The (LHJQ) or Quebec Junior Hockey League (QJHL) is a Hockey Québec Canadian Junior A ice hockey league and is a member of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The winner of the QJHL playoffs competes for the Fred Page Cup against the winners of the Central Canada Hockey League and the Maritime Junior Hockey League and the host team, which is on a three-year cycle between the MJHL, CCHL and LHJQ. The winner of the Fred Page Cup then moves on to compete for the Centennial Cup.
History The Quebec Junior Hockey League is an offshoot of the Quebec Junior A Hockey League that lasted from 1972 to 1982. Founded in 1988, the QJHL has been a rather strong league, with three Central Canadian Champions (Dudley Hewitt Cup) in its early years: the Longueuil Sieurs in 1990 and the Chateauguay Elites in 1993 and 1994. In 1994–95 they were grouped into the Eastern Canadian region to compete for the Fred Page Cup. The Joliette Nationals won the first Fred Page Cup in 1995. To this day, the QJHL has four Eastern Canadian titles, the others going to the Joliette Action, Lennoxville Cougars, and St. Jerome Panthers. No Quebec team has ever won the national title despite attending the tournament seven times since 1988.
In 2002–03, Champlain College Lennoxville got a team to play in the LHJAAAQ - Lennoxville Cougars, based on the campus of College Champlain and Bishop's University. The Cougars, who were coached by former NHLer Stéphan Lebeau formed a discipline style of hockey. The method paid off, and Lennoxville captured the Napa Cup as league champions and won the Fred Page Cup. Lennoxville finished the Royal Bank Cup 1–3, the Cougars exited the tournament with semi-finals loss to the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL.
In 2003–04, the CJAHL and the LHJAAAQ saw the St-Eustache Gladiateurs ranked #5 overall in Canada. However, the Gladiateurs lost the finals to the Valleyfield Braves. Because Valleyfield was hosting the Fred Page Cup, the Gladiateurs got a berth in the tournament. Saint-Eustache and Valleyfield each held a 2–0 tournament record going into the all-LHJAAAQ match-up that would decide the winner and who gets a bye to the championship finals. Valleyfield won the game 4–0, and Saint-Eustache then lost to the Nepean Raiders 3–2 in double-overtime. The Valleyfield Braves lost the championship game 4–0 to Nepean.
In 2014, 12-year president Richard Morency announced his resignation, but staying on until the transition to the new leadership. The league also announced that it was re-branding itself the Quebec Junior Hockey League (dropping the "AAA" designation) and introduced the corresponding new league logo. The summer also saw the return of the Valleyfield Braves to the League. Owners of the team purchased the LaTuque Wolves, regained rights to the Braves name and logo and brought the team back to the Aréna Salaberry. Another long-time QJHL member, Kahnawake Condors, who were established in 1999 moved to Chambly, Quebec, to be re-branded as the Chambly Forts. Shortly after that move, the Gatineau Mustangs of the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League made the jump to the league as the Gatineau Flames, becoming the first Hull-based team since the Aylmer Extreme that had lasted one season in 2000–01. Several weeks after announcing the Gatineau Flames as a member, the Flames purchased the Lachine Maroons and absorbed the franchise rights. The league expelled the Sherbrooke Cougars because the league considered them as a collegiate team and had ties to Bishop's University. The Saint-Hyacinthe Laureats withdrew from the league, possibly in conjunction with the Cougars. The league split into two divisions.
Teams
Team Centre Beauce-Appalaches Condors Saint-Georges Côte-du-Sud Everest Montmagny Gatineau Flames Gatineau Granby Indigo Granby Joliette Prédateurs Joliette Laval Prime Laval Longueuil Collège Français Longueuil Montreal Rangers Montréal Montreal Phoenix Montréal Princeville Titan Princeville St-Jérôme Panthères Saint-Jérôme Terrebonne Cobras Terrebonne Valleyfield Braves Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
La Coupe NAPA playoff champions
YearChampionRunner-upSeries1989 Longueuil Collège Français 1990 Longueuil Collège Français 1991 Montreal Olympics 1992 Joliette Nationals 1993 Châteauguay Élites 1994 Châteauguay Élites 1995 Joliette Nationals 1996 Contrecoeur Éperviers 1997 Longueuil Collège Français 1998 Coaticook Frontaliers 1999 Valleyfield Braves Contrecoeur Blackhawks 4–32000 Coaticook Frontaliers 2001 St-Jérôme Panthers 2002 Valleyfield Braves Longueuil Collège Français 4–32003 Lennoxville Cougars Longueuil Collège Français 4–02004 Valleyfield Braves St-Eustache Gladiateurs 4–12005 Vaudreuil Mustangs St-Jérôme Panthers 4–12006 Joliette Action College Lafleche Titans 4–22007 Joliette Action Longueuil Collège Français 4–02008 Sherbrooke Cougars Joliette Action 4–22009 Sherbrooke Cougars Princeville Titans 4–02010 Terrebonne Cobras Longueuil Collège Français 4–12011 Longueuil Collège Français Valleyfield Braves 4–12012 Princeville Titans St-Jérôme Panthers 4–12013 Longueuil Collège Français Lachine Maroons 4–02014 Granby Inouk Sherbrooke Cougars 4–32015 Longueuil Collège Français Sherbrooke Cougars 4–32016 Longueuil Collège Français Granby Inouk 4–02017 Terrebonne Cobras Longueuil Collège Français 4–12018 Longueuil Collège Français Terrebonne Cobras 4–12019 Princeville Titans Terrebonne Cobras 4–12020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec2021 2022 Longueuil Collège Français Beauce-Appalaches Cegep Condors 4–12023 Terrebonne Cobras Beauce-Appalaches Cegep Condors 4–32024 Longueuil Collège Français L'Everest de la Côte-du-Sud 4–32025 Valleyfield Braves Longueuil Collège Français 4–2
Former member teams Kahnawake Condors / Chambly Forts - relocated to Chambly in 2015, folded prior to 2021–22 season L'Extreme D'Aylmer - folded after 2000–01 season Lachine Maroons - 2015 relocate to Gatineau Flames La Tuque Wolves - renewed Valleyfield Braves franchise Les Husky de Cowansville - folded after 1999–2000 season Le National de Joliette - ceased operations mid-season (January 2000) Le Junior Canadiens de Montreal - folded after 1999–2000 season Les Dragons de Saint-Hyacinthe - folded after 1999–2000 season Les Chevaliers de St-Jean - folded after 2001–02 season Montreal-North Arctic - folded after 2018–19 season. Founded 2002 as the St-Eustache Patriotes. Saint-Félicien Multiconcessionnaire - folded after 2008–09 season Saint-Hyacinthe Lauréats - 2015 withdrew from league Saint-Lazare Revolution - sold 2019. Remain in Saint Lazare but re-branded West Island Shamrocks Sherbrooke Cougars - 2015 expelled from league Thetford Mines Filons - relocated to La Tuque Wolves Valleyfield Braves (defunct) - left league to join LNAH Vaudreuil-Dorion Mustangs - sold and relocated to Saint-Lazare (2017)
Timeline of teams in the QJHL 1988 - Black Lake Miners play in 1988 Centennial Cup playdowns as Quebec's only Jr. A team 1988 - Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League is officially founded 1990 - St. Antoine Rapidos join league 1990 - Laval-Bourassa Cobras join league 1991 - St. Antoine Rapidos become Louiseville Jaguars 1991 - Laval-Bourassa Cobras become Montreal-Nord Cobras 1991 - Ste-Marie Beaucerons join league 1992 - Ste-Marie Beaucerons become Loretteville Riverains 1992 - Louisville Jaguars become Saint-Jerome Panthers 1994 - Coaticook Frontaliers join league 1994 - Valleyfield Elites join league 1995 - Lachine Maroons join league 1996 - Warwick Titans join league 1998 - Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League becomes Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League 1998 - Joliette National cease operations in January 1998 1998 - Valleyfield Elites become Valleyfield Braves 1999 - Kahnawake Condors join league 2000 - Montreal Junior Canadiens fold 2000 - Aylmer Extreme join league and fold after the 2000–01 season 2000 - Cowansville Husky fold 2000 - Saint-Hyacinthe Dragons fold 2002 - Saint-Eustache Gladiateurs join league 2002 - Lennoxville Cougars join league 2003 - Lennoxville Cougars become College Champlain Cougars 2002 - Warwick Titans become College Lefleche Titans 2002 - St-Jean Chevaliers fold 2003 - l’Ile Perrot Mustangs join league 2003 - La Plaine Cobras become Terrebonne Cobras 2004 - St-Lawrence of Quebec Lions join league 2004 - l’Ile Perrot Mustangs become Vaudreuil Mustangs 2005 - Coaticook Frontaliers become Granby Inouk 2006 - Saint-Eustache Gladiateurs become Saint-Eastache Patriotes 2005 - Joliette Action join league 2007 - St-Lawrence of Quebec Lions become Quebec AssurSports 2007 - College Champlain Cougars become Sherbrooke Cougars 2008 - Saint-Eustache Patriotes become Sainte-Therese Nordiques 2008 - Quebec AssurExperts move and become Thetford Mines Filons 2008 - Sainte-Agathe Montagnards join league 2008 - College Lefleche Titans become Princeville Titans 2008 - Saint-Felicien Multiconcessionnaire fold after three seasons 2009 - Sainte-Therese Nordiques become Rousseau-Sports Junior AAA Laval 2009 - Joliette Action become Joliette Traffic 2010 - Thetford Mines Filons become La Tuque Wolves 2010 - Rousseau-Sports Junior AAA Laval become Laval Arctic 2011 - Joliette Traffic become Montreal-Est Rangers 2011 - Laval Arctic become St. Leonard Arctic 2013 - Valleyfield Braves dissolve franchise to seek membership with the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey (LNAH) 2014 - La Toque Wolves relocate to Valleyfield and become the Valleyfield Braves. The ownership reclaims the rights to the Braves name and logo 2014 - League shortens name to Quebec Junior Hockey League 2015 - Kahnawake Condors relocate to Chambly and become Chambly Forts 2015 - Gatineau Flames purchase Lachine Maroons franchise and join league from Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League 2015 - Sherbrooke Cougars expelled from league 2015 - Saint-Hyacinthe Lauréats withdraw from league 2016 - League returns to the full name of Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League 2017 - Vaudreuil-Dorion Mustangs sold and relocated to St-Lazare Revolution. 2017 - Ste-Agathe Montagnards are sold and relocated to St-Gabriel-de-Brandon 2017 - Côte-du-Sud Everest join league and began play in 2018–19 2018 - St-Léonard Arctic relocates to Montreal-North 2018 - St-Lazare Revolution relocated to Pierrefonds, renamed Lac-St-Louis Revolution 2019 - Lac-St-Louis Revolution renamed as West Island Shamrocks 2019 - Montreal-North Arctic fold 2019 - Franchise awarded to Cegep de Beauce-Appalaches Condors. The team was set to begin during the 2020–21 season, but the debut was pushed back to 2021–22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec 2020 - St-Gabriel-de-Brandon relocates to Joliette, renamed to Joliette Prédateurs 2021 - Chambly Forts fold 2022 - West Island Shamrocks rebranded as Montreal Phoenix 2022 - New franchise awarded to Laval, under the name of Laval VC 2023 - Montreal-East Rangers move to Montreal, renamed Montreal Rangers 2024 - Laval VC is renamed to Laval Junior AAA
References
External links LHJQ website