Monday, May 6, 2024

Notebook: QMJHL final begins Thursday

Baie-Comeau Drakkar
The Gilles Courteau Trophy final between the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Drummondville Voltigeurs will begin on Thursday at the Henry Leonard Centre.

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has unveiled the full schedule for the championship series. The winner advances to the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw.

Here's the full schedule:

1- Thursday, May 9, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau 
2- Friday, May 10, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau 
3- Monday, May 13, 8 p.m., in Drummondville 
4- Tuesday, May 14, 8 p.m., in Drummondville 
5- Thursday, May 16, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau* 
6- Saturday, May 18, 8 p.m., in Drummondville* 
7- Tuesday, May 21, 8 p.m., in Baie-Comeau* 
*if necessary

All games will be broadcast on TSN and RDS.

Noah Reinhart of the Voltigeurs is the lone former Saint John Sea Dog taking part in the final.

MACDOUGALL POST-GAME
Here's former Sea Dogs head coach Gardiner MacDougall speaking after leading Team Canada to an IIHF Under-18 World Championship on the weekend.


MACDOUGALL SMOKE
There continues to be smoke surrounding Gardiner MacDougall and the Moncton Wildcats. The Wildcats are currently searching for a head coach and general manager.
MacDougall told Postmedia's Kevin Barrett that the rumours are news to him.
We'll see where this goes.

COYLE, BRUINS ADVANCE
The lone Sea Dog in the Stanley Cup Playoffs has advanced to the second round.

Charlie Coyle and the Boston Bruins have advanced following a Game 7 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Bruins will face the Florida Panthers in the second round.

Coyle recorded two assists in the seven-game series, which ended up being a low scoring matchup. The 32-year-old now has 24 goals and 25 assists in 113 career NHL playoff games.

RUMOUR SEASON
We're getting close to draft time which means it's rumour season – and with the QMJHL hosting the Memorial Cup in 2025, it should be an eventful trade period.

Is Mathieu Cataford, the QMJHL's most valuable player in the regular season, on his way to the Memorial Cup hosts?

OTHER THINGS
  • Sportsnet and the Grand Forks Herald have reporting on the the NCAA potentially allowing CHL players into its leagues. The short answer: it's a matter of when, not if, which would significantly change the hockey development landscape. The NCAA is beginning to prepare for the change even though a majority of schools are not in favour of it. The NCAA has been losing every court battle it's been in over the past couple years and, if a CHL player ever challenged the NCAA on this matter in court, the NCAA would likely be forced to make the rule change.
  • The Oshawa Generals are Eastern Conference champions in the OHL, clinching a spot in the league final with a Game 7 win over the North Bay Battalion on Monday. The Generals led the series 3-0 at one point. Oshawa will face the London Knights in the final.
  • The field is set for the Centennial Cup, which takes place May 9-19 in Oakville, ON. The Miramichi Timberwolves will represent the Maritime Hockey League for the first time. The Timberwolves will play their first game on May 9 against the Melfort Mustangs of Saskatchewan. 
  • This is just the 17th time in QMJHL history that the two best teams from the regular season will meet in the league final.
  • Been watching a lot of OHL playoff games through CHL TV. Really miss Rogers TV doing QMJHL games in New Brunswick. 
  • The broadcast quality in a lot of the OHL and WHL rinks (even the non-TV games) is excellent – and shows a lot of QMJHL teams have a long way to go.
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