Gardiner Grows Another Winner

You don’t interview Gardiner MacDougall; you chat with him. And, as those who are familiar with his turns at the mic during the QMJHL Semi-Finals and Gilles-Courteau Trophy series are acutely aware, those chats can lead to pretty much anywhere.

On this day, the conversation turns to an utterly random rink in the tiny community of St. Peters, PEI.

“That’s where I won my first championship,” MacDougall points out.

We all have to start somewhere. But for a man who showers in Gatorade like you or I do water, Gardiner MacDougall’s first title could’ve happened on Mars and few would bat an eyelash. That is the aura that follows the favorite son of Bedeque, PEI into the 2025 Memorial Cup.

Simply put, where Gardiner goes, winning follows.

It’s not like the 65-year-old has done much moving over the past quarter-century, however. Over much of that time, MacDougall has become the face of U Sports men’s hockey, guiding the University of New Brunswick Reds to nine national titles since arriving on the scene in 2000.

That said, when he did take time out of his busy schedule to guide other teams – take the 2022 Saint John Sea Dogs at the Memorial Cup or Team Canada at the 2024 World U18 Hockey Championship, for example – he made sure it was worth his while, emerging on top in both scenarios. The Reds were the constant, however.

But why leave what could easily be considered the most secure job in hockey?

“It was a case of the right opportunity at the right time,” MacDougall points out. “I felt I was ready for a new challenge. After meeting with (Moncton Team Owner) Robert Irving and seeing the excitement around what the organization was trying to accomplish this season, it became an easier decision to make.”

Well, there was one other factor. And it hit close to home. Gardiner’s son Taylor, a five-year alumnus of both the QMJHL and the UNB Reds program as a player, was ready to take the next step in his desire to continue working in the management side of the game. The Wildcats, figuring two MacDougall’s were better than one, hired Taylor as the club’s General Manager. The tone of his voice is a clear indication that there’s no other GM MacDougall the elder would rather work alongside.

“I’m very blessed to be able to work with him,” MacDougall says of his son. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. If you told me 13 months ago that I’d be going to the Memorial Cup and that I’d be doing it with Taylor, I would’ve had a hard time believing it. For me, I’m a proud parent. He’s done an outstanding job.”

Actually, both are doing an outstanding job.

After a record-setting regular season in Moncton in which the Cats finished first in most major categories, the club rode a 16-3 record to the 2025 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Championship, the third playoff title in franchise history and its first in 15 years.

“I really didn’t know the players coming in, other than Caleb (Desnoyers) from the Under-18’s,” MacDougall explains. “As our early record indicated, it took some time for everybody to get used to each other. Still, one of main goals was to be one of the most improved teams in the League this year.”

Being around for a long time – and being successful for just as long – gave MacDougall a large bag of tricks to draw from to build such cohesion. The ever-quotable coach took that way with words to instill confidence in a group he was almost completely unfamiliar with just nine months ago.

“The season is longer and the process varies but, regardless, players are players,” he says. “They need constant reminders and they’re always looking to improve. We have a high standard but they’ve bought into it. We’ve said since the start of the year, we want to establish trust, joy and love. As a group, we have done that and it’s brought us a lot of success.”

Nothing will solidify those three characteristics better than skating around the ice holding a trophy over one’s head. That’s something the Cats have done once. By the end of this week, they want to do it once more.

But when it comes to MacDougall, the cerebral motivator is always finding new ways to guide his charges in the right direction while leaning on the winning experiences first instilled within him in that old cold barn in Eastern PEI. This year, one of those sources is, of all people, Hannibal, who made waves by crossing the Alps using elephants en route to occupying Italy over 2100 years ago.

“Find a way or make a way,” MacDougall states, quoting the ancient warrior. “We’ve used that quote quite a bit. We have confidence in being able to find a way. That’s easier to do when you have that trust established.”

No matter what the Wildcats’ path looks like over the next few days, there’s no doubt their opponents will consider the main man behind their bench, as fascinating as he is successful, to be the elephant in the room.

_

Please Note – This article was written prior to the tragic, sudden passing of Taylor MacDougall’s father-in-law, Patrick Buckley, on Tuesday. Our thoughts remain with the MacDougall family during this most difficult time.