The St. John's Junior Hockey League is a Junior B ice hockey league in Newfoundland and Labrador, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. It was founded in 1980. In 2022, the name of the league championship was changed from the President's Cup to the Taylor Cup in honour of the late founder, Gerry Taylor.

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 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.

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 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.

The St. John's Junior Hockey league did not have a team attend the Don Johnson Memorial Tournament, emblematic of the Maritime Jr. B hockey champion. Teams

The SJJHL is made up of 8 teams:

Team Home Avalon Jr. Celtics St. John’s CBN Jr. Stars Bay Roberts CBR Jr. Renegades Conception Bay South Mount Pearl Jr. Blades Mount Pearl Northeast Jr. Eagles Torbay Paradise Jr. Warriors Paradise St. John's Jr. Caps St. John's Southern Shore Jr. Breakers Witless Bay

Defunct 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

1981 St. John's Jr. Shamrocks 1982 St. John's Br. Rice Celtics 1983 St. John's Jr. Shamrocks 1984 St. John's Jr. Shamrocks 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 1989 Avalon Jr. Capitals 1990 Avalon Jr. Capitals 1991 St. John's Jr. 50's 1992 St. John's Jr. 50's 1993 St. John's Jr. 50's 1994 St. John's Jr. Celtics 1995 St. John's Jr. Celtics 1996 Avalon Jr. Capitals 1997 Bell Island Jr. Blues 1998 Bell Island Jr. Blues 1999 St. John's Jr. Caps 2000 St. John's Jr. Celtics 2001 St. John's Jr. Celtics 2002 St. John's Jr. Caps 2003 Mount Pearl Jr. Blades 2004 Conception Bay North Jr. Stars 2005 Trinity-Placentia Jr. Flyers 2006 Conception Bay North Jr. Stars 2007 Mount Pearl Jr. Blades 2008 St. John's Jr. Celtics 2009 Mount Pearl Jr. Blades 2010 St. John's Jr. Caps 2011 St. John's Jr. Celtics 2012 St. John's Jr. Caps 2013 St. John's Jr. Caps 2014 Avalon Jr. Capitals 2015 St. John's Jr. Caps 2016 Conception Bay North Jr. Stars 2017 Southern Shore Jr. Breakers 2018 Mount Pearl Jr. Blades 2019 CBR Jr. Renegades 2020 No Playoffs - covid 2021 No Playoffs - covid 2022 Mount Pearl Jr. Blades 2023 CBN Stars 2024 St. John's Jr. Caps 2025 CBN Stars

Italics represent Veitch Memorial Trophy 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 provincial champions

These teams won the Veitch Memorial Trophy 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 Don Johnson Cup 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 league is governed by an elected executive with ten members, nine of whom are voting members. Position Name President Jim Hare Vice President Boyd Hillier Registrar Steven Clarke Treasurer Colin Gosse Director of Statistics, Rules, and Minor Officials Vacant Director of Communications & Public Relations Vacant Director-at-Large Amanda Tibbo Director-at-Large Paul Shephard Recording Secretary Keith Cronin Past President Mark Noseworthy

See also

List of ice hockey teams in Newfoundland and Labrador

External links

League Website