AR5A4413 copy If I recall correctly, the first time I encountered Robert Irving, owner of the Moncton Wildcats, was on St. Patrick’s Day, 2021. It was part of the adjusted COVID schedule in the QMJHL, and the Wildcats were in Saint John for a Wednesday date with the rival Sea Dogs.

It occurred during the early stages of what turned out to be a five-year run for me covering the QMJHL, first as reporter for the Saint John Sea Dogs for the Telegraph-Journal and then also with the Wildcats with the Times-Transcript, beginning a year later.

I was aware of Irving's significance in the business and hockey communities, especially his role as the longtime and influential owner of the ‘Cats, the Sea Dogs’ chief adversary in the Q. This all dated back to when I was reporting on the P.E.I. Senators in the AHL and to the early days of the Cats, who Irving took over in the mid-1990s.

 But up to that St. Paddy’s Day special, I had never met him.

 As it turned out that night, the Cats broke a 2-2 tie and cruised to a 6-2 victory. We were still generating post-game quotes in the day, so I ventured to the dressing rooms after the final whistle, in search of first star Philip Daoust of the Cats, who ironically led the Sea Dogs to the Memorial Cup 15 months later at TD Station following a January 2022 blockbuster trade between the clubs.

This St. Paddy's Day night, though, I witnessed a glimpse at the passion Mr. Irving displayed.

Outside the dressing room, and before the interviews, we heard loud, yet muffled cheering from behind the Wildcats’ door, with one distinct voice leading the way and the remainder following with great enthusiasm.

It was a hip-hip hooray vibe, and the elated Cats were all in.

Then the door burst opened open and out of the room came Mr. Irving, smiling at the win and the resulting celebration, his face slightly flushed from the cheering.

He adjusted his jacket, caught his breath and nodded while displaying a quick grin of delight in a 'W" over the Port City squad  

It was proof of what I had long heard regarding his enthusiasm for hockey and his team, one that under his leadership, developed into one of the premiere junior franchises in the country.

While Sea Dogs captured the Memorial Cup in 2022, the Wildcats were in the midst of igniting another golden age of their own, similar to success they experienced in 2002-06. Definitely what happened would not have occurred without Irving. The construction of the Avenir Centre on Canada Street, an 8,000+ seat gem of an arena, had his fingerprints over it, and transported the Cats to new levels.  

That allowed the Cats and Moncton to play host to the World Junior Hockey championship in 2022-23 and formed the basis of much envy from other junior centres.

Through the vision of Mr. Irving, the Cats GM of the day – Ritchie Thibeau - developed an extensive players’ lounge that provided an impressive area to meet and also salute every era of the Cats’ existence.

They also developed the Wildcats Way, the area leading to the ice from the dressing room, a neon lighted area that was big time NHL in its presence.

It was a top shelf environment.

The organization also hosted the QMJHL draft in 2024 as well as the CHL top prospects game that year.  Arguably, the biggest move organizationally came that spring, when he hired former UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall as head coach and Taylor MacDougall as the director of operations.

The goal was to win and in two seasons, they produced two regular season titles, seven playoff series triumphs in eight attempts and one trip to the Memorial Cup.

Robert Irving’s joy was ever apparent.

He stood at the forefront of it all. Irving, who was somewhat reserved in the public eye, was hands on with most everything. He regularly took the microphone at press conferences, often in a lead off role. Those events started the second they were scheduled for and his enthusiasm shone through.

In terms of a professional relationship, he was always open for commentary and perspective and had gained much respect from withing the national hockey community.

For someone who carried a stoic business demeanor, Irving's smile and looks of satisfaction shone through as well.

Once, as I raced to catch the warm-up of a Wildcats game, I was running a bit late and was hurried as I crossed the crosswalk near the Avenir Centre.

Suddenly, a horn tooted and it was Mr. Irving, grinning, pointing to his watch. I doubled back and before we knew it, we were discussing his satisfaction with the big truck he drove to the arena and of course the details of the big game ahead.

It was brief but telling in many ways.

Robert Irving died earlier this week and there have been a sea of tributes saluting his life that ended at 71 years of age.

The players loved him and their grief at his passing was apparent, including teary-eyed comments when the season ended from captain Caleb Desnoyers, the prized No. 1 draft pick in 2023 who seems poised for a solid run at a positive NHL career.

I met him late in his life and only knew him through hockey. But it was more than enough time to gain an appreciation for his love of the Wildcats, Moncton and the sport in general.

I snapped a few photos of him at different events, but the one at the top of this blog, with him standing in front of the Wildcats backdrop and microphone, stands out with him in his treasured setting.

Another, where he posed with the MacDougalls in 2024, is fun too because the prompt was “smile like it’s the best day of your life.”   

It was an easy smile for him because when it came to Irving and the Wildcats, there were many best days where that was true.

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