The Islanders and Shawinigan Cataractes will battle in Game 1 of the best-of-seven championship series at 7 p.m. The Islanders will be without Xavier Simoneau due to a suspension.
This is the first time the Islanders have played in a President Cup final. Neither team has even won a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship.
Only one former Sea Dog remains in the hunt for the President Cup: Islanders forward Dawson Stairs.
Game 2 takes place Sunday night at Eastlink Centre before the series shifts to Shawinigan for Games 3 and 4.
The Cataractes, who entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, will be hoping to continue the Game 1 upset trend seen across the country. The underdog Windsor Spitfires defeated the previously undefeated Hamilton Bulldogs 4-3 in overtime in the first game of the Ontario Hockey League final Friday night. In the Western Hockey League final, the underdog Seattle Thunderbirds beat the favoured Edmonton Oil Kings 2-1 in the opening game.
FRANCIS GOES UNSIGNED
Why didn't the Calgary Flames sign Sea Dogs forward Ryan Francis by Wednesday's deadline?
It seems a bit bizarre that Francis wasn’t re-signed this year after the numbers he has put up in his time in the Q. While nobody is speaking publicly, the most likely answer is that the Flames did not believe that his game would transition effectively to the next level. After keeping him in the AHL for a couple of months this previous fall and only getting him into four games, it looked like the Flames were not convinced of his ability to translate his production to the professional ranks.
Francis had 25 goals and 65 points in 54 regular season games with the Sea Dogs this year. He had a goal and an assist in four playoff games.
Francis was a fifth-round pick of the Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft, the same year Calgary selected Yan Kuznetsov (second round) and Jeremie Poirier (third round).
CITY FUNDING
Country 94 reports that Saint John's Common Council recently approved funding for the 2022 Memorial Cup.
Saint John’s Common Council has approved funding worth $250,000 for the 2022 Memorial Cup.An operating grant of $150,000, as well as $100,000 for unplanned air quality improvements required at TD Station for the event, were both approved at Monday’s meeting.
The contribution comes from the Municipal Economic and Community Recovery (ENCORE) program.
GALLANT FINISHES THIRD
Former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant finished third in NHL coach of the year voting.
Here are the final Jack Adams Award voting results: pic.twitter.com/rIpexLzwrc
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 3, 2022
Gallant finished behind Calgary's Darryl Sutter and Florida's Andrew Brunette. Gallant received 12 first-place votes.
Gallant currently has the New York Rangers up 2-0 over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final. This is Gallant's first season behind the Rangers bench - a bench he shares with former Sea Dogs coaches Mike Kelly and Jim Midgley.
PRIDE MONTH
The QMJHL is very happy to celebrate inclusivity in hockey during this Pride Month! 🙌🏳️🌈@gcourteauhockey | #HockeyIsForEveryone pic.twitter.com/XxNsfDaKZU
— QMJHL (@QMJHL) June 1, 2022
Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🎉 pic.twitter.com/xi3vflTelf
— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 1, 2022
ECHL LISTS
The ECHL released its protected lists earlier this week. A few former Sea Dogs were included.
Allen Americans - Kelly Bent
Fort Wayne Komets - Matt Murphy and Oliver Cooper
Greenville Swamp Rabbits - Cedric Pare
Idaho Steelheads - Jack Van Boekel and Chase Stewart
Newfoundland Growlers - Nathan Noel
OTHER THINGS
- We're just two weeks away from Memorial Cup events beginning in Saint John.
- Saltwire spoke with Sea Dogs head coach Gardiner MacDougall about leading the team into the Memorial Cup.
- Earlier this week, the QMJHL announced that the President Cup final will be dedicated to the memory of Guy Lafleur.
- Willy Palov previews the President Cup final in the Chronicle Herald.
- The first four games of the President Cup final - two in Charlottetown and two in Shawinigan - are sold out.
- Will be neat to see TSN broadcasting games from Seattle and Charlottetown (potentially) next week, two rinks that rarely get national television exposure.
- In the American Hockey League, Spencer Smallman and the Chicago Wolves defeated the Stockton Heat 5-4 in overtime in the opening game of the Western Conference final Friday night. Game 2 is on Monday.
- Brad Flynn, the son of former Sea Dogs head coach Danny Flynn, has been named the head coach of the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Bonnyville Pontiacs. Flynn spent this past season as an associate coach with the Saginaw Spirit.
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