On Dec. 1, 2005, the Québec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) made a significant move by greenlighting an expansion plan that introduced a new team in Saint John for the 2005-06 season.
In 20 years, the Saint John Sea Dogs have marked their presence in the hockey world with outstanding accomplishments, winning the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as QMJHL champions in 2011, 2012 and 2017.
Notably, they became the first Atlantic team in major junior hockey history to capture the Memorial Cup, achieving this feat in 2011 and again in 2022.
Team President Trevor Georgie, a native of Mississauga, Ont., was in his first year of Harvard University when the expansion was announced and remembers watching the Sea Dogs win the 2011 Memorial Cup over his hometown Mississauga St. Michael’s Major (now the Brampton Steelheads) of the Ontario Hockey League.
“Every year on Facebook you get memories of different things, and every year around the Memorial Cup, I get a memory about me going to the 2011 Memorial Cup finals and saying ‘Go Majors’ and I always jokingly send it to our owner Scott McCain saying ‘Geez, that didn’t really age well,'” said Georgie.
Georgie said the 2024-25 season will celebrate two decades of Sea Dogs’ history. This includes honouring the championship-winning teams, with plans to view the Memorial Cup and the Gilles-Courteau Trophy.
“Our plan is to have them here throughout the season at different points for fans to look up the names that are on those cups and just enjoy having them back in the City of Champions in Saint John, New Brunswick,” added Georgie.
The Sea Dogs will wear this 20th-anniversary logo on their jerseys. Image: Saint John Sea Dogs
As the season continues, the Sea Dogs’ schedule will highlight popular theme nights that fans love, alongside brand-new speciality nights featuring jerseys that have never been released.
Along with celebrating the past, the team also looks to the future with the unveiling of a new look that aims to modernize the team’s brand while maintaining its rich history.
The Sea Dogs start the season at home against the Moncton Wildcats on Sept. 20.
