Founded in 1980, the SJJHL competed as a Junior A league from 1989 until 1991. In that time period, they were eligible for the
Centennial Cup Canadian National championship of Junior A hockey. Every other year the SJJHL has operated at the Junior B level and its champion represents the league in the Veitch Memorial Cup playdowns against the winner of the
Central/West Junior Hockey League for the right to play at the
Don Johnson Cup. In the 1970s, there was another league known as the St. John's Junior Hockey League. Much like the Corner Brook League, Southern Shore League, amongst other leagues, the old SJJHL was a junior-aged town league. Although the St. John's Jr. Capitals were a top team in this town league, they would represent St. John's for the
Veitch Memorial Trophy as an all-star team of players from the old SJJHL. On one such occasion, in 1972, the Jr. Capitals entered into the first-year Newfoundland Jr. A playdowns, only to win and compete in the
1972 Centennial Cup National Playdowns. The St. John's Junior Hockey league did not have a team attend the Don Johnson Memorial Tournament, emblematic of the Maritime Jr. B hockey champion. == Teams ==