Cape Breton Eagles

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Junior ice hockey team in Nova Scotia, Canada

title: "Cape Breton Eagles" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sports-in-the-cape-breton-regional-municipality", "quebec-maritimes-junior-hockey-league-teams", "ice-hockey-teams-in-nova-scotia", "1997-establishments-in-nova-scotia", "ice-hockey-clubs-established-in-1997", "cape-breton-screaming-eagles"] description: "Junior ice hockey team in Nova Scotia, Canada" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Breton_Eagles" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Junior ice hockey team in Nova Scotia, Canada ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox hockey team"]

Field	Value
team	Cape Breton Eagles
bg_colour	background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 5px solid; border-bottom:#FDB827 5px solid;
text_colour	#000000
logo	Cape Breton Eagles logo 2019.png
logo_size	150px
city	Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
league	Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
conference	Eastern
division	Maritimes
founded	1969
arena	Centre 200
colours	Black, white, gold and grey

| gm = Sylvain Couturier | coach = Jason Clarke | website = | name1 = Sorel Éperviers | dates1 = 1969–1977 | name2 = Verdun Éperviers | dates2 = 1977–1979 | name3 = Sorel/Verdun Éperviers | dates3 = 1979–1980 | name4 = Sorel Éperviers | dates4 = 1980–1981 | name5 = Granby Bisons | dates5 = 1981–1995 | name6 = Granby Prédateurs | dates6 = 1995–1997 | name7 = Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | dates7 = 1997–2019 | name8 = Cape Breton Eagles | dates8 = 2019–present | uniform_image = QMJHL-Uniform-CAP.png}}

The Cape Breton Eagles is a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. They are members of the Maritimes Division, and play their home games at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Centre_200.JPG" caption="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 promoted as the new head coach following the dismissal of Bruce Campbell. 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)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Screaming_eagles_2014.JPG" caption="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. At season's end, assistant coach Jean-François David was fired.

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.

Players

Retired numbers

7 Chris Culligan (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, 2004–2009)
29 Marc-André Fleury (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, 2000–2004)

NHL alumni

The following players have played in at least one National Hockey League (NHL) game as of the 2023-24 season:

NHL first round draft picks

List of first round selections in the NHL Entry Draft:

::data[format=table]

Year	#	Player	Nationality
1	Marc-André Fleury (G)	Canada Canada	Pittsburgh Penguins
9	James Sheppard (C)	Canada Canada	Minnesota Wild
19	Evgeny Svechnikov (LW)	Russia Russia	Detroit Red Wings
3	Pierre-Luc Dubois (C)	Canada Canada	Columbus Blue Jackets
::

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 results

Regular season

QMJHL season standings. OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

::data[format=table] | 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 | | 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, Telus Maritimes | | 2013–14 | 68 | 37 | 27 | — | 1 | 3 | 78 | 0.574 | 260 | 260 | 2nd, Telus 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 | 0.596 | 216 | 194 | 3rd, Maritimes | ::

Playoffs

::data[format=table]

Season	1st round	2nd round	3rd round	Finals
1997–98	L, 0–4, Quebec	–	–	–
1998–99	L, 1–4, Acadie–Bathurst	–	–	–
1999–2000	L, 0–4, Quebec	–	–	–
2000–01	W, 4–3, Chicoutimi	L, 1–4, Acadie–Bathurst	–	–
2001–02	W, 4–1, Baie-Comeau	W, 4–2, Halifax	L, 1–4, Acadie–Bathurst	–
2002–03	L, 0–4, Halifax	–	–	–
2003–04	Bye	L, 1–4, Chicoutimi	–	–
2004–05	L, 1–4, Gatineau	–	–	–
2005–06	W, 4–1, St. John's	L, 0–4, Acadie–Bathurst	–	–
2006–07	W, 4–0, St. John's	W, 4–1, Acadie–Bathurst	L, 3–4, Val-d'Or	–
2007–08	W, 4–2, Lewiston	L, 1–4, Halifax	–	–
2008–09	W, 4–0, Saint John	L, 3–4, Quebec	–	–
2009–10	L, 1–4, Moncton	–	–	–
2010–11	L, 0–4, Saint John	–	–	–
2011–12	L, 0–4, Saint John	–	–	–
2012–13	Did not qualify
2013–14	L, 0–4, Gatineau	–	–	–
2014–15	L, 3–4, Quebec	–	–	–
2015–16	W, 4–2, Chicoutimi	L, 3–4, Saint John	–	–
2016–17	W, 4–3, Gatineau	L, 0–4, Charlottetown	–	–
2017–18	L, 1–4, Drummondville	–	–	–
2018–19	W, 4–2, Charlottetown	L, 1–4, Rimouski	–	–
2019–20	QMJHL playoffs cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21	Did not qualify
2021–22	Did not qualify
2022–23	L, 0–4, Halifax	–	–	–
2023–24	W, 4–1, Rimouski	W, 4–0, Chicoutimi	L, 1–4, Baie-Comeau	–
2024–25	L, 2–4, Baie-Comeau	–	–	–
::

Due to local travel restrictions, all Nova Scotia-based teams were deemed ineligible to compete in the playoffs. Three New Brunswick-based teams competed in a six-game round-robin tournament to determine who would face the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes Division final.

References

(October 12, 1999). "Screaming Eagles coach let go". [[CBC News]].
(April 1, 2014). "Screaming Eagles Pull April Fool's Joke". Cape Breton Post.
"Screaming Eagles add hockey gurus - Sports - the Cape Breton Post".
"Screaming Eagles fire Mario Durocher - Local - the Cape Breton Post".
(December 3, 2012). "Choules fired as Screaming Eagles head coach, general manager". Cape Breton Post.
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 {{Webarchive. link. (2015-09-23)
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 {{Webarchive. link. (2013-04-10)
(March 20, 2009). "Screaming Eagles on the lookout for missing mascot".
(August 14, 2019). "New brand and name unveiled for former Cape Breton Screaming Eagles".
(November 30, 2021). "Jake Grimes steps down as Cape Breton Eagles head coach".
(January 7, 2022). "Eagles Hire Chadd Cassidy as New Head Coach".
Tidcombe, Matt. (November 5, 2022). "Culligan has number retired by Cape Breton".
"A standout goalie with his feet on the ground". [[Cape Breton Post]].
"Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) Alumni".
"Cape Breton Eagles Drafted Player History".
[http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/teamseasons.php?tid=1330 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles season-by-season record on www.hockeydb.com]
MacNeil, John. (2021-04-16). "No QMJHL playoffs for Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Eagles".
Webb, Steven. (2021-04-25). "QMJHL only junior hockey league still going ahead with playoffs".

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