Rebellious Cup Champs

By Jeff Bromley


Rebellious Cup Champs As the Red Deer Rebels were crowned Memorial Cup champions this past week in Regina in a thrilling overtime victory over the Val D’or Foreurs, I was overcome with mixed emotions. On one hand, the WHL had won the Memorial Cup for the first time in three years. On the other, it was the dreaded Rebels who were carrying the hardware, and deservedly so after being ranked the number one club in the country for the last eleven weeks of the season, but I still found it difficult to garner any feelings of elation for the Rebels. After the heat I took for not towing the line and pulling for the league representative my stance has not wavered. Call me a poor sport or whatever, but I still couldn’t bring myself to do it. That being said, congratulations are in order for the Red Deer franchise. They are the best club in the CHL and had the deepest, most well-rounded roster of any of the Memorial Cup teams. They relied on talent, hard work reminiscent of the Coach, G.M. and owner, Brent Sutter and the rarely wavered from the system Sutter instituted from the very beginning. If there was ever a model to building a Memorial Cup winner, the Rebels are the latest example.

I did however have lots to cheer about the actual tournament itself. From the casual fans’ point of view who watching on television and perhaps not as familiar as the dedicated fan with the junior game and what it has to offer, the week- long tournament did the junior game proud in promoting itself to the masses. The week long television spectacle proves that the major junior game belongs there all season long. The CHL has to once again renew its efforts that the CHL be broadcast on a weekly basis all season long, not just after the World Junior Hockey Championship. Perhaps the thought of segregating it by region so that each league would gain equal exposure each week should also be stressed. The market is there, the capability is there and the will is there. It’s an idea whose time has come.

Biased Refs? -During and after the Memorial Cup, the subject that always seems to surface at each edition of the championship again came to the forefront, the officiating. This time however the shoe was on the other foot as last year it was the Kootenay ICE faithful who were complaining about the ineptitude of the QMJHL refs working the cup last year in Halifax. This year for the most part it was the QMJHL representative Val D’or who was doing most of the complaining after the cup final saw the Foreurs victim of seven minor calls to the Rebels two, including a potentially weak Boarding minor call against the Foreurs near the end of the second frame that enabled the Rebels to tie the game at five only seconds into the third period. Whether the apparent bias was present or not, and I don’t think there was either in last year’s or this year’s Memorial Cup as inept or inexperienced they might be as they are professionals, the CHL could eliminate the perception of partiality simply by using referees from the league not playing (i.e., using the OHL top zebras for the final of a QMJHL and WHL teams and so on).

Say What? -In a related development that could turn around and blow up in the face of the CHL’s primed spectacle, it has been reported that Rebels Coach Brent Sutter had some choice words for a Quebec journalist when he was asked about the aforementioned refereeing. Reportedly Sutter’s choice of profanity was so bad it wasn’t printable for this publication. Needless to say it rhymed with puck and cough. The WHL is now investigating the matter and Sutter has since denied that he said anything of that nature. I’ve interviewed Sutter and the Rebel head man has always been courteous and professional. Upon hearing of the allegations, I immediately hoped that they were unfounded. Other reporters in the scrum stated that Sutter didn’t utter any slurs to the French Radio reporter at all. Hopefully it’s just a big misunderstanding.

MVP -The choice for MVP of the tournament in Kyle Wanvig was a surprise for me. I thought the Calgary native played a great tournament but usually those that make the selection tend to go with the bigger name players such as a Justin Mapletoft, Brandon Reid or Simon Gamache, even thought the latter two were from the losing club. Wanvig is a pleasant surprise and deserved of the honor even though most Kootenay ICE fans haven’t forgiven him for demanding a trade from the club last season that boiled down the ICE receiving Zdenek Blatny.

Tory Compensation – The WHL announced the ICE will receive Tri- Cities’ 2nd Round pick in 2002 Bantam Draft for the Americans signing the former ICE G.M. Also included in the deal is the switch of first and second round European Draft picks. The ICE will receive Tri-Cities’ second pick in the first round (via Lethbridge) and the Americans will receive Kootenay’s first round selection.