This league was originally formed on December 9, 1887, as the junior section of the Amateur Hockey Association (AHA), which was the first major hockey league. It was the first junior hockey league in the world. It kept its name even after the AHA itself changed its name and format, eventually becoming the National Hockey League. The JAHA was centered around Montreal, although in the early 1900's teams from Ottawa were able to challenge for the league title. In 1943-44 the JAHA became the only Junior A league in the province as the other leagues dropped to Junior B.