The Laval Rocket (French: Rocket de Laval) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Laval, Quebec. The team began play in the 2017–18 season, with home games held at Place Bell. They are affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL.
| Laval Rocket Rocket de Laval | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Laval, Quebec |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | North |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Home arena | Place Bell |
| Colours | Red, white and blue |
| Owner(s) | Molson family (majority owner) (Geoff Molson, chairman[1]) |
| General manager | John Sedgwick |
| Head coach | Jean-Francois Houle |
| Captain | Gabriel Bourque |
| Media | English: AHL.TV (Internet) TSN 690 French: RDS 91.9 Sports |
| Affiliates | Montreal Canadiens (NHL) Trois-Rivières Lions (ECHL)[2] |
| Website | rocketlaval.com |
| Franchise history | |
| 1969–1971 | Montreal Voyageurs |
| 1971–1984 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs |
| 1984–1990 | Sherbrooke Canadiens |
| 1990–1999 | Fredericton Canadiens |
| 1999–2002 | Quebec Citadelles |
| 2002–2015 | Hamilton Bulldogs |
| 2015–2017 | St. John's IceCaps |
| 2017–present | Laval Rocket |
| Championships | |
| Division titles | 1: (2020–21) |
 Current season | |
History
editOn July 11, 2016, the AHL and the Montreal Canadiens announced that they would be moving their affiliate to the Montreal suburb of Laval for the 2017–18 season.[3] A name-the-team contest was held from July 11 until August 31, with Patriots, Rapids and Rocket as the final three. On September 8, the winning Laval Rocket name was announced, a tribute to Canadiens' legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard which got a 51% majority of the fan votes.[4] The Rocket are the second hockey team in Greater Montreal to use that nickname, after the QMJHL's Montreal Rocket from 1999 until 2003. In June 2017, the franchise named Larry Carriere as general manager[5] and retained Sylvain Lefebvre as head coach, a position he held since 2012 when the franchise played as the Hamilton Bulldogs.[6]
In the 2017–18 season, Laval finished with a 24–42–7–3 record and placed last overall in the league. Lefebvre was relieved as head coach immediately upon the end of the season[7] and was replaced by Joel Bouchard, who had been serving as head coach and general manager of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL.[8]
For the 2020–21 season, the Rocket temporarily relocated to the Bell Centre in Montreal to share the facility with their parent team during the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] The Rocket were the Canadian Division champions and second-best winning percentage in the league, while playing only the other four teams based in Canada and no postseason during the pandemic. After the season ended, head coach Bouchard left the team at the end of his contract, compiling a 83–67–24 record over three seasons,[10] to become the head coach of the San Diego Gulls.[11] The Rocket then hired Jean-François Houle as their third head coach.[12]
Franchise location/name history
1963-65: Omaha Knights (CPHL)
1965-69: Houston Apollos (CPHL/CHL)
1969-71: Montreal Voyageurs (AHL)
1971-84: Nova Scotia Voyageurs (AHL)
1984-90: Sherbrooke Canadiens (AHL)
1990-99: Fredericton Canadiens (AHL)
1999-02: Quebec Citadelles (AHL)
2002-15: Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
2015-17: St. John's Ice Caps (AHL)
2017-Present: Laval Rocket (AHL)
Team information
editLogos and uniforms
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On January 31, 2017, the Laval Rocket revealed the logo and jersey design that the team would wear during their inaugural season.[13] The colours of the Laval Rocket jersey are red, white, and blue and were chosen to mirror the colours of their parent-club, the Montreal Canadiens. As a further tribute to Maurice "Rocket" Richard, patches with the number 9 and a stylized flame appear on each of the sleeves. The stylized flame is also found below the player's number on the back of the jersey and on the back of the player's socks. Each sleeve also has a shield patch with the word Le Rocket found inside. The name of the city the Rocket play out of, Laval, is displayed on each shoulder as well as in the neck tie region of the jersey.
The main logo is a large blue 'R' that is outlined and highlighted in white. The word 'Rocket' runs along the inside of the 'R' in white. While all other logos and patches alternate colours depending on the home or away jersey, the main logo remains blue on both the red and white jerseys.
Season-by-season results
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SOL | Points | PCT | Goals for | Goals against | Standing | Year | Prelims | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
| 2017–18 | 76 | 24 | 42 | 7 | 3 | 58 | .382 | 206 | 281 | 7th, North | 2018 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2018–19 | 76 | 30 | 34 | 6 | 6 | 72 | .474 | 195 | 231 | 7th, North | 2019 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2019–20 | 62 | 30 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 68 | .548 | 183 | 182 | 6th, North | 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2020–21 | 36 | 23 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 50 | .694 | 113 | 87 | 1st, Canadian | 2021 | No playoffs held1 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 72 | 39 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 85 | .590 | 246 | 231 | 3rd, North | 2022 | BYE2 | W, 3–2, SYR | W, 3–0, ROC | L, 3–4, SPR | — |
| 2022–23 | 72 | 33 | 29 | 7 | 3 | 76 | .528 | 258 | 247 | 5th, North | 2023 | L, 0–2, UTI | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | 72 | 33 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 74 | .514 | 235 | 242 | 7th, North | 2024 | Did not qualify | ||||
Notes
- The league allowed each division the choice to hold a divisional postseason. On April 29, 2021, it was announced that only the Pacific Division had elected to hold a postseason tournament to name a division champion, with the other four divisions awarding their champions via regular season records. Consequently, the league would not award the Calder Cup for a second consecutive season.[14]
- Beginning in 2022, the top two teams in the Atlantic, top three teams in each of the North and Central, and the first-place team in the Pacific Division received byes into the division semifinals of the Calder Cup playoffs.[15]
Players
editCurrent roster
editUpdated May 16, 2024.[16]
Team captains
edit- Byron Froese, 2017–19
- Xavier Ouellet, 2019–22
- Alex Belzile, 2022–23
- Gabriel Bourque, 2023–present
Notable alumni
editThe following players have played both 100 games with Laval and 100 games in the National Hockey League:
References
edit- ^ "Administration". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "The Canadiens announce affiliation with the new ECHL Trois-Rivières club". Montreal Canadiens. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Canadiens moving AHL affiliate to Laval in 17-18". American Hockey League. July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Laval's AHL team nickname unveiled". Montreal Canadiens. September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "Canadiens name Carriere GM of AHL Laval Rocket". Sportsnet. June 29, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "LEFEBVRE NAMED HEAD COACH OF LAVAL, CARRIÈRE GM". American Hockey League. June 29, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ "SYLVAIN LEFEBVRE RELIEVED OF HIS DUTIES AS HEAD COACH OF THE LAVAL ROCKET". Laval Rocket. April 17, 2018. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ Cowan, Stu (May 17, 2018). "Montreal Canadiens name Joël Bouchard head coach of AHL's Laval Rocket". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- ^ "THE LAVAL ROCKET TO PLAY ITS HOME GAMES AT THE BELL CENTRE FOR THE 2020-21 SEASON". Laval Rocket. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "Joël Bouchard quitte le Rocket de Laval". Le Journal de Montréal (in French). July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ "Anaheim Ducks Name Joel Bouchard San Diego Gulls Head Coach". OurSports Central. July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ "Jean-François Houle Appointed Head Coach of the Laval Rocket". OurSports Central. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ "Logo and uniform reveal of the Laval Rocket - Rocket de Laval". Laval Rocket. January 31, 2017. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ "American Hockey League Announces Plans for 2021 Playoffs, Sets Calendar for 2021-22". OurSports Central. April 29, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "Format Approved for AHL's 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs". OurSports Central. August 5, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "Laval Rocket Roster 2023-24 Regular Season". TheAHL.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.