Am I the only one who is losing interest in the Western Hockey League final?
Didn't think so!
Oh sure I want to know the score at the end of the night, but it's not what I expected.
Shaw has done a great job of covering a series - but where's the scoring?
Outside of Giants Head Coach Don Hay beeking at the Tigers after game two and the 'Hats' Derek Dorsett chomping on Giants forward Kenndal McArdle's finger in game four it's been less than stellar.
These two teams are so good that they are limiting what each other can do offensively - and it's a crying shame. Fire wagon hockey is what we expected didn't we?
You'd have to think Marc Habscheid and Kevin Constantine would love this series. I can see it now the two side-by-side, hovering in front of a TV set with a bucket of popcorn between them.
"Now this is hockey" they'd exclaim!!
All joking aside, does this brand of hockey win championships? No doubt. What is the objective of these two teams? Granted they are there to win a title not to entertain.
But my hope heading into the championship final was the two sides exchanging scoring chances at both ends. What we've seen is shutdown hockey and odd man rushes that have been few and far between as a BC Liberal MLA opting out of a recommended pay raise!
Even broadcasters Dan Russell and Bill Wilms can't save this series.
If you are a hockey fan outside of the two centers competing you are just hoping these two teams are forced to find some offensive flair when the Memorial Cup rolls around later this month.
Before I close my rant on this subject I was thinking - was the Rockets WHL final series with Brandon in 2005 this bad?
In 6 games the two teams combined for 27 goals. So far the Hat and Giants have just 18 goals combined after 5 games.
Here's hoping for a 5-4 score in game 6 Sunday.
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In my opinion winning the Western Hockey League title is the ultimate accomplishment.I know...I know...people will say winning the Memorial Cup is the ultimate prize but I disagree. For me the Memorial Cup is a crap shoot with the team holding the hot hand over the ten days winning the national title. If you stink during that week, your cooked!!
Often times it's which team adjusts the quickest to an opponent that finds themselves hoisting the coveted trophy at the end of the tournament.
So for my money going through 4 rounds of intense hockey against teams you've battled against all season long is much more rewarding then beating a team that you could potentially meet twice (once in the round-robin and once in final) at the Memorial Cup.
I am not saying the Kelowna Rockets 2004 Memorial Cup win wasn't special, but for my money WHL victories in 2003 over Red Deer and again in 2005 in Brandon will always been the highlight!
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The Kelowna Rockets won WHL titles in 2003 and 2005 - both on the road. In 2004 the Medicine Hat Tigers also won the crown on opposition ice in Everett. Last year Vancouver won it on the road in Moose Jaw.
Makes you wonder when the last time a team won a WHL championship in front of the hometown crowd?
The answer - The Kootenay Ice!
The Ice used overtime in a 3-2 win over the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL final in 2002 before a crowd of 4550 at the Cranbrook Rec Plex.
Infact in 6 of the last 7 WHL finals, the series clinching game has happened on the road.
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Would Calgary be the logical place to host the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships?
With Canada having the luxury of hosting the 2009 tournament in Ottawa, hockey fans in 'Cowtown' feel they are ready to host the world's best a year later.
Earlier this week Canada was granted to host the World Juniors in back-to-back years after no other country elected to bid on the games for 2010.
The last Alberta city to host the World Juniors was Red Deer in 1995. That year the tourney was a huge success.
Two years ago Calgary and Edmonton put in a joint bid for the 2009 games but didn't even make the shortlist with competition from Vancouver and Ottawa.
It will be interesting to see if Calgary steps up to the table again to acquire a tournament that is a must see for hockey fans at Christmas.
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