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Cape Breton Eagles

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Cape Breton Eagles
CityCape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
LeagueQuebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
DivisionMaritimes
Founded1969
Home arenaCentre 200
ColoursBlack, white, gold and grey
       
General managerSylvain Couturier
Head coachLouis Robitaille
Websitechl.ca/lhjmq-eagles
Franchise history
1969–1977Sorel Éperviers
1977–1979Verdun Éperviers
1979–1980Sorel/Verdun Éperviers
1980–1981Sorel Éperviers
1981–1995Granby Bisons
1995–1997Granby Prédateurs
1997–2019Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
2019–presentCape Breton Eagles
Current uniform

The Cape Breton Eagles are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. They are members of the Maritimes Division, and play their home games at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

History

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Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia

The franchise was originally granted to the Sorel Éperviers (Black Hawks) for the 1969–70 season. They then moved from Sorel to Verdun in 1977 to become the Verdun Éperviers. In 1979, they played in both Sorel and Verdun before moving back to Sorel for the next season. In 1981, they moved to Granby to become the Granby Bisons, and in 1995 changed their names to the Granby Prédateurs. In 1996, the Prédateurs won the Memorial Cup. In 1997, the franchise was relocated to Sydney to become the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Prior to the Eagles' arrival, Sydney played host to the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Cape Breton Oilers from 1988 to 1996.[citation needed]

Early years in Cape Breton (1997–1999)

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The Screaming Eagles' first captain was Daniel Payette under coach Dany Dubé.[citation needed]

The Vincent era (1999–2008)

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In 1999, Pascal Vincent was promoted as the new head coach following the dismissal of Bruce Campbell.[1] The Screaming Eagles attempted to strengthen the club by drafting future National Hockey League (NHL) star Ilya Kovalchuk tenth overall in the 2000 CHL Import Draft. However, Kovalchuk declined to report to the team. Along with star players Marc-André Fleury, Dominic Noel, Stuart MacRae and Stephen Dixon, the Screaming Eagles reached the QMJHL's conference final in 2002, only to lose in five games to Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Fleury's number 29 jersey went on to be retired by the Screaming Eagles in 2008. Kovalchuk's number 71 was retired in 2014, as an April Fools' Day prank.[2]

Vincent stacked the Screaming Eagles lineup with many NHL prospects for the 2003–04 season in hopes of bringing a league title to Cape Breton.[citation needed] After the Screaming Eagles won 49 games and captured a division title, with Fleury also returning from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the playoffs, but the Screaming Eagles lost in the second round to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.[citation needed]

At the 2004 QMJHL Draft, the Screaming Eagles chose James Sheppard with the first overall pick. In 2006–07, along with star players Luc Bourdon, Ondrej Pavelec and Oskars Bartulis, Sheppard led the Screaming Eagles to the league semifinals, only to lose in seven games to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.[citation needed]

The 2007–08 season saw 16-year-old goaltender Olivier Roy rise to prominence. The Screaming Eagles finished fourth in their division and won their first round playoff series despite having a roster that normally dressed at least ten rookies. Vincent went on to be named the 2008 QMJHL Coach of the Year. Following the end of the season, Vincent became the head coach and general manager of the Montreal Junior Hockey Club.[citation needed]

2010s history (2008–2019)

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The team returned to the playoffs in 2014.

Following Vincent's departure, assistant coach Mario Durocher took over the role of head coach and general manager. In a bid to host the Memorial Cup in 2012, Durocher added former NHL players Mike McPhee and Guy Chouinard, former NHL coach Pierre Creamer and Michel Boucher to the hockey staff in consulting roles in 2010. Durocher was relieved of his duties on April 12, 2011, after a lackluster season in which the team finished 16th in the league and last in the Atlantic Division with just 41 points.[3][4]

The team's then-head coach Ron Choules replaced Durocher as general manager in April 2011, though the team failed to improve on the ice. After a poor start to the 2012–13 season, Choules himself was fired on December 3, 2012, with former Val-d'Or head coach Marc-André Dumont announced as his replacement.[5] The Screaming Eagles failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in the 2012–13 season.[6] At season's end, assistant coach Jean-François David was fired.[7]

After being eliminated in the second round of the 2019 playoffs, the Screaming Eagles fired their coaching staff. Dumont was replaced with Nova Scotia native, Jake Grimes, along with former Eagles alumni Chris Culligan as assistant coach.[citation needed]

The team mascot is an eagle named Screech.[8]

Cape Breton Eagles (2019–present)

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On August 14, 2019, the team rebranded itself as the Cape Breton Eagles.[9]

On November 30, 2021, head coach Jake Grimes resigned as head coach citing personal reasons. He finished with a winning record overall with the club, at 46–34–0–7 record over one-and-a-half seasons but had started the 2021–22 season with a 6–14–0–4 record.[10] The Eagles spent approximately two months with an interim head coach before hiring Chadd Cassidy on January 7, 2022.[11]

Players

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Retired numbers

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  • 7 Chris Culligan (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, 2004–2009)[12]
  • 29 Marc-André Fleury (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, 2000–2004)[13]

NHL alumni

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The following players have played in at least one National Hockey League (NHL) game as of the 2023-24 season:[14]

NHL first round draft picks

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List of first round selections in the NHL Entry Draft:[15]

Year # Player Nationality NHL team
2003 1 Marc-André Fleury (G) Canada Canada Pittsburgh Penguins
2006 9 James Sheppard (C) Canada Canada Minnesota Wild
2015 19 Evgeny Svechnikov (LW) Russia Russia Detroit Red Wings
2016 3 Pierre-Luc Dubois (C) Canada Canada Columbus Blue Jackets

Award winners

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List of award winners:[citation needed]

Season-by-season results

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Regular season

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QMJHL season standings.[16]
OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Season Games Won Lost Tied OL SL Points Pct Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing
1997–98 70 19 46 5 — — 43 0.307 211 295 6th, Dilio
1998–99 70 22 44 4 — — 48 0.343 226 272 6th, Dilio
1999–00 72 24 39 3 6 — 57 0.396 230 302 3rd, Maritimes
2000–01 72 30 37 4 1 — 65 0.451 270 292 2nd, Maritimes
2001–02 72 38 20 10 4 — 90 0.625 286 224 3rd, Maritimes
2002–03 72 21 37 9 5 — 56 0.389 200 268 4th, Maritimes
2003–04 70 49 16 2 3 — 103 0.736 273 164 1st, Atlantic
2004–05 70 32 27 8 3 — 75 0.536 206 195 3rd, Atlantic
2005–06 70 40 23 — 3 4 87 0.621 236 206 3rd, Eastern
2006–07 70 46 22 — 2 0 94 0.671 308 200 2nd, Eastern
2007–08 70 40 24 — 3 3 86 0.614 242 230 4th, Eastern
2008–09 68 46 18 — 3 1 96 0.676 252 201 2nd, Atlantic
2009–10 68 41 22 — 2 3 87 0.603 238 185 3rd, Atlantic
2010–11 68 18 45 — 1 4 41 0.301 154 246 5th, Maritimes
2011–12 68 23 42 — 1 2 49 0.360 219 306 5th, Maritimes
2012–13 68 14 46 — 3 5 36 0.265 161 308 6th,
Telus Maritimes
2013–14 68 37 27 — 1 3 78 0.574 260 260 2nd,
Telus Maritimes
2014–15 68 31 31 — 3 3 68 0.500 258 246 5th, Maritimes
2015–16 68 38 24 — 5 1 82 0.603 286 237 3rd, Maritimes
2016–17 68 39 25 — 2 2 82 0.603 270 230 4th, Maritimes
2017–18 68 32 28 — 6 2 72 0.529 235 259 4th, Maritimes
2018–19 68 40 22 — 1 5 86 0.632 267 214 3rd, Maritimes
2019–20 63 40 20 — 2 1 83 0.659 269 194 2nd, Maritimes
2020–21 38 12 25 — 1 0 25 0.329 113 186 6th, Maritimes
2021–22 68 14 47 — 4 3 35 0.257 183 335 6th, Maritimes
2022–23 68 30 34 — 3 1 64 0.471 224 275 3rd, Maritimes
2023–24 68 39 26 — 1 2 81 0.596 216 194 3rd, Maritimes

Playoffs

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Season 1st round 2nd round 3rd round Finals
1997–98 L, 0–4, Quebec Remparts
1998–99 L, 1–4, Acadie–Bathurst Titan
1999–2000 L, 0–4, Quebec Remparts
2000–01 W, 4–3, Chicoutimi Saguenéens L, 1–4, Acadie–Bathurst Titan
2001–02 W, 4–1, Baie-Comeau Drakkar W, 4–2, Halifax Mooseheads L, 1–4, Acadie–Bathurst Titan
2002–03 L, 0–4, Halifax Mooseheads
2003–04 Bye L, 1–4, Chicoutimi Saguenéens
2004–05 L, 1–4, Gatineau Olympiques
2005–06 W, 4–1, St. John's Fog Devils L, 0–4, Acadie–Bathurst Titan
2006–07 W, 4–0, St. John's Fog Devils W, 4–1, Acadie–Bathurst Titan L, 3–4, Val-d'Or Foreurs
2007–08 W, 4–2, Lewiston Maineiacs L, 1–4, Halifax Mooseheads
2008–09 W, 4–0, Saint John Sea Dogs L, 3–4, Quebec Remparts
2009–10 L, 1–4, Moncton Wildcats
2010–11 L, 0–4, Saint John Sea Dogs
2011–12 L, 0–4, Saint John Sea Dogs
2012–13 Did not qualify
2013–14 L, 0–4, Gatineau Olympiques
2014–15 L, 3–4, Quebec Remparts
2015–16 W, 4–2, Chicoutimi Saguenéens L, 3–4, Saint John Sea Dogs
2016–17 W, 4–3, Gatineau Olympiques L, 0–4, Charlottetown Islanders
2017–18 L, 1–4, Drummondville Voltigeurs
2018–19 W, 4–2, Charlottetown Islanders L, 1–4, Rimouski Océanic
2019–20 QMJHL playoffs cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Did not qualify1
2021–22 Did not qualify
2022–23 L, 0–4, Halifax Mooseheads
2023–24 W, 4–1, Rimouski Océanic W, 4–0, Chicoutimi Saguenéens L, 1–4, Baie-Comeau Drakkar

1 Due to local travel restrictions, all Nova Scotia-based teams were deemed ineligible to compete in the playoffs. Three New Brunswick-based teams competed in a six-game round-robin tournament to determine who would face the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes Division final.[17][18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Screaming Eagles coach let go". CBC News. October 12, 1999. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Screaming Eagles Pull April Fool's Joke". Cape Breton Post. April 1, 2014. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
  3. ^ "Screaming Eagles add hockey gurus - Sports - the Cape Breton Post". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  4. ^ "Screaming Eagles fire Mario Durocher - Local - the Cape Breton Post". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  5. ^ "Choules fired as Screaming Eagles head coach, general manager". Cape Breton Post. December 3, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
  6. ^ Eagles will miss QMJHL playoff for first time in franchise history http://www.capebretonpost.com/Sports/Hockey/2013-03-03/article-3191562/Eagles-will-miss-QMJHL-playoff-for-first-time-in-franchise-history/1 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Screaming Eagles assistant coach David not returning http://www.capebretonpost.com/Sports/Hockey/2013-03-21/article-3205258/Screaming-Eagles-assistant-coach-David-not-returning/1 Archived 2013-04-10 at archive.today
  8. ^ "Screaming Eagles on the lookout for missing mascot". CBC News. March 20, 2009.
  9. ^ "New brand and name unveiled for former Cape Breton Screaming Eagles". QMJHL. August 14, 2019.
  10. ^ "Jake Grimes steps down as Cape Breton Eagles head coach". saltwire.com. November 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "Eagles Hire Chadd Cassidy as New Head Coach". Cape Breton Eagles. January 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Tidcombe, Matt (November 5, 2022). "Culligan has number retired by Cape Breton". CHL.ca. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "A standout goalie with his feet on the ground". Cape Breton Post. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) Alumni". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Cape Breton Eagles Drafted Player History". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  16. ^ Cape Breton Screaming Eagles season-by-season record on www.hockeydb.com
  17. ^ MacNeil, John (April 16, 2021). "No QMJHL playoffs for Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Eagles". Saltwire. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Webb, Steven (April 25, 2021). "QMJHL only junior hockey league still going ahead with playoffs". CBC News. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
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