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91-592: The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League ( GOJHL ) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario , Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association , Ontario Hockey Federation , and Hockey Canada . The league is considered Junior B by the OHA , although it has attempted several times to be promoted to Junior A. The league was created in 2007 through

182-522: A competitive season was ever tossed Owen Sound's way. But what makes the return a success isn't the season record—it was the lack of a mass exodus of players at the Christmas Break. Players bought into the rebuilding process and stuck it out which earned a tremendous amount of respect from around the league and left the Greys in a good position with a solid nucleus to build on for next season. After

273-608: A director with the Czech Ice Hockey Association , felt that Junior-aged players were enticed to play in North America before maturation, with a negative effect on the development of the player and the European system. He stated that of the 527 Czech Republic players who went to North American Junior hockey, only 22 of them played more than 400 NHL games. He sought to establish a European system that

364-406: A full-time basis. The name was also changed back to the traditional Owen Sound Greys. Since the Greys had such a rough time in the past seasons they decided to take a year off for the 2009-2010 season The Greys folded their team for the 2009-2010 season, citing financial restructuring. After a year hiatus, the Greys returned with a short bench and started the rebuilding process. Not much hope of

455-497: A future NHLer who scored a natural hat trick as Owen Sound won 5-4. Game 2 was tied 2-2 after regulation time, which was followed by a 10-minute, non-sudden death overtime. The Greys outscored Port Arthur 3-1 in the extra frame, won the game 5-3 and became the first team to win the Memorial Cup a second time. It happened on March 28, 1927—the third anniversary of the 1924 championship. Hedley Smith, who never went on to pro hockey,

546-418: A more traditional playdown method. The Sutherland Cup semi-final will now have four teams squaring off in a pair of best-of-7 series to determine the finals. The champions of the three Conferences will be joined by the conference runner-up who has the best playoff record to date. This Wild Card team will play the top ranked Champion who they have not already met in the playoffs. After the league returned from

637-599: A much better season performance-wise, it was announced that the Greys franchise had been awarded to David Arseneaut, the team's major sponsor, by the OHA despite the team being community owned. On April 25, 2012, the OHA announced its approval of Arseneault's plan to relocate the team to Brampton, Ontario . This ends the long tradition of OHA Junior hockey in Owen Sound one season shy of what would be its centennial. The Greys had gone through numerous incarnations and leagues in

728-720: A professional team, and are used by professional teams to develop their own prospects. One example of this is the J20 SuperElit league in Sweden or the Minor Hockey League in Russia . The lack of an amateur draft in Europe means that the onus is on the teams to sign the most talented young players they can get, and the presence of an affiliated junior team provides a place for young players who are not yet ready for

819-675: A reconfiguration that will move the league from three to four divisions, and possibly a move to join the Canadian Junior A Hockey League in future years. On September 8, 2007, the Cambridge Winterhawks and the Guelph Dominators played the first ever game since the inception of the GOJHL. Despite leading 2-0 and outshooting Guelph, the defending Sutherland Cup Champions allowed five unanswered goals to drop

910-653: A significant concentration of teams in the central and southwestern parts of the United States, although the league began to expand to east coast as of 2015. In October 2016, the Tier III United States Premier Hockey League , a league predominately located on the east coast, applied to USA Hockey for approval of a Tier II league to begin in the 2017–18 season, however, the league was denied that December and decided to operate its Tier II league independently. The NAHL, like

1001-748: A true Junior C group, the Central Junior C Hockey League . They finished sixth and last in the regular season, then began the Super C playoffs, which appear to have been established for teams with larger population bases. Owen Sound was in an eight-game round-robin with London and the Brantford Gunners ; the Salvagemen and the Gunners advanced. Owen Sound met Woodstock in the final once again but fared no better, falling in four straight. When

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1092-817: Is currently the only Tier I league in the country, consisting of teams in the central and midwestern United States. The USHL provides an alternative to the Canadian Hockey League, which pays its major junior hockey players a stipend, for players who wish to maintain NCAA eligibility for later in their career. While playing in the USHL, all player expenses are paid for by the team; no membership or equipment fees are charged. Unlike major junior teams, free-college stipend does not exist. Historically, professional leagues have drafted less directly from USHL teams, although this trend has shifted in recent years, coinciding with

1183-606: Is that Junior "A" and Junior "B" are approximately the same skill level. In fact the OPJHL was known as the Central Ontario Junior B Hockey League until 1993, as well the Metro Junior A Hockey League which folded in 1998 was a Junior "B" league until 1991. During the 2006–07 season, the general managers of all Ontario Hockey Association Junior "B" teams came together and voted unanimously to merge and create

1274-697: The Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound. Starting with the 2000-01 season, the Greys played half of their home games at "The Plex," as the building became known. The team's name was also changed, first to the Owen Sound-Saugeen Greys in 2000 and then to the Owen Sound-Saugeen Shores Greys in 2001. As the number of Port Elgin-based players dwindled, so did attendance. The Greys decided in 2006 to abandon Port Elgin and return to Owen Sound on

1365-524: The COVID-19 pandemic , they reverted back to the old three-team round robin format for the Sutherland Cup. The Sutherland Cup Finals was a best-of-3 series in 2022, but the league went back to a best-of-7 series afterward. This is a list of divisional regular season champions and their point totals, bolded are the overall league regular season champions. For OHA Junior "B" champions prior to

1456-959: The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) : The championship teams from each league, as well as a pre-selected host team, compete for the Memorial Cup in a round-robin tournament to determine a national champion. Major Junior players were historically deemed ineligible to play college hockey in the United States , because they were considered to be professionals by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Major Junior players retain their eligibility for Canadian universities however, and all three leagues have scholarship programs for players. The NCAA changed its position and decided that CHL players were no longer ineligible as of

1547-462: The Centennial Cup national Tier II Junior A championship. Every year previously, the OHA champion had prevailed. But Nickel Centre ended the streak, upsetting the Greys 4-2 in a best-of-seven series. The OJHL folded after the season; for the second time in a decade, Owen Sound was left hanging by the collapse of its Tier II Junior A league. This time, though, the Greys were able to return to

1638-616: The Clarence Schmalz Cup which was first awarded in 1938. The Ontario Junior C playoffs are played for between six of the Province's seven different regional leagues. In Quebec and West of Manitoba, Junior C hockey tends to be an extension of the local minor hockey system and is sometimes called Juvenile or House League. In Ontario, Manitoba, and the Maritimes, Junior C is run independently of minor hockey systems, though with

1729-823: The Coupe Dodge in Quebec , the Don Johnson Cup in the Atlantic Provinces , and the Keystone Cup that represents all of Western Canada, from British Columbia to Northwestern Ontario . Junior C (Junior A in Québec ) generally consists of local competitions, but is considered competitive in some regions, and serve as seeding or farm-teams for Junior B teams. Ontario Junior C Hockey has six rounds of best-of-seven playoffs (up to 42 games per team) for

1820-694: The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League has operated as an independent league in Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. The league widely recruits players from outside of North America. In late 2016, the United States Premier Hockey League , an organization composed of several USA Hockey Tier III Junior as well as many youth hockey leagues, applied for a Tier II league. The Tier II status was denied in December 2016 but

1911-671: The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. A gold watch given to Greys captain Dutch Cain on the team's return to Owen Sound is currently being auctioned online . The watch, which reportedly still keeps perfect time, is inscribed "Presented to L.J. Cain By The City of Owen Sound April 2nd 1924." The outer case has crossed hockey sticks and a puck, with "Dominion Champions" inscribed above and "Junior Hockey" below. The Greys served as

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2002-505: The North American 3 Hockey League Some Junior ice hockey leagues operate outside the framework of governing bodies such as Hockey Canada and USA Hockey , typically due to disagreements with governing bodies over player recruitment policies and finances. These leagues are sometimes referred to as 'unsanctioned', 'rogue' or 'outlaw' leagues due to their lack of sanctioning or oversight from an outside governing body. Since 2006,

2093-594: The Northern Junior D Hockey League but were separated from that group come playoff time. Owen Sound endured a five-week layoff between the end of the regular season and the start of what was called the "Super C" playoffs. The "Super C" Champion would be awarded the George S. Dudley Trophy. The Salvagemen finally met the Woodstock Navy-Vets but were swept 4-0. The next season saw the Salvagemen in

2184-955: The Northern Ontario Hockey Association and Montreal Westmount . The club was then pitted against the Kenora Thistles in the Eastern Canadian final , a two-game, total-goals series won 15-12 by the Greys. The Greys had journeyed to Winnipeg for the first game against the Thistles (Game 2 was in Kenora) and they returned to the Manitoba capital to face the Calgary Canadians in the two-game, total-goals national final. Keeling and Weiland each scored twice and Fred Elliott scored once in

2275-807: The Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada for "Canada Day" in Mexico . On December 16, 2010, the Vipers played the Mexico Under-20 National Team and defeated them 9–2 in Mexico City . In January 2011, the GOJHL's Golden Horseshoe Conference and Midwestern Conference hosted the Russian Minor Hockey League 's "Red Stars" who did not make their Under-20 Team. On January 1, the MHL Red Stars defeated

2366-680: The Ontario Hockey League moved into Owen Sound in 1989, the Greys have enjoyed an almost continuous affiliation with the big club (originally the Owen Sound Platers , now known as the Owen Sound Attack ). A disagreement in 1999 led the Platers to cancel the arrangement and affiliate instead with the OPJHL's ill-fated Durham Huskies . Although that ended after one season and the Platers again latched on to

2457-619: The US . In 2023, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) withdrew from the Hockey Canada framework, and thus became an independent league. In response, BC Hockey announced plans to restructure its Junior framework, which included an opportunity for some Junior B teams (styled "Junior A Tier 2" by BC Hockey) to be promoted to Junior A (styled "Junior A Tier 1" by BC Hockey) and eventually seek membership with

2548-616: The 10-team league. Surprisingly, they were considered the favourite in the final as their opponents, the Listowel Cyclones , had only finished seventh, 12 points behind Owen Sound. Again, that didn't matter as Listowel rolled to a 4-2 series win and a berth in the Sutherland Cup final. In a sad coincidence, the sixth and final game had been played on March 28, 2005—the anniversary of the Greys' two Memorial Cup wins. Since then, there's been little for Greys fans to cheer about. The team finished ninth out of 10 teams in 2005-06 and missed

2639-640: The 1980s and spanned four different leagues. Owen Sound and Collingwood met up again in the Central league final in 1971 and the Blues, having already disposed of the Preston Raiders in a semifinal series, again prevailed. The Greys finished first for the second straight year and beat the Kitchener Ranger B's 4-3 in the other semifinal before falling to Collingwood in five games. In 1971-72,

2730-421: The 2007-08 season, please visit: Sutherland Cup . Bold denotes Sutherland Cup Champion. Italicized denotes Sutherland Cup finalist. Bolded is winner of Sutherland Cup as GOJHL and OHA champion. Single season records. Single season records. Single season records. This is a list of first round National Hockey League draft picks of players straight out of the GOJHL. Showcase During

2821-466: The 2025–26 season. The decision was made after a class action was filed on behalf of a player who was declared ineligible after having played two exhibition games in the OHL when he was 16 years old. The CHL places a cap of three 20-year-old players per team, and allows up to four 16-year-olds on each roster. While 15-year-old players were formerly permitted to play a limited number of games per season at

Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League - Misplaced Pages Continue

2912-585: The CHL level, they are now permitted to play only if they are deemed exceptional by Hockey Canada . As of 2024 , nine players have qualified under this rule: centre John Tavares in 2005, defenceman Aaron Ekblad in 2011, centre Connor McDavid in 2012, defenceman Sean Day in 2013, centre Joe Veleno in 2015, centre Shane Wright in 2019, forward Connor Bedard in 2020, forward Michael Misa in 2022, and defenceman Landon DuPont in 2024. CHL teams are currently permitted two "imports" (players from outside Canada and

3003-706: The CJHL. The league expected the evaluations to be completed during the 2024—25 season. Junior B (Junior AA in Québec ; Tier 2 in British Columbia ) was created in 1933, to differentiate between teams eligible for Memorial Cup competition and those who were not. The major championships across Canada are the Sutherland Cup in Southern Ontario , the Barkley Cup in the Ottawa District ,

3094-578: The GOJHL's chairman was dismissed by the OHA. During the 2014–15 season, the Golden Horseshoe Conference held a vote to determine their future with the GOJHL. The teams voted to leave the GOJHL with OHA approval and govern autonomously from the league. In retaliation, the GOJHL invited no players from the Golden Horseshoe to the league's all-star game, forcing the Golden Horseshoe to play their own game in short order late in

3185-533: The Golden Horseshoe Conference 7-4 and on January 3, the Red Stars defeated the Midwestern Conference 11–3. The MHL is Russia's top tier Junior league, while each conference of the GOJHL is a third of Southern Ontario's third-tier of Junior hockey. On October 10, 2012, the OHA announced its intention to expand east of Guelph and form a new fourth conference for the GOJHL. The announcement comes on

3276-429: The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League effective for the 2007–08 season. The GOJHL will become the sole competing body of the Sutherland Cup , which had as many as eight leagues competing for it at one time. The 2007–08 season did not begin as planned. The management of the Mid-Western league resigned and needed to be replaced, and with a lack of organization due to the short time the new management had to get organized,

3367-425: The Greys and Blues were placed in the new Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League , along with the Orillia Travelways , the Barrie Colts , the Newmarket Redmen and the Bolton Bruins . Orillia finished first in schedule play but once again Owen Sound and Collingwood met in the championship round and once again the Blues came out on top, winning 4-3. The 1972-73 season saw the Greys finish in second place but they swept

3458-497: The Greys crowned "Dominion Junior Hockey Champions," winners of what was then called the OHA Memorial Cup . Owen Sound first captured the J. Ross Robertson Cup as Ontario Hockey Association titlists by defeating the Kitchener Greenshirts 12-7 in a two-game, total-goals series. That followed earlier playoff series wins over Collingwood, Midland and Toronto Varsity in which the Greys were not seriously challenged. Owen Sound's next hurdles were single-game playoffs against North Bay of

3549-422: The Greys have never made it back to the Sutherland Cup final. The Greys were part of the Central Junior B league throughout the 1960s. They failed to make the playoffs between 1966 and 1968 but turned things around and finished first in 1969-70. They lost a semifinal playoff series to the Collingwood Blues , who went on to win the final over the Guelph CMC's , and thus began a great hockey rivalry that lasted into

3640-515: The Greys in 1983, leaving one top-level hockey team in Owen Sound for the first time in 15 years (see the Owen Sound Crescents ). The new entity retained the name "Greys" and played two more seasons in the Midwestern league. The Greys made another move out of Junior B, stepping up to the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 1985. They affiliated with the Guelph Platers of the Ontario Hockey League and performed very well in their new surroundings, finishing in third place in their first season and topping

3731-437: The Greys to bring the Memorial Cup back to Ontario; in 1927 they reclaimed it as well as the OHA, all-Ontario and Eastern Canadian crowns. Their opponents included the Newmarket Redmen , who fell 7-3 in a two-game, total-goals series to decide the OHA title. That set up a best-of-three national final in Toronto against the Port Arthur West End club. The Game 1 hero was Martin Lauder , a native of nearby Durham, Ontario , and

Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League - Misplaced Pages Continue

3822-535: The Greys were able to use a final appearance as a bit of a stepping stone. In 2000-01 they earned a first-place finish for the first time since 1987 and blew past the Guelph Dominators in the quarter-finals, earning a rematch with Cambridge. The Winterhawks had finished four places and 17 points behind the Greys. That didn't stop them from dumping Owen Sound 4-2, a bitter disappointment for the favoured Greys. They had to wait five years for their next final appearance, which they earned in 2004-05 despite finishing fifth in

3913-400: The Greys, there was enough animosity between the Greys and Huskies to fuel two heated exhibition games one week apart prior to the 2000-01 season. Owen Sound won 5-1 in the first game and 5-0 in the second game, which was marred by a line brawl toward the end. The Greys had another affiliation with the Kincardine Bulldogs of the Western Junior C Hockey League . This affiliation ended when

4004-408: The Junior A British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) withdrew its membership with Hockey Canada and became an independent league. In 2024, the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) announced that it would also withdraw from the Hockey Canada framework and become an independent farm league for the BCHL beginning in the 2024-25 season. In Europe, Junior teams are usually associated with

4095-421: The Junior B Greys jumped to Junior A, the Salvagemen took their place in the Mid-Ontario Junior B league but couldn't pick up where the Greys had left off. They finished sixth in 1975-76 and were swept by Orillia in the first playoff round. They placed fifth and out of the playoffs the next year. A name change to the Kings didn't help, as they again wound up fifth and on the sidelines in 1977-78. The Mid-Ontario loop

4186-500: The Junior B level. The team has remained in the Midwestern league ever since, by far its longest continuous stretch in any one circuit, but have only had middling success. One of the most disappointing seasons was 1992-93 when the Greys put together a powerful lineup that finished second in the standings, the first time they had ever placed so high in the Midwest. They were led by league scoring champion Bob McAskill , who had 36 goals, 69 assists and 105 points, but failed to advance beyond

4277-549: The Junior B playoffs for the first time since 1978-79. It appears Owen Sound will be on the sidelines again this spring as the club is headed for a finish of ninth and last. Its record as of January 11, 2007, was 3-27-2-1. The Owen Sound Sun Times newspaper reported on January 11, 2007, that leading scorer Greg Virgo has been traded to Cambridge and teammate Mark England has been sent to Stratford. General manager Kevin Emke said both players had reportedly asked to be dealt to playoff-bound clubs, requests that had caused friction in

4368-411: The MWJHL had to opt out of an interlocking schedule. As a result, the entire GOJHL went without an interlocking schedule for 2007–08. The 2008–09 season saw the complete liquidation of all three divisional managements and a single governing body was put in place for the league. Additionally, inter-divisional play would also commence. In the future, the league has stated that it will pursue club expansion,

4459-471: The Metro league champs but once again lost out in the seventh and deciding game, falling this time to the Bramalea Blues . That didn't mean Owen Sound was necessarily out of the picture, though. Bramalea and the Hamilton Red Wings of the Niagara District faced off for the Ontario championship and the Blues won the first game, but the contest was marred by a donnybrook that involved players, officials and fans and resulted in 14 police officers being called to

4550-405: The Salvagemen. They took a one-year leave of absence, then returned to the ice in 1978-79 as a founding member of the new Georgian Bay Intermediate A Hockey League . They again failed to recapture their previous glory, never finishing higher than third place and advancing to the playoff final only once. The Greys went on another hiatus in 1982, one year before the league itself disappeared. Since

4641-520: The Tier III level pay a fee or tuition, commonly ranging from $ 4,000 to $ 9,500. This is for all accounts and purposes an amateur level, although some players go directly to NCAA Division I schools. Most Tier III players are looking to increase their skills in hopes to move up to Tier II or I, while other players go directly to NCAA Division III , ACHA and CHF schools. Prior to July 2011, USA Hockey split Tier III into Junior A and B divisions. USA Hockey currently has one sanctioned Tier III league,

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4732-433: The US) each. Up until 1970, the leagues that were classified as Major Junior and "Junior A" today were both part of Junior A. In 1970 they were divided into "Tier I Junior A" or "Major Junior A" and "Tier II Junior A". In 1980, the three Major Junior A leagues opted for self-control over being controlled by the branches of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and became Major Junior hockey, Tier II Junior A became

4823-449: The USHL, provides young players an alternative to major junior hockey, although the skill level is considered significantly lower than major junior hockey and typically filled with those who would not or did not make the roster of a Tier I team. Unlike Tier I, the NAHL does not pay for all players' expenses, such as room and board, but there is no tuition cost to the player as in Tier III. In addition to paying for room and board, players at

4914-412: The USNTDP moving to the USHL in 2009-10. In the 2019 NHL Entry Draft , 17 of the 44 players drafted out of the USHL played for the USNTDP. Those 44 draft picks were 16 more than any of the three leagues in the Canadian Hockey League, and included 9 first round picks (8 of which came from the USNTDP) and 7 second round picks. For most of its existence the USHL was considered inferior in quality of play to

5005-422: The USPHL moved forward with the new league anyway, creating the National Collegiate Development Conference. In response, the USPHL has removed all their junior level leagues (the NCDC and the Tier III-level Premier and Elite Divisions) from USA Hockey sanctioning since the 2017–18 season. In 2022, the Eastern Hockey League , which was operating two Tier III leagues, also left USA Hockey sanctioning. In 2023,

5096-542: The arena. The Blues immediately forfeited the series and incoming OHA president Cliffe Phillips decided to allow the Greys to return to action and take Bramalea's place in the final against Hamilton. Phillips soon found that his notion was not a popular one and he dropped it at once; the Greys missed out on a trip to the OHA final after a 13-year absence and the Sutherland Cup was awarded to the Red Wings as Ontario champs. The Greys wrapped up their third straight Mid-Ontario crown in 1974-75, beating first-place Collingwood 4-1 in

5187-399: The city's Kelso Beach was named) had established a very strong school hockey program. Two of those Victoria graduates were forward Melville "Butch" Keeling , who later went on to star with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League , and goaltender Hedley Smith . In the fall of 1923 they earned places in the Greys lineup; soon they and their team would also earn a permanent place in

5278-427: The club with a whopping 68 goals in 26 games while Keeling added an incredible 37 goals and 46 points in 15 playoff games, which may very well be a Canadian junior hockey record. A repeat was not to be, as Owen Sound fell to Toronto Aura Lee in the 1925 OHA final. The Greys also lost the next year to Queen's University , although both Toronto and Queen's fell in their respective national final series. It remained to

5369-484: The departure of its only Junior A league . Its three Junior B leagues ( PJHL , KIJHL and VIJHL ) were re-styled as "Junior A Tier 2", with plans to promote some to "Junior A Tier 1" following an independent evaluation. It was expected that those teams promoted to "Junior A Tier 1" would eventually apply for membership in the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), an association of Junior A leagues governed by Hockey Canada and its regional branches . BC Hockey expected

5460-438: The dressing room. Team captain Sean Dinsmore was also on the way out, reportedly bound for the Collingwood Blues . Sporting a good contingent of players from the Port Elgin area, the Greys decided to stage a handful of home games at the new Saugeen Shores Community Complex in that town during the 1999-2000 season. The games were very well attended, with average crowds of about 800 people, far more than were coming to games at

5551-427: The evaluations to be completed during the 2024-25 season. Before the process was completed, the VIJHL announced that it would also withdraw from the Hockey Canada framework and become an independent farm league for the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) beginning in the 2024-25 season. Major Junior is the highest level of Junior ice hockey in Canada. There are three Major Junior leagues that collectively make up

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5642-399: The farm team for the Owen Sound Trappers, who competed in the OHA's Intermediate A league in the late 1930s and early 1940s. This coincided with the team's next notable championship run, which went all the way to the OHA Junior B Sutherland Cup final in 1940. Owen Sound's opponent was the Waterloo Siskins , who won the best-of-five series 3-1 and claimed the first of their 11 OHA titles. It

5733-463: The final. But the road ended in the OHA quarter-finals, where the Waterloo Siskins swept Owen Sound to the side. Bramalea, back in the mix a year after its forfeit, went on to win the Sutherland Cup. More than 30 years later, the Greys are still searching for their next Junior B league championship. The club spent the next two years in the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League , but they were disappointing seasons. Owen Sound finished fifth and out of

5824-419: The first game, won 5-3 by Owen Sound. Weiland and Elliott both scored again two days later, on March 28, 1924, but the real hero was 16-year-old netminder Hedley Smith. Calgary peppered him with 23 third-period shots but he stopped every one of them and held Calgary to a 2–2 tie. The Greys won the series 7-5 and, with it, the Dominion title. At the time, the wire service provided the only method of transmitting

5915-461: The game 5–2. On May 3, 2008, the Tecumseh Chiefs finished a four-game sweep of the Elmira Sugar Kings to win the first ever GOJHL championship. On September 24, 2008, the GOJHL hosted its first interdivisional regular season game between the Golden Horseshoe's Wheatfield Jr. Blades and the Western's London Nationals in London, Ontario . The Nationals won the game 6–2. The LaSalle Vipers , 2010 Sutherland Cup champions, were asked to represent

6006-463: The heels of the relocation of the Owen Sound Greys to Brampton by their sponsor, leaving the northerly city out of OHA junior hockey for the first time in ninety-nine years (not including wartime). In January 2014, the OHA announced that the plan to expand was on hold due to lack of serious parties. They announced that of eleven applicants, only four were substantial enough to play in the league. A Brantford group applied for expansion none-the-less, while

6097-428: The history of Canadian hockey. Keeling and Smith were joined by four other Owen Sound boys, including another soon-to-be NHLer named Edward "Teddy" Graham . Two others who later made the NHL, team captain Larry "Dutch" Cain and future Hockey Hall of Famer Ralph "Cooney" Weiland , were among the three imports on the nine-player squad. The 1923-24 season began in December and would end less than four months later with

6188-460: The league playoffs, knocking off the Midland Flyers in four straight games and finally getting past Collingwood, also in the minimum four games. This Greys team featured future NHLer Jim Roberts . Owen Sound then beat the Burlington Mohawks of the Central league 4-2 and advanced to the OHA semifinals against the Toronto Nationals . The Metro Junior B Hockey League champions won a hard-fought series 4-3. Owen Sound's best season in this stretch

6279-734: The league, similar to an all-star game Exhibition Games Starting in the 2022-2023 season, a team of GOJHL All-Stars competed against select opponents in tournaments and exhibition games [REDACTED] Media related to Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League at Wikimedia Commons Junior ice hockey There are four levels of Junior hockey in the Canadian Club System: 1. Major Junior, 2. Junior A, 3. Junior B, and 4. Junior C. Not all teams playing in Canadian Junior leagues are based in Canada . As of 2024 , there were approximately twelve US-based teams playing in various Major Junior and Junior A leagues in Canada. In 2023, BC Hockey announced plans to restructure its Junior framework following

6370-413: The major junior levels. But it continued to improve and as of 2019 about 21 percent of NHL players had played USHL in their career. Between 80 and 90 percent of USHL players continued into NCAA hockey. Currently, the North American Hockey League is the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II league in the United States. The NAHL consists of teams spread across the western two thirds of the United States with

6461-673: The merging of the Western Ontario Hockey League , Mid-Western Junior Hockey League , and Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League to dissuade perceived "player raiding" from teams in the then- Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League . The twenty-three teams of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League come from Southwestern Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe . In the late 1990s, the Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League began complaining about their top level players being pulled from their teams at trade deadline time by Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League clubs without permission or compensation. A common view in Southern Ontario Junior B circles

6552-546: The nearly 100 years since they were founded, although their initial history was cut short due to World War I . The team reformed after the end of the war and immediately came to prominence, winning the local playoff title in 1920 and thumping the Toronto champion 14-0. A year later, the Greys advanced to the Northern Hockey League playoff final. Many early members of the team had attended Victoria Public School in Owen Sound, where principal Henry Kelso (for whom

6643-541: The other three parties are currently in limbo. The Brantford group was approved for membership into the Midwestern Conference as the Brantford 99'ers . On March 28, 2014, the GOJHL's representatives filed for promotion from Junior B to Junior A with the Ontario Hockey Association. The matter was discussed at the OHA head office on April 5, 2014. A few weeks later, the OHA rejected the promotion and

6734-581: The playoff final. Coincidentally, it also marked the return of an Owen Sound player to the top of the league scoring parade, as Ryan Dudgeon put up 59 goals and 104 points to tie Mike Carter of the Cambridge Winterhawks . The Greys reeled off series wins over Kitchener and Stratford—marking the first time the Cullitons had been swept from the playoffs since 1983—but fell short against Cambridge, losing 4-2. The Winterhawks did not lose again that year, rolling to their first Sutherland Cup championship. This time

6825-641: The playoffs in 1975-76, then placed fourth and last in 1976-77. All four teams advanced to the post-season that year but the Greys didn't last long, brushed aside in four straight games by the Guelph Platers . When the SOJAHL folded in 1977, the Greys were left high and dry. They couldn't return to the Mid-Ontario Junior B league, as they had been replaced by another Owen Sound team which was called Owen Sound Grey-Bruce Salvage, popularly known as

6916-463: The results back to Owen Sound. Bulletins were posted outside the office of the city's newspaper, which estimated that more than 5,000 fans were there during the last game. It's believed that about 8,000 people turned out to welcome the champions home four days later, a remarkable number considering Owen Sound's population was only about 12,000 at the time. The Greys went 22-2-2 during that magical season, scoring 204 goals and allowing only 69. Weiland led

7007-635: The rigours of the professional game to develop. However, not all players on a European junior team are necessarily property of their professional club, and may elect to sign elsewhere. At the World Hockey Summit in 2010, nations in Europe expressed concern about the number of junior players leaving to play in North America, despite the improved talent level and the increasing popularity of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Junior Championships . Slavomir Lener,

7098-738: The same mostly recreational purpose. Junior ice hockey in the United States is sanctioned by USA Hockey . The top level is Tier I, represented by the United States Hockey League . Tier II is represented by the North American Hockey League . There are several Tier III and independently sanctioned leagues throughout the country. Some US-based teams play in Canadian leagues outside of the USA Hockey framework. The United States Hockey League (USHL)

7189-447: The season, the GOJHL holds a league showcase weekend in a host city, where all teams play 2 games against opponents from other conferences or the opposite conference starting in 2024. These games count towards each team's respective records and conference standings. Top Prospects & Future Stars Game Each season the GOJHL holds a Top Prospects & Future Stars game featuring the top draft ready talent & up-and-coming players in

7280-421: The season. The GOJHL playoff format remains unchanged for 2015 despite the shuffle. Before the playoffs began in 2015, the GOJHL announced that the Golden Horseshoe had rejoined the fold and that its annexation was averted. In early May 2017, the Cambridge Winterhawks announced their intentions to sever ties with the OHA , stating that they would not be part of the GOJHL going forward. The GOJHL initial response

7371-486: The semifinal playoff round. It wasn't until 1995-96 that the Greys finally advanced to a final series. They finished a lowly sixth but eliminated the Kitchener Dutchmen in overtime of the seventh and deciding game of their semifinal series. They met the powerful Stratford Cullitons in the final and lost 4-1. Owen Sound could not build on that success and it wasn't until 1999-2000 that the Greys returned to

7462-715: The standings in their second. They also won the Frank L. Buckland Trophy as playoff champions in 1986-87, their first title since 1974-75, and advanced to the all-Ontario championship against the Nickel Centre Power Trains of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . The OHA and NOJHL had been meeting annually since 1978-79 to determine the winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the provincial representative for

7553-633: The summer of 2012 after years of financial trouble. The Greys had survived in three different forms over the years. The Original Greys lasted from 1913 until 1977, winning two Memorial Cups and folding in the ashes of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League . The Intermediate Greys lasted from 1978 until 1982 to obtain the Hardy Cup , they departed with the fall of the Major Intermediate A Hockey League . The final team

7644-553: The top tier of hockey in the CAHA and became Junior A hockey. Junior A (Junior AAA in Québec ; Tier 1 in British Columbia ) hockey is one level below Major Junior. It is governed by the respective regional branches of Hockey Canada . The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of nine Junior A leagues: The national championship is the Centennial Cup . Unlike Major Junior players, Junior A players retain their NCAA eligibility and may go on to play college hockey in

7735-551: Was 1973-74. The team finished first, just ahead of Collingwood, but a fifth straight playoff meeting between the rivals was not in store. The Greys instead dumped Barrie 4-1 and Midland 4-1 to claim their second straight Mid-Ontario league title, then needed six games to get past the Elmira Sugar Kings of the Southwestern Junior B Hockey League . Owen Sound was back in the Sutherland Cup semifinals against

7826-672: Was 21 years before the Greys again made it as far in the playoffs. In 1960-61, they finished first in the Central Junior B Hockey League and rolled to the championship by defeating the Hamilton Bees and the Siskins, avenging the 1940 loss. Owen Sound then eliminated the St. Marys Lincolns in a semifinal series but ran out of gas in the Sutherland Cup final against the St. Michael's Buzzers , losing in four straight games. To this day,

7917-768: Was competitive enough to deter players from entering into the CHL Import Draft . Owen Sound Greys The Owen Sound Greys were a series of junior ice hockey teams based in Owen Sound , Ontario , Canada. They played in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League . The original Greys, in their early years, won the 1924 and 1927 Memorial Cups as Dominion Junior Hockey Champions. The Greys were controversially moved to Brampton , Ontario , in

8008-642: Was the Modern Greys, which began in 1973 as a Junior D club and worked its way up to winning the Ontario Junior A Hockey League Championship in 1987. From 1987 until 2012 the Greys played in the Mid-Western League/Conference of OHA Junior B until being relocated to Brampton and ending a 99-year era of Greys hockey in Owen Sound in 2012. The Salvagemen had been formed in 1973 as a Junior C team. Initially they were members of

8099-453: Was the only holdover from that first title and thus became the first double Memorial Cup winner. The OHA divided junior hockey into separate Junior A and Junior B ranks in 1933. The Greys were placed in Junior B, where they spent the next 42 years. Artifacts from the 1924 championship have surfaced in recent years. Cufflinks presented to Cooney Weiland are part of a junior hockey exhibit at

8190-419: Was to withhold comment until further details could be established. In June 2024, the GOJHL announced new realigned conferences, moving to an "East/West" format from the long standing 3 conference arrangement. As part of the first structural change to the Sutherland Cup playoffs since 1993–94 season, the GOJHL and OHA have thrown out the three-team round robin that had been used for twenty seasons and opted for

8281-824: Was wound down at this time and the Kings were placed in the Midwestern Junior B Hockey League . The other four teams (Orillia, Barrie, the Oak Ridges Dynes and the Thornhill Thunderbirds ) went to the new Central league. The Owen Sound Kings changed names again in 1980, becoming the Owen Sound Rutherford Mercurys, known simply as the Mercurys. This lasted until 1983. The Mercurys organization merged with that of

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