Don’t stop believing
Some will win, some will lose. Windsor Spitfires went from losing in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs almost two months ago to winning the 2017 Memorial Cup championship on Sunday.
Against all odds, Windsor overcame a 44-day layoff to go through the back door and beat all challengers to take the 99th edition of the Memorial Cup tournament.
Windsor may have received a free pass into the Memorial Cup as host entry but it was no free ride to victory with four wins in four games against the champions of the OHL, the Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.
And not only did the Spitfires upend the QMJHL champs from from Saint John and the WHL winners from Seattle but they beat the OHL champion Erie Otters twice to deservedly hoist the Memorial Cup hardware.
I had a feeling that the Spitfires were going to be the surprise team of the tournament and win it all. So much of a feeling that two days before the tournament began I sent this out on Twitter: “Any one besides me think the host Windsor Spitfires are going to defy odds and win the 2017 Memorial Cup?”
Then, in a HockeyNewsNorth.com column I gave my reasons for believing the Spitfires were going to win the Memorial Cup beginning with the notion that the 44-day layoff allowed for injuries to key players such as defenseman Logan Stanley and centre Logan Brown to heal to the fact that Windsor did have a 90-point regular season to the fact that it boasted 10 National Hockey League draft picks in its lineup including six who were either first or second round selections.
I took some good-natured ribbing for picking the Spitfires to win, especially with the OHL also being represented by the powerhouse champions from Erie. And while it may be that Windsor is my adopted hometown and I have had an affinity for the Spitfires for more than 40 years, I just thought this team was being too quickly dismissed as one that lost in the first round of the OHL playoffs.
But wow, what a Memorial Cup final it was between the Spitfires and Otters. My wife and I literally watched the game on the edge of our living room seats while jumping up and down every time there was a scoring chance or a goal in what ended up as a thrilling 4-3 win for Windsor.
The way we saw the game, it was win-win.
Either way, an OHL team was going to win the Memorial Cup.
And either way, a local kid was going to skate around with the Memorial Cup trophy, whether it was Windsor backup goalie Mario Culina or Erie defenseman Owen Headrick.
In the end, as always in a game of such magnitude, some will win and some will lose.
Those who won are on the highest of hockey highs.
But those who lost can hold their heads high.
PHOTO: The 2017 Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires.
Glad to see two local boys going at it in the finals of the M Cup. Great game last night, congrats to Rocky and his team.
Something basically wrong with the OHL playoff and Memorial Cup format.
Big market team bids on the Cup, gets knocked off in the first round, rests and recuperates for a month-and-half, cleans up in the tourney.
Makes me wonder if Dave Branch even cares about competitive balance?
Why slog through four rounds of playoffs when you’re the host team? Just nurse your bruises and wait in ambush.
Leaves this lifelong OHL fan with a bad taste in my mouth about how MasterCard and the almighty corporate dollar speak louder than having a fair tournament.
And nice throw, Troy.
It does seem unsatisfying that none of the three CHL champions takes the Memorial Cup. To slog through the grind of league playoffs only to be bushwhacked by a well rested home team playing in their building and in front of their fans stinks.
Windsor won the right to host this thing and with that comes the financial obligation so I realize selling tickets to the homers helps a lot, but the spirit of the Memorial Cup should be reserved for determining an ultimate champion from among other deserving champions. The almighty dollar wins again.
Randy, you have proven once again that you know your sports.
Count me among those who felt that Windsor would have a tough time.
Very happy that they performed so well…..what a coaching job for those 44 days to keep the team motivated, and then again throughout the tournament.
Nice to see Danny Flynn get to the big dance, although I thought that both the Quebec and Western teams were weaker than normal for these events.
Finally, I think that the present format is still the best from a local fan perspective, and for the best financial return.
Since when has it become news that junior hockey should not be a money-making business………..if it wasn’t, the league could not exist.