Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 1:58 pm
It's time for Saint John to make good on a bet.
On Tuesday, the City of Moncton's flag will be flying in front of Saint John's City Hall for a week as the result of a friendly tri-city Quebec Major Junior Hockey League wager.
"At the beginning of the year, the mayors of Saint John, Moncton and Bathurst met and decided to have a little fun and lend some excitement this season," said Saint John Mayor Norm McFarlane. "The city that finished first out of the three at the end of the season would have its flag fly in the other two cities."
Bathurst has been flying Moncton's blacksmith and farmer crest since May 12, and will stop when Saint John raises it on May 23 - smack in the middle of the Memorial Cup tournament, which opens its nine-day run at the Moncton Coliseum tonight.
Mayor McFarlane said he wasn't expecting the expansion Sea Dogs to finish ahead of the QMJHL champion Wildcats, who go into the Memorial Cup as the No. 1 junior team in Canada, or the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. But there was never any doubt where his loyalties lie.
"The Saint John Sea Dogs are, of course, very young," he said. "But we'll be there soon, and Bathurst and Moncton will have to fly our flag."
