By Jesse Watts, whl.ca (Photos: Marissa Baecker) -- The Kelowna Rockets are back in familiar territory. Having captured the 2009 WHL Championship and the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a thrilling four games to two series win over the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL Championship series, the Rockets have punched their ticket to the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament in Rimouski, Quebec.
It marks the fourth time in the last seven seasons that the Rockets will participate in the Memorial Cup tournament. They won the Memorial Cup in 2004 as the Host team, and competed in the tournament as WHL Champions in 2003 and 2005.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Rockets’ head coach Ryan Huska, who earned his sixth career WHL Championship ring and will be making his seventh trip to the Memorial Cup tournament.
“When you look back on our season, and look at the adversity that some of our guys have faced, I think we’ve done a great job of coming together as a team and working hard to get ourselves to this point.”
Indeed, it has been a rollercoaster ride for the Rockets who, heading into the 2008-09 campaign, were considered by many to be a strong contender for a WHL title.
First, the team’s fortunes took a hit early when their top defenseman, Luke Schenn, stuck with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Secondly, the Rockets endured a rather inconsistent first half to the season, leaving many wondering when or if the team would play up to its potential.
Yet, thanks to some improved play from their key players, and with several key acquisitions around the WHL trade deadline, the Rockets took flight and were one of the League’s best teams from January on.
“Our confidence has been really high since around the trade deadline,” said Rockets’ captain Colin Long. “We started playing like we thought we could, and started to feel that we can play with and beat any team in the League.”
Certainly, the acquisition of goaltender Mark Guggenberger from Swift Current, forwards Ian Duval and Ryley Grantham from Moose Jaw, and landing Swedish star Mikael Backlund helped reinforce an already talented team.
Perhaps the biggest boon for the Rockets, though, was the inspired and dominant play of towering defenseman Tyler Myers, who returned from the World Junior Championship after helping Canada win Gold and was arguably the best player in the WHL from then on.
“His confidence level is very high right now, and he’s doing everything well,” said Huska of Myers’ outstanding play down the stretch and into the post-season. “He’s playing a ton of minutes for us, and he’s understanding how to handle the pressure and the workload.”
Although they’ve already completed one of their major goals – capturing the WHL Championship – the Rockets know their job isn’t finished yet. There is still the matter of winning the Memorial Cup.
“It’s only three round-robin games, so every team is going to be ready to go,” said Myers about the upcoming Memorial Cup tournament. “But, we feel we’re ready to go there and compete for another Championship.
“We’ve shown a lot of character in going through three very tough teams to get here, and that is something we are going to bring with us to the Memorial Cup,” said the Buffalo Sabres prospect.
There is a reason why many consider the Memorial Cup one of the hardest trophies to win. Teams must battle for two months through four rounds of playoffs in their own League just to qualify for the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament. Then, they must face the other League champions, plus a host team, in an intense tournament format where one bad game can effectively end any chance of capturing the Cup.
Having been at six previous Memorial Cup tournaments and winning four championships – three as a player with the Kamloops Blazers and one as an assistant coach with Kelowna in 2004 – Huska knows more than most about what to expect at the 10-day tournament.
“All the teams are capable of winning the tournament, and every night you’ll be facing a very good team, so every game will be exciting and a huge challenge” said Huska.
“I think the most important things for us to focus on are getting off to a good start, having a short memory, and maintaining an even keel,” he said. “If we focus on playing hard, and playing the way we have been, we’ll give ourselves an opportunity to be successful.”
None of the current Rockets players have any Memorial Cup experience, meaning they will rely heavily on the experience of their coach. Captain Colin Long says he and his teammates will be able to benefit from having the guidance of a coach that has seen more Memorial Cup action than most.
“Having someone who has been there will help calm the guys down and keep them focused,” said Long. “The biggest thing is that (coach Huska) knows what it takes to win this tournament.”
The Rockets open up the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament on Friday, May 15th, versus the host Rimouski Oceanic (7:00pm ET; Rogers Sportsnet).
The WHL has won the last two Memorial Cups. The Spokane Chiefs won the 2008 Championship in Kitchener, ON, while the Vancouver Giants won the 2007 Memorial Cup as the host team. |
