Saturday News & Notes

Our boy CJ profiles Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier LeBlanc.

Some other news and notes:

• Former Sea Dogs goaltender Jason Churchill made 34 saves to help the Clarenville Caribous defeat the Bentley Generals 5-1 in the Allan Cup semi-final last night. Clarenville will now play host Dundas the in championship game today at 4pm. The game will be broadcast on TSN2.
• Charlie Coyle scored his first career playoff goal in Minnesota’s 5-4 overtime Game 1 loss to Colorado. He had two assists in five post-season games with the Wild last year.
• Tomas Jurco had one shot and two hits in 12:27 of ice time last night, helping the Detroit Red Wings upset the Boston Bruins 1-0 and take a 1-0 series lead.
• As the Lewiston Sun Journal reports, Eric Gelinas holds a unique place in Lewiston hockey history. Gelinas is currently with the AHL’s Albany Devils.
• More details on the QMJHL’s Gatorade Excellence Challenge have been released. The event will showcase the top draft eligible players from Atlantic Canada and Quebec. It takes place May 1-4 in Boisbriand.
• Nathan Noel was one of the final cuts from the Canada’s under-18 team. Fellow QMJHL rookies Nicolas Roy and Jeremy Roy were also cut.
• Jonathan Huberdeau was officially named to Canada’s World Championship team on Thursday. Additions will still be made to the roster but here’s a look at the first group who will be heading over.
• Here’s video of Gerard Gallant getting inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame.

Gallant Inducted Into Hall

Last night at the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Golden Puck Awards, former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant was inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame.

As a league press release notes, Gallant “is the only member in QMJHL history to win the President Cup four times in his combined roles of player (2) and head coach (2). As a hockey player with Sherbrooke in 1982 and then in 1983 with Verdun, Gallant would taste the joy of the championship series.”

Also from the league release:

In 2009-10, he made a comeback in the QMJHL, this time as head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs (New Brunswick). The team won three consecutive regular season titles. In addition, Gallant’s team won the grand final of the playoffs in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, the Sea Dogs won the Memorial Cup as Gallant could count on a talented brigade including Jonathan Huberdeau, Stanislav Galiev, Jacob DeSerres, Nathan Beaulieu and Simon Després. 

Therefore Gerard Gallant has maintained in the regular season, the best career winning percentage for a coach in the QMJHL (.791). Unsurprisingly, he twice won the Ron-Lapointe Trophy, awarded to the coach of the year, at the end of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

Gallant, of course, is currently an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens. The QMJHL website has an article on him here.

Jean-Luc Phaneuf, Norman Caisse, and Patrice Brisebois were also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Today, the host city for the 2015 Memorial Cup will be announced. That is between Quebec City and Chicoutimi. Also, the team that will select first overall in the QMJHL Entry Draft will be determined. That is between Saint John and Sherbrooke and will take place around 12:45 PM AST.

Gerard Gallant Gets Hall Call

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today that former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant will be inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame this April.

Three players and one official – Gallant, Jean-Luc Phaneuf, Patrice Brisebois, and Normand Caisse – will be inducted into the Hall on Wednesday April 2nd, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Montreal.

Gallant coached the Sea Dogs from 2009-2012, winning literally everything. From the QMJHL website:

In 2009-10, he made a comeback in the QMJHL, this time as head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs (New Brunswick). The team won three consecutive regular season titles, a first in the history of the League. In addition, Gallant’s team won the grand final of the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, after losing in the final round against Moncton at its first attempt in 2010. In 2011, the Sea Dogs won the Memorial Cup as Gallant could count on a talented brigade including Jonathan Huberdeau, Stanislav Galiev, Jacob DeSerres, Nathan Beaulieu and Simon Després.

Therefore Gerard Gallant has maintained in the regular season, the best career winning percentage for a  coach in the QMJHL (,791), higher than the previous record holder, Maurice Filion of the Québec Remparts (,733). Unsurprisingly, he twice won the Ron-Lapointe Trophy, awarded to the coach of the year, at the end of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

Gallant also had quite an impressive playing career - which is explained in detail over on the Q site - in the QMJHL, recording 321 points in 188 regular season games and 90 points in 51 playoff contests.

The Summerside native is currently an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens.