OHA Junior "B" | |
---|---|
WJBHL | (1950-1968) |
EJBHL | (1950-1972) |
MetJHL | (1950-1989) |
NDJBHL | (1954-1979) |
CJBHL | (1954-1993) |
BCJHL | (1958-1964) |
MOJBHL | (1970-1978) |
SWJBHL | (1976-1978) |
WOHL | (1969-2007) |
MWJHL | (1973-2007) |
GHL | (1974-2007) |
GOJHL | (2007-Present) |
Ontario Hockey Association | |
Sutherland Cup |
The Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League (GHL) was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association from 1974 until 2007. In 2007, the league became a division of the newly formed Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League along with the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League and Western Ontario Hockey League.
The year 1974 saw the founding of the Golden Horseshoe Junior B Hockey League. The league consisted mostly of "inner ring" teams from the Niagara District Junior B Hockey League. The "outer ring" teams maintained with the Niagara league. In 1978, the Golden Horseshoe league jumped from six to nine teams by swallowing the majority of the short-lived Southwestern Junior B Hockey League. A season later, the Niagara District league folded and their final champion, the Fort Erie Meteors, came aboard as the GHL's tenth team.
In 1995-96 and 1996-97, the GHL played an interlocking schedule with USA Hockey's North Eastern Junior Hockey League. In 1997-98, the league even allowed the expansion of one of the NEJHL's teams, the Rochester Jr. Americans for a single season.
In 2005-06, the GHL allowed another former NEJHL team, the Wheatfield Jr. Blades, to participate in the league.
In 2007, the league merged with the Western Ontario Hockey League and the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League to form the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.