In 2016, the Georgian Mid Ontario Junior C Hockey League joined the other seven Junior C leagues in the Ontario Hockey Association to create the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and was renamed the Carruthers Division. The Carruthers Division is part of the North Conference along with the Pollock Division.
The Carruthers Division was named after Paul Carruthers who was a very well respected hockey man in the Georgian Triangle sports community for a number of years.
The Carruthers Division of the PJHL dates back to the late 1940s as the Georgian Bay League. The Georgian Bay League featured teams like the Owen Sound Greys, Barrie Colts, and Collingwood Blues. As the top tier teams of the group were promoted to Junior B, teams to the north entered the loop in the 1960s - Powassan North Stars, Bracebridge Bears, Huntsville Blair McCann, Parry Sound Shamrocks, Gravenhurst Indians, and others.
In 1971, the South-Central Junior D Hockey League was formed with teams like the Bradford Blues, Alliston Hornets, Schomberg Cougars, and Stayner Siskins. The South-Central League became Central League Group 1 in 1973. In 1974, Powassan and the Sundridge Beavers dropped out of the Georgian Bay League, so Huntsville and Bracebridge joined the Central League for two seasons until 1977 when they found enough interest from other clubs to restart their League. During this time, the Central League had three playoff championships, Central Junior C, Georgian Bay Junior C, and Central Junior D, all representing the league at the provincial level.
When the South-Central Junior D league was promoted to Junior C, their league champion competed for the Clarence Schmalz Cup, but a second tier champion also competed for the Junior D OHA Cup. In 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977, the Stayner Siskins competed on behalf of the then Central League for the All-Ontario Junior D title, victorious in 1974 and 1976.
The Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior "C" Hockey League was the result of the 1994 merger of the Mid-Ontario Junior "C" Hockey League and the short-lived Georgian Junior "C" Hockey League.
Click here for information on the former Georgian Bay Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League.
