hockey team from Downsview, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.The Downsview Bees started operations in 1971, as part of the Metro Junior B league...
, North York Rangers
North York Rangers
The North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from North York, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey, but they were also a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League.-Richmond Hill:...
, and the Richmond Hill Rams
North York Rangers
The North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from North York, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey, but they were also a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League.-Richmond Hill:...
left. A year later the Markham Waxers
Markham Waxers
The Markham Waxers are an Ontario Junior Hockey League Junior "A" ice hockey team. The Waxer organizations are from Markham, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
also left. To make up for the losses, the Metro league took in new members Belleville Bobcats
Belleville Bobcats
The Belleville Bobcats were a Junior "B" ice hockey team. The Bobcats played in the Metro Junior B Hockey League.-History:The Belleville Bobcats were first formed in 1972 as a member of the Metro Junior "B" league....
and the Peterborough Lions
Peterborough Stars
The Peterborough Stars are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. They play in Central Division Hockey.-History:The franchise started in the Ontario Hockey Association's Eastern Junior B Hockey League in 1965....
from the folded Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League, and expanded with the Oshawa Legionaires
Durham Fury
The Whitby Fury are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Whitby, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey.-History:This franchise was founded in 1965 as a member of the Eastern Junior B Hockey League...
, Bramalea Blues
Bramalea Blues
The Bramalea Blues were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Bramalea, Ontario, Canada. Their final two seasons were played in Brampton, Ontario at the Powerade Centre. They were a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League. They joined...
, Pickering Panthers
Pickering Panthers
The Pickering Panthers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Pickering, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League.-History:...
, and Wexford Warriors
Toronto Jr. Canadiens
The Toronto Jr. Canadiens are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Downsview, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League and were known as the Wexford Raiders until the end of the 2005-06 season.-History:The team...
. The Etobicoke Selects, Toronto Red Wings, and Markham Royalls joined in 1973. The Kingston Voyageurs
Kingston Voyageurs
The Kingston Voyageurs are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League.-History:The Voyageurs entered the Metro Junior B Hockey League in 1974...
entered the league in 1974.
In 1974, the Metro Champion Bramalea Blues
Bramalea Blues
The Bramalea Blues were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Bramalea, Ontario, Canada. Their final two seasons were played in Brampton, Ontario at the Powerade Centre. They were a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League. They joined...
defeated the Owen Sound Greys
Owen Sound Greys
The Owen Sound Greys are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League...
4-games-to-3 to reach the Sutherland Cup
Sutherland Cup
The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship...
All-Ontario Final. Upon reaching the final, the Blues defeated the Hamilton Red Wings
Hamilton Red Wings Jr. A
The Hamilton Red Wings are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League...
of the Niagara & District Junior B Hockey League
Golden Horseshoe Junior B Hockey League
The Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association from 1974 until 2007. As of 2007, the league has become a division of the newly formed Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League...
in Game 1, only to have a brawl involving the teams, officials, and fans breakout to the point that police were called to break up the incident. Due to the brawl, the Blues withdrew from the final and became the only team in Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
history to forfeit the Sutherland Cup
Sutherland Cup
The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship...
.
The 1975 season marked the first junior appearance by a 14-year-old "underage" Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
for the Toronto Nationals
Toronto Nationals (1970–1980)
The Toronto Nationals are a pair of defunct Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey teams from Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and the Metro Junior B Hockey League.-Jr. A Nationals:...
. In September, Walter Gretzky
Walter Gretzky
Walter Gretzky, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian who has been honoured for his contributions to minor hockey in Canada, and for his dedication to helping many local, provincial, and national charities...
had Wayne moved to the City of Vaughan
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
to play midget hockey for the Toronto Young Nats instead of playing in his hometown of Brantford, Ontario
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
. In October, 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....
declared Gretzky and 15-year old Brian Rorabek ineligible because they had established residency too late. Gretzky sued in the Canadian Courts and lost http://www.southcoastal.com/history/gretzky.htm. Because Gretzky could remain in Toronto to play junior (rather than midget hockey), Gretzky tried out for the Junior B team, and made the team. In 28 games, Gretzky scored 27 goals and 33 assists to win Metro Rookie of the Year honours. The next year the team moved to Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
and became the Seneca Nationals. Gretzky scored 36 goals and 36 assists in 32 games, and then 40 goals and 35 assists in 23 playoff games to lead his team to a Metro Junior "B" Championship. Sadly, the team came up short of a Sutherland Cup
Sutherland Cup
The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship...
victory, as the Nationals were stopped dead in the 1977 All-Ontario Semi-final by the Stratford Cullitons
Stratford Cullitons
The Stratford Cullitons are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League...
of the Wellington-Waterloo Junior B Hockey League
Midwestern Junior B Hockey League
The Mid-Western Junior Hockey League was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association from 1973 until 2007. As of 2007, the league has become a division of the newly formed Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League...
.
The Henry Carr Crusaders, a team sponsored by the Toronto highschool, joined the Junior "B" ranks in 1980. They won league titles in 1983, 1984, and 1987. Their best season came in 1983, where they went undefeated during the regular season, won the Metro, and then went on to win the Sutherland Cup
Sutherland Cup
The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship...
as All-Ontario Junior "B" Champions. That team featured future NHLers Bob Essensa
Bob Essensa
Robert Earle Essensa is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender who spent 12 seasons in the National Hockey League...
, Paul Cavallini
Paul Cavallini
Paul Edward "Wally" Cavallini is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He is the younger brother of former player Gino Cavallini, who was his teammate for several years with the St. Louis Blues....
and Victor Posa
Victor Posa
Victor Posa is a former ice hockey defenceman.Posa was born in Bari, Italy but moved to North America to pursue a hockey career. He was drafted 137th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft and played 2 games of them in the 1985–86 season...
and NHL draft picks Rob Bryden and Allister Brown. In 1991, Henry Carr Highschool dropped its sponsorship of the team, and as of 2006 were known as the Toronto Thunderbirds.
During the 1986-87, a strange occurrence happened with the team that is now known as the Mississauga Chargers
Mississauga Chargers
The Mississauga Chargers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They are the product of a 1990 merger of two former Metro Junior B franchises, the Thornhill Thunderbirds and the Markham Connection...
. Then known as the King City Dukes and in their third season in King
King, Ontario
King is a township in York Region north of Toronto, within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.The rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine are the most prominent visible geographical feature of King. The Holland Marsh, considered to be Ontario's "vegetable basket", straddles King Township...
since moving from Weston, the team moved mid-season to North York
North York, Ontario
North York is a dissolved municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the central part of the northern section of Toronto. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288...
and renamed itself the North York Civics. The oddity here is that teams rarely do a complete locational move in the middle of a season. The next year they became the Richmond Hill Dukes and skipped around the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
for the better part of the next decade trying to find a home.
During the 1988-89 season Kingston's Scott Martin won his second consecutive scoring title and League MVP award. His season totals of 62 goals and 114 points in a mere 42 games came closest to topping the league records set by NHLers Patrick Flatley
Patrick Flatley
Patrick Flatley is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played in the NHL for 14 seasons between 1983 and 1997 for the New York Islanders and New York Rangers.-Playing career:...
during the 1980-81 season (137 points for Henry Carr), and Paul Gardner during the 1973-74 season (77 goals and 132 points for St.Mike's).
1990 Departure From CJAHL and Move To Junior A
The league was classified by the OHA as a Junior B league, until a falling-out in June 1990, when the Ontario Hockey Federation was formed, comprising the OHA, the Ontario major junior league, three minor hockey groups and women's hockey. The OHA was given jurisdiction over junior hockey below major junior excluding junior A in the north. Junior teams in Toronto were not members of the OHA and therefore not members of the CAHA. As a result, in 1990 the Metro league declared itself to be an independent junior league. A year later, during the summer of 1991, the league declared itself to be a Junior A league, and hired a full-time commissioner, Doug Linthwaite.The Metro League's move brought into motion changes that ultimately led to the creation of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. After the Metro league declared itself to be a Junior A league, the Central Junior B league followed, declaring itself a Junior A league after the 1992-93 season. Through November 19–21, 1993, the new junior A leagues joined with teams from the other Canadian provincial junior A leagues, and formed the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
Exodus 1995
In 1995, crisis struck the Metro Junior A Hockey League. In the midst of perceived corruption by the league, five teams walked out on the Metro. Four of these teams; the Bramalea BluesBramalea Blues
The Bramalea Blues were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Bramalea, Ontario, Canada. Their final two seasons were played in Brampton, Ontario at the Powerade Centre. They were a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League. They joined...
, Kingston Voyageurs
Kingston Voyageurs
The Kingston Voyageurs are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League.-History:The Voyageurs entered the Metro Junior B Hockey League in 1974...
, Mississauga Chargers
Mississauga Chargers
The Mississauga Chargers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They are the product of a 1990 merger of two former Metro Junior B franchises, the Thornhill Thunderbirds and the Markham Connection...
, and St. Michael's Buzzers
St. Michael's Buzzers
The St. Michael's Buzzers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Canadian Hockey League.-History:...
; fled to join the 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...
. The Richmond Hill Riot
Mimico Monarchs
The Mimico Monarchs are a defunct Junior "B" ice hockey team from Mimico, Ontario, Canada.-History:The Monarchs were a part of the Central Junior B Hockey League. In 1989, they jumped to the Metro Junior "B" league and stayed with the league until one season after it became the Metro Junior A...
folded. This marked the beginning of the end for the Metro. The Metro Junior Hockey League chose to play outside the CJAHL and CHA in 1995-96.
Hockey history was made on February 21, 1997 when Ryan Venturelli of the Muskoka Bears became the first goaltender in hockey history to score two goals (both empty net) in a hockey game against the Durham Huskies
Durham Huskies Jr. A
----The Durham Huskies were a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team from the town of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The Huskies played in the Metro Junior A Hockey League for two seasons and the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League for three season...
.
Despite extensive expansion, the league was not able to retain its past glory and was swallowed whole by the OPJHL in 1998. The Metro league folded in 1998, with most of its teams being taken in by the OPJHL, and a lot of its players. So far the most successful of these teams seem to be the Aurora Tigers
Aurora Tigers
The Aurora Tigers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Aurora, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, and the Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:The Aurora...
, who after winning the OPJHL and Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2004, they took home the Royal Bank Cup 2004
Royal Bank Cup 2004
The Royal Bank Cup 2004 was the Junior "A" 2004 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.The Royal Bank Cup was competed for by the winners of the Doyle Cup, Anavet Cup, Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Fred Page Cup and a host city.The tournament was hosted by the Grande...
as CJAHL National Champions as well. The league produced numerous stars, both in the NHL and as a feeder for NCAA college hockey, having produced 350 NCAA Division I scholarship athletes from 1980 to 1998.
Teams
EWLINE
|
Champions
Please note: On the chart, the bolded team is the league champion.EWLINE
|
(*) denotes that there was no clear winner to the Eastern Division in 1998, but Syracuse did maintain a better record than Oshawa in the 1998 playoffs and is the closest the division has to a playoff champion.
- 1951 Weston Dukes
- 1952 Weston Dukes
- 1953 Weston Dukes
- 1954 Weston Dukes
- 1955 Woodbridge Dodgers
- 1956 Brampton Regents
- 1957 Dixie Rockets
- 1958 Lakeshore Bruins
- 1959 Aurora Bears
- 1960 Toronto Marlboros
- 1961 St. Michael's Buzzers
- 1962 Woodbridge Dodgers
- 1963 Lakeshore Goodyears
- 1964 Weston Dodgers
- 1965 Etobicoke Indians
- 1966 Toronto Westclairs
- 1967 Dixie Beehives
- 1968 Markham Waxers
- 1969 Markham Waxers
- 1970 Dixie Beehives
- 1971 Dixie Beehives
- 1972 Markham Waxers
- 1973 Toronto Nationals
- 1974 Bramalea Blues
- 1975 Bramalea Blues
- 1976 Belleville Bobcats
- 1977 Seneca Nationals
See also
- Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey LeagueOntario Provincial Junior A Hockey LeagueThe 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...
- Ontario Hockey AssociationOntario Hockey AssociationThe Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
- Canadian Junior A Hockey LeagueCanadian Junior A Hockey LeagueThe Canadian Junior Hockey League , an association of Canadian Junior A ice hockey leagues and teams, formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the Royal Bank Cup.The CJHL spans the majority of...
- Dudley Hewitt CupDudley Hewitt CupThe Dudley Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won by tournaments conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The trophy was first awarded in 1979. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup competes at the 2011 Royal Bank Cup.-History:...
- Royal Bank CupRoyal Bank CupThe Royal Bank Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held to determine the Canadian Junior A champion. The winner of the tournament wins the Royal Bank Cup...
- List of ice hockey leagues