The Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League was a Junior "A" ice hockey league in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. * 1966–1975 – Peace Junior B Hockey League (PJBHL) * 1975–1991 – Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League (PCJHL) * 1991–1999 – Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL)

History

In 1975, the

Quesnel Millionaires The Quesnel Millionaires were a junior ice hockey, junior "A" ice hockey team based in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. They were members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They played their home games at Qu ...

and

Prince George Spruce Kings The Prince George Spruce Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at the Kopar Memor ...

joined the Peace Junior B Hockey League (PJBHL). The PJBHL already included the Fort St. John Huskies,

Dawson Creek Canucks Dawson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Dawson (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Dawson (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places Antarctica ...

, and

Grande Prairie North Stars The Grande Prairie Storm is a junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, with home games at Bonnetts Energy Centre. History The organization was founded in 1966 as the Junior A ...

. Previously, Fort St. John won the

Cyclone Taylor Cup The Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament serves as the British Columbia Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship. The annual tournament is held amongst the champions of British Columbia's three Junior ice hockey#Junior B, C, D, Junior B ice hockey leagues, ...

as British Columbia Jr. B Champions in 1969 as a member of the Peace Jr. B League. With the expansion, the PJBHL became the Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League (PCJHL). The first championship of the new PCJHL was won by Prince George, but Quesnel won the league and the

as BC Champions in 1977, 1978, and 1979 and the

won the

Russ Barnes Trophy The Russ Barnes Trophy is a trophy awarded by Hockey Alberta to the Alberta Junior B Provincial champion. The gold medallist advances to the Keystone Cup Western Canada Junior B championship. Tournament organization Eight teams compete in the Al ...

and

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

champions in 1976. In 1980 the PCJHL became a Junior "A" League, one season after the

British Columbia Junior Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League The Pacific Junior A Hockey League (PJHL) was a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating within the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area in British Columbia from 1971 until 1979. History From 1962 to 1967, a Pacific Coast Junior Hockey Leagu ...

merger. The league's most successful team, by far, was the

. Every season, their playoff champion earned the right to play for the

Mowat Cup The Mowat Cup was donated to the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association by John Mowat in 1927. Since 2024, it is awarded to the championship team from the British Columbia Hockey Conference (BCHC). The BCHC is made up of the Kootenay Interna ...

, the British Columbia Junior "A" Title. The PCJHL/RMJHL was eligible for the

Royal Bank Cup Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

, the Junior "A" National Title. In 1991, the PCJHL doubled in size when it took in a portion of the Jr. B

KIJHL The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a junior ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hock ...

and was renamed the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL). The newcomers, which were concentrated in the southern region, formed the Kootenay Division, and the teams in the northern region formed the Peace-Cariboo Division. In 1995, the

Trail Smoke Eaters The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior A ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). History The Smoke Eaters (aka ''Smokies'') have existed as both junior and senior teams si ...

moved to the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

. In 1996, the entire Peace-Cariboo Division departed the league: the

and

moved to the

BCHL The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

, the Grande Prairie Chiefs moved to the

AJHL The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 t ...

, the

Williams Lake Mustangs The Williams Lake Mustangs are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Williams Lake, British Columbia. They are members of the Doug Birks Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. They play their home games at the Cariboo Me ...

folded, and the Fort St. John Huskies moved to

Hockey Alberta Hockey Alberta is the Sport governing body, governing body of all ice hockey in Alberta, Canada and is affiliated with Hockey Canada. It was founded in 1907 as the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) to be the governing body for Alberta i ...

North West Junior Hockey League The North West Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" Ice Hockey league operating in the Peace River region of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of Northwest "B" playoffs earns the chance to compete for t ...

. The

Castlegar Rebels The Castlegar Rebels are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Neil Murdoch Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play th ...

joined in 1996, but returned to the

in 1998. The

Cranbrook Colts The Cranbrook Colts were a Junior "B" and a Junior "A" team in Cranbrook, British Columbia. They were formed in 1970 as a Junior "B" team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. They were immediately successful, winning the league title ...

folded in 1998. The remaining four teams ( Creston Valley Thunder, Kimberley Dynamiters,

Nelson Leafs The Nelson Leafs are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Neil Murdoch Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play their hom ...

, and

Fernie Ghostriders The Fernie Ghostriders are a Junior ice hockey, Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Fernie, British Columbia, Fernie, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay Internationa ...

) played an interlocking schedule with the AWHL of

USA Hockey USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...

. In 1999, the RMJHL proposed that the remaining four teams join the

as a "Kootenay Division", however the

rejected the proposal. The league folded after the 1998–99 season. The Creston Valley Thunder and

moved to the

, and the Kimberley Dynamiters and

joined the AWHL.

The Mowat Cup

The

was the championship trophy of Junior A hockey in

. From 1981 to 1999, it was awarded to the winner between the championship team from the RMJHL and the championship team from the

. The winner would then go on to play the

championship team for the

Doyle Cup The Doyle Cup was an ice hockey trophy won through a best-of-7 series conducted annually by the Canadian Junior Hockey League to determine the Pacific region berth in the Centennial Cup, the national Junior A championship. From 1971 to 2021, th ...

. In the end, the

had a near spotless record against the RMJHL, winning all 19 series with a record 48 wins and 1 loss. In the final year of the competition, the Kimberley Dynamiters recorded the league's only win against a

championship team, namely the

Vernon Vipers The Vernon Vipers are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Kal Tire Place. History The ...

, before losing the series. The

continued to award the Mowat Cup to itself until 2016.

Teams

Champions

From its founding until 1991, the league's champion was awarded the PCJHL Trophy. From 1992 until 1996, the league's champion was awarded the Citizen Cup. From 1997 until 1999, the league's champion was awarded the Subway/Eddie Mountain Trophy.

References

External links

Vernon Junior A Hockey History
{{CJAHL Defunct ice hockey leagues in British Columbia 1999 disestablishments in British Columbia Sports leagues disestablished in 1999

History

The Mowat Cup

Teams

Champions

See also

References

External links