The Island Junior Hockey League (IJHL), also sometimes called the PEI Junior A Hockey League, was a Junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

league in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, Canada. Originally Junior B, the league was promoted to Junior A in 1973 after the folding of the

Charlottetown Islanders The Charlottetown Islanders are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are members of the Maritimes Division, and play their home games at the ...

in 1972.

History

The league was promoted to Junior A in 1973. Most of the teams originated from the Island Junior B Hockey League, except for the Charlottetown Abbies who played the previous season in the Central New Brunswick Junior B Hockey League. In its early years, their champions would play the winners of the New Brunswick Junior Hockey League, Eastern Junior A Hockey League, and Newfoundland Junior A Hockey League for advancement in the

Centennial Cup The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of Junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey. It consists of a ten-team ...

playdowns. In 1989, the

Summerside Western Capitals The Summerside Western Capitals are a Junior "A" hockey team based in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. They are members of the Maritime Junior Hockey League, and they play their home games at the Consolidated Credit Union Place. Until 2007 the ...

hosted the Canadian Junior A Championship, then known as the

Manitoba Centennial Cup The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of junior A ice hockey. It consists of a ten-team round robin featuring the ...

, and represented the IJHL at the tourney. The Western Capitals came in second place, losing to the Thunder Bay Flyers of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

4–1 in the final after beating the

Moncton Hawks The Moncton Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. They played in the American Hockey League between 1987 and 1994, operating as a minor league affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Home games were played at the Mon ...

3–2 in a triple-overtime thriller in the semi-final. In 1991, the IJHL folded when two teams, Charlottetown Abbies and Summerside Western Capitals, jumped to the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League (MVJHL). The MVJHL immediately changed its name to the

Maritime Junior A Hockey League The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league under Hockey Canada, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It consists of six teams from New Brunswick, which make up the EastLink North Division (formerly R ...

(MJAHL)a tribute to the short-lived Maritime Junior A Hockey League (1968–1971). In 1996, a new Island Junior Hockey League was founded at the Junior B level.

Teams

* Charlottetown Abbies * Charlottetown Colonels * Eastern Huskies * Monague Kings * North River North Stars * O'Leary Maroons * Riverview Buccaneers * Saint John Schooners * Sherwood-Parkdale Metros *

* West Prince Bluefins

Champions

Jr. B :1972 Summerside Crystals :1973 Jr. A :1974 Charlottetown Colonels :1975 Charlottetown Colonels :1976 Charlottetown Colonels :1977 Charlottetown Generals :1978 Charlottetown Eagles :1979 Sherwood-Parkdale Metros :1980 Sherwood-Parkdale Metros :1981 Sherwood-Parkdale Metros :1982 North River North Stars :1983 Sherwood-Parkdale Metros :1984 Summerside Western Capitals :1985 Charlottetown Eagles :1986 Summerside Western Capitals :1987 Charlottetown Abbies :1988 Summerside Western Capitals :1989 Summerside Western Capitals :1990 Charlottetown Abbies :1991 Charlottetown Abbies

External links

Canadian Junior A WebsiteCurrent IJHL Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Island Junior Hockey League (1973-1991) Defunct ice hockey leagues in Prince Edward Island 1972 establishments in Prince Edward Island 1991 disestablishments in Prince Edward Island

History

Teams

Champions

See also

External links