1991 or 2008?

[Chief Jeff]

Now that the recap has been posted of the 91 Mem Cup it is time to ask...Which team was better? The 91 teams certainly had many future NHL players....7 if I'm not mistaken. On the other hand the 08 Chiefs had a much tougher road, having to play 4 rounds instead of 3 including 2 100 point teams. The 91 team really hit its stride when Kidd came in....not that Bailey was bad but Kidd was the class of the league and played out of his mind those last 50 games. The 08 team really took off when Trevor Glass and Mccrae came in. The 91 team was 19-1 in the playoffs (including Mem Cup), while the 08 team went 20-2-3. I am obviously biased here but I think both teams are certainly in the top 10 WHL teams of the modern era. My nod goes to the 91 club. They had so much talent all over the ice it was incredible, yet they were able to clamp it down and stick to a smothering defensive system in the playoffs. We of course may have to re-visit this next year when they repeat as champions.

[HomerSimpson]

That's a tough one.

The '91 team was definitely a dominant team - I don't think there has been another team that has run the Memorial Cup tournament the way that team did (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I think they still have the highest goal differential in it's history, and if I'm not mistaken scored more goals than any other team has. (Again, correct me if I'm wrong). This team may have been the most talented team to win the Memorial Cup.

On the other hand, the '08 team could be considered underdogs in 2 of their 4 playoff series; and again could be considered underdogs in the tournament going up against Belleville and Kitchener, probably the top two offensive teams in the CHL.

For me, it has to be the '08 boys. They were coming into the season expected to be a team in a growing year. I had them pencilled in to be a 2nd round playoff team this year and perhaps a team that could go deep next year. They changed my mind the weekend they went from here to Kelowna and then Vancouver...3 games in 3 nights with travel, finishing up in the Memorial Cup champions' home building, and we swept the 3 games; shutting out the high-octane Giants. At that point, I knew this team was special and had the capabilities to go deep in the playoffs. Game 71 was a tough one to swallow in Kennewick, and after losing game 72, I knew they were going to bounce back hard. This team showed dedication, and proved that against many odds they weren't going to back down. They weren't the most talented, they weren't the biggest, fastest or grittiest. They were just all of those things put together in big enough doses, combined with heart. I've always had a soft spot for the underdog; and any team that has the guts to do what this team did is #1 in my book.

[dondo]

my two cents:

its always hard to compare eras, as styles of play change

I feel that there's probably more league parity now a days than there was in 91 and its getting tougher and tougher to be that dynasty team.

I am not entirely familiar with the 91 squad, but the 08 squad was one the best complete team efforts I have ever witnessed. They did not rely on a few snipers and brilliant goaltending, although they had both, but rather on everyone contributing and different players stepping it up in different series. Rudy and crew versus the Giants and the Blackwater line in the Tri-City series to give a quick thumbnail sketch.

The nod for me goes to the 08 crew as I feel they had a tougher road of it with opponents would had a very good chance to go all the way themselves.

[LifelongChiefsFan]

its always hard to compare eras, as styles of play change

I agree 100% with that. The WHL game is hardly anything like it was even 15 years ago. Still it's fun to debate which team was better although I'm not sure I could choose one. The 1991 team was maybe the most dominant team in the history of the Memorial Cup, at least since they switched to the current format anyway. With all due respect to Kamloops, who probably had the best dynasty over this span, even they did not dominate a Memorial Cup the way that Chiefs team did. Won all games by at least 4 goals and scored early on in every game. They never trailed and only allowed a team to come back and tie them once. A final goal differential of +18 is astounding, and their final playoff record was 18-1, losing one game in the first round. I don't think you'll ever see a team roll through the post season like that, even London in 2005 didn't have that easy of a time, and they played the Memorial Cup at home. I don't know if the OHL and QMJHL teams were just down that year or what, but no one was going to knock off the Chiefs that year.

The 2008 team was maybe the hardest working Chiefs team I've ever witnessed, even if it was only a few games for me. The leadership that the 20's brought was unparalleled imo. They were nowhere near the offensive juggernaut that the 91 team was, but they made up for it by being the best defensive team in Chiefs history. I'd say the road for this team was probably more difficult that it was for the 91 team since they did have to knock off the defending Memorial Cup champions and the Scotty Munro champions in back to back series. It shouldn't be overlooked though that the 91 Chiefs swept Kamloops 5-0, and they were in the midst of playing in 4 of 6 Memorial Cups. Still I give the edge here to the 2008 team. They scored first in 18 of 21 WHL playoff games which is an impressive number. The Memorial Cup was very different though. Unlike the 91 cup, they trailed in every game and scored first in only one of the four. Still, in the final three games they only gave up 1 goal in each, which included limiting the high powered host Kitchener to 2 goals in 2 games.

In the end it's hard to say which team is better and I don't think we'll ever really know. However because the path they took and the fact they had to beat the host team twice in 2008 (including in the championship game), while the host team did not play in the 1991 Memorial Cup, I do believe the 2008 Chiefs' Memorial Cup victory is more impressive. But it was Spokane who took home the Cup in 1991 and 2008 and in the end, that's all that really matters. :thumb:

[LinkGaetzFan]

I watched the '91 series a week before the '08 series began (I was 13 when I taped the series) so it's relatively fresh in my mind, and undoubtedly the '91 team takes the cake. I hate to say that because of the drive, teamwork, and effort this year's group put forth was amazing and very memorable. But the sheer domination was apparent in each game in '91. the pinnacle (for me) was the Chicutimi game where a line brawl erupted, and every Chief was just pounding the other guy. I mean they beat every team in every possible aspect that the games weren't exciting to watch because it was obvious who was going to win.

If the '91 team played the '08 team in the '91 era, the '91 team wins it hands down. Conversely, I'm undecided as to who would win in today's atmosphere.