Trois-Rivières Draveurs
The Trois-Rivières Draveurs (Raftmen/Loggers) were a major junior team that played out of the Colisée de Trois-Rivières during the 1970s and 80s. The team was originally created in 1969 as the Ducs and changed names in 1973.
As the Draveurs, the team played 18 successful seasons in Trois-Rivières. They made the playoffs in 15 of those seasons, and were initially coached by Michel Bergeron who would go on to coach the Quebec Nordiques. In 1978 and 79, Bergeron and the Draveurs won back-to-back league titles. Those teams were backstopped by Jacques Cloutier, who would go on to a long NHL career. While they wouldn't win any more titles, they were still a successful team as they made the finals again in back to back years in 1981 and 1982.
The team also had a large number of players that would go on to become big NHL stars including Ray Bourque, Claude Lapointe, Claude Lemieux, and Jocelyn Thibault and they were also coached by Alain Vigneault for a time. Notably, the team would gain notoriety in 1991-92 as goalie Manon Rheamue played a game for the Draveurs, becoming the first female to play in the CHL.
That would be the team's last season in Trois-Rivières, as the team packed up and moved to Sherbrooke in the summer of 1992.
