Metro Junior A Hockey League
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| OHA Junior "A" | |
|---|---|
| SOJHL | (1970–1977) |
| OPJHL | (1972–1987) |
| MetJHL | (1991–1998) |
| OJHL | (1993–Present) |
| Ontario Hockey Association | |
| Canadian Junior Hockey League | |
| OHA Junior "B" | |
| WJBHL | (1950–1968) |
| EJBHL | (1950–1972) |
| MetJHL | (1950–1989) |
| NDJBHL | (1954–1979) |
| CJBHL | (1954–1993) |
| BCJHL | (1958–1964) |
| MOJBHL | (1970–1978) |
| SWJBHL | (1976–1978) |
| WOHL | (1969–2007) |
| MWJHL | (1973–2007) |
| GHL | (1974–2007) |
| GOJHL | (2007–Present) |
| Sutherland Cup | |
The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level
History
The teams that formed the Metropolitan league played in the Big Six Junior B league in 1950 until 1953, when a new, nine-member OHA Jr.B league was formed. The league officially took on the Metropolitan Toronto junior hockey league name in 1956. For some time, was a part of the
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.[citation needed]
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/Weston Dukes, Unionville Jets, Aurora Tigers, Whitby Dunlops, Leaside Rangers, Brampton 7Ups 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
Exodus 1972
In 1972 the Metro B league was reshaped substantially when six members left to join the new Ontario Provincial Junior A league. Metro members
In 1974, the Metro Champion
The 1975 season marked the first junior appearance by a 14-year-old "underage"
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
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.[citation needed]
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).[citation needed]
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, Don Linthwaite.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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
The Metro Junior A Hockey League operated independent from the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) as of the 1995–96 season, when it was opposed to a ruling by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association which gave jurisdiction over junior ice hockey in the province to the OHA.[1] The Metro Junior A Hockey League insisted on its own administration and was opposed to paying fees to the OHA.[2] The Metro Junior A Hockey League rejoined the OHA in 1997, then merged into the OPJHL in 1998.[3]
Hockey history was made on February 21, 1997 when Ryan Venturelli of the
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, with most of its teams being taken in by the OPJHL, as well as many of its players. So far the most successful of these teams seem to be the
Teams
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Champions
Please note: On the chart, the bolded team is the league champion.
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(*) 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.
Sutherland Cup Provincial Jr. B Champions
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See also
- List of ice hockey leagues
- Ontario Hockey Association
- Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
- Royal Bank Cup
References
- ^ Cudmore, John (June 27, 1995). "Metro juniors stand firm on position within CAHA". The Era-Banner. Newmarket, Ontario. p. 22.
; Cudmore, John (June 27, 1995). "Turn head (from page 22)". The Era-Banner. Newmarket, Ontario. p. 24.
- ^ Scilley, Claude (August 15, 1995). "Renegade Metro League close to joining OHA fold". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 24.
- ^ Jackson, Jonathon (February 2, 1999). "Dreaming of one league". The Sun Times. Owen Sound, Ontario. p. 6.
