As I type this my hands are starting to sweat, my body convulses, and my head shakes from side to side in disbelief.
I still can't believe what I witnessed in the Rockets Western Conference final with the expansion Everett Silvertips in the spring of 2004.
WARNING!!!
Rockets fans, you may want to turn away now, before I explain what happened!
Or is it like a car crash where you want to turn away from the carnage, yet you still need to look to see what happened?
The Rockets were awarded the 2004 Memorial Cup, yet didn't rest on their laurels by earning the regular season title as league champions with 98 points and 47 wins.
The Rockets set a new league record for fewest goals allowed with 125 that season behind the solid goaltending of Kelly Guard,and the defensive first coaching of Marc Habscheid.
Despite being M.C hosts, the Rockets were the favorites to meet Medicine Hat in the league final before the playoffs had even started.
The Rockets would open the 2004 playoffs against arch rival Kootenay.
A four game sweep had them matched up against Tri City in round two.
To say the least, the Rockets would get a scare in a 7 game series against a Tri City team which had nothing to lose, and everything to gain in a potential upset.
With a young kid by the name of Carey Price in goal to start game one, the American won the opener with a stunning 3-2 overtime victory.
Shawn Belle would score the game winner beating Kelly Guard with a quick snap shot over the goaltenders shoulder.
The two teams played disciplined hockey, accumulating just 12 minutes in penalties.
Game two saw the Americans change goaltenders for some odd reason. Am's Head Coach Don Nachbaur replaced the young Price with veteran Tyler Weiman, and the move paid off.
The Americans opened up a 3-0 lead before the Rockets rallied by sending the game into overtime with a Tyler Mosienko goal with 39 seconds left in regulation time.
But in the extra session, Marcus Jonasen would score less than 2 minutes into o.t leaving Rockets fans shaking their heads with the home team down 0-2 in the series.
I remember clearly, many Rockets fans frustrated with what they saw, believing the team was in fact done in the series with the next two games being played on the road.
In game three the Rockets awoke offensively by building up a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 4-1 victory.
Shea Weber had 3 assists, and was named the games first start.
Kelly Guard would have recorded the shutout in goal that night had the Am's not scored a power play goal with under 2 and a half minutes left in the game.
The Rockets were back in the series.
Game four was the turning point.
D.J King, the Rockets designated tough guy provided the role of hero with the o.t winner in a 4-3 win. The Rockets almost let this one sleep away after building up a 3-1 lead on a natural hattrick from Simon Ferguson.
Game five back in Kelowna, had the Rockets exploding for 7 goals - including two off the stick from Randall Gelech. After playing composed hockey through four games, the two teams got physical forcing Rockets Head Coach Marc Habscheid to replace starting goaltender Kelly Guard with backup Derek Yeomans with 9 minutes left in the third period just in case things got out of hand and running goaltenders came into play.
Troy Bodie
The Rockets would win the series two night's later, back on the road as Troy Bodie scored the winner with 18 second left in regulation time in a close 2-1 win.
Bodie would have 4 goals in the 6 game series against the Americans.
Not bad for a player who had just 8 during the regular season.
It was off to the Western Conference final against the expansion Everett Silvertips, who much like the Rockets that season, relied on solid defensive hockey and the play of overage goaltender Jeff Harvey.
Many were surprised to see the Tips in the conference finals, considering the team consisted of castoffs from other W.H.L teams, and a former NHL Head Coach named Kevin Constantine who had the credentials, but could he lead a lunch bucket burgade to a potential upset?
Game one was a sign of things to come.
Jeff Harvey stood on his head in a 3-2 Tips win.
Harvey would make 36 saves in the game, as the Rockets pressured the inexperienced Tips at every turn.
Game two started off with a bang when Mike Card would score just 14 seconds in giving the Rockets the early 1-0 lead, but the Tips were at their defensive best in limiting the Rockets to quality offensive chances before Troy Bodie would score the winner in the second period in a 2-1 win.
With the series now down to a best of five, the venue changed to the Everett Events Centre where 68 hundred strong watched the Rockets record another one goal win - this time by a 2-1 score.
Game four saw the Tips open a 2-0 lead, before the Rockets responded with goals from Bodie, Cam Paddock and Blake Comeau to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.
The Rockets would eventually hold on for a 4-3 win, the fourth straight game in the series that was decided by a single goal.
So with the Rockets holding a 3-1 lead in the series, and just one win away from advancing to the league final against Medicine Hat, the 'Hockey God's' went against the league champions from 2003.
Game five was back at Prospera Place, an ideal way to end of the series infront of the hometown faithful right?
Cue the comeback.
Everett would manage just 15 shots on goal, but on a Bryan Nathe slapper from centre ice in overtime that stunned Rockets goaltender Kelly Guard, the Tips were back in the series curtesy of a 1-0 win.
It was back to Everett for game six, where again we'd go into overtime with the two teams tied at one, before a shot from John Dahl would go wide of the Rockets net, would hit the end boards before hitting Rockets goaltender Kelly Guard's skate or leg to the far post and somehow trickling into the net.
The series was tied at 3 - with the series headed back to Kelowna for game seven.
Game seven saw the Rockets and Tips going into overtime for the third straight game.
Gulp!
Both teams were thinking upset. The Rockets for all the wrong reasons, the Tips for all the right ones.
Could the Tips comeback from being down 3 games to 1 and move on to the WHL final as an expansion team?
Up and to that point it was unheard of.
This is how it unfolded.
An opening goal by the Rockets less than three minutes into game 7 had the Prospera faithful in a frenzy (it was technically known as Skyreach Place at the time), but the Tips didn't panic and stuck to their systems before tying the game on a 3rd period goal from Ivan Baranka with less than 4 minutes left in regulation time.
With overtime looming, the Rockets knew that going into the extra session could mean disaster.
On this night it meant doom!
Just under 8 minutes into overtime Tips forward Jeff Schmidt would go hard to the net, and would see a belt high pass from the corner from teammate John Dahl go off his pants and go past a startled Kelly Guard.
The series was over - the upset had been complete.For the first time ever an expansion team would advance to the Western Hockey League final.
Oh sure the Rockets fans can take solice in the fact that the Tips were eventually eliminated by the Medicine Hat Tigers in four straight games in the league final, but all season long fans across the league had anticipated a Kelowna-Medicine Hat championship, and had never envisioned Everett even being there playing in late April.
The Rockets, as hosts of the 2004 Memorial Cup, had 2 weeks to rest after being eliminated by the Tips, and used that time to recoup both mentally and physically which helped them win the franchises first ever national championship by going undefeated in the tournament.
While winning the CHL's ultimate prize that season, the win will always be tainted by a upset loss to the expansion Everett Silvertips.
It's a series that showed any teams no matter what the talent level can beat a superior team in a seven game playoff series with good old fashioned work ethic, heart and a favorable bounce now and again.
The Tips had all three in the spring of 2004, as the Rockets let a 3-1 series lead slip away.
I still can't believe what I witnessed in the Rockets Western Conference final with the expansion Everett Silvertips in the spring of 2004.
WARNING!!!
Rockets fans, you may want to turn away now, before I explain what happened!
Or is it like a car crash where you want to turn away from the carnage, yet you still need to look to see what happened?
The Rockets were awarded the 2004 Memorial Cup, yet didn't rest on their laurels by earning the regular season title as league champions with 98 points and 47 wins.
The Rockets set a new league record for fewest goals allowed with 125 that season behind the solid goaltending of Kelly Guard,and the defensive first coaching of Marc Habscheid.
Despite being M.C hosts, the Rockets were the favorites to meet Medicine Hat in the league final before the playoffs had even started.
The Rockets would open the 2004 playoffs against arch rival Kootenay.
A four game sweep had them matched up against Tri City in round two.
To say the least, the Rockets would get a scare in a 7 game series against a Tri City team which had nothing to lose, and everything to gain in a potential upset.
With a young kid by the name of Carey Price in goal to start game one, the American won the opener with a stunning 3-2 overtime victory.
Shawn Belle would score the game winner beating Kelly Guard with a quick snap shot over the goaltenders shoulder.
The two teams played disciplined hockey, accumulating just 12 minutes in penalties.
Game two saw the Americans change goaltenders for some odd reason. Am's Head Coach Don Nachbaur replaced the young Price with veteran Tyler Weiman, and the move paid off.
The Americans opened up a 3-0 lead before the Rockets rallied by sending the game into overtime with a Tyler Mosienko goal with 39 seconds left in regulation time.
But in the extra session, Marcus Jonasen would score less than 2 minutes into o.t leaving Rockets fans shaking their heads with the home team down 0-2 in the series.
I remember clearly, many Rockets fans frustrated with what they saw, believing the team was in fact done in the series with the next two games being played on the road.
In game three the Rockets awoke offensively by building up a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 4-1 victory.
Shea Weber had 3 assists, and was named the games first start.
Kelly Guard would have recorded the shutout in goal that night had the Am's not scored a power play goal with under 2 and a half minutes left in the game.
The Rockets were back in the series.
Game four was the turning point.
D.J King, the Rockets designated tough guy provided the role of hero with the o.t winner in a 4-3 win. The Rockets almost let this one sleep away after building up a 3-1 lead on a natural hattrick from Simon Ferguson.
Game five back in Kelowna, had the Rockets exploding for 7 goals - including two off the stick from Randall Gelech. After playing composed hockey through four games, the two teams got physical forcing Rockets Head Coach Marc Habscheid to replace starting goaltender Kelly Guard with backup Derek Yeomans with 9 minutes left in the third period just in case things got out of hand and running goaltenders came into play.
Troy Bodie
The Rockets would win the series two night's later, back on the road as Troy Bodie scored the winner with 18 second left in regulation time in a close 2-1 win.
Bodie would have 4 goals in the 6 game series against the Americans.
Not bad for a player who had just 8 during the regular season.
It was off to the Western Conference final against the expansion Everett Silvertips, who much like the Rockets that season, relied on solid defensive hockey and the play of overage goaltender Jeff Harvey.
Many were surprised to see the Tips in the conference finals, considering the team consisted of castoffs from other W.H.L teams, and a former NHL Head Coach named Kevin Constantine who had the credentials, but could he lead a lunch bucket burgade to a potential upset?
Game one was a sign of things to come.
Jeff Harvey stood on his head in a 3-2 Tips win.
Harvey would make 36 saves in the game, as the Rockets pressured the inexperienced Tips at every turn.
Game two started off with a bang when Mike Card would score just 14 seconds in giving the Rockets the early 1-0 lead, but the Tips were at their defensive best in limiting the Rockets to quality offensive chances before Troy Bodie would score the winner in the second period in a 2-1 win.
With the series now down to a best of five, the venue changed to the Everett Events Centre where 68 hundred strong watched the Rockets record another one goal win - this time by a 2-1 score.
Game four saw the Tips open a 2-0 lead, before the Rockets responded with goals from Bodie, Cam Paddock and Blake Comeau to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.
The Rockets would eventually hold on for a 4-3 win, the fourth straight game in the series that was decided by a single goal.
So with the Rockets holding a 3-1 lead in the series, and just one win away from advancing to the league final against Medicine Hat, the 'Hockey God's' went against the league champions from 2003.
Game five was back at Prospera Place, an ideal way to end of the series infront of the hometown faithful right?
Cue the comeback.
Everett would manage just 15 shots on goal, but on a Bryan Nathe slapper from centre ice in overtime that stunned Rockets goaltender Kelly Guard, the Tips were back in the series curtesy of a 1-0 win.
It was back to Everett for game six, where again we'd go into overtime with the two teams tied at one, before a shot from John Dahl would go wide of the Rockets net, would hit the end boards before hitting Rockets goaltender Kelly Guard's skate or leg to the far post and somehow trickling into the net.
The series was tied at 3 - with the series headed back to Kelowna for game seven.
Game seven saw the Rockets and Tips going into overtime for the third straight game.
Gulp!
Both teams were thinking upset. The Rockets for all the wrong reasons, the Tips for all the right ones.
Could the Tips comeback from being down 3 games to 1 and move on to the WHL final as an expansion team?
Up and to that point it was unheard of.
This is how it unfolded.
An opening goal by the Rockets less than three minutes into game 7 had the Prospera faithful in a frenzy (it was technically known as Skyreach Place at the time), but the Tips didn't panic and stuck to their systems before tying the game on a 3rd period goal from Ivan Baranka with less than 4 minutes left in regulation time.
With overtime looming, the Rockets knew that going into the extra session could mean disaster.
On this night it meant doom!
Just under 8 minutes into overtime Tips forward Jeff Schmidt would go hard to the net, and would see a belt high pass from the corner from teammate John Dahl go off his pants and go past a startled Kelly Guard.
The series was over - the upset had been complete.For the first time ever an expansion team would advance to the Western Hockey League final.
Oh sure the Rockets fans can take solice in the fact that the Tips were eventually eliminated by the Medicine Hat Tigers in four straight games in the league final, but all season long fans across the league had anticipated a Kelowna-Medicine Hat championship, and had never envisioned Everett even being there playing in late April.
The Rockets, as hosts of the 2004 Memorial Cup, had 2 weeks to rest after being eliminated by the Tips, and used that time to recoup both mentally and physically which helped them win the franchises first ever national championship by going undefeated in the tournament.
While winning the CHL's ultimate prize that season, the win will always be tainted by a upset loss to the expansion Everett Silvertips.
It's a series that showed any teams no matter what the talent level can beat a superior team in a seven game playoff series with good old fashioned work ethic, heart and a favorable bounce now and again.
The Tips had all three in the spring of 2004, as the Rockets let a 3-1 series lead slip away.
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