Cape Breton Eagles

Cape Breton Eagles
City:	Sydney, Nova Scotia
League:	Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Conference:	Eastern
Division:	Atlantic
Founded:	1997–98
Home Arena:	Centre 200
Colours:	Black, white, gold and grey ;
Head Coach:	Mario Durocher
General Manager:	Mario Durocher
Franchise history
1969–77:	Sorel Éperviers
1977–79:	Verdun Éperviers
1979–80:	Sorel/Verdun Éperviers
1980–81:	Sorel Éperviers
1981–95:	Granby Bisons
1995–97:	Granby Prédateurs
1997–:	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
2019-present:	Cape Breton Eagles

The Cape Breton Eagles are a major junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Their home rink is Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Franchise history (1969-1997)Edit

The franchise was granted to the Sorel Eperviers (Black Hawks) for the 1969–70 season. They moved from Sorel to Verdun in 1977 to become the Verdun Eperviers. 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 they changed their names to the Granby Prédateurs. In 1996, the Prédateurs won the Memorial Cup. In 1997 they moved to Sydney to become the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Prior to the Eagles' arrival, Sydney played host to the AHL's Cape Breton Oilers from 1988 to 1996.

Cape Breton (1997–present)Edit

Early years (1997–1999)Edit

The Screaming Eagles' very first captain was Daniel Payette under coach Dany Dubé. They had very poor success in their first few seasons and often had difficulty earning respect around the league, with some players not wanting to come to Cape Breton or complaining while they were there. As enforcers were more common in the league at the time, the Screaming Eagles often made up for lack of skill by having an abundance of fighters.

The Vincent era (1999–2008)Edit

The turn of the new millennium brought some hope to the Screaming Eagles franchise as new head coach and general manager Pascal Vincent was able to slowly turn things around. Star goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is often credited as the one who landed the Screaming Eagles on the map and prevented them from folding. Along with star players Dominic Noel, Stuart MacRae, and Stephen Dixon, the Screaming Eagles reached the league's conference final in 2002, only to lose in 5 games to Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Fleury's #29 went on to be retired by the Screaming Eagles in 2008.

Vincent made a bold move and stacked the Screaming Eagles lineup with many NHL prospects for the 2003–04 season in hopes of bringing a league title to Cape Breton. Most of the players came from a notorious "boomerang" trade with the Halifax Mooseheads. After the Screaming Eagles won 49 games and captured a division title, Fleury returned from the Pittsburgh Penguins, leading many to think the team would be unstoppable in the playoffs. The Screaming Eagles lost in the second round to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

Despite the embarrassment, President Greg Lynch opted not to fire Vincent. At the 2004 QMJHL draft, the Screaming Eagles chose James Sheppard with the 1st 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 7 games to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

The 2007–08 season saw 16 year-old goaltender Olivier Roy rise to prominence. The Screaming Eagles finished 4th 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. However, following the end of the season, Vincent violated the terms of his contract and became the head coach and general manager of the Montreal Junior Hockey Club.

The Durocher era (2008–present)Edit

Centre 200, the Screaming Eagles' home ice.

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 in 2010 added former NHL players Mike McPhee and Guy Chouinard, former NHL coach Pierre Creamer and Michel Boucher to the hockey staff in consulting roles. Durocher was relieved of his duties effective immediately 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.

The team's then-Head Coach Ron Choules replaced Durocher as GM 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 as head coach and GM on December 3, 2012, with former Val-d'Or Head Coach Marc-André Dumont announced as his replacement. The 2012–13 season was a poor one for the Screaming Eagles, as they failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. At season's end, Assistant Coach Jean-François David was fired, with no replacement immediately announced.

The team would be renamed the Cape Breton Eagles during the summer of 2019.

PlayersEdit

NHL alumniEdit

KHL alumniEdit

NHL 1st round draft picksEdit

2003 NHL Entry Draft - Marc-Andre Fleury #1 Overall (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2006 NHL Entry Draft - James Sheppard #9 Overall (Minnesota Wild)
2015 NHL Entry Draft - Evgeny Svechnikov #19 Overall (Detroit Red Wings

Retired numbersEdit

#29 - Marc-Andre Fleury

Award winnersEdit

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CHL Scholastic Player of the Year

2007–08: Robert Slaney

Humanitarian Award

2009-10: Nick MacNeil

Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy

2003–04: Martin Houle (2.32)
2005–06: Ondrej Pavelec (2.51)
2006–07: Ondrej Pavelec (2.52)

Luc Robitaille Trophy

2006–07: Cape Breton (308)

Marcel Robert Trophy

2004–05: Guillaume Demers
2007–08: Robert Slaney

Maurice Filion Trophy

2006–07: Pascal Vincent

Mike Bossy Trophy

2002–03: Marc-Andre Fleury

Philips Plaque

2001–02: Pierre-Luc Emond

Raymond Lagacé Trophy

2005–06: Ondrej Pavelec
2007–08: Olivier Roy

RDS Cup

2005–06: Ondrej Pavelec
2007–08: Olivier Roy

Robert Lebel Trophy

2003–04: Cape Breton (2.33)

Ron Lapointe Trophy

2007–08: Pascal Vincent

Telus Cup – Defensive

2002–03: Marc-Andre Fleury
2004–05: Martin Houle

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (1997–Present)

Regular seasonEdit

OL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss, Pct = Winning percentage

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, Maritimes
2013-14	68	37	27	-	1	3	78	0.574	260	260	2nd, 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

PlayoffsEdit

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	-	-	-	-
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	-	-

Team recordsEdit

Statistic	Total	Season
Team records for a single season
Most points	103	2003–04
Least points	36	2012-13
Most wins	49	2003–04
Most goals for	308	2006–07
Least goals for	154	2010-11
Least goals against	164	2003–04
Most goals against	308	2012-13

Statistic	Player	Total	Season
Individual player records for a single season
Most goals	Cam Fergus	53	2006–07
Most assists	Dominic Noel, James Sheppard	63	2001–02, 2006–07
Most points	Dominic Noel	105	2001–02
Most points (rookie)	Evgeny Svechnikov	78	2014-15
Most points (defenceman)	Jean-Claude Sawyer	77	2006–07
Most penalty minutes	Pascal Morency	596	2001–02
Most wins (goaltender)	Olivier Roy	35	2008–09
Best GAA (goaltender)	Martin Houle	2.32	2003–04

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

Official Site

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Cape Breton Eagles. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).

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