History
Prior to 1980, junior hockey in St. John's was for the most part a Juvenile-level recreation league. Every year, an all-star team was drafted from the city and named the St. John's Jr. Capitals, after their senior team the St. John's Capitals, to compete against teams from across the province for the Veitch Memorial Trophy at either the Junior A or B level.
In 1980, the St. John's Junior Hockey League was organized and a legitimate Junior B league was formed. The winner of this league, not an all-star team, would represent the city in provincial and inter-provincial events. One of the founding members of this league was the Mount Pearl Jr. Blades. The Blades take their name from the Mount Pearl Blades Senior Hockey Team.
In 1986, the Blades would win their league, the Provincial Veitch Memorial Trophy, and go on to win the Don Johnson Cup as Maritime Junior B Champions in Kensington, Prince Edward Island.
In 1989, the entire league would retract by half and the league, including the Blades, made the jump to Junior A. After two years of the league being overwhelmed at the national level by the champions of other leagues, the league and its teams returned to Junior B.
The 1995-96 season saw the team set a club record for fewest wins in a season, with only two. In 1996–97, the team withdrew from the league to due its lack of competitiveness. The team returned to the league in 1998–99 and has been successful and competitive ever since.
The Blades would be league champions in 1986, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2018, and 2022 Their only Veitch Memorial Trophy as Newfoundland Champions and Don Johnson Cup as Atlantic Champions would come in 1986.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadian junior A ice hockey leagues and teams and was formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the Centennial Cup.
The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league under Hockey Canada, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. 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 would participate in the Fred Page Cup. This tournament involved the Bogart Cup champions from the CCHL(Ontario), the Kent Cup champions from the MHL(Maritimes) and the winner of the La Coupe Napa of the QJHL(Québec) as well as a pre determined host. The winner would move on to compete for the Canadian National Junior A Championship. However with the departure of the BCHL whom ended affiliation with the CJHL in March 2021 as well as Hockey Canada in June 2023 becoming an independent league. No Centennial Cup qualifying tournaments such as the Kent Cup have been played since 2022 and instead all the league champions have directly advanced to the Centennial Cup.
The St. John's Junior Hockey League is a Junior B ice hockey league in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. Founded in 1980, the SJJHL was a recognized Junior A league from 1989 until 1991. This stretch as a Junior A league marks the last time any Newfoundland or Labrador league competed in the Junior A National Playdowns.
Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) is the governing body of all amateur hockey ice hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador is a branch of Hockey Canada.
The Keystone Cup is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwestern Ontario. In 2018, citing costs for travel and accommodations, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan withdrew from competition for the Keystone Cup, making it a championship between Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
The Don Johnson Memorial Cup, formerly Don Johnson Cup, is the Junior B ice hockey championship for Atlantic Canada, including Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island as of 2014.
The Central West Junior Hockey League was an ice hockey league in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The league consists three teams that compete against each other in an 18-game season. The playoffs include two rounds, the first round is a best of five series, with the winner of each series compete for the Exploits Home Hardware Cup in a best of seven series.
Donald Stewart Johnson was a Canadian sports executive. He was elected president of the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association (NAHA) in 1966, sought to expand minor ice hockey in Newfoundland and negotiated for the NAHA to become a member of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). He was elected president of the CAHA in 1975, resolved internal disagreement over the jurisdiction of junior ice hockey, avoided the withdrawal of the Western Canada Hockey League and sought a new professional-amateur agreement with the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association. He was part of negotiations to end the Canada men's national ice hockey team hiatus from the Ice Hockey World Championships and the Olympic Games, in exchange for International Ice Hockey Federation approval of the 1976 Canada Cup. He established a long-term sponsorship to improve the National Coaching Certification Program, twice visited China with a Canadian amateur team for instructional tours and arranged an exchange for Chinese players and coaches to attend training camps in Canada. He was chairman of the 1978 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as the CAHA past-president, and was posthumously credited by Hockey Canada for playing an important role in Canada's return to international competitions and improving Canada's hockey reputation.
The East Hants Penguins are a Junior ice hockey team from East Hants, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Penguins play in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League and are the 2007 Don Johnson Cup Maritime Junior B Champions.
The Sackville Blazers are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. The Blazers play in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League and are the only team in history to have won three consecutive Don Johnson Cups as Maritime Junior B Champions.
The Casselman Vikings are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team in Casselman, Ontario. The Vikings play in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League (EOJHL). Between 2014-15 and the end of the 2019-2020 seasons, the EOJHL and the CCHL set a new agreement in an attempt to create a better player development model. This resulted in the league re-branding itself as the Central Canada Hockey League Tier 2 (CCHL2), and shrinking to 16 teams and two divisions. The league reverted to the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League for 2021. Prior to 2015, their league was known as the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ottawa District Hockey Association. The Vikings have won the Carson Trophy three times and were the 2014 Don Johnson Memorial Cup Eastern Canadian Jr. B Champions.
The Newfoundland Junior A Hockey League (NJAHL) was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in the province of Newfoundland. The NJAHL was in competition for the Callaghan Cup and the Canadian National Junior A Championship, the Centennial Cup.
The Veitch Memorial Trophy is the Junior ice hockey Grand Championship of Newfoundland and Labrador. The trophy is awarded by Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador.
The J. Pius Callaghan Cup is a trophy that was formerly given to the ice hockey Junior A Champion of Atlantic Canada from 1981 until 1991. The trophy is named for Joseph Pius Callaghan, sports writer for the Charlottetown Guardian, school teacher, and sports executive, by Hockey PEI. From 1991 until 2006, the trophy was awarded to the playoff champion of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. In 2006 it was retired and now resides in the Charlottetown Civic Centre. Prior to 1981, the championship was just called the Atlantic Junior A Championship.
The St. John's Jr. Caps are a Canadian Junior ice hockey club from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. They are members of the St. John's Junior Hockey League and are 2009 Don Johnson Cup Maritime Junior B champions.
Elsipogtop Hawks are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Elsipogtop, New Brunswick. The Hawks played in the New Brunswick Junior C Hockey League.
The Membertou Junior Miners are a Canadian Junior ice hockey club from Membertou, Nova Scotia. They are members of the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League and are 1989 and 1997 Don Johnson Cup Maritime Junior B champions and 1976 and 1977 Eastern League Junior A Champions. The team was located in Sydney, Nova Scotia up until 2005.
The Northeast Jr. Eagles are a Canadian Junior ice hockey club from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. They are members of the St. John's Junior Hockey League, are a former Junior A team, and were the first ever Don Johnson Cup Maritime Junior B champions in 1982.
The St. John's Jr. 50's were a Canadian Junior ice hockey club from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. They were members of the St. John's Junior Hockey League, the first ever 3-time Don Johnson Cup Atlantic Junior B Champions and one-time Newfoundland Junior A Champions.
