History
The Amherst Ramblers were founded in 1966 as the Berwick Shell Junior Bruins, and were founding members of the "Metro Valley Junior Hockey League". The league, then a junior B league, was eventually renamed the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. In 1967 the Bruins were relocated to Amherst and renamed the Amherst Ramblers.
The Ramblers have been known by two different names since moving to Amherst. Between 1994 and 1998 the team was known as the Moosheads. The logo consisted of a large letter "A" and the moose from Moosehead beer - similar in design to the current Halifax Mooseheads logo.
The Ramblers are known to draw some of the largest crowds in the Maritime Hockey League, and have placed third in average attendance the last few years, only behind the Yarmouth Mariners and the Weeks Crushers.
The Ramblers hosted the Centennial Cup (now known as Royal Bank Cup) in 1993, and they also hosted the Fred Page Cup in 2019.
The Halifax Mooseheads are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team was founded in 1994 and began play in the Dilio Division of the QMJHL for the 1994–95 season. They have appeared in the President's Cup Finals five times, winning in 2013. The other four appearances were in 2003, 2005, 2019 and 2023. They hosted the Memorial Cup in 2000 and 2019 and won the tournament in 2013. The team plays their home games at the Scotiabank Centre.
The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league under Hockey Canada, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It consists of six teams from New Brunswick, which make up the EastLink North Division, five teams from Nova Scotia, and one team from Prince Edward Island, which make up the Eastlink South Division. The winner of the MHL playoffs competes for the Centennial Cup against the winners of the 8 other tier 2 junior A leagues across Canada. Prior to the pandemic the MHL champions participated in the Fred Page Cup. This tournament involved the Bogart Cup champions from the Central Canada Hockey League (Ontario), the Kent Cup champions from the MHL (Maritimes) and the winner of La Coupe Napa of the Quebec Junior Hockey League (Quebec) as well as a predetermined host. The winner moved on to compete for the Canadian National Junior A Championship. However with the departure of the British Columbia Hockey League from affiliation with the CJHL in March 2021 as well as Hockey Canada in June 2023, no Centennial Cup qualifying tournaments such as the Kent Cup have been played since 2022, and instead all the league champions directly advance to the Centennial Cup.
The Truro Bearcats are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based out of Truro, Nova Scotia. The Bearcats are one of six Nova Scotia teams in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
The West Kent Steamers are a Junior A Ice Hockey team from Bouctouche, New Brunswick. They play their home games at the 1,100 seat J.K. Irving Regional Centre in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. The team is a member of the Maritime Hockey League and play in the Eastlink North Division.
The Yarmouth Mariners are a Junior "A" team based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. They play in the Maritime Junior Hockey League. All home games are played out of the 1,501 seat Mariners Centre. The season usually runs from mid-September to early March every year.
The Edmundston Blizzard are a junior ice hockey team from Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. They play in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
The Woodstock Slammers were a junior "A" hockey team based in Woodstock, New Brunswick. They played as part of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). The team played their home games at the Carleton Civic Centre, formally known to fans as "Slammerland" or "Slammertown, Canada". The Slammers were a relatively successful team in their 18 year history, winning a NB Junior B League title and Don Johnson Cup (2000), three Kent Cups, one Fred Page Cup (2012) and a silver medal at the RBC Cup (2012). In 2018, the franchise relocated to Grand Falls, New Brunswick, changing their name to the Grand Falls Rapids.
The 2013 Royal Bank Cup was the 43rd Junior "A" ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The 2013 Royal Bank Cup marks the 43rd consecutive year a national championship has been awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970.
The 2013–14 Maritime Junior Hockey League season was the 47th season in league history. The season consisted of 52 games played by each MHL team.
The 2014–15 Maritime Junior Hockey League season was the 48th season in league history. The season consisted of 48 games played by each MHL team.
The 2016–17 CCHL season was the 56th season of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). The twelve teams of the CCHL play a 62-game schedule.
The 2017 Fred Page Cup was the 23rd Canadian Eastern Junior A Ice Hockey Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The Terrebonne Cobras hosted for the second time in team history. The tournament was held May 3 to May 7 at La Cite du Sport in Terrebonne, Quebec. The Carleton Place Canadians of the CCHL entered the tournament as the 3-time defending champions. The tournament champions qualified for the 2017 Royal Bank Cup, held in Cobourg, Ontario and hosted by the OJHL's Cobourg Cougars at the Cobourg Community Centre.
The 2018 Royal Bank Cup was the 48th Canadian junior A Ice Hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League and the 48th consecutive year a national championship was awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970. The tournament was played at the Prospera Centre in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
The 2019 National Junior A Championship was the 49th Canadian junior A ice hockey national championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League and the 49th consecutive year a national championship was awarded to this skill level since the breakaway of Major Junior hockey in 1970. The tournament was played at the Centennial Regional Arena in Brooks, Alberta from May 11 to 19, 2019. The event and championship trophy were without a sponsor or title for this year following the ending of Royal Bank of Canada's partnership with Hockey Canada; Hockey Canada formally reinstated the Centennial Cup as the Junior 'A' championship in the summer of 2019.
The 2019 Fred Page Cup was the 25th Canadian eastern junior A ice hockey championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The Amherst Ramblers hosted for the first time in team history. The tournament was held May 1 to May 5 at Amherst Stadium in Amherst, Nova Scotia. The tournament champions qualified for the 2019 National Junior A Hockey Championship, held in Brooks, Alberta, and hosted by the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Brooks Bandits at the Centennial Regional Arena.
Troy Ryan is a Canadian ice hockey coach and the current head coach for both the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and Canada women's national ice hockey team.
The 2023–24 MHL season was the 56th season of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). The Miramichi Timberwolves won their first league championship in franchise history.
The 2024–25 MHL season was the 57th season of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL).
The 2017–18 CCHL season was the 57th season of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). Teams played a 62-game regular-season schedule. The league championship Ottawa Jr. Senators and runners-up Carleton Place Canadians both competed at the Eastern Canada championship 2018 Fred Page Cup, which was hosted by the Ottawa Jr. Senators. The Ottawa Jr. Senators won the Eastern Canada championship and went on to compete for the 2018 Royal Bank Cup at the national championship tournament in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
The 2018–19 CCHL season was the 58th season of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). Teams played a 62-game regular-season schedule. The Ottawa Jr. Senators won their second consecutive league championship Bogart Cup, before going on to win their second consecutive Eastern Canada championship at the 2019 Fred Page Cup in Amherst, Nova Scotia. The Ottawa Jr. Senators went on to compete for the 2019 Royal Bank Cup at the national championship tournament in Brooks, Alberta and were eliminated in the semifinal round by the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL.
