International Junior B Hockey League

The International Junior B Hockey League (IJBHL) was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in the Northern Ontario and Northern Michigan regions. The league was controlled by the Northern Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and was founded in 1965 and lasted until the early to mid-1980s.

Contents

History

The International Junior B Hockey League was created in 1965 to fill the gap in the region between the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association and the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League. The league encompassed the Greater-Sault Ste. Marie region to the West near Schrieber plus the edge of Northern Michigan.

The league became very significant after the NOJHA folded in 1972 and competed against the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League and the Northwestern Ontario Junior Hockey League for Northern Ontario hockey supremacy.

In 1972, the Memorial Cup-eligible NOJHA folded. The league's top two teams, the Sudbury Wolves and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, moved to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League and the North Bay Trappers moved to the newly formed Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. This left the Chelmsford Canadiens and dozens of junior-capable players without a league. This caused the expansion of the infantile NOHA Jr. B Hockey League who took the IJBHL to task in their first three years to win three straight NOHA titles from the IJBHL. In 1973, the Coniston Cubs defeated the Soo Indians, in 1974 the Rayside Balfour Canadians defeated the Wawa Travellers, and in 1975 the Onaping Falls Flyers defeated the Blind River Beavers.

In 1978, the NOHA Junior B Hockey League was promoted to Junior A and became the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Teams

Team Centre Joined Departed
Blind River Beavers Blind River, ON
Chapleau Huskies Chapleau, ON 1966
Elliot Lake Vikings Elliot Lake, ON 1965
Marquette Americans Marquette, MI
North Shore Stars Schreiber, ON 1967
Soo Indians Sault Ste. Marie, MI 1965
Soo Rapids Sault Ste. Marie, ON 1965
Thessalon Flyers Thessalon, ON
Wawa Travellers Wawa, ON 1965

Marry Pavelich Trophy Playoff Champions

Year Champion Runner-Up Provincials
1966 Soo Rapids Elliot Lake Vikings None
1967 Chapleau Huskies Soo Indians None
1968 Wawa Travellers Soo Indians Won NOHA vs. Sudbury
1969 Soo Rapids Won NOHA
1970 Soo Rapids Won NOHA
1971 Wawa Travellers Won NOHA
1972 Soo Indians Won NOHA
1973 Soo Indians Lost NOHA to Coniston
1974 Wawa Travellers Lost NOHA to Rayside-Balfour
1975 Blind River Beavers Lost NOHA to Onaping Falls
1976 Soo Thunderbirds
1977
1978 Thessalon Flyers
1979
1980
1981

External links

Current Teams
Former Teams
History
IJBHL  · NOJHA
NOHA Junior A
Seasons
1962–63 · 1963–64 · 1964–65 · 1965–66 · 1966–67 · 1967–68 · 1968–69 · 1969–70 · 1970–71 · 1971–72
1978–79 · 1979–80 · 1980–81 · 1981–82 · 1982–83 · 1983–84 · 1984–85 · 1985–86 · 1986–87 · 1987–88 · 1988–89 · 1989–90 · 1990–91 · 1991–92 · 1992–93 · 1993–94 · 1994–95 · 1995–96 · 1996–97 · 1997–98 · 1998–99 · 1999–00 · 2000–01 · 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 2004–05 · 2005–06 · 2006–07 · 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10 · 2010–11 · 2011–12