The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, or QMJHL, has made a small but significant change to its name.
As announced this afternoon, the QMJHL will now be known as the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, with the “M” in “Maritimes” replacing the “Major” in the name. This change honors the six active QMJHL franchises that play in the Maritimes region east of Quebec, while retaining the long-standing league acronym.
“Since assuming the role of Commissioner, it has been of utmost importance to recognize the immense contributions made by our six Maritimes-based franchises to the growth of our league,” said QMJHL Commissioner Mario Cecchini in the official press release. “Out of respect for our Maritimes clubs and their fans, it has been a priority for me to include them in the name of the league. The vote to change the name was unanimous.”
The French name of the league will be changed to La Ligue de Hockey Junior Maritimes Québec, while retaining the acronym LHJMQ.
The name Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was established with the league in 1969 as the result of the merger of the Metropolitan Montreal Junior Hockey League and the Quebec Junior Hockey League. Starting with the 1994/95 season, the QMJHL filled the void left by the AHL in the maritime provinces of Canada with the addition of the Halifax Mooseheads franchise. Teams in Moncton, Cape Breton, and Bathurst quickly followed, eventually leading to the six franchise entities playing in the region in 2023/24.
Today’s announcement also included a new English version of the league logo, maintaining the same style as the existing (and unchanged) LHJMQ logo.
LINK: QMJHL Team Logos