New Brunswick hockey fans are used to seeing Gardiner MacDougall celebrating championships.
This year, he'll try to give a third city in the province its own special moment.
The wildly successful coach of the University of New Brunswick men's program retired from the Fredericton school after winning his ninth U Sports title last season and then took a job as head coach of the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats. MacDougall was part of a family package with his son, Taylor, taking over the GM reins.
The MacDougall duo didn't take long to adjust to the new surroundings, guiding the team to the best record in the league and the current No. 1 ranking in the CHL. The Wildcats enter their first-round series against the Quebec Remparts on a 15-game win streak.
It's not like high-stakes junior play will be a new challenge for Gardiner MacDougall. Just three years ago, another New Brunswick team in the 'Q', the Saint John Sea Dogs, hired him on an interim basis to coach the Memorial Cup hosts after the squad was eliminated in the opening round of the league playoffs.
After what amounted to an extended training camp with the team, the Prince Edward Island native coached the Sea Dogs to a national title.
Last year, MacDougall won gold as Canada's coach at the world under-18 championship in Finland.
Moncton, meanwhile, has never won a Memorial Cup. This year's edition is hosted by the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic.
Here's a look at first-round playoff series and storylines to watch in the playoffs heading into the opener on Thursday:
FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Moncton Wildcats vs. No. 8 Quebec Remparts
No. 2 Rimouski Oceanic vs. No. 7 Charlottetown Islanders
No. 3 Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs. No. 6 Acadie-Bathurst Titan
No. 4 Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. No. 5 Cape Breton Eagles
Western Conference
No. 1 Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. No. 8 Halifax Mooseheads
No. 2 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. No. 7 Gatineau Olympiques
No. 3 Shawinigan Cataractes vs. No. 6 Val-d'Or Foreurs
No. 4 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs. No. 5 Sherbrooke Phoenix
MONCTON MACHINE
While the MacDougall father-son duo certainly deserves credit for the team's success, games, of course, are won on the ice.
To that end, the Wildcats have a potential top-five NHL Draft prospect in Caleb Desnoyers, who finished fifth in league scoring.
In Sam Cosentino's March draft rankings for Sportsnet, the six-foot-two centre rose to No. 3 overall after spending most of the season outside the top four. Desnoyers was part of Canada's under-18 championship team coached by MacDougall.
The Wildcats made a big mid-season trade for former Canadian world junior goalie Mathis Rousseau from the Halifax Mooseheads, but Moncton may have a decision to make in net considering Detroit Red Wings prospect Rudy Guimond is a perfect 15-0 between the pipes. The latter also has a 1.73 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.
On defence, Moncton's Etienne Morin finished third in the league for scoring among blue-liners.
The first-round series against Quebec will be a good chance for Remparts rookie forward Maddox Dagenais to get some playoff experience. Dagenais was picked first overall in last year's QMJHL Draft, 29 years after his father Pierre was selected by Moncton with the top pick.
HOSTS WITH THE MOST?
The Oceanic will try not to be like that 2022 Saint John's team, the last QMJHL team to host the Memorial Cup and lose in the first round before taking the back door into the national tournament.
It would be a surprise if the Oceanic don't go on a significant playoff run .— because the QMJHL reseeds teams in the semifinals, Rimouski and Moncton can't meet until the league final. If that is the championship matchup, the Wildcats will join the Oceanic at the Memorial Cup regardless of the result.
Rimouski's Jonathan Fauchon was the league's scoring leader and the first Oceanic player to top 100 points since former NHL No. 1-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere in 2019-20. The Providence College commit was acquired from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada prior to the trade deadline.
Latvia's Eriks Mateiko is another big name for the Oceanic. He led his country to a stunning upset over Canada at the world juniors by scoring the only goal in a shootout.
Rimouski was ousted in the QMJHL semifinals the last year it hosted the Memorial Cup in 2009.
A Memorial Cup host hasn't won a league title since 2008 when the Kitchener Rangers took the OHL crown and then lost to Spokane in the national final.
REPEAT CHAMP?
The Drummondville Voltigeurs aren't going to relinquish their QMJHL title easily.
Drummondville emerged from a tight four-team race in the Western Conference to grab the top seed.
Voltigeurs star Sam Oliver was the lone 50-goal scorer in the league this season, while Newfoundland native Riley Mercer has been one of the league's top goalies.
LAST CALL FOR TITAN
The end is near for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who have been sold to a group that will move the team to St. John's, N.L. next season.
Bathurst, N.B. is the smallest market in the CHL, and it has been a challenge to sell seats for many seasons. However, when things were good in Bathurst, it was an electric place to watch a game. I was lucky enough to attend a home game during the 2018 playoff run, which ended with a QMJHL title and a Memorial Cup win, and it was one of the best junior atmospheres I've seen (having been to 20 of the CHL's 60 rinks).
The Titan, coached by Gordie Dwyer, are seen as a team on the rise, and should provide a good product for Newfoundland hockey fans next season.
WATCH OUT FOR CARBONNEAU
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada winger Justin Carbonneau is the second-best QMJHL prospect in Cosentino's draft rankings and looks like a solid bet to be a mid-first-round pick.
The native of Levis, Que. was second in the league in scoring.
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