Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League The Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League ( TBJHL ) was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league that existed from circa 1920 to 1978 . The TBJHL operated in Northwestern Ontario , primarily in the Thunder Bay region . The Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League was what is now known as a Major Junior hockey league from roughly 1920 until the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association realignment of 1970 . After 1970 , the TBJHL was relegated to Tier II Junior A and competed for the Manitoba Centennial Trophy until the league folded in 1980 . Thunder Bay and the TBJHL was considered on the border region of what people would call Eastern Canada and Western Canada . Due to its location , the Thunder Bay league often switched from East to West year - to - year in National playdowns . The league ' s remoteness resulted in the league ' s few teams from competing in the neighbouring Manitoba Junior Hockey League or Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League , making the leagues existence a necessity to the region ' s hockey community . Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League teams made the Memorial Cup finals four times in fifty years , winning Canada ' s top junior hockey prize in 1922 ( Fort William War Veterans ) and 1948 ( Port Arthur West End Bruins ) . The TBJHL is the indirect predecessor of the Superior International Junior Hockey League who brought a Junior A league back to the region in 2001 , 21 years after the TBJHL folded . History . Although hockey in Thunder Bay dates back well before 1920 , the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League first competed in Memorial Cup action in 1921 . In only their second year of operation at the Junior A level , the league celebrated their first National championship as the Fort William War Veterans defeated the Regina Pats 5 - 4 and tied them 3 - 3 to win the championship . To get there , the Vets had to defeat Toronto Aura Lee in the Eastern Canada final , beating them 5 - 3 in a one - game showdown . It took 26 years for a team from the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League to repeat the feat . In 1947 - 48 , the Port Arthur West End Bruins finished the regular season in first place with a record of 9 wins , no losses , no ties . They were given a berth directly into the league final where they met the Fort William Columbus Canadiens . The first game resulted in a 7 - 7 tie , and the Bruins won the second game 9 - 7 . Game three sparked some controversy as the game was tied 5 - 5 and the Columbus Canadiens walked off the ice . In response , the league ruled the game a forfeit in the Bruins favour . Games four and five were won by the Bruins 8 - 3 and 5 - 3 to give the series and league championship to the Bruins 4 - games - to - none with 1 tie . In the Eastern Canadian semi - final , the Bruins had to play the Manitoba Junior Hockey League ' s Winnipeg Monarchs . Port Arthur won game one 12 - 3 , game two 6 - 4 , and game three 10 - 4 . The Monarchs started to rally , winning game four 7 - 5 and game five 5 - 3 . Finally , in game six , the Bruins were able to put the final nail in the coffin as they won 7 - 2 and took the series 4 - games - to - 2 . Next , Port Arthur found themselves in the Abbott Cup final against the Southern Alberta Junior Hockey League ' s Lethbridge Native Sons . Lethbridge took game one 6 - 1 and game two 7 - 6 . Port Arthur came back with a 7 - 4 win . Lethbridge put the series on the brink with a 5 - 4 win before Port Arthur came back with three solid victories ; 5 - 0 , 6 - 4 , 11 - 1 ; to come from behind and take the Abbott Cup . This earned them a berth in the Memorial Cup against the Ontario Hockey Association ' s Barrie Flyers in Toronto . Ignited by the Abbott Cup final comeback , the Bruins kept on rolling , sweeping the Flyers 4 - games - to - none with scores of 10 - 8 , 8 - 1 , 5 - 4 , and 9 - 8 respectively . This would be the final Memorial Cup won by a TBJHL team . In 1970 , the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League was caught in the transformation of Junior hockey . In the spring of 1970 , the Fort William Westfort Hurricanes defeated the Port Arthur Marrs 3 - games - to - 2 and the Fort William Canadiens 4 - games - to - 1 to win the TBJHL championship . They then played the Dauphin Kings of the MJHL in the Abbott Cup semi - final and defeated them 4 - games - to - 2 . This advanced them to the Abbott Cup , essentially the final - four of Canadian junior hockey at the time . Up against the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League ' s Weyburn Red Wings , were defeated 4 - games - to - 2 despite leading 2 - games - to - none at one point . Weyburn ended up losing the Memorial Cup final to the Montreal Junior Canadiens . During them summer , the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association decided to demote five of the six Junior A league of Western Canada to Tier II Junior A and rename Junior A to Major Junior . The effected leagues were the BCJHL , AJHL , SJHL , MJHL , and TBJHL . The only league that was left at the Major Junior level was the rebellious Western Canada Junior Hockey League . The five remaining leagues were barred from competing for the Memorial Cup , even though , all but the TBJHL , retained the right to the Abbott Cup . Two leagues remained at Major Junior in Eastern Canada , the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League , formerly known as the OHA , and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League . All that remained for Tier II Junior A in Eastern Canada were a couple small leagues in Ontario ( SOJAHL , CJHL ) and even smaller leagues in the Maritime Provinces . To balance the power a bit , the CAHA assigned the TBJHL to the Eastern section of the national playdowns for the first time since 1927 . In 1971 , the TBJHL allowed for the expansion of the St . Paul , MN - sponsored Thunder Bay Vulcans . The Vulcans won the league title in their first season . In 1972 , the St . Paul group were granted the right to create their own league in Minnesota . They brought the Thunder Bay franchise with them , renaming it the Thunder Bay Centennials , and lured away the Thunder Bay Hurricanes . For the 1972 - 73 season , the newly formed Can - Am Junior Hockey League was actually allowed to represent the Thunder Bay district at the National level . In 1973 - 74 , the Centennials fled the league and were renamed the Thunder Bay Beavers . The Can - Am league joined USA Hockey and were renamed the Midwest Junior Hockey League . The only Canadian team that remained was the Hurricanes . The Hercs competed in the TBJHL playoffs in 1974 , despite not being a league member , and won the region against the crowned league champion Fort William Canadiens . The Hercs returned to the TBJHL fulltime for the 1974 - 75 season . In 1976 , league expanded to 6 teams with the induction of the Atikokan Voyageurs and Thunder Bay Blades . In 1978 the league still had all six teams 6 teams : Atikonan , the Blades , the Hercs , the Canadians , the Beavers , and the Case Eagles . In the 1978 teams , those 5 Thunder Bay teams shrunk to 2 : the Buccaneers and the North Stars , and Atikokan stayed but folded mid - season . In 1979 - 80 , the Nip - Rock Rangers were promoted to Jr . A with the two Thunder Bay teams , but that would be the final season of the TBJHL . In 1980 , the Thunder Bay Kings were created as a powerhouse Junior A team . In 1984 , they were renamed the Thunder Bay Flyers and joined the United States Hockey League . They won the Anderson Cup as USHL regular season champs in 1988 , 1989 , 1991 , and 1992 ; the Clark Cup as American Junior A National Champions in 1988 and 1989 ; the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Champions in 1988 , 1989 , 1991 , 1992 , and 1995 ; the Manitoba Centennial Cup as Canadian Tier II Junior A National Champions in 1989 and 1992 . The Flyers folded in 2000 . In 2001 , the Superior International Junior Hockey League was formed , following in the footsteps of the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League . Playoff Champions . Major Junior Tier II Junior A National Playdowns . Memorial Cup . " National Champions " . Champions Finalists George Richardson Memorial Trophy . " Eastern Canadian Champions " . Champions Finalists Abbott Cup . " Western Canadian Champions " . Champions Finalists