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Wildcats – Year four - 1999-2000
The addition of the Montreal Rocket lead to a re-alignment of the QMJHL. There were now two conferences with two divisions. The Maritime Division was comprised of Moncton, Acadie-Bathurst, Halifax, and Cape Breton. Simon Lajeunesse, drafted by the Ottawa Senators, becomes the team’s first string goaltender with the departure of J.F. Damphousse to the pros. It was a stellar year for the young goalie; he recorded six regular season shutouts and was awarded the Jacques Plante Trophy as the best netminder in the Q. In the mid-season trading period, the Wildcats made a series of moves and were considered to be the team to beat for the President’s Cup and a berth in the Memorial Cup championship. Joining the Cats were blueliners, Francois Beauchemin, Jonathan Girard, and Trevor Ettinger. For offensive power came forwards Jonathan Roy, Mathieu Benoit, Steeve Vandal and Martin Lavergne. With the newcomers added to an already competent crew of Lajeunesse in goal, Jonathan Desroches and Alexandre Vigneault on defence, with Olivier Dubuc, Morgan Warren, Patrick Yetman, Mirko Murovic, Simon Laliberté and Martin Bartek up front, the Wildcats were almost unbeatable in the season’s second half. The playoff scene was set with Moncton winning the Maritime Division Championship and a thrilling 4-3 over the Halifax Mooseheads in the final game of the regular season. The final statistics had the Wildcats at 44-23-5 for 96 points, to that point a team record. Attendance was also at an all time high, 217,259. The first playoff round was billed as the “Battle of New Brunswick” but it turned into a rout as the Wildcats disposed of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in four straight games. Round two had Moncton facing stiffer opposition from the Quebec Remparts. It was a dramatic seven game series where the Cats trailed going into the third period of the deciding game. Mathieu Benoit proved to be the hero as the sell out crowd at the Coliseum roared their approval of the home town team’s win.
The victory applause was short lived. As the Wildcats prepared to meet the Rimouski Oceanic for the league championship, disaster struck. Injuries robbed the team of Simon Laliberté and Mirko Murovic but devastation came with the news that Jonathan Roy, who had lead the team with 125 points during the season was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The emotional toll of Roy’s illness on the team was evident as they lost their bid for the title to the Oceanic, four games to two. A pivotal point in the series came in game two on Easter Sunday 2000. The Wildcats were up by a goal with only 60 seconds left on the clock. A pair of goals by Rimouski in the final minute was a blow beyond words and the end of a dream, a chance for Canadian Junior Hockey supremacy. The story of Jonathan Roy’s battle with cancer attracted national attention. The efforts of the Wildcats owner to provide the best possible treatment for the young hockey player were reported in hockey media around the world. Roy would return to the Wildcats the next season and five years after his most courageous off-ice battle, he is cancer free and still playing hockey. Team Photo
View Individual Stats
QMJHL Standings 1999-2000
1999 QMJHL Entry Draft
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The fourth season for the Wildcats can be described as the best of years and the worst of years.
