“If they host it, they will come.”
Despite recent concern from a few social media posts regarding attendance numbers at Wildcat home games, the City of Moncton and the Wildcats still seem to be the early favourites to host the Memorial Cup in 2028.
Over the past three decades plus the Moncton Wildcats haven’t found a way to capture junior hockey’s holy grail, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying.
Obviously, everyone remembers the Quebec Remparts, Alexander Radulov and then Head Coach and Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Roy ruining the party in 2006 which still cuts deep for many in this region. What about the “Covid version of the Moncton Wildcats” could they have finally claimed the prize?
It’s very apropos or ironic that two storied franchises like the Remparts and Wildcats are going head-to-head once again to see who will host the prestigious event.
Social media posts regarding attendance numbers and the importance of “October 17th” shouldn’t derail momentum for Moncton’s bid, nonetheless, it’s still not a slam-dunk by any means either.
Are early attendance numbers a concern for the bid process and selection committee?
Moncton and the surrounding area is notorious for being an “event city,” and it will and has always rallied around big events like no other. A historical approach would have to be taken with regards to how the Hub City comes alive hosting big events.
The Avenir Centre continues to be a main attraction and has been rocking on numerous occasions since opening its doors in 2018. The building and facilities are state of the art, but so is the Centre Videotron. Attendance numbers around this time of year are misleading at best and probably shouldn’t be taken into consideration at all. There’s no question, “The MacDougall” era has strengthened the atmosphere of the Avenir Centre, the buzz around the team in town and they have sure as hell solidified the product on the ice over their three-year tenure.
“The MacDougall Effect” has been a game changer for the organization, but as they say “with great power, comes great responsibility.”
The MacDougall’s continue to build out very competitive and consistent hockey clubs with this year’s version already surpassing expectations, but some of the power has to be shared when it comes to winning a bid for the Memorial Cup. The bid process is an all encompassing endeavor, from community support, entertainment opportunities and fan interaction and engagement in and outside the venue and of course the product on the ice. Clearly the on-ice product and atmosphere surrounding the rink play a massive role in determining a winning bid, but what about ticket sales and attendance, what role does that play?
There’s no question “The 2006” model will no doubt be considered if they were to win the bid. That sales model is the best viable option for ticket sales. Purchase season tickets which guarantees your Memorial Cup tickets as well. Most people around this region would jump at that approach, but it’s unclear what direction the Wildcats and their host committee will take.
The “if they host it, they will come,” mentality can only take you so far down, but again Moncton will rally behind the event and the organization they will turn out in droves to watch and be a part of the festivities.
What about the on-ice product can the Wildcats build a championship caliber team in such a short turnaround? How does their projected group stack up against the Remparts projected group?
There’s no question there’s work to be done on the ice especially given the Cats success the last two seasons, but that’s all in the past now and Taylor MacDougall and his hockey operations staff need to continue to build a team worthy of hosting the Cup and there’s no doubt he and new Wildcats President RJ Irving will be ready to go “all in” to ensure the team’s best chance to win if in fact they win the bid. Nevertheless, you have to have “willing trade partners” to land key pieces, but there’s no doubt both MacDougall’s can certainly land all of the top free agents across the hockey world.
The rumoured return of Caleb Desnoyers could potentially bolster their assets substantially, but there’s absolutely zero proof of their accuracy so a retooling of a championship roster will have to occur without the trade of arguably one of the biggest potential trade pieces in franchise history.
You see that’s where things get dicey when you try to go back to back, things are usually pretty thin coming out of those championship runs. There are so many variables when it comes to projecting a hockey club to host the Memorial Cup in such a short turnaround. Perhaps the Remparts might have the slight advantage when it comes to projecting their on ice product in 2028, but nothing would surprise me when it comes to The MacDougall’s and their ability to win and land high profile effective assets.
It’s hard to believe that a far from capacity crowd at the Avenir Centre on October 17th would be the deciding factor in winning a Memorial Cup bid.
The Moncton Wildcats are seemingly favourites to host this time around for a plethora of reasons. If they were to in fact win the bid, it would be an amazing tribute to the life of Mr. Robert K. Irving. One would also recall rumours of the organization being told not to bid on the event a few years back by the league, because there would be no chance of landing it.
Perhaps it’s Moncton’s turn to host the Memorial Cup once again, but some perception or social media posts won’t radically change the fact that Moncton will show up like no other to pull off one of the best tournaments and create an unforgettable experience.
“If they host it, the people will come.”
