Islanders will find out Friday night what the new name of the province’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team will be next season.
The P.E.I. Rocket will announce the winner of their rename your team contest during the first intermission of the team’s home opener against Moncton. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Charlottetown Civic Centre.
“I think people will be happy,” said Trent Birt, the team’s vice-president of operations. “The community voted. We took the majority vote. It’s no different than an election.”
The three finalists, in no particular order, were Islanders, Riptide and Confederation. Voting ended Wednesday and staff tabulated the results Thursday. More than 6,000 votes were cast.
Birt wasn’t tipping his hand last night, but said it was a two-horse race.
“There’s a huge buzz around town,” he said. “Every place I go I’ve been asked what’s the team name. There’s certainly excitement around it.”
The name change won’t take affect until the 2013-14 season.
The rebranding effort is taking place in conjunction with the team’s 10th season in Charlottetown.
Roster moves:
The Rocket announced Thursday it had claimed 19-year-old defenseman Charles Johnson off waivers from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Johnson played 89 games with the Moncton Wildcats over the past two seasons.
The Rocket were looking for added depth on the blueline after learning defensemen Tomas Pavelka and Alexandre Chenier-Allard will start the season on the injured list.
2012-13 season: Each team plays 68 games, 34 at home and 34 on the road. The season ends March 17.
Home opener: Friday night at 7 p.m.
Online: Guardian sport editor will be at tonight’s game. Follow him on Twitter at @SportsGuardian
Looking back: The following is the P.E.I. Rocket yearly record since moving to Charlottetown.
Season W L Otl Sol Pts
2011-12 19 43 2 4 44
2010-11 33 26 3 6 75
2009-10 35 25 2 6 78
2008-09 26 32 5 5 62
2007-08 30 36 2 2 64
2006-07 36 28 2 6 80
2005-06 25 38 4 3 57
W L T Otl Pts
2004-05 24 39 7 0 55
2003-04 40 19 5 6 91
