- Ontario Hockey League
-
Ontario Hockey League Current season or competition:
2011–12 OHL season
Sport Ice hockey Founded 1974 Commissioner David Branch No. of teams 20 Country(ies) 
Canada (17 teams)
United States (3 teams)Most recent champion(s) Owen Sound Attack Most titles Oshawa Generals – 12 TV partner(s) Rogers Sportsnet, Cogeco Sports Official website http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com 
OHL All-Star Game 2006 Opening Face Off. Game played in Belleville's Yardmen Arena. February 1st, 2006.
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.
The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) of Hockey Canada.
The league was formed in 1974, out of the Major Junior A Tier I division of the Ontario Hockey Association.
David Branch has been the only Commissioner of the OHL from this time. Since 1980 the league has grown rapidly into a high profile marketable product, with many games broadcast on television and radio.
There are currently 20 teams in the OHL; 17 are based in the Canadian province of Ontario, two teams in the American state of Michigan and one team in the American state of Pennsylvania. Out of the 17 teams based in Ontario, 13 teams are in Southern Ontario, two teams are in Eastern Ontario and two teams are in Northern Ontario.
The three largest arenas in the OHL are Ottawa's J. Benson Cartage Centre, London's John Labatt Centre, and the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener.
Contents
History
Main article: Ontario Hockey League historyJunior age ice hockey in Ontario began in 1896, a professional league, organized by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). Since then it has gone through four distinct eras in the organization of junior hockey. In 1933, the junior division was divided into two levels, junior A and junior B. In 1972 the upper level was divided into two more levels, Tier I and Tier II. In 1974 the "Major Junior A Tier I" portion of the OHA separated from the OHA and became the 'Ontario Major Junior Hockey League.' (OMJHL) In 1980, the OMJHL became the "Ontario Hockey League."
Current member teams
Schedule
A map of the OHL teams' home cities.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 per cent (90%) of OHL games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday to minimize the number of school days missed for its players. Ninety-five per cent (95%) of the players in the league are attending high school or college.
Approximately 20% of players on active rosters in the National Hockey League have come from the OHL, and about 54% of NHL players are alumni of the Canadian Hockey League.
2009–10 OHL season
Main article: 2009–10 OHL seasonBell OHL All-Star Classic
Main article: Ontario Hockey League history#All-Star GamesThe 2010 OHL All-Star Classic will be played at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston.
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 2011 tournament was hosted by the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League at Mississagua's Hershey Centre from May 20th to 29th.
Memorial Cup champions
The Memorial Cup has been captured 14 times by OHL/OHA teams since the tournament went to a three-league format in 1972:
The Cup was also won 16 times by OHA teams in the period between 1945 and 1971:
- 1960: St. Catharines Tee Pees
- 1956: Toronto Marlboros
- 1955: Toronto Marlboros
- 1954: St. Catharines Tee Pees
- 1953: Barrie Flyers
- 1952: Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters
- 1951: Barrie Flyers
- 1947: Toronto St. Michael's Majors
Priority Selection
The Priority Selection was first conducted the summer before the 1969–70 OHA season, with Kitchener selecting Bill Barber first overall. It has been conducted annually since then. Originally the draft was for 17 year old midgets, and 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.
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.
OHL Records
Individual records
- Most goals in a season: 72, John Tavares, 2006–07
- Most assists in a season: 123, Bobby Smith, 1977–78
- Most points in a season: 192, Bobby Smith, 1977–78
- Most penalty minutes in a season: 487, Trevor Koopmans, 1989-1990
- Most points in a season, rookie: 182, Wayne Gretzky, 1977–78
- Most points in a season, defenseman: 155, Bryan Fogarty, 1988–89
Team Records
- Most wins in a season: 59, London Knights, 2004–05
- Most points in a season: 120, London Knights, 2004–05
- Most goals in a season: 469, Toronto Marlboros, 1974–75
- Fewest goals against in a season: 125, London Knights, 2004–05
Trophies and awards
- Team Trophies
- J. Ross Robertson Cup - OHL Playoffs Champion
- Bobby Orr Trophy - Eastern Conference Playoffs Champion
- Wayne Gretzky Trophy - Western Conference Playoffs Champion
- Hamilton Spectator Trophy - Regular Season Champion
- Leyden Trophy - East Division Regular Season Champion
- Emms Trophy - Central Division Regular Season Champion
- Holody Trophy - Midwest Division Regular Season Champion
- Bumbacco Trophy - West Division Regular Season Champion
- Executive Trophies
- Matt Leyden Trophy - OHL Coach of the Year
- OHL Executive of the Year
- Award - Lifetime Distinguished Service
- Player Trophies
- Red Tilson Trophy - Most Outstanding Player
- Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy - Scoring Champion
- Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy - Top Scoring Right Winger
- Max Kaminsky Trophy - Most Outstanding Defencemen
- OHL Goaltender of the Year- Goaltender of the Year
- Jack Ferguson Award - First Overall Priority Selection-
- Dave Pinkney Trophy - Lowest Team Goals Against
- Emms Family Award - Rookie of the Year
- F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy - Best Rookie GAA
- Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy - Humanitarian of the Year
- William Hanley Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike Player
- Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy - Overage Player of the Year-
- Bobby Smith Trophy - Scholastic Player of the Year
- Roger Neilson Memorial Award - Top Academic College/University Player
- Ivan Tennant Memorial Award - Top Academic High School Player
- Wayne Gretzky 99 Award - Playoffs Most Valuable Player
- Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy - "Team captain that best exemplifies... character and commitment."[1]
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
External links
- Ontario Hockey League Official website
- Canadian Hockey League Official website
- OHL Arena Guide
- Maps to OHL arenas
- Internet Hockey Database archive of standings and statistics
Ontario Hockey League East Division Central Division Midwest Division West Division Defunct teams Brantford Alexanders · Cornwall Royals · Detroit Compuware Ambassadors · Detroit Junior Red Wings · Detroit Whalers · Guelph Platers · Hamilton Dukes · Hamilton Steelhawks · Kingston Canadians · Kingston Raiders · Mississauga IceDogs · Newmarket Royals · Niagara Falls Thunder · North Bay Centennials · Owen Sound Platers · Toronto Marlboros · Toronto St. Michael's MajorsCHL · Memorial Cup · J. Ross Robertson Cup · OHL history · OHL seasons · OHA standings · OHL Awards · CHL Awards · QMJHL · WHLCurrent arenas in the Ontario Hockey League1 Eastern
ConferenceBarrie Molson Centre (Barrie) · Gatorade Garden City Complex (St. Catharines) · General Motors Centre (Oshawa) · Hershey Centre (Mississauga) · K-Rock Centre (Kingston) · Powerade Centre (Brampton) · J. Benson Cartage Centre (Ottawa) · Peterborough Memorial Centre (Peterborough) · Sudbury Community Arena (Sudbury) · Yardmen Arena (Belleville)Western
ConferenceBayshore Community Centre (Owen Sound) · Compuware Arena (Plymouth, MI) · Dow Event Center (Saginaw, MI) · Essar Centre (Sault Ste. Marie) · Louis J. Tullio Arena (Erie, PA) · Sleeman Centre (Guelph) · John Labatt Centre (London) · Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (Kitchener) · RBC Centre (Sarnia) · WFCU Centre (Windsor)1All arenas are in Ontario unless otherwise noted.Junior ice hockey leagues in North America Canada Major JuniorJunior AJunior BJunior CIndependentUnited States Tier ITier IITier IIIIndependentIJHL • CJHLCategories:- Ontario Hockey League
- Ice hockey leagues in Canada
- Ice hockey leagues in Ontario
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