Gatineau Olympiques facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gatineau Olympiques Olympiques de Gatineau
City	Gatineau, Quebec
League	Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
Division	Telus West
Founded	1969
Home arena	Centre Slush Puppie
Colours	Black, white and silver
General manager	Serge Beausoleil
Head coach	Alexis Loiseau
Championships	1997 Memorial Cup Champions 1986, 1988, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2008 QMJHL Champions
Website olympiquesdegatineau.ca
Franchise history
1969–1970	Hull Hawks
1970–1976	Hull Festivals
1976–2003	Hull Olympiques
2003–present	Gatineau Olympiques

The Gatineau Olympiques are a Canadian junior ice hockey team. They play in Gatineau, Quebec. The team is part of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Since the 2021–22 season, the Olympiques play their home games at Centre Slush Puppie. Before that, they played at the Robert Guertin Centre. The club joined the QMJHL in 1973. At that time, they were known as the Hull Festivals. The Olympiques have played in the Memorial Cup seven times. They won the 1997 Memorial Cup.

Team History

Before joining the QMJHL, the team was in the Central Junior A Hockey League. They were first called the Hull Blackhawks. Later, they became the Hull Beavers. They were also known as Hull-Volant Junior A. In 1970, they moved to a different league level.

In 1973, the team became the Hull Festivals. They joined the QMJHL that year. In 1976, their name changed to the Hull Olympiques. The city of Hull joined Gatineau in 2002. One year later, in 2003, the team became the Gatineau Olympiques.

The Olympiques share their hockey market with the Ottawa 67's. This team is located across the Ottawa River. The two teams often played against each other in pre-season games. This happened regularly from 1975 to 1986. They also played regular season games in several seasons. These included 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, and 2009–10.

From 1985 to 1992, the famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky owned the Olympiques. Under his ownership, the team started using black, silver, and white as their colors. These colors were similar to the Los Angeles Kings, where Gretzky played in 1988.

In 2010, former Olympiques coach Benoit Groulx returned. He became the general manager and head coach. He had previously coached the Rochester Americans. For the 2011–12 season, the Olympiques went back to their black, silver, and white colors. They had not used these colors for eight years.

In 2016, Coach Groulx left the Olympiques again. He became the head coach of the Syracuse Crunch. Mario Duhamel took over as coach. He coached 47 games with a record of 19 wins, 24 losses, and 4 ties. Assistant coach Éric Landry then replaced Duhamel.

Major Championships and Awards

The Olympiques have won the President's Cup seven times. Their most recent win was in the 2007–08 season. They have reached the Memorial Cup finals four times. They lost three times (1986, 2003, and 2004). They won the 1997 Memorial Cup, which they also hosted.

Memorial Cup Appearances

The Memorial Cup is for the champions of the Canadian Hockey League.

• 1986 – They were finalists against the Guelph Platers.
• 1988 – They finished 3rd in the tournament.
• 1995 – They finished 4th in the tournament.
• 1997 – They were champions against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
• 2003 – They were finalists against the Kitchener Rangers.
• 2004 – They were finalists against the Kelowna Rockets.
• 2008 – They finished 4th in the tournament.

President's Cup Wins

The President's Cup is for the QMJHL playoff champions.

• 1985–86 – Champions against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
• 1987–88 – Champions against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
• 1994–95 – Champions against the Laval Titan Collège Français.
• 1996–97 – Champions against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.
• 1998–99 – Finalists against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
• 1999–00 – Finalists against the Rimouski Océanic.
• 2002–03 – Champions against the Halifax Mooseheads.
• 2003–04 – Champions against the Moncton Wildcats.
• 2007–08 – Champions against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
• 2010–11 – Finalists against the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Other Team Awards

• Jean Rougeau Trophy – This award is for the team with the best regular season record.
  • 1985–86, 1987–88, 1996–97, 2003–04
• Division titles – These are for winning their division in the regular season.
  • 1985–86, 1987–88, 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2021–22, 2022–23

Famous Coaches

Many great coaches have led the Olympiques. Some notable names include:

• Jean Bégin
• Pat Burns
• John Chabot
• Benoit Groulx
• Claude Julien
• Bob Mongrain
• Marcel Pronovost
• Guy Trottier
• Alain Vigneault

Team Names Through the Years

The team has had a few different names over its history:

• Hull Hawks (1969–1970)
• Hull Festivals (1970–1976)
• Hull Olympiques (1976–2003)
• Gatineau Olympiques (2003–present)

NHL Players from the Olympiques

Many players who played for the Olympiques later went on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). No player from the "Hull Hawks" played in the NHL.

Hull Castors (1968–1969)

• Billy Smith

Hull Festivals (1970–1976)

Hull Olympiques (1976–2003)

Gatineau Olympiques (since 2003)

Retired Numbers

Banners of honored alumni at the Robert Guertin Centre

The Olympiques team has retired the numbers of ten players. This means no other player can wear that number. Former coach Pat Burns has also been honored by the team.

• # 10 Jean Poulin
• # 15 Luc Robitaille
• # 16 Sam Lang
• # 20 Martin Gelinas
• # 24 Colin White
• # 25 Maxime Talbot
• # 28 Claude Giroux
• # 32 Marc Saumier
• # 33 José Théodore
• # 77 Guy Rouleau