The Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated primarily in Ontario and Quebec from 1959 to 1963.
While the NHL had established working relationships with teams in leagues such as the AHL and WHL, these leagues and their teams were not fully under the control of the NHL, and in this era they operated more independently than is the case today. The Eastern Professional Hockey League was created in 1959 as the first farm league fully run and controlled by the NHL. While the league proved to be a success on the ice, it largely failed off the ice. Attendance in these smaller cities could not support professional hockey, and by 1962, the league was reduced to just four teams. While the intent was for the EPHL to be the primary development league for the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings did not participate until the final season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs never had an affiliate.
During its final season the league played an interlocking schedule with the International Hockey League. Following the demise of the EPHL, the NHL created the new Central Hockey League of minor-pro farm teams in larger, midwestern U.S. cities. Four of the CHL's initial five franchises were relocations of the previous season's EPHL teams.
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.
The Belleville Bulls were a junior ice hockey team, founded in 1981 and based in Belleville, Ontario. The team played in the Eastern Division of the Eastern Conference of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team moved to Hamilton, Ontario, at the end of the 2014–15 OHL season.
Harry James Sinden is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He served as a coach, general manager, and team president for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL), and was the coach of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders category. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in its inaugural class of 1997.
Brian Desmond Smith was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and sportscaster. Smith was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of former professional ice hockey player Des Smith and brother of former professional ice hockey goaltender Gary Smith. Smith was a professional ice hockey player from 1960 to 1973, playing 67 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota North Stars during the 1967–68 and 1968–69 seasons. He also later played for the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association during the 1972–73 season. Following his hockey career, Smith was a broadcaster for CJOH-TV in Ottawa until 1995, when he was shot and killed by gunman Jeffrey Arenburg.
Joseph Jean-Paul Robert Rousseau is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL), most notably for the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1962 as NHL rookie of the year.
The Montreal Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Junior Hockey League from 1933 to 1961, and the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1972. They played out of the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
George Francis "Duke" Harris was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 26 games in the National Hockey League during the 1967–68 season with the Minnesota North Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played in the WHA from 1972 to 1975 with the Chicago Cougars and Houston Aeros. He died in 2017, six months after heart surgery.
The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
The Kingston Frontenacs of the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) were a minor league professional ice hockey team affiliated with the NHL's Boston Bruins.
The Kingston Frontenacs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Frontenacs play home games at Slush Puppie Place, which opened in 2008.
The Hull-Ottawa Canadiens were a semi-professional ice hockey franchise from 1959 until 1963.
Orval Roy Tessier was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and coach who played parts of three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins between 1954 and 1960, appearing in a total of 59 regular season games. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1953 to 1965, was spent in the minor leagues, where he was a solid offensive player. He won two scoring titles with the Eastern Professional Hockey League's Kingston Frontenacs, and was voted the league's most valuable player and most sportsmanlike player in the 1961–62 season.
Erwin Groves "Murph" Chamberlain was a Canadian ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Brooklyn Americans and Boston Bruins between 1937 and 1949. He won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1944 and 1946, both with Montreal.
Joseph Denis Emile DeJordy, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played goal for four National Hockey League teams, most notably the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1966–67, he and Glenn Hall won the Vezina Trophy for the best goals-against average in the NHL.
Vernon Keith McCreary was a Canadian left winger in the National Hockey League who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Atlanta Flames.
Dale Roland Carl Rolfe is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman. He played for four teams in the National Hockey League between 1960 and 1975. He spent his junior career with the Barrie Flyers through the 1956–57 and 1959–60 seasons. During the 1959–60 NHL season, Rolfe played three games with the Boston Bruins as well as two games with the Kingston Frontenacs of the EPHL.
Arthur Stratton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 95 games in the National Hockey League for 5 separate teams. These included the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers. Stratton's NHL career was scattered across 4 playing seasons between 1959 and 1968, where he scored 18 goals and 33 assists.
Clifford Raymond Pennington was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 102 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins between 1961 and 1962. Internationally Pennington played for the Canadian national team at the 1960 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. He died in 2020.
Ryan Suzuki is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 28th overall by the Hurricanes in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He is the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens centre and team captain Nick Suzuki.
Stan Maxwell, known as "Chook" Maxwell was a Canadian professional ice hockey player whose professional hockey career spanned from 1959 to 1971. Stan “Chook” Maxwell is documented as one of the earliest Black professional hockey players, first appearing with the Quebec Aces. He frequently played with Willie O'Ree throughout the span of eight years and five different organizations. He also once competed in a professional exhibition game with the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden. In 1980, he was inducted to the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
