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Rockland Nationals
NicknameNats
CityRockland, Ontario, Canada
LeagueCentral Canada Hockey League
DivisionEast Division
Founded1968
Home arenaClarence-Rockland Arena
ColoursBlue, red, white
     
Owner(s)Luc Lavictoire
PresidentAndré Chaput
CEOJean-Robert Léger
General managerCarl Robillard
Head coachJustin Pereira
MediaFloSports
WebsiteOfficial website
Franchise history
1968–1973Ottawa M&W Rangers
1973–2005Gloucester Rangers
2005–2008Orleans Blues
2008–2017Gloucester Rangers
2017–presentRockland Nationals

The Rockland Nationals (French: National de Rockland), colloquially known as the Nats, are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Rockland, Ontario. The Nationals compete in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) as a member of the East Division. Since 2017, the team has played its home games at Clarence-Rockland Arena, originally known as CIH Arena.

Founded in 1968 as the Ottawa M&W Rangers, they are one of the oldest continuously operating junior ice hockey team worldwide. The current Rockland Nationals began play in 2017–18, after the Gloucester Rangers relocated to Rockland after nearly 50 years in Gloucester.

The Nationals have made it to the playoffs six times in seven seasons. As of the 2024–25 season, they are one of the most successful teams in the CCHL, and their arena has been well-attended during Nats home games.

History

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The Rockland Nationals played their inaugural home opener on September 8, 2017 and won the game 3–1 against their regional rival Navan Grads in front of a crowd of 1,200.[1] On March 11, 2018, the Nationals qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season in Rockland following a 3–2 overtime win on the last game of the 2017–18 season in Pembroke against the Lumber Kings.[2] They however lost in the first round 4 games to 1 against the Carleton Place Canadians.[3] In their first season in Rockland, the Nationals averaged 318 fans per game for a total of 9,210 in 29 home games.[citation needed]

On September 7, 2018, a franchise record crowd of 1,502 fans attended the 2018–19 home opener as the Nats invited former Ottawa Senators legend Chris Neil and Ryan Dzingel to make the ceremonial puck drop during the pre-game.[4] The Nats achieved a 4–1 win over the Navan Grads.[5] They finished the regular season with a record of 40–17–5 and have made it to the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. They faced the Hawkesbury Hawks in the quarterfinals and won the series 4 games to 1, and then faced the Carleton Place Canadians in the semifinal round, losing the series 4 games to 1.[6] Their average attendance however increased by 30% from the 2017–18 season, to an average of 413 people per game.[citation needed]

After the 2019–20 season, Rockland finished first place in the East Division with a record of 39–19–4 and qualified for the playoffs for the third straight season.[7] The playoffs were later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and so was the entire 2020–21 CCHL season. In 2020, the ownership team changed with the sale of André Chaput’s share to Luc Lavictoire.

During the 2021–22 season, the Nationals finished 8th place in the East Division at 24–24–7 and qualified for the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history, but lost the tie-breaker game against the Smiths Falls Bears 4 to 1.[8][9]

In the 2023–24 season, the Nats finished 3rd place in the East Division at 32–19–3 and qualified for the playoffs for the 5th time in history.[10] They have won the first round against the Renfrew Wolves 4 games to 2, but lost in the semifinals against the eventual champions, the Navan Grads.[11]

Following the 2024–25 pre-season, the Rockland Nationals won the first edition of the RE/MAX Cup against long-time rival Hawkesbury Hawks on September 8, 2024, when Clarence-Rockland Arena hosted the 3-day tournament.[12]

In the 2024–25 regular season, Rockland started the season by winning their first 12 games in a row to a record of 12–0–0, a franchise record since the 1979–80 season. Their first loss in regulation time occurred on November 8, 2024 in Hawkesbury against the Hawks, to a record of 15–1–1. They finished the regular season first place in the CCHL and third in the CJHL, with a record of 45–8–2. The 2024–25 season was also notable for the Nationals drawing 14,935 people to its rink for an average of 574 fans per game, the highest[citation needed] in franchise history.[13][14]

On April 27, 2025 at Carleton Place Arena, the Nationals won their fifth Bogart Cup championship by defeating the Carleton Place Canadians 4 games to 0 with team forward Anthony Hall scoring the game winner in overtime.[15] They've averaged 1,086 fans in 8 playoff home games, including a franchise record[citation needed] crowd of 1,892 during Game 7 of the semifinals against the Smiths Falls Bears.[16]

Team identity

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The Rockland Nationals organization operates in both English and French. For many years, public address announcements and press releases have been given in both languages, and the team website and social media outlets are in both languages as well. At home games, the first stanza of O Canada is sung in French, and the chorus is sung in English. It has been estimated that 60 percent of Nats fans who attend games are francophone.

Crest and sweater design

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Since 2017, the team's primary colours are blue, red, and white, the same colours as the New York Rangers. The home sweater is predominantly blue in colour and features four red and white stripes: one across each arm, one across the chest and the other across the waistline. The main road sweater is white with a blue and red stripe across the waist, with their red maple leaf logo in the centre.

In the 2024–25 season, the Nationals have unveiled a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform in collaboration with Adidas. The uniform was essentially the same as their regular red uniform, but with the blue and white replaced by red and black lines.

Broadcasting and arena entertainment

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Nats games can be heard on flohockey.tv, via the FloSports streaming platform.[17] The team's play-by-play broadcaster is Richard Gauthier, who brings over 40 years of experience in sports media as a play-by-play broadcaster and public address announcer for various major sports teams.[18][19]

The team's public address announcer is François Rochon and their in-game DJ is Alexis Marcotte, also known as ALECKSY as his stage name.[20] ALECKSY served as the former in-game DJ for the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League, as well as a current part-time job with the Gatineau Intrépide Midget AAA hockey team. After each Nats' goal, ALECKSY sounds the arena goal horn, which is a Nathan Airchime K3LA, used by several diesel trains in North America.

The Nats have their own theme song titled Trumpeters Cry, which is played as the team comes on the ice. The song was initially used by the Ottawa Senators as their theme song from 2005 to 2024, written by Ottawa singer-songwriter Andres del Castillo, who was formerly of the band Eight Seconds. The song is available in MP3 format at the nhl.com website. A 10-hour version is also available on YouTube.

Rivalries

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The Nationals have developed strong rivalries with two of the eight original CCHL franchises, with whom they frequently shared divisions and competed in postseason play. The oldest is with the Navan Grads, who first faced the Nationals as the Gloucester Rangers in 1974. The teams met three times in the playoffs, including one Bogart Cup Final round. Featuring one of the two closest teams in the league, the rivalry is due to the 26-kilometre drive from Clarence-Rockland Arena to the Navan Memorial Centre.

Hawkesbury Hawks

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The team's other rivals are the Hawkesbury Hawks, who since their CCHL debut in 1974, have played the former Gloucester Rangers more than any other team in both regular season play and the playoffs combined. Since the arrival of the current Rockland Nationals in 2017, the rivalry returned and is also known as the Battle of Highway 17, in result of both arenas located alongside Highway 17, which starts after Trim Road in Orleans, all the way to East Hawkesbury.

Season-by-season record

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Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L OTL T GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1968-69 40 11 22 7 - 145 202 29 5th CJHL
1969-70 40 30 6 4 - 198 108 64 1st CJHL Won League
1970-71 48 26 12 10 - 235 158 62 2nd CJHL Won League
1971-72 48 27 20 1 - 234 188 55 2nd CJHL
1972-73 55 30 20 5 - 293 233 65 2nd CJHL
1973-74 50 25 19 6 - 297 252 56 4th CJHL
1974-75 50 14 27 9 - 241 289 37 5th CJHL
1975-76 50 26 21 3 - 271 203 55 2nd CJHL
1976-77 50 24 21 5 - 241 231 53 3rd CJHL
1977-78 48 30 13 5 - 261 204 65 2nd CJHL
1978-79 48 23 23 2 - 210 235 48 3rd CJHL
1979-80 50 33 12 5 - 284 187 71 2nd CJHL
1980-81 50 28 15 7 - 248 191 63 3rd CJHL Won League
1981-82 50 11 36 3 - 191 266 25 6th CJHL
1982-83 48 15 28 5 - 189 241 35 6th CJHL
1983-84 53 21 16 6 - 233 235 48 6th CJHL
1984-85 54 18 33 1 2 234 328 39 6th CJHL
1985-86 60 35 21 1 3 311 247 74 4th CJHL
1986-87 54 28 21 2 3 260 248 61 3rd CJHL
1987-88 56 25 27 1 3 275 271 54 6th CJHL
1988-89 55 10 39 1 5 203 316 26 9th CJHL
1989-90 56 34 18 2 2 325 281 72 4th CJHL
1990-91 54 32 15 2 5 347 276 71 3rd CJHL
1991-92 57 40 12 4 1 360 233 85 3rd CJHL
1992-93 56 30 18 3 5 308 261 68 5th CJHL
1993-94 57 37 16 2 2 324 245 78 1st CJHL Won League
1994-95 55 32 18 2 3 263 219 69 3rd CJHL
1995-96 54 35 18 1 0 249 177 71 3rd in East
1996-97 54 26 24 4 0 209 221 56 3rd in East
1997-98 56 26 21 9 3 223 217 64 2nd in East
1998-99 54 7 43 4 0 18 149 287 5th in East Did not qualify
1999-00 55 11 41 4 0 26 177 307 5th in East Did not qualify
2000-01 55 14 35 6 0 37 192 278 4th in East Lost quarter-final 4-1 to Cornwall
2001-02 55 6 43 7 0 19 162 331 5th in East Did not qualify
2002-03 55 27 17 11 2 67 246 210 3rd in East Lost semi-final 4-3 to Nepean
2003-04 55 30 21 4 0 188 167 64 4th in East Lost final 4-3 to Nepean
2004-05 57 24 26 1 6 194 204 55 3rd in East Lost quarter-final 4-3 to Hawkesbury
2005-06 57 16 37 1 3 172 262 36 5th in East Did not qualify
2006-07 55 26 21 6 2 184 190 60 2nd in East Lost quarter-final 4-2 to Nepean
2007-08 60 14 38 4 4 188 301 36 10th CJHL Did not qualify
2008-09 60 26 26 - 8 198 247 60 8th CJHL Lost quarter-final 4-0 to Nepean
2009-10 62 35 21 - 6 277 225 76 4th CJHL Lost quarter-final 4-2 to Ottawa
2010-11 62 35 25 - 2 263 244 72 4th CCHL Lost semi-final 4-0 to Pembroke
2011-12 62 13 46 - 3 186 325 29 12th CCHL Did not qualify
2012-13 62 19 35 - 8 166 246 46 10th CCHL Did not qualify
2013-14 62 23 32 - 7 219 280 53 9th CCHL Did not qualify
2014-15 62 31 30 - 1 199 223 63 3rd of 6 East
9th of 12 CCHL		 Won Prelim. Playin, 2-0 (73's)
Lost Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Junior Senators)
2015-16 62 5 52 3 2 116 305 15 6th of 6 East
12th of 12 CCHL		 Did not qualify
2016-17 62 22 34 3 3 141 204 50 4th of 6 East
10th of 12 CCHL		 Did not qualify
Rockland Nationals - CCHL
2017-18 62 28 28 6 - 186 204 62 4th of 6 East
8th of 12 CCHL		 Lost Quarterfinals 1-4 (Canadians)
2018-19 62 40 17 5 - 205 151 85 2nd of 6 East
4th of 12 CCHL 		Won Quarterfinals, 4-1 (Hawks)
Lost Semifinals, 1-4 (Canadians)
2019-20 62 39 19 4 - 254 183 82 1st of 6 East
2nd of 12 CCHL 		-
2020-21 9 4 5 0 - 28 25 8 Season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic -
2021-22 55 24 24 7 - 166 188 55 4th of 6 East
9th of 12 CCHL 		Lost Tie-Break Game, 1-0 (Bears)
2022-23 55 20 23 12 - 172 203 52 5th of 6 East
10th of 12 CCHL 		Did not qualify
2023-24 55 32 19 4 - 202 175 68 3rd of 6 East
4th of 12 CCHL		 Won Quarterfinals 4-2 (Wolves)
Lost Semifinals 1-4 (Grads)
2024-25 55 45 8 2 - 250 138 96 1st of 6 East
1st of 12 CCHL		 Won Quarterfinals, 4-0 (Colts)
Won Semifinals 4-3 (Bears)
Won Finals 4-0 (Canadians)
Advance to Centennial Cup

Centennial Cup

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Canadian Jr. A National Championships
Maritime Junior Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League, Central Canada Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Superior International Junior Hockey League, Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, and Host. The BCHL declared itself an independent league and there is no BC representative.
Round-robin play in two 5-team pools with top three in pool advancing to determine a Champion.

Year Round-robin Record Standing Quarterfinal Semifinal Championship
2025 OTL, Edmundston Blizzard (MarJHL), 3-4
W, Valleyfield Braves, (QJHL), 9-4
W, Calgary Canucks (Host), 7-2
L, Melfort Mustangs (SJHL), 2-5		 2-0-1-1 3rd of 5
Pool B		 Won, 4-0
Northern Manitoba Blizzard
(ManJHL)		 OT Loss, 2-3
Calgary Canucks
(Host -AJHL)		 Did Not Qualify

Championships

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CJHL Bogart Cup Championships: 1970, 1971, 1981, 1994 (Gloucester Rangers), 2025

Centennial Cup Champions: 1976 (Gloucester Rangers)

Eastern Canadian Fred Page Cup Championships: None
CJAHL Royal Bank Cup Championships: None

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ cverde (2017-09-09). "Friday Recap: Nats win home opener, CP Stays Perfect". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  2. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  3. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  4. ^ SimonHoule (2018-09-08). Rockland Nationals 2018-19 Home Opener - (ft. Chris Neil & Ryan Dzingel). Retrieved 2025-03-24 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  6. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  7. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  8. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  9. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  10. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  11. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  12. ^ "PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  13. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  14. ^ "Rockland Nationals [CCHL, 2017-2025] yearly attendance at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  15. ^ snichols (2025-04-27). "Rockland Nationals crowned Bogart Cup Champions". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  16. ^ "CCHL- Central Canada Hockey League". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  17. ^ smarcellus (2022-05-05). "Release | Nationals Richard Gauthier named recipient of the annual Chris Messina Broadcasting Award". www.thecchl.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
  18. ^ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Sports- (2019-07-07). "Annonceur maison pour les Champions d'Ottawa, la voix d'un métier méconnu". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2025-03-27.
  19. ^ "Champions d'Ottawa : les dessous du métier d'annonceur maison au baseball". ici.radio-canada.ca (in French). Retrieved 2025-03-27.
  20. ^ "ALECKSY". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-03-12.

Further reading

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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rockland_Nationals&oldid=1292435405"