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| Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs |
Team president Trevor Georgie is taking back the general manager role, the job he held from 2016 to 2023. Travis Crickard, who had been both head coach and general manager for the past year, will continue as head coach only.
“Travis is an excellent coach," Georgie said in an afternoon news release. "This adjustment allows him to focus fully on leading our group on the ice, which is where he makes the greatest impact. Our club has traditionally operated with separate GM and head coach roles, and returning to that model is the right step for our team at this time."
The Sea Dogs lost their sixth straight game on Sunday and they sit 17th overall with a 10-16-1-0 record. They have the second worst winning percentage in the QMJHL.
While the Sea Dogs still fall under the rebuilding category, this is not where most thought – or hoped – Saint John would be on Dec. 8. They have a young but high end roster, one that hasn't been able to reach its potential yet.
The season isn't quite half over, but it certainly felt like something had to happen to get things back on track.
Georgie held the general manager role for Saint John's 2017 President Cup championship and the 2022 Memorial Cup title. He's shown that he's not afraid to make big moves and will take big swings – something that adds a lot of intrigue to this year's holiday trade period, which opens in just a couple weeks on Dec. 19.
Crickard has been with the Sea Dogs since 2021 when he joined as an assistant coach. He took over as head coach in 2022 and took on the general manager title in 2024.
Removing the general manager role from Crickard should alleviate some stress on him – but also add some pressure. His job now will solely be to figure out how to unlock this roster's potential, which may not be a simple task.
The Sea Dogs will look to end their losing streak on Wednesday night when they visit the Baie-Comeau Drakkar – the only team that sits below them in the standings.
Crickard yelling and screaming at the players isn't working at all (saw this during Sunday's game). Will this road trip to Quebec seal his future?
BalasPadamOne would think with 8 NCAA commits over the next 2 seasons Georgie will find a HC that players will want to play for and stay here.....not playing for Crickard
BalasPadamNo playoff series win since 2018, why exactly is Georgie back in charge?
BalasPadamSomething needed to change so this was the best quick fix. Now if the 3 games in Quebec don't go well its easier to replace a coach (or 2) than it is to replace both GM and HC
BalasPadam