Cape Breton Eagles

The Cape Breton Eagles are a major junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Their home rink is Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.
==History==
thumb|Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia
The franchise was originally granted to the Sorel Éperviers (Black Hawks) for the 1969–70 season. They then moved from Sorel to Verdun in 1977 to become the Verdun Éperviers. 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 changed their names to the Granby Prédateurs. In 1996, the Prédateurs won the Memorial Cup. In 1997, the franchise was relocated to Sydney to become the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Prior to the Eagles' arrival, Sydney played host to the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Cape Breton Oilers from 1988 to 1996.
===Early years in Cape Breton (1997–1999)===
The Screaming Eagles' first captain was Daniel Payette under coach Dany Dubé.
===The Vincent era (1999–2008)===
In 1999, Pascal Vincent was hired as the new head coach and general manager. The Screaming Eagles attempted to strengthen the club by drafting future National Hockey League (NHL) star Ilya Kovalchuk tenth overall in the 2000 CHL Import Draft. However, Kovalchuk declined to report to the team. Along with star players Marc-André Fleury, Dominic Noel, Stuart MacRae and Stephen Dixon, the Screaming Eagles reached the QMJHL's conference final in 2002, only to lose in five games to Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Fleury's number 29 jersey went on to be retired by the Screaming Eagles in 2008. Kovalchuk's number 71 was retired in 2014, as an April Fools' Day prank.
Vincent stacked the Screaming Eagles lineup with many NHL prospects for the 2003–04 season in hopes of bringing a league title to Cape Breton. After the Screaming Eagles won 49 games and captured a division title, with Fleury also returning from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the playoffs, but the Screaming Eagles lost in the second round to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.
At the 2004 QMJHL Draft, the Screaming Eagles chose James Sheppard with the first 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 seven 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 fourth 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. Following the end of the season, Vincent became the head coach and general manager of the Montreal Junior Hockey Club.
===2010s history (2008–2019)===
thumb|The team returned to the playoffs in 2014.
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 added former NHL players Mike McPhee and Guy Chouinard, former NHL coach Pierre Creamer and Michel Boucher to the hockey staff in consulting roles in 2010. Durocher was relieved of his duties 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 general manager 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 on December 3, 2012, with former Val-d'Or head coach Marc-André Dumont announced as his replacement. The Screaming Eagles failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in the 2012–13 season.Eagles will miss QMJHL playoff for first time in franchise history http://www.capebretonpost.com/Sports/Hockey/2013-03-03/article-3191562/Eagles-will-miss-QMJHL-playoff-for-first-time-in-franchise-history/1 At season's end, assistant coach Jean-François David was fired.Screaming Eagles assistant coach David not returning http://www.capebretonpost.com/Sports/Hockey/2013-03-21/article-3205258/Screaming-Eagles-assistant-coach-David-not-returning/1 
After being eliminated in the second round of the 2019 playoffs, the Screaming Eagles fired their coaching staff. Dumont was replaced with Nova Scotia native, Jake Grimes, along with former Eagles alumni Chris Culligan as assistant coach.
The team mascot is an eagle named Screech. 
===Cape Breton Eagles (2019–present)===
On August 14, 2019, the team rebranded itself as the Cape Breton Eagles.
On November 30, 2021, head coach Jake Grimes resigned as head coach citing personal reasons. He finished with a winning record overall with the club, at 46–34–0–7 record over one-and-a-half seasons but had started the 2021–22 season with a 6–14–0–4 record. The Eagles spent approximately two months with an interim head coach before hiring Chadd Cassidy on January 7, 2022.
==NHL alumni==
List of alumni to play in the National Hockey League (NHL):
*Luke Adam
*Mark Barberio
*Oskars Bartulis
*Drake Batherson
*Clark Bishop
*Luc Bourdon
*William Carrier
*Jean-Philippe Côté
*Pierre-Luc Dubois
*Giovanni Fiore
*Marc-André Fleury
*Ryan Flinn
*Martin Houle
*Tomas Kloucek
*Guillaume Lefebvre
*Maxime Lagacé
*Adam Pardy
*Ondrej Pavelec
*Alexandre R. Picard
*Tim Ramholt
*Logan Shaw
*James Sheppard
*Egor Sokolov
*Evgeny Svechnikov
==NHL first round draft picks==
List of first round picks in the NHL Entry Draft:
*2003 – Marc-André Fleury, #1 overall Pittsburgh Penguins
*2006 – James Sheppard, #9 overall Minnesota Wild
*2015 – Evgeny Svechnikov, #19 overall Detroit Red Wings
*2016 – Pierre-Luc Dubois, #3 overall Columbus Blue Jackets
==Retired numbers==
*#7 – Chris Culligan
*#29 – Marc-André Fleury
==Award winners==
List of award winners:
CHL Scholastic Player of the Year
*2007–08: Robert Slaney
QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year
*2009–10: Nick MacNeil
*2022–23: Cam Squires
Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy
*2003–04: Martin Houle (2.32)
*2005–06: Ondrej Pavelec (2.51)
*2006–07: Ondrej Pavelec (2.52)
Kevin Lowe Trophy
*2019–20: Adam McCormick
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-André 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-André Fleury
*2004–05: Martin Houle
==Season-by-season record==
As of the 2022–23 season:Cape Breton Screaming Eagles season-by-season record on www.hockeydb.com
===Regular season===
:OL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss, Pct = Winning percentage
Season 	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	OL	SL	Points	Pct 	Goalsfor	Goalsagainst	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
2019–20	63 	40 	20 	— 	2 	1 	83 	0.659	269 	194 	2nd, Maritimes
2020–21	38 	12 	25 	— 	1 	0 	25 	0.329	113 	186 	6th, Maritimes
2021–22	68 	14 	47 	— 	4 	3 	35 	0.257	183 	335 	6th, Maritimes
2022–23	68 	30 	34 	— 	3 	1 	64 	0.471	224 	275 	3rd, Maritimes
2023-24	68 	39 	26 	- 	1 	2 	81 	 	216 	194 	3rd, Maritimes
===Playoffs===
Season 	1st round 	2nd round 	3rd round 	Finals
1997–98 	L, 0–4, Quebec Remparts 	— 	— 	—
1998–99 	L, 1–4, Acadie–Bathurst Titan 	— 	— 	—
1999–2000	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 	did not qualify 	did not qualify 	did not qualify 	did not qualify
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 	— 	—
2019–20 	QMJHL playoffs cancelled 	QMJHL playoffs cancelled 	QMJHL playoffs cancelled 	QMJHL playoffs cancelled
2020–21 	did not participate 	did not participate 	did not participate 	did not participate
2021–22 	did not qualify 	did not qualify 	did not qualify 	did not qualify
2022–23 	L, 0–4, Halifax Mooseheads 	— 	— 	—
2023-24 	W, 4-1 Rimouski Océanic 	W, 4-0, Chicoutimi Saguenéens 	L, 1-4, Baie-Comeau Drakkar 	-
==See also==
*List of ice hockey teams in Nova Scotia
==References==
==External links==
* Official Site
Category:Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams
Category:Ice hockey teams in Nova Scotia
Category:Established in 1997