Newfoundland Junior A Hockey League

Last updated
Newfoundland Junior A Hockey League
Membership Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association
Founded1971
Ceased1976
Atlantic Junior A Champions1
National Champions 0
First Champion Gander Jr. Flyers (1972)
Last Champion Stephenville Jr. Monarchs (1976)

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.

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States, stretching some 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, with 70% of citizens residing within 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Junior hockey is ice hockey competition generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur and operate within regions of each country.

Ice hockey team sport played on ice using sticks, skates, and a puck

Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points. The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical, with teams usually consisting of six players each: one goaltender, and five players who skate up and down the ice trying to take the puck and score a goal against the opposing team.

Contents

History

Founded in 1971, the NJAHL had a short and rocky history. In its first season, the team originated with teams in Gander, Clarenville, Bay St. George, and Port-aux-Basques. The first season had no true playoffs, with the league title being awarded to the Gander Jr. Flyers for having a superior record. Mid-season, Gander was elected to play the St. John's Jr. Capitals, the only Jr. A team in the East, for the Veitch Memorial Trophy and the right to proceed in the 1972 Centennial Cup playdowns. St. John's won the series 2-games-to-1.

St. Georges Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador) bay in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

St. George's Bay - informally referred to as Bay St. George due to its French translation Baie St-George - is a large Canadian bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland and comprises a sub-basin of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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 1972 Centennial Cup is the second Tier II Junior "A" 1972 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

In the second season, Clarenville and Bay St. George were replaced by Buchans and Corner Brook. With no Jr. A in St. John's, Gander and Buchans would play for the Veitch Memorial Trophy with Buchans winning 4-games-to-3. Buchans would proceed to the 1973 Centennial Cup playdowns, where they lost 3-games-to-none to the Moncton Beavers of the New Brunswick Junior Hockey League.

Buchans Town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Buchans is a town located in the central part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the northwest shore of Red Indian Lake on the Buchans River.

The 1973 Centennial Cup is the third Tier II Junior "A" 1973 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

The New Brunswick Junior Hockey League (NBJHL) was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in the province of New Brunswick. The NBJHL was in competition for the Callaghan Cup and Centennial Cup as a Junior A league.

In 1973-74, the league expanded to seven teams and separated into two divisions. Joining the league were St. John's and Conception Bay North, rejoining were Clarenville and Bay St. George, as the league lost their Buchans entry. In what would be the league's biggest season, the East Division champs, Gander Jr. Flyers, and West Division champs, Bay St. George Huskies, met for the league title and Veitch Memorial Trophy. Gander took the series 4-games-to-1. In the 1974 Centennial Cup playdowns, the Jr. Flyers were defeated by the Island Junior Hockey League's Charlottetown Colonels 3-games-to-none.

Conception Bay bay on the coast of Newfoundland, Canada

Conception Bay (CB) is a bay on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The 1974 Centennial Cup is the fourth Tier II Junior "A" 1974 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

Island Junior Hockey League

The Island Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Prince Edward Island, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada.

In 1974-75, the NJAHL dropped back down to four teams, losing Port-aux-Basques, St. John's, Conception Bay North, and Corner Brook, but gained Grand Falls. Gander crushed their competition, to the point that no other team in the league had a winning record. Gander took the regular season crown and the playoff crown by defeating the Clarenville Caribous 4-games-to-none. In the 1975 Centennial Cup playdowns, the Flyers defeated the Island Junior Hockey League's Charlottetown Colonels 3-games-to-none to win the Atlantic Junior A Championship. In the next round, the Eastern Canada Quarter-final, the Jr. Flyers dropped to the Central Junior A Hockey League's Smiths Falls Bears in four straight games. The Bears would go on to win the Eastern Crown but lose the Centennial Cup Final.

Clarenville Caribous

The Clarenville Caribous are a senior ice hockey team based in Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador and a member of the Central West Senior Hockey League. The Caribous are three-time winners of the Herder Memorial Trophy as all-Newfoundland and Labrador Senior Hockey Champions and winners of the 2011 Allan Cup as National Senior "AAA" Hockey Champions.

The 1975 Centennial Cup is the fifth Tier II Junior "A" 1975 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

The Smiths Falls Bears are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League. The team was an original member of the league, but then left Smiths Falls in 1976. The team then rejoined the league in 1985, and later had a short two-year stint in Lanark before returning to Smiths Falls.

In 1975-76, the Gander Jr. Flyers folded after the best performance by a Newfoundland Junior A team to date. The teams were reorganized into a Junior B league for that season (under the name West Newfoundland League), with teams in Stephenville, Corner Brook, Port-aux-Basques, and Deer Lake. Stephenville would reign victorious, but when it came to the Veitch Memorial Trophy they couldn't come to terms with the St. John's Jr. Capitals for a series and the Provincial title was vacated.

In 1976-77, the league was complete shut down. Three teams remained and were allowed to declare themselves Junior A: Corner Brook, St. John's, and Stephenville. Corner Brook would defeat Stephenville in the provincial semi-final 3-games-to-none, and then defeat St. John's 2-games-to-1 for the Veitch Memorial Trophy. In the 1977 Centennial Cup playdowns, the Corner Brook Jr. Royals would be dropped 4-games-to-none by the Sydney Millionaires of the Eastern Junior A Hockey League.

Junior A hockey would not be played in Newfoundland again until 1989 in the St. John's Junior Hockey League.

Teams

Champions

Veitch Memorial Trophy Provincial Junior A Champions

Atlantic Region Junior A Champions

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