Here is your comprehensive review of the 2023 calendar year in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League.
2023 was an eventful year for the QMJHL. From a new commissioner to banned fighting to a Memorial Cup Championship to a name change, here is a lookback at the league’s most memorable moments.
January 5: With Joshua Roy, Zach Dean, Nathan Gaucher and Tyson Hinds representing Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax, the red and white captured the gold medal in dramatic fashion. A goal by Dylan Guenther at 6:22 of overtime sent the fans at the Scotiabank Centre into a frenzy. Roy assisted on the winning goal.
February 22: Commissioner Gilles Courteau testifies at the National Assembly of Quebec regarding hazing rituals and violence in hockey. Courteau said there would be a new locker room code for the 2023-2024 season forcing everyone who enters the locker room to abide by a code of conduct.
March 5: Gilles Courteau announces his resignation abruptly amid intense scrutiny among Quebec’s political class over hazing and initiations. His departures comes after 37 years at the helm and just a year away from a planned 2024 retirement. In a letter published on social media, Courteau said that "recent events have been on such a scale that my family members have been affected.” He added that continuing in the post would not be the right thing to do. Martin Lavallée assumes the position of Interim Commissioner.
March 7: Mario Cecchini is hired as the new QMJHL Commissioner. He officially took office May 8th. "Mr. Cecchini is a very accomplished businessman with vast amounts of experience in sports and media," Richard Letourneau, president of the QMJHL's board of members, said in a statement. "He has been the president of several reputable organizations. "He will undoubtedly be an important asset for the league going forward and we are extremely pleased to welcome him."
April 26: With six balls and a 28 percent chance of winning the lottery, the Moncton Wildcats landed the first overall pick of the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. “All I’ve been doing is finding good luck charms to carry with me,” Ritchie Thibeau, General Manager of Hockey Operations for the Wildcats, said prior to the draw.
May 21: For the first time since 1976, the Quebec Remparts capture the QMJHL Championship in a thrilling six-game series against the Halifax Mooseheads. Down 3-2 with 3:13 left in the third period, the Remparts tied the game with 2:08 left on the clock and netted the winning goal with 59 seconds remaining breaking the hearts of everyone in the Nova Scotia capital. Led by Head Coach Patrick Roy, the Remparts will represent the league at the Memorial Cup in Kamloops, British Columbia.
June 4: After advancing to the Memorial Cup championship game with a 2-1 record in the round robin, the Remparts shut out the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 to win their third national championship in franchise history. Remparts forward James Malatesta was named the tournament's most valuable player with five goals in four games.
June 10: With the first overall pick in the 2023 QMJHL Draft, the Moncton Wildcats select Caleb Desnoyers. The 15-year-old was the consensus top prospect after a 53-point season in 42 with the St-Hyacinthe Gaulois of the Quebec U18 League. Émile Guité, Desnoyers’ teammate with St-Hyacinthe, goes second overall to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Mateo Nobert rounds out the top three after being selected third overall by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
August 12: In a historic rule change, the QMJHL approves to ban fighting from the league which will come into affect for the upcoming 2023-2024 season. Players who engage in a fight will be automatically ejected from the game, while the player deemed as to be the instigator will be given an automatic one-game suspension. A minimum two-game suspension will be issued for players who are declared the aggressor and another game suspension will be added on for a player's second fight of the season.
September 22: The Halifax Mooseheads retire jersey No. 22 worn by Nathan MacKinnon prior to their home opener against the Charlottetown Islanders. Though he only played two seasons from 2011 to 2013 in Halifax, MacKinnon secured his legacy as one of the best to play for the Mooseheads. With 153 points in his junior career, MacKinnon helped The Herd win a QMJHL Championship and Memorial Cup in 2013.
October 11: Victoriaville Tigres’ teammates Massimo Siciliano and Nicolas Daigle plead guilty to sexually assaulting a minor as their team celebrated a QMJHL Championship. Daigle also plead guilty to two charges of filming and exhibiting a video of the act.
December 15: The QMJHL changes its name to better represent its six Maritime teams. The league announces it will be known as the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. League commissioner Mario Cecchini said including the Maritimes in the name has been a priority since taking over the position in May. Since expanding to Halifax in 1994, teams east of the province of Quebec have won the league championship eight times, including four in a row from 2009-10 to 2012-13.
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