QMJHL names hots

Press Release

TORONTO, Thursday, September 3, 2009 – The Canadian Hockey League in association with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and SUBWAY® today announced the two Quebec cities that will host the opening two games of the 2009 SUBWAY ® Super Series.

The Centre Marcel Dionne, home of the reigning QMJHL Champions the Drummondville Voltigeurs, will be the site of the 2009 SUBWAY® Super Series’ opening game on Monday November 16. Game two of the series will be hosted by the Shawinigan Cataractes on Wednesday November 18. As announced earlier this week, the OHL’s Barrie Colts and Windsor Spitfires will host games three and four of the series on Thursday November 19 and Monday November 23, with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets hosting games five and six in Victoria, BC, on Wednesday November 25, and in Kelowna, Thursday November 26.

"The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is thrilled to have SUBWAY® on board for this prestigious event," stated the Commissioner, Gilles Courteau. "Drummondville and Shawinigan represent excellent sites for the 2009 SUBWAY® Super Series as both represented the QMJHL in the President Cup Final last year and are blessed with exceptional administrative and hockey staffs. I look forward to the event."

The SUBWAY® Super Series is an integral part of the identification process for Canada’s National Junior Team final selection camp as regional teams of CHL All-Stars compete against the Russian National Junior Team. Hockey Canada’s Men’s National Team Head Scout Al Murray works with regional league General Managers to assemble the best Canadian talent for the QMJHL, OHL, and WHL All-Star teams.

Team QMJHL split wins with the Russian Selects in 2008 including a series opening 5-3 victory in Sydney, NS, on November 17, before a 4-3 loss in game two in Saint John, NB, November 19. Both games were played in front of near capacity crowds of 4,378 fans at Centre 200 and 6,451 fans at Harbour Station. Team Canada gold medalists Patrice Cormier and Angelo Esposito both competed for Team QMJHL.

Last season, the CHL won five of the six games of the series before Canada captured its fifth straight gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships in Ottawa, ON, with a victory over Sweden. All 21 CHL players on Team Canada were selected to regional team rosters for the series. Russia defeated Slovakia to claim bronze with 14 players from the 2008 CHL event on its roster. The 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships will once again be played on Canadian soil in Saskatoon and Regina, SK.

All six games will be broadcast nationally on Rogers Sportsnet with RDS televising both games from the QMJHL.

The 2009 SUBWAY® Super Series is supported by CHL associate sponsors, Bank of Montreal and CCM.

2009 SUBWAY® Super Series Schedule of Games:

Game 1 – Monday November 16 at Drummondville, QC
Game 2 – Wednesday November 18 at Shawinigan, QC
Game 3 – Thursday November 19 at Barrie, ON
Game 4 – Monday November 23 at Windsor, ON
Game 5 – Wednesday November 25 at Victoria, BC
Game 6 – Thursday November 26 at Kelowna, BC

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)