Verge: Doucette inspired by fellow Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby

Okotoks Dawgs and Junior National Team alum Ty Doucette (Dartmouth, N.S.) is in his sophomore season with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Photo: Rutgers University Athletics

March 14, 2025

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

The dreams of many seem possible because of the accomplishments of one in the warm, welcoming east coast city of Dartmouth, N.S.

Ty Doucette grew up in this slow, laidback part of Canada knowing his goal of becoming a professional athlete could become a reality in part because of the great Sidney Crosby.

He’s the representation and the motivation, Doucette said.

“Hey, if this guy can do it, why can’t you do it?” Doucette said.

The home where Doucette grew up is close to the beach and the baseball field, and Sidney Crosby’s hometown of Cole Harbour. Although the current Rutgers University infielder pursued baseball instead of hockey, the Crosby dream spanned across different sports in their close hometowns.

How can you not dream when you have a front row seat to the possibilities?

The vision of Crosby, of making it big, of shining light on Doucette’s small hometown community, which he loves deeply, was seen as more attainable thanks to No. 87, Doucette said.

“I think every kid that comes from Nova Scotia that plays hockey or baseball or soccer, they want to be like Crosby,” Doucette said, who played for the Dartmouth Mooseheads, and is also a Junior National Team alumnus.

“I think you just want to be the next person that can put Nova Scotia on the map.”

Putting Nova Scotia on the map could be in the near future for the talented athlete, a path that Brian Martinez, his former head coach with TNXL Academy in Florida, sees. Doucette attended his academy back in 2023 on a gap year.

“I think he’s a professional baseball player in my opinion,” head coach and TNXL founder Martinez said. “He has the savvy, he has the game knowledge, he knows how to control the defence.”

Offensively, Martinez said, he reminds him of Sean Casey, who played 14 seasons in the majors as a first baseman, concluding with Boston in 2008.

He transformed their defence in that 2023 season, Martinez said. He was stellar at first with no errors, and was also a key piece at the plate, helping them win the National Championship that year.

Now in his second season with Rutgers University, Doucette is batting .265 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 17 games for the Scarlet Knights.

It’s no surprise the sophomore gravitated towards the sport and has found success in it south of the border.

Baseball was a part of Doucette’s life from as early as three, when he would drag out his very own baseball bat, and play wiffle ball in the backyard of their Nova Scotia home. It runs in the family - his dad, Darren Doucette, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1992 MLB draft, and played seven years in professional baseball.

There have been some hiccups for Doucette along the way - most notably at the Four Nations Face Off February 12th -20th. It’s yet another example of the two sports worlds, hockey and baseball, intersecting.

Their baseball team was watching the game at a hotel in Georgia when the U.S. beat Canada on February 15, 3-1.

Doucette is only one of two Canadians on the team, alongside Cam Johnson (Burlington, Ont.) and their American teammates let them have it.

“They were just sort of like, ‘Hockey is ours now, Canada sucks,’” Doucette said, along with some 51st state comments.

That hurt. But it was not long after on a bus ride from Arizona that Doucette and Johnson got the last laugh.

Johnson was fast asleep, Doucette recalls. Doucette was locked on the game. The bus was stark silent.

When Connor McDavid scored the goal in overtime to overtake the U.S. 3-2, Doucette screamed, breaking the silence, and waking Johnson up from his sleep.

The two were the only celebrating players on the bus.

“We ended up winning and I’m like, ‘Yeah, now you’re our 11th province buddy,’” Doucette said, who is a big hockey fan.

How could he not be? Like many Nova Scotia kids, Sidney Crosby made his goal of being a professional athlete seem more attainable.

Since he was a teenager, the expats goal has always been to achieve his dream of playing professional baseball, and this is the year he hopes to make that a reality.

“I’m going to do everything I can to achieve the goal,” Doucette said.

And after what he hopes to be a long stint in pro ball, you can be sure he’ll one day return to live in Canada, in his hometown of Dartmouth, Doucette said.

Despite traveling to many other cities in the world, the east coast N.S. community still has his heart.

“It’s my favourite place in the world,” Doucette said.

“[And] I think [Dartmouth], it’s the best place in the world.”