Fredericton Canadiens

American Hockey League (1990-1999)

Tombstone

Born: June 21, 1990 – The Sherbrooke Canadiens relocate to Fredericton, New Brunswick
Move Announced: February 26, 1999 (Quebec Citadelles)¹

First Game: October 6, 1990 (W 5-2 vs. Utica Devils)
Last Game: May 29, 1999 (L 6-1 @ Providence Bruins)

Calder Cup Championships: None

Arena

Aitken Centre (3,565)²
Opened: 1976

Marketing

Team Colors: Red, White & Blue³

Ownership & Affiliation

Owner: Montreal Canadiens (Molson Brewing)

NHL Affiliation: Montreal Canadiens

Background

The Fredericton Canadiens were the New Brunswick-based top farm club of the Montreal Canadiens throughout the 1990’s.

The Baby Habs finest season came in 1991-92. The team posted the best record in the American Hockey League (43-27-10), but fell in a first round playoff upset to the Moncton Hawks.

In the spring of 1995, Fredericton made a run to the Calder Cup finals winning three playoff rounds despite a losing record (35-40-5) in the 1994-95 regular season. The Albany River Rats swept Fredericton in four games in the finals.

Pierre Sevigny (Fredericton ’91-’97) was the club’s all-time leaders in both goals (106) and assists (136). Former Quebec Nordiques star Paulin Bordeleau coached Fredericton for seven of the club’s nine season (1990-1997), an unusually long tenure by AHL coaching standards.

Move To Quebec

By the late 1990’s Fredericton’s tiny Aitken Centre was an anomaly in the AHL, where 8,000 to 15,000 seat arenas had become the standard. Geographically, the AHL was also in the process of withdrawing from Atlantic Canada. During the 1993-94 season, Fredericton was part of the league’s six-team Atlantic Division, composed entirely of teams from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. But just three seasons later, only three Atlantic Canada clubs remained: Fredericton, Saint John and St. John’s. (By 2005 no AHL teams remained in the Atlantic provinces).

In February 1999, midway through Fredericton’s ninth and final season, Montreal Canadiens officials announced the team would not return to New Brunswick that fall. A few weeks later, Montreal finalized a partnership with a private investor group to move the Fredericton franchise to Quebec City for the 1999-00 season.