Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League

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The Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League (TBJHL) was a Canadian junior ice hockey league that existed from c. 1920 to 1980. The TBJHL operated in Northwestern Ontario, primarily in the Thunder Bay region.^[1]

The Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League was what is now known as a Major Junior hockey league from roughly 1920 until the

until the league folded in 1980.

Thunder Bay and the TBJHL was considered on the border region of what people would call Eastern Canada and Western Canada. Due to its location, the Thunder Bay league often switched from East to West year-to-year in National playdowns. The league's remoteness resulted in keeping the league's few teams from competing in the neighbouring Manitoba Junior Hockey League or Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, making the league's existence a necessity to the region's hockey community.

Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League teams made the Memorial Cup finals four times in fifty years, winning Canada's top junior hockey prize in 1922 (Fort William War Veterans) and 1948 (Port Arthur West End Bruins).

The TBJHL is the indirect predecessor of the Superior International Junior Hockey League who brought a Junior A league back to the region in 2001, 21 years after the TBJHL folded.

Although hockey in Thunder Bay dates back well before 1920, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League first competed in Memorial Cup action in 1921. In only their second year of operation at the Junior A level, the league celebrated their first National championship as the Fort William War Veterans defeated the Regina Pats 5-4 and tied them 3–3 to win the championship. To get there, the Vets had to defeat Toronto Aura Lee in the Eastern Canada final, beating them 5–3 in a one-game showdown.

It took 26 years for a team from the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League to repeat the feat. In 1947–48, the

. Ignited by the Abbott Cup final comeback, the Bruins kept on rolling, sweeping the Flyers 4-games-to-none with scores of 10–8, 8–1, 5–4, and 9-8 respectively. This would be the final Memorial Cup won by a TBJHL team.

From the 1964 until 1969, the TBJHL had a rivalry and was in direct competition annually for the TBAHA seed to the Memorial Cup against the neighbouring Northwestern Ontario Junior Hockey League. By 1969, the NWOJHL had dropped to Junior B and may have become the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League, the TBJHL's feeder league in the 1970s.

In 1970, the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League was caught in the transformation of Junior hockey. In the spring of 1970, the

. To balance the power a bit, the CAHA assigned the TBJHL to the Eastern section of the national playdowns for the first time since 1927.

In 1971, the TBJHL allowed for the expansion of the

. The Hercs returned to the TBJHL full-time for the 1974–75 season.

In 1976, league expanded to 6 teams with the induction of the Atikokan Voyageurs and Thunder Bay Blades.

The 1978–79 season began with the merging of the Beavers, Canadians, and Hurricanes into the

. Both the North Stars and Buccaneers went out of business on July 6, 1980, when the TBAHA revoked their Junior A status in favour of what would be the Kings.

In 1980, the Thunder Bay Kings were created as a powerhouse Junior A team and helped create a new league called the Thunder Bay Hockey League with the Sr. A

as Canadian Tier II Junior A National Champions in 1989 and 1992. The Flyers folded in 2000.

In 2001, the Superior International Junior Hockey League was formed, following in the footsteps of the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League.

• St. Paul Vulcans

• Minnesota Jr. Stars (1971-1972)
• St. Paul Jr. Stars (1972-1973)
• St. Paul Vulcans (1973)

• Minneapolis Jr. Bruins

The winner of the TBJHL Playoffs was awarded the Jack Adams Trophy as

Junior "A" Champions. Since this was a branch championship, Champions from the North Shore or Kenora-Fort Frances Leagues were eligible to challenge for it. The TBJHL Champions probably exclusively won the Bill Fero Trophy as Lakehead Junior Champions.

(*) denotes that the champions were members of a joint Thunder Bay-Minnesota/Can-Am League.

(**) denotes that the Hurricanes rejoined the TBJHL for the playoffs, participated in different league during regular season.

National Champions.

Champions

1922: -

SJHL

) 8-goals-to-7 in 2 games

1948: - Port Arthur West End Bruins defeated Barrie Flyers (OHA) 4-games-to-none

Finalists

1927: - Owen Sound Greys (OHA) defeated Port Arthur West End 2-games-to-none

1967: - Toronto Marlboros (OHA) defeated Port Arthur Marrs 4-games-to-1

George Richardson Memorial Trophy

Eastern Canadian Champions.

Champions

1922: - Fort William War Veterans defeated Toronto Aura Lee (OHA) 5-3 sudden-death

Finalists

1924: - Owen Sound Greys (OHA) defeated Kenora Thistles 15-goals-to-12 in 2 games

1926: - Kingston Giants (OHA) defeated Fort William Juniors 5-goals-to-4 in 2 games

Abbott Cup

Western Canadian Champions.

Champions

1927: - Port Arthur West End defeated Regina Pats (SJHL) 5-goals-to-3 in 2 games

1948: - Port Arthur West End Bruins defeated Lethbridge Native Sons (SAJHL) 4-games-to-3

1967: -

OMJHL

) 4-games-to-1

Finalists

1921: -

MJHL) defeated Fort William YMCA

20-goals-to-7 in 2 games

1923: - University of Manitoba (MJHL) defeated Fort William Cubs 9-goals-to-4 in 2 games

1925: - Regina Pats (SJHL) defeated Fort William Juniors 7-goals-to-4 in 2 games

1928: - Regina Pats (SJHL) defeated Kenora Thistles 11-goals-to-4 in 2 games

1934: - Edmonton Athletic Club (EJHL) defeated Port Arthur West End 11-goals-to-3 in 2 games

1944: -

Port Arthur Flyers

3-games-to-none

1950: - Regina Pats (WCJHL) defeated Port Arthur West End Bruins 4-games-to-1

1952: -

Fort William Columbus Canadiens

4-games-to-2

1954: -

Fort William Columbus Canadiens

4-games-to-1

1956: -

Port Arthur North Stars

4-games-to-3

1957: -

Fort William Canadiens

4-games-to-none

1970: -

Fort William Westfort Hurricanes

4-games-to-2

Eastern Centennial Cup semi-final champions

Year	Champion	Finalist	Host
1974	Thunder Bay Hurricanes	OPJHL )	--

League awards

• Walter Risi Memorial Trophy (Top Goaltender)
• Jack Humphries Trophy (Top Defenceman)
• Stan Robertson Memorial Trophy (Top Centreman)
• Frank Sargent Trophy (Leading Scorer)
• George Budd Trophy (Most Gentlemanly Player)
• Baarts Memory Diamond Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
• J.T. Russell Trophy (Most Valuable Player)

Thunder Bay Hockey League

In 1980, the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League had been reduced to three teams: the

University Cup

).

By 1982 the Blazers merged with the Twins as the Intermediate level was ended by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, the Twins moved to the Central Senior Amateur Hockey League in Manitoba, and the Nor'Westers moved into the Ontario University Association. The League was rearranged into a multi-tier Junior league with the Kings at the Jr. A level, the new Thunder Bay Hornets and Schreiber North Stars at Jr. B, eligible for the newly created Keystone Cup. Schreiber left after one year and were replaced by the Thunder Bay Maple Leafs. In 1984, the league was disbanded. The Kings changed their names to the Flyers and joined the United States Hockey League, the Maple Leafs folded, and the Hornets were promoted to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Teams

• Lakehead Nor'Westers (CIAU) 1980–82
• Schreiber North Stars (Jr. B) 1982–83
• Thunder Bay Blazers (Int. A) 1980–82
• Thunder Bay Hornets (Jr. B) 1982–84
• Thunder Bay Kings
  (Jr. A) 1980–84
• Thunder Bay Maple Leafs (Jr. B) 1983–84
• Thunder Bay Twins (Sr. A) 1980–82

City champions

• 1981 Thunder Bay Twins
• 1982 Thunder Bay Kings
• 1983 Thunder Bay Kings
• 1984 Thunder Bay Kings

References

1. ISBN 978-1-60179-102-3
   .

External links

• Hockey Thunder Bay
• Hockey Northwestern Ontario