Sea Dogs Notebook

THE CUP COMES TO HARVEY
The MasterCard Memorial Cup is coming to one of New Brunswick’s smallest communities tomorrow.

The Daily Gleaner reports that Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips will be bringing the Cup to Lougheed Pub in Harvey from 11am to 1pm.

Phillips, a first round pick of the Minnesota Wild in June’s NHL Draft, recorded the Memorial Cup winning goal in a 3-1 win over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.

BEAULIEU IS STILL BETTER THAN YOU
The man that set the foundation for Saint John’s Memorial Cup victory is now using his Jedi GM moves in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting.

In just his first few months on the job, Beaulieu has made a splash with several signings. Buzzing The Net asks “has Jacques Beaulieu already won the off-season?”

It will be interesting to follow Beaulieu’s progress this season as he gets his second crack at head coaching and building a junior team.

TRADE PERIOD IS OPEN
The QMJHL Trade Period opened on Monday and had a relatively quiet opening day. As expected, former Lewiston Maineiac Cameron Critchlow was traded by the Victoriaville Tigres to the Halifax Mooseheads for a 2012 fifth round draft pick.

The Sea Dogs have yet to make any moves. The trade window closes on August 22nd.

SIGN OF THE TIMES
According to CHSJ News, the Saint John welcome signs will be getting some Sea Dogs flavour this fall.

From Country 94’s news blog:

Mayor Ivan Court tells CHSJ News the city is having signs made to go up on the highway with a special message "Welcome to Saint John, Home of the Saint John Seadogs, Memorial Cup champions".

The Mayor says the signs have been in the works ever since the Sea Dogs brought home the Memorial Cup, and he hopes they'll be up in September for when the new season starts.

When they go up, feel free to email us a pic. (stationnation@yahoo.ca)


MORE ON MANNO
An update on the Joseph Manno situation from Nathan Fournier of The World of Junior Hockey.

Likely Manno will stay for 48 hours...Hasnt completely shut the door on NCAA. Looking @ UMass-Lowell & Providence

It was reported on Tuesday night that Manno had chosen to drop his UMass commitments. A Sea Dogs draft pick in 2009, it is unclear if he’ll report to Saint John for the upcoming season.

NUMBER TO BE RETIRED
Jonathan Huberdeau’s Midget ‘AAA’ team will be retiring his No. 20 this season.

According to the newspaper L’Echo Du Nord, the Saint-Eustache Vikings will retire Huberdeau’s number during their home opener on September 9th.

The Vikings have had some quality players over the past few seasons. They include Maxime Sauve, Mathieu Brodeur, Charles Olivier-Roussel , and Yannick Veilleux.

PUCK DROP DINNER
Details on the Sea Dogs' annual Puck Drop Dinner were released by the team today. Here is the news release:

The fundraising event will take place at the Moosehead Breweries Conference Centre at the qplex in Quispamsis on Friday, Aug. 26, beginning with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The event is a celebration of the MasterCard Memorial Cup victory, as well as the kick off for the new season, as the Sea Dogs will host an exhibition game against the Moncton Wildcats the following night at the qplex in preparation for their title defense. 

Fans at the Puck Drop Dinner will be treated to a carver’s choice buffet with all the trimmings and dessert, a hockey roundtable discussion with Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly, the award winning coaches of the Saint John Sea Dogs, and other special guests. There will also be several raffles giving attendees the chance to take home some Memorial Cup memorabilia. The Memorial Cup itself will be on display for photo opportunities. 

“The entire team is extremely proud of our efforts last season in bringing the Memorial Cup to Saint John,” said Sea Dogs Head Coach Gerard Gallant. “While we will be celebrating the championship at this event, we are now concentrating our efforts on having another successful season.” 

All proceeds from this event will benefit the Saint John Sea Dogs Foundation. The mission of the Sea Dogs Foundation is to provide financial and/or in kind support to recognized non profit organizations in South West New Brunswick that focus on improving the quality of life for youth in the areas of education, sport, fitness, and health. The Foundation is also committed to help our former Sea Dogs players continue their post secondary education through our bursary program.
“The Sea Dogs Foundation is committed to fundraising efforts and look forward to our event at the beautiful new qplex,” said foundation vice-chair Andrew Campbell. “Funds raised will support local non-profit groups, schools, and youth sports along with continuing education programs for Sea Dogs players.” 

Tickets for this very limited seating event are $100 each or $750 for a table of eight. Tickets are on sale at the qplex and the Sea Dogs office. For further information, phone the qplex at 848-5900 or the Sea Dogs office at 657-3647.