Junior hockey set to return with relocation of Revolution
Junior hockey could soon be making a return to the West Island.
The owner of the St-Lazare Revolution plans to relocate the franchise to Pierrefonds for the 201819 season, pending approval from the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League’s board of governors.
Team owner Dustin Traylen expects the league to approve the move, which would bring junior hockey back to the West Island after a three-year absence.
The last local junior team was the Lachine Maroons, who played out of Peter Morin Arena from 1995 to 2015.
The Lachine franchise came about after the Pierrefonds Lions, owned and operated by Peter Simpson, relocated there from the old Pierrefonds Arena.
Traylen said he’s excited about bringing a junior team back to Pierrefonds, once home to the provincial champion Pirates in the early 1970s. The team was backstopped by goalie Jimmy Corsi, who went on to a career in the NHL.
“I’ve always wanted to operate a team out of the West Island,” said Traylen, who grew up in DollarddesOrmeaux. “It wasn’t possible last year for many reasons, but we’re happy to start something new here.”
The team will likely be called the Lac St-Louis Revolution and will play out of the four-rink Pierrefonds Sportplexe on Pierrefonds Blvd.
Traylen said Revolution home games will be played on Rink 4, the large international ice surface which measures 200-by-100 feet.
Practices will still be held in the morning, as was the case last season in St-Lazare.
Traylen said many of the players are doing online courses so they ’ll be eligible for college hockey.
“The bulk of our returning players, who are good hockey players, preferred the morning slot because it allows them to get on with their day,” Traylen said. “A lot of them are doing their classes in the afternoon and evening now. That’s just our model.”
The Revolution players will do their off-ice training at District Elite Centre de Performance in Dorval.
Although the injury-riddled Revolution missed the playoffs with a 10-34-5 record, Traylen said the team will be stronger next season.
“We’re keeping the cream of the crop from last year’s team.”
Head coach Eric Labrosse will be back behind the bench, and JohnMichael Di Gregorio will be the team’s new captain.
“Moving to Pierrefonds is a good move because we want hockey fans on the West Island to come to our games,” Di Gregorio said.
Labrosse is also looking forward to the change of scenery.
“What I’m looking forward most to is changing a bit of the culture of the team in the second year,” the coach said.
Labrosse said a move to Pierrefonds should help attract hockey talent.