Gatineau Olympiques

The Gatineau Olympiques are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League out of Gatineau, Quebec. The Olympiques play out of the Robert Guertin Centre. The club, then known as the Hull Festivals, was granted membership in the QMJHL in 1973. The Olympiques have appeared in the Memorial Cup seven times, winning once in 1997. They have also been very successful in terms of their NHL alumni, sending Martin Biron, Ales Hemsky, Luc Robitaille, Jeremy Roenick, Michael Ryder, Maxime Talbot, Jose Theodore, Colin White, Claude Giroux, David Krejci and future Jack Adams winning head coaches Alain Vigneault and Pat Burns as well as 2011 Stanley cup winning coach Claude Julien to the NHL.

History

Before joining the "Q", the team was a member of the Central Junior A Hockey League, known originally as the Hull Castors but later as the Hull Hawks. Originally Hull and the CJHL were eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup, the Major Junior crown, but were relegated to Tier II Junior "A" in 1970. Three seasons before joining the QMJHL in 1973 they became the Hull Festivals, and in 1976, they became the Hull Olympiques; the team name was changed to the Gatineau Olympiques one year after the city of Hull was amalgamated into Gatineau in 2002.

The Olympiques share a junior hockey market with the Ottawa 67's, across the Ottawa River. Pre-season games between the two teams were a regular occurrence from 1975 to 1986.^[1] The teams have played interleague regular-season home and home games in the 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2009-10 seasons since.^[2]

The Olympiques have won the President's Cup seven times, most recently in 2007–08. The team has been to four Memorial Cup finals, losing three (1986, 2003 and 2004) and winning the 1997 Memorial Cup which they also hosted.

On May 31, 2010, it was announced that former Olympiques coach Benoit Groulx, who had left the organization to coach the Rochester Americans would be returning to be the General Manager and Head Coach.^[3]

Beginning this season 2011-2012, the Olympiques will return to their old colours of Black, Silver and White. ^[4]

Championships

Jean Rougeau Trophy - Regular season champions

• 1985–86 (108 pts), 1987–88 (90 pts), 1996–97 (99 pts), 2003–04 (107 pts)

Division titles - Regular season champions

• 1985–86 (108 pts), 1987–88 (90 pts), 1996–97 (99 pts), 1999–2000 (90 pts), 2001–02 (75 pts), 2003–04 (107 pts)

Season-by-season record

• Hull Hawks (1969–1970)
• Hull Festivals (1970–1976)^[5]
• Hull Olympiques (1976–2003)^[6]
• Gatineau Olympiques (2003–present)^[7]

Regular season

Complete results before 1969 unavailable.

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

Team records

NHL alumni

Lists of National Hockey League alumni. No player from the "Hull Castors" or "Hull Hawks" went on the play in the NHL.

Hull Festivals (1970–1976) source

Hull Olympiques (1976–2003) source

Gatineau Olympiques (since 2003) source

source

Retired numbers

Four Olympiques players have had their numbers retired by the team. Former coach, Pat Burns, has also been honoured.

• # 15 Luc Robitaille
• # 16 Sam Lang
• # 33 Jose Theodore
• # 77 Guy Rouleau

References

External links

• Official web site (english version)