EWLINE Western Ontario Hockey League Membership 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... Head Office Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of... Founded 1969 Ceased 2007 First Champion Stratford Warriors 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...  (1970) Final Champion Strathroy Rockets Strathroy Rockets The Strathroy Rockets are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...  (2007)

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 Metro Junior A Hockey League ----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...	(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)
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...
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 Western Ontario Hockey League was a 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 Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

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...

, sanctioned by the 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...

 from 1969 until 2007. As of 2007, the league has become a division of the newly formed Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League

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...

. For the 2007-08 season, the WOHL, the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League and Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League, operated as three divisional leagues in one league with separate but cooperative governing bodies. In 2008 the three leagues were dissolved and became divisions in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League

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...

 under one governing body. In essence, this was the WOHL's final season.

History

The Western had been a part of the Big '10' until 1956, when the Eastern and Western conference were split into separate leagues -- the Eastern becoming the Central, the Western becoming the Western League.

In 1968, the St.Thomas Barons, Sarnia Legionnaires, Guelph Imperials, Chatham Maroons and Brantford Foresters broke away from the 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...

 to form a Junior "A" League known as the Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League

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....

. A year later, the OHA pulled together a bunch of local teams (the Waterloo Siskins, Stratford Warriors, Sarnia Bees, St.Mary's Lincolns and the London Squires) as well as the return of the Strathroy Rockets (who had joined the Central Junior B league for a season) and formed a new Western Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League.

According to the WOJHL history, a re-organization of Ontario's Jr. B hockey teams occurred prior to the 1978/79 with the folding of the short lived Southwestern Junior B Hockey League and the Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League

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...

. The realignment meant that the OHA had consolidated the 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...

 region from 7 to 5 Junior "B" leagues. Although this marks the birth of the modern Western Ontario Jr. B league, the teams in the league did not change. In 1989, the Metro league

Metro Junior A Hockey League

----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...

 went renegade and eventually became a Tier II Junior "A" league. In 1993, the Central league was promoted to Tier II Junior "A" as well. Since then, the OHA has operated with 3 Junior "B" leagues, but due to the talent level of these 3 league there has been a recent push to bring all three leagues to the Tier II Junior "A" level and allow for a new realignment.

From 1999 until 2001, the league changed its name to the Greater Ontario Hockey League in an attempt to drop the "Junior B" designation http://lfpress.ca/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?p=143914&x=articles&s=sport. The league has since referred to itself as the Western Ontario Hockey League.

In 2007, the WOHL merged with the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League and the Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League to become the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League

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...

.

Final teams

These are the teams that were in the league during its final independent season (2006-07).

• Chatham Maroons
  Chatham Maroons
  ----The Chatham Maroons are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
  
  
• Leamington Flyers
  Leamington Flyers
  The Leamington Flyers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Leamington, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
  
  
• London Nationals
  London Nationals Jr. B
  The London Nationals are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in London, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League....
  
  
• Petrolia Jets
  Petrolia Jets
  The Lambton Shores Predators are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Forest, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:In 1968, the Jets joined the Border Cities Junior "B" league...
  
  
• St. Marys Lincolns
  St. Marys Lincolns
  The St. Marys Lincolns are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
  
  
• St. Thomas Stars
  St. Thomas Stars
  The St. Thomas Stars are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
  
  
• Sarnia Blast
  Sarnia Blast
  The Sarnia Legionnaires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
  
  
• Strathroy Rockets
  Strathroy Rockets
  The Strathroy Rockets are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
  
  
• Tecumseh Chiefs
  Tecumseh Chiefs
  The LaSalle Vipers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in LaSalle, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
  
  

Other former members

• Aylmer Aces
  Aylmer Spitfires
  The Aylmer Spitfires are a Canadian junior hockey team based in Aylmer, Ontario, Canada. They are playing in the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League.-History:...
  
  
• Belle River Bulldogs
• Michigan Americans
• Port Huron Flags
• Stratford Warriors
  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...
  
  

Playoff Champions

• 2007 Strathroy Rockets
• 2006 Chatham Maroons
• 2005 Chatham Maroons
• 2004 Chatham Maroons
• 2003 Petrolia Jets
• 2002 Sarnia Blast
• 2001 Chatham Maroons
• 2000 Chatham Maroons
• 1999 Chatham Maroons
• 1998 Chatham Maroons
• 1997 Strathroy Rockets
• 1996 St. Thomas Stars
• 1995 St. Thomas Stars
• 1994 St. Marys Lincolns
• 1993 Sarnia Bees
• 1992 London Diamonds
• 1991 Chatham Mic Macs
• 1990 Chatham Mic Macs
• 1989 Sarnia Bees
• 1988 St. Thomas Stars
• 1987 St. Thomas Stars
• 1986 St. Thomas Stars
• 1985 St. Mary's Lincolns
• 1984 London Diamonds
• 1983 London Diamonds
• 1982 Sarnia Bees
• 1981 London Diamonds
• 1980 Windsor Royals
• 1979 Windsor Royals
• 1978 Windsor Royals
• 1977
• 1976 St. Marys Lincolns
• 1975
• 1974 Sarnia Bees
• 1973 Sarnia Bees
• 1972 St. Marys Lincolns
• 1971 Stratford Warriors
• 1970 Stratford Warriors

Records

Records taken from Official Website.

• Best record: 1981-82 Sarnia Bees (36-4-2)
• Worst record: 1988-89 Tillsonburg Titans (1-39-2)
• Largest margin of victory: Leamington Flyers 30 - Windsor Bulldogs 3 on January 20, 1995
• Most goals, one season: Bill Lochead (73) -- 1970-71 Sarnia Bees
• Most assists, one season: Brian Wiseman (77) -- 1989-90 Chatham Maroons / Greg Day (77) -- 1996-97 Tecumseh Chiefs
• Most points, one season: Brian Wiseman (147) -- 1989-90 Chatham Maroons
• Most goals, career: Brent Rumble (137) -- 1995-99 Chatham Maroons
• Most assists, career: Brian Wiseman (179) -- 1987-90 Chatham Maroons
• Most points, career: Jason Baclig (324) -- 1998-2003 Leamington Flyers
• Most penalty minutes, season: Shawn Harris (408) -- 1994-95 Sarnia Bees
• Most penalty minutes, career: Tim Lantz (859) -- 1997-2000 Leamington Flyers
• Most wins by goalie, season: Scott Talbot (29) -- 2002-03 Sarnia Blast
• Most shutouts, season: Kyle Funkenhauser (8) -- 2005-06 Chatham Maroons
• Most games played by goalie, career: Paul Gibson (132) -- 2000-07 St. Thomas Stars
• Most wins by goalie, career: Paul Gibson (66) -- 2000-07 St. Thomas Stars
• Most shutouts, career: Kyle Funkenhauser (12) -- 2004-06 Chatham Maroons