Early years (1918 to 1949) The league's first year of operation was the 1918–19 season, making it the oldest junior league in Canada. It was known as the
Winnipeg and District League until 1931, when it became the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. During the inaugural season, there were nine teams in two divisions, each playing a six-game schedule. The teams included the Winnipeg Pilgrims, Elmwood, Grand Trunk Pacific, Winnipeg Tigers, Young Men's Lutheran Club, Winnipeg Argonauts, Selkirk Fishermen, Weston, and
Winnipeg Monarchs. In the 1926–27 season, the Winnipeg Junior and Juvenile Hockey League became the north division of the MJHL, with
Jimmy Dunn as its secretary, convenor and
timekeeper at the
Olympic Rink. In the 1936–37 season, both the north and south MJHL divisions wanted to play games at the larger
Winnipeg Amphitheatre since they could increase their share of the
gate receipts. Multiple disputes arose over the scheduling of games, which led to
Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) executives forming a special committee to arbitrate that all north division games be played at the Olympic Rink. Teams in the north division struggled financially during
World War II and sought a new financial arrangement for the 1940–41 season. The teams also disagreed on who played in which division, with some teams threatening to disband if their demands were not met. Jimmy Dunn recommended to split the gate receipts evenly between the teams and the rink owners, and for the MAHA to subsidize the teams as needed. The north division played the season reduced to four teams. The 1944–45 season was the first interlocking schedule between the north and south divisions, and the MAHA implemented of limits on the number of player transfers for balanced competition. In the 1945–46 season, the north division teams threatened to withdraw from the MJHL unless several demands were met. They felt that the south division was given preferential treatment, and sought to equally share games at the larger Winnipeg Amphitheatre and the profits from gate receipts. The north division complained about the lack of available ice time for practices and the deplorable dressing room conditions at the Olympic Rink, and felt that the MAHA had an obligation to make the upgrades if the rink would not. After negotiations broke down, three junior teams withdrew and the MJHL operated with five teams in one division. The stronger MJHL teams — the
Winnipeg Rangers,
Winnipeg Monarchs,
Brandon Wheat Kings and
Portage Terriers — were sponsored by
National Hockey League (NHL) clubs and wanted to form an "A" division and play all games at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre for the 1946–47 season, and relegate all other teams to the "B" division at the Olympic Rink. The four teams were also opposed to any other teams being added to their division.
The Winnipeg Tribune felt that these teams had pursued their own selfish interests with disregard for the general welfare of the league, and that creating the division would perpetuate the previous issues unless a "minor miracle" happened. The MAHA executive chose to include the
St. James Orioles as a fifth team in the "A" division after being convinced that the team was soundly operated and would be able to compete.
1950s and 1960s In 1955, the brothers
Art and
Gordon Stratton of the
Winnipeg Barons set a league record for most points in a single season with 76 each. In 1957,
Ray Brunel of the
St. Boniface Canadiens broke it with 105. In the 1959–60 season, MAHA president
Earl Dawson sought a better financial arrangement with the
Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association (SAHA) to recuperate the costs of developing minor hockey players and
on-ice officials in
Flin Flon, after the
Flin Flon Bombers affiliated with the
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) instead of the MJHL. When the
Brandon Wheat Kings also wanted to play in the SJHL, the MAHA renegotiated the financial arrangement to prevent the loss of another team to an out-of-province league. In the early 1960s, the powerhouse
Brandon Wheat Kings, built by
Jake Milford, won three titles in a row, and four in five years. In 1961, goalie
Ernie Wakely of the
Winnipeg Braves was named Canada's outstanding junior hockey player for the month of January. The MJHL began the 1961–62 season using international
ice hockey rules without
body checking as an effort to attract more spectators, and hired a new promotional director. In November 1961, CAHA president
Jack Roxburgh ordered the MJHL to revert to standard Canadian rules since it had not been approved by the national body. In 1962,
Clarence Campbell president of the NHL attended inaugural Manitoba–Saskatchewan all-star game in Winnipeg. In 1963,
Jim Irving, captain of the
Winnipeg Rangers, was named Manitoba's outstanding junior athlete and received the Carl Pederson Memorial Award.
Jimmy Dunn was hired as commissioner of the MJHL in May 1964. The league had been reduced to four teams based in the
Greater Winnipeg area after the withdrawal of the
Brandon Wheat Kings and the
Fort Frances Royals. The MJHL transitioned from a
draft of players in the Greater Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association, into a system where each team chose players from a set geographic district. The new "zoning" arrangement was planned to be in effect for three seasons to stimulate more localized interest in junior hockey and aimed to keep teammates together from the minor hockey level to the junior hockey level. Dunn reached an agreement to televise MJHL games on
CJAY-TV, and the league experimented with playing games on Sunday evenings instead of afternoons to increase its attendance and avoid competing with televised football games. Dunn requested to the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) that the MJHL waive its
bye into the
Abbott Cup finals and its playoffs champion meet the
Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League champion in the first round. He felt that the loss of
gate receipts from a bye was a financial hardship for the MJHL, and shorten the league's playoffs to accommodate the change approved by the CAHA. Goaltender
Wayne Stephenson led the Winnipeg Braves to the MJHL Championship in 1965. For the
1965–66 MJHL season, Dunn implemented an automatic one-game minimum suspension for any player who received a
match penalty. He felt that professional hockey influenced fisticuffs in junior hockey and said that, "Any time there's a big fight in the
National Hockey League, the kids drop their sticks and put up their dukes in the next game. It happens almost every time". The MJHL expanded from four to six teams for the
1966–67 MJHL season when it readmitted the Brandon Wheat Kings and accepted the
Selkirk Steelers. Dunn announced his resignation as commissioner on October 24, 1966, and cited personal reasons. Despite being offered a pay raise, he felt that the increase in teams made the job too much for him and had "taken the fun out of it". His resignation came shortly after a game between the
Winnipeg Rangers and the Brandon Wheat Kings in which 242
penalty minutes were given in the first period. On Sunday February 9, 1969, the MJHL held a special emergency meeting to discuss
Butch Goring leaving the Winnipeg Jets of the WCHL and joining the
Dauphin Kings. Goring played the night before in Kenora for the Kings during a regular season game. The MJHL gave the Kings approval to use Goring in regular season and playoff games. Goring was leading the WCHL in goals at the time. Monday, WCHL president
Ron Butlin said a court injunction would be sought against Goring and another Jet forward
Merv Haney from playing with the Dauphin Kings. Also saying the CHA would be "taking whatever action is necessary against Dauphin and the MAHA for damages." Goring and Haney would play for the Kings, all the way to the Western
Memorial Cup Finals. The reorganization of junior hockey in Canada in 1970 relegated the MJHL to Tier II status, now to be called Junior 'A'. MJHL champions would no longer play for the Memorial Cup; instead, a new national junior 'A' championship, the Manitoba Centennial Cup (now the
Centennial Cup) was created. This new alignment would eventually lead to the formation of the
Canadian Junior Hockey League in 1993.
1970s, 1980s, and 1990s The
Dauphin Kings were the first "
dynasty" of the new MJHL, winning the league three out of four years, 1969, 1970, and 1972, and boasting such stars as
Ron Low,
Butch Goring, and
Ron Chipperfield. The Kings went to the Western
Memorial Cup final in 1969, and in 1972 recorded 40 wins, a modern-day MJHL record.
Charlie Simmer of the
Kenora Muskies won the scoring title in 1973, the same year the
Portage Terriers were crowned National Champs, winning the
Centennial Cup. In 1974, the
Selkirk Steelers won the national crown, giving the MJHL back to back "Canadian Championships". It was players such as Low, Goring, Chipperfield, Simmer,
Chuck Arnason,
Murray Bannerman,
Paul Baxter,
John Bednarski,
Rick Blight,
Dan Bonar,
Brian Engblom,
Glen Hanlon,
Bob Joyce,
Barry Legge,
Perry Miller,
Chris Oddleifson,
Curt Ridley,
Rick St. Croix,
Blaine Stoughton, and
Andy Van Hellemond who gave the new MJHL its foundation. The
Selkirk Steelers dominated, between 1974 and 1987, winning eight MJHL championships, including three in a row. The 1974 Steelers were inducted into the
Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, as were the 1973
Portage Terriers. In 1975,
Jim Misener of the
Dauphin Kings led the league in goals with 73, breaking
Bobby Clarke's single season record of 71. In 1977, the Dauphin Kings won their fourth MJHL title in a decade, led by Misener who became the MJHL career leader in goals, assists, and points. In September 1971, Winnipeg Monarchs President
Bob Westmacott announced 17-year-old
Stephan Lindberg of Sweden had been invited to training camp.
Jack Bownass, former coach of
Canada's national team, recommended Lindberg to the Monarchs. On April 5, 1977, MJHL commissioner
Bill Addison called off the Turnbull Cup Finals between the
Dauphin Kings and
Kildonan North Stars, saying "No, I am not going to allow these characters an opportunity to beat on each other any longer. I am calling the series (a best-of-seven) and awarding it to Dauphin on the basis they won two of the three games completed." The decision came just hours after the two clubs had engaged in a pre-game brawl, in which two Kings players were taken to hospital and two North Stars were criminally charged.
Chris Walby was convicted of common assault, and granted a conditional discharge. The
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was not as kind, suspending Walby for life.
Grant Ledyard led the
Winnipeg South Blues to the first of four MJHL Championships in 8 years in 1982. In 1983,
Mike Ridley of the
St. Boniface Saints broke both
Jim Misener's goal scoring record and
Bobby Clarke's points record. In 95,
Cory Cyrenne of the Saints was chosen
Canadian Junior A Hockey League (CJAHL) Player of the Year, and the Winnipeg South Blues won their fifth championship, on their road to a second
Anavet Cup, and an
Abbott Cup. The 1995 Blues were inducted into
Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1998,
Jedd Crumb of the Blues led the CJAHL in goals with 61. In 1979, the rival
NorMan Junior Hockey League was granted Junior 'A' status, putting it into Turnbull Cup competition alongside the MJHL. This arrangement lasted until the demise of the NJHL in 1985, although during this era, no NJHL was ever successful in the provincial playoffs. The 1980s and 1990s saw the MJHL expand its footprint outside of Winnipeg with the addition of teams in
Winkler,
Neepawa,
Swan River, and three First Nations communities:
Sagkeeng,
Opaskwayak (The Pas) and
Waywayseecappo. Teams were also added in
Steinbach and
Thunder Bay, Ontario, however neither played more than three seasons before folding. At the same time, the league's presence in Winnipeg began a period decline with the demise of the Kildonan North Stars in 1990. This was the first of several Winnipeg-based teams to fold or relocate from the city; by 2012, only one team remained in the provincial capital.
2000 to present As the twenty first century dawned, the
OCN Blizzard were dominating the MJHL, winning five straight MJHL championships from 1999 to 2003. This was a record previously achieved by only the legendary
Elmwood Millionaires (1927–1931).
Junior Lessard of the
Portage Terriers was named CJAHL Player of the Year in 2000. Blizzard goaltenders
Preston McKay (1998) and
Marc Andre Leclerc (2001) led the CJAHL in
goals against average, and left winger
Andrew Coates (2003) led in goals. In 2004,
Aaron Starr of the Blizzard became the first MJHL player to lead the CJAHL in scoring with 118 points. As the Blizzard's dynasty came to an end, the
Portage Terriers began their own golden age with a trip to the MJHL finals in 2003–04. The Terriers lost the series, but laid claim to the Turnbull Cup and ANAVET Cup titles the following season. This would start a run of nine championships over fifteen seasons, plus three ANAVET Cup wins and the 2015 national championship. The
2014-15 Terriers set a new league record for single-season winning percentage (.917) when they dominated the MJHL with a 53-3-4 record during the regular season and went undefeated in the playoffs to capture their ninth Turnbull Cup. The Terriers capped off their dream season by winning the
2015 Royal Bank Cup on home ice in
Portage la Prairie. The Terriers dominated again
the following season, putting up an impressive 31-game winning streak on their way to a second consecutive Turnbull Cup. The
Steinbach Pistons have also been a dominant club since relocating to
Steinbach in 2009, posting the top regular season record four times, two Turnbull Cup victories, and an ANAVET Cup championship in 2018. The demise of the
St. James Canadians in 2003 and the relocation of the
Winnipeg Saints to
Virden in 2012 left the Blues and Steelers as the only remaining clubs in the
Winnipeg Metropolitan Region. The league reversed this trend in the 2020s by granting a second franchise (
Winnipeg Freeze) to 50 Below Sports + Entertainment (which already owned the Blues). The Town of
Niverville was also granted a franchise, the
Niverville Nighthawks, to begin play in 2022.
COVID-19 pandemic The onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic during the first round of the MJHL playoffs in March 2020 forced the cancellation of the remainder of the
2019-20 season, marking the first time in its history that the Turnbull Cup was not awarded. The pandemic also forced the cancellation of the 2020
ANAVET and
Centennial Cups, the latter of which was to be played in Portage la Prairie in honour of the national championship's 50th season. The league attempted a shortened schedule for the
2020-21 season but was thwarted when tightened health restrictions were enacted by the provincial government that November, requiring the cancellation of all remaining games for a second consecutive season. The MJHL returned to its regular format for the start of the
2021-22 season with a strict COVID-19 vaccination policy, in accordance with provincial health directives, requiring all players, coaches, officials to be immunized and all volunteers and spectators to provide proof of immunization before entering any league venue. This policy lasted until the provincial government dropped most of its public health measures in March 2022. == Teams ==