Ligue Nord-Américaine De Hockey
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The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH, ''"North American Hockey League"'') is a semi-
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
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 based in the Canadian province of
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. Teams in the LNAH compete for the Vertdure Cup.


History

The league was founded as the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League (QSPHL; French: ''Ligue de hockey semi-professionnelle du Québec'' (''LHSPQ'')) in 1996, and became fully professional and assumed its current name in 2004. It reached its peak in terms of number of teams that season, with ten. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the 2019-20
playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
were suspended and never concluded; Thetford Assurancia was the regular season champion. The league had hoped to start the 2021 season in January, but announced in November 2020 that it would not be going forward with one.


League play

Unlike higher-level minor professional leagues, such as the
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
or the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
, the LNAH is not known for its skill level. Its teams employ many enforcers and has a rather infamous reputation for on-ice antics, primarily fisticuffs. The LNAH has a reputation as the world's toughest hockey league; a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' article stated that the league averaged 3.2 fights a game during the 2010–11 season, compared with 0.6 fights in the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
. Despite this reputation, many of the players have been ex-National Hockey League or ex-American Hockey League players, including Patrick Côté, Michel Picard, Stéphane Richer, Bobby Dollas, Guillaume Lefebvre, Garrett Burnett, Daniel Shank, François Leroux, Jeremy Stevenson, Éric Fichaud, Mario Roberge, David Gosselin, Michel Ouellet, Jesse Bélanger,
Donald Brashear Donald Brashear (born January 7, 1972) is an American-Canadian former professional hockey player. He played for five organizations in the National Hockey League (NHL) over a 16-year career, in which he played the role of an enforcer. He was am ...
, Yves Racine, Anthony Stewart and Juraj Kolník. During the
2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...
, some NHL players -- such as Sylvain Blouin,
Donald Brashear Donald Brashear (born January 7, 1972) is an American-Canadian former professional hockey player. He played for five organizations in the National Hockey League (NHL) over a 16-year career, in which he played the role of an enforcer. He was am ...
,
Sébastien Caron Sébastien Caron , born on June 25, 1980, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He last played for the defunct Hamburg Freezers of the then Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Playing ...
,
Mathieu Biron Mathieu Biron (born April 29, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played over 250 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). After retiring as a hockey player, he became a firefighter. Playing career As a youth, Biron pl ...
, Marc-André Bergeron and Sébastien Charpentier -- played the entire season in the LNAH. This is abetted by the absence of a veteran limit rule (common to other minor pro leagues in North America) which allows teams to stock up on experienced players. The 15-round LNAH Draft is held during the summer. Players too old for
junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...
may be drafted even if they were already drafted by an NHL team. The league has had a rule that stipulates that all players must either have come from or played junior hockey in Quebec, though it has not been strictly used for LNAH teams based outside Quebec.


Teams


Current

; Notes


Timeline

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:950 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:01/01/1996 till:06/17/2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.95,0.5,0.4) id:line value:black id:bg value:white PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/2001 text: Acton Vale Nova/Beaulieu (1996–2001) bar:1 color:skyblue from:07/01/2001 till:07/01/2009 text: Saint-Hyacinthe Cousin/Cristal/Top Design/Chiefs (2001–2009) bar:2 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 shift:(-20) text: H-Rich. (96–97) bar:2 color:skyblue from:07/01/1997 till:06/01/1998 text: Iberville (97–98) bar:2 color:skyblue from:07/01/1998 till:06/01/2001 shift:(30) text: Saint-Laurent (98–01) bar:2 color:skyblue from:07/01/2001 till:07/01/2006 text: Verdun/Verdun-Montreal Dragons (2001–2006) bar:3 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1999 text: Lachute Rapides (96–99) bar:3 color:skyblue from:07/01/1999 till:06/01/2003 text: LaSalle Rapides (1999–2003) bar:4 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 shift:(-20) text: L'tides (96–97) bar:4 color:skyblue from:07/01/1997 till:06/01/1998 text: St-Thérèse (97–98) bar:4 color:skyblue from:07/01/1998 till:06/01/2006 shift:(60) text: Laval Chiefs/Summum Chiefs (1998–2006) bar:4 color:skyblue from:07/01/2006 till:06/01/2008 text: St-Jean Chiefs (06–08) bar:4 color:yellow from:07/01/2008 till:end shift:(20) text: Saguenay/Jonquière 98.3/Marquis (2008–present) bar:5 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 text: Louiseville Jets (1996–1997) bar:6 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/2004 text: Pont-Rouge Grand Portneuf/Caron et Guay (1996–2004) bar:6 color:skyblue from:07/01/2004 till:06/01/2018 text: Trois-Rivières Caron et Guay/Vikings/Blizzard/Draveurs (2004–18) bar:7 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1998 text: Rive-Sud (96–98) bar:7 color:yellow from:07/01/1998 till:end text: Saint-Georges Garaga/CRS Express/Cool FM 103.5 (1998–present) bar:8 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1998 text: St-Gabriel (96–98) bar:8 color:skyblue from:07/01/1998 till:06/01/2002 text: Joliette Blizzard/Mission (98–02) bar:8 color:skyblue from:07/01/2002 till:06/01/2004 shift:(-20) text: St-Jean-sur-Rich. (02–04) bar:8 color:skyblue from:07/01/2004 till:06/01/2008 text: Sorel Mission (2004–2008) bar:8 color:yellow from:07/01/2010 till:end shift:(-10) text: Sorel-Tracy GCI/HC Carvena/Éperviers (2010–present) bar:9 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/2004 text: Sorel Dinosaures/Royaux (1996–2004) bar:10 color:yellow from:07/01/1996 till:end text: Thetford Mines Coyotes/Prolab/Isothermic/Assurancia (1996–present) bar:11 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 shift: (-20) text: Vanier (96–97) bar:11 color:skyblue from:07/01/1997 till:06/01/1998 text:
Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...
(97–98) bar:11 color:skyblue from:07/01/1999 till:06/01/2001 shift: (15) text: Beaupre (99–01) bar:11 color:skyblue from:07/01/2001 till:06/01/2008 text: Quebec Aces/Radio X (2001-08) bar:11 color:skyblue from:07/01/2008 till:06/01/2010 text: Pont-Rouge Lois Jeans (2008-10) bar:12 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 shift:(-20) text: Waterloo 94 (96–97) bar:12 color:skyblue from:07/01/1997 till:06/01/2004 shift:(25) text: Granby Blitz/Prédateurs (1997–2004) bar:13 color:skyblue from:07/01/1996 till:06/01/2003 text: Windsor Papetiers/Lacroix (1996–2003) bar:13 color:skyblue from:07/01/2003 till:06/01/2011 text: Sherbrooke Saint-François (2003–2011) bar:13 color:skyblue from:07/01/2011 till:06/01/2012 shift:(-55) text: Windsor Wild (11-12) bar:13 color:skyblue from:07/01/2012 till:09/29/2016 text: Cornwall River Kings (2012–16) bar:14 color:skyblue from:07/01/1997 till:06/01/2003 text: Asbestos Aztèques/Dubé (1997–2003) bar:15 color:skyblue from:07/01/1997 till:06/01/2002 text: Jonquière Condors (1997–2002) bar:15 color:skyblue from:07/01/2002 till:12/09/2004 text: Saguenay Paramédic/Fjord (2002–2004) bar:16 color:skyblue from:07/01/2001 till:06/01/2004 text: Rivière-du-Loup Promutuel (2001–2004) bar:17 color:skyblue from:07/01/2003 till:06/01/2004 text:Trois-Rivières Viking (2003–2004) bar:18 color:yellow from:07/01/2008 till:end text: Rivière-du-Loup CIMT/3L (2008–present) bar:19 color:skyblue from:07/01/2008 till:03/01/2009 text: Ste-Marie Poutrelles Delta (2008–2009) bar:20 color:skyblue from:07/01/2013 till:12/01/2013 shift:-115 text: Valleyfield Braves (2013) bar:20 color:skyblue from:12/01/2013 till:05/31/2017 text: Laval Braves/Prédateurs (2013–2017) bar:21 color:skyblue from:07/01/2018 till:11/09/2018 shift:-115 text: Berlin Blackjacks (2018) bar:21 color:yellow from:11/10/2018 till:end shift:0 text:Les Pétroliers du Nord (2018–present) bar:22 color:skyblue from:04/07/2022 till:06/29/2023 shift:-200 text: Bâtisseurs de Montcalm (2022–2023) bar:23 color:yellow from:11/10/2024 till:end shift:-200 text: Saint-Hyacinthe Bataillon (2024–present) bar:24 color:yellow from:11/10/2024 till:end shift:-175 text: National de Québec (2024–present) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1996


Defunct

* Acton Vale Beaulieu (2000–01; became Saint-Hyacinthe Cousin) * Acton Vale Nova (1996–2000; renamed Acton Vale Beaulieu) * Asbestos Aztèques (1997–2001; renamed Asbestos Dubé) * Asbestos Aztèques (2002–03; folded) * Asbestos Dubé (2001–02; renamed Asbestos Aztèques) * Bâtisseurs de Montcalm (2022–23) *Berlin BlackJacks (2018; team taken over by league after 10 games in
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and moved to St-Jérôme, Quebec for the remainder of the 2018-19 season as Les Pétrôliers du Nord, and then to
Laval, Quebec Laval is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in Can ...
for season 2019-20 under the same name) * Cornwall River Kings (2012–16; folded) * Côte-de-Beaupré As (2000–01; became Québec As and played at Charlesbourg in 2001–2002 and at Beauport in 2002–2003) * Côte-de-Beaupré Caron et Guay (1999–2000; became Côte-de-Beaupré As) * Granby Blitz (1997–2002; renamed Granby Prédateurs) * Granby Prédateurs (2002–04; folded) * Haut-Richelieu Dragons (1996–97; renamed Iberville Dragons) * Iberville Dragons (1997–98; became Saint-Laurent Dragons) * Joliette Blizzard (1998–2000; renamed Joliette Mission) * Joliette Mission (2000–02; became Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Mission) * Jonquière Condors (1997–2002; renamed Saguenay Paramédic) *Lachute Rapides (1996–99; became LaSalle Rapides) *LaSalle Rapides (1999–2003; folded) * Laurentides Gladiateurs (1996–97; became Sainte-Thérèse Chiefs) * Laval Chiefs (1998–2005; renamed Laval Summum-Chiefs) * Laval Summum-Chiefs (2005–06; became Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Summum-Chiefs) * Laval Braves (2013–14; renamed Laval Predateurs) * Laval Predators (2014–17; folded) * Louiseville Jets (1996–97; folded) * Pont-Rouge Caron et Guay (2001–04; became Trois-Rivières Caron et Guay) * Pont-Rouge Grand Portneuf (1996–2001; renamed Pont-Rouge Caron et Guay) * Québec As (1997–98; dormant in 1998–99 and became Côte-de-Beaupré Caron et Guay) * Québec As (2001–03; renamed Québec Radio X, then Pont-Rouge Lois Jeans) * Rive-Sud Chacals (1996–98; became Saint-Georges Garaga) *Rivière-du-Loup Promutuel (2001–04; folded) * Rivière-du-Loup CIMT (2008–10; renamed
Rivière-du-Loup 3L 3L de Rivière-du-Loup or the Rivière-du-Loup 3L is a professional ice hockey team in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH) based in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. The team was founded in 2004 and first played in the LNAH in the 2008–09 seas ...
* Saguenay 98,3 (2008–09; renamed Saguenay Marquis) * Saguenay Fjord (2004–05; folded after 24 games) * Saguenay Paramédic (2002–04; renamed Saguenay Fjord) * Ste-Marie Poutrelles Delta (2008; folded during the season) * Sainte-Thérèse Chiefs (1997–98; became Laval Chiefs) * Saint-Gabriel Blizzard (1996–98; became Joliette Blizzard) * Saint-Georges Garaga (1998–2005; renamed Saint-Georges CRS Express) * Saint-Hyacinthe Chiefs (2008–09; folded) * Saint-Hyacinthe Cousin (2001–05; renamed Saint-Hyacinthe Cristal) * Saint-Hyacinthe Cristal (2005–06; renamed Saint-Hyacinthe Top Design) * Saint-Hyacinthe Top Design (2006–08; renamed Saint-Hyacinthe Chiefs) *
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Mission Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal, located roughly halfway between Montreal and the Canada–United States border w ...
(2002–04; became Sorel-Tracy Mission) * Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Summum-Chiefs (2006–08; became Saguenay 98.3) * Saint-Laurent Dragons (1998–2001; became Verdun Dragons) * Sherbrooke Saint-François (2003–11; became Windsor Wild) * Sorel Dinosaures (1996–99; renamed Sorel Royaux) * Sorel Mission (2004–08) * Sorel Royaux (1999–2004; folded) * Sorel-Tracy GCI (2010–11) * Thetford Mines Coyotes (1996–2000; renamed Thetford Mines Prolab) * Thetford Mines Isothermic (2007–15; renamed Thetford Assurancia) * Thetford Mines Prolab (2000–07; renamed Thetford Mines Isothermic) * Trois-Rivières Blizzard (2014–17; renamed Trois-Rivières Draveurs) *
Trois-Rivières Draveurs The Trois-Rivières Draveurs ("Raftmen") were a Canadian junior ice hockey team playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). They played home games at the Colisée de Trois-Rivières, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The team was origin ...
(2017–18; membership revoked) * Trois-Rivières Viking (2003–04; folded) * Valleyfield Braves (2013; became Laval Braves partway through 2013–14 season) * Vanier Voyageurs (1996–97; became Québec As and played at Val-Bélair) * Verdun Dragons (2001–05; renamed Verdun-Montréal Dragons) * Verdun-Montréal Dragons (2005–06; folded) * Waterloo 94 (1996–97; became Granby Blitz) * Windsor Lacroix (2001–03; became Sherbrooke Saint-François) * Windsor Papetiers (1996–2001; renamed Windsor Lacroix) * Windsor Wild (2011–12; became Cornwall River Kings)


Champions

The Vertdure Cup is the trophy awarded annually to champions of the LNAH. It was first awarded after the 1996–97 season, and was originally called the Futura Cup. In 2011, it was renamed the Canam Cup, and in 2014 as the Vertdure Cup. It was renamed the Evirum Cup for the 2023–24 season and the Gilles-Rousseau Cup for the 2024-25 season.


LNAH Finals appearances by city

Note: Cities listed in yellow are currently home to an LNAH franchise.


References


External links


Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey 1 Ice hockey leagues in Ontario Minor league ice hockey Articles which contain graphical timelines 1996 establishments in Canada Sports leagues established in 1996 Professional sports leagues in Canada