Latest news with #BrianKilreaTrophy
Ottawa Citizen
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Charlottetown Islanders' Jardine, P.E.I.'s MacDougall win CHL awards
Charlottetown Islanders defenceman Max Jardine made franchise history while P.E.I.'s Gardiner MacDougall joined select company at the 2025 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Awards Luncheon in Toronto on June 13. Article content Jardine became the first Islanders' player to be named the CHL humanitarian of the year, which is presented annually to a 'player judged to have made the most notable contribution to his community,' noted a media release. Article content Article content Article content 'It's a great honour,' said Jardine during a media availability after accepting the award. 'It's hard to take credit for it all. Article content Article content 'A big thanks primarily to the Charlottetown Islanders for making all this possible and to Special Olympics, Make-A-Wish and Crime Stoppers for getting me involved this year. I'm happy to do it.' Article content Article content Article content MacDougall. from Bedeque, is only the third winner of the Brian Kilrea Trophy as coach of the year in their first year with a CHL team along with fellow Prince Edward Islander Gerard (Turk) Gallant of Summerside and Craig Hartsburg. Gallant won the award with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the 2009-10 season while Hartsburg accomplished the feat in the 1994-95 campaign with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Article content Article content The coach-of-the-year award honours Kilrea, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who coached the OHL's Ottawa 67's for 32 seasons and is the winningest coach in CHL history. Article content 'It's obviously a historic, significant honour when you look at the names on the trophy; just the tradition of that,' said MacDougall. Article content Article content The CHL awards feature the award winners from the QMJHL, OHL and Western Hockey League (WHL). Jardine and MacDougall were named the QMJHL winners for their respective awards in Quebec City on June 5. Article content Islanders general manager and head coach Jim Hulton said Jardine winning the national award is 'an extremely proud moment' for the entire organization.
Ottawa Citizen
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Wildcats' MacDougall named Canadian Hockey League coach of the year
Gardiner MacDougall, whose seamless transition from coaching university hockey to the major junior ranks resulted in another championship for the Moncton Wildcats, was named the Brian Kilrea Trophy winner as Canadian Hockey League coach of the year Friday in Toronto. Article content In his first year behind the Wildcats' bench after retiring from 24 seasons as head coach at the University of New Brunswick Reds men's hockey team, MacDougall led the Wildcat to a franchise record campaign that resulted in a 53-9-2-0 regular-season record and a 16-3 slate en route to winning the Gilles Courteau Trophy as QMJHL champions in May. Article content Article content Article content The impressive credentials produced regular-season franchise records for most wins (53), most points (108), fewest regulation losses (9), fewest goals against (144), and best points percentage (.844). Article content Article content During his career at UNB, MacDougall's teams won nine University Cup titles, including back-to-back crowns in 2023 and 2024, the latter an undefeated season that culminated with the title in Toronto. He earned hi third U Sports men's hockey coach of the year for that remarkable accomplishment. Several months later, he retired from the UNB post and took over the Wildcats team. Article content He led the Cats to their first title since 2010 and advanced to the semifinal of the Memorial Cup in Rimouski. Article content The team's winning percentage was the eighth-best all-time in the QMJHL and 10th-best in the CHL since 2000. As all championship teams appears to accomplish, the Wildcats were staunch defensively, yielding the CHL-best defensive showing with a 2.25 goals-against average, which ranked fifth in QMJHL history. Article content Article content MacDougall is the third coach in CHL history to win the CHL coach of the year award in his first season, joining Craig Hartsburg (Guelph Storm, 1995) and Gerard Gallant (Saint John Sea Dogs in 2010). Article content In additional to his University Cup success, MacDougall also led the Sea Dogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup when the event was held at TD Station. Article content Two other Wildcats were finalists for national CHL awards. Article content Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL was named the sportsman of the year, a category in which Julius Sumpf of the Cats was a finalist. Newly named Wildcats captain Caleb Desnoyers was a finalist for the Top Prospect award, which went to Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters.
