Stanley Cup Final begins tonight in Vegas

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At this time a year ago, not many people would have picked Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly to be the Saint John Sea Dogs alumni taking part in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. But here we are.

The two former Sea Dogs coaches will lead the expansion Vegas Golden Knights into the best-of-seven NHL final, which begins tonight. The Knights will take on the Washington Capitals.

The Knights, of course, are one of the best stories in sports this season and are guaranteed to be made into a movie someday. They also feature quite a few QMJHL alumni.

Gallant and Kelly guided the Sea Dogs into three straight QMJHL finals between 2010 and 2012, winning two.

Gallant has been nominated for NHL's Jack Adams Award, which is awarded annually to the league's coach of the year.

Some other alumni notes...

• There were no former Sea Dogs players in this year's Memorial Cup, but the Hamilton Bulldogs did feature JP Laciak, a former athletic therapist with Saint John.
• Will there be any Sea Dogs alumni taking on the Toronto Marlies in this year's Calder Cup final? We'll know soon. Matthew Highmore, Chris DiDomenico and the Rockford IceHogs currently trail the Western Conference final 3-2 to the Texas Stars. Game 6 of that series goes tonight.
• DiDomenico continues to lead the AHL in playoff scoring with six goals and 17 points in 12 games.
• In the ECHL's Kelly Cup final, the Florida Everblades and Colorado Eagles are tied 1-1. The Everblades feature Michael Kirkpatrick, Stephen MacAulay, Spencer Smallman and Callum Booth. According to media reports, Kirkpatrick is currently out with a concussion.