GOJHL History / Timeline

2007:

After 28 years as separate Junior leagues, the Golden Horseshoe, Midwestern and Western leagues joined together as three conferences, forming the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, the sole league competing for the Sutherland Cup

 

2008:

  • The Petrolia Jets franchise is moved to Forest and renamed the Lambton Shores Predators
  • The defending Sutherland Cup champion Tecumseh Chiefs franchise is moved to LaSalle and renamed the Vipers
  • The Port Colborne Sailors are renamed the Pirates
  • The Sarnia Blast are renamed the Legionnaires, marking a return of the name after a 38-year absence
  • Inter-conference play is introduced, with each team playing six games against opponents from other conferences, with the first-ever inter-conference game taking place on September 26 when the St. Marys Lincolns defeated the visiting Thorold Blackhawks 6-2.
  • Shootouts are introduced to decide games tied after overtime. On September 5th, the Stratford Cullitons defeated the Cambridge Winter Hawks 3-2 in the first-ever GOJHL shootout.

2009:

  • The Owen Sound Greys suspend operations for one year
  • The Guelph Dominators are renamed the Hurricanes

2011:

  • The Wheatfield Blades are renamed the Buffalo Blades

2012:

  • The defending Midwestern Conference playoff champion Brantford Golden Eagles franchise is moved to Caledonia and renamed the Corvairs
  • The Owen Sound Greys franchise is moved to Brampton and renamed the Bombers

2013:

  • The new Brantford 99ers franchise is added to the Midwestern Conference marking the return of the GOJHL to Brantford after a one-year absence.
  • The Caledonia Corvairs franchise is moved from the Midwestern to the Golden Horseshoe conference
  • The Buffalo Blades are renamed the Regals

2014:

  • The three-team round robin format is eliminated, replaced by two semi-final series involving the three conference champions and a “wild-card” representing the conference finalist with the best playoff winning percentage. The Golden Horseshoe finalist St. Catharines Falcons are the first-ever GOJHL wild-card team.
  • The Stoney Creek Warriors franchise is moved to Ancaster and renamed the Avalanche
  • The Port Colborne Pirates franchise is moved to Pelham and renamed the Panthers
  • The Buffalo Regals suspend operations for two years

2015:

  • Shootouts are eliminated, replaced by a second overtime period played with three skaters per team. Games not decided by two overtime periods are recorded as ties.

2016:

  • The Stratford Cullitons are renamed the Warriors, marking the of the name after a 41-year absence
  • The Buffalo Regals return after a two-year absence

2017:

  • The Cambridge Winter Hawks franchise folds
  • The Lambton Shores Predators franchise is moved to Komoka and renamed the Kings

2018:

  • The defending Golden Horseshoe champion Caledonia Corvairs suspend operations
  • The Guelph Hurricanes franchise is moved to Cambridge and renamed the Redhawks, marking the return of the GOJHL to Cambridge after a one-year absence.
  • The Ancaster Avalanche franchise is moved to Hamilton and renamed the Kilty B’s, a nickname dating back to 1977
  • The Buffalo Regals are renamed the Lockport Regals

2019:

  • The Brantford 99ers are renamed the Bandits
  • The Caledonia Corvairs resume operations after a one-year absence

2020:

  • On March 13, the GOJHL playoffs are cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Play would not return until the delayed start of the 2021-22 season.

2021:

  • The league introduces a new logo (right)
  • The Kitchener Dutchmen franchise is moved to Ayr and renamed the Centennials
  • The Waterloo Siskins are renamed the Kitchener-Waterloo (KW) Siskins
  • The Brampton Bombers franchise is moved to Caledon, retaining the Bombers name
  • The 3-on-3 second overtime period is eliminated and shootouts are reintroduced to decide games tied after overtime

2022:

  • The wild-card / semi-final format is eliminated and the three-team round-robin format is reintroduced as the method of determining the two Sutherland Cup finalists from the three conference champions

2023:

  • The Thorold Blackhawks franchise is moved to Port Colborne and renamed the Sailors
  • The Leamington Flyers and Niagara Falls Canucks franchises leave the GOJHL

2024:

  • Conference realignment results in the reduction of conferences from three to two; a 12-team Western Conference and an 11-team Eastern Conference. The top eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs which will no longer involve the three-team round-robin format.
  • The Brantford Bandits are renamed the Titans