The Central Ontario Hockey League (COHL) was a highly competitive Intermediate

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 hock ...

league in the central

Grey County Grey County is a county of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario. Grey County is also a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the ...

area of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada until the late 1970s. The league was originally sanctioned by 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 ...

, but later the

Western Ontario Athletic Association The Western Ontario Athletic Association (WOAA) is the governing body of minor and senior sports in a region encompassing Grey County, Bruce County, Perth County, Huron County, northern Middlesex County, and northern Wellington County. The WO ...

incorporated it into their

WOAA Senior Hockey League The WOAA Senior AA Hockey League is a Canadian senior ice hockey league governed by the Western Ontario Athletic Association. The league operates in Southwestern Ontario. History Format The league uses Hockey Canada playing rules but is not o ...

History

The COHL was a

Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake St. ...

Intermediate level league. All Intermediate was merged with Senior in 1986, but this league was merged into the WOAA Intermediate Hockey League in 1980. The WOAA now exists as a Senior "AA" hockey league. The league was fed new players by the local

Central Junior C Hockey League The Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The "Central" played inter-league games with the Empire Junior "C" League. The champion of the Central c ...

, under that name from 1960 until 1980, is now known as the Western Junior C Hockey League. The league was supported by the local Northern Junior D Hockey League, which folded in 1985. Their 1976-77 season was very competitive. The top team in the league was Dromore, followed by Badjeros, Dundalk, Priceville, El-Ron, Flesherton, and Markdale. The next year, they were joined by the

Shelburne Muskies The Shelburne Muskies are a men's senior hockey team based out of Shelburne, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League. Championships In 1982, the Muskies won their eighth COHL title since 1935. ...

. They jumped to the

Senior ranks in 1980, and the rest of the league was absorbed by the WOAA. They stayed under their name as a division of the WOAA until 1982, when they were fully integrated into the league.

Former Member Teams

*Badjeros *Barhead Blues *Chatsworth * Creemore Chiefs *Dundalk Flyers * Durham Flyers *Dromore *El-Ron Inn *Feversham *Flesherton Saints *Glenelg *Honeywood *

Markdale Majors The Markdale Majors were a Canadian Intermediate (Senior) team from the town of Markdale, Ontario. An entry which competed in the Central Ontario Hockey League, later swallowed by the WOAA Senior Hockey League The WOAA Senior AA Hockey Leagu ...

*Meaford *Priceville *Rocklyn *

*Thornbury *Williamsford {{div col end

Champions

*1982 Shelburne Muskies *1981 Honeywood *1980 Dundalk Flyers *1979 Dundalk Flyers *1978 *1976 *1975 *1974 *1973 *1972 Shelburne Muskies *1971

External links

WOAA Homepage
Defunct ice hockey leagues in Ontario