The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A'

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league operating in the

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Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to

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n-born players 20 years of age or younger, the SJHL's 12 teams play in three divisions: the Olympic Buildings, Sherwood and Viterra Divisions. A major attraction in Saskatchewan, the SJHL draws 400,000 fans each season. The winner of the SJHL playoffs is crowned the provincial Junior A champion and continues on to play in the ANAVET Cup against the Manitoba provincial champion (winner of the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

playoffs) for the right to represent the Western region at the Centennial Cup, the national Junior A championship.

History

The current version of the SJHL was preceded by a separate league with the same name that operated from 1948 to 1966. The modern SJHL was formed in July 1968 as a result of the

Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926. The WCHL's Victoria C ...

(WCHL) splitting away from the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...

(CAHA) and affiliating with the rival Canadian Hockey Association led by Ron Butlin. CAHA president

Lloyd Pollock Lloyd Thompson Pollock (July 26, 1909 – September 9, 1993) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator and businessman. After running the Windsor City Hockey League, he assisted in the foundation of the Windsor Softball League, and later started ...

arranged meetings across Western Canada to outline the CAHA's development plan for teams which had remained within the CAHA. Later that month, he approved a series of exhibition games for teams in the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

to play the Regina Pats and

Weyburn Red Wings The Weyburn Red Wings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Weyburn, Saskatchewan playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games at the Crescent Point Place, which has a seating capacity of 1,750. ...

, after Regina and Weyburn had asked for assistance in forming a new Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Pollock also laid out plans to make player transfers easier between provinces to support the Saskatchewan teams. The league was originally known as the Saskatchewan Amateur Junior Hockey League until 1973. They re-adopted the "Amateur" in their name in 1980 and carried it until the 1987–88 season, when they dropped the "Amateur" again. They were one of the original Tier II Junior A leagues in the realignment of 1970. Their first two seasons they were eligible for the Memorial Cup.

Humboldt Broncos bus crash

On April 6, 2018 the Humboldt Broncos team bus suffered a fatal crash on their way to the team's semi-final playoff game against the Nipawin Hawks. Ten players, two coaches, an athletic therapist, two employees of a local radio station, and the bus driver were killed in the collision. The remaining passengers were injured, some critically. The SJHL playoffs were postponed as a result (the Hawks were leading the series 3–1). The league, at the request of the Broncos, resumed the playoffs on April 15, with the Hawks advancing to the finals to meet the waiting

Estevan Bruins Estevan is the eighth-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is approximately north of the Canada–United States border. The Souris River runs by the city. This city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5. History Th ...

. SJHL President Bill Chow called the incident the league's "worst nightmare". In the wake of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, TSN aired a national broadcast of the Bronco's 2018–19 home opener, the team's first regular season game following the tragedy.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

On March 13, 2020, pursuant to the suspension of all sanctioned activity by

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and the CJHL due to the

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, the remainder of the 2019–20 SJHL season and all associated championships were suspended until further notice. The league championship was not awarded. The league resumed play for a 2020–21 season in November 2020, with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) allowing for limited in-person attendance (150 spectators). However, the Flin Flon Bombers were forced to suspend operations on November 12, 2020 until at least the new year, after

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issued a "Code Red" circuit breaker that ordered the closure of non-essential businesses and recreational facilities. The team considered the possibility of conducting all hockey operations out of nearby

Creighton, Saskatchewan Creighton is a northern town in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, named after Thomas Creighton. It had a 2016 census population of 1,402 inhabitants, down 0.3% from 1,498 inhabitants in 2011. This town lies beside the Saskatchewan-Manitoba ...

, but were unable to reach agreements with the SHA and Manitoba Health that would allow them to resume operations. In turn, the SJHL was forced to suspend play on November 27, as Saskatchewan ordered the suspension of all group and team sports activities. In February 2021, the league submitted a return-to-play proposal to the Saskatchewan government that would have involved as many as three hub cities. Despite other provinces such as Alberta having allowed their Junior A leagues to continue, Saskatchewan continued to maintain its prohibitions on sport. The SJHL and its teams have faced growing financial issues due to cancelled games and other events, prompting the provincial government to provide a $1 million relief package to be divided between its teams. On March 23, 2021, the SJHL announced that its return-to-play proposal had been rejected, citing concerns surrounding the current state of the pandemic in Saskatchewan. The SJHL therefore announced that the 2020–21 season had been cancelled and will not be resumed. The league championship was not awarded for the second season in a row.

Media

In January 2019, the league announced a broadcasting deal with SaskTel, under which a game will be carried on its television service per-month for the remainder of the season, as well as coverage of the league final.

Teams

Current

The SJHL currently fields twelve teams, eleven located in the province of Saskatchewan and one in Flin Flon, Manitoba, a community located on the border between the provinces. A

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

based in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan (on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border) elects to play in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Former

League champions

Timeline of teams in the SJHL

*1968 – Current version of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is founded *1968 – Moose Jaw Canucks, Weyburn Red Wings and Regina Pats rejoin league from WCJHL *1970 – Regina Pat Blues replace Regina Pats who join WCHL *1970 – Melville Millionaires rejoin league *1970 – Humboldt Broncos join league *1970 – Notre Dame Hounds join league *1971 – Estevan Bruins rejoin league *1971 – Prince Albert Raiders join league *1972 – Yorkton Terriers join league *1973 – Battleford Barons join league *1974 – Swift Current Broncos join league *1976 – Notre Dame Hounds leave league *1982 – Prince Albert Raiders leave league to join Western Hockey League *1982 – Lloydminster Lancers join league *1982 – Regina Pat Blues and Saskatoon J's fold *1983 – Swift Current Broncos become Swift Current Indians *1983 – Battleford Barons become North Battleford Stars *1984 – Moose Jaw Canucks fold to make way for the Western Hockey League franchise Moose Jaw Warriors *1984 – Flin Flon Bombers rejoin league as Creighton Bombers *1986 – Swift Current Indians fold to make way for the Western Hockey League franchise Swift Current Broncos *1986 – Creighton Bombers become the Flin Flon Bombers *1986 – Nipawin Hawks join league *1987 – Notre Dame Hounds rejoin league *1987 – Minot Americans join league *1988 – Lloydminster Lancers leave league to join Alberta Junior Hockey League and become the Lloydminster Blazers *1988 – Melfort Mustangs join league *1991 – Saskatoon Titans join league *1993 – Saskatoon Titans relocate to Kindersley and become the Kindersley Klippers *1993 – Lebret Eagles join league *1994 – Minot Americans become Minot Top Guns *1997 – Minot Top Guns relocate to Beardy's 97 aboriginal reserve and become Beardy's Rage *1998 – Beardy's Rage relocate to Saskatoon and become Saskatoon Rage *1998 – La Ronge Ice Wolves join league *1999 – Saskatoon Rage fold *2001 – Lebret Eagles fold

References

External links

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SJHL Forum
{{Junior Hockey Canadian Junior Hockey League members A Saskatchewan Hockey Saskatchewan