| Rockland Nationals | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 |
| History | Rockland Nationals 1973–1977 |
| Home arena | Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena |
| City | Rockland, Ontario |
| Team colours | Blue, red, white |
| Owner | Jean-Marc Lalonde |
| General manager | Bryan Murray |
| Head coach | Bryan Murray |
The Rockland Nationals (colloquially known as the Rockland Nats Hockey Club) were a Junior ice hockey team in the Central Junior A League (CJHL). They played in the CJHL from 1973 to 1977, winning the Bogart Cup and the National Championship in 1976. [1] They were the last team in Rockland to win the Bogart Cup until the current Rockland Nationals in 2025. [2]
Founded in 1973, they played in the CJHL for four seasons. [3] In order to accommodate the Nationals, a new arena was built for them in 1972, the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena. [4] The Nationals were a highly competitive team, winning both Bogart and Centennial Cups in 1976, and have made the playoffs three times in their four seasons. [5] When the current Rockland Nationals debuted in 2017, they adopted the original team's blue, red and white color scheme nickname, and logo.
Financial difficulties led the Nats to fold in 1977, leaving the Rockland community without a hockey team for 40 years. With the Gloucester Rangers' relocation to Clarence-Rockland in 2017, they were renamed to as the Rockland Nationals and began play at the Clarence-Rockland Arena beginning at the 2017–18 season. [6] They are now the second franchise to use the Rockland Nationals name.
In 1973, the Hull Festivals decided to make the jump from the Central Junior A Hockey League (now Central Canada Hockey League) to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). When the Festivals approved, a Canadian politician Jean-Marc Lalonde bought the dormant Junior A franchise in Hull and moved it to his hometown of Rockland. [7]
The Rockland Nationals played their first season in the CJHL in 1973–74. By the third season, the team had developed into a contender under the direction of head coach Bryan Murray, known to hockey fans today as the former general manager and head coach of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals. [8]
After winning the league championship in 1976, the Nationals began their quest for the Centennial Cup with a seven-game series against the Ontario champion Guelph Platers. After losing the first two games at home and Game 3 on the road, it looked like the Nats’ season was finished. [9] There was even talk of taking the ice out at the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena in Rockland.
The team only survived one more season before calling it quits in 1977 after bankruptcy. To this day, the original Rockland Nationals remains the last Rockland team to win the national title. In 1987, the Nationals were reborn as a Junior C hockey team in the National Capital Junior Hockey League, and there has been discussion of rejoining the league. However, their request was denied and the team eventually moved to Cumberland, Ontario and became the Cumberland Castors. [10]