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| Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs |
Assistant coach Mark Lee is also no longer with the team.
Brian Casey has been named Sea Dogs head coach for the remainder of the season.
“We appreciate all the work that both Travis and Mark put into our team during their time in Saint John,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “We wish them the very best in their next opportunities.”
Crickard has been the team's head coach since the 2022-23 season. He was an assistant coach during the 2021-22 campaign, working under Gordie Dwyer and Gardiner MacDougall.
The 39-year-old leaves the Sea Dogs with an 80-158 record as head coach. Crickard was also the club's general manager from Oct. 2024 to Dec. 2025.
The move doesn't come as a huge surprise. Crickard didn't have much to work with in his first few seasons as head coach, but that changed this season, and hopes were that the team would at least show visible signs of improvements as the year went along. That has not been the case with the team struggling all year.
Saint John currently sits 15th overall in the QMJHL with a 20-30-5-0 record. They are likely to make the playoffs this season – something they didn't do last year – but will be major underdogs in their first round series.
Casey, 53, played a couple seasons in the QMJHL in the early 1990s before heading to Acadia University and later playing several seasons in Europe.
Casey's coaching experience is limited. He was most notably an assistant coach at StFX for two seasons and later the head coach of the Maritime Junior Hockey League's Fredericton Red Wings and Newfoundland's under-18 Central Impact.
“We are pleased to welcome Brian to the Sea Dogs,” said Georgie. “He brings experience and a fresh perspective to our team. We look forward to him helping us maximize the opportunity in front of us down the stretch.”
A Sea Dogs news release notes that Casey is the father of former Sea Dog Nathan Casey and the uncle of Brandon Casey.
While the Sea Dogs made no indication of it in their news release, it's probably a safe assumption that the team will conduct a coaching search in the off-season. This is a great audition for Casey, though.
The Sea Dogs are in Halifax on Friday to face the Mooseheads at 7 p.m. They return to TD Station on Saturday to host the Charlottetown Islanders.
The Telegraph Journal reported that Travis and Mark resigned.
ReplyDeleteLet’s not get fooled by Trevor again. He makes it seems like he hired a new coach. He promoted the goalie coach. He did not fire Travis and mark. Travis quit and he offered mark the job. Mark turn it down because how the organization is run. Trevor never had anyone to back up Travis or Mark. There is an awful lot of rumours starting to surface about how the sea dogs is run. Only team in the league without a trainer. Who fired him halfway through the season ( Trevor) . This team was torn down four times since Crickard took over. Look at Joesph one of the top rookies in scoring in the league. Who was coaching him?
ReplyDeleteBro anybody who knows anything knows that isnt what happened lol not even close
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