Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior "A" Tier I
ice hockey leagues which constitute the
Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.
In 1980, the Ontario Hockey League was born with the renaming of the "Ontario Major Junior Hockey League." Previously the OMJHL officially separated from the
Ontario Hockey Association in 1974.
David Branch has been the only Commissioner of the OHL from this time. Since 1980 the league has grown rapidly into a high profile marketable product, with many games broadcast on
television and
radio.
Encyclopedia
| Ontario Hockey League |
| |
>| Founded | 1980 |
>| Head Office | Scarborough, Ontario |
>| Official Web site | |
>| Commissioner | David Branch |
>| Hockey Operations | Ted Baker |
>| Finances | Ray Hollowell |
>| Administration | Herb Morell |
>| Referee-in-Chief | Ted Baker |
>| Chief Scout | Rob Kitamura |
>| Publications | Aaron Bell |
The
Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior "A" Tier I
ice hockey leagues which constitute the
Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.
In 1980, the Ontario Hockey League was born with the renaming of the "Ontario Major Junior Hockey League." Previously the OMJHL officially separated from the
Ontario Hockey Association in 1974.
David Branch has been the only Commissioner of the OHL from this time. Since 1980 the league has grown rapidly into a high profile marketable product, with many games broadcast on
television and
radio.
There are currently 20 teams in the OHL; 17 are based in
Ontario, 2 teams in
Michigan and 1 team in
Pennsylvania.
History
- See: Main article Ontario Hockey League history
The Ontario Hockey League began as the Ontario Hockey Association in 1896. Since then it has undergone four major eras of distinction in levels of junior hockey.
The OHA started with a senior and a junior division in 1896. In 1933, the junior division was divided into two levels, junior A and junior B. In 1972 the upper level was divided into two more levels,
Tier I and
Tier II. In 1974 the "Major Junior A Tier I" portion of the OHA separated and became the
'Ontario Major Junior Hockey League.' In the 1980, the OMJHL became the "Ontario Hockey League."
Member teams
;Eastern Conference
- East Division
- Central Division
The
Sudbury Wolves are a junior ice hockey team that play in the Ontario Hockey League [i] from 19 ...
;Western Conference
- Midwest Division
The
London Knights are an ice hockey [i] team from London [i], Ontario [i], Canada [i] ...
- West Division
Schedule
The 20 OHL clubs play a 68 game unbalanced schedule, which starts in the third full week of September, running until the third week of March. Ninety per cent of OHL games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday to minimize the number of school days missed for its players. Ninety-five per cent of the players in the league are attending high school or college.
Approximately 20% of players on active rosters in the
National Hockey League have come from the OHL, and about 54% of
NHL players are alumni of the
Canadian Hockey League.
2006-07 OHL season
- See: Main Article 2006-07 OHL season
The current OHL season commenced on September 21, 2006. The OHL announced on the same day, a new rule entitled Checking to the Head effective immediately. . Also announced, the recently adopted
National Hockey League rule on stick curvature will not be implemented until next season.
Bell OHL All-Star Classic
- See: Main Article History of the OHL All-Star Classic
This year's Bell-OHL All-Star Classic will be played on January 30th, 2007, in
Saginaw, Michigan. The Eastern Conference plays the Western Conference . The night before, January 30, 2007, the Eastern Conference plays the Western Conference in the Skills Competition.
OHL Playoffs and Memorial Cup
The J. Ross Robertson Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the Ontario Hockey League Championship Series. The Cup is named for J. Ross Robertson, who was president of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1901 to 1905.
The OHL playoffs consist of the top 16 teams in the league, 8 from each conference. The teams play a best-of-7 game series, and the winner of each series advances to the next round. The final two teams eventually compete for the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
The OHL champion then competes with the winners of the
Western Hockey League, the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the host of the tournament to play for the
Memorial Cup, which is awarded to the junior hockey champions of Canada. The host team of the tournament is alternated between the three leagues every season. This year's tournament is hosted by the Vancouver Giants of the WHL.
Memorial Cup champions
The
Memorial Cup has been captured 12 times by OHL/OHA teams since the tournament went to a 3-league format in 1972:
The Cup was also won 16 times by OHA teams in the period between 1945 and 1971:
Priority Selection
The OHL conducted its annual draft, known as the
OHL Priority Selection on Saturday May 6, 2006 via internet. Steven Stamkos of the
Markham Waxers was the first overall pick of the Sarnia Sting. The Oshawa Generals followed up by selecting defenceman Michael Del Zotto also of the Waxers. It’s the first time in history that the first two picks in the OHL Priority Selection have come from the same team.
- See 2006-07 OHL season for the complete first round list.
Trophies and Awards
- Team Trophies
- J. Ross Robertson Cup - OHL Playoffs Champion
- Bobby Orr Trophy - Eastern Conference Playoffs Champion
- Wayne Gretzky Trophy - Western Conference Playoffs Champion
- Hamilton Spectator Trophy - Regular Season Champion
- Leyden Trophy - East Division Regular Season Champion
- Emms Trophy - Central Division Regular Season Champion
- Holody Trophy - Midwest Division Regular Season Champion
- Bumbacco Trophy - West Division Regular Season Champion
- Executive Trophies
- Matt Leyden Trophy - OHL Coach of the Year
- OHL Executive of the Year
- Bill Long Award - Lifetime Distinguished Service
- Player Trophies
- Red Tilson Trophy - Most Outstanding Player
- Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - Scoring Champion
- Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy - Top Scoring Right Winger
- Max Kaminsky Trophy - Most Outstanding Defenceman
- OHL Goaltender of the Year
- Jack Ferguson Award - First Overall Priority Selection
- Dave Pinkney Trophy - Lowest Team Goals Against
- Emms Family Award - Rookie of the Year
- F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy - Best Rookie GAA
- Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy - Humanitarian of the Year
- William Hanley Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike Player
- Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy - Overage Player of the Year
- Bobby Smith Trophy - Scholastic Player of the Year
- Roger Neilson Memorial Award - Top Academic College/University Player
- Ivan Tennant Memorial Award - Top Academic High School Player
- Wayne Gretzky 99 Award - Playoffs Most Valuable Player
See also
- Ontario Hockey League History
- List of OHL seasons
- OHA Standings
- OMJHL Standings
- OHL Standings
- List of CHL franchise post-season droughts
- Sports league attendances
External links
- Official web site
- Official web site
- - Internet Hockey Database
