Coach Mac's secret recipe for Moncton Wildcats' hockey success

Moncton Wildcats coach Gardiner MacDougall will tell you success in hockey takes many ingredients, but the man himself is starting to seem like a magic one. 

With MacDougall behind the bench, the Wildcats went from more losses than wins at the start of the season to 16 wins and just three losses in the playoffs to win the Quebec-Maritimes Junior Hockey League title last weekend. This earned the team a spot in the Canadian Hockey League final tournament, now under way.

MacDougall shares credit with the players, the other staff members — including his son, Taylor, who is general manager — and the owners. 

They did an outstanding job of creating a good environment, putting the team together, getting prepared and bringing their best to every game, he said.

"We've been fortunate to create that culture where there's an abundance of joy and love in the group," MacDougall said.

"I think they're key ingredients in getting the most out of your people."

Strong relationships

That emphasis on relationships is one of the things that set MacDougall apart as a coach, according to some of his former players from championship teams. 

MacDougall has won the Memorial Cup before, while coaching the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2022.

And he won nine other national championships while coaching the University of New Brunswick men's team.

"He's extremely good at getting the most out of his players and connecting with them, not just as hockey players, but also on a personal level," said Rob Hennigar, who spent 16 or 17 years with MacDougall, as a UNB player and associate coach.

"I still remember him coming to my house to meet my family in the summer of '03," he said. 

"He's a wonderful person. And how he coaches is kind of how he is as a person — always has time for you."

"I always felt good playing for him, even when things weren't going great."

After a few building years, Hennigar and UNB became national champions. He became a national MVP, went on to play professionally in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, and leagues in Italy and Germany. Last year, he was named head coach at UNB, after MacDougall's retirement.

He's trying to take a page out of MacDougall's book, getting to know his team members as more than just hockey players.

"The more you're there for them … they give you just a little bit more on the ice, for whatever reason that may be."

"It's like a family, " said Cameron Critchlow, who played for UNB from 2013 to 2017, then went pro and was recently named head coach of the Manchester Storm of the British Elite League.

"You have to be a good person first and foremost," he said. "He'll preach that. And you have to be a good teammate as well."

As teambuilding exercises, MacDougall had his players do "everything from trivia to tetherball," Critchlow said.

It taught them to trust that they had each other's back and would make the right play in any given situation, he said.

For his part, MacDougall was always at the ready with the right words of inspiration, Critchlow said.

"He uses a lot of tactics where he can kind of take your mind off of the game and use it in a relatable scenario and then switch it right back on and get your right focus into the game again." 

Work ethic and passion

MacDougall spends a lot of time preparing for the big moments, said Hennigar — reviewing countless hours of video, working on plays and finding ways to keep things fun and fresh. 

His work ethic is unmatched, he said. 

"It's hockey 24/7 for him."

"It's his life. I've never seen someone love it as much."

Energy and passion are also what struck Critchlow about "Coach Mac," when he first met him as a young player at summer hockey school.

That made it really fun to play for him, he said.

High expectations

But it wasn't always "sunshine and rainbows," said Critchlow.

"He'll push you right to the brink … and you'll find out how far you can push yourself."

MacDougall's enthusiasm was contagious, said Hennigar.

"When you see your coach work that hard, you as a player can't help but work that hard as well."

Hennigar feels he had his greatest success as a player when MacDougall was his coach. 

"I always felt it was not really hockey related … it wasn't the tactical stuff … it was more the confidence he instilled in me to go be the best I can be with the talents I had."

Success breeds success

MacDougall's own talents and record became somewhat of a talisman, he said.

"I often laugh about it, but there'd be times where I'd be nervous on the bench — we'd be in a one-goal game or be the national finals or [Atlantic University Sport] championship or whatever it may be — and I would look over and thought to myself, 'Well, he's on the bench, we're not going to lose because he doesn't lose."

"Once you've done what he's done, you feel like anything is possible, quite honestly."

"The man's a winner," echoed Critchlow. "If there's other opportunities for him, which I'm sure there will be, I don't doubt he'll be able to bring all those skills to the next level."

There's been some recent buzz about MacDougall possibly being asked to coach in the NHL.

He deflected discussing that prospect, saying he's focused on getting the Wildcats ready for the task at hand.