Jeff Mannix, the voice of the Lewiston MAINEiacs, checks in from Quebec City with his thoughts….

Tonight will no doubt be a special night for MAINEiacs overage forward Simon Courcelles.  The reason is obvious.  He is returning to the city and the building in which he played all three years of his junior career up to this season.  Courcelles tallied 40 goals and 98 assists in three seasons with the Quebec Remparts.  His biggest accomplishment, though, we captaining last year’s team to an improbable Memorial Cup title.  After making into the Memorial Cup only because the QMJHL ChampionMoncton Wildcats already received a birth as the hosts, the Remparts recovered from losing its first game to the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and went on to beat both the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and the Wildcats in successive games to win the Round Robin portion of the tournament, and get a bye all the way to the final.  In that final, despite Moncton nearly doubling up the Remparts in shots on goal, the Remparts skated away with an impressive 6-2 win and skated away with Major Junior Hockey’s top prize, the first QMJHL team to do so since the 2000 Rimouski Oceanic. 

No doubt that Courcelles is feeling at home back at the Colisee Pepsi.  As the Remparts had their morning skate before Lewiston, Courcelles went to the Remparts bench and chatted with many of his former teammates and other club personnel left over from last year’s title run.  After that, though, it appeared to be all business as he hit the ice to skate with his new team in what he hopes will be a repeat performance of last year, his team winning a championship.

Look for an interview with Courcelles on tonight’s IBEW/NECA Pregame Show, which will get under way tonight at 6:30 for a 7:00 opening faceoff between the 1-1 MAINEiacs and the 1-3 Remparts.  It will no doubt be another exhillirating game.

One thing that catches me about Sunday’s loss in Moncton is that the MAINEiacs need to figure out how referees are going to call penalites this year.  They are no doubt hurt by the fact that all the other 17 teams in the league got a week’s head start on them in that quest.  But, the MAINEiacs must learn quckly. They have four games in the next five nights, and want to come home with a solid record to send a message to the rest of the league that are a title contender.  There is no doubt in watching Friday’s game in Charlottetown with two referees and Sunday’s game in Moncton with one referee, that the games will be called differently depending on how many refs you have for that game.  At first glance, I prefer the two-ref system to the one ref system.  I’ve loved it since college hockey did it about 10 years ago and have been a major advocate for it ever since.  I for, one, am happy the Q finally caught on.

The trip to Quebec City is always a special one for me.  The Colisee Pepsi is probably my favorite building to broadcast from all year.  Why? History. It is one of the older buildings in the Q and it oozes hockey history.  It was home to the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques until they moved to Denver in 1996.  But, the building still honors the hockey tradition of the city.  It still has the banners of the four players with retired numbers for the Nords: Jean-Claude Tremblay’s #3, Marc Tardif’s #8, Michel Goulet’s #16, and Peter Statsny’s #26.  It also has banners recognizing the achievements of other teams: the Quebec Bulldogs who won the Stanley Cup in 1912, the Quebec Aces, another junior team that was the host to hockey legend Jean Beliveau in the 1950’s.  Of course, the Remparts have banners hanging as well, honoring it’s two retired numbers, (#4 for Guy Lafleur and #12 for current NHLer Simon Gagne).  Also hanging is a Memorial Cup banner from 1971, but noticibly absent at the moment, is a 2006 Memorial Cup banner.  Wonder if that has anything to do with Simon Courcelles return tonight?  We shall see.

This old building also reminds me of the old Boston Garden.  It’s got the same old wooden seats.  It’s got the same high pitch in the stairs, so steep you think you’ll fall over.  It’s got the same obstructed views, not as bad as the old Garden, mind you, but there nonetheless.  The broadcast location is at the top of the building, giving it a very NHL feel.  I absolutely love coming here, and wish it was for more than one trip a year.  If you have not had the chance to get to a game in Quebec City, do yourself the favor and do so.  If you are a hockey fan, you too will no dobut get some of the same goosebumps I get when I walk
in this place.

One other reason this trip is so cool for me is the chance to speak with Patrick Roy.  He was one of my favorite players growing up, not in his days with the hated Montreal Candiens (I’m a dieheard Bruins fan), but more for his days with the Colorado Avalanche, when I finally got an apprecation for his talentsand showmanship. Getting the chance to meet him last January was a dream come true.  He was the only person so far who I have been star struck around.  I found myself not being able to talk when I shook his hand upon the first meeting.  Thankfully, I got through the inteview, and wasn’t a bumbling idiot.  Hopefully, there will be no repeat performance tonight.

Thanks again to Jeff Mannix for supplying his thoughts. If you missed it, a preview on tonights action was posted earlier today.

One other note, there will be no preview to the Drummondville game tomorrow. My wife and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary this evening, and as much as I enjoy doing this, I have to take time with my better half and celebrate the blessings that have been given to us. Thanks in advance for understanding.

As always, news, rumours, comments, and questions appreciated.  psmaineiac@yahoo.com