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History || The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Since its birth, the junior hockey circuit - which was first named the Quebec Junior “A” League - has seen several great individuals flourish through its ranks. Players, coaches and builders have each in their own way enriched the League’s history in no small part due to their efforts, passion and respect for our national treasure.
In 1969, the QMJHL was home to a total of eleven teams: the Cornwall Royals, the Drummondville Rangers, the Laval Saints, the Quebec Remparts, the Rosemont National, the Shawinigan Bruins, the Sherbrooke Castors, the Sorel Éperviers, the St-Jérôme Alouettes, the Trois-Rivières Ducs and the Verdun Maple Leafs.
During the seventies, the Remparts won three more League championships, while the Sherbrooke Castors, led by head coach Ghislain Delage, and the Trois-Rivières Draveurs, coached by Michel Bergeron, evenly shared four President Cup conquests.
Great names from the QMJHL
The Titan, the Olympiques and the Saguenéens won most of the championships in the 1990’s as several future NHL head coaches - Robert Hartley, Michel Therrien and Claude Julien - perfected their craft in the major junior ranks. Also, after a prolonged absence, the Memorial Cup returned east. The Granby Predateurs (1996) and the Hull Olympiques (1997) won the Canadian junior championship in back-to-back seasons. Moreover, the QMJHL quickly garnered added scrutiny thanks to its fountain of talented young goaltenders, which included Martin Brodeur, Manny Fernandez, Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Martin Biron, José Théodore, and Roberto Luongo.
Finally, the new millennium brings new promise as the Rimouski Océanic (2000) and the Quebec Remparts (2006) won the prestigious Memorial Cup, bringing the QMJHL’s total number of Canadian championships to eight.
Thus, it is with great pride that the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League gives our young players an opportunity to realize their dream of playing professional hockey, while giving them the academic tools they need to succeed within the boundaries of society and in life.
A total of 25 franchises were born over the course of the history of the QMJHL.
The oldest franchise which is still in operation originates from Shawinigan. The Bruins, the Dynamos as well as the Cataractes have played for the City’s hockey fans.
You will find hereafter the logos and colors of the franchises that were a part of the QMJHL throughout the years.
Below, you will find some links that will enable you to consult the history of the QMJHL. Have a good time, and remember your best moments ! · League Presidents and Commissioner | The Governors · The 25 franchises, their record, season after season | Where dit they move? · The annual standings of the 40 seasons | Leading scorers and results in the Playoffs · The attendances since 1969 | League and by team
· Longest undefeated streak, in the first 40 years of the QMJHL
Every season, the QMJHL publishes its Media Guide. Records, statistics and photos, concerning all the teams, the players, goaltenders, coaches, you will find what you search! This Guide is available in the QMJHL arenas, in a CD version. You can also downland the entire document.
· * QMJHL MEDIA GUIDE, 2009-10 edition - download it ! (27 Megs)
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QMJHL – K.J. & D.D. 2009-12-16 |
In the QMJHL, the offensive play is particular. Teams and players like to score goals. And fans are cheering, when they see their young stars like Luc Simard (Trois-Rivières), Guy Lafleur (Québec) and Richard Leduc (Trois-Rivières) (PHOTO) .
