The Montreal Canadiens' future farm team in Laval is now officially nicknamed the Laval Rocket.
In an announcement today the Canadiens confirmed its AHL affiliate will be called Club de hockey Rocket de Laval. The team will move to Laval’s Place Bell for the 2017-2018 season.
The team is currently located in St. John’s , Newfoundland, where it is playing its final season as the IceCaps.
The name is the result of a fan contest held between July 11 and August 31, 2016. More than 54,000 entries from fans were received.
The two runner-ups were Patriotes with 24 per cent of votes, and the Rapides with 25 per cent of votes, while the winning entry, Rocket, was the most popular choice with 51 per cent of the vote.
“We would like to thank all our fans for getting involved in the process of selecting a name for the new Canadiens AHL affiliate. The level of participation exceeded our most optimistic expectations. With this contest, we wanted to give our fans an opportunity to get involved in choosing a nickname for their team. If this craze is any indication for what lies ahead for the team in Laval we can certainly expect with a future filled with enthusiasm,” said Place Bell president, Vincent Lucier in a press release.
“From the opening day of the contest it was clear that the ROCKET entry would be a heavy favourite among some 850 different names submitted. At the completion of phase I it was the most popular choice. In fact throughout phases II and III, it earned more votes than all other names combined. The message was loud and clear from fans looking for a meaningful identity for their team while paying tribute to Maurice “Rocket” Richard as one of the Canadiens’ most legendary figures,” added Lucier.
The team now begins the process of designing a logo and color scheme, which will be unveiled in the coming months.
The American Hockey League is comprised of 30 teams and serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League.
