The Quebec Martimes Junior Hockey League will return to St. John’s in 2025. (Maddie Ryan/CBC)
Sixteen years after the Fog Devils left St. John’s, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League is returning to Newfoundland and Labrador next season.
Local group SPS Entertainment, headed by prominent business owners in St. John’s, has purchased the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and will relocate the franchise to St. John’s in time for next season.
“St. John’s is a market that the league has kept an eye on since the departure of the Fog Devils more than 15 years ago,” said QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini in a news release on Friday. “The ownership is solid, the arena is outstanding, and Newfoundland and Labrador fans love hockey.”
The new organization is moving fast. Fans can already make a deposit to hold their place in line for season tickets. A website is now live with pricing details. They range between $464 and $624 for an adult and between $336 and $528 for seniors and students, depending on the location inside the arena.
However, the team’s branding, name and colours weren’t on display on Friday. It’s expected those details will be announced in January.
Titan president Serge Thériault told CBC News earlier this year that there had been financial struggles for the franchise for a decade and the pandemic made the problem ever more difficult for ownership.
The team has had success on the ice since arriving in Bathurst, including QMJHL championships in 1999 and 2018 and a Memorial Cup that same year.
Ties to the Q
Newfoundland and Labrador has long ties to the QMJHL, with over 160 players from this province having played in the league. Former Fog Devils went on to be drafted into the NHL, with notable names like goaltender Jake Allen still playing in the big league.
SPS Entertainment says having a major junior franchise in the city again will allow local talent to grow in front of hometown fans.
Mary Brown’s Centre, formerly Mile One Centre, has been the home of high-level hockey in St. John’s since 2001. (Mary Brown’s Centre/Facebook)
The ownership group is made up of John Patten, John Steele and Jason Sharpe and Jeff Sharpe.
Glen Stanford, a longtime executive in high-level hockey in St. John’s, is also involved.
While there was much speculation around when Friday’s announcement would happen, the provincial government paved the way in November.
Changes to the Labour Standards Act were approved by the provincial cabinet to exempt QMJHL players from the employer-employee relationship. It followed a $30-million class action lawsuit against the Canadian Hockey League over the employment status of its players.
St. John’s has been without high-level hockey since April, when the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL had their membership terminated “for failure to fulfil its obligations” under the league’s bylaws.
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