2000 Memorial Cup Champion Castonguay lets stripes shine through as Tigers team host

Rimouski, Que.- The Medicine Hat Tigers haven’t just piled up the wins at the 2025 Memorial Cup- they’ve added a new teammate to their ranks.

Oceanic alumnus and Rimouski native Alexis Castonguay has been assigned to the WHL Champions as their local host for the tournament, but has quickly gone above and beyond his assigned duties.

“They’re so fun, and they gave me a warm welcome,” Castonguay said. “Willie (Desjardins) was the greatest. He made me feel comfortable right at the start. And the boys are just so respectful. They look you in the eye. They say hi, they say thank you, they’re a great team. I’m very happy I’m with them.

“I know they’ve been through a lot. I respect their chemistry between the guys. You can feel it. They’re like a big family, and you can feel that they love each other, and they’re just great to watch while they play.”

Each team at the event is assigned two hosts, who are current or retired law enforcement officers, to act as guides, plan meals and entertainment and liaise with other staff for the duration of the event.

Castonguay is a Memorial Cup Champion himself, having lifted the CHL’s top prize with the Oceanic in 2000.

That experience was a key part of why he wanted to volunteer for the 2025 edition of the tournament, as it returned to his hometown for the first time since 2009.

“When we won the cup back in 2000, we traveled back in the bus to come here to Rimouski, and there were 10,000 people here waiting for us, just cheering, cheering, cheering. It was unbelievable,” Castonguay recalled. “Since it’s in Rimouski, I wanted to give back to the community, and I wanted to be able to give back to some players. I didn’t know I would be involved with the WHL at the time.”

It took a second trip to the Memorial Cup to let his stripes shine through.

With the Oceanic out of contention, Castonguay is decked out in black and orange and one of Medicine Hat’s loudest supporters in the stands during games.

“I’ve turned the page on what I did on the first two days with the Oceanic and now I’m a Tiger until the end,” he added.

Castonguay is a mainstay on the ice during Tigers practices and is deep into a running 3v3 tournament between the Medicine Hat coaching staff and scratched players.

“The boys are excited to see him out there, too,” Desjardins added. “I think that it’s always good, because whenever you play, you get more of a bond.”

“Him making us feel like we’re at home, making us feel like this is our city in some type of way,” Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt said. “Just feeling comfortable and showing us where to eat, and all those little stories from back in the day when he played, where they went to go celebrate games and stuff like that. To have his presence, and someone had to have familiarity with the city and with the fans, for him to kind of just do what he’s doing and celebrating for the Tigers is just unbelievable.”

The Tigers have also been wowed by Castonguay’s post-hockey exploits.

The 43-year-old has spent more than two decades with the Montreal Police Service, graduating from a patrol officer to a lieutenant focused on drugs, gangs and guns.

He’s also been a member of Montreal’s SWAT team for the past five years.

“That stuff is so cool,” Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha said. “So much respect to every man and woman that does things like that to serve and protect civilians. It’s unbelievable.”

After Medicine Hat’s final-clinching win against the OHL Champion London Knights in round-robin play, Castonguay cooked up a special surprise for the Tigers.

He reached out to his friend, Pierre Bechard, who owns a local car dealership, to have a bright orange Hummer decked out with a Tigers logo and brought to the team hotel in hopes of showing the team that the city was behind them after the elimination of the Oceanic.

Basha even got to take the Hummer for a spin around the parking lot with Castonguay and his teammates piled into the vehicle and hanging onto the sides.

“Bright orange, everyone can kind of see us, and there’s a Tiger out there, too,” Wiesblatt said with a grin. “It’s just a really special moment. You don’t really ever get to do that ever again. Basha’s driving was brutal, but the car is nice.

“(It) speaks a lot about the city, and especially about Alexis, for him to really care. His team was Rimouski, and for him to do this for us makes this tournament so special.”

While their time together is coming to a close with the Final set for Sunday, June 1, Castonguay has made a memorable impact on Medicine Hat’s time in Quebec- and left the players with lasting advice.

“Living in the moment, that’s what I told them,” Castonguay added. “You realize when you get older, that you’re just always looking forward and forward and forward. I know it’s hard when you’re that age, but I think that’s the best advice that you can have, because it’s going to follow you for the rest of your life. So just live it.”