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53-691: The Ontario Professional Hockey League was organized in November 1907. The Toronto Professionals had been playing exhibition games against teams of the International Professional Hockey League and other teams with attendances of over 1,000 per game. In early November 1907, the International League had folded, reducing the number of opponents for Toronto, who could not play any amateur teams in Ontario. At

106-531: A de facto United States national championship in ice hockey. In 1903–04, the professional Houghton team, without a league of its own, played exhibition games against teams from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Michigan prompting the OHA to ban both the American Soo Indians and Canadian Sault Hockey Club from competing against Canadian amateur teams. As a result, the two teams had nowhere to go but to

159-467: A boys' team when equal opportunity existed to play on a girls' team in her geographic area. The OHA Senior A Hockey League ceased operations after the 1986–87 season, when it was reduced to three teams and the OHA was unable to find new teams. The league had become cost-prohibitive, and needed to cut costs and restructure senior ice hockey to compete for the Allan Cup . During the summer in 1989,

212-473: A full-time coach, doctor, nutritionist, and athletic trainers . Ladds felt that junior hockey in Ontario needed to be more attractive to players, who were departing the OHA for leagues elsewhere in Canada. The OHA was governed by elected presidents from 1890 to 1980. From 1980 onward, a board of directors was elected, with a full-time employee to execute duties as the president. List of elected presidents of

265-600: A linesman and cut his eyelid. Brantford's suspension was related to a violent playoff brawl against the St. Catharines Falcons . In 1987, the Port Elgin Bears withdrew from a Western Ontario Junior C Hockey League playoffs series due to perceived on-ice violence by the Hanover Barons . The OHA investigated the incident, which received national publicity when Port Elgin's coach was supported by Otto Jelinek ,

318-513: A smaller arena under construction in a newer part of the city. Hewitt promised to negotiate a better deal, in exchange for the contract with Arena Gardens to be renewed on a year-by-year basis. The OHA signed multiple five-year contracts with Maple Leaf Gardens , in which all Toronto-based teams in the OHA played home games at the arena, except for the University of Toronto teams. The trophy emblematic of Canadian Intermediate Hockey supremacy

371-563: A total of $ 6,000. The team was forced out of Tilbury by the end of the 1993–94 season, relocating to Walpole Island and folding in 1999. The team was a part of an investigation and subject matter of an episode of The Fifth Estate . In 1997, parents of players on the Kingsville Comets spoke out against hazing and campaigned for its end. The OHA stated it must educate its teams and players annually on acceptable practices to prevent incidents and change future behaviour. Each team

424-530: The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League or Western Ontario Athletic Association (at the Senior level), which are run outside of Hockey Canada's jurisdiction and are not affiliated. Hockey Eastern Ontario represents the part of Ontario East of and including Lanark County , Renfrew County , and Leeds County , but not including the town of Gananoque . Hockey Northwestern Ontario has control of

477-780: The Metro Toronto Hockey League (MTHL) and the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA), broke away from the OHA and formed the Central Canada Hockey Association, due to disagreement with an OHA restructuring proposal which would have limited their voting powers. The dispute ended when the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) was established, with equal representation for the OHA, Northern Ontario Hockey Association , MTHL, and OMHA. The OHF

530-716: The OHA Senior A Hockey League and the various Senior B leagues. In September 1985, the Supreme Court of Ontario ruled against an appeal for a girl to play in the OHA, stating that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was not violated since the OHA was a private organization. In June 1986, the Court of Appeal for Ontario overturned the decision which was then upheled by the Supreme Court of Canada . The OHA's position had been that girls could not play on

583-758: The Pittsburgh Pros , and dissolved. The Houghton Portage Lakes team played at what was a new facility at the time called the Amphidrome on Portage Lake. The Calumet-Laurium Miners, a nearby rival of the Houghton team, played at the new Palestra arena in Laurium . By contrast, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan made the Ridge Street Ice-A-Torium, the local curling club, its home rink. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario team, or Canadian Soo as it

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636-697: The 1908 off-season, Brantford left the league and was replaced by Galt and St. Catharines . Galt would win the OPHL championship and Galt challenged for the Stanley Cup in January 1909, losing to Ottawa team of the ECAHA. After the 1909 season, Guelph, St. Catharines and Toronto left the league. In 1910 the OPHL added the Waterloo Colts to become a four-team league. Berlin got off to such a strong start in

689-649: The Canadian Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport. Port Elgin team officials were given one-year suspensions when the OHA found no evidence to justify abandoning the series. When 13 people from the Tilbury Hawks were charged with sex-related crimes in 1994, the OHA sought to eliminate hazing from and suspended the team's officials for one year. Team trainer Paul Everaert and captain Ed Fiala pleaded guilty to their charges and were fined

742-640: The IPHL folded. The Pittsburgh team would be dissolved and the WPHL was restarted. Some of the high profile players who played in the IPHL: The following players are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame : 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 . Founded in 1890,

795-913: The NHA after the NHA was itself raided for players by the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). Players who left included Eddie Oatman , Jack McDonald and Goldie Prodgers . The Moncton Victorias of the Maritime Professional Hockey League (MPHL) signed nearly all of the champion Galt team's players. The Victorias would win the MPHL championship and challenge NHA champion Quebec. A namesake league would play for one season in 1930–31 with teams in Galt, Guelph, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Oshawa and Stratford. † Guelph and St. Catharines withdrew after six games of

848-571: The OHA appointed Vern Stenlund as its first "master mentor coach", to improve the quality of coaching and the player experience in junior hockey. In 2007, the three Southwestern Ontario leagues opted to merge to form a 27-team superleague, the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in hopes of eventually being promoted to Junior A and to attempt to prevent player poaching from the 37-team Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League . OHA president Brent Ladds led

901-575: The OHA as Junior A Leagues. The three remaining leagues, the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League , Western Ontario Hockey League , and Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League , who had been more dominant than their Toronto-area sister leagues in the Sutherland Cup department, were left to their own devices. The Metro Junior A Hockey League (MetJHL) operated independent from the OHA as of the 1995–96 season, when it

954-508: The OHA had transitioned into being "a more nimble and responsive organization" than when he began; and was proud of his work to advance player safety and reduce on-ice injuries, which included increased penalties for rough play and certification programs for coaches and referees. Empowered by Hockey Canada , the OHA governs all Ontario senior and junior hockey not administered by Hockey Northwestern Ontario , Hockey Eastern Ontario , or Northern Ontario Hockey Association . This does not include

1007-441: The OHA hired George Panter as an assistant secretary, then later made Panter its business manager to oversee day-to-day operations. Hewitt retained his office at Maple Leaf Gardens where he kept the OHA's records, despite that a new office was opened across the road. Bill Hanley became the business manager in 1951, and Hewitt's role gradually decreased. The OHA established a permanent referee-in-chief position in 1952, and lessened

1060-646: The OHA in July 1982. The OHA and OHL disagreed on financial terms of affiliation, then the OHL decided to handle its own administration. The OHA and the OHL later reached an interim affiliation agreement, which allowed the OHL to compete at the Memorial Cup . In 1993, the Metro Junior B Hockey League and Central Junior B Hockey League , the OHA's two Toronto -area Junior B leagues, were officially recognized by

1113-749: The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association . Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the OHF include the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Northwestern Ontario . The OHA controls three tiers of junior hockey; the "Tier 2 Junior "A", Junior "B" , Junior "C", and one senior hockey league, Allan Cup Hockey . In 1980, the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League vacated what

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1166-407: The OHA is today composed of the six teams of Allan Cup Hockey . In 1924, the OHA voted to keep its ban on professional coaches in amateur hockey. When Queen's University at Kingston hired a full-time athletic director , OHA secretary W. A. Hewitt felt that the OHA should allow the director's involvement with the hockey team despite him being a paid professional. Hewitt proposed an amendment to

1219-574: The OHA on April 28, 1980, after a restructuring from an elected president into an elected chairman and an appointed president. He was to focus on the increasing business demands on the OHA, fundraising and publicity, and be a technical co-ordinator. He became the first paid full-time president of the OHA. He retired as OHA president in June 2012. He stated that when he began working for the OHA, he dealt with "three or four bench-clearing brawls [each] weekend", but that culture had changed over time. He felt that

1272-470: The OHA: W. A. Hewitt was named secretary of the OHA on December 8, 1903, to succeed William Ashbury Buchanan . As the secretary, Hewitt was the de facto referee-in-chief of the OHA. He spoke annually at referee meetings to review interpretations of new and existing rules of play, and sought consistency and more strict enforcement of the rules when dealing with dissent and physical play. In January 1948,

1325-755: The Ontario Hockey Association, concerned with growing violence in hockey, suspended the Streetsville Derbys and the Brantford Classics from playing in the 1986–87 season. The suspension of the Derbys had to do with a stick-swinging incident in the final game of the league quarter-final against the Nobleton Devils . A Nobleton player was struck in the back of the head with a two-hand slash, which also struck

1378-655: The Ottawa ' Rideau Hall Rebels ' and in the course of exhibition play against other teams in Ontario, convinced team officials to hold a meeting in November 1890 to discuss the idea. On November 27, 1890, at the Queen's Hotel in Toronto, delegates from hockey clubs around Ontario formed the Ontario Hockey Association. The first executive was: In the beginning, the OHA had one league of senior men's hockey teams. This group included teams from Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, and London. In

1431-532: The Ottawa District Hockey Association, governing most of eastern Ontario ice hockey play. In 1892, the junior-level was introduced for play at a lower level. It was not age-limited to young men under the age of 20 until 1896, when the OHA introduced the 'intermediate'-level play bracket. In 1919, the Memorial Cup was introduced, first called the 'OHA Memorial Cup', and was first won by University of Toronto Schools (UTS). It became

1484-615: The Soo must be uncompromisingly antagonistic ... Any player who figures on any of these teams must be banished from Ontario Hockey." Leagues in Canada had been accused of paying individual players for several years and, in fact, Doc Gibson played on a team expelled from the Ontario Hockey Association in 1898 for paying some of its players. However, it was not until the Portage Lakes Hockey Club and

1537-400: The amateur clubs ceased, having been banned from play against professionals. After the introduction of the Allan Cup in 1908, clubs from the OHA would compete for that instead. The Ontario Professional Hockey League started to play in 1908 for senior-level men's pro hockey teams in Ontario. Champions of the OPHL would continue to challenge for the Stanley Cup. The senior-level men's league of

1590-522: The annual meeting of the Toronto team on November 7, the first discussions of a possible league were held. A founding meeting was held in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener ) on November 12 where a league was formed with Berlin, Brantford , Guelph , and Toronto. The league's initial name was the "Canadian Hockey League" and the officers were: The league was organized at a meeting on November 22 in Guelph where

1643-423: The constitution which would allow the executive to scrutinize any coach and decide on the registration. The amendment was rejected by delegates who remained against any professionals in the OHA. Two years later, Hewitt brought up the issue again and argued that, "the original intention of this rule was to control the [professional] coach, not exterminate him". His constitutional amendment was subsequently approved in

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1696-594: The first years, the schedule consisted of this group playing a series of elimination playoffs leading to a single-game final playoff. For the first three years the Ottawa Hockey Club was the champions, winners of the Cosby Cup . In 1894, the Ottawa team and the Association came to a disagreement over the venue of the finals, and Ottawa left the league. This was a schism that would lead to the forming of

1749-584: The formation of the IPHL in 1904 that any hockey league achieved full-fledged professional status. In the early 20th century, the mining industry was making huge investments in Northern Michigan. In the fall of 1903, James R. Dee of Houghton started discussions with Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) representatives in Pittsburgh regarding the establishment of a national hockey association. Houghton's team had played against Pittsburgh's for

1802-529: The late-1920s. When the OHA contract with Arena Gardens was up for renewal in the late-1920s, some executives preferred the Ravina Gardens where teams could get 50 per cent of the gate receipts, compared to only 35 per cent of the gate receipts at the Arena Gardens. Hewitt argued that 35 per cent of a larger arena in an established part of the city would be more profitable than 50 per cent of

1855-521: The national championship trophy for junior-level play. In 1897, the intermediate level was introduced. This was to organize teams of a lower standard than the seniors. The first champions were Berlin, defeating the Frontenacs 3–0. From 1893 to 1908, teams from the OHA could and did challenge for the Stanley Cup , including: As senior-level play became professional, Stanley Cup challenges by

1908-411: The proposed professional league. A meeting was held on November 5, 1904 which included prominent business leaders from Pittsburgh, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Northern Michigan. A number of cities were considered for this new professional league including Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, and Duluth. However, the league accepted teams from Houghton, Pittsburgh,

1961-543: The schedule was set. The rules would be based on the Ontario Hockey Association and the International League. Representatives of Galt had shown interest in being a part of the league but withdrew their application. The Toronto team became league champions in the OPHL's first season and challenged for the Stanley Cup in 1908, losing to the champion Montreal Wanderers from the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). In

2014-564: The schedule. International Professional Hockey League The International Professional Hockey League (IPHL) was the first fully professional ice hockey league , operating from 1904 to 1907. It was formed by Jack "Doc" Gibson , a dentist who played hockey throughout Ontario before settling in Houghton, Michigan . The IPHL was a five team circuit which included Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario , Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan , Calumet, Michigan and Houghton. The IPHL

2067-650: The season, that the league decided to start a new season in later January. In March 1910, Berlin challenged the Wanderers for the Cup and were defeated. The league's final attempt to win the Cup came a year later in March 1911, with Galt again losing to Ottawa, which now played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) . The league disbanded after the 1911 season. The OPHL teams were raided for players by

2120-442: The study "Tomorrow's Game" to help teams manage their finances and volunteers, which began in 2006 as a survey of teams and leagues to assess priorities and gather recommendations. The study also proposed restructuring junior hockey as of the 2010–11 season, which would have reclassified teams from A to D levels, into a premier league and two developmental leagues. Teams in the proposed premier league would have been required to employ

2173-430: The title went to Houghton-Portage Lakes. After the 1906–07 season , Canada finally established individual professional teams and, soon after, leagues were formed drawing back many players to play for their home crowds. In addition, it was apparent that, while the league was talking about expanding to larger centres such as Toronto, Cleveland and Duluth, there were problems among the existing clubs. The Pittsburgh franchise

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2226-490: The two Soos, and Calumet. The representatives of the Canadian Soo suggested a revenue sharing plan that would divide gate receipts in a 60–40 home-visitor split. This revenue sharing plan would make the long journey to Pittsburgh possible, considering that team played at the 5,000-seat capacity Duquesne Gardens . The WPHL, which had been paying players to play ice hockey since 1901, put its best professionals into one team,

2279-471: The workload on Hewitt. Hewitt retired in May 1966, then the OHA transferred the secretary's duties to Hanley and renamed his position from business manager to secretary manager. Hanley served as secretary manager until he retired in 1973, when he was succeeded by David Branch who filled the role until 1977. Brent Ladds was appointed secretary-manager of the OHA on July 6, 1977. He was appointed president of

2332-428: Was a marvellous maturing process." With the hockey season only lasting a couple of months a year because teams played on natural ice, most of the players went home to their families and regular jobs in Canada at the end of each season. In many cases, this meant that IPHL managers would have to organize completely new teams each season. The Calumet Miners won the first league championship in 1905 . In 1906 and 1907 ,

2385-487: Was called, also played at its local curling rink. The IPHL attracted some of the best players from established Canadian amateur leagues. Every player received a minimum salary of at least $ 15 to $ 40 a week, with many also getting lucrative jobs in the community. Ottawa's Hod Stuart , was paid $ 1,800 by the Calumet Miners to play for the team and manage their rink for the 1904–05 season . Frederick "Cyclone" Taylor

2438-449: Was enticed into the league with a salary offer of $ 400 plus expenses. Taylor would later hail the league as helping him developing into a better hockey player: "[the] league was a wonderful testing and training ground, and I was a far better player for my experience there. It was good, scientific hockey, but robust enough to teach a young player how to take care of himself. . . . After that league, I knew I could handle anybody, anywhere. It

2491-487: Was given the mandate to oversee hockey in Ontario, and be a review panel for three years to propose further restructuring if necessary. The OHA established bursaries as of the 1995–96 season, to counter the loss of players to scholarships in the United States. The OHA awarded the bursaries to students chosen to attend the University of Windsor , University of Waterloo , and Wilfrid Laurier University . In 1986,

2544-424: Was instrumental in changing the nature of top-level senior men's ice hockey from amateur to professional. In the time period around 1900, leagues in Canada fought against the professionalization of athletics. John Ross Robertson was quoted in the newspapers of the day as saying "for self preservation, the stand of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) against the professionalism of Pittsburgh, Houghton, Calumet and

2597-473: Was known as Tier I Junior "A" hockey. The league is now known as the Ontario Hockey League . Although it is not a charter member of the OHA, the OHL is affiliated with the OHA and Ontario Hockey Federation . The OHA was founded in 1890 to govern amateur ice hockey play in Ontario. This was the idea of Arthur Stanley, son of Lord Stanley , then Governor General of Canada . Arthur played for

2650-649: Was opposed to a ruling by the CAHA which gave jurisdiction over junior hockey in the province to the OHA. Several teams departed the MetJHL to join the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJHL) which was affiliated with the OHA. The MetJHL insisted on its own administration and was opposed to paying fees to the OHA. The MetJHL rejoined the OHA in 1997, then merged into the OPJHL in 1998. In 2001,

2703-534: Was required to have a youth worker serving as a prevention services co-ordinator; and handbooks were given to players annually which covered hazing, alcohol, drug use, tobacco, and sexual harassment. The OHA then requested that the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) include the education in coaching certification programs, and for it to be available to all hockey administrators. The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) split from

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2756-410: Was seeking a league closer to home to play in and the champion Houghton-Portage Lakes club wasn't interested in another season. The other teams were still making plans for another season in 1907–08. Canadian Soo re-signed Ambrose Degray, Hugh Lehman , Newsy Lalonde , Edwin "Dutch" Schaefer and Jack Marks . However, on November 4, 1907, Michigan Soo pulled out of the league citing a lack of players and

2809-760: Was the Hardy Cup . Only three teams from Ontario ever won the Hardy Cup (that ran from 1968 to 1990), two from the OHA: Georgetown Raiders in 1982 and Dundas Real McCoys in 1986. The third Ontario team was the Embrun Panthers of the Ottawa District Hockey Association . The intermediate classification was abolished in 1983 by the OHA. The top league, Major Intermediate A Hockey League was divided between

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