Quebec Senior Hockey League

The Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) was an amateur ice hockey league that operated between 1944 and 1953 in Québec, Canada, before becoming the semi-professional Quebec Hockey League (QHL). The QSHL, though it operated as an amateur hockey league, was in truth more of a semi-pro league, as it employed highly skilled players, who were in turn highly paid.Fact|date=September 2007 Most notable of the QSHL's players was Jean Béliveau, who played for the Quebec Aces in 1951-52 and 1952-53.

History

The origins of the Quebec Senior Hockey League rest with the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association(QAHA) which organized amateur ice hockey play in Quebec from 1908. The bulk of the teams that formed the QSHL were part of the "Montreal Senior Group" of the QAHA. The QAHA re-organized its senior league for 1944 and the QSHL was formed.

Most notable of the QSHL's players was Jean Béliveau, who played for the Quebec Aces in 1951-52 and 1952-53. The Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League held Béliveau's professional rights, yet the young phenom refused to play for the club, preferring to stay with Quebec. Frank J. Selke, the Canadiens' general manager, eventually became fed up, and in 1953 bought the rights to the entire QSHL, and turned it into the semi-professional Quebec Hockey League, forcing Béliveau to play for the Canadiens.

The QHL disbanded following their 1958-59 season, with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens, Montreal Royals and Trois-Rivières Lions going to the Eastern Professional Hockey League and the Quebec Aces heading to the American Hockey League.

List of all QSHL/QHL teams

; Montreal Senior Group:
* Lafontaine
* McGill University
* Montreal Canadiens (Jr.)
* Montreal Royals (1933-44)
* Montreal Victorias (1908-1939)
* Ottawa Senators (1934-44)
* Quebec Aces (1936-44)
* Verdun

; QSHL:
* Boston Olympics (1947-48) ^†Played a split schedule between the QSHL and the EAHL
* Chicoutimi Sagueneens (1949-59)
* Hull Volants (1944-46)
* Hull-Ottawa Canadiens (1956-57) ^†Played a split schedule between the QSHL and the OHA Senior A league.
* Chicoutimi Sagueneens (1949-59)
* Montreal Royals (1944-59)
* New York Rovers (1947-49) ^†Played a split schedule between the QSHL and the EAHL
* Ottawa Commandos (1944-45)
* Ottawa Senators (1945-55)
* Quebec Aces (1944-59)
* Shawinigan Falls Cataracts (1945-53)
* Shawinigan Cataracts (1954-58)
* Sherbrooke St. Francis (1948-49)
* Sherbrooke Saints (1949-54)
* Springfield Indians (1953-54)
* Trois-Rivières Lions (1955-59)
* Valleyfield Braves (1945-55)

List of QSHL/QHL league winners

1944-45: Montreal Royals
1945-46: Montreal Royals
1946-47: Ottawa Senators
1947-48: Ottawa Senators
1948-49: Ottawa Senators
1949-50: Sherbrooke Saints
1950-51: Valleyfield Braves
1951-52: Quebec Aces
1952-53: Chicoutimi Sagueneens
1953-54: Chicoutimi Sagueneens (Season), Quebec Aces (Playoffs)
1954-55: Shawinigan Cataracts (Season and Playoffs)
1955-56: Shawinigan Cataracts (Season), Montreal Royals (Playoffs)
1956-57: Quebec Aces (Seasons and Playoffs)
1957-58: Chicoutimi Sagueneens (Season), Shawinigan Cataracts (Playoffs)
1958-59: Montreal Royals (Season and Playoffs)

External links

* [http://hockeyleaguehistory.com/Quebec_Senior_Hockey_League_1944.htm QSHL 1944-53 history & standings]
* [http://hockeyleaguehistory.com/Quebec_Hockey_League_1953.htm QHL 1953-59 history & standings]