The 21-year-old Charlottetown native was part of the Presidents Cup-winning Saint John Sea Dogs in his first season working fulltime as an equipment manager.
“Some guys wait forever to get this moment and I was very blessed to have the opportunity here this year,” Jay said Thursday. “It's something I will carry with me for the rest of my life and I’ll never forget the opportunity and the experience.”
Sea Dogs equipment manager David (DK) Kelly asked Jay to fill in for him in November while he received treatment to battle a rare form of thyroid cancer.
Jay, who was working with the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals, at the time, made the move and has been with the Sea Dogs ever since.
“I owe a lot of thank yous to a lot of people,” Jay said.
The list includes Kevin Elliott and Andrew (Spider) MacNeill, of the Charlottetown Islanders, who Jay said taught him how to do the job and be a professional; Capitals staff for giving him a chance to work with them this year and understanding his decision and Kelly.
“He could have chosen a million people in this hockey world to fill in for him and I extremely grateful he chose me.”
The Sea Dogs held 2-0 and 3-1 period leads on Wednesday in Game 4 of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Captain Spencer Smallman scored five minutes into to the third period to make it 4-1 and Matthew Highmore added another 10 minutes later, all but icing the championship.
The fifth goal hit home for Jay, who watched from the Zamboni door.
“I’m looking over across at the bench and everyone is freaking out. This is an unbelievable feeling,” he said.
As the clock ticked down, the adrenaline started pumping to another level.
And then the clock hit zero.
“The Zamboni door opens and I run onto the ice like a maniac, right to the bench with all the other staff,” Jay explained.
Jay is not the only Sea Dog with Island connections. Smallman was born in Summside while defenceman Bailey Webster is from Kelvin Grove. Smallman played one year of initiation and one year of novice hockey in O’Leary before his family moved to New Brunswick in 2003.
Jay is only a year older than Webster. They knew of each other before the season but became closer during the year.
“You get two Islanders in a different city, you become best friends,” Jay said. “It’s unbelievable. When I saw him on the ice, the two of us looked at each other and said, ‘We’re bringing it home.’ P.E.I. is a special place for the both of us.”
While the team flew home to the Port City after the game, Jay and another staff member loaded the equipment into a cube van and drove overnight back to Saint John. Jay was busy doing laundry around noon on Thursday and was preparing to go get some sleep.
The rest will be short-lived as the season is far from over.
“We celebrated a huge win. Now, it’s just time to reset and we’ve got another goal to catch and that starts next week in Windsor,” he said.
The Sea Dogs will represent the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League at the Mastercard Memorial Cup in Windsor, Ont., from May 18-28.
The field has not been set yet. The Windsor Spitfires are the host team. Erie leads Mississauga 3-1 in the OHL final with a chance to win the title on Friday. Regina and Seattle are tied 2-2 in the WHL final.
