- North of Superior Junior B Hockey League
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The North of Superior Junior B Hockey League is a defunct Junior "B" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The league used to be a part of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The league at one point was called the North Shore Junior B Hockey League.
Contents
History
The NSHL survived for 8 seasons. After their 7th season, they tried to expand to increase the competition in the small league, but the expansion was blocked by the NOHA. The league threatened to take the issue to the Ontario Hockey Federation, but nothing came of it.
The victors of the league's playoffs earned the right to compete against the Hockey Northwestern Ontario's Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League in the Northwestern Ontario Regionals. The winner of that series used to earn the right to compete for the Keystone Cup, the Western Canadian championship.
In 2004, the NSHL took a leave of absence from the NOHA. The Wawa Travellers were the only healthy team that still wanted to compete in the NSHL. The Marathon Renegades left the league for a season to attempt to find better ways of drawing players and came back in 2005 to find there was nothing left. The Thessalon Flyers were officially defunct as their owner was thrown out of Hockey Canada for shady business practices. The last team, the Aguasabon River Rats left the league because they did not want to compete in such a small league, they left for the rival TBJBHL with an all-star contingent of NSHL players, lost their 2005 league final and never came back. With the Wawa Travellers being the only team registered to the league in 2004-05 and for the 2005-06 season, the league official closed its doors in early 2005.
In the aftermath of the dispersal of the league in 2004, the Aguasabon River Rats took a shot at covering the distance to play in the Thunder Bay Junior "B" league. They last only one season, but were regular season champions. In 2006, the Marathon Renegades came back to life to play Tier II Junior "A" in the Superior International Junior Hockey League. The Wawa Travellers have attempted ever since the folding of the NSHL to enter the SIJHL, but lack a core financial sponsor.
The teams
Wawa Travellers -- 2003 NSHL Champions
Team Centre Aguasabon River Rats Terrace Bay Hearst Elans Hearst Marathon Renegades Marathon Northern Wildcats Longlac Thessalon Flyers Thessalon Wawa Travellers Wawa Royal Goodyear Cup Champions
- 2004 Wawa Travellers
- 2003 Wawa Travellers
- 2002 Augausabon River Rats
- 2001 Augausabon River Rats
- 2000 Augausabon River Rats
- 1999 Hearst Elans
- 1998 Hearst Elans
- 1997 Marathon Renegades
Hearst Elans
The Hearst Elans had the shortest operation time of any team affiliated with the NSHL.
History
The Hearst Elans originated in a Northern Quebec hockey league, but moved over to the much closer NSHL in 1997. The Hearst Elans played out of the NSHL from 1997 until 1999. In their two seasons they won their league championship twice. As of yet it is unknown why the team folded, but during their short run, they competed twice for the Western Canadian Junior "B" Championship, the Keystone Cup, winning the bronze medal in 1998, and coming in fourth in 1999.
Season-by-Season Results
Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs 1997-98 28 22 6 0 - 207 88 44 1st NSHL Won League 1998-99 24 21 3 0 - 190 92 42 1st NSHL Won League External links
Categories:- Defunct ice hockey leagues in Ontario
- Sport in Northern Ontario
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