Eww. Wheat Kings loaded up only to probably get swept in the final. That will sting.
It will sting if they get swept. I'm not sure how they "loaded up" though.
Jesse Gabrielle is a decent 17 yr old but was a third liner at best with all the talented players Brandon has coming up. Getting Klimchuk for him straight up in order to make a run isn't a trade that Brandon will regret. It's a trade that contending teams make every year.
In late September, they traded Pankewicz, Lindgren and Kitt for traded for Duke and Erkamps. Duke was easily the best player in that deal and Erkamps gave them a RH shot on D that they needed and was solid. The three they gave up are dime a dozen players. No loss there.
They traded a conditional 5th for Reid Gow. That's a nothing move.
Those are the only trades they've made this year where they acquired a player. They are going to be a juggernaut for the next 3-4 years minimum.
-This was three years in the making for the Rockets. They did win 50+ games three years in a row which is almost unheard of in junior hockey but you could just tell they weren't ready to win last year over a more veteran Winterhawk team or the year before as an extremely young group. It really seems in junior hockey like you have to lose in order to learn how to win and Kelowna was poised this year. Although they did sleepwalk through the regular season a bit, it took them awhile to gel with the big trades and also the many injuries. Fortunately, they finally got healthy and peaked at the right time. This group wasn't going to be denied this year and that determination showed.
-Please, no more 2-3-2 formats. They favour the road team.
-One example of the Rockets determination was that they managed to score timely goals. Things didn't always go their way and they actually looked quite off at times but they always found a way to score in the first or last minutes of periods, or immediately after an opponent goal, or at some other opportune time. 9 shorthanded goals in the playoffs which must be a record.
-The perceived weak link on the team all year has been Jackson Whistle, so nice to see him finally get his game in gear for the playoffs, tying a team record with 4 shutouts. The team has never needed perfect goaltending from him but they do need timely big saves and they finally got them.
-What a night to be at Prospera Place! Crowd was absolutely jacked despite a 0-0 game for 40+ minutes. When the back to back shorthanded goals blew it open in the third, it was going nuts. Regular season games can see some pretty quiet crowds but the folks here bring it in the playoffs.
-Onto the Brandon Wheat Kings. Why does Kelly McCrimmon try to run-n-gun his way to Memorial Cups all the time? It doesn't work. Offense can win regular season games but defense wins championships and frankly the Wheat Kings didn't impress me at all with their lack of focus on team defense.
-Not sure if this was a personnel problem but a blueline that had two 20s on it should have been way better. Also, Ryan Pilon is aptly named. The guy is absolute garbage defensively and hopefully the Flames don't end up drafting him this year, especially in round 1 or 2. Also quite bad was Reid Gow. Maybe he shouldn't have bitched his way out of Spokane to "go to school" then accept a bribe from McCrimmon to "change his mind."
-Brandon had a nice season but you could tell they hadn't faced any real adversity yet this year. They romped their way to the final and when finally they came up with a team that could stop their offense they had no clue how to adjust. Found it really shocking that even in game 4 they kept trying the exact same plays on offense, forcing cross ice feeds that weren't there, trying for one extra pass, and refusing to simply get pucks toward the net and fight for space in front. Guys like Rihards Bukarts were absolutely shut down and were getting visibly frustrated when their east-west stuff wasn't working. There was no adjustment and part of that has to be on McCrimmon.
-In direct contrast, you could tell the Rockets had learned from last years loss to Portland and were ready to do whatever it takes and win a hockey game in any fashion they needed to. Whether a 8-4 track meet, or a 2-1 OT game they were comfortable to play any kind of game and finally getting past Portland in round three (after falling behind the series) was really the moment when they became unstoppable.
-One more thing on Brandon. They're a real young team and will have another crack or two at a championship but probably not more than that. Provorov will only be around another two years max if not less. McGauley will probably get drafted and go to the AHL, Klimchuk will be gone, etc. Nolan Patrick is only 16 but will probably play in the NHL immediately after being drafted. When your young players are too good they often don't stay for their 19 yr season (and certainly not 20). Point being, they will be even better next year and year after but sustaining success longer than that usually doesn't happen.
-McCrimmon really needs to learn that you can't outscore all your problems in the playoffs, end of story.
-Onto the Memorial Cup. 7 of the last 10 WHL winners who swept the finals ended up winning the Mem Cup, but really as a fan, this feels like a bonus tournament and nothing more. Sure its a prestigious trophy but winning the WHL feels like the real championship basically due to the crapshoot nature of a single-knockout tournament played in a neutral site, against teams you know nothing about and haven't seen before.
-The best team often doesn't win at the Memorial Cup. It didn't last year when Guelph was clearly the class of the country but had an off-day in the final. So hard to really have expectations for the tournament when 3 league champions are there and 2 of them will go home disappointed due to a bad bounce, bad reffing, or whatever else can happen in one game.
-It's been said many times before but the Memorial Cup format has to change somehow. It's the greatest prize in junior hockey but doesn't really feel like it because of it's "one and done" structure. It isn't just to determine the best hockey team in the country by one game. The teams deserve so much more. Maybe a Champions League format with a home-and-away series for total goals? Just spitballing here. All that said, here's hoping the Rockets get lucky and manage to pull it off.
Hope this wasn't too long to read.
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Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Darrell Romuld (CTV) @CTVDarrell
Lethbridge Hurricanes shareholders voted 68% in favour of selling the team tonight, not enough, bylaws ask for 75%. No deal. (1/2)
Darrell Romuld (CTV) @CTVDarrell
Source tells me the Calgary Flames showed up to meeting with 80 shares and were turned away due to conflict. May have been difference. (2/2)
Romuld would be wrong though. There were reportedly 2500 shares, so if the Flames did vote yes they would have still only gotten another 3.2%
Darrell Romuld (CTV) @CTVDarrell
Lethbridge Hurricanes shareholders voted 68% in favour of selling the team tonight, not enough, bylaws ask for 75%. No deal. (1/2)
Darrell Romuld (CTV) @CTVDarrell
Source tells me the Calgary Flames showed up to meeting with 80 shares and were turned away due to conflict. May have been difference. (2/2)
Romuld would be wrong though. There were reportedly 2500 shares, so if the Flames did vote yes they would have still only gotten another 3.2%
But there were only 831 owned shares on hand that carried votes so that would have been 10% which would have been the sway in either direction. Anyways Mike Moore who is the Hitmen GM appeared at the door and was turned away, no rep from the Flames has been involved as a shareholder for some 29 years. The shares the flames own are 100% silent due to conflict of interest. They were purchased back in '86 as a favour to those wanting to bring the WHL back to Lethbridge.
There are ac ouple schools of though here. One is that it is expected that the Hurricanes are to name former Hitmen coach Brent Kisio as the new head coach on Thursday. The other is that a potential owner(s) (Rich Sutter, Ron Sakamoto are the namse that keep comming up) called in a favor to the Flames (please come vote to sell). Or it could all be a coincedence.
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The only thing better then a glass of beer is tea with Ms McGill
