Roughly a month into a season that began with championship hopes, the Cape Breton Eagles have won just two of their first nine Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) games. On the long weekend, they lost all three games on a Quebec road trip. “I think the fans are very impatient and they’re allowed to be impatient,” said Bruce Campbell, who was the team’s head coach in 1998 and 1999 and is now a fan. Campbell feels there is still plenty of time to turn things around but says the frustration felt by paying customers is valid. “The tickets are not cheap and you take your family and you use the concessions stands so you want to see wins,” he said. “Pretty much, our statement is to say to our fans, ‘We know we have had a bad start,’” said Eagles vice-president Trevor Simon. On Wednesday, the team’s New York City-based owners issued a public message to fans, doubling down on the season’s lofty goals but not offering any specifics on next steps. “What I can guarantee the fans is this will not continue,” Simon said. “We will do whatever it takes to win and it is our goal to win a championship this year.” “Doing what the organization did today is highly unusual,” said Will MacLaren, a QMJHL analyst and contributing writer for The Hockey News. MacLaren said the Eagles’ public message only draws more attention to early season struggles. He noted the decision to release it may be informed by a 30-year history of never winning a championship or making it to a league final. “What we’ve seen today is a direct reflection of what happens when the team doesn’t live up to the hype early and when the team, unfortunately, has not lived up to the hype for most of its tenure in the city,” MacLaren said. Campbell was fired as the Eagles’ head coach in October 1999 after a poor start that season. “I’ve been there myself,” he said. “When the heat is on, sometimes it doesn’t go away but the best way to get it to go away is to put a few wins together.” The Eagles will try to do just that starting Saturday against the Saint John Sea Dogs in an away game. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
