Rimouski Océanic
| Rimouski Océanic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Rimouski, Quebec |
| League | Quebec Major Junior Hockey League |
| Conference | Telus |
| Division | Telus East |
| Founded | 1995–96 |
| Home arena | Colisée de Rimouski |
| Colours |
Royal blue, white and navy blue |
| General manager |
 Serge Beausoleil |
| Head coach |
Serge Beausoleil |
| Championships | 2000 Memorial Cup Champions |
|
Website http://www.oceanic.qc.ca/ | |
| Franchise history | |
| 1969–82 | Sherbrooke Castors |
| 1982–89 | Saint-Jean Castors |
| 1989–95 | Saint-Jean Lynx |
| 1995–present | Rimouski Océanic |
The Rimouski Océanic are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The franchise was granted for the 1969–70 season as the Sherbrooke Castors. The Castors played in Sherbrooke from 1969 to 1982, before moving to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec in 1982 as the Saint-Jean Castors. In 1989 they were renamed the Saint-Jean Lynx. In 1995 the team moved to Rimouski, Quebec to become the Rimouski Océanic.
Their logo is an ocean liner with a set of teeth on the bow, jutting out of waves. The team colours are royal blue, navy blue, and white. Their home arena is the Colisée de Rimouski. The team's sweater has proven popular in the USA, as Reebok has issued it with superstar Sidney Crosby's number 87 on it.
The team won the QMJHL championship in the 1999–00 season and went on to win the Memorial Cup that year, with a team featuring future NHL star Brad Richards.
The team is currently one of the more well-known teams in the Canadian Hockey League, particularly because of the addition of Sidney Crosby in the 2003–04 season. Crosby's 135 points for the club set a new record for a 16-year-old in the QMJHL and was second only to Wayne Gretzky in that particular age-group for all Canadian Hockey. Other notable NHL alumni include Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Ryane Clowe and Michael Frolík.
In 2005, the Océanic set a QMJHL record, going 28 consecutive games without a loss. The team then went on to win seven games in a row in the playoffs, improving the unbeaten streak to an unofficial 35 straight. They won their second QMJHL championship in five years, and represented the QMJHL in the 2005 Memorial Cup. After losing the opener against the hometown London Knights, the Oceanic beat both the defending Memorial Cup champions Kelowna Rockets, who were in their third straight Memorial Cup, and the Ottawa 67's. Rimouski then beat the 67's again in the semi-finals to set up a rematch of their opening game against the Knights. The Oceanic were shut out in the final game 4–0.
The QMJHL announced on April 3, 2008 that the Océanic were chosen to host the 2009 Memorial Cup.[1]
NHL alumni
References
External links
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