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Triton
03-12-2006, 09:52 AM
The new 'Fab Five'


When the Lethbridge Hurricanes added team alumni Jason Ruff to the coaching staff in January, they were looking at bringing some tradition back to the organization.

Ruff was part of an elite group of forwards on the Hurricanes in the 1989-90 season nicknamed the "Fab Five." The group of Ruff, Wes Walz, Corey Lyons, Mark Greig and Kelly Ens earned the nickname after each of them scored 50 goals in that season.

"At the time I don't think anybody really soaked it in, we were doing our part to help the team win and that's the way we looked at it," Ruff said. "We never really thought too high of ourselves, we just came to the rink and what we did was beneficial to the team."

Unfortunately for Ruff's Hurricanes, they lost in the Western Hockey League final to the Kamloops Blazers. However, it's that experience and others during his 15 years of professional hockey that Ruff can draw upon when inspiring the team and another group of five standouts.

The Hurricanes boast a young lineup with five talented 1989-born rookies. The five '89-born rookies, Zach Boychuk, Dwight King, Brad Riege, Ryan Kerr and Justin Leclerc, have all played a big role on the 2005-06 version of the Hurricanes.

"I think they all look bright right now," Ruff said. "They're young, they're getting lots of ice time as young players and that can only be beneficial to their careers."

Hurricanes general manager Roy Stasiuk said that while it's unusual to have this many 16-year-olds on a team, each one of them has earned it.

"Our organization's stance is that we're preparing for a Memorial Cup run," Stasiuk said. "Whether that comes next year, the year after or the year after that, we certainly don't want to ruin the talents of these players."

One of the biggest keys to their success is chemistry. Since all five were breaking into the league at the same time, they were able to use each other for support.

"I think having so many 16-year-olds on the team really helped us coming into the league because there are other guys going through the same thing," Leclerc said.

"I hang out with them pretty much all day," Kerr said of the other four. "We go from school, to on the ice, to hanging out at their house after hockey so we're really close."

While the future looks bright for these five, the present has been a bit of a surprise. Boychuk, who was drafted behind all his peers as a fifth round bantam draft pick, virtually came out of nowhere at the start of the season. He established himself as one of the team's top offensive forwards and hasn't looked out of place.

"Zach Boychuk's probably been the biggest surprise," Stasiuk said. "He probably has the toughest road to hoe here in the future in the sense that he's not a surprise to the league anymore."

Neither is Justin Leclerc. After a trade deadline deal with the Seattle Thunderbirds that sent veteran netminder Kevin Opsahl to the Thunderbirds, Leclerc has become the Hurricanes' unofficial starter.

"Justin Leclerc is our goaltender not only of the future, but our goaltender right now," Stasiuk said.

Stasiuk helped lead the Kootenay Ice to a Memorial Cup championship in 2002 prior to joining the Hurricanes in November this season. He said he's a firm believer in dreaming big and visualizing where his hockey team is headed.

"Do I visualize these players hoisting the Memorial Cup one day? I certainly do," he said. "Right now I visualize all five being here and being a part of a Memorial Cup winner."

Stasiuk's view of the future is shared by his players, and the five '89-born rookies all feel like they're a part of something special.

"The way we're competing against teams that are much older than us already this season, I see bright things for us in the future," Riege said.

"Down the road I think we can bring some championships to this team," King added.

Boychuk said he believes the group of five all bring some leadership qualities that will help them be successful in the future.

But in the present, they'll keep making a name for themselves. Some are already referring to them as the "New Fab Five", "Super rookies" and "Shining '89s." Whatever they want to be called, this group of five could one day help the Hurricanes go a step further than their 1989-90 alumni and maybe one day win the Hurricanes' first Memorial Cup championship.

"That would be unbelievable," Kerr said. "It would be awesome."