Sea Dogs rallied around coach in end-of-season stretch

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Those inside the Saint John Sea Dogs dressing room knew Travis Crickard was back in fine form when, after what turned out to be a playoff=clinching victory over Halifax on March 22, he flipped the laundry basket inside the dressing room and called for some Ric Flair.

“Ric Flair, where you at?” he bellowed in front of the enthused players and staff after a 5-2 victory on home ice. “Whoo, whoo, whoo.”

Crickard’s love of pro wrestling played a big role for the team this year, especially in the lighter and celebratory moments of the difficult 2023-24 QMJHL season, one that included Bret the Hit Man Hart dropping the ceremonial puck during the team’s home opener in September and a direct message to Saint John from Flair on the eve of the post season.

The season ended Wednesday when the Dogs were swept in four games by Drummondville, a matchup in which the team’s youth gained experience against a seasoned opponent with the potential to skate into the Memorial Cup.

It is Crickard’s passion and enthusiasm that often stood out for the players, who galvanized as a team after he suffered a medical emergency during a game in March in Cape Breton, stunning the team and the hockey community.

“It was definitely a scary situation,” said veteran defenceman Matteo Mann of Sackville. “I still don’t really know how I feel about it because it is something you do not expect to happen. Everyone was in the same boat. We didn’t know what to do, how to feel or how to act.”

This year’s edition of the team, which finished 16th overall at 20-39-5-4, will never be compared to either of the organization’s 2011 or 2022 Memorial Cup championship squads. But it used the final stretch of six games after the incident to put their signature on the year and provide a glimpse into their future potential.

And missing the playoffs in the QMJHL is tough to do with 16 of the 18 teams qualifying for post-season play. Yet, in early March, the Dogs appeared to be sliding out of the playoff race, with a 4-22-2-1 post-trading period record, a slate that included an 0-7-1-0 run from Feb. 22 to March 9 where they were outscored 46-10.

Yet, it was the events in that March 9 loss in Cape Breton, a 6-0 setback to the surging Eagles, that played a pivotal role in saving their season and putting a positive vibe on the final six games.

That was the night Crickard collapsed behind the bench early in the third period. He was subsequently treated at the arena, then at Cape Breton Regional Hospital before joining the team for a return trip to the port city.

He missed a week of games before returning behind the bench with three games left in the season.

“We definitely were playing for him,” said Sea Dogs overage player Drew Elliott of Musquash, who played his final junior game Wednesday.

“It gave us a really big scare… He puts it all on the line and we had to step it up for him. He does a lot for the team… I thought all the boys bought into that.”

But the team came together and with Jeff Hansen and Mark Lee behind the bench, the team won two of three games and were back in the playoff race.

“We all wanted to play for him,” Mann said of the late surge. “We felt partly responsible because of how we were playing. We took ownership of it even though he said it was nothing to do with us. But we felt like that and we all wanted to make him and the staff proud the last couple of weeks, regardless of the outcome.”

In a span of five regular season games, they secured seven points and then got some help from Rimouski on the final day of the regular season to secure the last playoff berth and set up a series against Drummondville and the bonus games.

They played well at times against Drummondville but ultimately were outscored 25-8 in the series.

In addition, the lineup, which featured a league-high 12 players born in 2007 or 2006, gained a measure of confidence. The organization will have two of the top eight picks in the draft this June in Moncton, three more No. 1’s in 2025 and will look to take more strides next season.

That process essentially started March 9.

“We just knew what the situation was and we just did not have a choice,” said Mann, a seventh round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers who netted the team’s final goal of the season Wednesday. “It was really do-or-die for us. We faced a lot of adversity, especially in the second half and we all relaxed it was now or never. I know they are cliches but that is what it was for us.

“We proved to ourselves we could play at a high level the last couple of weeks during the season.”

As for the wrestling, more Sea Dog players are fans now than when the season started.

“I like wrestling, but (Travis) is certainly quite the character when it comes to that,” Elliott said.