[{"id":58332,"date":"2026-06-05T18:10:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58332"},"modified":"2026-06-05T18:12:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:12:38","slug":"moncton-wildcats-confirm-submission-of-intent-to-bid-to-host-2028-memorial-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/moncton-wildcats-confirm-submission-of-intent-to-bid-to-host-2028-memorial-cup","title":{"rendered":"Moncton Wildcats confirm submission of intent to bid to host 2028 Memorial Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have officially submitted their intent to bid to host the 2028 Memorial Cup.<\/p>\n

The submission positions Moncton as a strong candidate to host the Canadian Hockey League\u2019s premier championship event, bringing together the top teams in major junior hockey from across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoncton has a proven track record of delivering first-class national events,\u201d said Wildcats President, R.J. Irving, \u201cThis bid reflects the strength of our organization, our city, and province. We are confident that the Moncton intent to bid outline meets, and exceeds, all of the criteria required to host a Memorial Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Moncton Wildcats have been one of the winningest teams in the CHL over the past two seasons,\u201d added Taylor MacDougall, General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations for the Moncton Wildcats. \u201cWe have demonstrated an ability to attract and retain top talent and are very confident we can build a roster that can compete and win the Memorial Cup in 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building on a long-standing tradition of hosting successful large-scale events, including the World Junior Hockey Championships in 2023, Moncton\u2019s bid emphasizes both execution excellence and community engagement, ensuring a Memorial Cup that resonates with players, fans, partners, and the broader community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Memorial Cup represents the very best of major junior hockey in Canada,\u201d added R.J. Irving. \u201cWe believe Moncton offers a unique combination of passionate fans, outstanding facilities, and proven event delivery that will make the 2028 tournament truly special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Les Wildcats de Moncton confirment le d\u00e9p\u00f4t de leur intention de pr\u00e9senter une candidature pour accueillir la Coupe Memorial 2028<\/h3>\n

Les Wildcats de Moncton de la Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Qu\u00e9bec (LHJMQ) ont officiellement soumis leur intention de pr\u00e9senter une candidature afin d\u2019accueillir la Coupe Memorial 2028.<\/p>\n

Cette d\u00e9marche positionne Moncton comme un candidat de premier plan pour accueillir le principal \u00e9v\u00e9nement de championnat de la Ligue canadienne de hockey, qui r\u00e9unit les meilleures \u00e9quipes du hockey junior majeur \u00e0 travers le pays.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Moncton a fait ses preuves en mati\u00e8re d\u2019accueil d\u2019\u00e9v\u00e9nements nationaux de premier ordre, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 le pr\u00e9sident des Wildcats, R.J. Irving. Cette candidature refl\u00e8te la force de notre organisation, de notre ville et de notre province. Nous sommes convaincus qu\u2019elle r\u00e9pond, et m\u00eame d\u00e9passe, l\u2019ensemble des crit\u00e8res requis pour accueillir la Coupe Memorial. \u00bb<\/p>\n

\u00ab Les Wildcats de Moncton ont \u00e9t\u00e9 parmi les \u00e9quipes les plus performantes de la LCH au cours des deux derni\u00e8res saisons, a ajout\u00e9 Taylor MacDougall, directeur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral et directeur des op\u00e9rations hockey. Nous avons d\u00e9montr\u00e9 notre capacit\u00e9 \u00e0 attirer et \u00e0 retenir des talents de haut niveau et nous sommes tr\u00e8s confiants de pouvoir b\u00e2tir une \u00e9quipe capable de rivaliser pour remporter la Coupe Memorial en 2028. \u00bb<\/p>\n

S\u2019appuyant sur une longue tradition d\u2019organisation d\u2019\u00e9v\u00e9nements d\u2019envergure, notamment le Championnat mondial junior de hockey en 2023, la candidature de Moncton met l\u2019accent \u00e0 la fois sur l\u2019excellence de l\u2019ex\u00e9cution et sur l\u2019engagement communautaire, afin d\u2019offrir une Coupe Memorial qui saura marquer les joueurs, les partisans, les partenaires et l\u2019ensemble de la communaut\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u00ab La Coupe Memorial repr\u00e9sente ce qui se fait de mieux dans le hockey junior majeur au Canada, a ajout\u00e9 R.J. Irving. Nous croyons que Moncton offre une combinaison unique de partisans passionn\u00e9s, d\u2019installations de grande qualit\u00e9 et d\u2019une expertise \u00e9prouv\u00e9e en organisation d\u2019\u00e9v\u00e9nements, qui rendra le tournoi de 2028 v\u00e9ritablement exceptionnel. \u00bb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have officially submitted their intent to bid to host the 2028 Memorial Cup. The submission positions Moncton as a strong candidate to host the Canadian Hockey League\u2019s premier championship event, bringing together the top teams in major junior hockey from across the country. \u201cMoncton…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":58333,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-58332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-235","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/05180920\/memcupbid-2028-news.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":58325,"date":"2026-06-04T14:38:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T14:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58325"},"modified":"2026-06-04T14:38:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T14:38:58","slug":"rj-irving-announced-as-new-president-of-moncton-wildcats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/rj-irving-announced-as-new-president-of-moncton-wildcats","title":{"rendered":"RJ Irving announced as new President of Moncton Wildcats"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Moncton Wildcats introduced RJ Irving as the team\u2019s new president, succeeding his father, Robert K. Irving. The transition reinforces the long-term stability of one of Canada\u2019s premier major junior hockey franchises and ensures the team remains locally owned and operated.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeading the Moncton Wildcats is both an honour and a responsibility,\u201d said RJ Irving. \u201cThis is a community-first organization, and I will approach leading it with the same humility, stability, and a long-term commitment to excellence as my father did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irving emphasized the organization\u2019s commitment to players, staff, fans, and the broader Moncton community.<\/p>\n

\u201cJunior hockey plays a unique role in our communities \u2014 bringing people together, developing young athletes, and creating lifelong memories for families and fans,\u201d said Irving. \u201cThe Moncton Wildcats have built an outstanding reputation both on and off the ice, and we are committed to preserving that culture while supporting the continued growth and success of the organization for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gardiner MacDougall will remain with the team as head coach and his son Taylor MacDougall will return as General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Moncton Wildcats\u2019 success has been built on a dedicated team acting together with integrity and passion, committed to excellence and professionalism. Our focus is helping our players achieve success on and off the ice,\u201d said Gardiner MacDougall. \u201cOne of our big themes is Family Over Everything <\/em>and with RJ\u2019s leadership, that will remain and be as important as ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor MacDougall also reflected on the significance of the transition and the legacy of the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the past two seasons my father and I worked very closely with the father and son team of Robert and RJ Irving,\u201d he said. \u201cI can see no better fit than RJ continuing what his father started with the dedicated hockey operations and business operations team we have in place. Together, we will continue building the Moncton Wildcats as one of the premier brands in the CHL and delivering an outstanding player experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was proud to build the Moncton Wildcats into one of the most well-run and respected franchises in the CHL, and I am proud to carry it forward. Our vision remains to win a Memorial Cup. We look forward to continuing the journey together through the team\u2019s commitment to the community, player development, and championship aspirations that have defined the Wildcats for more than three decades,\u201d said Irving.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

RJ Irving nomm\u00e9 nouveau pr\u00e9sident des Wildcats de Moncton<\/h3>\n

Les Wildcats de Moncton ont annonc\u00e9 la nomination de RJ Irving \u00e0 titre de nouveau pr\u00e9sident de l\u2019\u00e9quipe, succ\u00e9dant \u00e0 son p\u00e8re, Robert K. Irving. Cette transition renforce la stabilit\u00e9 \u00e0 long terme de l\u2019une des principales franchises de hockey junior majeur au Canada et garantit que l\u2019\u00e9quipe demeure d\u00e9tenue et exploit\u00e9e localement.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Diriger les Wildcats de Moncton est \u00e0 la fois un honneur et une responsabilit\u00e9 \u00bb, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 RJ Irving. \u00ab Il s\u2019agit d\u2019une organisation ax\u00e9e d\u2019abord sur la communaut\u00e9, et je compte la diriger avec la m\u00eame humilit\u00e9, la m\u00eame stabilit\u00e9 et le m\u00eame engagement \u00e0 long terme envers l\u2019excellence que mon p\u00e8re. \u00bb<\/p>\n

Irving a soulign\u00e9 l\u2019engagement de l\u2019organisation envers les joueurs, le personnel, les partisans et l\u2019ensemble de la communaut\u00e9 du Grand Moncton.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Le hockey junior joue un r\u00f4le unique dans nos communaut\u00e9s \u2014 il rassemble les gens, d\u00e9veloppe de jeunes athl\u00e8tes et cr\u00e9e des souvenirs durables pour les familles et les partisans \u00bb, a ajout\u00e9 Irving. \u00ab Les Wildcats de Moncton ont b\u00e2ti une r\u00e9putation exceptionnelle tant sur la glace qu\u2019\u00e0 l\u2019ext\u00e9rieur, et nous nous engageons \u00e0 pr\u00e9server cette culture tout en soutenant la croissance et le succ\u00e8s continus de l\u2019organisation pour les ann\u00e9es \u00e0 venir. \u00bb<\/p>\n

Gardiner MacDougall demeurera avec l\u2019\u00e9quipe \u00e0 titre d\u2019entra\u00eeneur-chef, tandis que son fils Taylor MacDougall reviendra comme directeur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral et directeur des op\u00e9rations hockey.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Le succ\u00e8s des Wildcats de Moncton repose sur une \u00e9quipe d\u00e9vou\u00e9e qui agit avec int\u00e9grit\u00e9 et passion, dans un engagement constant envers l\u2019excellence et le professionnalisme. Notre priorit\u00e9 est d\u2019aider nos joueurs \u00e0 r\u00e9ussir sur la glace comme \u00e0 l\u2019ext\u00e9rieur \u00bb, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Gardiner MacDougall. \u00ab L\u2019un de nos principes fondamentaux est \u201cla famille avant tout\u201d, et sous le leadership de RJ, cela restera plus important que jamais. \u00bb<\/p>\n

Taylor MacDougall a \u00e9galement soulign\u00e9 l\u2019importance de cette transition et l\u2019h\u00e9ritage de l\u2019organisation.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Au cours des deux derni\u00e8res saisons, mon p\u00e8re et moi avons travaill\u00e9 de tr\u00e8s pr\u00e8s avec le duo p\u00e8re-fils form\u00e9 de Robert et RJ Irving \u00bb, a-t-il d\u00e9clar\u00e9. \u00ab Je ne vois pas de meilleur candidat que RJ pour poursuivre ce que son p\u00e8re a commenc\u00e9, avec l\u2019\u00e9quipe d\u00e9vou\u00e9e des op\u00e9rations hockey et des op\u00e9rations administratives en place. Ensemble, nous continuerons de faire des Wildcats de Moncton une des marques de premier plan dans la LCH et d\u2019offrir une exp\u00e9rience exceptionnelle aux joueurs. \u00bb<\/p>\n

\u00ab Mon p\u00e8re \u00e9tait fier d\u2019avoir b\u00e2ti les Wildcats de Moncton comme l\u2019une des franchises les mieux g\u00e9r\u00e9es et les plus respect\u00e9es de la LCH, et je suis fier d\u2019en assurer la continuit\u00e9. Notre vision demeure de remporter la coupe Memorial. Nous avons h\u00e2te de poursuivre ce parcours ensemble gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 notre engagement envers la communaut\u00e9, le d\u00e9veloppement des joueurs et nos aspirations de championnat qui d\u00e9finissent les Wildcats depuis plus de trois d\u00e9cennies \u00bb, a conclu Irving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Moncton Wildcats introduced RJ Irving as the team\u2019s new president, succeeding his father, Robert K. Irving. The transition reinforces the long-term stability of one of Canada\u2019s premier major junior hockey franchises and ensures the team remains locally owned and operated. \u201cLeading the Moncton Wildcats is both an honour and a responsibility,\u201d said RJ Irving.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":58328,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-58325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-235","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/04132405\/RJ-newpres-news-1.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":58316,"date":"2026-05-20T22:02:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T22:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58316"},"modified":"2026-05-22T21:52:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T21:52:41","slug":"wildcats-announce-2025-2026-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/wildcats-announce-2025-2026-award-winners","title":{"rendered":"Wildcats unveil 2025-2026 Season Award Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Fans, players and staff gathered on Wednesday evening at the Avenir Centre to hand out the year-end hardware.<\/p>\n

Here are the 2025-2026 winners:<\/p>\n

Rookie of the Year Award<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Tommy Bleyl<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Cansel Print<\/p>\n

\n

Outstanding Defensive Player Award\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nCo-Winners: Gabe Smith & Adam Fortier-Gendron<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Bell Aliant<\/p>\n

\n

Most Improved Player Award<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Rian Chudzinski<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Midland Transport<\/p>\n

\n

Top Points Award\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Tommy Bleyl<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Rogers Communication<\/p>\n

\n

Scholastic Player of the Year Award\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Rudy Gumond<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Crandall University<\/p>\n

\n

Top Goal Scorer Award<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Niko Tournas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Eastlink<\/p>\n

\n

Rebecca Schofield Community Spirit Award<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Preston Lounsbury<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Atlantic Lottery<\/p>\n

\n

Commitment to Excellence Award<\/em><\/strong>
\nCo-Winners: Chris MacDonald & Jason Casey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Universal Truck and Trailer<\/p>\n

\n

Volunteer of the Year Award<\/em><\/strong>
\nCo-Winners: Mike Doiron, Tim Kendall & Mike Gaudet<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Moncton Wildcats<\/p>\n

\n

Unsung Hero Award<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Max Vilen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Medavie Blue Cross<\/p>\n

\n

Hardest Worker Award<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Teddy Mutryn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Subaru Moncton<\/p>\n

\n

Fans Choice Award\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nCo-Winners: Caleb Desnoyers & Tommy Bleyl<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by REMAX Avante<\/p>\n

\n

Most Valuable Player Award<\/em><\/strong>
\nWinner: Rudy Guimond<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Royale<\/p>\n

\n

Efficient Award<\/em><\/strong>
\nWinner: Gabe Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Lumar Electric<\/p>\n

\n

Top Defenceman Award<\/em><\/strong>
\nWinner: Tommy Bleyl<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Moosehead Light<\/p>\n

\n

Playoff Most Valuable Player Award<\/em><\/strong>
\nWinner: Gabe Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Cavendish Farms<\/p>\n

\n

Corey Crawford Wildcat of the Year Award<\/strong><\/em>
\nWinner: Alex Mercier<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presented by Harrisville Pharmacy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fans, players and staff gathered on Wednesday evening at the Avenir Centre to hand out the year-end hardware. Here are the 2025-2026 winners: Rookie of the Year Award Winner: Tommy Bleyl Presented by Cansel Print Outstanding Defensive Player Award\u00a0 Co-Winners: Gabe Smith & Adam Fortier-Gendron Presented by Bell Aliant Most Improved Player Award Winner: Rian…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":58317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-58316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-235","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/20202943\/title-2026.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":58313,"date":"2026-05-19T19:31:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58313"},"modified":"2026-05-19T19:31:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:31:35","slug":"moncton-wildcats-announce-passing-of-president-robert-k-irving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/moncton-wildcats-announce-passing-of-president-robert-k-irving","title":{"rendered":"Moncton Wildcats announce passing of President Robert K. Irving"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is with profound sadness that the family of Robert Kenneth Irving mark his passing today in Moncton, New Brunswick, following a courageous battle with cancer. Robert K. Irving, Co-CEO of J.D. Irving, Limited, was born on December 3, 1954, in Saint John, New Brunswick. He was the second-oldest son of James Kenneth Irving and Jean Elizabeth Saunders Irving, a grandson of K.C. Irving, and a devoted brother to James (Jim), Mary-Jean and Judith. Together with his wife of nearly 40 years, Jill (n\u00e9e Gougeon), he raised four children: Megan (Jordan), Meredith (Lance), Olivia (Christopher), and Robert James (R.J.) (Samantha). His children were a great source of pride and joy, and he celebrated their accomplishments with love and admiration. That joy only grew when he became a grandfather to Warren, Sutton, Collins, and Fraser \u2013 a role he cherished deeply.<\/p>\n

Family was always at the core, both in his personal life and throughout his devoted career at J.D. Irving, Limited. After graduating with a business degree from Acadia University, Robert established J.D. Irving, Limited\u2019s Moncton operations in 1977 and called Moncton home ever since. From a young age, he and his siblings were instilled with the values of integrity, determination, and a life of purpose by their parents \u2013 values that guided him every day. He was proud to represent the fifth generation in the family business. He considered himself fortunate to share both the daily challenges and long-term vision of the business with his brother Jim. After nearly 50 years of dedicated service, Robert often said he was just getting started.<\/p>\n

An innovative and tireless entrepreneur, Robert established and grew successful businesses in various sectors including paper products, food processing, agriculture and transportation. He believed in doing things right the first time and no detail was too small to ignore. He embodied a sentiment his father often quoted: \u201cThe best fertilizer is the farmer\u2019s footsteps in the soil.\u201d He thrived on being where the action was \u2013 in the fields with farmers, on the manufacturing floor, or in transport terminals. He especially enjoyed meeting with customers at their offices or hosting them at J.D. Irving locations.<\/p>\n

Despite his many accomplishments, Robert remained humble, never seeking recognition for himself and always crediting the team for a job well done. He cared deeply for the employees who were at the heart of the company, always valuing their passion, enthusiasm, and the role each one played in its success. In recent years, he embraced a new and meaningful chapter, working alongside his children, Meredith, Olivia and R.J. in the business \u2013 a source of immense pride and fulfillment for him.<\/p>\n

Another of his passions was hockey. In 1996, he founded the Moncton Wildcats Hockey Club, bringing together his love for sport and competition with his commitment to youth development and community. He took great pride in the team\u2019s three QMJHL championships (2006, 2010, and 2025), and in hosting the Memorial Cup in 2006. He rarely missed a game, cheering enthusiastically, and building lasting relationships with the players, often saying \u201conce a Wildcat, always a Wildcat!\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert was a proud Canadian and New Brunswicker whose commitment to his community was evident throughout his life. He played a leading role in numerous healthcare fundraising campaigns, most recently serving as the Campaign Chair to build the Jean Elizabeth Saunders Irving Obstetrics and Newborn Care Unit at the Moncton Hospital. He was a steadfast advocate for youth, education, and literacy. His support of a wide range of organizations made a lasting difference and he was recognized with some of New Brunswick\u2019s most esteemed honours. These included the Boys and Girls Club of Moncton\u2019s Builder of Youth Lifetime Achievement Award (2011); being named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Clubs of Greater Moncton (2014); the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick\u2019s Champion of Literacy Award (2016); and the rare centennial Paul Harris Fellowship Award, bestowed on the 100th anniversary of four Rotary Clubs (2020). He was a strong supporter of his wife Jill\u2019s passion for equestrian sport, and in 2025 he was awarded Equestrian Canada\u2019s highest and most prestigious national honour, the Gold Medal.<\/p>\n

Robert was inducted into the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame, the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame, and the PEI Business Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Order of Moncton and the Order of New Brunswick in recognition of his extensive community involvement, generosity, and exceptional contributions to the province.<\/p>\n

Robert loved to win and took equal joy in seeing others succeed. He was a loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, and uncle of 17 nieces and nephews. His loss is profound for his family, community, and employees. His legacy will live on through his children and the many lives he touched. He will be remembered with great respect and dearly missed.<\/p>\n

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n

\n

C\u2019est avec une profonde tristesse que la famille de Robert Kenneth Irving annonce son d\u00e9c\u00e8s aujourd\u2019hui \u00e0 Moncton, au Nouveau-Brunswick, apr\u00e8s un courageux combat contre le cancer. Robert K. Irving, co-pdg de J.D. Irving, Limited, est n\u00e9 le 3 d\u00e9cembre 1954 \u00e0 Saint John, au Nouveau-Brunswick. Il \u00e9tait le second fils de James Kenneth Irving et de Jean Elizabeth Saunders Irving, le petit-fils de K.C. Irving et le fr\u00e8re d\u00e9vou\u00e9 de James (Jim), Mary-Jean et Judith. Aux c\u00f4t\u00e9s de son \u00e9pouse depuis pr\u00e8s de 40 ans, Jill (n\u00e9e Gougeon), il a \u00e9lev\u00e9 quatre enfants : Megan (Jordan), Meredith (Lance), Olivia (Christopher) et Robert James (R.J.) (Samantha). Ses enfants \u00e9taient pour lui une grande source de fiert\u00e9 et de joie, et il c\u00e9l\u00e9brait leurs succ\u00e8s avec amour et admiration. Ce bonheur n\u2019a fait que grandir quand il est devenu le grand-p\u00e8re de Warren, Sutton, Collins et Fraser \u2013 un r\u00f4le qu\u2019il ch\u00e9rissait.<\/p>\n

La famille a toujours \u00e9t\u00e9 au c\u0153ur de sa vie, tant sur le plan personnel que professionnel, tout au long de sa remarquable carri\u00e8re chez J.D. Irving, Limited. Apr\u00e8s avoir obtenu un dipl\u00f4me en gestion des affaires \u00e0 l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Acadia, Robert \u00e9tablit J.D. Irving, Limited \u00e0 Moncton en 1977, o\u00f9 il avait \u00e9lu domicile depuis lors. D\u00e8s leur plus jeune \u00e2ge, ses parents lui ont inculqu\u00e9, \u00e0 lui comme \u00e0 ses fr\u00e8res et s\u0153urs, des valeurs solides : l\u2019int\u00e9grit\u00e9, la d\u00e9termination et l\u2019importance d\u2019avoir un but dans la vie. Ce sont des valeurs qui l\u2019ont guid\u00e9 au quotidien. Il \u00e9tait fier de repr\u00e9senter la cinqui\u00e8me g\u00e9n\u00e9ration de l\u2019entreprise familiale. Il se consid\u00e9rait chanceux de partager \u00e0 la fois les d\u00e9fis quotidiens et la vision \u00e0 long terme de l\u2019entreprise avec son fr\u00e8re Jim. Malgr\u00e9 ses 50 ans de travail diligent, Robert disait souvent qu\u2019il ne faisait que commencer.<\/p>\n

Robert \u00e9tait un entrepreneur aussi novateur qu\u2019infatigable, qui a cr\u00e9\u00e9 des entreprises prosp\u00e8res dans divers secteurs, dont notamment ceux des produits de papier, des produits alimentaires, des produits agricoles et du transport. Il croyait qu\u2019il fallait bien faire les choses d\u00e8s le d\u00e9part et qu\u2019aucun d\u00e9tail ne devait \u00eatre laiss\u00e9 au hasard. Il incarnait une des devises pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9es de son p\u00e8re : \u00ab Le meilleur engrais, ce sont les pas du fermier sur sa terre. \u00bb Il adorait \u00eatre au c\u0153ur de l\u2019action \u2013 dans les champs avec les agriculteurs, dans les usines et dans les terminaux avec les travailleurs. Il aimait particuli\u00e8rement rencontrer les clients \u00e0 leurs bureaux ou les accueillir dans les \u00e9tablissements de J.D. Irving.<\/p>\n

Quoi qu\u2019il en soit de ses nombreuses r\u00e9alisations, Robert \u00e9tait rest\u00e9 d\u2019une admirable humilit\u00e9. Il ne cherchait jamais la lumi\u00e8re des projecteurs et attribuait toujours le m\u00e9rite d\u2019un travail bien fait \u00e0 son \u00e9quipe. Il se souciait v\u00e9ritablement des employ\u00e9s de J.D. Irving. Il soulignait toujours leur passion, leur enthousiasme et le r\u00f4le de chacun et chacune dans la r\u00e9ussite de l\u2019entreprise. Ces derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es, il s\u2019\u00e9tait lanc\u00e9 dans un nouveau chapitre riche de sens de sa vie, en travaillant aux c\u00f4t\u00e9s de ses enfants Meredith, Olivia et R.J., une source de tr\u00e8s grande fiert\u00e9 qui lui procurait un profond sentiment d\u2019accomplissement.<\/p>\n

Le hockey \u00e9tait une autre de ses passions. En 1996, il fondait le club de hockey des Wildcats de Moncton, ce qui lui a permis de conjuguer son amour du sport et de la comp\u00e9tition \u00e0 son engagement envers le d\u00e9veloppement des jeunes et de la collectivit\u00e9. Il \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s fier des trois championnats de la LHJMQ que l\u2019\u00e9quipe avait remport\u00e9s, en 2006, 2010 et 2025, ainsi que d\u2019avoir accueilli le tournoi de la Coupe Memorial en 2006. Il ratait rarement une partie, toujours heureux de pouvoir encourager l\u2019\u00e9quipe avec enthousiasme. Il nouait des relations durables avec les joueurs. Il r\u00e9p\u00e9tait souvent \u00ab Wildcat un jour, Wildcat toujours! \u00bb<\/p>\n

Robert \u00e9tait un fier Canadien et N\u00e9o-Brunswickois dont l\u2019engagement envers sa collectivit\u00e9 n\u2019a jamais fl\u00e9chi. Il a \u00e9t\u00e9 un acteur important de nombreuses campagnes de financement ax\u00e9es sur les soins de sant\u00e9, dont r\u00e9cemment \u00e0 titre de pr\u00e9sident de la campagne men\u00e9e pour financer la construction de l\u2019Unit\u00e9 d\u2019obst\u00e9trique et de soins aux nouveau-n\u00e9s Jean Elizabeth Saunders Irving de l\u2019H\u00f4pital de Moncton. Il \u00e9tait un fervent d\u00e9fenseur de la jeunesse, de l\u2019\u00e9ducation et de l\u2019alphab\u00e9tisation. Il a eu un impact durable en appuyant de nombreux organismes, et il a re\u00e7u diverses distinctions parmi les plus prestigieuses du Nouveau-Brunswick. Mentionnons le prix \u00ab Builder of Youth Lifetime Achievement \u00bb du Club des gar\u00e7ons et filles de Moncton (2011), le titre de membre Paul Harris d\u00e9cern\u00e9 par les clubs Rotary du Grand Moncton (2014), le prix \u00ab Champion of Literacy \u00bb de la Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (2016) et le rare prix Paul Harris d\u00e9cern\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019occasion du 100e anniversaire de quatre clubs Rotary (2020). Il appuyait sans r\u00e9serve son \u00e9pouse Jill dans sa passion pour les sports \u00e9questres. En 2025, il a re\u00e7u la M\u00e9daille d\u2019or de Canada \u00c9questre, la plus prestigieuse distinction nationale de l\u2019organisation.<\/p>\n

Robert a \u00e9t\u00e9 intronis\u00e9 au Panth\u00e9on des affaires du Nouveau-Brunswick, au Temple canadien de la renomm\u00e9e agricole et au Panth\u00e9on des affaires de l\u2019\u00cele-du-Prince-\u00c9douard. Il a re\u00e7u l\u2019Ordre de Moncton et l\u2019Ordre du Nouveau-Brunswick en reconnaissance de son engagement communautaire sans faille, de sa g\u00e9n\u00e9rosit\u00e9 et de son apport exceptionnel \u00e0 la province.<\/p>\n

Robert aimait le parfum de la victoire et prenait autant de plaisir \u00e0 voir les gens r\u00e9ussir autour de lui. Il \u00e9tait un fils, un fr\u00e8re, un mari, un p\u00e8re, un grand-p\u00e8re, un beau-p\u00e8re et un oncle aimant pour ses 17 ni\u00e8ces et neveux. Sa disparition laisse un vide immense au sein de sa famille, de sa collectivit\u00e9 et de son \u00e9quipe. Son h\u00e9ritage perdurera \u00e0 travers ses enfants et les nombreuses vies qu\u2019il a touch\u00e9es. C\u2019est avec un grand respect que son souvenir continuera de nous habiter. Il va \u00e9norm\u00e9ment nous manquer.<\/p>\n

Les d\u00e9tails des fun\u00e9railles seront annonc\u00e9s ult\u00e9rieurement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is with profound sadness that the family of Robert Kenneth Irving mark his passing today in Moncton, New Brunswick, following a courageous battle with cancer. Robert K. Irving, Co-CEO of J.D. Irving, Limited, was born on December 3, 1954, in Saint John, New Brunswick. He was the second-oldest son of James Kenneth Irving and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":58314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-58313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-235","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/19192535\/rki-rip-news.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":58308,"date":"2026-05-18T04:20:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T04:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58308"},"modified":"2026-05-18T04:26:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T04:26:42","slug":"sags-top-wildcats-end-32-year-cup-drought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/sags-top-wildcats-end-32-year-cup-drought","title":{"rendered":"Sags top Wildcats, end 32-year Cup drought"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens ended a 32-year long Cup drought, topping the Wildcats 5-1 Sunday night in Chicoutimi to win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as new QMJHL League champions.<\/p>\n

The Sags added two empty-netters in the third to seal the win and take the Final series 4-2. <\/p>\n

Caleb Desnoyers scored the Cats goal. <\/p>\n

Gabe Smith was named the the recipient of the Guy-Lafleur Trophy as the 2026 QMJHL Playoff MVP. Smith put up a Wildcats-record 33 points in the post-season, and tied the record for goals with 19. <\/p>\n

The clubs finished 1-2 during the regular season and the Wildcats repeated as regular season champions with 103 points. The Sags now represent the QMJHL at the upcoming Memorial Cup in Kelowna, BC starting late next week. <\/p>\n

The Wildcats won the Gilles-Courteau Trophy last season in Rimouski.<\/p>\n

The season-ending loss marks the end of the junior careers of goaltender Rudy Guimond, and forwards Preston Lounsbury & Alex Mercier.<\/p>\n

[BOX SCORE]<\/a><\/strong>
\nArticle by Marty Kingston
\nPhoto Bruno Girard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens ended a 32-year long Cup drought, topping the Wildcats 5-1 Sunday night in Chicoutimi to win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as new QMJHL League champions. The Sags added two empty-netters in the third to seal the win and take the Final series 4-2. Caleb Desnoyers scored the Cats goal. Gabe Smith was named…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":58309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-58308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-235","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/18042019\/monvschi-news-4.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":58300,"date":"2026-05-16T01:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T01:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58300"},"modified":"2026-05-16T01:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T01:57:00","slug":"big-comeback-puts-sags-out-front-3-2-in-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/big-comeback-puts-sags-out-front-3-2-in-series","title":{"rendered":"Big comeback puts Sags out front 3-2 in series"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sagueneens mounted an amazing third period comeback, scoring six goals Friday night at the Avenir Centre to nip the Wildcats 7-6 and take a 3-2 series lead back to Chicoutimi — Game 6 goes Sunday night at 8pm. <\/p>\n

The Cats built up a 4-1 lead entering the third period but the Sags scored six goals, including an empty-netter, and 2 powerplay markers, to shock the sold-out crowd of 8,500 at the Avenir Centre. <\/p>\n

The Cats bounced back twice, pulling to within one goal late in the third on goals by Gavin Cornforth and Kuzma Voronin but time ran out. <\/p>\n

Gabe Smith and Teddy Mutryn each had a goal and two assists for Moncton with other goals to Niko Tournas on the powerplay and Rian Chudzinski. Tommy Bleyl added three assists. <\/p>\n

The Sags outshot the Cats 35-25, including 13-5 in the third.<\/p>\n

THREE STARS:
\n\u2b50\ufe0f Peteris Bulans CHI (3G, 1A)
\n\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f Liam Lefebvre CHI (1G, 1A)
\n\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f #22 RIAN CHUDZINSKI (1G, 1A)<\/p>\n

The Cats look to force a 7th and deciding game Sunday night in Chicoutimi with Game 6 at 8pm Atlantic time. Game seven, if needed, unfolds Tuesday night at 7pm at the Avenir Centre. <\/p>\n

Join Marty Kingston with all the action on FloHockey TV and INSPIRE FM WILDCATS RADIO at 105.1 FM <\/p>\n

[BOX SCORE]<\/a><\/strong>
\nArticle by Marty Kingston
\nPhoto: Daniel St. Louis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sagueneens mounted an amazing third period comeback, scoring six goals Friday night at the Avenir Centre to nip the Wildcats 7-6 and take a 3-2 series lead back to Chicoutimi — Game 6 goes Sunday night at 8pm. The Cats built up a 4-1 lead entering the third period but the Sags scored six…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":58301,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-58300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-235","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/16015616\/monvschi-news-3.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":58296,"date":"2026-05-14T23:59:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58296"},"modified":"2026-05-15T00:19:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T00:19:17","slug":"wildcats-defensive-consultant-paul-boutilier-passes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/wildcats-defensive-consultant-paul-boutilier-passes","title":{"rendered":"Wildcats Defensive Consultant Paul Boutilier passes"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Defensive Consultant Paul Boutilier.<\/p>\n

Boutilier was a 1st Round Draft Pick of the New York Islanders in 1981 and played 329 games in the NHL with the Islanders, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets. He also played 2 seasons (1987-1989) with the Jets\u2019 American Hockey League affiliate, the Moncton Hawks. Boutilier won a Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders in 1983.<\/p>\n

While a junior player, Boutilier was part of Canada\u2019s first U20 World Junior Championship team in 1982. That year, he also won a President Cup, was named the top defensive player in the QMJHL and was on the league\u2019s 1st All-Star team while playing for the Castors de Sherbrooke.<\/p>\n

Boutilier worked with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2022 when they won the Memorial Cup and was an Assistant Coach when they won the QMJHL in 2017. He was also a Defence Development Specialist with the Nashville Predators and held various coaching positions with AHL, Canadian university and Team Canada U17 teams.<\/p>\n

In June 2024, Paul was hired as Defensive Consultant for the Wildcats. His contributions helped Moncton to a 2025 QMJHL Championship, an appearance at the 2025 Memorial Cup and back-to-back QMJHL regular season titles.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts are with Paul’s family & friends at this time.<\/p>\n

\n

Nous sommes profond\u00e9ment attrist\u00e9s d’apprendre le d\u00e9c\u00e8s de Paul Boutilier, consultant d\u00e9fensif.<\/p>\n

Boutilier avait \u00e9t\u00e9 s\u00e9lectionn\u00e9 au premier tour du rep\u00eachage par les Islanders de New York en 1981 et a disput\u00e9 329 matchs dans la LNH avec les Islanders, les Bruins de Boston, les North Stars du Minnesota, les Rangers de New York et les Jets de Winnipeg. Il a \u00e9galement jou\u00e9 deux saisons (1987-1989) avec les Hawks de Moncton, l\u2019\u00e9quipe affili\u00e9e aux Jets dans la Ligue am\u00e9ricaine de hockey. Boutilier a remport\u00e9 la Coupe Stanley avec les Islanders de New York en 1983.<\/p>\n

Lorsqu\u2019il \u00e9tait junior, Boutilier a fait partie de la premi\u00e8re \u00e9quipe canadienne participant au Championnat du monde junior des moins de 20 ans en 1982. Cette ann\u00e9e-l\u00e0, il a \u00e9galement remport\u00e9 la Coupe Pr\u00e9sident, a \u00e9t\u00e9 nomm\u00e9 meilleur d\u00e9fenseur de la LHJMQ et a fait partie de la premi\u00e8re \u00e9quipe d\u2019\u00e9toiles de la ligue alors qu\u2019il jouait pour les Castors de Sherbrooke.<\/p>\n

Boutilier a travaill\u00e9 avec les Sea Dogs de Saint John en 2022 lorsqu\u2019ils ont remport\u00e9 la Coupe Memorial et \u00e9tait entra\u00eeneur adjoint lorsqu\u2019ils ont remport\u00e9 le championnat de la LHJMQ en 2017. Il a \u00e9galement \u00e9t\u00e9 sp\u00e9cialiste du d\u00e9veloppement d\u00e9fensif chez les Predators de Nashville et a occup\u00e9 divers postes d\u2019entra\u00eeneur au sein de la LAH, d\u2019universit\u00e9s canadiennes et des \u00e9quipes de Canada U17.<\/p>\n

En juin 2024, Paul a \u00e9t\u00e9 engag\u00e9 comme consultant d\u00e9fensif pour les Wildcats. Ses contributions ont aid\u00e9 Moncton \u00e0 remporter le championnat de la LHJMQ en 2025, \u00e0 se qualifier pour la Coupe Memorial 2025 et \u00e0 d\u00e9crocher deux titres cons\u00e9cutifs de la saison r\u00e9guli\u00e8re de la LHJMQ.<\/p>\n

Nos pens\u00e9es vont \u00e0 la famille et aux amis de Paul en ce moment difficile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Defensive Consultant Paul Boutilier. Boutilier was a 1st Round Draft Pick of the New York Islanders in 1981 and played 329 games in the NHL with the Islanders, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets. He also played 2 seasons (1987-1989)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":58297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-58296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-235","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/14235525\/paulboutilier-rip-news.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":58292,"date":"2026-05-14T15:26:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/?p=58292"},"modified":"2026-05-14T16:11:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:11:34","slug":"friday-night-is-a-game-5-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq-wildcats\/article\/friday-night-is-a-game-5-fight","title":{"rendered":"Friday night is a Game 5 fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

A split in Moncton. A split in Chicoutimi. They can’t split Game 5 on Friday night at the Den — someone will pull ahead in this now Best-of-3 for the Cup!<\/p>\n

The Wildcats have home-ice advantage and we will put it to use with a WHITEOUT every home game! <\/strong>Former Cat\/2025 QMJHL Champion Dyllan Gill<\/strong> and members of the U18AAA Moncton Flyers<\/strong> will be banging the big drum pre-game.<\/p>\n

The Wildcats lost Games 2 & 3 but figured it out for Game 4. Gabe Smith potted a pair and assisted on the winner. Smith has equaled Caleb Desnoyers’ Playoff production from last season’s championship run with 30 points — and has at least 2 more games to go. Wildcats’ Assistant Coach Kelsey Tessier also amassed 30 points while leading Moncton to the 2010 Cup. The Cats record for playoff points in a season is 32 by Philippe Dupuis in the 2006 Championship year.<\/p>\n

First-year Cats Teddy Mutryn (9G, 18A, 27 Pts) & Tommy Bleyl (6G, 19A, 25 Pts) have been key throughout the Cats march to the Championship.<\/p>\n

Through 4 games of the Final, Smith (4G, 2A), Teddy Mutyrn (2G, 3A) & Caleb Desnoyers (1G, 4A) have led the way. Evan Depatie & Niko Tournas have chipped in with a pair of big goals each.<\/p>\n

Chicoutimi have relied quite a bit on their blue line for offense this series. Defenders Alex Huang (5A), Jordan Tourigny (3G), and Peteris Bulans (1G, 2A) have been contributing at both ends of the ice.<\/p>\n

The Sags Playoff run, much like their regular season, is led by Q MVP Maxim Mass\u00e9. The 2024 Anaheim 3rd-Rounder put up 102 points (51G, 51A) to lead the league and has 23 (6G, 17A) more in the Playoffs.<\/p>\n

The crease matchup has been what you’d expect with 2 top goalies trading spectacular saves while posting 3.06 (Guimond) & 3.07 (Beckman) GAAs. If not for a couple of weird goals each way, those numbers would be even smaller.<\/p>\n

There’s not much to pick from in this series between the 1 and 2 seeds. “It’s a fine line — 2 really good teams<\/strong><\/em>,” according to Wildcats Head Coach Gardiner MacDougall.<\/p>\n

Game 5 is Friday night<\/b>! Wave your rally towel, wear white, make noise<\/strong> and help us REPEAT THE ROAR!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Full series schedule:<\/p>\n