The St. John's Junior Hockey League is a Junior B

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

league in

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

, 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.

History

Founded in 1980, the SJJHL competed as a Junior A league from 1989 until 1991. In that time period, they were eligible for the

Centennial Cup The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of junior A ice hockey. It is a ten-team round robin featuring the winners of ...

Canadian National championship of Junior A hockey. Every other year the SJJHL has operated at the Junior B level and its champion represents the league in the Veitch Memorial Cup playdowns against the winner of the Central/West Junior Hockey League for the right to play at the

Don Johnson Cup 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. From 1982 until 1990 and 1997 until 2013, ...

. In the 1970s, there was another league known as the St. John's Junior Hockey League. Much like the Corner Brook League, Southern Shore League, amongst other leagues, the old SJJHL was a junior-aged town league. Although the St. John's Jr. Capitals were a top team in this town league, they would represent St. John's for the

Veitch Memorial Trophy The Veitch Memorial Trophy is the Junior ice hockey Grand Championship of Newfoundland and Labrador. The trophy is awarded by Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador. History The trophy is named after Cyril Veitch a former executive of the Newfoundland ...

as an all-star team of players from the old SJJHL. On one such occasion, in 1972, the Jr. Capitals entered into the first-year Newfoundland Jr. A playdowns, only to win and compete in the 1972 Centennial Cup National Playdowns.

Teams

Presently in their 2021-22 season, the SJJHL is operating with 8 teams.

Former Teams

*Brother Rice Celtics 1980-1982 * St. John's Guards 1980-1982 *St. John’s PWC 1980-1981 *St. John’s Jr. Shamrocks 1980-1987 *St. John’s Gonzaga 1981-1982 * St. John's Jr. 50's 1982-1993 *Conception Bay South Raiders 1982-1995 *Clarenville Jr. Caribous 1983-1989 * St John's Jr. Celtics 1984-2014 *St John’s Jr. Canadiens 1985 *St John’s AAA Midgets 1988-2000 *Bay Arena Rovers 1988-1989 *Bell Island Jr. Blues 1996-2010 *Conception Bay South Coachman 1998-2001 *Northeast Jr. Eagles 1998-2002 *Avalon Pacers 1999-2000 *St John’s AAA Maple Leafs 2000-2007 *Goulds Pacers 2001 * Mount Pearl Jr. Wild 2013-2014 * Northeast Celtics 2014-2016 *Trinity-Placentia Flyers 2011-2021

Champions

''Italics'' represent

Champions Bold represents Provincial Junior A Champions In 2022, the League renamed the SJJHL Championship from the President's Cup to the Taylor Cup in honour of the late Gerry Taylor, the founding father of the SJJHL who was affectionately known as Mr. Junior Hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the SJJHL did not award the championship in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Non-League Champion, Provincial Champion

''These teams won the

without winning the SJJHL playoffs.'' *1984 St. John's Jr. 50's *1996 Avalon Jr. Capitals *2000 Conception Bay North Jr. Stars *2003 St. John's Jr. Celtics *2007 Bell Island Jr. Blues *2009 St. John's Jr. Caps

Atlantic Jr. B Champions

''These teams won the

as Atlantic Junior B Champions.'' *1982 St. John's Br. Rice Celtics *1985 St. John's Jr. 50's *1986 Mount Pearl Jr. Blades *1987 St. John's Jr. 50's *1988 St. John's Jr. 50's *2009 St. John's Jr. Caps

Executive

The St. John's Junior Hockey League is governed by an elected executive with ten members, nine of whom are voting members.

External links

League Website
{{Junior Hockey Ice hockey leagues in Newfoundland and Labrador B