Acadie–Bathurst Titan

The Acadie–Bathurst Titan were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) based in Bathurst, New Brunswick. They were members of the Maritimes Division, and played their home games at the K. C. Irving Regional Centre. The Titan won the 2018 Memorial Cup and have two President's Cup championships in franchise history: 1999 and 2018.

The Titan were sold in December 2024, and have been relocated to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, for the 2025–26 season, where they will play as the Newfoundland Regiment.

History

The franchise was granted in 1969–70 as the Rosemont National. In 1971, they moved from Rosemont to Laval to become the Laval National, and later the Laval Voisins. In 1985, they became the Laval Titan, and in 1994, they became the Laval Titan Collège Français following a merger with the Verdun Collège Français, and then in 1998, they moved to Bathurst. The "Acadie" term in the team name refers to the city's surroundings, where the Acadian population is a majority.

The franchise has won five President's Cups, one of which (in 1999) came during the team's tenure in Bathurst. In the Memorial Cup that year, the team finished winless in the round-robin. The most famous player that has come through the organization would undoubtedly be Mario Lemieux, who was drafted in 1984 by the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lemieux played for the team during its tenure in Laval. Other famous franchise alumni include Mike Bossy, Gino Odjick and Vincent Damphousse. Notable NHL alumni from Bathurst include Patrice Bergeron, François Beauchemin, Bruno Gervais and Roberto Luongo.

In the 1999–2000 season, the Titan had the first female to be drafted by a QMJHL team, Charline Labonté, a 17-year-old Quebec goaltender who spent parts of two seasons with the team.

In 2009, the team was rumored to move to Newfoundland to replace the departed St. John's Fog Devils. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Léo-Guy Morrissette bought back control of the team from his children at their request. He retained ownership of the team through to April 2013, and local investors including NHL player Sean Couturier purchased the team. At the time of the sale, the team was reported to be worth just over $3 million.

The Titan play in the smallest market in the Canadian Hockey League, with a population of 13,424 residents. In 2018, the team won its first Memorial Cup championship, defeating the Regina Pats in the centennial edition of the tournament, coached by Mario Pouliot. After their Memorial Cup win, coach Mario Pouliot made this comment:

"Being the smallest market in the entire CHL, it's a huge accomplishment for us. Four years ago we started from the bottom and we ended up tonight with the Memorial Cup..."

In 2021, the owners tried to sell the team, but received no offers. In the same year, the city of Bathurst announced $175,000 in grants to the team. Attendance averaged more than 3,000 spectators per game in the early 2000s, but declined to 1,627 spectators per game for the 2023–24 season. Team owners had annual deficits in the thousands of dollars, but could not find a local buyer. Owners had hired Ernst & Young to conduct a search for new local ownership to no avail.

On December 16, 2024, the QMJHL approved the sale of the team to a group of investors led by Glenn Stanford, who have since relocated the team to the Mary Brown's Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, for the 2025–26 season. QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini had previously stated he would veto any sale that involving relocation, but the sale was approved when no serious offers would see the team remain in Bathurst.

Players

Retired numbers

List of retired numbers from 1969 to present.

*1 Roberto Luongo (Acadie–Bathurst Titan, 1998–1999)
*10 Claude Lapointe (Laval Titan, 1987–1989)
*17 Mike Bossy (Laval National, 1972–1977)
*19 Neil Carnes (Laval Titan, 1988–1989)
*21 Vincent Damphousse (Laval Voisins, 1983–1985 / Laval Titan, 1985–1986)
*22 Martin Lapointe (Laval Titan, 1989–1993)
*28 Thomas Beauregard (Acadie–Bathurst Titan, 2002–2007)
*30 Gino Odjick (Laval Titan, 1988–1990)
*37 Patrice Bergeron (Acadie–Bathurst Titan, 2001–2003)
*66 Mario Lemieux (Laval Voisins, 1981–1984)

NHL alumni

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

* Ramzi Abid
* François Beauchemin
* Patrice Bergeron
* Patrick Bordeleau
* Guillaume Brisebois
* Mathieu Carle
* Jean-Philippe Côté
* Noah Dobson
* Jonathan Ferland
* Giovanni Fiore
* Ryan Flinn
* Bruno Gervais
* Jonathan Girard
* Simon Lajeunesse
* Hendrix Lapierre
* Roberto Luongo
* Daniil Miromanov
* Mathieu Perreault
* German Rubtsov
* Janis Sprukts
* Jeffrey Viel

NHL first round draft picks

List of first round selections in the NHL entry draft:

Season-by-season results

Regular season

QMJHL season standings.Season-by-season on hockeydb.com
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OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Playoffs

Memorial Cup

The Memorial Cup is contested annually by the champions of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and Western Hockey League (WHL), as well as a predetermined host team. The competition consists of a round-robin, a semifinal game, and a final game. Below are the results of every game the Acadie–Bathurst Titan have competed in.

See also

*List of ice hockey teams in New Brunswick

References

External links

Official SiteOfficial Site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acadie-Bathurst Titan
1998 establishments in New Brunswick
Ice hockey teams in New Brunswick
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League teams
Sport in Bathurst, New Brunswick
Ice hockey clubs established in 1998