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Post by ysj28 on Jul 7, 2021 13:15:27 GMT -4
The Saint John Sea Dogs organization has announced their intention to bid for the right to host the 102nd edition of the Memorial Cup presented by Kia in 2022.
The Memorial Cup, one of the most prestigious and coveted trophies in North American sport, has a rich tradition that has shaped the way junior hockey is played in North America.
In 2011 the Saint John Sea Dogs became the first Maritimes based team in the Canadian Hockey League to be crowned Memorial Cup Champions, now Saint John will look to host the tournament for the first time in the organization’s 17-year history.
“It has been my goal since founding this franchise in 2005 to host the Memorial Cup tournament right here where I grew up, in New Brunswick,” said Sea Dogs CEO & Owner, Scott McCain. “The legacy of the Memorial Cup and its significance in paying tribute to fallen Canadian Military Personnel is deeply important to the organization. Our team, our community and most importantly our fans have waited for the opportunity to host this historic event and now is the time to showcase what makes Saint John so special.”
The Sea Dogs will work in partnership with the Province of New Brunswick, City of Saint John and TD Station to complete the bid process and bring the 10-day tournament to Saint John.
“Speaking with past host cities of the Memorial Cup, they estimated that the 10-day tournament generated one million dollars per day in economic impact. Winning this bid is important on so many levels. It isn’t the Sea Dogs bid, it’s the region’s bid. It’s a bid for Saint John and for the province of New Brunswick. It’s going to be a collaborative effort across the entire community and an opportunity for us to reintroduce and showcase our region to the world, post-pandemic,” explained Sea Dogs President & General Manager, Trevor Georgie. “We are a hockey community, a resilient community, a hard-working community, and a vibrant community. We are ready to put on a world-class event and welcome the 59 other communities from across the CHL and the entire hockey world to our home. On the ice, we have a mature and talented roster, among the best in the league next season, and every single player is excited to prove that we’re ready to host and hoist a Memorial Cup. It is a moment that we have all been dreaming of for a very long time.”
The 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia will take place from June 3-12 and will feature the playoff champion from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, in addition to the chosen QMJHL host club.
Completed bids will be submitted to the Canadian Hockey League and the appointed selection committee by August 23rd, 2021. The committee will then announce the winning bid and host of the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia on September 6th, 2021.
“I still remember that feeling of raising the cup over my head,” added Sea Dogs alumnus and captain of the 2011 Memorial Cup Champions, Mike Thomas. “To have the Memorial Cup in my home province of New Brunswick, right here in Saint John would mean so much to the players, their families and the fans. I can attest, it would provide memories for a lifetime.”
TD Station has been the premiere events space in southern New Brunswick since its opening in 1993. The arena has played host to national and international events including the 2019 CHL Canada/Russia Series, 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and 2014 Women’s World Curling Championships.
For more information on the Memorial Cup presented by Kia, visit chlmemorialcup.ca.
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Post by j3e4 on Jul 7, 2021 14:30:02 GMT -4
Might be our last good shot at it. Harbour Station will be over 30 the next time the Q hosts and it's unlikely the team will be rebuilt in time for 2025 (unless they sell off at Xmas this year). Harbour Station is still a nice venue but it's no longer the class of the Maritimes or even NB. Who knows how many more new rinks will pop up by the time the team is ready to bid again?
Quebec just hosted 2 cycles ago in thei r old rink. But will they go to the Maritimes twice in a row? In this case, it wouldn't just be 2 Q hosts in a row being from Maritimes but 2 hosts in general being from the Maritimes, albeit separated by 3 years.
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Post by Slap Shooter on Jul 7, 2021 15:38:40 GMT -4
As awesome as it would be to host a Memorial cup it would have a couple of draw backs if we do.
1. Is Finacial costs to the team. Since they have reported losing in the millions of dollars range for the past few years.
2. The costs of the tickets. I am sure there would be alot of corporate sponsors and people traveling from other parts but fans here are pretty frugal when it comes to ticket prices.
3. How many moves do they need to make and how long will we suffer through another rebuild.
Other than that Go Dogs Go!
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Post by lirette on Jul 8, 2021 9:56:21 GMT -4
As awesome as it would be to host a Memorial cup it would have a couple of draw backs if we do. 1. Is Finacial costs to the team. Since they have reported losing in the millions of dollars range for the past few years. 2. The costs of the tickets. I am sure there would be alot of corporate sponsors and people traveling from other parts but fans here are pretty frugal when it comes to ticket prices. 3. How many moves do they need to make and how long will we suffer through another rebuild. Other than that Go Dogs Go! If the marketing is done right around the Memorial Cup being the can't miss event (like Halifax did a few years ago or Moncton in '06) fans who don't usually attend more than a few games will decide to get season tickets. Maritimers in general have a FOMO culture when it comes to big events which is why concerts on the hill or CBMF do so well. I also wonder how the amount of people moving here in droves from other places in Canada could have an impact. Many of the people coming here from BC, Ontario etc. are retired or semi retired and have plenty of access to money. Just depends how many of them are hockey fans. The fact that we've been starved for big events for 1.5 years may also bump up some interest. Being so close to Saint John as a Moncton fan I would definitely try and make it down if tickets hit the general public. Tickets will definitely be more accessible if Quebec hosts, but the area where the arena is is far less walkable than SJ. |
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Post by SteveUL on Jul 8, 2021 11:05:54 GMT -4
Might be our last good shot at it. Harbour Station will be over 30 the next time the Q hosts and it's unlikely the team will be rebuilt in time for 2025 (unless they sell off at Xmas this year). Harbour Station is still a nice venue but it's no longer the class of the Maritimes or even NB. Who knows how many more new rinks will pop up by the time the team is ready to bid again? Quebec just hosted 2 cycles ago in thei r old rink. But will they go to the Maritimes twice in a row? In this case, it wouldn't just be 2 Q hosts in a row being from Maritimes but 2 hosts in general being from the Maritimes, albeit separated by 3 years. In my opinion, if and when Halifax or Quebec want to host, their bids will be very tough to beat out. The biggest reason is because they can sell more tickets and make the Q owners more money, and they have very active markets for CHL fans. But they are also world class cities and so any event held there becomes a happening that people want to go to. Team strength is really the only way that SJ can put a better bid in than Quebec can, and then that may not be enough to have the best bid. Having said that, the Q has an opportunity to show the rest of the teams that just because Halifax or Quebec put in a bid they don't automatically get it. They have to say to Quebec, "you just hosted 6 yrs ago (2015), its not your turn", and then simply reject their bid. To me that's the only fair thing that can be done here. But the downfall for SJ that needs to change is that their attendance has dwindled significantly (not counting the COVID season where attendance limits were in place) and it is no longer a very active CHL market. I don't have the numbers in front of me but in the previous season I think the average was down around 3000 (maybe slightly less) and they were up around 4000 in years before. The fanbase seems to be losing interest, but obviously not the people that come here to discuss the team. Feel free to find and post the attendance numbers back to about 2010. |
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Post by SteveUL on Jul 8, 2021 11:15:47 GMT -4
As awesome as it would be to host a Memorial cup it would have a couple of draw backs if we do. 1. Is Finacial costs to the team. Since they have reported losing in the millions of dollars range for the past few years. 2. The costs of the tickets. I am sure there would be alot of corporate sponsors and people traveling from other parts but fans here are pretty frugal when it comes to ticket prices. 3. How many moves do they need to make and how long will we suffer through another rebuild. Other than that Go Dogs Go! I think you should approach the event as if the City is hosting it and not the team. Its an enormous undertaking to put this event on and the City and Province have to chip in financially to get it off the ground. But SJ is not flush with cash right now, and neither is our Province, and Higgs is not normally in a spending mood. The thing about hosting that I remember from 2006 was that as a season ticket holder, I had to fork out for the season tickets, then the playoff tickets, then the Mem Cup tickets. It almost tripled the cost of the season for me, and I had three seats back then. I'd almost rather not be host, and just watch the games on TV where they do an excellent job of broadcasting the tournament, but the festival atmosphere is always fun. |
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Post by donviewdarts on Jul 8, 2021 11:19:52 GMT -4
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Post by yesisaiditfirst on Jul 8, 2021 13:11:21 GMT -4
As awesome as it would be to host a Memorial cup it would have a couple of draw backs if we do. 1. Is Finacial costs to the team. Since they have reported losing in the millions of dollars range for the past few years. 2. The costs of the tickets. I am sure there would be alot of corporate sponsors and people traveling from other parts but fans here are pretty frugal when it comes to ticket prices. 3. How many moves do they need to make and how long will we suffer through another rebuild. Other than that Go Dogs Go! I think you should approach the event as if the City is hosting it and not the team. Its an enormous undertaking to put this event on and the City and Province have to chip in financially to get it off the ground. But SJ is not flush with cash right now, and neither is our Province, and Higgs is not normally in a spending mood. The thing about hosting that I remember from 2006 was that as a season ticket holder, I had to fork out for the season tickets, then the playoff tickets, then the Mem Cup tickets. It almost tripled the cost of the season for me, and I had three seats back then. I'd almost rather not be host, and just watch the games on TV where they do an excellent job of broadcasting the tournament, but the festival atmosphere is always fun. The Memorial Cup is a chance to showcase the organization and its city. It has always been that. It's great for the region. But its not going to be in the budget of every local fan. I have traveled to memorial cup in other parts of Canada. Every decent sized market should have its day in the sun. It's the one time you will get it. Soak it up. Drop your wallet and enjoy it if able to. Otherwise bow out and watch from home or look for loose tickets. Sadly these events often leave the organizer in the red. But they are doing the city, province and local businesses a solid by trying. It's a big picture thing. And think of this. If the teams never bid on these events how could they ever go to public with plans to upgrade facilities or build new arenas that everyone enjoy? People would say "why... these will be white elephants spend the money elsewhere". Harbour Station and Scotiabank Center have more than paid for themselves in economic growth that doesn't show up in the municipal ledgers over and over. But yes it will cost more to go to all the games. |
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Post by Slap Shooter on Sept 6, 2021 9:18:38 GMT -4
The announcement for who gets to host the Memorial cup is tommorow.
It will be nice to host and will be good for the team and city.
Not sure how we beat out Quebecs bid. Them hosting in 2015 might give the advantage to the Dogs.
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Post by iraca on Sept 6, 2021 15:13:54 GMT -4
I believe the announcement date has been delayed at least a week.
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Post by SteveUL on Sept 7, 2021 10:07:45 GMT -4
The announcement for who gets to host the Memorial cup is tommorow. It will be nice to host and will be good for the team and city. Not sure how we beat out Quebecs bid. Them hosting in 2015 might give the advantage to the Dogs. I think team strength is the only box you guys tick that Quebec doesn't get, and after an uninspiring season last year your team strength is somewhat questionable. But ultimately this is your 2nd time bidding (1st time unsuccessful) and Quebec just hosted 5 yrs ago, so I see it as your turn. But the Q likes to protect its own and so where Halifax was the last host for the Q, they may decide that it needs to be back in the Province of Quebec this time around. But if I am voting, its your turn (I'm not voting). If the Q was wise, they'd simply ask Quebec to retract their bid. |
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Post by bois on Sept 7, 2021 10:31:48 GMT -4
Quebec have a very strong team this year on paper..... not sure why you think they don't tick that box so to speak
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Post by SteveUL on Sept 7, 2021 10:39:54 GMT -4
Quebec have a very strong team this year on paper..... not sure why you think they don't tick that box so to speak All I'm saying is that in every other aspect of the bid process, they can only hope to beat Quebec in team strength. Quebec will beat them in every other category. So maybe they don't beat Quebec in any categories. |
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Post by j3e4 on Sept 7, 2021 11:39:39 GMT -4
The announcement for who gets to host the Memorial cup is tommorow. It will be nice to host and will be good for the team and city. Not sure how we beat out Quebecs bid. Them hosting in 2015 might give the advantage to the Dogs. I think Quebec hosting not that long ago is one thing that could work to our advantage, even though I don't believe it is officially part of any criteria. That seemed to by why many thought Shawinigan got it in 2012. Only instead of being relatively recent hosts, we were a relatively new team. Either way Shawinigan had been waiting longer which is why many figured they'd win the bid. On the other hand this would be 2 consecutive Maritime teams hosting the tournament. This will be the first tournament in 3 years, so I could see them wanting to put it in a larger city/venue. |
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Post by Briwhel on Sept 7, 2021 11:51:54 GMT -4
I fully expect Quebec to win. The league didn't even bother with announcing a nonpartisan selection committee this time.
Edit: Quebec ticks every box on a bid and offers more potential $.
The only thing that SJ might have going on a bid is that our ownership didn't embarrass the league.
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