Canadian Hockey League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See also: Central Hockey League
| Canadian Hockey League | |
|---|---|
| Image:CanadianHockeyLeague.png | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1972 |
| No. of teams | 60 |
| Country(ies) | Image:Flag of Canada.svg Canada Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Vancouver Giants |
| Official website | www.chl.ca |
The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization for three Canadian based Major Junior ice hockey leagues for players 15 to 20 years of age. The member leagues are comprised of the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is the governing body for Major Junior Hockey (formerly known as Tier One Junior A) in Canada. Its precursor was the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). The CHL currently oversees the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). All three leagues have teams in both Canada and the United States. Each league plays individual regular season schedules, and playoffs. The annual CHL championship is determined by the Memorial Cup tournament held in May.
More than half the players in the National Hockey League for the 2005-06 NHL season had played in the CHL.[citation needed] The CHL is generally considered the world's top professional development junior hockey league.[citation needed] It is a key supplier of new players and officials for the many North American professional hockey leagues, such as the National Hockey League, American Hockey League, ECHL, United Hockey League and the North Eastern Hockey League.
The CHL also seeks to raise the profile of the junior game by hosting annual events such as the Memorial Cup, CHL Top Prospects Game and the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge. The organization also provides many scholarships and bursaries for its players who exemplify extraordinary efforts and community involvement. These programs are supported by the many corporate sponsors.
[edit] Annual Events
[edit] Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup Tournament is the championship of Junior Canadian hockey. Each year it features the champions from the (WHL, OHL, QMJHL) and the host CHL team. The annual event is one of the biggest sporting events in North America, attracting thousands of spectators and generating increasing revenue for both the CHL teams and the host city. The event is currently sponsored by MasterCard.
[edit] CHL Top Prospects Game
The CHL Top Prospects Game is an annual event sponsored by Home Hardware and hosted by the CHL in which 40 of the top NHL Entry Draft eligible prospects in the Canadian Hockey League play against each other much like an all-star game. Each draft prospect hopes to boost their draft ranking with the NHL scouts and general managers who attend. The players are typically coached by a pair of hockey celebrities, usually Don Cherry and Bobby Orr. The event has been held annually since 1992. From 1992 to 1995 the event was known as the CHL All-Star Challenge and usually pitted one of the CHL's leagues against the other two.
[edit] Canada-Russia Challenge
The CHL hosts annually, the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, sponsored by ADT Security Services to showcase Canadian junior talent versus Russian junior talent. Each year a Russian junior team plays 6 games in total in Canada, two games against each CHL member league (WHL, OHL, QMJHL).
[edit] CHL Import Draft
Each year, every team in the CHL has the option to chose up to 2 players from outside North America to add to its roster. Picks are chosen in reverse order of the team's standings in the CHL. The Import Draft is seen as a way to raise the level of competition in the CHL, as well as to broaden its fan base while retaining high North American content.
[edit] CHL Awards
|
List of annual awards given by the CHL: |
Memorial Cup Awards: |
[edit] Teams
The league comprises 60 teams located in 10 Canadian provinces and 5 American states. For lists of teams see the articles about each member league. The newest team is the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL, which will begin play in the 2007-08 season.
- The Western Hockey League, with 22 teams in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Washington, and Oregon.
- The Ontario Hockey League, with 20 teams in Ontario, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
- The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, with 18 teams in Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Maine.
[edit] Attendance
Top CHL teams by average attendance, 2006-07 regular season
| 1. | Québec Remparts | (QMJHL) | 10,443.4 |
| 2. | London Knights | (OHL) | 9,034.3 |
| 3. | Calgary Hitmen | (WHL) | 8,852.5 |
| 4. | Vancouver Giants | (WHL) | 8,759.1 |
| 5. | Ottawa 67's | (OHL) | 8,062.5 |
| 6. | Halifax Mooseheads | (QMJHL) | 7,340.4 |
| 7. | Everett Silvertips | (WHL) | 6,460.1 |
| 8. | Red Deer Rebels | (WHL) | 6,129.4 |
| 9. | Kelowna Rockets | (WHL) | 6,102.2 |
| 10. | Spokane Chiefs | (WHL) | 6,027.8 |
| 11. | Kitchener Rangers | (OHL) | 5,887.0 |
| 12. | Portland Winter Hawks | (WHL) | 5,188.9 |
Teams with an average attendance over 5,000 are shown. Source: [1]
[edit] See also
- List of CHL franchise post-season droughts
- Canadian Hockey League Official web site
- Ontario Hockey League Official web site
- Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Official web site
- Western Hockey League Official web site
Ontario Hockey League | |
|---|---|
| East Division | Belleville Bulls • Kingston Frontenacs • Oshawa Generals • Ottawa 67's • Peterborough Petes |
| Central Division | Barrie Colts • Brampton Battalion • Mississauga St. Michael's Majors • Niagara IceDogs • Sudbury Wolves |
| Midwest Division | Erie Otters • Guelph Storm • Kitchener Rangers • London Knights • Owen Sound Attack |
| West Division | Plymouth Whalers • Saginaw Spirit • Sarnia Sting • Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds • Windsor Spitfires |
| 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 Majors |
| CHL • Memorial Cup • J. Ross Robertson Cup • OHL history • OHL seasons • OHA standings • CHL Awards • QMJHL • WHL | |
Western Hockey League | |
|---|---|
| East Division | Brandon Wheat Kings · Moose Jaw Warriors · Prince Albert Raiders · Regina Pats · Saskatoon Blades · Swift Current Broncos |
| Central Division | Calgary Hitmen · Edmonton Oil Kings · Kootenay Ice · Lethbridge Hurricanes · Medicine Hat Tigers · Red Deer Rebels |
| B.C. Division | Chilliwack Bruins · Kamloops Blazers · Kelowna Rockets · Prince George Cougars · Vancouver Giants |
| U.S. Division | Everett Silvertips · Portland Winter Hawks · Seattle Thunderbirds · Spokane Chiefs · Tri-City Americans |
| CHL: Memorial Cup · Ed Chynoweth Cup · WHL seasons · WHL history · Awards · OHL · QMJHL | |
de:Canadian Hockey League fr:Ligue canadienne de hockey pl:Canadian Hockey League
