The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association ( NOJHA ) was a Junior A ice hockey league based in Northeastern Ontario , Canada. The league lasted from 1962 until 1972 and competed for the Memorial Cup from 1962 until 1970 and the Manitoba Centennial Trophy from 1970 until 1972.
40-606: The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association was founded in 1962 at the Caswell Espanola Hotel in Espanola, Ontario . Founded with five Northern Ontario communities and one Northern Michigan team, the league was founded in an effort to stop the flow of Northern Ontario talent from going to the OHA Junior A Hockey League and the various Junior B leagues. The NOJHA was a top tier Junior A hockey league and
80-568: A land area of 81 km (31 sq mi), it had a population density of 64.0/km (165.8/sq mi) in 2021. Ethnically, Espanola is 87% European , 11.5% Indigenous , and 1.5% Visible Minority (mostly Chinese and South Asian). Highway 6 is routed through Espanola, with its junction with Highway 17 just to the north, across the Spanish River in Baldwin township near McKerrow . It also connects Espanola with communities to
120-402: A limited licence to pollute, and serious cleanup efforts did not happen until the 1980s. In 1966 KVP was bought by Brown Forest Industries, a division of Charles Bluhdorn 's industrial conglomerate Gulf and Western Industries . The Brown Forest Industries operation was later sold to E.B. Eddy , who operated the mill until June 1998. As of 2023, the plant was owned by Domtar , and at the time
160-487: A major service expansion west of Sudbury, which included Espanola. Passengers may board buses headed to Sault Ste. Marie, or Sudbury. A segment of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail runs through Espanola. It approaches the town from the direction of the rural area of Lee Valley to the west. In downtown Espanola, the trail forks, with one section going to the north, where it bypasses McKerrow to
200-453: A story which dates back to the mid-18th century. The story goes that a First Nations Ojibwa tribe met a man who had travelled far from Spain. The Spanish man, named Frise Espagnol, married a local Anishinaabe (First Nations) of a family living near the mouth of the river and he taught her and their children to speak Spanish. Later, when the French voyageurs and coureurs des bois came upon
240-617: Is a complete list of Centennial Cup play for NOJHA teams. In two years, the NOJHA failed to win a series. 1970-71 Quarter-finals 1971-72 Quarter-finals Espanola, Ontario Espanola (2021 population census 5,185) is a town in Northern Ontario , Canada, in the Sudbury District . It is situated on the Spanish River , approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of downtown Sudbury , and just south of
280-431: Is a provincially significant canoe route with lots of swifts and whitewater . It is therefore mainly used for recreational canoeing and has been protected as a waterway provincial park . There are four hydroelectric dams on the river: one, known as Big Eddy, above High Falls forming Agnew Lake ; High Falls dam about a kilometre below Big Eddy dam; Nairn Falls dam about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) below High Falls and
320-770: Is home to the Mid-North Monitor , a weekly community newspaper. Espanola is a pivotal location in The Marrow Thieves , a young adult novel written by Charlie Dimaline. Spanish River (Ontario) The Spanish River is a river in Algoma District , Sudbury District and Greater Sudbury in Northeastern Ontario , Canada. It flows 338 kilometres (210 mi) in a southerly direction from its headwaters at Spanish Lake (west branch) and Duke Lake (east branch) to its mouth at
360-742: The Espanola Arena by Mirl Arthur "Red" McCarthy using a group of local high school girls who had played ice hockey during gym classes at the Espanola High School . Espanola has had four Junior A hockey teams throughout the town's history. The first was the Espanola Screaming Eagles which were founded in 1962 in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association and won the league title the same year. The team moved to
400-754: The Great Depression forced the closure of the Spanish River facility in 1929. Espanola became a ghost town until the Second World War , when the mill site became a camp for German prisoners of war . During the final years of the Hepburn government , it sought to stimulate employment in Northern Ontario in order to stabilize its political position. In that regard, it encouraged negotiations between Abitibi and Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company of Parchment, Michigan which resulted in
440-461: The North Channel of Lake Huron just outside the community of Spanish . The river's name and the name of the nearby towns of Espanola and Spanish are said to be due to French explorers and Jesuit priests encountering Ojibwe peoples speaking Spanish in the area, apparently as a result of a Spanish woman having been taken captive during an expedition far to the south. The Spanish River
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#1732786987717480-697: The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League in 1972 when the NOJHA disbanded and stayed there until 2003 when the team relocated to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where they are now known as the Soo Eagles in the same league. The town's second team was the Espanola Kings which were founded in 2007 in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League . However, the team only lasted two season before folding after
520-424: The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . This is a complete list of Memorial Cup play for NOJHA teams. In eight years, the NOJHA failed to win a single series despite close calls in 1967 and 1968. 1962-63 Finals 1963-64 Semi-finals 1964-65 Semi-finals 1965-66 Semi-finals 1966-67 Quarter-finals 1967-68 Quarter-finals 1968-69 Quarter-finals 1969-70 Semi-Finals This
560-596: The pulp and paper mill of the Spanish River Pulp and Paper Company, a subsidiary of the Mead Corporation . A company town , Espanola, was also established for the mill's workers and their families. The town expanded quickly and was soon a bustling centre with a hotel, school and theatre. On January 21, 1910, a Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train derailed off a trestle 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Espanola. Forty-three people died from
600-602: The 2008-2009 season. The third team was the Espanola Rivermen which were founded in 2013 in the NOJHL. However, the team lasted one season in the league before relocating to the newly formed Canadian International Hockey League . The team folded in 2015 after the league disbanded after one season. The fourth team is the Espanola Express which were founded in 2015 in the NOJHL. The team is still active in
640-550: The High Falls and Nairn Falls power plants and on to Espanola. The sap and bark from the pulp logs was a major pollution source in the lower river. In 1910, the river was the scene of a dramatic train derailment . It took place at the Canadian Pacific Railway bridge upstream from Espanola and downstream from the High Falls dam, about 5 miles (8 km) west of the town of Nairn. Fish species found in
680-489: The Spanish River are: The Spanish River Provincial Park protects most of the river and its banks, from its source at Biscotasi Lake (which is separately protected in the Biscotasi Lake Provincial Park) to Agnew Lake . Also included in the park is the entire East Spanish River, Mogo River, as well as large swaths of old-growth white and red pine forest along the course of the Spanish River. It
720-512: The Spanish River before a modern highway bridge was constructed in the 1960s. In 1943, the Espanola station was served by a single southbound and single northbound passenger train per day, with a travel time of just over two hours to Sudbury. The approximately 50-year-old water tower was demolished in 1960 as a part of the CPR's final switch from steam to diesel trains. In 1963, passenger service along
760-536: The actress who played " Miss Moneypenny " in Bond films such as Dr. No and Goldfinger . Canadian-born, she was a long-time resident of the town. In 2001, a group of volunteers staged a fundraiser for the local hospital by attempting to set a world record for the world's longest ice hockey game. They were successful, playing for over three days straight. The record was broken in April 2004 in nearby Sudbury , where
800-426: The junction of Highway 6 and Highway 17 . The town is where the first experimental rules for the sport of ringette were created in 1963 by Mirl Arthur "Red" McCarthy using a group of local high school girls. Today, Espanola is considered "The Home of Ringette" while North Bay, Ontario , is considered "The Birthplace of Ringette" though the title is often shared by both. The name "Espanola" has been attributed to
840-472: The league today. Other radio station signals are received out of Manitoulin Island, Elliot Lake and Sudbury. Former television stations which operated in the Espanola and area prior to the analog shutdown in 2012 which can only be received via cable or satellite: One of the last operating analog television signals which can reach the Espanola area is CICI-TV ( CTV ) channel 5 out of Sudbury . Espanola
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#1732786987717880-507: The local students, as well as those from surrounding communities such as Massey , Webbwood , McKerrow , Nairn Centre , Willisville , Whitefish Falls , Walford and Birch Island . In 1999 a modern recreation complex was constructed, replacing the aging arena and community swimming pool. In addition, Espanola has a public library. The town is where the first experimental rules for the Canadian sport of Ringette were drafted in 1963 at
920-609: The one in McKerrow. It marked the first major stop after the AER line turned south toward Manitoulin Island and its ultimate terminus at Little Current. After the financially troubled AER was acquired by the CPR, the portion of the line continuing south from the junction at McKerrow was maintained as the CPR Little Current Subdivision and saw regular passenger traffic, especially due to the difficulties in crossing
960-807: The other at the Domtar mill in Espanola. The river is located almost entirely within the Sudbury District, except for brief passages into the city of Greater Sudbury near the communities of High Falls and Turbine and the river mouth in Algoma District. Tributaries include Pogamasing Creek, Mogo River, Agnes River , the River aux Sables , the Vermilion River and the Wakonassin River . The Lower Spanish River Forest houses
1000-442: The railcar's 27-foot (8.2 m) plunge into the icy water of the Spanish River. It was one of the CPR's worst railway accidents. In 1927, Abitibi Power and Paper Company acquired the Spanish River Pulp and Paper Mills from Mead, in a transaction that was subsequently seen to be highly overvalued and having a conflict of interest that was ultimately detrimental to Abitibi's shareholders. Changing economic conditions brought on by
1040-467: The sale of Abitibi's Spanish River facility (at that time its largest non-economic asset) in 1943. It subsequently resumed operation as the KVP Company, producing specialty kraft paper. In 1948, KVP was sued for nuisance in allowing noxious effluent to be discharged into the Spanish River , and an injunction was issued barring it from making any further discharge. The order was appealed all
1080-469: The same time, North Bay applied for acceptance into the newly formed Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League , another Tier II league, and were accepted. With one team remaining, the league closed its doors. The remaining team, Chelmsford, followed Espanola's lead and joined the NOHA Junior B Hockey League. In 1978, the NOHA Junior B Hockey League was promoted to Tier II Junior A status and renamed
1120-402: The settlement and heard fragments of Spanish spoken by the local natives, they remarked "Espagnole", which had been later anglicized to "Espanola", and the river was named the Spanish River . The town of Espanola was sited next to a waterfall on the Spanish River, which was sometimes called Webbwood Falls. Before the existence of the town, a hydropower dam was constructed at the falls to power
1160-572: The south along the way to Manitoulin Island , reaching its land terminus at South Baymouth before continuing on the other side of Lake Huron starting at Tobermory and passing through a number of Southern Ontario communities before reaching its ultimate southern terminus of Port Dover . Historically, Espanola was a station stop along the Algoma Eastern Railway (AER) and featured a distinctive station and water tower (built in 1911) which were similar to other AER stations such as
1200-684: The south on the way to Nairn and Sudbury, and the other going south toward Manitoulin, where it eventually connects to the Bruce Trail via ferry to the Bruce Peninsula . Both directions partially follow a paved shoulder along Highway 6 , as well as on-street and off-street sections around the town. Espanola's three primary schools, A.B. Ellis Public School, Sacred Heart School ( Roman Catholic ), and École St. Joseph ( French Roman Catholic), and two secondary schools, Espanola High School and École secondaire catholique Franco-Ouest, service
1240-541: The spur line was discontinued, though passengers were still able to board CP's iconic Budd cars at the Webbwood and McKerrow stations until service along the Sault Ste. Marie line was also discontinued in 1976, cutting off Espanola's access to passenger rail for the first time in its history. The historic Algoma Eastern Railway station was demolished shortly after in the mid-1980s. In 2018, Ontario Northland announced
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-408: The teams played for six hours longer. Currently, the record holders are team Hope and team Cure from Sherwood Park near Edmonton , Alberta , who played for 250 hours (10 days). In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Espanola had a population of 5,185 living in 2,304 of its 2,450 total private dwellings, a change of 2.7% from its 2016 population of 5,048 . With
1320-626: The toxic smell still remained. Now the mill is said to be one of the most stringent "zero-emissions" pulp bleaching processes in the world , and the area below the Spanish River Dam is a designated fish sanctuary. Espanola was officially incorporated as a town on March 1, 1958. The 1969 CBC Television series Adventures in Rainbow Country was filmed near Espanola, near the small First Nations community of Birch Island and at Whitefish Falls. The series starred Lois Maxwell ,
1360-460: The upper Sudbury District to Georgian Bay, where they were towed by tugs to sawmills on the Great Lakes . Until the mid-1960s, pulp wood, mainly jack pine, was driven down the river to the paper mill in Espanola. A diesel tug towed large rafts of logs the length of Agnew Lake to big Eddy dam where they were sluiced down a flume by crews with hand held pike poles. Secondary flumes took them past
1400-480: The way to the Supreme Court of Canada without success. In 1950, the injunction was dissolved by an Act of the provincial legislature, which provided for any subsequent disputes with KVP to be taken to arbitration, which, together with other legislative changes, effectively curtailed chances for any further injunctions to be issued. The 1950 Act was not repealed until 2006. The 1950 Act effectively gave KVP
1440-428: The world's oldest red pine and white pine forests, and much of that is under provincial protection in the form of provincial parks and reclamation acts. The Spanish River has been used as a transportation corridor for thousands of years, initially by First Nations and later in the 19th century by fur traders . During the late 19th and mid 20th centuries, the river was used to transport timber from logging camps in
1480-581: Was a massive shift in junior hockey. The NOJHA found itself relegated to a new level of hockey known as Tier II Junior A. In 1971, the Espanola Eagles dropped from the league to the newly formed NOHA Junior B Hockey League . A season later, the entire NOJHA was forced to fold. With only four teams remaining, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury sought moves to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League and were accepted. At
1520-676: Was eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup , the trophy of Canadian junior hockey supremacy. The original six teams of the NOJHA were the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds , Sudbury Wolves , North Bay Trappers , Garson-Falconbridge Native Sons, Espanola Eagles , and Soo Michigan Realtors . By 1964, Soo Michigan dropped from the league. In 1969, the Native Sons moved to become the Chelmsford Canadiens . In 1970, there
1560-461: Was established in 2006 and is intended to provide recreational paddling opportunities, in particular for canoeists of intermediate skill level. The park area is also popular for fishing, hunting, and camping. Despite its remoteness, it is an operational park requiring permits for its use. Facilities included 83 backcountry campsites. All park sites and portages are currently maintained by park staff. There are 5 hydro-electric generating stations on
1600-403: Was the town's largest employer. In September 2023, Domtar announced that it intended to shut down the mill. Espanola got some negative press in the early 1980s when the mill accidentally discharged toxic effluent into the Spanish River, killing fish by the thousands. The spill acted like a flush, and when the fish came back a few years later, they were reportedly untainted and thriving, although
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