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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[]

  1. "Abbies Taking a Break." The Guardian, PEI, May 1, 2008. Accessed July 11, 2008.
  2. Telegraph-Journal | TJ.news.
  3. Charlottetown Abbies shut down team.
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