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Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Notebook: Electric crowds are back

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There were some truly beautiful scenes in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this weekend.

After having no playoffs in 2020 and then playoffs with limited fans in attendance in 2021, it was great to see a couple of buildings full and alive on Sunday.

In Shawinigan Sunday afternoon, 4,512 fans watched the Cataractes fall 3-2 to the Quebec Remparts.
In Sherbrooke, 4,500 fans watched the Phoenix fall 3-2 to the Charlottetown Islanders.
Junior hockey at its best. Hopefully there are scenes like this in Saint John this June.

(LESS THAN) THREE WEEKS AWAY
We're getting closer.

The 2022 Memorial Cup is less than three weeks away. The Sea Dogs will play the first game of the tournament, hosting the Ontario Hockey League champion on Monday, June 20 at TD Station.

Memorial Cup events get rolling a couple days earlier on Saturday, June 18 with ball hockey, the Port City Party at the Container Village and fireworks.

The Memorial Cup website has the full event list and now includes more detailed info.

JERSEY UNVEILING
COVID not only robbed us of Memorial Cup games the past couple years, it also robbed us of some beautifully designed military themed jersey.

Since 2008, the Memorial Cup host team has worn a military themed jersey in the tournament opener. It appears the Sea Dogs' jersey will be unveiled on Sunday, June 19 at 2 p.m. at the AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village.


What better way to celebrate Father’s Day! The Memorial Cup will arrive in dramatic fashion, eventually landing in Saint John Harbour and parading to the gathering site at the AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village. Various military personnel, veterans, and military vehicles will take part in the procession to the stage, including a parade route from Long Wharf to Water Street. Following the on-stage welcome and presentation, there will be a formal unveiling of this year’s Military jersey, as well as photo opportunities available to the general public.

The jerseys are typically auctioned off during the tournament. In 2019, the Halifax Mooseheads' military jerseys raised $20,000 for the Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund.

A photo gallery of previous military themed jerseys can be found on the Memorial Cup website.

FAN BREAKFAST INFO
An annual Memorial Cup tradition will make its way to Saint John for the first time.

On Wednesday, June 22, the Memorial Cup Fan Breakfast will take place at the Royal Canadian Legion on Wilson Street. From details below.
This will be the 15th straight Memorial Cup that features a Fan Breakfast.

At the 2019 Memorial Cup in Halifax, the Fan Breakfast raised $9,350 for VETS Canada.

FRANCIS STILL UNSIGNED
It appears as though Sea Dogs forward Ryan Francis is/will become a free agent.
Francis was a fifth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft. He started the season with the Flames' American Hockey League affiliate, the Stockton Heat.

The Leafs Nation wrote about Francis and his expiring writes earlier this week.

(BELATED) ANNIVERSARY
ROY JOINS ROCKET
With his junior season now over, former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy has joined the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket.
The Rocket will face the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference final beginning this Saturday.

Roy was a fifth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in last year's NHL Draft. He led the QMJHL in regular season scoring this year with 51 goals and 119 points in 66 games with the Sherbrooke Phoenix. He had another eight goals and 15 assists in 11 playoff games.

FINALS DROUGHT
Poor Cape Breton.
OTHER THINGS
  • Former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy was awarded the Paul-Dumont Trophy on Sunday, given annually to the QMJHL's "personality of the year." According to the league's press release, "Roy earned the trophy for being an important ambassador for the QMJHL and for his positive impact in media circles." Roy criticized the Sea Dogs through the media last summer.
  • The Edmonton Sun writes that it's the Memorial Cup or bust for the loaded Edmonton Oil Kings, a team that has four first-round NHL drafted players.
  • The Hamilton Bulldogs, who will play in the OHL final, have a Sea Dogs connection in athletic therapist JP Laciak. Laciak was an athletic therapist with the Sea Dogs for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
  • Canucks Army writes about Matthew Highmore's season - and why Vancouver should bring him back next season.
  • Former Sea Dogs captain Spencer Smallman and the Chicago Wolves will face the Stockton Heat in the AHL's Western Conference final. The best-of-seven series (2-3-2) begins Friday in Chicago.
  • The Newfound Growlers have had their season come to an end, falling in five games to the Florida Everblades in the ECHL's Eastern Conference final. Former Sea Dogs forward Nathan Noel appeared in two playoff games with the Growlers. The Everblabes will play the Toledo Walleye in the Kelly Cup final.
  • Which QMJHL overage players could make their way to the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions next season? One of them could be Sea Dogs captain Vincent Sevigny, writes Le Nouvelliste.
  • Is professional men's basketball ever coming back to the Maritimes? In the Toronto Star, basketball writer Doug Smith expects Halifax to be on the CEBL's radar. Newfoundland joined the league this year.
  • A few small updates have been made to the website you are currently reading. The schedule/results section has been updated and a new "random stats/records" section has been added (and will be updated further in the coming weeks/months).
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJune 1, 2022 at 9:50 PM

    I’m still mad. Hope Charlottetown wins, may become the local team to route for.

    ReplyDelete