| Charlottetown Abbies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City: | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island |
| League: | Maritime Junior A Hockey League Island Junior Hockey League |
| Operated: | Prior to 1970-2008 |
| Home Arena: | MacLauchlan Arena |
| Colors: | Yellow, Black, and Red |
| Franchise history | |
| 19xx-1975: | Charlottetown Islanders |
| 1975-1976: | Charlottetown Colonels |
| 1976-1977: | Charlottetown Generals |
| 1977-1986: | Charlottetown Eagles |
| 1986-2008: | Charlottetown Abbies |
The Charlottetown Abbies were a Tier-II Junior "A" team based out of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They played in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. Their home rink was the MacLauchlan Arena on the campus of the University of Prince Edward Island.
History[]
In 1972, the Charlottetown Abbies were a Midget Hockey program with little competition. They applied for entry into the Island Junior Hockey League in 1972. The IJHL turned down their application on the basis that they were too weak for Junior B competition. The Abbies, undeterred, applied for entry into the Southeast New Brunswick Junior B Hockey League instead. The New Brunswick league allowed the Abbies to join and after a slow start the Abbies ended up finishing second in the regular season (to the Dieppe Voyageurs) and winning the league playoffs. To win the playoffs, the Abbies defeated the Bouctouche Seals 3-games-to-none (9-3, 9–3, forfeit) in the semi-final and then defeated the Memramcook Legionnaires 3-games-to-none (8-1, 10–2, forfeit) in the League Final. The Abbies then failed to qualify for the 5-team New Brunswick provincial championship round robin because they lost the Southeast New Brunswick qualifier to the independent Moncton Flyers 2-games-to-none (4-3, 3-1). In 1973, the IJHL was promoted to Junior A and the Abbies were granted expansion into the league.
The Abbies were an institution in Junior hockey in Charlottetown for several decades. In the 70s the Island Junior Hockey League (IJHL) boasted two Charlottetown teams, the Generals who played in the old Charlottetown Forum, and the Abbies who were based at the Simmons Sports Centre. The league also included at one time or another the Kings County Kings, Summerside Crystals (Summerside Western Capitals), West Prince Bluefins, North River North Stars, and the Sherwood-Parkdale Metros. Eventually the two Charlottetown teams merged, maintaining the Abbies moniker. As costs became prohibitive for an Island wide league at the Junior A level in the late 80s, teams in the league folded. Eventually, in 1991 the Abbies and the Summerside Western Capitals left to join teams in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
In May 2008, it was announced that the Abbies' management had applied for a year's leave of absence from the Maritime Junior Hockey League, citing financial problems.[1] The team almost relocated to Lewiston, Maine when the Lewiston Maineiacs (QMJHL) tried to relocate to Boisbriand, Quebec.
In May 2009, the commissioner of the MHL stated in a newspaper interview that the Abbies would not operate again.[2] On June 4, 2009, CBC reported the folding of the Abbies franchise.[3] The end of the Charlottetown Abbies meant that, for the first time since 1972, the City of Charlottetown did not have a Junior A team.
Junior B Revival[]
A team in the Junior B level Island Junior Hockey League named the Evangeline Loggers relocated from Wellington relocated to Pownal, outside of Charlottetown for the 2005-06 season; where they became the Pownal Metro Builders. They would be renamed the Charlottetown Metro Builders for the 2009-10 season and then the Charlottetown Abbies for the 2010-11 season. The team would end up folding on Janury 7, 2013.
Season-by-Season Record[]
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OL | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs | |
| 1972-73 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | - | 75 | 40 | 28 | 2nd SNBJHL | Won League | |
| 1973-74 | 29 | 7 | 20 | 2 | - | 115 | 178 | 16 | 6th IJHL | ||
| 1974-75 | 40 | 7 | 28 | 5 | - | 163 | 247 | 19 | 6th IJHL | ||
| 1975-76 | 39 | 6 | 28 | 5 | - | 145 | 278 | 17 | 6th IJHL | ||
| 1976-77 | 40 | 12 | 25 | 3 | - | 194 | 224 | 27 | 4th IJHL | ||
| 1977-78 | 39 | 23 | 8 | 8 | - | -- | -- | 54 | 2nd IJHL | Won League | |
| 1978-79 | 40 | 31 | 5 | 4 | - | 219 | 96 | 66 | 1st IJHL | ||
| 1979-80 | 39 | 19 | 14 | 6 | - | 210 | 167 | 44 | 3rd IJHL | ||
| 1980-81 | 34 | 13 | 18 | 3 | - | 186 | 197 | 29 | 3rd IJHL | ||
| 1981-82 | 42 | 22 | 17 | 3 | - | 336 | 287 | 47 | 2nd IJHL | ||
| 1982-83 | 42 | 10 | 29 | 3 | - | 212 | 301 | 23 | 4th IJHL | ||
| 1983-84 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 6 | - | 230 | 200 | 44 | 2nd IJHL | ||
| 1984-85 | 38 | 15 | 18 | 5 | - | 175 | 211 | 35 | 3rd IJHL | ||
| 1985-86 | Statistics Not Available | ||||||||||
| 1986-87 | 42 | 26 | 10 | 6 | - | 224 | 174 | 58 | 1st IJHL | ||
| 1987-88 | 42 | 16 | 19 | 7 | - | 231 | 253 | 39 | 3rd IJHL | ||
| 1988-89 | 44 | 22 | 15 | 7 | - | 245 | 185 | 56 | 2nd IJHL | ||
| 1989-90 | 40 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 203 | 121 | 65 | 1st IJHL | ||
| 1990-91 | 42 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 277 | 167 | 63 | 2nd IJHL | ||
| 1991-92 | 47 | 22 | 16 | 9 | - | 276 | 203 | 53 | 3rd MJAHL | ||
| 1992-93 | 48 | 20 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 199 | 227 | 49 | 4th MJAHL | ||
| 1993-94 | 48 | 17 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 216 | 253 | 38 | 6th MJAHL | ||
| 1994-95 | Did Not Participate | ||||||||||
| 1995-96 | 54 | 18 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 217 | 272 | 43 | 7th MJAHL | ||
| 1996-97 | 56 | 21 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 294 | 324 | 47 | 7th MJAHL | ||
| 1997-98 | 52 | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 237 | 227 | 58 | 5th MJAHL | ||
| 1998-99 | 48 | 41 | 5 | 2 | - | 266 | 141 | 84 | 1st MJAHL | Won League, Won FPC | |
| 1999-00 | 52 | 19 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 198 | 247 | 40 | 6th MJAHL | ||
| 2000-01 | 52 | 28 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 215 | 187 | 60 | 5th MJAHL | ||
| 2001-02 | 52 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 198 | 194 | 52 | 7th MJAHL | ||
| 2002-03 | 52 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 229 | 130 | 90 | 1st MJAHL | Won League | |
| 2003-04 | 52 | 22 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 231 | 238 | 50 | 6th MJAHL | ||
| 2004-05 | 56 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 207 | 205 | 63 | 5th MJAHL | ||
| 2005-06 | 56 | 20 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 193 | 240 | 43 | 10th MJAHL | Lost Division QF | |
| 2006-07 | 58 | 9 | 47 | 0 | 2 | 145 | 322 | 20 | 12th MJAHL | DNQ | |
| 2007-08 | 58 | 29 | 25 | - | 4 | 215 | 236 | 62 | 8th MJAHL | ||
External links[]
- ↑ "Abbies Taking a Break." The Guardian, PEI, May 1, 2008. Accessed July 11, 2008.
- ↑ Telegraph-Journal | TJ.news.
- ↑ Charlottetown Abbies shut down team.