Saint John Sea Dogs
| Saint John Sea Dogs | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Saint John, New Brunswick |
| League | Quebec Major Junior Hockey League |
| Conference | Telus |
| Division | Telus Maritimes |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Home arena | Harbour Station |
| Colours |
Royal blue, black, white & silver |
| General manager | Trevor Georgie (President) |
| Head coach | Danny Flynn |
| Captain | Spencer Smallman |
| Championships | 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup Champions |
| Website | www.saintjohnseadogs.com |
The Saint John Sea Dogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, entering the league as an expansion team in 2005. The Sea Dogs play at Harbour Station in Saint John, New Brunswick, with a capacity of 6,488. On May 29, 2011, the Sea Dogs became the first team from Atlantic Canada to win the Memorial Cup.
The Sea Dogs filled the void left in Saint John by the departure of the AHL's Saint John Flames when the city was granted a team for the 2005–06 QMJHL season, paying a $3 million expansion fee. The Sea Dogs' expansion twins were the St. John's Fog Devils.
The Sea Dogs' very first head coach was Christian La Rue under general manager Bob "Tipper" LeBlanc, and the captaincy was split between Charles Bergeron and Vincent Lambert. The Sea Dogs were also given the first overall pick at the 2005 QMJHL Draft, selecting defenceman Alex Grant. The Sea Dogs had a weak first season and missed the playoffs.
During the offseason, Christian La Rue was fired and quickly replaced with former London Knights assistant coach Jacques Beaulieu. Beaulieu served as the head coach for the entire second season. Tipper Leblanc resigned mid-season, and Beaulieu stepped into the dual role of coach-GM.
The Sea Dogs' poor performance in their first season granted them another first overall pick at the 2006 QMJHL Draft, where they selected another defenceman, Yann Sauvé. The team missed the playoffs again.
The 2007 QMJHL Draft saw the Sea Dogs land the first pick yet again, with which they selected defenceman Simon Després. In the same draft round they selected Steven Anthony 10th overall. The team also selected goaltender Robert Mayer 3rd overall at the 2007 CHL Import Draft.
The Sea Dogs did not make a first round selection in the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft. In the second round, the Sea Dogs used their first pick to select defenceman Kevin Gagné. Another interesting story was the addition of Jacques Beaulieu's son Nathan to the roster.
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Wikipedia