Remparts blank Thunderbirds 5-0 in CHL final
On Sunday, the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts blanked the WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 in the title game of the Memorial Cup tournament played at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C. The Remparts skated away as CHL champions for the second time in team history with the first Memorial Cup championship win coming in 2006.
Since the WHL came into existence in the 1966-67 campaign, it is going through its longest drought of not winning the Memorial Cup and that includes times when the circuit was ineligible to compete for the storied championship trophy. In three of the first four seasons the WHL existed, the circuit wasn’t eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup as the circuit was originally viewed as an “outlaw league” by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association that governed the game in Canada at that time.
The WHL didn’t have any Memorial Cup victories in its first seven seasons of existence, and that winless run came to an end when the Regina Pats won storied trophy for the third time in team history to conclude the 1973-74 campaign. Clubs from the WHL became eligible to play for the Memorial Cup on a regular basis in the 1970-71 campaign.
The WHL’s current drought spans seven seasons including the tournaments played from 2015 to 2019, 2022 and 2023. The Memorial Cup tournament wasn’t contested in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The current drought matches the drought the WHL had at the beginning of its existence that included seasons the league wasn’t allowed to compete for the trophy that was first awarded in 1919. Including the two years the Memorial Cup tournaments that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHL is in its longest drought for winning major junior hockey’s biggest prize when it comes to considering how much time has elapsed since the last win.
The Edmonton Oil Kings were the last team from the WHL to win the Memorial Cup, and that victory came back in 2014. Edmonton captured the WHL and CHL titles that year playing to honour the memory of former player Kristians Pelss, who was with the Oil Kings 2012 WHL championship team and passed away in June of 2013 due to a recreation diving accident.
In the championship game of the 2014 Memorial Cup tournament played in London, Ont., on May 25 of that year, the WHL champion Oil Kings downed the OHL champion Guelph Storm 6-3. It has been nine years since a WHL team last captured the Memorial Cup.
On the other end of the spectrum, teams from the QMJHL have won the Memorial Cup the last four times the CHL’s championship tournament was held. That included the Saint John Sea Dogs winning the event as the host squad last year after being eliminated in the first round of the QMJHL Playoffs.
This year’s WHL champion in the Thunderbirds was the deepest squad the circuit sent to the Memorial Cup since the Oil Kings championship win in 2014. The Thunderbirds and Remparts were two of the CHL’s top clubs throughout the 2022-23 campaign.
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| Kyle Crnkovic was a Memorial Cup tournament all-star. |
In the WHL Playoffs, the Thunderbird proceeded to win the league title posting a 16-3 mark.
The Remparts finished first overall in the QMJHL regular season standings with a 53-12-1-2 record and were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. In the QMJHL Playoffs, the Remparts proceeded to win the league crown posting a 16-2 mark.
Both clubs were 2-1 in the round robin portion of the tournament, and the Remparts took first place and earned a bye to the tournament final with a 3-1 victory in a head-to-head meeting with the Thunderbirds on May 29. The Thunderbirds downed the OHL champion Peterborough Petes 4-1 in a semifinal contest to advance to the final.
It was expected the Memorial Cup title game between the Thunderbirds and Remparts would be a heavyweight tilt. It was apparent in that contest Remparts head coach and general manager Patrick Roy and his staff used the four days off between their last round robin game and the title contest to ensure their team was ready for the final.
The Memorial Cup win just added to more to Roy’s hockey legend and his image as an all-time hero in the province of Quebec rightfully nicknamed “Saint Patrick.”
At the 6:31 mark of the first period, Remparts import defenceman Vsevolod Komarov fired a shot to the top right corner of the Seattle net converting a beauty pass on a two-on-one break from Remparts left-winger Kassim Gaudet to open the game’s scoring.
The Remparts pushed their advantage out to 2-0 at the 8:50 mark of the second as star right-winger James Malatesta fired home his fifth goal of the tournament converting a tick-tack-toe passing play involving star centre Theo Rochette and Komarov. Malatesta’s tally came during a stretch were the two sides were playing four skaters versus four skaters due to off-setting penalties.
Seattle appeared to have a big chance to mount a comeback after Remparts centre Mikael Huchette was given a minor penalty for cross-checking sending the Thunderbirds to the power play with 8:58 remaining in the third. On the Thunderbirds power play, the Remparts scored a short-handed goal to go up 3-0 that proved to be a backbreaking tally to the hopes of the WHL champs.
In the Remparts zone, Thunderbirds star centre Brad Lambert had a shot blocked by Remparts defenceman Nicolas Savoie. The puck deflected right to Remparts star centre Justin Robidas who quickly transitioned down the right-wing on a two-on-one break with Gaudet.
Zachary Bolduc tallied on the power play and Charles Savoie scored at even strength for the Remparts to round out the 5-0 final.
William Rousseau stopped all 32 shots he faced to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Remparts. Thomas Milic turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds.
Malatesta took the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the MVP of the Memorial Cup tournament. He was named to the tournament all-star team along with teammates Rochette and Rousseau. Rousseau claimed the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the event’s most outstanding goaltender.
Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic and standout defensive-defenceman Nolan Allan were also named to the tournament’s all-star team.
While the Remparts on the scoreboard posted a convincing win, the Thunderbirds did have chances to change their fate. After the Remparts got ahead 1-0 and increased their edge to 2-0, the Thunderbirds were never able to find a traction moment to change the complexion of the contest.
Had the Thunderbirds scored in the game’s first 50 minutes, it could have changed how that whole contest played out. The Remparts did make a handful of mistakes that resulted in scoring chances for the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds weren’t able to score off those mistakes, and it ended up being a no harm and now foul situation for the Remparts.
Before the Remparts netted their first goal, Lambert had a chance in alone in the Quebec zone to score for the Thunderbirds, but he as stoned by Rousseau. Late in the first period with the Remparts holding a 1-0 lead, the Thunderbirds forced the Remparts to turn the puck over in their own zone resulting in a scoring chance for Crnkovic, whose backhand shot was swallowed up with some juggling by Rousseau.
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| Nolan Allan was a Memorial Cup tournament all-star. |
About eight minutes into the second, Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel had a point blank chance to score, but Rousseau turned that shot away with a pad stop.
Had the Thunderbirds scored on any of those early chances, it might have created some doubts for the players on the Remparts.
The Remparts were able to make the Thunderbirds hesitate and second guess what they were able to do with the puck thanks to structured play. Quebec created a number of Seattle turnovers.
Lambert had his struggles turning the puck over at least on three occasions with backhanded passes that resulted in turnovers and offensive zone rushes for the Remparts. Thanks to Milic, the Remparts didn’t score on any of those turnovers.
Lambert, who is 19-years-old, was selected in the first round and 30th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has a signed entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets assigned Lambert to the Thunderbirds in January from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, and Lambert looked like a future NHL star in his half season with the Thunderbirds.
If he makes turnovers like he did in the Memorial Cup title game at the NHL level, Lambert won’t be in the NHL for very long. He is already under the microscope by Jets followers, so you can be sure his turnovers in the Memorial Cup title game were noticed.
Had the Thunderbirds scored on the third period power play they received due to Huchette’s cross-checking minor, a goal at that point could have changed how the Memorial Cup title game played out.
Still, the Remparts were 27-3 overall in their last 30 contests, so they flat out deserved to win the Memorial Cup and soak in all the praise that comes their way.
For the WHL as a league, maybe the “Curse of the Drop” still lingers.
Since that drop, the WHL has only won the Memorial Cup once coming with the Oil Kings win in 2014.
Going forward, one has to wonder how long the WHL’s Memorial Cup drought will continue, and how much the hands of fate will play a part in extending that drought.
Bedard makes history at CHL Awards
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| Connor Bedard collect three honours at the CHL Awards. |
On Saturday, Bedard cleaned up at the CHL Awards held in Kamloops, B.C., as part of the Memorial Cup tournament that is held to crown a CHL champion. Bedard claimed the David Branch Player of the Year Award, the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award and the CHL Top Scorer Award.
The North Vancouver, B.C., product became the first play to win all three awards since the CHL Top Scorer Award was first introduced in 1994.
In 57 regular season appearances for the Pats, Bedard, who is the Pats captain, piled up 71 goals and 72 assists for 143 points to go with a plus-39 rating in the plus-minus department. In the WHL Playoffs, Bedard had 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points to go with a plus-eight rating as Regina fell in a tough seven game first round series to the Saskatoon Blades.
Bedard is rated number one among North American skaters in the final ranking released by NHL Central Scouting. Barring something unforeseen, Bedard will be the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft set for June 28 to 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and he will be skating in the NHL next season as an 18-year-old with the Chicago Blackhawks, who hold the first overall selection.
At this past world juniors held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B., Bedard set numerous Canadian team records helping Canada take the gold medal final 3-2 in overtime over Czechia this past January 5 in Halifax.
Bedard was named the most valuable player at world juniors along with picking up accolades being named the event’s best forward and a tournament all-star.
His tallies for assists (14) and points (23) were new Canadian records for a single world juniors along with setting a new record for points in a tournament by any player aged 18 or younger. In 16 career games played at world juniors, Bedard set new Canadian career records at the event for goals (16) and points (36).
Bedard’s own brand skyrocketed following world juniors. He sold out rinks or set attendance records at arena across the WHL in most games he played in following world juniors.
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| Connor Bedard had 143 points in 57 regular season games in 2022-23. |
In 2021-22 when the WHL clubs started playing in their home rinks in front of fans after big shutdowns due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, WHL teams drew an average of 3,205 spectators per game for 748 regular season dates. This past season, WHL squads drew an average of 3,895 spectators per game for 748 regular season date.
At some point in time, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bedard maybe one game become a sports cultural icon in Chicago like the late Walter Payton with the NFL’s Bears and Michael Jordan with the NBA’s Bulls.
In making the rounds on the interview trail around Game 2 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup final in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday, Bedard looked poised. He also displayed a cool and confident strut when he was on an NHL on TNT panel with Wayne Gretzky, Anson Carter, Henrik Lundquist and Paul Bissonnette.
You have to think it is going to be fun watching Bedard’s NHL journey play out.
Besides the continuing excitement with Bedard, Olen Zellweger was the other winner at the CHL Awards from the WHL. The Kamloops Blazers star defenceman claimed the CHL Defenceman of the Year Award.
Nathan Darveau of the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres claimed the CHL’s Goaltender of the Year Award, Maxim Masse of the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens took home the CHL Rookie of the Year Award, Dave Cameron of the OHL’s Ottawa 67s captured the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award, Evan Vierling of the OHL’s Barrie Colts won the CHL Sportsman Player of the Year Award, Colby Barlow of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack claimed the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award and Dalyn Wakely of the OHL’s North Bay Battalion took home the CHL Humanitarian of the Year Award.
On Sunday, Zellweger picked up another honour as he was named an all-star on defence for the Memorial Cup Tournament following the Quebec Remparts 5-0 championship game win over the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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| Connor Bedard will be selected first in the NHL Entry Draft. |
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