Ontario Hockey League
Current season, competition or edition:  2018–19 OHL season | |
 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| CEO | David Branch[1] |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Countries | Canada (17 teams) USA (3 teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Hamilton Bulldogs (1) |
| Most titles | Oshawa Generals (13) |
| TV partner(s) | Sportsnet, Sportsnet One, Cogeco Sports, Rogers TV, TV Rogers, Shaw TV |
| Official website | ontariohockeyleague.com |
OHL All-Star Game 2006 Opening Face Off. Game played in Belleville's Yardmen Arena. February 1st, 2006.
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–21. There are currently 20 teams in the OHL; seventeen in Ontario, two in Michigan, and one in Pennsylvania.
The league was founded in 1980, when its predecessor league, the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League formally split away from the Ontario Hockey Association, joining the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League and its direct affiliation with Hockey Canada. The OHL traces its history of Junior A hockey back to 1933 with the partition of Junior A and B. In 1970, the OHA Junior A League was one of five Junior A leagues operating in Ontario. The OHA was promoted to Tier I Junior A for the 1970–71 season and took up the name Ontario Major Junior Hockey League. Since 1980 the league has grown rapidly into a high-profile marketable product, with many games broadcast on television and radio.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Commissioners
2 Member teams
3 Schedule
3.1 Current OHL season
3.2 Bell OHL All-Star Classic
3.3 OHL playoffs and Memorial Cup
4 Memorial Cup champions
5 Priority selection
6 Trophies and awards
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
History
Leagues for ice hockey in Ontario were first organized in 1890 by the newly created Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). In 1892 the OHA recognized junior hockey - referring to skill rather than age. In 1896 the OHA moved to the modern age-limited junior hockey concept, distinct from senior and intermediate divisions. Since then the evolution to the Ontario Hockey League has developed through four distinct eras of junior-aged non-professional hockey in Ontario. In 1933, the junior division was divided into two levels, Junior A and Junior B. In 1970 the Junior A level was divided into two levels, Tier I (or Major Junior A) and Tier II (or Minor Junior A). In 1974 the Tier I/Major Junior A group separated from the OHA and became the independent 'Ontario Major Junior Hockey League' (OMJHL). In 1980, the OMJHL became the 'Ontario Hockey League.'
Commissioners
From 1974 until 1978 (as the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League), Clarence "Tubby" Schmalz was the league's commissioner. Then, for one season (1978–79), former IHL commissioner Bill Beagan served as commissioner of the OMJHL. Beginning with the 1979-80 season, David Branch has been the Commissioner of the OHL (which became the league's official name prior to the 1981-82 season). Branch was appointed on August 11, 1979, and assumed the commissioner's role on September 17, 1979.
Member teams
Ontario Hockey League | |||||
Eastern Conference | |||||
| Division | Team | City | Head coach[1] | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | Hamilton Bulldogs | Hamilton, Ontario | Dave Matsos | FirstOntario Centre | 17,383 |
Kingston Frontenacs | Kingston, Ontario | Kurtis Foster | Leon's Centre | 5,614 | |
Oshawa Generals | Oshawa, Ontario | Greg Walters | Tribute Communities Centre | 6,125 | |
Ottawa 67's | Ottawa, Ontario | Andre Tourigny | TD Place Arena | 9,862 | |
Peterborough Petes | Peterborough, Ontario | Rob Wilson | Peterborough Memorial Centre | 4,329 | |
| Central | Barrie Colts | Barrie, Ontario | Dale Hawerchuk | Barrie Molson Centre | 4,195 |
Mississauga Steelheads | Mississauga, Ontario | James Richmond | Paramount Fine Foods Centre | 5,612 | |
Niagara IceDogs | St. Catharines, Ontario | Billy Burke | Meridian Centre | 5,300 | |
North Bay Battalion | North Bay, Ontario | Stan Butler | North Bay Memorial Gardens | 4,246 | |
Sudbury Wolves | Greater Sudbury, Ontario | Cory Stillman | Sudbury Community Arena | 4,640 | |
Western Conference | |||||
| Division | Team | City | Head coach[1] | Arena | Capacity |
| Midwest | Erie Otters | Erie, Pennsylvania | Chris Hartsburg | Erie Insurance Arena | 6,716 |
Guelph Storm | Guelph, Ontario | George Burnett | Sleeman Centre | 4,715 | |
Kitchener Rangers | Kitchener, Ontario | Jay McKee | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex | 7,777 | |
London Knights | London, Ontario | Dale Hunter | Budweiser Gardens | 9,046 | |
Owen Sound Attack | Owen Sound, Ontario | Todd Gill | Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre | 3,500 | |
| West | Flint Firebirds | Flint, Michigan | Ryan Oulahen | Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center | 4,021 |
Saginaw Spirit | Saginaw, Michigan | Troy Smith | Dow Event Center | 5,527 | |
Sarnia Sting | Sarnia, Ontario | Derian Hatcher | Progressive Auto Sales Arena | 5,500 | |
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | John Dean | GFL Memorial Gardens | 4,928 | |
Windsor Spitfires | Windsor, Ontario | Trevor Letowski | WFCU Centre | 6,500 | |
| 2017 Ontario Hockey League |
 [Full screen] |
Location of teams for the 2017 OHL season. East Division  Central Division Midwest Division  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 percent (90%) of OHL games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday to minimize the number of school days missed for its players.
Approximately 20% of players on active rosters in the National Hockey League (NHL) have come from the OHL, and about 54% of NHL players are alumni of the Canadian Hockey League.
Current OHL season
Bell OHL All-Star Classic
OHL playoffs and Memorial Cup
The J. Ross Robertson Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the Championship Series. The Cup is named for John 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-seven 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. The most recent OHL team to win the Memorial Cup was the Windsor Spitfires in 2017.
Memorial Cup champions
The Memorial Cup has been captured 17 times by OHL/OHA teams since the tournament went to a three-league format in 1972:
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The Cup was also won 16 times by OHA teams in the period between 1945 and 1971:
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Priority selection
The OHL's predecessor, the OHA, had a midget and juvenile draft dating back to the 50s, until voted out in 1962. In 1966 it was resumed, though not publicized. Starting in the 70s the draft went through several changes. Originally the draft was for 17-year-old midgets not already associated with teams through their sponsored youth programs. In 1971 the league first allowed "underage" midgets to be picked in the first three rounds. In 1972 disagreements about the Toronto team's rights to its "Marlie" players (and Greg Neeld) and claims to American player Mark Howe led to a revised system. In 1973 each team was permitted to protect 8 midget area players (Toronto was allowed to protect 10 players from its midget sponsored teams). In 1975 the league phased out the area protections, and the 1976 OHA midget draft was the first in which all midget players were eligible. In 1999 the league changed the draft to a bantam age (15 and 16 year old). It is a selection of players who are residents of the province of Ontario, the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York, and other designated U.S. states east of the Mississippi River plus Missouri.
Prior to 2001, the OHL held the Priority Selection in a public forum, such as an arena. Drafts were attended by many players and family members. In 2001, the OHL decided to hold the "draft" via the Internet, greatly reducing the costs the league and its member teams incurred in hosting a public draft. This move reduced the stress and pressure that prospective players faced with a large crowd present.
The Jack Ferguson Award is presented annually to the first overall selection. The award was named in honour of long time OHL scout and former Director of Central Scouting Jack Ferguson.
Trophies and awards
List of trophies and awards in the Ontario Hockey League.[2]
| Playoffs trophies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded | Current recipient |
| J. Ross Robertson Cup | OHL Finals champion | 1934 | Hamilton Bulldogs |
| Bobby Orr Trophy | Eastern Conference champion | 1999 | Hamilton Bulldogs |
| Wayne Gretzky Trophy | Western Conference champion | 1999 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds |
| Wayne Gretzky 99 Award | Playoffs MVP | 1999 | Robert Thomas |
| Regular season — Team trophies | |||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded | Current recipient |
| Hamilton Spectator Trophy | Team with best record | 1958 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds |
| Leyden Trophy | East division champion | 1976 | Hamilton Bulldogs |
| Emms Trophy | Central division champion | 1976 | Barrie Colts |
| Bumbacco Trophy | West division champion | 1995 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds |
| Holody Trophy | Midwest division champion | 1999 | Kitchener Rangers |
| Regular season — Executive awards | |||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded | Current recipient |
| Matt Leyden Trophy | Coach of the year | 1972 | Ryan McGill |
| Bill Long Award | Lifetime achievement | 1989 | Pat Casey |
| OHL Executive of the Year | Executive of the Year | 1990 | not awarded since 2013 |
| Regular season — Player awards | |||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded | Current recipient |
| Red Tilson Trophy | Most outstanding player | 1945 | Alex DeBrincat |
| Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy | Top scorer | 1946 | Alex DeBrincat |
| Dave Pinkney Trophy | Lowest team goals against | 1949 | Michael McNiven & Emanuel Vella |
| Max Kaminsky Trophy | Most outstanding defenceman | 1961 | Darren Raddysh |
| Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy | Top scoring right winger | 1972 | Alex DeBrincat |
| Emms Family Award | Rookie of the year | 1973 | Ryan Merkley |
| William Hanley Trophy | Most sportsmanlike player | 1975 | Nick Suzuki |
| F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy | Best rookie GAA | 1976 | Matthew Villalta |
| Bobby Smith Trophy | Scholastic player of the year | 1980 | Sasha Chmelevski |
| Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy | Overage player of the year | 1984 | Darren Raddysh |
| OHL Goaltender of the Year | Goaltender of the year | 1988 | Michael McNiven |
| Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the year | 1993 | Garrett McFadden |
| Roger Neilson Memorial Award | Top academic college/university player | 2005 | Stephen Gibson |
| Ivan Tennant Memorial Award | Top academic high school player | 2005 | Quinn Hanna |
| Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy | Team captain that best exemplifies character and commitment | 2009 | Michael Webster |
| Prospect player awards | |||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded | Current recipient |
| Jack Ferguson Award | First overall pick in priority selection | 1981 | Quinton Byfield |
| Tim Adams Memorial Trophy | OHL Cup MVP | 2003 | Mike Petizian |
See also
- Ontario Hockey League history
- List of OHL seasons
- List of OHA Junior A standings
- List of CHL franchise post-season droughts
- Sports league attendances
References
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^ "OHL Awards". Ontario Hockey League. Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ontario Hockey League. |
- Ontario Hockey League Official website
- Canadian Hockey League Official website
- Internet Hockey Database archive of standings and statistics
