Rapaces de Gap

Rapaces de Gap (French: Les Rapaces de Gap) is a French ice hockey team that is based in Gap and plays home games at the Patinoire Brown-Ferrand. The team played in the Ligue Magnus during the 2009–10 Ligue Magnus season. Gap won the French Championship three times in 1977,[1] 1978[2] and 2015.[3]

Rapaces de Gap
NicknameRapaces
CityGap, France
LeagueLigue Magnus
1962–Present
Founded1937
Home arenaPatinoire Brown-Ferrand
(capacity: 3400)
Colors   
PresidentGeorges Obninsky
Head coachPatrick Turcotte
CaptainRomain Moussier
Websitelesrapacesdegap.fr
Franchise history
1937–45Ski-Club Gapençais (SCG)
1945–89Gap Hockey Club (GHC)
1989-00Gap Alpes Patinage (HGAP)
2000–presentLes Rapaces de Gap
Current season

History

20th century

The team was founded in 1937[4] The club Rapaces de Gap (Gapençais, Gap) was created in 1937;[5] it entered championship of France in 1945[6] where it played in the second series. In 1955, the team inaugurated the Brown-Ferrand Ice Rink, which became artificial in 1961. The Gapençais started in the first series (elite division) for the 1962–1963 season.[7] From 1962, the Canadian Camil Gélinas, who was coach of the team Athletic Club of Boulogne-Billancourt, became coach of Repaces de Gap at the request of the team's president in 1965. In 1972, work on the stadium, which included covering of the track, allowed the permanent use of the ice,[6] and the hosting of the world championship group C.[8]

The senior team was still progressing with Czech Zdeněk Bláha as a coach. The team under Bláha won their first Champion of France title in 1977.[9] Gap also won the title the following year.[10] The club continued thereafter to be a great training club,[11] until the 1980s winning 21 titles of champion of France in the minor categories and being vice-champion of France in 1983–1984.[12] In 1989, the club finished second-from-last in the National 1A but preferred demotion to end their expensive professional adventure.[13]

For the 1992–1993 French Hockey Championship, Gap returned to the elite division for the first time, following a reshuffle of the divisions and the retirement from the national league at 10 clubs.[14] In 1996, Gap won Division 1.[15] New immediate descent, when Gap fails to stay in hen.[16]

21st century

The club slowly descended the French hierarchy, having to play a dam to stay in Division 1 during the 2001–2002 season.[17] The club recovered their form the next season, thanks to the expansion of the elite to a Super 16. This was a difficult task because with the lowest budget,[18] Gap were often in the bottom of the table, returning to the second level[19] in 2006. In 2009, thanks to a new title Division 1 champion, the club returned to the elite league.[20]

Between the start of the 2009–2010 season and the end of the 2012–2013 season, Gap home games were broadcast live on the club's website. Long announced the renovation of the rink would run until August 2012. The rink was refurbished and its capacity was increased to 2,000 seats. During the 2011–2012 season, Gap played their home games at Palais Marseille Grand Est. On October 23, 2012, the club's president Georges Obninsky announced his resignation[21] during a press conference.[22] He was replaced by Philippe Vial and Jérôme Escallier. At the end of the 2016–2017 season, Rapaces de Gap won the Ligue Magnus, thus becoming Champions of France for the fourth time in their history. As of 2019, the club has one of the best records in French hockey with 29 national titles, 37 podiums, 2 participations in the European Cup, 1 cup of As and 22 players selected in National Team including eight for Olympics.[6]

Roster

Updated February 1, 2019.[23]

Goaltenders
Number Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
31 Jimmy Darier L 2018 Grenoble, France
32 Jordon Cooke L 2018 Leduc, Canada
Defencemen
Number Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
5 Parker Reno R 2018 Medina, USA
6 Matt Nelson R 2018 Medina, USA
7 Pierre Crinon L 2015 Reims, France
27 Vincent Melin L 2018 Arras, France
57 Samuel Labrecque L 2018 Granby, Canada
59 Raphaël Faure L 2016 Caen, France
4 Quentin Mahier L 2018 Dijon, France
Forwards
Number Player Shoots Position Acquired Place of Birth
8 Robin Colomban L C/LW 2017 Briançon, France
9 Adam Kambeitz L C/LW 2018 Coaldale, Canada
10 Kristoff Kontos L C 2018 Penetang, Canada
12 Paul Joubert R LW/RW 2014 Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon
15 Maurin Bouvet L C 2015 Amiens, France
17 Elvijs Biezais L RW/C 2018 Riga, Latvia
19 Jeffrey Brown (C) L LW/RW 2018 Toronto, Canada
23 Paul Schmitt L LW/RW 2018 Montpellier, France
76 Téo Sarliève L LW 2018 Clermont-Ferrand, France
79 Norbert Abramov L C 2018 Cergy, France
82 Romain Gutierrez L LW 2017 Dormont, France
89 Roberts Jekimovs R LW/RW 2018 Riga, Latvia
5 Roman Vondracek R RW/C 2018 Trutnov, Czech Republic
29 Dimitri Thillet L C/LW 2016 Briançon, France

Awards and trophies
  • Coupe Magnus: 1977, 1978, 2015, 2017
  • Division 1: 1996, 2006
  • Coupe de la Ligue: 2016
  • Coupe des As: 1986
  • U22 : 5 championships
  • U18 : 7 championships
  • U16 : 7 championships
  • U14 : 4 championships
  • U11 : 3 championships
  • Women's National Championship: 1 championship

Famous players

NHL Players
NameNationalityGame in NHLPeriod
Alain Daigle406 games1980–1981
Vadim Sharifijanov96 games2004–2005
Roland Cloutier34 gamess1983–1988
Pat Daley 12 games1987–1988
Larry Huras2 games1984–1988

References
  1. (in French) Championnat de France 1976/77 on hockeyarchives
  2. (in French) Championnat de France 1977/78 on hockeyarchives
  4. Profile on hockeyarenas.net
  5. Club Card on hockeyarenas.net
  6. History of club on the official website,
  7. hockeyarchives / France1963.htm French Championship 1962/63
  8. 1974 World Championships on hockeyarchives
  9. French Championship 1976/77 on hockeyarchives
  10. French Championship 1977/78 on Hockeyarchives
  11. Gap, determined nonetheless on hockeyarchives
  12. French Championship 1983/84 on hockeyarchives
  13. Championship of France 1988/89 on hockeyarchives.
  14. French Championship 1992/93 on hockeyarchives
  15. com / hockeyarchives / France1996.htm French Championship 1995/96 on hockeyarchives
  16. Championship of France 1996–97 on hockeyarchives
  17. French Championship 2001/02: division 1 on hockeyarchives.
  18. Gap unpretentious, hockeyarchives
  19. 2005/06 French Championship: Ligue Magnus on hockeyarchives
  20. French Championship 2008/09: division 1 on hockeyarchives
  21. http://lesrapacesdegap.free.fr/news.php?id=563
  22. Press conference of George Obninsky's resignation
  23. "Les Rapaces de Gap Roster". lesrapacesdegap.fr (in French). Retrieved February 1, 2019.
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