Following a wild weekend that saw the team fire head coach Gordie Dwyer and replace him with (for the next few weeks, anyways) Gardiner MacDougall of the UNB Reds, Sea Dogs management detailed further why they made the stunning move.
"It wasn't an easy decision," Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie said. "It was a really difficult decision because you're talking about a good human being who lost his job. Overall, we just looked at the group and we looked at what gives us the best chance to win a Memorial Cup. We've put a lot into this group and we want to give them the best opportunity. The best opportunity for us was having Gardiner as our head coach. That's why we went that direction."
After flipping a significant portion of its roster during the holiday trade period, the Sea Dogs had one of the best records in the Canadian Hockey League in the second half and entered the playoffs on a 15-game winning streak. The playoffs were a different story. The Sea Dogs were upset in the opening round by a young Rimouski Oceanic squad, losing the best-of-five series in five games.
The team quickly changed its focus to putting themselves in the best position possible to win the Memorial Cup on home ice in June.
"We took the time to decompress after a pretty emotional loss at the end of the playoffs and then assessed what we thought the team needed, how to move forward and give us the best chance to win," said Georgie.
"We spent the past week really assessing and evaluating how to give our guys the best opportunity and we felt that these changes gave us the best opportunity."
The hiring of MacDougall happened quite quickly. MacDougall explained that he received a call from Georgie on Saturday morning. After discussing the opportunity with his wife, some people around the hockey world, his son Taylor (now a player agent) and UNB staff, he accepted the position. News broke late Sunday about the hire.
MacDougall, as he usually is, was quite upbeat at the press conference and pointed out many of the positives that the team has been through this season. His UNB teams have always been known for their work ethic - both in practice and in games.
"We're guaranteed three games and everything after that we have to earn," MacDougall said of the Memorial Cup tournament, which begins June 20 with the Sea Dogs hosting the Ontario Hockey League champs.
While new (and temporary) to the organization, MacDougall displayed his desire to win with this team. So too did team owner and CEO Scott McCain, who unexpectedly spoke at the press conference and gave a passionate speech to all those in attendance - which included team staff and players.
"It was highly disappointing for me personally. I expected more from coaches and players and I think I made that clear with those of you who were in the room," McCain said about his talk to the team following the Game 5 loss to Rimouski. "But in life these things happen. Hockey is part of life and it's just another aspect. My father taught me at a young age that when you get kicked off the horse, you get back on it.
McCain went on to discuss how playing in the Memorial Cup will be a highlight in every player's life. He also discussed the impact the team's 2011 win had on the community and the province.
"We got kicked off the horse as a team," McCain said. "I include myself with that as does Trevor but quickly, we have to turn the page and say 'okay, we are going to focus on the Memorial Cup.' Our focus, from day two, when we lost, has been, 'okay, we might have lost in the first round but we are going to win the Memorial Cup.'
"Work hard but have fun. (Gardiner) will keep you honest, I can assure you that but that's what it is about - hard work. It's not easy to win a championship but you guys can do it. Forget what happened in the past - we look forward. Get back on that horse and win a Memorial Cup."
A few other notes...
- Georgie on the amount of coaching changes the Sea Dogs have made over the past five years: "there are a lot of successful organizations and ones that we really respect that have had similar experiences," said Georgie, pointing out changes in Shawinigan and Halifax in recent years. "This is just where we're at and we're looking for the best opportunity for our team to win and that's why we made the change. We weren't going to let any other factors factor into our decision making on that."
- When asked if there was a possibility of staying with the Sea Dogs for next season, MacDougall was quick to respond: "four letter word. Starts with n, ends with e." This man is as UNB as they come.
- Did Gordie Dwyer's previous QMJHL playoff coaching experiences play a role in this move? "We're really happy with the experience that Gardiner has and having won with that success," said Georgie.
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