The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), a key player in the realm of Canadian junior hockey, operates under the watchful leadership of Gilles Courteau, its longstanding commissioner. Founded to foster and promote junior ice hockey, the QMJHL has carved a niche in developing young talent for professional leagues. This league predominantly operates across Quebec and parts of the Maritime provinces, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Its presence in these regions underscores its commitment to nurturing hockey talent in Eastern Canada.
In 1969, the birth of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was spearheaded by a group of visionary hockey enthusiasts, led by Robert Lebel. This establishment marked a significant milestone in Canadian junior hockey. Throughout its illustrious history, the QMJHL has been a cradle for numerous hockey stars, contributing significantly to the talent pool of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league’s notable achievements include producing legendary players like Mario Lemieux and Guy Lafleur. Today, the QMJHL stands as a prestigious entity in junior hockey, continually enhancing its reputation by focusing on player development, community engagement, and maintaining high competitive standards in the world of junior hockey.
What is Quebec Major Junior Hockey League?
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) is a prominent junior ice hockey league based in Canada. As one of the country’s major junior leagues, it is part of the Canadian Hockey League, serving as a breeding ground for future NHL talent.
The very first logo for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was introduced in 1969. The badge featured a light sand-gold silhouette of the Quebec province map, enclosed into an elegant dark red uppercase “Q” the thin black stylized monogram was engraved in the middle of the beige contour map element. It was a very sophisticated and tender badge, which was pretty difficult to associate with such a brutal kind of sport as hockey.
The redesign of 1970 made the contours of the elements stronger and thicker, adding some confidence to an elegant badge. The color palette was also slightly modified — bringing the lighter shades to both the Quebec Province silhouette (it was now more beige), and to the serif “Q”, which became scarlet red. With the new shades, the badge started looking more delightful and energetic. This logo stayed with the league for a bit less than three years.
The old Quebec Major Junior Hockey League logo featured the initial letters of the league’s name in French (LHJMQ). The lettering was given in a very unusual and creative script. The “L” and the “J” formed hockey sticks facing one another. In between, there was a shape bearing a vague resemblance to an “H.” Although this looked like a fresh and unusual design idea, in fact, the emblem was barely legible.
The new era of the QMJHL visual identity started in 1978 with the design of the new badge. It was a stylized inscription in bold black letters, placed on a plain white background. The Sans-serif wordmark had the first “L” (resembling a hockey stick) connected to the last “Q” at the bottom part of the badge, creating a bold and strong underline of the whole logotype.
The “LHJMQ” logotype was redesigned again in 2020, bringing stronger contours and stricter angles to the letters. Now the “L” and “J”, placed around the “H”, we’re looking even more like two hockey sticks. And the smaller “M” and “Q” added sharpness and progressiveness to the whole badge. The color palette remained untouched — a cold yet calm shade of blue is the color, which brilliantly reflects the purpose and essence of the league, and makes the badge look professional, evoking a sense of loyalty and reliability.