Moncton Wildcats ready to face ‘great opponents’ at Memorial Cup

Moncton Wildcats take home their third QMJHL championship, their first win since 2010.

It took a bit longer than they hoped, but the Moncton Wildcats finally took care of business Monday afternoon.

The Wildcats defeated the Rimouski Oceanic 3-2 to win the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) championship in six games.

It was just the third Quebec league title in the team’s 29-year existence and their first since 2010.

Head coach Gardiner MacDougall said it was exhilarating to win even though the team missed an opportunity to close out the series at home Saturday night.

“They had to show some resilience. Disappointed that on Saturday we didn’t get the result, but sometimes you need those to get better,” said MacDougall.

Moncton and Rimouski both qualify for this weekend’s Memorial Cup because the Oceanic are the host team.

With Monday’s win, Moncton finished the post season with a 16-3 record and they were the top ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League this year.

It’s been a championship career for MacDougall.

He won nine national titles behind the bench for the University of New Brunswick Reds and he captured a Memorial Cup with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2022.

“Always the last one is the most immediate and it was unbelievable,” said MacDougall.

When the team arrived home Monday evening, hundreds of people were waiting for them at the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport in the rain.

“That just sums up the passion and the support we have here in Moncton,” said MacDougall.

MacDougall and his son Taylor were hired a little more than a year ago with team president Robert Irving called it a “new era” for Moncton.

MacDougall said he jumped at the chance to work with his son and everything came together quickly.

“I told him early, I said listen, ‘I can coach good players if you can find me some good players,’ and he’s done a tremendous job,” said MacDougall.

Taylor MacDougall, who is the general manager and director of hockey operations, said it was pretty special to work with his father this year, but gave praise to the entire organization for the success on the ice.

“We have a unique dynamic and that’ll be pretty cool to look back on one day, but just to get that win last night for the entire team. The kids have been awesome all year in terms of their work ethic and coming to the rink everyday with great attitudes,” said Taylor MacDougall.

QMJHL scout and analyst Craig Eagles said both men deserve a lot of credit for the championship season.

“Taylor’s ability and connections throughout the hockey world, player personnel decisions that they’ve made, have been fantastic,” said Eagles.

The “Gardiner effect” is what Eagles called MacDougall’s impact behind the bench.

“He wins at every level and at every stage. He gets the most out of his players at the opportune time and that’s what good coaching is all about, what great coaching is all about,” said Eagles.

The Wildcats are scheduled to practice on Wednesday before flying back to Rimouski.

Moncton was the top ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) this year, but the London Knights, Medicine Hat Tigers and Rimouski Oceanic were right behind them.

“The four top ranked teams in the CHL rankings going into the playoffs are the four teams participating in the tournament. They’re fantastic teams,” said Taylor MacDougall.

Gardiner MacDougall thinks Rimouski will be a dangerous team because they’ll be highly motivated to rebound from losing the QMJHL title on home ice.

“We’ve got great opponents,” said MacDougall.

Eagles said it’s a stacked tournament with a lot of star power, but believes the Wildcats have a good shot of winning it all.

“What Gardiner can do in a short tournament is incredible, so, yes, they have a legitimate chance of hoisting the Memorial Cup,” said Eagles.

Moncton begins the tournament Saturday night against London.

All of the games will be broadcast on TSN.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.