Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Notebook: It's been 13 years

Embed from Getty Images
It was 13 years ago Wednesday that the Saint John Sea Dogs hoisted the Memorial Cup for the first time.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 3-1 on May 29, 2011 in the tournament's championship game. Saint John became the first team from Atlantic Canada to win the trophy but have since been joined by the Halifax Mooseheads (2013) and Acadie-Bathurst Titan (2018).

The full game can be seen below.


STARTING AT HOME
For the first time since 2021, the Sea Dogs will begin the regular season at home.

Saint John will host the Moncton Wildcats on Sept. 20 to kick off regular season play. The Sea Dogs have started the past two seasons in Bathurst, defeating the Titan 6-4 last year and 4-3 the year prior.

This will also be the first time since 2013 that the Sea Dogs begin the regular season by facing the Wildcats. Saint John won in Moncton on Sept. 13, 2013.

The Sea Dogs hosted the Wildcats in their 2011 season opener, falling 3-1 with a lineup that was missing several regulars due to NHL camps.

FAMILIAR SPOTS
The Sea Dogs will play in some non-QMJHL arenas this pre-season but, for the most part, they are familiar spots.

Saint John begins pre-season play on Aug. 20 in St. Stephen at the Garcelon Civic Center, a building they last visited in 2019. The Sea Dogs will also play a "home game" at Fredericton's Aitken Centre on Aug. 23, an arena they have visited frequently in recent years. The team's third and final home game will be an actual home game on Sept. 8, taking to the ice at TD Station.

As for road games, the Sea Dogs will visit PEI's Pownal Sports Centre twice, where they played one game last year. They'll also take on the Cape Breton Eagles in Port Hawkesbury – which will be Saint John's first visit to the Cape Breton community.

FELICIO TO MICHIGAN
Sea Dogs draft pick Will Felicio has committed to the University of Michigan.
Felicio, who recently dropped his commitment to the University of Denver, was an 11th-round pick of Saint John in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft.

The 18-year-old defenseman split last season between the USHL's Madison Capitols and Waterloo Black Hawks. He is eligible for this year's NHL Draft.

OTHER THINGS
  • Former Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier Leblanc has signed with the Fife Flyers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the UK. The 28-year-old played pro in France last season. The Flyers are coached by former UNB Reds head coach Tom Coolen. Leblanc spent three seasons playing at UNB.
  • The Memorial Cup hosting Rimouski Oceanic will start the regular season by playing nine straight road games due to some rink renovations. The Halifax Mooseheads had to go through something similar at the start of the 2018-19 season, a season that ended with the club hosting the Memorial Cup.
  • Speaking of the Mooseheads, they'll play their first five games away from home. The club will play its first home game on Oct. 4.
  • Here's what the first round of the Maritime Hockey League Draft currently looks like.
  • It's great having the referees mic'd up at the Memorial Cup to call penalties and explain reviews. Hopefully this comes to regular season games soon.
  • Former QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau took part in Tuesday's ceremonial puck drop at the Memorial Cup.
  • In non-surprising news, Rob Hennigar has been promoted to head coach of the UNB Reds men's hockey team, replacing Gardiner MacDougall.
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