St. John’s hockey fans have seen many teams and leagues come and go throughout the last 30+ years.
With the Newfoundland Regiment gearing up for a playoff run in their inaugural season, let’s take a look at the different teams and leagues that have come through the capital city, and how they differ from the QMJHL.
Many iconic franchises
There have been lots of iconic hockey teams to play in St. John’s over the years.
The Newfoundland Growlers were the first St. John’s pro hockey team to win a title, winning the Kelly Cup during their inaugural season in 2019.
The St. John’s Maple Leafs still remain a staple in St. John’s hockey culture to this day. Like the Growlers, the Maple Leafs also made it to the finals in their inaugural season losing the Calder Cup Final in seven games on home ice. In their 14 seasons on the rock, they missed the playoffs only three times.
The St. John’s IceCaps saw a renaissance in AHL hockey in the city of St. John’s. They had a lot of success in their short time, topped off with a Calder Cup final appearance in 2014, where they lost in five games on home ice.
Then there’s the St. John’s Fog Devils… who were not nearly as successful as the other three franchises, lasting only three years and failing to win a playoff series.
AHL and ECHL
Aside from a forgetful three year stint in the mid-2000’s with the Fog Devils, St. John’s fans have only seen professional hockey.
Between 1991-2017, the American Hockey League spent 20 seasons combined in St. John’s and is one of the top ranked pro hockey leagues in the world.
It’s the league right below the NHL, serving as its “farm league” and offers a mix of prospects developing their game and veteran “journeymen” trying to make a name for themselves.
It has a reputation for being a tougher league than the NHL, as its total suspensions and penalty minutes per season compared to the NHL are absurd. Despite the physicality, the young prospects still provide a lot of skill.
The IceCaps saw a few notable players lace up the skates for them. We saw an up and coming young talent in Connor Hellebuyck, who is the current goaltender of the Winnipeg Jets. He is the reigning league MVP, and also won a gold medal for the United States at the past Olympics.
We also saw John Scott during his All-Star season, which was a running joke by the fans, and saw the NHL do everything in their power to keep him out of the game.
Most recently, we saw the ECHL in St. John’s thanks to the Newfoundland Growlers.
While the quality of players isn’t the same as the AHL, it certainly made up for it in terms of physicality. If the AHL is tougher than the NHL, the ECHL puts the AHL to shame.
How is the QMJHL different?
The AHL and ECHL were pro leagues with adults playing. The QMJHL, one of the three umbrella leagues of the CHL, consists of players between 16-20 years of age.
It is high paced, high skill, and full of young exciting talent.
Notable QMJHL alumni include Sidney Crosby, who played on the Rimouski Oceanic before he was drafted in 2005, and Nathan MacKinnon, who played for the Halifax Mooseheads in the early 2010’s. Right now, the 4th overall pick in last years draft, Caleb Desyoners of the Utah Mammoth plays on the Moncton Wildcats.
They are also still teenagers, meaning tensions are constantly boiling over. There is no lost physicality. While seeing a fight may be rare, it is not rare to see a few massive hits and some extra curriculars after the whistle.
Lastly, in the ECHL and AHL are home to mostly American teams. The QMJHL has only Canadian teams, all of which are located in Eastern Canada.
Will the Regiment stick around long term?
The Growlers were shut down mid season. The “baby Leafs” were relocated to Toronto. Both Winnipeg and Montreal relocated their St. John’s farm teams. The Fog Devils didn’t last.
We have never been able to keep a team in St. John’s.
But it hasn’t been because of a lack of fan support. The Regiment proved that fact this season as they broke the record for attendance by a new QMJHL franchise.
So why can’t we keep a team?
Travel has proven to be a big reason. All three AHL teams were relocated due to geographical inconvenience. Ownership woes have also been an issue, and are the reason the Fog Devils and Growlers are no more.
While it’s hard to predict the fate of this Regiment team after only one year, the QMJHL is at least more manageable and cost friendly, as the team only has to travel within the country.
It also helps that the QMJHL is the most talented and highest paced league we have had here, which has given fans plenty of incentive to come to games.
The fan support has been impeccable, and as we near what is hopefully a deep playoff run, so far this Regiment team has stood out amongst the past Newfoundland pro teams, giving the province a reason to believe that this is going to be the team to stick around for good.
