Wexford Jr A Tribute

This website is a tribute to the Wexford Jr A ice hockey teams.

The Metro Junior “A” Hockey League was a junior level ice hockey league based out of Southern Ontario. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior “B” Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to Junior A. It remained a Jr. A league from 1991 until 1998 when it was absorbed by the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.

The Toronto Jr. Canadiens are a Tier II Junior “A” ice hockey team from Downsview, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League and were known as the Wexford Raiders until the end of the 2005-06 season.

The team originated in 1972 as the Wexford Warriors of the Metro Junior B league, when the original Wexford Raiders jumped to the Junior A Ontario Provincial League in 1972. When the Junior A Raiders folded in the 1981, the Junior B Warriors adopted the Raider name and kept it until 2006.

The Wexford Raiders were one of the strongest teams to played in the Metro Junior A Hockey League. A losing team for much of its history, they become one of the most dominant squads in 1990, under coaches Stan Butler and Kevin Burkett. Butler and Burkett coached the Wexford Raiders midget team to the 1989 championship, then took most of the players to the Junior B level in 1990, and they served as the foundation to four consecutive Metro championship squads. During the 1990s ,under the management of Burkett and Butler, the Raiders sent more players on NCAA Division I hockey scholarships than any other junior team in North America. In 1994, the Raiders defeated the Caledon Canadians 4-games-to-0 in the Metro League final. The Canadians were granted the permission to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup that year, and ended up winning it despite losing the Metro final.

In 1998, again playing Caledon, the Raiders won the last ever Metro Junior “A” title in game 7 by a score of 10-0. In 2006, the Raiders changed their name to the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and took on the colours of the Montreal Canadiens.

There also was a Wexford Raiders team in the Ontario Provincial Junior League. The team originated in 1970 as the Toronto Raiders of the Metro Junior B league, and was renamed the Wexford Raiders in 1971. In 1972 the team moved to the new Ontario Provincial Junior League in 1972 and operated until 1981. After the Junior A team folded, the Metro B “Warriors” assumed the “Raider” name in 1983.

The Ontario Provincial Junior “A” Hockey League was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league based in Ontario and sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The league operated from 1972 until 1987. This league was the forerunner to the current Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League that was promoted in 1993. From 1972 until 1977, the OPJHL shared their region with the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League.

The 12-team Ontario Hockey Association Jr. “A” Hockey League comprised of 5 teams leaving the Metro Junior “B” (the Richmond Hill Rams, North York Rangers, Downsview Beavers, Aurora Tigers and the Dixie Beehives), 6 expansion teams (Seneca Flyers, Ajax Steelers, Wexford Warriors, Vaughan Nationals, Weston Dodgers), the Kingston Frontenacs of the defunct Eastern Junior B Hockey League, and the North Bay Trappers of the recently folded Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Wexford Raiders joined the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League 1972. In 1973, Wexford Raiders were the league champions. In 1974, Wexford Raiders were league champions and won the Dudley Hewitt Cup. Wexford Raiders exited the league in 1981.

See some related pictures here.