CHIA Stories

The Birth of the CIHA

Three brothers Franklin Name, James Name and Paul Name had many successes in their hockey careers from Juniors to pro. From being players to being coach, GM and now President of their own represent League. One day at a family reunion, three brothers decide to come up with a junior league of their own, the brothers went back to their associations and talk with some team owners and talk them into joining in with them. It took years, but they pulled it off as three leagues unite with James junior league in the west, the “Western Canadian League of Hockey.” Franklin’s League, the “Ontario Major Junior Hockey Association.” Lastly, Paul’s “Atlantic Quebec Hockey League.” All three leagues become one umbrella organization league called the “Canadian International Hockey Association.” The CIHA would begin on 1972-73 season, and the winner of their own represent League will be in a tournament to determine who is the Valor Cup champion and the top Junior team in North America. With the establishment of the CIHA, the brothers named OMJHA founder Joseph McGeorge as the first president of CIHA.

Wild west side: The establishment of the Western Canadian League of Hockey

It all began in the 1920s with the West United Canadian Hockey Association (WUCHA), an umbrella organization league featuring four leagues from B.C, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The League was doing well through the years until WW2 happened. It went downhill with many players left to serve in the war to the owners don’t have enough ends meet to keep the team afloat until 1948 were both John Ward and Ron Casey decide to merge all four into one league and in 1950 the Western Canadian League of Hockey is born. The League’s championship title is called the Jade Trophy, where there’s a big puck made from jade that sits on top of the trophy for everyone to see, the jade puck was given to Ron Casey from a friend that served in WW2.

The 50s show some strong support from fans as many well-established players like Will Chambers, Olli Ronald, and David Franklin, to name a few, came and went as the League started with six teams in 1950 to at the end of 1959 grew to 18 teams. The only team that rose to the top in the 50s was the Lethbridge Cougars. They won 4 titles within seven years. The 60s proved to be a high point for west Canadian hockey. Still, it also was the low point for the WCLH, and it started in 1962 where Vancouver got themselves a pro hockey club. Two years later, Calgary entered the pros, then Edmonton, and finally, Winnipeg joined the pro hockey league in 1968. As those cities go pro Victoria B.C, and Regina became minor pro hockey club for Vancouver and Chicago pro hockey club. Both Saskatoon Cats and the Brandon Buffalos were the biggest rivals in the 60s. They played for the championship from 1965 to 1970, with both winning 3 each.

Once had at 18 teams in 1960 to barely six teams in 1967. One year later the owners took a risk and named James Name the League’s President, James sold the idea to the owners about WCLH being part of an all junior umbrella organization league along with an Ontario league and a league over at the east coast side of Canada. The owners agreed with it, and as 1970 came around, two new teams got added to the League as the WCLH is ready for the dawn of a new journey in hopes of growing back to where they once were in the 50s.

Battleground Ontario: The creation of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey Association

March 1946 months after World War 2, four gentlemen William Name, Jack O’Brian, Joseph McGeorge, and Gerald Herbco decide to form a league of their own. On September 25, 1946, the League became established. On October 26, 1946, the first game of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey Association began with the Toronto Heros beat the Waterloo Maroons 2-1. Along with those two teams were the Toronto Airbirds, Oshawa Diamonds, Kingston Soldiers, Hamilton Steel, Kitchener Generals, and Peterborough Braves as part of the inaugural season. Smyth Cup is the trophy named after Ontario hockey legend Victor Smyth who was one of many great players that put Ontario hockey on the map. By the time 1949-50 season came around, the League would grow to 16 teams.

The 50s was a challenging decade for the League as a new competition called the South West Ontario Hockey League started in 1950. The SWOHL has been taking good numbers of players and many teams in the OMJHA. One team that didn’t suffer the effects of the SOWHL stealing players was the Oshawa Diamonds who won 4 titles in 6 years. The Diemonds became the first team ever to finish the season-perfect 30-0-0 record, which they add two more perfect seasons until 1958, where the League added ten more games. Since then, there never been a perfect record made by any team to this day. Gerald Herbco, the owner of the Kitchener Generals, put together his team from the ground up after losing good numbers of players on his team from the SWOHL would win 1956, 1959 and 1960 championship. Hamilton Steel had the success of winning championships from 1953, 1957, and 1958 with 75% of the roster are Hamilton locals. 

Losing top players to coaches to even GMs took its toll on many teams in the 60s where the league witness the Hamilton Steel cease operation one week after the team won the 1961 Smyth Cup title. Three more teams from Toronto folded, to even both Peterborough Braves and Kingston Soldiers couldn’t make ends meet and forced to close their doors. In 1965 Franklin Name became the President of the OMJHA to fix the League. He came up with the idea of forming an all junior umbrella organization along with the WCLH and a league getting formed over the east coast. The owners like the idea and jump on board with the idea. In 1969 the legendary Oshawa Diamonds were the last team to fold as the team owner and OMJHA founder Jack O’Brian passed away the news hit the League hard as the new decade begins with hopes for success for the League down the road.

United: The birth of the Atlantic Québec Hockey League

The 1930s were Quebec hockey, and Maritimes hockey is booming in a big way. With the Montreal pro hockey club winning championships, and the Halifax minor pro hockey club have championship titles under their belts, everything was beautiful until World War 2 came, and the aftermath put a hurt on both the Maritimes and Quebec. The Montreal pro hockey club is having trouble with getting in the playoffs, and the Halifax minor pro hockey club lost its identity. In the 1950s, Jacques Bronz steps into turned things around. He helped Montreal winning championships as a player. Jacques retired from pro hockey and coached the Halifax minor pro hockey club to win championships. In 1965 when the New York pro hockey club bought the Halifax minor pro hockey club from Montreal and relocated them to New Jersey. Jacques chooses not to follow the team, and he resigned as head coach. He took the job as President of the East Coast Junior Hockey League, where the League was struggling to keep it afloat. In 1968 there was a scandal at the Quebec Association Hockey where the League President took some money from owners, then he claimed that the owners didn’t pay the fee until he got charged with theft. 

With problems hitting Jacques hard and almost had an emotional breakdown, his good friend Paul Name told him that he and his brothers got a plan to create an umbrella organization league that could help and benefit both Maritimes and Quebec. The only thing that can make it work is for both East Coast Junior Hockey League and Quebec Association Hockey to merge as one, which is not going to be easy. Still, both Jacques and Paul believe that this is a must.

February 1969, where there is a big meeting between the owners of ECJHL, QAH and Paul Name, minus Jacques Bronz as he was taken ill, so Paul Name has a big challenge in front of him. Hours after hours and both leagues agreed with the merger, and a new name will be known as the Atlantic Québec Hockey League. Paul Name went to the hospital in Quebec City where Jacques is in to tell him the good news, but Paul would get grave news that the Quebec/Maritimes legend Jacques Bronz passed away which hit Paul hard, he knew that Jacques wanted to form a league featuring teams from both Quebec and the Maritimes for so long and now he is gone, but Paul knew what he had to do and that is, run the League that Jacques wanted as the President of AQHL.

September 29, 1970, the first game of the AQHL began with a matchup between the Sherbrooke Loups and the Moncton Bears in Sherbrooke, QC both teams and the fans inside the arena stood up and had a moment of silence for Jacques Bronz. The Loups went on and won the game over the Bears 4-2. March 4, 1971, was game 5 between the Sherbrooke Loups and the Laval Tigers, Paul Name kept a secret in naming the AQHL championship. The Laval Tigers won 2-0 over the Loups to win the series as Paul Name present the trophy to the Tigers, there a nameplate on the trophy that said “Bronz Cup” on it meaning that Jacques Bronz is forever honoured and remembered forever. One year later, Paul Name announced that come 1972-73 season the AQHL would be part of an umbrella organization league known as the Canadian International Hockey Association, Paul knew that he and his brothers would take on challenges upon challenges. Still, Paul is ready for it, and he will carry on the greatness of Quebec and Maritimes hockey.