A magical couple weeks

Vincent Ethier/CHL

Folks, I've written a lot of words about the Saint John Sea Dogs over the years.

It's now been one week since the final game of the 2022 Memorial Cup, and honestly, I'm still having a hard time putting into words what a magical two weeks we all just took part in.

When the Memorial Cup was awarded to Saint John, quite a few people from previous host cities reached out to me. They were all aware of my many hockey travels and they all told me the same thing: having the Memorial Cup in your city will be an event you'll cherish forever.

I didn't think much of it at the time. And like a typical Maritimer, I downplayed my expectations, unsure of whether a city in these parts would get behind an event centered around junior hockey.

Those people who reached out to me were right. And boy, were my doubts proven wrong.

I found out quickly that we were in for a special couple weeks. I think that moment clicked for everyone at a certain time during the event. For me it was the Cup Arrival. A ton of people showed up on the waterfront in the rain to watch a helicopter lower the Memorial Cup onto a coast guard boat. Even more people showed up (and the rain even stopped!) to watch the trophy parade down Water Street to the Area 506 Waterfront Container Village.

It only got better from there. This truly felt like a major, major event that took over the city. I've been to Memorial Cups in the past where you could easily walk around a city and not know the event was happening. But not here. This was a big deal and you could feel it.

I feel uniquely qualified to comment on this Memorial Cup. I've been to all the major music festivals in Atlantic Canada. I've been to several Memorial Cups and World Junior Hockey Championships. I've been to NHL playoff games. I've been to several NHL outdoor games. The 2022 Memorial Cup was a world class hockey event, and every person involved - and even every person in the city - should feel extremely proud of what they accomplished.

A few other random thoughts in closing...

• The hockey. This tournament will be remembered for a long time because of how good the games were. We were spoiled. And if you're a Sea Dogs fan, you were spoiled even more. Every Dogs game was extremely entertaining. The 3-on-3 overtime against Edmonton and the comeback against Shawinigan were two of the greatest games in franchise history.
• The history. What a year. Do you ever sit back and think about all of the stuff that's happened over the past 12 months in Sea Dogs land? The amount of obstacles put in front of the team and tournament organizers was remarkable. The 2021-22 season certainly got its storybook ending.
• The atmosphere. We all know what a typical game at TD (Harbour?) Station is like. These games weren't it. This place was electric. There are probably still people stuck in traffic on the concourse.
• The inclusivity. The "One for All" theme couldn't have come at a better time in the hockey world. The One for All District and the Speaker Series were tremendously done. Bravo to all involved.
• The Container Village. What an awesome venue - and the timing of its creation couldn't have been better.
• The Uptown. I know, nobody wants another "tHeRe'S sO mUcH pOtenTial HeRe" comment, but man... hopefully the positive momentum keeps going.
• The volunteers. This event doesn't operate without them. To see so many people give their time to make this event possible is inspiring. People in this city really want this city to succeed.
• The leaders. Speaking of inspiring, I was fortunate to see a lot of the behind-the-scenes work that went into this event. The amount of effort, time and care people put into this was incredible. So many talented and passionate people were involved in this project, and that passion was/is infectious. There are many, many people that deserve shout-outs, but I do want to mention three people in particular: Mark-Anthony Ashfield, Ray Gracewood and Andree Stephen. All as worthy of the MVP award as William Dufour.

A special thank you to Nikki and Maxime on the media relations side. And a huge thank you to everyone who read this blog during the tournament. This was a lot of fun and I will indeed cherish the 2022 Memorial Cup forever.