The Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League was a Junior "C"

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

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, 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 ...

. The champion of the Great Lakes competed for the All-Ontario Championship and the

Clarence Schmalz Cup The Clarence Schmalz Cup is the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior "C" ice hockey championship and championship trophy. The champions of the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) are awarded the Cup. The PJHL was formed in 2016 from the forme ...

. It is now a division in the

Provincial Junior Hockey League The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Cana ...

. The league got its start as the Border Cities Junior Hockey League in 1968. It became a Junior B and C league under the Great Lakes name in 1970 before strictly Junior C in 1974.

History

Development

Out of the ashes of the old ''Bluewater Hockey League'', a local league that sometimes operated at Junior D and Juvenile levels, came the Border Cities Junior Hockey League in 1968. In 1968-69, the league operated on both sides of the

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

border. The

Leamington Flyers The Leamington Flyers are a junior ice hockey team based in Leamington, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. They are an affiliate of the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds. Hist ...

joined the league after a lackluster year in the Western Jr. B League, with the Blenheim Golden Blades,

Petrolia Jets The Petrolia Jets were a junior ice hockey team based in Petrolia, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Western Ontario Hockey League, and the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League. ...

, and

Dresden Jr. Kings The Dresden Jr. Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Dresden, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. The Kings won the Clarence Schmalz Cup in 1971 at On ...

on the Canadian side. The American teams did not participate in the OHA playoffs. Blenheim would win the Border Cities Jr. B crown with a 4-games-to-2 series win over Petrolia, while Dresden would beat Leamington 3-games-to-2 with 2 ties for the Junior C crown. In 1969-70, the league operated as two different, but interlocked, identities - the Border Cities League and the Michigan Junior Hockey League. The Canadian teams stayed with the BCJHL and added a fifth member - the Tilbury Bluebirds. Petrolia was named Junior B champions at the end of the year, uncontested, and went on to the Sutherland Cup playdowns, while Leamington beat Dresden for the Junior C championship, and Blenheim beat Tilbury for a Junior D title. Essex goalie 2013 Schmalz Cup

During the summer, the league opted to separate from its Michigan brethren, who went on to form their own league. The league received an offer from a new team, the Windsor Royals. In the Fall of 1970, the league renamed itself the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League.

Great Lakes

The 1970-71 season, the first as the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League, saw the league operating with six teams. Four of the teams in the league had opted for a Junior B designation for the playoffs: Blenheim, Petrolia, Tilbury and Windsor; Dresden and Leamington remained Junior C. Petrolia would take the league Junior B crown with a dominant series victory over the upstart Royals, while the Dresden Jr. Kings went the distance and shocked the Leamington Flyers (who had finished the season with ten more wins). Dresden would go on to defeat the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League's Champion, Bowmanville Red Eagles to win the league's first ever Provincial Championship. In the Summer of 1971, the league expanded again with the

Mooretown Flags The Mooretown Flags are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Mooretown, Ontario. The Flags are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. History Founded in 1971, the Flags have won one Clarence Schmalz Cup as All-Ontario Junior "C" ...

jumping in at the Junior C level. Petrolia would defeat Windsor again at Jr. B, while Leamington gained revenge over Dresden in the Jr. C final. Leamington would manage to duplicate the deeds of the Kings in 1971, winning the 1972 OHA Junior C Championship over the Central Ontario League's Cobourg Cougars. Before the 1972-73 season, the

applied to leave the league for the

Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League The Western Ontario Hockey League (WOHL) was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association from 1969 until 2007. In 2007, the league became a division of the newly formed Greater Ontario Junior Hock ...

. They were replaced by the Sandwich West Thunderbirds of

LaSalle, Ontario LaSalle is a town in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. It is a bedroom community of the City of Windsor and part of the Windsor Census Metropolitan Area, and is located south of that city. LaSalle, along with Windsor, is the oldest French settlemen ...

at the Jr. B level and the

Wallaceburg Lakers The Wallaceburg Thunderhawks are a Canadian Junior ice hockey club based in Wallaceburg, Ontario. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. History The Wallaceburg Thunderhawks have made the All-Ont ...

in Jr. C. Windsor would win the B loop, while Leamington would again take Jr. C. Amherstburg Admirals goalie

The Summer of 1973 brought more expansion. The Royals, disgruntled former affiliates of the

Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League ...

Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975� ...

were having a battle over which team deserved ascension to Major Junior A level. The Spitfires opted to not renew their agreement with the Royals and financially supported the new

Belle River Bulldogs Belle may refer to: * Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'') * Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Belle (surname), a list of people Brands and enterprises * Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania ...

. They were joined by the soon-to-be powerhouse

Essex 73's The Essex 73's are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Essex, Ontario. The 73's are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey Association. Prior to becoming members of the PJHL in 2016 the 73's won the GLJHL ...

and Michigan Yankees of

Utica, Michigan Utica is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,757 at the 2010 census. History The city now known as Utica was platted by Joseph Stead in 1817, who preferred to call it "Harlow." Others referred to the cit ...

. Sandwich West did not return for a second season. Windsor walked through Tilbury and Belle River with no problem to win their second straight Jr. B title. Essex would shock everyone in the league and finish with the best record, but fell in the Jr. C finals to the Leamington Flyers. In the Summer of 1974, the Royals were relocated to the

and the Michigan Yankees ceased operations. With half the teams gone from their already fragile Jr. B loop, the league opted to operate at Junior C from then on.

Junior C exclusive

After eliminating the Junior B level, the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League had dropped down to eight teams for 1974-75: Belle River, Blenheim, Dresden, Essex, Leamington, Mooretown, Tilbury, and Wallaceburg. Essex, in only their second year, would win not only the regular season title (33-8-1), the playoff championship by defeating Leamington in four-straight-games, but would march their way to their first (and the GLJCHL's third) OHA Junior C Championship by defeating the Central Ontario League's

Lindsay Muskies The Lindsay Muskies are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. History The Muskies started out in the Central Junior C Hockey League. In 1989, the team jumped to the C ...

4-games-to-3. In 1975, Belle River Bulldogs left the league after only two seasons. Essex would win the 1975-76 regular season title, their third straight, by beating Dresden in seven games, but would fall to the

Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League The Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League is a former Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The Champion of the Niagara competed for the All-Ontario Championship and the Clarence Schma ...

Dunnville Terriers The Dunnville Jr. Mudcats are a Junior ice hockey team based in Dunnville, Ontario, Canada. They are playing in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. Prior to the 2016-17 season the Mudcats competed in the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey Leag ...

4-games-to-2 in the provincial final.

1994 Tilbury Hawks scandal

In 1994, members of the Tilbury Hawks were charged with 135 various criminal violations by the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorpo ...

stemming back to a rookie party in the Fall of 1993. Members of the Hawks organization, who won the league in 1992-93, had engaged in a rookie party at the team owner's house in which various

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

rituals were performed on rookies including forced drinking, group masturbation, shaving of pubic hair, and various sexual acts. Eventually, team trainer Paul Everaert and captain Ed Fiala pleaded guilty to their charges and were fined a total of $6,000. The team was forced out of Tilbury by the end of the 1993-94 season, relocating to

Walpole Island Walpole Island is an island and First Nation reserve in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the border between Ontario and Michigan in the United States. It is located in the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair, about by road from Winds ...

and folding in 1999. The team was a part of an investigation and subject matter of an episode of The Fifth Estate.

Teams

2015-16 Playoffs

''Winner moves on to the

.''

Playoff champions

Regular season champions

''(*) Leamington awarded 1972-73 regular season title over Windsor Royals due to winning head-to-head record.''

Former member teams

* Amherstburg Vikings * Clearwater Steeplejacks *

* Michigan Yankees *

* Sandwich West Thunderbirds * Tilbury Bluebirds * Tilbury Hawks/ Walpole Island Hawks * Windsor Royals

Professional alumni

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

'' * Chris Allen (Blenheim 1992-93) *

Darren Banks Darren Alexander Banks (born March 18, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in 20 NHL games with the Boston Bruins between 1992 and 1994, as well as extensively in the minor leagues and briefly in Europe during a c ...

(Leamington 1983-84) *

Bob Boughner Robert Douglas Boughner ( ; born March 8, 1971), nicknamed "The Boogieman", is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently an associate coach for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). As head ...

(Belle River 1986-87) *

Ted Bulley Edward Harvey Bulley (born March 25, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Drafted in 1975 by both the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League and the Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association, Bulley played ...

(Windsor 1971-72) *

Bruce Crowder Bruce James Crowder (born March 25, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played four seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1981–82 to 1984–85. He is the bro ...

(Essex 1974-75) *

Keith Crowder Keith Scott Crowder (born January 6, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League from 1980–81 until 1989–90. Playing career Crowder was drafted 57th overall by the Bos ...

(Essex 1975-76) * Brian Dobbin (Mooretown 1980-82) *

Tie Domi Tahir "Tie" Domi (born November 1, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Known as an enforcer, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets over a 16-year NHL career. He is the Maple Leafs' all ti ...

(Belle River 1984-85) *

Dave Gagnon David Anthony Gagnon (born October 31, 1967) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender. Dave played 2 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1990–91 season, posting a record of 0–1–0 and go ...

(Essex 1984-85; 1985–86) *

Rick Heinz Richard D. Heinz (born May 30, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 47 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks. The rest of his career was spent in the minor lea ...

(Windsor 1972-73) * Dave Kelly (Dresden 1969-70) *

Kris Manery Kris Franklin Manery (born September 24, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 250 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipe ...

(Leamington 1972-73) * Matt Martin (Blenheim 2005-06) * Mike Natyshak (Belle River 1979-82) *

Rumun Ndur Rumun Ndur (born July 7, 1975) is a Nigerian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Ndur played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres, the New York Rangers, and the Atlanta Thrashers. Ndur was the first Nigeria ...

(Clearwater 1991-92) *

Warren Rychel Warren Stanley Rychel (born May 12, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League. He was hired as the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League in 2019. P ...

(Essex 1983-84) * D. J. Smith (Belle River, Chippawa 1992-93) * Alek Stojanov (Belle River, Amherstburg 1988-89) *

John Van Boxmeer John Martin Van Boxmeer (born November 20, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He has also served extensively as a hockey coach with various teams from 1984 to the present. Bio John Van Boxmeer was considered a top prospec ...

(Petrolia 1970-71) *

Todd Warriner Todd Eaton Warriner (born January 3, 1974) is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward. Over the course of his career, Warriner played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Phoenix Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, ...

(Blenheim 1988-89) * Derek Wilkinson (Belle River 1989-90) *

Brian Wiseman Brian M. Wiseman (born July 13, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward and NHL assistant coach. Biography As a novice player, Wiseman scored 413 goals in a single season. This broke a record held by Wayne Gretzky, and broug ...

(Dresden 1986-87)

References

External links

Great Lakes Junior C website
{{Junior Hockey C C