OFFICIAL SITE OF THE SOO EAGLES JUNIOR A HOCKEY CLUB

CJHL celebrates Black History Month

CALGARY, Alta. – The Canadian Junior Hockey League, along with its member leagues across the country and areas of the northern U.S., takes great pride in recognizing and honouring Black History Month.

Black History Month represents an important piece of the ongoing “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative, put forth by the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association. The CJHL fully supports this program and joins the recognition of diversity and inclusion in our game, being celebrated this month.

The CJHL, joins the NHL and NHLPA as well as hockey groups across North America in continuing to support the “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative.

The CJHL believes all hockey programs,  must provide a safe, positive and inclusive environment for players and families regardless of race, colour, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic status.

This season the CJHL established  a Diversity and Inclusion Task Team, to further this cause.

“Our continued efforts in building and developing our goals in the area of diversity has been undertaken by our newly appointed CJHL Diversity and Inclusion Task team,” stated CJHL President Brent Ladds.

“The Task Team includes representation from a broad spectrum of professional and amateur hockey groups, as well as the media, under the chairmanship of BCHL commissioner Chris Hebb.”

This initiative, along with our continued support of the Declaration of Principles program, established in 2018 by the NHL & NHLPA which included input from 16 other hockey organizations across North America, supports our ongoing commitment towards ensuring that the hockey experience is better for all participants within our program.

“It is our intention to ensure that when our task is complete, we will have created an environment that not only provides educational awareness on diversity and inclusion for our athletes, but creates future ambassadors for Diversity and Inclusion, within their current and future communities,” Ladds said.

ABOUT THE CJHL: Formed in the spring of 1970, The Canadian Junior Hockey League is currently made up of the 10 Junior ‘A’ leagues across Canada and five communities in the northern U.S.

Representing 135 teams and over 3,000 players, the CJHL also currently boasts over 2,800 alumni furthering their hockey careers at the NHL, AHL, ECHL, CHL, NCAA and U SPORTS levels throughout North America as well as in professional leagues in Europe.

Through its league title holders and host teams in four regional championship events (Fred Page Cup; Dudley-Hewitt Cup; ANAVET Cup & Doyle Cup), and in conjunction with Hockey Canada, the four regional winners, as well as host team, compete annually for the Centennial Cup, presented Tim Hortons, for the Canadian National Jr. A Championship.