Lewiston Maineiacs

The Lewiston Maineiacs were a junior ice hockey team of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League based in Lewiston, Maine, United States. The team played its home games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée. They were the second QMJHL team in the United States, and the only one to play a full season. They won the President's Cup in 2007, becoming the only American based franchise to accomplish the feat.

Lewiston Maineiacs
CityLewiston, Maine
LeagueQuebec Major Junior Hockey League
Operated2003–2011
Home arenaAndroscoggin Bank Colisée
ColorsBlack, blue and orange
     
Franchise history
1969–1973Trois-Rivières Ducs
1973–1992Trois-Rivières Draveurs
1992–1998Sherbrooke Faucons
1998–2003Sherbrooke Castors
2003–2011Lewiston Maineiacs

On May 31, 2011, the QMJHL decided to fold the team following eight years of financial losses.

History

Their franchise was granted for the 1969–70 season. They played in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, from 1969 to 1992. They were known as the Ducs from 1969 to 1973, and as the Draveurs from 1973 to 1992. They moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec, in 1992 to become the Faucons (1992–1998) and the Castors (1998–2003). The Castors moved to Lewiston, Maine, in 2003.

The MAINEiacs clinched the Jean Rougeau Trophy for first overall in the regular season for 2006–07. During the same season, Lewiston increased its annual attendance totals to 94,903 tickets sold.[1] In the playoffs that year, Lewiston went 16–1 to cruise to their first President's Cup.

2007 Memorial Cup

After winning the 2007 President's Cup, the MAINEiacs won eligibility to play in the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia. Following an opening win over the Medicine Hat Tigers, the MAINEiacs suffered a huge loss with the injury of their captain, Marc-André Cliche, and never really found their scoring touch. They crashed out of the tournament in fourth place after losing consecutive games to the Vancouver Giants, Plymouth Whalers, and the Whalers again in the tie-breaker, scoring only three goals in three games in the process.

Scores

Sale and aborted relocation

On January 25, 2009, it was announced that the MAINEiacs were negotiating with the city of Boisbriand, Quebec (a suburb of Montreal), in hopes of relocating the franchise for the 2009–10 season.[2] Under the plan, Mark Just would remain majority owner with 51% of the shares, with former NHL defenseman Joel Bouchard owning the rest. On January 31, the team announced that they had filed their intent to relocate, and had submitted papers to do so to the QMJHL.

In a January 31 media release announcing the move of the MAINEiacs franchise, owner Mark Just said that community support for the team was a major consideration. During the six seasons since the team moved from Sherbrooke, Quebec, to Lewiston, the MAINEiacs never managed to break even. However, on February 2, Farrel Miller, owner of the QMJHL's Montreal Junior Hockey Club, issued a statement that his team would fight the MAINEiacs move to Boisbriand on territorial grounds.

The Montreal Junior Hockey Club has communicated to the QMJHL that it will retain, without modification, its exclusive geographic territory that it acquired in connection with its 2008 Franchise Agreement with the QMJHL. On January 21, 2009, the Montreal Junior Hockey Club communicated to the Governors of the QMJHL that (i) it has chosen to retain its exclusive territory without modification and (ii) that it is not seeking any financial compensation in connection with this issue.

After several weeks of negotiations with a number of Canadian cities (most notably Fredericton, New Brunswick[3]), MAINEiacs Head Coach Don Macadam announced on March 24, 2009, that the MAINEiacs would be remaining in Lewiston. In June 2010, Lewiston businessman Paul Spellman became minority owner of the team, and in early August 2010, former Moncton Wildcats General Manager Bill Schurman was named as the team's Sports Management Consultant. However, relocation rumors continued to follow the team, with Summerside, Prince Edward Island (where Schurman, a native of that town, had recently been the municipality's Director of Community Services), and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, named as a potential destinations in January 2011.

Schurman's denials of the team looking into a Summerside relocation proved unconvincing, and the rumours had a negative effect on attendance. However, Schurman's dream of moving the MAINEiacs to his home city ultimately failed, as a preliminary exploration to gauge support for a move to Summerside found little traction. The team then began to look at other possibilities, but found that few other relocation options existed.

The Lewiston franchise was disbanded by the QMJHL in the summer of 2011. To replace the defunct MAINEiacs club, the Sherbrooke Phoenix were scheduled to begin play for the 2012–13 season, the 3rd franchise to call Sherbrooke home in 25 years.

Takeover by league and disbanding

On May 31, 2011, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League held a conference call to prepare an offer to purchase the team from Mark Just for 3.5 million dollars. Under the league's plan, the MAINEiacs would then be disbanded, with players being selected by other clubs in a dispersal draft. Late on May 31, the league issued a press release confirming the sale of the MAINEiacs to the league, and the subsequent disbanding / dispersal draft occurred the following week. Colisee stated they would search for a replacement team from outside of the QMJHL to take the MAINEiacs place.[4]

The City of Lewiston and the Androscoggin Bank Colisee would end up getting the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates to move to the Colisee for the 2013-14 season after disputing their lease with the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. Starting in 2019, the NAHL Maine Nordiques and their partner organization, the NA3HL Lewiston-Auburn Nordiques, began play at the Colisee.

Coaches
  • Mario Durocher: 2003–04
  • Clément Jodoin: 2004–2007
  • Ed Harding: 2007 – January 12, 2009
  • Don MacAdam: January 13, 2009 – December 10, 2009
  • Jeff Guay: interim: December 10, 2009 – December 27, 2009 (then moved to assistant coach).
  • Jean-François Houle: December 27, 2009 – May 31, 2011

Players

QMJHL award winners

All-stars

Captains
  • 2003–04: Francis Trudel
  • 2004–05: No captain
  • 2005 – January 2006: Brandon Roach
  • January 2006 – May 2007: Marc-André Cliche
  • September 2007 – March 2008: Marc-André Daneau
  • September 2008 – June 2009: Danick Paquette
  • September 2009 – May 2010: Billy Lacasse
  • September 2010 – 2011: Cameron Critchlow

NHL alumni

Nine MAINEiacs to date have played in the NHL:

NHL draftees

In addition, the MAINEiacs have had several players drafted by National Hockey League teams. They are:

2004 NHL Draft
2005 NHL Draft
2006 NHL Draft
2007 NHL Draft
2008 NHL Draft
2009 NHL Draft
2010 NHL Draft

Yearly results

Regular season

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

SeasonGamesWonLostTiedOTLSLPointsPct %Goals
for		Goals
against		Standing
2003–0470333151-720.5072332153rd East
2004–0570323080-720.5142142094th East
2005–06703623-38830.5812402074th East
2006–07705014-241060.7142821961st East
2007–08703726-05810.5792222125th East
2008–09682243-12470.3241902864th Central
2009–10682642-00490.3822122984th Central

Playoffs

References
  1. "League Attendance Report". Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  2. MAINEiacs likely to leave town, Sun Journal, January 25, 2009.
  3. MAINEiacs Study Move To Fredericton Archived 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine, WMTW, March 3, 2009.
  4. League Acquires MAINEiacs, Lewiston MAINEiacs press release, May 31, 2011
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