New Brunswick's Beloved Nhl Team

People from New Brunswick support a variety of NHL teams, with no one dominant team. The province has a rich hockey history, with many successful players having been born there. The province is home to several junior and minor league hockey teams, including the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Fredericton Red Wings, and the Miramichi Timberwolves. New Brunswick has also hosted several notable hockey tournaments, such as the World Pond Hockey Championships and the Maritime Junior C Hockey Championship.

Notable players from New Brunswick

New Brunswick has produced a number of notable NHL players over the years. Here is a list of some of the most famous names:

• Greg Malone (Chatham, NB): Centre who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers, and Quebec Nordiques. Malone had a long and consistent career, only dipping below 50 points in a season three times between 1973-74 and 1985-86. He won two Stanley Cups as the head scout for the Penguins after retiring.
• Gordie Drillon (Moncton, NB): Right-winger and pioneer of the "garbage" or "dirty" goal, achieving great success on the scoresheet with 295 points in 312 games. He played six seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs and is known for his innovation and scoring touch.
• Danny Grant (Fredericton, NB): Left-winger who won the Calder Memorial Trophy and the Stanley Cup. He scored 536 points in 736 games, including 50 goals and 87 points in 80 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 1974-75.
• Mike Eagles (Sussex, NB): Left-winger known for his longevity and defensive focus, winning a Memorial Cup in 1982 and a World Junior Championship gold medal in 1983 with Team Canada.
• Willie O'Ree (Fredericton, NB): Left-winger who made history as the first Black man to play in the NHL. O'Ree played 45 games in the NHL and had a lasting impact on the game, playing until he was 43 years old and serving as an ambassador for hockey.
• Don Sweeney (St. Stephen, NB): Defenseman who played 15 seasons with the Boston Bruins and one with the Dallas Stars, for a total of 1,115 games. After retiring, he became the general manager of the Bruins and won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for the 2018-19 season.
• Charlie Bourgeois (Moncton, NB): Undrafted right-defense who played 290 games in the NHL for the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, and Hartford Whalers. He also had a significant impact on the hockey community in Moncton, helping the Université de Moncton win the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championship in 1980-81.
• Jake Allen (Fredericton, NB): Goaltender with 309 games played, 156 wins, a 2.51 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage. He won the Stanley Cup in 2019 as a backup for Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues.

In addition to these players, New Brunswick has also produced notable women's hockey players, such as Stacy Wilson, Kathy McCormack, Carol Cooper, Rebecca Fahey, and Marlene Boissonnault, who have represented Canada in various international competitions and made significant contributions to the sport.

Ice hockey teams in New Brunswick

Ice hockey is a popular sport in New Brunswick, with many teams competing across various leagues. The province has a rich history of producing talented hockey players, some of whom have gone on to have successful careers in the NHL.

One of the most well-known ice hockey teams in New Brunswick is the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Titan was founded in 1972 as the Rosemont National and were known as the Moncton Alpines during their first year. They have since gone on to change their name and build a strong reputation in the league.

Another notable team is the Fredericton Red Wings, who compete in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. The team has undergone several name and location changes throughout its history, previously known as the Woodstock Slammers and the St. Stephen Aces before settling in Fredericton in 2019.

The Maritime-Hockey North Junior C Championships feature several teams from New Brunswick, including the St. Stephen Sea Hawks, the Saint John Blackhawks, and the Grand Lake Thrashers. These teams compete at the junior level, showcasing the up-and-coming talent in the region.

New Brunswick also has a strong presence in the Semi-professional, senior, and amateur leagues, with teams like the Miramichi Timberwolves and the Campbellton Tigers, who have had successful runs in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.

In addition to these teams, New Brunswick has produced numerous talented NHL players who have made their mark in the league. Notable names include Greg Malone, Gordie Drillon, Willie O'Ree, and Danny Grant, all of whom have had impressive careers and contributed significantly to the sport.

New Brunswick's passion for ice hockey is evident through its diverse range of teams and players, both past and present, who continue to shape the sport's landscape in the province and beyond.

World Pond Hockey Championships in Plaster Rock

The World Pond Hockey Championships is an annual international competition that takes place outdoors on a frozen body of water, playing the pond hockey variant of ice hockey. The event takes place in the small, rural village of Tobique Valley, specifically on Roulston Lake in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, Canada.

The first World Pond Hockey Championship tournament was held in 2002. The event was created by Tom Chamberlain and Danny Braun, the director for community development of Plaster Rock and the current President and CEO of the tournament. The tournament was created to help raise money for a new recreation centre for the Tobique Valley community. The tournament has been a financial success, allowing for the construction of the Tobique-Plex recreation centre, which officially opened in November 2007. The profits from the tournament continue to help pay for the operating costs of the centre.

The tournament has expanded from its original 40 teams to now featuring 120 teams from 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and Denmark. There are teams from all of the Canadian provinces and 35 states from the US. The competition takes place over four days, with each team guaranteed at least five 30-minute games. The playoff round starts on the Sunday of the tournament weekend, featuring the best 32 teams from the previous rounds.

The Pond Hockey Championships feature some unique rules and differences compared to traditional hockey games. There are no goalies, and players must be over the centre line of the rink to score. Additionally, there is no traditional penalty box; instead, if any penalties are called on a team, the opposing team is awarded one goal. The nets that players must score on are also much smaller than in regular hockey, with dimensions of 6 feet wide and only 10 inches high, ensuring that all shots are kept low to the ice.

Hockey New Brunswick AAA Provincial Championships

Hockey is a big deal in New Brunswick, with the World Pond Hockey Championships taking place in Plaster Rock, a village in the northwest quadrant of the province. The Maritime province might not have a long list of professional hockey players, but it has produced some greats.

The Hockey New Brunswick AAA Provincial Championships is an annual tournament that showcases the best male and female hockey players in the province. The 2024 event was held at the Superior Propane Centre in Moncton, NB, and featured teams across four divisions: Male Under-14, Male Under-15, Female Under-14, and Female Under-16.

The champions of the 2024 Hockey New Brunswick AAA Provincial Championships were the Fury, Beavers, Caps, and Hawks. The Minor & Female HNB Provincials champions were also crowned, with the U13 C title going to the Restigouche Ouest Coyotes, the U13 B to the Grand Falls Jr Cats, the U13 A to the Edmundston Junior Blizzard, and the U13 AA to the Fredericton Caps.

The Hockey New Brunswick Championships are a highlight of the provincial hockey calendar, with teams and players from across New Brunswick competing to be crowned the best in the province. The event is a showcase of the talent and dedication of young hockey players, many of whom dream of one day making it to the NHL.

New Brunswick has produced several notable NHL players, including Greg Malone, Gordie Drillon, Willie O'Ree, and Jake Allen. Malone, a centre from Chatham, NB, had a long and successful career, playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hartford Whalers. Drillon, a right-wing from Moncton, NB, played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and is known for pioneering the style of setting up right in front of the net to tip shots past goaltenders. Willie O'Ree, a left-wing, was the first Black man to play in the NHL, donning the jersey of the Boston Bruins. Jake Allen, from Fredericton, NB, is a talented goaltender who has had a successful career with the St. Louis Blues, backing them up to a Stanley Cup victory.

The Maritime-Hockey North Championship

The 2024 edition of the tournament took place in Miramichi, NB, hosted by the Sunny Corner Thrashers. This event showcases the passion and talent of athletes from New Brunswick and beyond, with teams competing across four divisions: Male Under-14, Male Under-15, Female Under-14, and Female Under-16.

The tournament is a platform for players to showcase their skills and pursue their passion for the sport. It is also an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate the long-standing tradition of hockey in the region. The Maritime-Hockey North Championship is more than just a sporting event; it is a testament to the dedication and talent of athletes and the sense of camaraderie that hockey fosters in New Brunswick and the surrounding areas.

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