April 5, 2003.
That’s the last time the Saint John Flames hit the ice in the Port City.
The American Hockey League franchise, farm team for the NHL’s Calgary Flames, called what was then Harbour Station home for 10 years.
Hockey fans got to see future NHL superstars Martin St. Louis and Jean-Sebastien Giguère, and local heroes like Marty Murray and Darrel Scoville, who scored the game-winning goal when the Flames captured their lone Calder Cup in 2001.
In the fall of 2026, the Flames will rise from the ashes.
Just in a slightly different form.
The new Flames will join the Beausejour Senior Hockey League this fall, reviving a team identity that was a significant part of Saint John’s culture and hockey history.
Nate Belliveau is part of the group behind the team.
Belliveau spent several years as an equipment manager for the New Jersey Devils, but began helping out senior-level hockey teams like the Lancaster Thundercats.
“That was where I got my dream of getting into the hockey business,” he said. “That’s where it all started for me.”
Belliveau left the NHL a couple of years ago and now co-owns KYC Hockey with James Mailman. The company makes hockey gear.
“We’re really excited with the challenge,” he said about bringing a team to Saint John.
But why the Flames?
“We just figured with the history of the Saint John Flames back in the day, it can bring back a lot of memories,” Belliveau said.
“I remember the big dragon when the teams were coming out of it, I remember the Jock Jam songs, just that side of it.”
Belliveau said as an equipment guy, he was a fan of the old Flames colours as well.
“It had nothing really to do with anything else besides the fact of just bring back memories from when we were kids,” he said.
The team will play home games at the Lord Beaverbrook Rink in the city’s north end.
Belliveau said it’ll give the city a different kind of hockey from the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs.
He said the Sea Dogs are about young, skilled players on their way to the NHL or NCAA hockey, while a senior league is often more rough-and-tumble.
“It’s a little more old-school,” he added.
The team has already started signing players for the coming season, and season tickets are also available.
“We’re definitely really excited about the opportunity,” Belliveau said.
