Memorial Cup Awarded to Shawinigan
April 7, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
MONTREAL/SAINT JOHN, N.B. - The Saint John Sea Dogs hockey club fell short in its bid to host the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
Despite the strong bid Saint John put forward to host the national major junior hockey championship tournament, the independent selection committee chose Shawinigan, Que., instead. The announcement was made earlier today in Montreal, where Sea Dogs Chairman and CEO Scott McCain was joined by President Wayne Long.
"We wish Shawinigan all the best, but we know our organization had an outstanding bid from top to bottom. An incredible amount of work went into this bid and we felt Saint John showed it was by far the best option as a Memorial Cup host city," McCain said in reaction to the news. "We're obviously disappointed but, having said that, we respect the decision and our organization will move forward."
The strengths of Saint John's bid included a team coming off back-to-back regular-season championships, with nine players ranked by NHL Central Scouting for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. The city also boasts a top-notch arena in Harbour Station, which is connected to major hotels, restaurants and other facilities through an indoor pedway system. Other hotels and amenities are just minutes away, and Saint John's bid had enthusiastic corporate and community support behind it.
The champions from the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will join the host team for the national championship. The host team rotates annually between the three major junior leagues.
Shawinigan, Saint John, Halifax and Cape Breton were the QMJHL teams bidding to host the event. Long said he did not know if Saint John would put together the resources and support to mount another bid when the tournament returns to QMJHL territory in 2015.
"We respect the decision but it will take us some time to evaluate what we could have done better as we consider whether to bid in the future. It takes two to three years for an organization to prepare for a bid of this type," he said. "I'm most disappointed for the people of Saint John who threw their time and support behind this bid."
John Travis, who was to serve as chair of the host committee, said the local group that put together the bid did a fantastic job and he finds it hard to acknowledge it was not successful.
"While I must respect the process and want to wish Shawinigan all the best as they move towards hosting the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup, I must say I am disappointed with the final decision," Travis said.
Travis is looking forward to getting more information on the reasons for Saint John not being chosen.
"I hope over the next few weeks to be able to discuss with the selection committee in more detail the areas that they felt needed improvement in order to gain experience and insight for any possible future bids," he said.
Meanwhile, the Sea Dogs are hard at work in their bid to qualify for this year's tournament, set for May 19 to 29 in Mississauga, Ont. The Sea Dogs open their President's Cup quarter-final series Friday against the Victoriaville Tigres, a 7:30 p.m. start at Harbour Station. Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets can be obtained by calling the Harbour Station box office at (506) 657-1234, or by visiting www.tickets.harbourstation.ca.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2011
- Memorial Cup Awarded to Shawinigan - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Shawinigan to host 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup - QMJHL
- QMJHL Awards Night Recap - Lewiston MAINEiacs
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