The Nepean Raiders are a
Junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959
* ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009
* ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010
* ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019
Films
* ''Junior'' (1994 ...
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team from
Nepean
Nepean may refer to:
Places Australia
*Nepean Bay, a bay in South Australia,
**Nepean Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia,
**Nepean Bay, South Australia, a locality
*Nepean Highway, Victoria
*Nepean Island (Norfolk Island) ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. They are a part of the
Central Canada Hockey League
The Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) is a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating in eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League ...
. The town of Nepean was granted expansion after the
Cornwall Royals
The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1969 to 1981, and the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 1992. This team shared its name with o ...
and the
Hull Hawks left the CJHL for the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...
. The Raiders started their operations in the Valley division of the Junior "B" League in 1966, switching over to the Central Junior Hockey League in 1972.
History
Nepean made the finals multiple times between 1972 and 1981. In the 1980s.
Steve Yzerman
Stephen Gregory Yzerman (; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player currently serving as executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he spent all 22 seasons of his NHL playing c ...
and
Darren Pang
Darren Robert Pang (born February 17, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (1984–85 and 1987–89).
He is currently the lead c ...
are still known for being the most-outstanding Raiders in the early era. The Raiders struggled in the 1980s and 1990s missing the playoffs multiple times, and set a season-record for the most-penalized CJHL team in 1995-96.
The Nepean Raiders came under new ownership with Gord Black in 1998. Black had previously attempted to purchase the
Ottawa 67's
The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's Canadian Centennial, centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's c ...
. Black introduced a new logo, similar to the one used by the
Prince Albert Raiders
The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...
of the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
, that was discontinued in 2014, with minor alterations. This logo was discontinued in 2009 when new ownership took over the Raiders organization, but still used as an alternate logo as the previous logo was revived.
In 2002-03, the Nepean Raiders broke a 22-year old championship appearance drought by winning the semi-finals against the
Gloucester Rangers
The Rockland Nationals are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Rockland, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League. The Rockland Nationals will begin play in 2017-18, after the Gloucester Rangers relocated to Rockland af ...
in 7 games. The Art Bogart Cup final was an easy task for the Raiders winning the series in 5 games against the
Ottawa Junior Senators. At the
Fred Page Cup
The Fred Page Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won by a tournament conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The award is given to the winner of a round-robin and playoff between the Bogart Cup champions of the Central Canada Hoc ...
in Cornwall, the Raiders finished 3rd and knocked off the hosts
Cornwall Colts
The Cornwall Colts are a Canadian junior ice hockey team from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League. Before 1992, they were known as the Massena Americans, and moved to Cornwall in 1992 when the Cornwall ...
in the semi-finals, and lost the final to the
Lennoxville Cougars
The Sherbrooke Cougars of Collège Champlain are a junior ice hockey team from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. They were part of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League from 2002 to 2015.
History
The Champlain Cougars were founded in the 1970s, and playe ...
.
The 2003-04 season saw 13 returning players poised to defend their championship season from before. The Raiders won a hard-fought series with the Gloucester Rangers, where game 7 was a nervous showdown where Nepean held on for a 1-0 win sending them to the Fred Page Cup in
Valleyfield, Quebec. Nepean dropped the first 2 games to the
Valleyfield Braves (4-0) and the
Saint-Eustache Gladiateurs (6-4). Nepean and the
Campbellton Tigers
The Campbellton Tigers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Campbellton, New Brunswick. They play in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. The team plays their home games at the Memorial Civic Center.
Originally founded in 1996 as the Rest ...
went into the final game winless, and Nepean won 3-1 to go to the semi-finals where they defeated Saint-Eustache 3-2 in double overtime. Nepean won the finals 4-0 against Valleyfield to earn a trip to the Royal Bank Cup in
Grande Prairie, Alberta
Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...
. Nepean won their first game 5-4 against the
Nanaimo Clippers
The Nanaimo Clippers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Frank Crane Arena.
Franchis ...
of the
BCHL
The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams.
From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Can ...
, where they rallied back from a 4-0 deficit to win in overtime. Nepean improved their record to 2-0 after winning 2-0 against the
Kindersley Klippers
The Kindersley Klippers are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada. They are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and play at the West Central Events Centre.
History
The Kindersley Klippers beg ...
of the
SJHL
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...
. However, the Raiders dropped to 2-1 after losing to the hosts
Grande Prairie Storm
The Grande Prairie Storm is a junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, with home games at Revolution Place.
History
The organization was founded in 1966 as the Junior Athleti ...
4-2. Their final round robin contest came against the top-ranked
Aurora Tigers
The Aurora Tigers are a Canadian ice hockey team from Aurora, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The team has previously played in the Metro Junior A Hockey League, Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, and the Ontario Jun ...
of the
OPJHL
The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league was listed as the 7th best ...
, losing 3-1. The same teams met in the semi-final, and Aurora won 7-2 thus making the Raiders the 5th different CCHL team to fail to make the national championship.
The 2004-05 season saw the Nepean Raiders finish strong, but the Art Bogart Cup finals saw an intense series against the
Hawkesbury Hawks
The Hawkesbury Hawks are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL).
History
The Hawks were formed by a group of local businessmen in March 1974. From 1974 until 1976 ...
, who finished three spots behind the Raiders. Game 7 was played in a neutral venue, because the ice was removed from the
Nepean Sportsplex
Nepean Sportsplex is a sports facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 1701 Woodroffe Avenue north of the Ottawa Greenbelt, near the former Confederation High School along OC Transpo routes 74 and 75 in the former city of Nepean. Th ...
, so game 7 was held at the
Kanata Recreation Centre
Kanata is an indigenous Canadian word in the Iroquoian language meaning "village" or "settlement". It is the origin of the name of Canada.
Kanata may also refer to:
* Kanata, Ontario, a suburb of Ottawa, Canada
* Kanata Aikawa (born 2004), Japane ...
instead. A record was broke in this game for the fastest five goals in a playoff game as Hawkesbury won 6-1.
Nepean returned from a devastating finish from the 2004-05 season and used the 2005-06 season to rebuild. Although, the Raiders finished 3rd overall, they had to deal with the
Brockville Braves
The Brockville Braves are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Brockville, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League. Such NHLers as Larry Robinson and current player Wayne Simmonds of the Toronto Maple Leafs, amongst other ...
, who were up 3-1 in the series and Nepean came back to force game 7. With the game tied 2-2, Raiders forward Matt Valois scored the winner with 5 seconds left in regulation to avoid sudden death overtime. The
Pembroke Lumber Kings
The Pembroke Lumber Kings are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League and are the winningest team in CCHL (formerly CJHL) history as well as 2011 Royal Bank Cup National Jun ...
, who were ranked #1 nationally awaited to the Raiders, and this series saw the Lumber Kings up 3-1, and Nepean coming back to win in seven games. However, the Raiders re-matched against the
Hawkesbury Hawks
The Hawkesbury Hawks are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL).
History
The Hawks were formed by a group of local businessmen in March 1974. From 1974 until 1976 ...
, but lost the series in 6 games.
The summer of 2006 saw head coach and general manager Chris Byrne leave the team to accept a coaching position with the Ottawa 67's. Afterwards, this led to Gord Black putting the team up for sale. A replacement was found with Archie Mulligan, who was once the coach for the
Kanata Valley Lasers, who had an impressive resume with a 15-year stint with the Valley Lasers, and an appearance in two national championships. In the end, Nepean finished 4th overall and lose to the Pembroke Lumber Kings in the finals.
The 2007-08 season started off strangely, as Archie Mulligan left the team early in the season and scrambling for a replacement. The Raiders went through three coaches and lost the first quarter-finals series for the first time since 2000. Nepean came under new ownership over the summer with Arnie Vered and Brian Altshuller. CBC commentator
Garry Galley
Garry Michael Galley (born April 16, 1963) is a Canadian broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player. Galley played in the National Hockey League from 1984 to 2001. Galley was a former co-host of the defunct "More On Sports" radio prog ...
was hired as head coach. Nepean finished 1st overall, and lost the finals to Pembroke in 5 games.
In December 2009, Garry Galley left the team abruptly over disagreements with upper management, leaving players demanding trades and wanting to be released.
The 2011-12 was a breakthrough for Nepean, as they finished 1st overall (second time under new ownership). However, they almost let the semi-final series slip out of their hands against the Pembroke Lumber Kings, who were up 3-1 and Nepean ultimately won the series in 7 games.
Nepean ended its nearly 20-year playoff streak in 2016 when the Raiders failed to make the playoffs since 1994-95. Goaltender Francois Marotte broke a league record for the most minutes played (3220) in one season.
Season-by-season record
''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''
Fred Page Cup
Eastern Canada Championships
''
MHL -
QAAAJHL -
CCHL - Host''
Round robin play with 2nd vs 3rd in semi-final to advance against 1st in the finals.
Royal Bank Cup
CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
''
Dudley Hewitt Champions - Central,
Fred Page Champions - Eastern,
Western Canada Cup Champions - Western,
Western Canada Cup - Runners Up and Host''
Round robin play with top 4 in semi-final and winners to finals.
Championships
:CJHL Bogart Cup Championships: 2003, 2004
:Eastern Canadian
Fred Page Cup
The Fred Page Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won by a tournament conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The award is given to the winner of a round-robin and playoff between the Bogart Cup champions of the Central Canada Hoc ...
Championships: 2004
:CJAHL
Royal Bank Cup
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
Championships: None
Notable alumni
*
Adrian Aucoin
Adrian Mark Aucoin (born July 3, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played over 1,100 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Aucoin was born in Ottawa, Ontario, but grew up in Gloucester, Ontario.
Playing car ...
*
Jamie Baker
*
Andrew Calof
*
Jeff Chychrun
Jeff Chychrun (born May 3, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers.
Playi ...
*
Grant Clitsome
Grant Clitsome (born April 14, 1985) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2008 to 2016.
Playing career
Clitsome was draft ...
*
Rob Dopson
*
Mike Eastwood
Michael Barry Eastwood (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Eastwood played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blue ...
*
Mike Eaves
Michael Gordon Eaves (born June 10, 1956) is an American former National Hockey League (NHL) player and the former head coach of the St. Olaf College men's hockey team and for his alma mater the University of Wisconsin, where he was part of two N ...
*
Stew Gavin
*
Ben Hutton
*
Andrew Mather
*
Mike Meeker
*
Tyler Moss
Tyler Moss (born June 29, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Moss played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Moss played junior for the ...
*
Darren Pang
Darren Robert Pang (born February 17, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (1984–85 and 1987–89).
He is currently the lead c ...
*
Mark Paterson
*
Dan Ratushny
Daniel Paul Ratushny (born October 29, 1970) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, lawyer and sports arbitrator. A former professional ice hockey defenceman, he last served as head coach of Lausanne HC of the Swiss top-flight National Leagu ...
*
Keith Redmond
Keith Christopher Redmond (born October 25, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who played 12 games in the National Hockey Leaguewith the Los Angeles Kings during the 1993–94 season. The rest of his career, which lasted ...
*
Joe Reekie
*
Travis Scott
*
Larry Skinner
*
Doug Smith
*
David Volpato
*
Aaron Ward
*
Jason York
*
Steve Yzerman
Stephen Gregory Yzerman (; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player currently serving as executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he spent all 22 seasons of his NHL playing c ...
*
MacKenzie Weegar
MacKenzie Weegar (born January 7, 1994) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League (NHL). Weegar was drafted by the Florida Panthers with the 206th overall pick in the 2013 N ...
*
Jonathan Zion
External links
Nepean Raiders Webpage
{{CJHL
Central Canada Hockey League teams
Ice hockey teams in Ottawa
Ice hockey clubs established in 1966