The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They play at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
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CAPE BRETON EAGLES TICKETS
| EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
|---|
| Cape Breton Eagles vs. Halifax Mooseheads Tickets 11/22 | Nov 22, 2024
Fri, 7:00 PM |  | | Cape Breton Eagles vs. Shawinigan Cataractes Tickets 11/23 | Nov 23, 2024
Sat, 7:00 PM | | | Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs. Cape Breton Eagles Tickets 11/29 | Nov 29, 2024
Fri, 7:00 PM | | | Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs. Cape Breton Eagles Tickets 11/30 | Nov 30, 2024
Sat, 4:00 PM | | | Moncton Wildcats vs. Cape Breton Eagles Tickets 12/1 | Dec 01, 2024
Sun, 3:00 PM | |
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History
Before Cape Breton (1969–1997)
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)
Early Years (1997–1999)
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, such as Trevor Ettinger, Pascal Morency, George Davis, and Hunter LaHache. Ettinger committed suicide in 2003 while playing in the
AHL.
The Vincent Era (1999–2008)
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 on January 25, 2008.
After six seasons in the league and only a conference final appearance to show for it, 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. The Screaming Eagles adopted a new motto that character, will, and work ethic wins games over skill. In August 2004, Lynch died. 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 a legendary 7-game series to the
Val-d'Or Foreurs. In game 3, Screaming Eagles forward Chris Culligan won the game in overtime on a penalty shot, a moment many consider to be one of the greatest at Centre 200. Bourdon died in a motorcycle accident a year later.
The 2007–08 season saw 16 year-old goaltender
Olivier Roy rise to prominence after Marek Benda, the team's attempt at a second star Czech goalie, fell to injury for much of the season. The Screaming Eagles were able to finish 4th in their division and win 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 for his efforts. However, Vincent's tenure with the Screaming Eagles was ended on a negative note. 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 new QMJHL team based out
Verdun, Quebec. The Screaming Eagles traded Neil Sherren (an 11th round pick from the 2007 draft) to Montreal and received a 3rd round draft pick in return. This is widely considered as the Screaming Eagles' compensation from Montreal for Vincent's illegal departure, even though there are no official rules in place for such compensation to exist.
The Durocher Era (2008–present)
Following Vincent's departure, assistant coach Mario Durocher took over the role of head coach and general manager.
Players
NHL alumni
NHL 1st round draft picks
- 2003 NHL Entry Draft - Marc-André Fleury
#1 Overall (Pittsburgh Penguins
)
- 2006 NHL Entry Draft - James Sheppard
#9 Overall (Minnesota Wild
)
Retired numbers
Award winners
Season-by-season record
- Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (1997–Present) [1]
Regular season
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
|
Playoffs
| Season
| 1st round
| 2nd round
| 3rd round
| Finals
|
| 1997–98
| L, 0-4, Quebec Remparts
|
| 1998–99
| L, 1-4, Acadie-Bathurst Titan
|
| 1999–00
| 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
|
Team records
| Team records for a single season
|
| Statistic
| Total
| Season
|
| Most points
| 103
| 2003–04
|
| Least points
| 43
| 1997–98
|
| Most wins
| 49
| 2003–04
|
| Most goals for
| 308
| 2006–07
|
| Least goals for
| 200
| 2002–03
|
| Least goals against
| 164
| 2003–04
|
| Most goals against
| 302
| 1999–2000
|
| Individual player records for a single season
|
| Statistic
| Player
| Total
| 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)
| James Sheppard
| 45
| 2004–05
|
| 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
|
See also
- List of ice hockey teams in Nova Scotia
- Canadian Hockey League
- Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
References
- Cape Breton Screaming Eagles season-by-season record on www.hockeydb.com