Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Acadie-Bathurst Titan
City:	Bathurst, New Brunswick
League:	Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Conference:	Eastern
Division:	Atlantic
Founded:	1998 (1998)–99
Home Arena:	K.C. Irving Regional Centre
Colours:	Blue, white, gold and red
Head Coach:	Mario Pouliot
General Manager:	Sylvain Couturier
Franchise history
1969–1971:	Rosemont National
1971–1979:	Laval National
1979–1985:	Laval Voisins
1985–1994:	Laval Titan
1994–1998:	Laval Titan Collège Français
1998–present:	Acadie-Bathurst Titan

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan is a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). They play at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

History

The franchise was granted in 1969–70 as the Rosemont National. In 1971, they moved from Rosemount to Laval to become the Laval National, and later the Laval Voisins. In 1985, they became the Laval Titan, and in 1994, they became the Laval Titan Collège Français following a merger with the Verdun Collège Français, and then in 1998, they moved to Bathurst. The "Acadie" term in the team name refers to the city's surroundings, where the Acadian population is a majority.

The franchise has won five President's Cups, one of which (in 1999) came during the team's tenure in Bathurst. In the Memorial Cup that year, the team finished winless in the round-robin. The most famous player that has come through the organization would undoubtedly be Mario Lemieux, who was drafted in 1984 by the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lemieux played for the team during its tenure in Laval. Other famous franchise alumni include Mike Bossy, Gino Odjick, and Vincent Damphousse. Notable NHL alumni from Bathurst include Patrice Bergeron, François Beauchemin, Bruno Gervais, and Roberto Luongo.

In the 1999–00 season, the Titan had the first female to be drafted by a QMJHL team, Charline Labonté, a 17-year-old Quebec goalie who spent parts of two seasons with the team.

Relocation speculation

On February 7, 2009, amid much speculation, the Titan franchise was given a 30-day relocation application extension by the QMJHL Board of Governors. With the club continuing to struggle with attendance and the recent struggles of the economy in the area, the team was rumored to be on the move if things did not turn around in the foreseeable future. The team's owner, Leo-Guy Morissette, entertained offers from a group of local investors in the Bathrust area, as well as a group from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Morrissette eventually decided to sell the team to his daughter Annie Morrissette-Hebert and his son Stephane Morrissette, who would each own 50 per cent of the club. The move also ensured the team would remain in Bathurst for the 2009–10 season.

At the end of the 2009–10 season, Léo-Guy Morrissette bought back control of the team from his children at their request. He then retained ownership of the team through to April 2013, but after the Titan were eliminated in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, and with multiple years of consistently-low attendance records, Morrissette began contemplating selling the team. Local investors approached Morrissette about purchasing the Titan to keep them in Bathurst. Morrissette, in part pressured by low attendance figures and personal health issues, opted to sell the club to a group of local investors including steel industry businessman Leopold Theriault, Darrel Stohart and current NHL player Sean Couturier, as well as former Titan alumni and current NHLers Patrice Bergeron, Roberto Luongo, Bruno Gervais and Mathieu Perreault; the investors would all be part of a new 28+ member group led by Theriault. At the time of the sale, the team was reported to be worth just over $3 million.

Retired numbers

• 1 - Roberto Luongo — retired on August 19, 2012
• 10 - Claude Lapointe — used by Jules-Edy Laraque in 1999–2000
• 17 - Mike Bossy
• 19 - Neil Carnes — used by Ramzi Abid in 1999–2000
• 21 - Vincent Damphousse
• 22 - Martin Lapointe
• 30 - Gino Odjick — used by Phil Ozga in 1999–2000
• 37 - Patrice Bergeron on September 25, 2011
• 66 - Mario Lemieux

Note: numbers of players from entire franchise history from 1969 to present.

Note:The Titan retired the number 37, worn by Patrice Bergeron between 2001 and 2003, on September 25, 2011. Bergeron is the first player to have his number retired since the Titan moved to Bathurst. After his QMJHL career, Bergeron went on to win a Stanley Cup in the NHL with the Boston Bruins in 2011, defeating the Vancouver Canucks, who were led by fellow Titan alumnus Roberto Luongo. Bergeron also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics with Canada, alongside Luongo. Bergeron is also a member of the Triple Gold Club, a group of ice hockey players and coaches who have won an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal and the Stanley Cup.

Note: The Titan retired the jersey number 1, worn by Roberto Luongo between 1998 and 1999, on August 19, 2012. Luongo, a fan favourite in Bathurst and also of New Brunswick, was the second player to have his number retired since the Titan relocated to Bathurst. Luongo has competed for Canada internationally in a number tournaments at different levels. As a junior, he won a silver medal at the 1999 World Junior Championships while being named Best Goaltender in the tournament, his second appearance. He then won two gold medals at the 2003 and 2004 World Championships, as well as a silver in the 2005 World Championship. He also won the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and appeared in the 2006 Winter Olympics, serving as backup to starter Martin Brodeur in both instances. Luongo succeeded Brodeur, however, as Canada's starting goaltender during the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal alongside fellow Titan alumnus Patrice Bergeron. Luongo then led his Vancouver Canucks team to Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, which the team ultimately lost to Bergeron and the Bruins.

NHL alumni

Ramzi Abid François Beauchemin Patrice Bergeron

Mathieu Carle Jean-Philippe Côté Jonathan Ferland

Ryan Flinn Bruno Gervais Jonathan Girard

Simon Lajeunesse Roberto Luongo Mathieu Perreault

Janis Sprukts Patrick Bordeleau

logo 1998-2014

Mascot

• The Acadie–Bathurst Titan mascot is name "Bang-Bang," however there is a plan in place to replace him with a new mascot named "Maximus."

Season-by-season record

Season	Games	W	L	T	OL	SL	Pts	Pct	GF	GA	Standing
1998–99	70	42	25	3	—	—	87	0.621	315	255	3rd, Dilio
1999–2000	72	20	40	8	4	—	52	0.361	227	311	4th, Maritime
2000–01	72	29	38	4	1	—	63	0.438	239	281	3rd, Maritime
2001–02	72	45	18	4	5	—	99	0.688	257	225	1st, Maritime
2002–03	72	44	21	4	3	—	95	0.660	276	189	2nd, Atlantic
2003–04	70	18	49	3	0	—	39	0.279	184	314	5th, Atlantic
2004–05	70	18	42	7	3	—	46	0.329	163	244	5th, Atlantic
2005–06	70	43	19	—	3	5	94	0.671	291	223	2nd, Eastern
2006–07	70	35	28	—	2	5	77	0.550	291	269	5th, Eastern
2007–08	70	41	25	—	2	2	86	0.614	289	241	3rd, Eastern
2008–09	68	20	35	—	7	6	53	0.294	187	256	5th, Atlantic
2009–10	68	25	37	—	3	3	56	0.368	208	286	5th, Atlantic
2010–11	68	44	21	—	2	1	91	0.669	261	197	2nd, Maritimes
2011–12	68	32	31	—	2	3	69	0.507	250	264	3rd, Maritimes
2012–13	68	26	35	—	5	2	59	0.434	232	278	4th, Maritimes
2013–14	68	22	40	—	4	2	50	0.368	144	249	4th, Maritimes
2014-15	68	17	43	-	6	2	42	0.309	158	271	6th, Maritimes
2015-16	68	27	35	-	3	3	60	0.441	224	254	5th, Maritimes
2016-17	68	39	23	-	4	2	84	0.414	284	242	3rd, Maritimes
2017-18	68	43	15	-	8	2	96	0.706	270	183	1st, Martimes
2018-19	68	8	54	-	5	1	22	0.161	141	336	6th, Martimes

Playoffs

Season	1st round	2nd round	3rd round	Finals
1998–99	W, 4-1, Cape Breton	W, 4-1, Halifax	W, 4-2, Quebec	W, 4-3, Hull
1999–2000	L, 4-0, Moncton	-	-	-
2000–01	W, 4–0, Quebec	W, 4-1, Cape Breton	W, 4-2, Baie-Comeau	L, 4-0, Val-d'Or
2001–02	Bye	W, 4–1, Quebec	W, 4–1, Cape Breton	L, 4-2, Victoriaville
2002–03	W, 4-2, Chicoutimi	L, 4-3, Halifax	-	-
2003–04	-	-	-	-
2004–05	-	-	-	-
2005–06	W, 4–2, P.E.I.	W, 4-0, Cape Breton	L, 4-3, Quebec	-
2006–07	W, 4–2, P.E.I.	L, 4-1, Cape Breton	-	-
2007–08	W, 4–2, St. John's	L, 4-1, Saint John	-	-
2008–09	L, 4–2, Gatineau	-	-	-
2009–10	L, 4-1, Quebec	-	-	-
2010–11	L, 4-1, Victoriaville	-	-	-
2011–12	L, 4-2, Chicoutimi	-	-	-
2012–13	L, 4-1, Blainville-Boisbriand	-	-	-
2013–14	L, 4-0, Val-d'Or	-	-	-
2014–15	-	-	-	-
2015–16	L, 4–1, Saint John	-	-	-
2016-17	W, 4–0, Quebec	L, 4-3, Blainville-Boisbriand	-	-
2017-18	W, 4–2, Chicoutimi	W, 4-0, Sherbrooke |W, 4–0, Victoriaville	W, 4-2 Blainville-Boisbriand 2018 QMJHL President's Cup Champions
2018-19	-	-	-	-

Memorial Cup

Season	Round Robin Game 1	Round Robin Game 2	Round Robin Game 3	Finish	Tie-Breaker	Semifinals	Finals
2018 Memorial Cup	W, 4-3, (ot) Swift Current Broncos	W, 8-6, Regina Pats	L, 2-3, Hamilton Bulldogs	1st	Bye	Bye	W, 3-0 Regina Pats

Team records

Team records for a single season
Statistic	Total	Season
Most points	99	2001–02
Most wins	45	2001–02
Most goals for	315	1998–99
Least goals for	144	2013–14
Least goals against	189	2002–03
Most goals against	314	2003–04

Individual player records for a single season
Statistic	Player	Total	Season
Most goals	Thomas Beauregard	71	2006–07
Most assists	Mathieu Perreault	80	2007–08
Most points	Thomas Beauregard	124	2006–07
Most points, rookie	Patrice Bergeron	73	2002–03
Most points, defenseman	Philippe Plante	80	1998–99
Most Penalty Minutes	Jonathan Tremblay	316	2003–04
Best GAA (goalie)	Adam Russo	2.41	2002–03
Goaltender = minimum 1,500 minutes played

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in New Brunswick

External links

• Official Site
• QMJHL Arena Guide profile