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Originally Posted by nivek_wahs
Boy, Leth was up 3-1 in the series and lost the series. Im dissappointed even though it happened decades before I was born. ;)
Great articles though, I enjoy reading them.
Does anyone know...Is that coach (Scotty Munro) the same guy for which the one WHL trophy is named after?
From Gregg Drinnan...1949
1949 MEMORIAL CUP
Brandon Wheat Kings vs. Montreal Royals
at Winnipeg (Amphitheatre) and Brandon (Wheat City Arena)
The three most prestigious trophies in hockey are considered by many people to be the Stanley Cup, Allan Cup and Memorial Cup.
Brandon, Manitoba's Wheat City, is the only community in the world to have had a team in the Stanley Cup final, the Allan Cup final and the Memorial Cup final. And it has yet to win either of those trophies.
The Wheat Kings would come close to winning the Memorial Cup in 1949.
The Wheat Kings of 1948-49 were affiliated with the Minneapolis Millers of the United States Hockey League who, in turn, were hooked up with the American Hockey League's Cleveland Barons.
Bill MacKenzie, who had played in the NHL with the Montreal Maroons, New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks and Montreal Canadiens, was the Brandon coach. He had captained the 1930-31 Memorial Cup-winning Elmwood Millionaires.
The Wheat Kings' roster included some familiar names -- captain Frank King, goaltender Ray Frederick, Joe Crozier, Bob Chrystal, Glen Sonmor and Reg Abbott.
This edition of the Wheat Kings was able to develop a special relationship with its fans. Every time the team headed out on a playoff road trip, fans would gather at the station and serenade the players with (I'm Looking Over A) Four Leaf Clover.
The western final for the Abbott Cup would come down to a series between Brandon and the Port Arthur West End Bruins.
The Winnipeg Canadians, later the St. Boniface Canadians, sidelined the Winnipeg Monarchs from a best-of-five series in straight games. The Canadians, coached by Bobby Kirk, then fell to Brandon in a seven-game series -- the Wheat Kings won four, lost two and tied one.
At the same time, the Calgary Buffaloes were taking six games to finish off the Moose Jaw Canucks. Calgary lost the opener (3-2), won the next three (5-1, 5-0 and 6-2), lost Game 5 (7-2) and finished the series with a 5-2 victory in Game 6.
The Wheat Kings took five games to finish off Calgary, losing the opener (3-1) and then winning four in a row -- 4-1, 5-3, 5-2 and 4-1. The first three games were played in Calgary, the last two in Brandon.
Brandon and Port Arthur opened the best-of-seven western final at the Wheat City Arena on March 31. The Wheat Kings won that night, 6-2, and then romped 6-0 on April 2.
The scene shifted to the Lakehead but the results weren't much different. Brandon won 5-2 on April 4, lost 7-4 on April 6 and finished off the series with a 6-4 victory on April 8.
While this was going on, the Montreal Royals were rolling through eastern Canada. They would win 16 of 17 playoff games -- the last 13 in a row -- in qualifying for the national final.
The Royals were coached by J.T. (Tag) Millar who, coincidentally, had played with the Ottawa Primroses, the team that opposed MacKenzie's Elmwood boys in the 1931 Memorial Cup final.
The Royals were managed by Gus Ogilvie and their roster featured the likes of captain Bobby Frampton, goaltender Bobby Bleau and skaters Fred (Skippy) Burchell, Dickie Moore, John (Bert) Herschfeld, Tom Manastersky and Roland Rousseau.
On the eastern playoff trail, the Inkerman Rockets, a team from the Ottawa district, swept a best-of-five series from Halifax St. Mary's, 13-3, 8-0 and 13-1, only to lose 10-2, 7-4 and 8-1 to the Royals.
Montreal then swept the best-of-seven eastern final from Hap Emms' Barrie Flyers -- 3-1, 6-5 in overtime, 3-1 and 5-4. Emms was back despite having said after the 1948 season that he was through.
The Royals left Montreal on April 26 and headed for Brandon, knowing full well that Quebec had never been home to a Memorial Cup champion. They were only the second Quebec team in 31 years to advance this far.
"We have something the west has yet to see -- a gang of the fightingest, never-say-die bunch of kids that ever came out of Quebec, Millar said.
Montreal's top line featured Gordie Knutson, Matt Benoit and Moore, who was nicknamed Chirpy. A second line comprised Herschfeld, Neal Langill and Frampton, with Burchell, Gordie Armstrong and Bill Rattray on the third line. Manastersky, Rousseau, Vic Fildes and Lou Appleby patrolled the blue line in front of Bleau.
The Wheat Kings used Crozier, Bill Allison, Chrystal and Johnny McLean on defence. King, Walt Pawlyshyn and Mac Beaton played on one line, with Alf Francis, Jack McKenzie and Sonmor on another. A third line featured Abbott, Brian Roche and Angus Juckes.
The final, a best-of-seven affair, opened on April 28 at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre. When it began, no one could have known that this would turn into one of the great series in hockey playoff history.
The teams would end up playing eight games in what was to have been a best-of-seven series. One game would end in a tie. Four games would be decided by one goal, two by two goals and the other by four.
Some of the games were carried on CBC Radio, with the legendary Foster Hewitt calling the play. Jim Keilback, whose son Curt would later call the play for games involving the NHL's Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes, did the same on Brandon radio station CKX.
There were more than 5,000 fans on hand for the opener, won 3-2 by the Royals.
Burchell and Menoit gave Montreal a 2-0 first-period lead, only to have Brandon tie it in the second on goals by Beaton and Juckes.
Montreal won it in the third when Herschfeld's short shot was deflected past Frederick.
This was a grueling, hard-hitting affair that featured 17 minor penalties and a misconduct. The game was delayed for four minutes in the third period when fans littered the ice with peanuts and programs, and one fan was ejected for throwing a bottle onto the ice in reaction to a penalty that was given to Chrystal.
When it was over the Wheat Kings were concerned about the condition of Abbott. He came into the series on a bum knee and then hurt it more when he crashed into the boards. Mike Duban of Portage la Prairie would dress in Abbott's place for the next game.
The series shifted to Brandon for Game 2 on April 30.
Frederick's brilliant goaltending and two goals from McKenzie sparked Brandon to a 3-2 victory before more than 4,700 fans. The loss ended Montreal's winning streak at 14 games.
Benoit and King exchanged first-period goals, and McKenzie and Rousseau did the same in the second period.
That set the stage for McKenzie to win it midway through the third.
"McKenzie slapped Alf Francis' passout into the Montreal cage, The Canadian Press reported. "Bleau caught a piece of the wobbling shot but couldn't hold it.
Prior to Game 3, The Canadian Press reported that Abbott's knee was responding to treatment (although he would miss a second straight game) and that "bookies are finding customers hard to locate . . . Bettors on the contest are few and far between . . . They report money sent to Montreal for even-bets was returned without a taker.
The third game, played in Brandon before more than 4,800 fans, ended in a 3-3 overtime tie.
Montreal led 1-0 after the first period on a goal by Moore. Brandon then scored three straight in the second period -- King, Juckes and Pawlyshyn finding the range -- only to wilt in the third as Montreal tied it on two goals by Knutson.
The overtime period was scoreless.
Each team had 40 shots on goal and both goaltenders, Frederick and Bleau, continued at the top of their games.
Still, Millar wasn't impressed.
"This Brandon club is the luckiest team I've seen, he said. "One of these days we'll get a break and it will be all over.
Millar was referring to Brandon's first goal, by King, which hopped over Bleau's stick.
"When we come back from a two-goal deficit we can take these birds, Fildes said. "It was a moral victory for us as we've seldom had to come from behind.
MacKenzie, the Brandon coach, offered: "Well, we didn't lose the game. But I hope this thing is soon over; I can't stand much more of it.
The series returned to Winnipeg for Game 4 on May 5. Abbott was back in the Brandon lineup but it didn't make much difference as the Royals won 1-0 on a second-period goal by Frampton.
More than 5,000 fans enjoyed every minute of this one. It featured numerous end-to-end rushes and, again, superb goaltending.
"Good Lord, are they all going to be like this? muttered Millar. "I simply can't go through many more of these.
As Millar talked, strains of Four Leaf Clover could be heard coming from the Montreal dressing room as the Royals needled the Wheat Kings.
Game 5 was played in Brandon (Games 5, 6 and 7 would be played in Brandon) before more than 4,700 fans, many of them in shirtsleeves as temperatures on May 7 climbed to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the fifth straight game the Royals scored first. Then they went on to a 7-4 victory and a seemingly commanding series lead.
Knutson and Frampton each scored twice for Montreal, which held period leads of 1-0 and 4-2. Langill, Herschfeld and Moore added one each. King, with two, Beaton and Abbott replied for Brandon.
One of King's goals came on a penalty shot that was awarded after Bleau was given a major for getting involved in a fight inside the Montreal blue line.
"Well, that's better, Millar said. "Now we're playing hockey.
King begged to differ.
"We're not beat yet, he said.
He was right.
Brandon rebounded with a 2-1 victory before more than 4,800 howling fans on May 10.
Juckes opened the scoring at 3:30 of the first period -- the first time in the series Brandon had scored first -- only to have Rattray tie it 1:20 later.
King scored what proved to be the winning goal at 6:25 of the second period.
The star, however, was Frederick. He kicked out 37 shots, seven of them in the game's final two minutes.
There was some excitement in the second period when a couple of fights broke out on the ice and Knutson became involved with a fan near the penalty box. Police arrived, escorted the fan from the premises and peace prevailed.
"Now we're playing hockey and it's about time, King said.
As for Sonmor, well, he gave all the credit to his having changed numbers -- from 16 to 9. "It's the sweater that did it, he said.
"We weren't skating and that's the only answer, Millar stated.
Prior to Game 7, the scalpers were having a field day -- asking $5 for tickets originally priced at $1.75 and $2.
And, on May 12, Brandon forced an eighth game with an amazing 5-1 victory in Game 7 before more than 4,800 fans.
King again led Brandon, this time with a goal and two assists. Francis, Crozier, Abbott and Beaton also scored. Langill scored for Montreal.
Francis scored the lone goal of the first period and Crozier upped Brandon's lead to 2-0 at 10:40 of the second. But Langill's goal at 11:34 of the second period got Montreal back into the game.
However, Brandon struck for three goals in less than three minutes midway in the third to put it away.
"The boys did a wonderful job, MacKenzie said. "I'm proud of them. We've got 10 first-year juniors on our club and they deserve a world of credit.
And the series headed for Winnipeg -- the deciding game would be played on neutral ice.
"Well, we've beaten them twice on Winnipeg ice and we can do it again, Rattray said.
This was the first Memorial Cup final to go eight games. And it would end on May 16, the latest date for a champion to be crowned to that point in time.
And if the teams were to play to a tie -- through three regulation periods and three 10-minute overtime periods -- a ninth game was scheduled for May 18.
But a ninth game wasn't needed.
Brandon led 4-2 three minutes into the third period but couldn't hang on. Montreal scored the game's last four goals and won 6-4 before more than 5,000 fans.
Quebec had its first Memorial Cup champion in the 31 years the trophy had been contested.
Herschfeld scored three times for Montreal, with Frampton adding two and Knutson one. Crozier, Chrystal, McKenzie and Abbott replied for Brandon.
Frampton and Herschfeld gave the Royals a 2-0 lead by the 12:14-mark of the first period. Crozier narrowed the gap before the period ended.
Chrystal tied it at 13:43 of the second and McKenzie put Brandon out front at 14:13. Abbott gave the Wheaties a 4-2 lead at 2:20 of the third.
But that's when Montreal exploded. Knutson scored at 3:53, Herschfeld tied it at 8:29 and Frampton got what proved to be the winner at 11:13.
"Son of a gun! What do you know? This is what we've been dreaming about for years, yelled Moore as he hoisted the trophy in the Montreal dressing room.
Millar added: "It was a great series and, boy, am I glad we won. And we won from a great club, too. That's all the comment you need from me.
The Wheat Kings wouldn't make it back to the Memorial Cup final for 30 years. And when they returned, in the spring of 1979, they would lose another close one -- 2-1 in overtime to the Peterborough Petes.
NEXT: 1950 (Regina Pats vs. Montreal Junior Canadiens)
From Gregg Drinnan...1991
The Spokane Chiefs play their first game in the 2008 Memorial Cup on Saturday, 17 years after they won it all. So let's break away from the chronological order we've been following and take a look at that 1991 tournament . . .
1991 MEMORIAL CUP
Spokane Chiefs, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Drummondville Voltigeurs
and Chicoutimi Sagueneens
at Quebec City (Le Colisee)
Oh, yes, this was going to be the Memorial Cup to end all Memorial Cups.
Yes, a lot of people were waiting anxiously for this tournament.
The script had been written well in advance and it went something like this:
Centre Eric Lindros, now all of 18 years of age, would lead the defending-champion Oshawa Generals into Quebec City, home of the NHL's Nordiques.
You have to understand that the Nordiques were to have the first selection in the NHL's 1991 entry draft later that summer. Lindros was certain to be the first pick.
Except that Lindros was making noises about not wanting to be part of the Nordiques organization.
No matter.
All of the intrigue and anticipation was for naught. That's because the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, of head coach Ted Nolan, hadn't read the script.
The hockey fans in the Soo felt they had a vested interest in all of this, too. After all, the Greyhounds had selected Lindros in the 1989 OHL midget draft only to have him refuse to report.
"I have nothing against the city, just the location, the bus travel with the team and the proximity to my (Toronto) home, Lindros would explain umpteen-dozen times. They got five players, draft picks and cash in return, so they can't complain.
The Greyhounds picked up right-wingers Mike DeCoff and Jason Denomme, goaltender Mike Lenarduzzi, left-winger Joe Busillo and defenceman Drew Bannister as part of the package for Lindros.
All five of those players would play in the 1991 Memorial Cup tournament. In fact, Denomme would play in back-to-back tournaments, while Bannister would appear in three consecutive tournaments as the 'Hounds made it to three in a row.
All eyes were on the OHL championship final, which pitted Oshawa against Sault Ste. Marie.
The teams split the first two games in Oshawa and headed for the Soo, where there were concerns about security and fans were asked not to go beyond the norm in their attempts to razz Lindros.
The 'Hounds thrilled 4,590 fans on May 2 with a 6-5 overtime victory, the winner coming -- ironically -- on a goal by Denomme at 2:29 of the extra session.
One night later, Sault Ste. Marie won again, this time by an 8-5 count, with DeCoff contributing two goals.
Fears for Lindros's safety proved unfounded, although he absorbed a lot of verbal abuse. And the Soo fans outdid themselves with signs and banners, one of which read The Soo Wants The Cup, Eric Wants His Mommy.
The series then shifted to Oshawa where the Generals posted a 4-2 victory on May 5 to stay alive and send the series back to the Soo. That loss was only the Greyhounds' second in their last 22 games.
And the Greyhounds had the last laugh on May 6 when they dumped the Generals 4-2 to take the series in six games. Busillo scored one of the Soo's goals.
Due to illness, Lindros saw only spot duty in Game 6.
"It's poetic justice, offered Sherry Bassin, the Greyhounds' general manager. "We gave them Eric Lindros and they took him to the cup last year. We got the guys who wanted to be here.
Lenarduzzi led the OHL with a 3.23 goals-against average -- he and Kevin Hodson combined to allow the fewest goals in the OHL that season, 217 for a goals-against average of 3.27. Busillo totalled 97 points, including 31 goals, while Denomme had 20 goals and 34 assists.
The Greyhounds had gone 42-21-3 -- Oshawa was 47-13-6 atop the Leyden Division -- en route to a first-place finish in the Emms Division.
They would go on to win their second OHL championship since the franchise was granted prior to the 1972-73 season. The other title? Terry Crisp coached them to the 1984-85 championship. At the 1985 Memorial Cup, they dropped an 8-3 semifinal decision to the eventual champion Prince Albert Raiders.
This time around, the Greyhounds roared through the OHL playoffs. They brushed aside the Hamilton Steelhawks in four games to earn a bye into the division final where they swept the Niagara Falls Thunder.
Next up was Oshawa in the championship final and, of course, the Greyhounds won that in six games.
This was a team built on goaltending and defence. Lenarduzzi was outstanding and Hodson's 3.22 GAA was the best of any first-year goaltender in the OHL.
Still, this was a team that had to fight for every ounce of respect it could get. The Greyhounds that season were virtually ignored when it came to postseason awards. In fact, only two players were named all-stars -- defenceman Adam Foote was on the first team, Lenarduzzi was the third team goaltender -- and Nolan was named coach of the second team.
While the Greyhounds were winning the OHL title, the QMJHL was deciding its championship but, with the Memorial Cup scheduled for Quebec City, both finalists would advance.
And both teams -- the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Drummondville Voltigeurs -- seemed worthy representatives.
Chicoutimi, in the Frank Dilio Division, had finished with the QMJHL's best regular-season record (43-21-6) and, with Felix Potvin getting the bulk of the playing time in goal, had allowed only 223 goals, the best defensive record in the league. It perhaps said something that Potvin and defenceman Eric Brule were the two Chicoutimi players named to the first all-star team, which also included head coach Joe Canale.
On the other side of the coin was an offence that scored 299 goals, the QMJHL's fourth-highest figure.
And while the Sagueneens didn't have a scorer in the regular season's top 10, centre Steve Larouche topped the playoff scoring parade with 33 points, including 13 goals, in 17 games.
Chicoutimi opened the postseason by ousting the Shawinigan Cataractes in six games and followed that up with a seven-game victory over the Laval Titan.
Drummondville, meanwhile, finished third in the Frank Dilio Division, its 42-25-3 record leaving it five points behind Chicoutimi.
The Voltigeurs, under head coach Jean Hamel, were led offensively by Denis Chasse. He finished fifth in the QMJHL points race, with 101, including 47 goals.
Still, defenceman Patrice Brisebois was the only one of the Voltigeurs named to the first all-star team. Defenceman Guy Lehoux was a second-team selection, with left-winger Rene Corbet being named a third teamer along with Hamel.
Drummondville opened the playoffs against the high-flying Trois-Rivieres Draveurs, who were led by QMJHL scoring king Yanic Perreault (187 points, including 87 goals) and runnerup Todd Gillingham (148 points, including 102 assists). The Voltigeurs won it in six games, outscoring the Draveurs 30-19 in the process.
In their semifinal series, the Voltigeurs took out Longueuil College-Francais in four games, giving up 18 goals while scoring 30.
And when it came to the final, it was no contest -- Chicoutimi beat Drummondville in four games. The Sagueneens scored 19 goals in the final, but surrendered only 11.
The Spokane Chiefs, meanwhile, were running roughshod through the WHL.
Under head coach Bryan Maxwell, the Chiefs put together a 48-23-1 regular-season record, second only to the Kamloops Blazers (50-20-2).
But when it came to the playoffs it was no contest.
The Chiefs opened with two best-of-nine West Division series, taking apart the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 before sweeping Kamloops, 5-0.
Then, in the best-of-seven WHL championship series, the Chiefs swept aside the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
When all was said and done, the Chiefs had posted a 14-1 playoff record, while scoring 63 goals and allowing only 33.
Offensively, the Chiefs were sparked by the one-two punch of Ray Whitney and Pat Falloon.
Whitney won the regular-season scoring championship with 185 points in 72 games and followed that up by grabbing the playoff title, too, with 31 points.
Falloon's 138 points, in 61 games, left him fourth in the regular season. He added 24 points in 15 postseason games.
The Chiefs also got offence from Mark Woolf, who had 41 goals and 49 assists during a season in which, as would be revealed during the Memorial Cup, he had battled his own demons.
This was a Spokane team that had surrendered 275 regular-season goals, second only to Kamloops (247). But the Chiefs' figure perhaps was somewhat misleading because Spokane general manager Tim Speltz had swung a deal at the trade deadline to acquire goaltender Trevor Kidd from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Chiefs went 31-6-0 after getting Kidd, who played every minute of every playoff game, going 14-1 with a remarkable 2.07 goals-against average.
"This time last year I was two months into summer vacation, said Kidd who, along with Falloon, had helped Canada to a gold medal at the 1991 world junior championship in Saskatchewan. "Now it's nice and sunny out and I'm going to the Memorial Cup.
Defensively, he got help from the likes of Bart Cote, who also was acquired from Brandon, Jon Klemm and Kerry Toporowski. It's also worth noting that Toporowski totalled 505 regular-season penalty minutes and 108 more in the WHL playoffs. He would then set a Memorial Cup tournament record with 63 penalty minutes. Add it all up and Toporowski incurred 676 penalty minutes that season.
Cote, for one, felt Kidd gave the Chiefs an edge.
"It's probably the best I've ever seen Trevor play, Cote said.
As for Kidd, he said: "We have Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney, guys who can put the puck in the net, but we do it with everybody.
The Chiefs would be the first American team in the Memorial Cup since 1986 when the Portland Winter Hawks were in as the host team.
The 1991 tournament opened on May 11 with Drummondville beating Sault Ste. Marie 4-2 in front of an estimated 3,000 spectators.
The teams were tied 1-1 going into the third period -- Hugo Proulx having scored for the Voltigeurs in the first period, Tony Iob for the Greyhounds in the second -- when Drummondville exploded for three goals.
Brisebois (5:39), Claude Jutras Jr. (7:23) and Ian Laperriere (8:09) gave the Voltigeurs a 3-1 lead before the Soo's Rick Kowalsky closed out the scoring.
Goaltender Pierre Gagnon made 34 saves for the Voltigeurs, while Lenarduzzi stopped 30 at the other end.
On May 12, Potvin proved his worth with a 33-save performance as Chicoutimi downed Sault Ste. Marie 2-1 in front of 9,297 fans.
And, before 5,675 fans, Spokane drubbed Drummondville 7-3.
Stephane Charbonneau got Chicoutimi on the board against the Greyhounds with a power-play goal four minutes into the opening period.
The teams played through a scoreless second period, before Iob forged a tie just 50 seconds into the third period. It remained for Sebastien Parent to win it at 2:59 of the third, the goal dropping the Greyhounds' record to 0-2.
The game between Spokane and Drummondville featured 206 penalty minutes -- 29 of them to Toporowski, who totalled two minors, three majors and a game misconduct -- as the teams went at it tooth and nail.
Falloon led the Chiefs, who were ahead 2-1 and 3-2 by periods, with three goals, all of them in the third period, and Woolf and Whitney added two each.
Chasse scored all three of Drummondville's goals.
The Chiefs were at the eye of the storm again on May 14 when they rocked Chicoutimi 7-1 in a game that featured eight ejections, 226 penalty minutes and a third-period line brawl just as CHL president Ed Chynoweth was issuing fines resulting from the Spokane-Drummondville game.
(The Chiefs and Voltigeurs were fined $500 each. At the same time, Chicoutimi and Sault Ste. Marie were fined $250 each for a pregame pushing incident prior to their game on May 12.)
"These types of incidents are not the type of game we are trying to sell, Chynoweth said.
The Chiefs' victory over the Sagueneens clinched a berth in the final even though they had yet to play the Greyhounds.
"It will be my job to keep them focused and not let them think about the final, said Maxwell, who was head coach of the 1987 Memorial Cup-champion Medicine Hat Tigers.
Whitney, for one, didn't think focus would be a problem.
"Everybody wants that ring on their finger and it's hard not to be thinking about it, he said.
The Chiefs started quickly -- Toporowski, who had 17 penalty minutes and wasn't around at the end, scored 42 seconds into the game and Brent Thurston made it 2-0 at 3:27 -- and Chicoutimi was never able to recover in front of 9,320 fans, many of whom had travelled the 200 kilometres from the Saguenay region of Quebec to cheer on their favorites.
Thurston finished with two goals, as did Falloon, who now had five goals in two games. Woolf, a 20-year-old right winger, chipped in with a goal and four assists, the five points falling one short of the tournament's single-game record. Woolf now was leading the tournament in points, with eight.
Whitney had the other goal for Spokane, which outshot Chicoutimi 29-16.
Potvin stopped 18 of 23 shots before giving way to Sylvain Rodrique at 2:04 of the third period with the Chiefs ahead 5-1.
Larouche had Chicoutimi's lone goal.
An interested spectator at the game was George Brett, all-star third baseman and three-time American League batting king with baseball's Kansas City Royals. Brett and brothers Bobby, John and Ken owned the Chiefs.
The Brett brothers, who already owned the Class A Spokane Indians baseball team, had bought controlling interest in the Chiefs in 1990. They paid about US$700,000 and felt at the time that they had overpaid.
By the spring of 1996, it was believed that the Chiefs were the most valuable major junior franchise in the CHL. If they were for sale, and they weren't, the asking price would have been in the neighborhood of $5 million US.
In the spring of 1991, however, George Brett was on the disabled list with torn knee ligaments. He had been in Milwaukee with the Royals on May 12 when he had a discussion with teammate Terry Puhl, an outfielder from Melville, Sask. The subject of the Memorial Cup came up during the conversation, the first time Brett had heard of it.
"(Terry) said this was the biggest thing in these kids' lives, Brett said. "That's when I knew.
Brett wouldn't be able to stay for the entire week but said if the Chiefs were in the final he knew where there was a "Canuck bar about two blocks from his home in Kansas City.
"I will be at the bar, sitting there with my friends, hopefully watching the Chiefs win, he said.
Woolf, who admitted publicly to an alcohol problem during the tournament, scored again -- giving him four goals and five assists in three games -- in an 8-4 victory over the Soo on May 15 that eliminated the Greyhounds.
It was revealed that during the season Maxwell had sent Woolf home to Redcliff, Alta.
"I had a couple of beers and missed curfew five times, said Woolf, who had played for Maxwell with the 1986-87 Tigers. "When I left, it was like my dog died.
A unanimous vote by his teammates led to his return to the team.
"I screwed up and I am getting a chance to redeem myself, Woolf said. "I hurt a lot of people and I know it.
"I was lucky to come back. You don't know how good you've got something until I was sitting at home and I wondered what I was going to do.
He added: "I don't want to see it in the papers as an alcohol problem, but it is the truth. I haven't had a drink in months.
The Chiefs buried the Greyhounds early, striking for the first period's only five goals in front of 5,277 fans.
Besides Woolf's goal, the Chiefs got two goals each from Whitney and Falloon and singles from Mike Jickling, Thurston and Shane Maitland.
DeCoff, Denny Lambert, Wade Whitten and Mark Matier replied for the Greyhounds, who were outshot 25-20.
Maxwell went the distance with goaltender Scott Bailey in this game. It was his first appearance since late in the regular season.
Falloon and Whitney now were tied for the points lead, each with 10, including five goals.
And what of Toporowski? Well, he added to his total by 14 minutes, thanks to two minors and a misconduct, all in the first period.
All of this led to a meaningless round-robin game in which Drummondville beat Chicoutimi 5-3 on May 16. The teams would meet again the following night in the semifinal game.
On May 16, the Voltigeurs, who held period leads of 3-0 and 3-2, got goals from Alexandre Legault, Proulx, Corbet, Laperriere and Brisebois. Danny Beauregard, Parent and Charbonneau scored for Chicoutimi in front of 5,875 fans.
One night later, before 8,156 fans, Drummondville earned the right to meet Spokane in the final by beating Chicoutimi 2-1 in overtime.
Drummondville, beaten in four straight by Chicoutimi in the QMJHL final, won the semifinal after 11:26 of overtime when Chicoutimi defenceman Steve Gosselin accidentally knocked a centring pass by Laperriere into his own net.
Proulx opened the scoring for Drummondville at 7:27 of the first period, Larouche replied at 11:29 and that was it until Laperriere was credited with the winner.
As it turned out it didn't much matter who was in the final, because there was no stopping the Chiefs.
On May 20, Spokane downed Drummondville 5-1. It marked the second straight season in which one team went through the tournament unbeaten. Oshawa had turned the trick in 1990.
This was the second time an American-based team had won the Memorial Cup, the other being 1983 when Portland won it.
"This feels better than winning the world junior, said Falloon, who scored the game's final goal. He finished with eight goals, tying the tournament record (Dale Hawerchuk, Cornwall, 1981; Luc Robitaille, Hull, 1986). Falloon, the tournament's leading pointgetter with 12, one more than Whitney, was named the tournament's most valuable player.
Falloon, Whitney, also the most sportsmanlike player, and Thurston made it a Spokane sweep of the forward spots on the all-star team. The all-star team also included Brisebois and the Soo's Brad Tiley on defence, with Potvin in goal.
Jickling sent Spokane into the lead just 52 seconds into the game, but Dave Paquet tied it at 6:34.
"That was the only time anybody even tied Spokane, said Hamel. "We came in through the back door and can leave through the front with our heads high.
Murray Garbutt added two first-period goals for the Chiefs, the second coming with 19 seconds left in the first period. And Klemm added the other, with 19 seconds remaining in the second period.
Kidd made 30 saves. He finished with three wins in as many starts and his 1.67 GAA tied the tournament record set by Richard Brodeur of the Cornwall Royals in 1972.
The Chiefs finished the tournament with seven players having scored at least five points. From the other three teams, only Larouche and Charbonneau, both from Chicoutimi, had as many as five points.
Spokane, in winning all four of its games, scored 27 goals and gave up only nine. Drummondville scored 15 goals, Sault Ste. Marie and Chicoutimi managed only seven each.
It was complete and total domination.
And yet there was a touch of sadness in the Spokane dressing room. That's because Woolf didn't play.
"We don't have a lot of rules on this team, Maxwell said, "but he broke one of them.
"I can remember when I was a kid and my dad would take my hockey, my baseball, my football away from me if I didn't show respect for the rules. That meant something to me.
"He has a problem. We will work with him this summer.
Woolf skated in the pregame warmup but was then told he wouldn't dress for what was to have been the final game of his major junior playing career.
"I felt a big part of this team, said Woolf, who it turns out had paused for a beer or two sometime during the week, "and I am a big part of this team. We did win. I was just sorry to see it end this way.
"This is not the way I wanted it to end.
--30--
From Gregg Drinnan...1950
1950 MEMORIAL CUP
Regina Pats vs. Montreal Junior Canadiens
at Montreal (Forum) and Toronto (Maple Leaf Gardens)
The Regina Pats, having ousted the Port Arthur West End Bruins (they featured future NHL defenceman Leo Boivin) in five games in the Abbott Cup final, headed east to meet the Montreal Junior Canadiens in the best-of-seven Memorial Cup final.
This was a banged up Regina outfit -- linemates Eddie Litzenberger (ankle), Paul Masnick (charley horse) and Gordon Cowan (charley horse) were on the limp; and, Lorne Davis, who hadn't missed a game in his three years of junior hockey, would miss the first game with a facial infection believed to be a severe case of the mumps.
The Pats, of coach Murray Armstrong, headed east having won 14 of 18 playoff games against Moose Jaw, Lethbridge, Prince Albert and Port Arthur, winning seven out of nine at home and having an identical road record.
Montreal, coached by Sam Pollock and Billy Reay, had finished off the Guelph Biltmores -- featuring the Bathgate brothers, Andy and Frank -- in six games to earn a spot in the final, which opened on April 27 in the Forum.
The Canadiens came up with an 8-7 victory in the opener, a game in which 10,414 fans saw 10 third-period goals.
According to The Canadian Press, the first two periods "were played at a steady, close-checking pace, but the third broke wide open with the western champions staging a terrific rally to wipe out a two-goal lead and threaten to win the game.
Dickie Moore, Art Rose and Don Marshall had two goals each for Montreal, with Kevin Rochford and Billy Goold adding one each.
Defenceman Morley MacNeill scored three times -- the first time in his hockey career that he had scored three goals in a game -- for Regina, which got two from Litzenberger and singles from Brian McDonald and Masnick.
Harvey Dryden, writing in the Regina Leader-Post, noted: "Art Rose, a speedster from the Lakehead, was the big man in the Montreal cast. But don't overlook this Dickie Moore. His most fervent admirers will admit he's a showoff and that he plays it rugged now and then, but there's no denying that he can dangle when he wants to.
(It's worth noting that while the Memorial Cup final was being played, the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Marlboros were playing for senior hockey's Allan Cup. Why is this of note? Because the Toronto coach was Joe Primeau, who had had such a glorious run with the junior Toronto St. Michael's Majors.)
Montreal came right back on April 29 to score a 5-2 victory and take a 2-0 lead in the series.
The Pats actually took a 2-1 lead into the third period but ran into penalty problems. They killed off the first two penalties but Montreal got the tying and winning goals with defenceman Al King in the penalty box midway in the third.
There were 10,000 fans in the Forum when defenceman Ernie Roche put Montreal on the board early in the first period. Cowan, in the first, and MacNeill, in the second, then put Regina out front 2-1.
But Montreal pounded four pucks past Regina goaltender Bobby Tyler in the third period.
Goold tied the score, Rose got the winner, and Goold and Jacques Nadon ended the scoring.
According to CP: "Dickie Moore, who turned a stellar performance in the first game of the series, was closely checked all night and was held to an assist on his team's first goal. This caused him to display his feelings, which netted him five trips to the penalty box including one major for roughing.
Regina took six penalties to Montreal's one in that third period, something that caused the Regina organization much concern.
One penalty in particular had the Reginans livid. Early in the third period, with Regina leading 2-1, Davis, who had returned to the lineup, collided with Montreal goaltender Roger Morrissette in a race for the puck near a faceoff circle. The puck ended up in front of an empty Montreal crease from where Masnick knocked it into the net.
But referee Lorne Lyndon of Winnipeg disallowed the goal and penalized Davis for interference.
Pollock was not impressed with the play of his charges. With Game 3 scheduled for Toronto, he ordered his players to leave for Toronto immediately after Game 2 rather than spend the weekend with friends and family. Which left observers wondering what Pollock would have done had Montreal lost the game.
On May 2, Montreal went up 3-0 in games with a 5-1 victory before 8,429 fans at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Again, the Pats had problems in the third period.
As documented by Dryden: "For two periods the Toronto crowd, which had come to cheer the Pats, thrilled to a gritty display by the youthful westerners who threw their best licks at the Montreal Canadiens. But their Sunday punch couldn't produce a goal and the crafty eastern champions capitalized on three quick openings early in the third period to walk off with a 5-1 victory. Three goals within 46 seconds did the trick and the game was won and lost right then and there. Pats had no answer for that outburst.
Marshall led Montreal with two goals, while Rose, Herb English and Rochford added one apiece. Masnick scored Regina's lone goal at 18:13 of the third period.
"The game was then held up while the ice was cleared of paper thrown by the fans, reported CP.
It was back to Montreal for Game 4 on May 4 and the Pats were able to save some face with a 7-4 victory in front of 8,100 fans.
This was an impressive victory as Montreal held a 4-1 edge midway through the game.
Davis scored three times and set up two others for Regina. MacNeill, Doug Little, Merv Bregg and Cowan also scored for the Pats. Rose, with two, Nadon and Marshall replied for Montreal.
"This time we'll have to do it the hard way, said Davis, who would go on to play in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. He would later return to Regina and coach the Pats. "We'll take one game at a time.
It all ended on May 6 as Montreal, playing at home, skated to a 6-1 lead and hung on for a 6-3 victory.
The media noted that on the same day as the Kentucky Derby, also known as the Run for the Roses, Rose sparked Montreal with two goals six seconds apart -- at 17:31 and 17:37 -- in the second period. Those goals stretched Montreal's lead to 4-1 and the Pats weren't able to get back in it. Rose's second goal would stand up as the Memorial Cup-winning score.
Goold had three goals -- one in each period -- to finish the five games with six goals and seven assists. Rose led the series with eight goals.
Litzenberger, Bregg and McDonald scored for Regina.
"We were beaten by a better team and we have no alibis, said Armstrong. "Our boys gave their best but the Canadiens were too good for us.
NEXT: 1951 (Winnipeg Monarchs vs. Barrie Flyers)
From Gregg Drinnan...1951
1951 MEMORIAL CUP
Winnipeg Monarchs vs. Barrie Flyers
at Winnipeg (Amphitheatre) and Brandon (Wheat City Arena)
The Regina Pats, of coach Murray Armstrong, and coach Walter Monson's Winnipeg Monarchs hooked up in quite an Abbott Cup final in the spring of 51.
The best-of-seven final would go eight games.
It opened in Regina on April 12, before 3,642 fans at the Stadium.
Regina won the opener 3-1 as its rookie line scored two of the goals. Warren Dowie and Bill Papp, who played on that line with Doug Killoh, scored, as did Gordon Cowan. Laurie Mitchell replied for Winnipeg.
Two nights later, in front of 4,578 fans at the Stadium, Winnipeg goaltender Don Collins stole the show in a 5-5 overtime tie.
Collins was especially sharp in the third period when his side was outshot 16-3.
The Winnipegs were without one of their top forwards, captain Elliott (Specs) Chorley having suffered a charley horse in the opener.
Cowan was the hero for Regina as he scored twice, including the tying goal in the overtime period. Doug Killoh, Brian McDonald and Garry Edmundson also scored.
Jim Zarie scored twice for the Monarchs, with Ross Park, Mitchell and Don Johnston adding one each.
Regina had to come from behind three times, including in the overtime period after Zarie scored on a power play just 32 seconds into the extra session.
Game 3 was played before 4,793 fans in Regina on April 16 and Winnipeg came away with a 2-1 victory, thanks to a huge defensive stand in the dying minutes.
All of which left the series even, each team with one win, one loss and one tie.
Mitchell scored for Winnipeg in the first period and Dave Trainor, on a pass from Chorley who was back in the lineup, made it 2-0 at 17:37 of the second period. Eddie Litzenberger scored Regina's goal at 19:34 of the second.
The Pats, with goaltender Bob Tyler on the bench, forced six faceoffs in the Winnipeg zone in the game's final minute but weren't able to capitalize.
The scene shifted to Winnipeg for Game 4 and there was a soldout crowd of some 5,000 fans in the Amphitheatre on April 19.
Winnipeg, with Collins continuing to play superbly, blanked Regina 2-0 in a game that featured, according to the Regina Leader-Posts Harvey Dryden, "brawling and scuffling and other back-alley antics not in the hockey book.
"A total of 79 minutes in penalties were meted out to the two clubs in the two hectic periods and the first 30 minutes of the game took one hour and 35 minutes to complete, Dryden wrote. "The soldout crowd of 5,000 fans trooped wearily out of the rink at 11:15 Winnipeg time, two hours and 45 minutes after the first faceoff.
Mitchell got Winnipeg on the board at 4:40 of the first period. Ross Parke got Winnipeg's other goal, into an empty Regina net at 18:48 of the third period.
The game was also marred by fans along the boards "taking swipes at the Pat players.
The Monarchs moved to within one point of clinching the series when they beat the Pats 5-2 before 5,000 fans in the Amphitheatre on April 21.
Again, it was a rough game with 20 penalties, including three majors, being handed out.
Winnipeg led 2-1 after one period and 3-2 after the second before scoring the third period's only two goals.
Zarie and Johnny Novak had two goals each for the winners, with Parke getting the other. Litzenberger and Bunny Smith replied for the Pats.
This game was notable for one other thing -- the junior debut of Gerry James, who would later become a Canadian sporting legend in hockey and football, and who would later coach the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors. As reported by Dryden: "Monarchs called up another juvenile, Gerry James, son of gridiron great Eddie. A defenceman regularly, James saw action on the wing. An aggressive youth, he tossed his weight around and stirred up things with the Pats.
Regina began its comeback on April 23 by posting a 2-1 victory before 5,000 fans in the Amphitheatre.
Cowan scored both Regina goals, with Johnston counting for Winnipeg.
"The boys played it well, Armstrong said. "They were right on the bit. I thought they were skating better than at any time in Winnipeg.
"We'll just take 'em one game at a time and Wednesday is the next one.
The comeback continued on Wednesday, April 25 as the Pats posted a 4-3 overtime victory before 5,000 fans at the Amphitheatre.
Litzenberger's second goal of the game, at 1:47 of overtime, stood up as the winner as the Pats evened the series at three wins each with one tie.
The Pats at one time trailed 3-0 as Winnipeg got goals from Bruce Bell, James and Trainor.
Tony Schneider and McDonald scored Regina's other goals.
Litzenberger scored the winner when he stepped out of the penalty box, took a pass from Billy Papp and cut in on goal, drawing Collins out of the net and tucking the puck past him.
The eighth game was played before another sellout crowd of 5,000 in the Amphitheatre on April 28.
It was no contest.
Chorley, who had been kept in check through most of the series, got untracked to score two goals and set up another in an 8-4 victory.
Winnipeg raced out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back.
Parke, used on a checking line with James and Ron Barr, scored three times. Trainor, Zarie and Bill Burega also scored for Winnipeg. Regina's goals came from Harvey Schmidt, Tony Schneider, Edmundson and Dowie.
The Monarchs then moved on to the Memorial Cup final and they knew they'd be in tough against the Barrie Flyers, a team that was coached by the legendary Hap Emms and featured the likes of left-winger Real Chevrefils, winger Jerry Toppazzini and centre Leo Labine, all of whom would go on to play in the NHL. The Flyers had gone the full seven games to eliminate the Quebec Citadels in a bitterly fought series.
One of Barrie's forward units featured two Emms boys -- Paul and Don -- on the wings with Bill Hagan. Paul Emms was Hap's son; Don was a nephew.
The Monarchs went in having won three Memorial Cups in four trips to the final.
And going into this final the West and East had each won 16 championships since the trophy was first put up for grabs in 1919.
The final opened on May 2 with Barrie winning 5-1 in the Winnipeg Amphitheatre.
CP reported: "The well-conditioned Barrie club passed the Monarchs dizzy for the first two periods and only in the last session did the Regals show any resemblance to the form which carried them to the western title.
Jack White, Toppazzini, Jim Morrison, Labine and Danny O'Connor scored for Barrie, with John Riley getting Winnipeg's lone goal at 15:01 of the third period to spoil the shutout bid by Lorne Howes.
The Flyers were in the catbird seat; after all, since 1938 the team that won the first game had gone on to win the Memorial Cup in every instance.
The Flyers then recorded their second straight 5-1 victory in the Amphitheatre.
Morrison, a defenceman who would go on to a steady NHL career, had a goal and two helpers for Barrie, with singles coming from Labine, Don Emms, Doug Towers and Chevrefils. Toppazzini set up three goals. And, again, Riley kept Howes from the shutout, this time scoring eight minutes into the third period.
"Playing away above their heads, Hap Emms said of his Flyers.
The teams moved to Brandon and the Wheat City Arena for Game 3 on May 5. But the outcome was the same as Barrie won 4-3 to close to within one victory of sweeping the final.
Chevrefils got the winner at 11:31 of the third period with James in the penalty box.
Labine, Hagan and Don Emms also scored for the Flyers. Winnipeg got two goals from Chorley and one from Zarie.
The sweep was completed on May 8 when the Flyers won 9-5 at the Amphitheatre.
It was Barrie's first Memorial Cup title. The only other time the Flyers had been in the final was in 1948 when they lost in four games to the Port Arthur West End Bruins.
The fourth game had been scheduled for May 7 but was postponed due to leaking ammonia fumes in the Amphitheatre.
Chevrefils sparked the Flyers with a goal and three helpers. Labine and Toppazzini had two goals and an assist each. White, Chuck Wood, Towers and George Stanutz also scored.
Parke got two Winnipeg goals, with singles from Mitchell, Chorley and Zarie.
Barrie roared out to a 6-0 lead and it was that sixth goal, by Stanutz, that stood as the Memorial Cup-winner. It came at 7:27 of the second period.
"Nothing to be ashamed of against a club like that, Monson said.
NEXT: 1952 (Regina Pats vs. Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters)
From Gregg Drinnan...1952
1952 MEMORIAL CUP
Regina Pats vs. Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters
at Guelph (Arena) and Toronto (Maple Leaf Gardens)
Coach Murray Armstrong's Regina Pats advanced to the Memorial Cup final on April 19 with a 2-1 victory over the Fort William Hurricanes.
The Pats won the best-of-seven series 4-2.
The hero in the deciding game was Eddie Litzenberger, who played the final home game of his junior career in front of 4,586 fans. He gave them their money's worth as he scored both of Regina's goals.
Regina's opposition in the Memorial Cup would be supplied by the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of coach Alf Pike, a former NHL player who had appeared in the 1937 Memorial Cup as a centre with the champion Winnipeg Monarchs.
The Biltmores were owned by local businessmen Roy Mason (he was the team's general manager), Evan Brill, Jack Chambers, Bob Dawson, Vic Dennis, George Lasby, Dayt Marsh, Norm McMillan, Arnold Somerville and Eddie Williams.
Guelph's roster featured eight players who would go on to play in the NHL. Two of them -- team captain Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell -- would end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lou Fontinato, Dean Prentice, Ron Murphy, Bill McCreary, Ron Stewart and Aldo Guidolin would also play in the NHL.
Pike would also end up in the NHL, coaching the New York Rangers.
Also on their roster was Pete Conacher, whose father, Charley, was playing in the NHL. Their top scorer, however, was Ken Laufman, who totalled 53 goals and 86 assists as he set what was then an Ontario junior scoring record with 139 points in the regular season.
The Pats were led by Litzenberger, Doug Killoh and defenceman Bob Turner, who would go on to win five consecutive Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens.
The series opened in Guelph's new 4,247-seat arena -- tickets went for what was then the steep price of $3 so that the host committee could meet the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association's guarantee. In Game 1, on April 25, the Biltmores posted an 8-2 victory.
"Regina lacked the smooth team play of the Biltmores, reported The Canadian Press. "They relied mostly on individual efforts and a great deal of the time they were overhauled by the flying Bilts.
Ned Powers, writing in the Regina Leader-Post, put it like this: "Biltmores' edge on the scoreboard, 8-2, was a good indication of the play and the number of shots on goal told a much more detailed story. Guelph peppered Bob Tyler with 14 shots in the first period, 16 in the second and another 16 in the third for a grand total of 46. It took the Reginans all night to amass a total of 10 shots.
Stewart, a defenceman who had been added to Guelph's lineup from the Barrie Flyers in a late-season cash transaction, scored the only goal of the first period and Guelph then outscored Regina 3-1 in the second. Stewart finished up with two goals, as did Laufman. Murphy, Prentice, Jim Connelly and Chuck Henderson added one each. Regina's goals came from Harvey Schmidt and Litzenberger.
For the remainder of the series, the teams moved to Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
There were 7,333 fans in the pews on April 27 for Guelph's 4-2 victory in Game 2, a game in which Regina had two first-period goals disallowed.
According to CP: "Litzenberger got a breakaway near the nine-minute mark and streaked in to beat goalie Marv Brewer on a pretty effort but the officials ruled that the play had been stopped near the Regina blueline, nullifying the shifty right winger's goal.
"The other disallowed counter came in the closing moments of the period. Doug Killoh drilled a close-in drive past Brewer just as the frame ended and the officials ruled the closing bell had sounded a fraction of a second earlier.
On the first disallowed goal, referee Lorne (Windy) Linden of Winnipeg ruled that he had called a penalty on Fontinato just as Litzenberger took off. Pats supporters were left to wonder why Linden hadn't called a delayed penalty.
Bathgate scored Guelph's first and last goals, with Murphy and McCreary, who had two assists, adding one each. Ted Yarnton and Litzenberger scored for Regina.
McCreary, a 16-year-old, was playing on a line with Bathgate, a three-year veteran, and Prentice. All three would go on to play in the NHL.
The Pats spent the next night in Maple Leaf Gardens -- watching Barbara Ann Scott's ice show.
The relaxation didn't help the westerners because, on April 30, they were bounced 8-2 before 4,270 fans to fall behind 3-0 in the series.
Powers wrote: "Currently in the process of presenting the Guelph Biltmores with their first Memorial Cup in history, Ron Murphy and Andy Bathgate are writing a glorious end to their junior hockey days before taking the expected big jump to National Hockey League warfare next winter.
Murphy and Bathgate each scored three times as Guelph led 4-1 and 5-2 at the intermissions. Henderson and Laufman also scored.
Johnny Reeve and Brian McDonald scored for the Pats.
"With all the experienced men on this club, you wouldn't think they would turn sour like that, Armstrong said. "I honestly feel that every man is trying as hard as he can but things just aren't working for us. Then we make those mistakes and get ourselves into deeper trouble.
"It is a tall order to win four straight from a good hockey club like Guelph but stranger things have happened.
It wasn't to be. Guelph won 10-2 on May 2 to complete the sweep in front of 3,447 fans.
Prentice and Connelly each scored twice for Guelph which outscored Regina 30-8 over the four games. Stewart, Bill Chalmers, Bathgate, McCreary, Henderson and Howell added a goal each. Litzenberger and Gordon Cowan replied for Regina.
The Memorial Cup-winning goal, Guelph's third of the game, came from Bathgate at 18:16 of the first period.
"Boy, am I glad that's over, Pike said. "Now I can go fishing.
His team had won 18 of 23 playoff games.
NEXT: 1953 (St. Boniface Canadiens vs. Barrie Flyers)
From Gregg Drinnan...1953
1953 MEMORIAL CUP
St. Boniface Canadiens vs. Barrie Flyers
at Winnipeg (Amphitheatre) and Brandon (Wheat City Arena)
Yes, Don Cherry really did play in a Memorial Cup championship.
It was the spring of 1953 and he was a defenceman with the Barrie Flyers.
The Flyers, coached by Leighton (Hap) Emms, eliminated the Quebec Citadels, winning the fifth game of a best-of-seven Eastern Canadian final 7-3 to advance.
Among Cherry's teammates were Doug Mohns, Orv Tessier, Skip Teal, goaltender Marv Edwards, who was picked up from the St. Catharines Teepees, and captain Don McKenney.
(Wondering from where Cherry got his chutzpah? During a semifinal series against the Toronto-St. Michael's Majors, Emms sent Turk Broda, the opposing coach, a book -- How To Coach Hockey.)
The Flyers would travel west to meet coach Bryan Hextall's St. Boniface Canadiens, who won the Abbott Cup with a seven-game series victory over the Lethbridge Native Sons. The Canadiens won four games (including a 12-1 victory in Game 7), with two losses and a tie.
It was St. Boniface's first western junior title since 1938 when the Seals won the Memorial Cup.
The Canadiens featured Ab McDonald, Cec Hoekstra, Al Johnson, goaltender Hal Dalkie and captain Syd White.
The Memorial Cup final would be played at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre, with the exception of Game 2 which was scheduled for the Wheat City Arena in Brandon.
Eastern teams had won the last four titles and the Flyers, winners in 1951 with Emms coaching, went in as 8-to-5 favorites.
The series opened on April 27 with Teal's two goals and two assists leading the Flyers to a 6-4 victory before a sellout crowd of 5,000.
Game 1 was carried on St. Boniface radio station CKSB, the first time in Manitoba history the national final had been broadcast in French.
The Canadiens led 3-1 after the first period and 4-2 after the second, but gave up four third-period goals.
McKenney, playing on Teal's wing, had a goal and three assists. Jim Robertson, Tony Poeta and Tessier added one each.
Gary Blaine, with two, Leo Konyk and Barry Thorndycraft replied for St. Boniface.
One highlight was a goal in which Blaine roared down the left boards, changed hands on his stick and rifled a low drive into the net at 2:47 of the first period.
The Flyers hadn't been on skates for more than three days and it showed as the Canadiens dominated early.
But once the Flyers got their legs, they took over.
"We're not licked yet, said Edwin Hansford, the St. Boniface mayor.
In Game 2, played April 29 in Brandon, the Canadiens held a 3-2 lead early in the third period but gave up four straight goals and lost 6-3, leaving a crowd of 4,800 stunned with the outcome.
The roof fell in shortly after White took a cross-checking penalty at 12:56 of the third period with the scored tied 3-3. Barrie scored three times with White in the penalty box.
Centre Johnny Martan scored three times for the Flyers, including the goal that tied the score 3-3.
After White was sent off, Teal (13:53), Martan (14:28) and Poeta (14:35) put it away for Barrie. All three goals came on rebounds.
Poeta finished with two goals and two assists. Tessier checked in with five assists.
Blaine had two goals for St. Boniface with Thorndycraft getting the other.
"We beat ourselves in that game, Hextall said, "and now we've got to get the next one.
After Game 2, Emms got together with the city of Brandon and put in a request for Game 4 to be held there. But the CAHA turned that down, although it did say a Game 6, if needed, would be held in Brandon.
Back in the Amphitheatre, Barrie went up 3-0 on May 1 by winning Game 3 7-5 before more than 5,000 fans.
The Flyers led 1-0 after the first period. St. Boniface would forge a 2-2 tie in the second period but fell behind 4-2 before the middle frame ended.
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->Edwards was spectacular in stopping 34 shots, many from right on top of him. At the other end, Dalkie blocked 41 but he wasn't as severely tested as was Edwards.
Tessier and McKenney led Barrie with two goals each. Teal, Poeta and Martan added one each, with Martan chipping in with three assists.
Blaine had two goals for St. Boniface for the third straight game. McDonald also scored twice, with Len Thornson getting the other. Thornson also had two helpers.
While most people were predicting a sweep, the Canadiens stayed alive with a 7-4 victory on May 4 that broke the east's 12-game Memorial Cup winning streak. The west hadn't won a game since Game 4 of the 1950 final when the Regina Pats beat the Montreal Junior Canadiens, 7-4.
Prior to the game, which was played before more than 5,000 fans, the Canadiens had received a telegram from Montreal Canadiens head man Frank Selke urging them to "go out and win. Which is just what they did.
Konyk, Bill Short, Thorndycraft, Lou Marius, Gabe Pankhurst, Blaine and Thornson scored for the winners. Teal, with two, Cherry (on a long screened shot) and Mohns replied for Barrie.
The Canadiens owned this game from the outset, holding period leads of 2-0 and 5-1.
The Flyers were virtually without Poeta, a speedy winger who had suffered a knee injury in Game 3. Game but injured, he was limited to three short shifts in the first two periods of Game 4.
Emms, meanwhile, was blasting officials Ching McDonald and Louis Lecompte of Montreal as "the worst I have ever seen.
Then, he hammered away at the Amphitheatre: "It was just a pool of water. In fact, the whole set-up at this barn is a disgrace.
Sheesh . . . and he was leading the series 3-1.
It ended on May 6 with Barrie posting a 6-1 victory before another capacity crowd of more than 5,000.
The Flyers led 2-1 and 5-1 by periods and coasted to the title.
Robertson, with two, Mohns, Ralph Willis, Tessier and Cherry scored for the Flyers. Konyk had the Canadiens' lone goal.
The Cup-winning goal came from Willis at 4:43 of the first period on a screened shot from the blue line.
For the record, Cherry had one assist in Game 1, was kept off the scoresheet in Game 2, picked up one minor penalty in Game 3, had a goal in Game 4 (one report said he was "a standout), and scored once in Game 5 during which he also picked up a fighting major and a minor.
The Cherry legend includes -- or doesn't include, depending upon to whom you are speaking -- an incident from Game 5 that included Blaine, a St. Boniface defenceman of immense potential whose career would fall victim to the demon rum, and Cherry.
Legend has it that Blaine actually chased Cherry around the Amphitheatre in an attempt to get him to fight.
As Winnipeg Free Press columnist Hal Sigurdson recounted in June of 1996, "Blaine's teammate, Ab McDonald . . . says it was Cherry. So does former provincial cabinet minister Larry Desjardins, who was general manager of Blaine's St. Boniface Canadiens at the time.
As for Blaine . . .
"To be honest, he told Sigurdson, "I'm not sure.
"Orval Tessier had just slashed our goaltender, Hal Dalkie, and I drilled him. When he went down I tried to pick him up, but he turtled. I'd never seen a guy do that before. Anyway, I heard another of their players chirping so I went after him. He took off and I chased him. When I asked our guys who it was they told me his name was Don Cherry.
Cherry's totals for the series : 5 games played, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points and nine penalty minutes. Oh, and a Memorial Cup ring.
NEXT: 1954 (Edmonton Oil Kings vs. St. Catharines Teepees)
From Gregg Drinnan...1954
1954 MEMORIAL CUP
Edmonton Oil Kings vs. St. Catharines Teepees
at Toronto (Maple Leaf Gardens)
When the Edmonton Oil Kings journeyed east for the best-of-seven Memorial Cup final they didn't leave anything to chance -- they even took their own water with them.
"We've got four gallons here now and six more are on their way from Edmonton, coach Ken McAuley said. "The players claimed they suffered cramps in out-ot-town games from drinking other water and they didn't want to take any chances. I don't know if there's anything to it but if they want Edmonton water they can have it.
While the Oil Kings were sequestered in a Toronto motel, the Quebec Frontenacs and St. Catharines Teepees struggled to declare a winner in a bitterly contested eastern final.
Prior to 1947, the St. Catharines junior team was known as the Falcons. But, in 1947, the team acquired its nickname -- Teepees -- from its sponsor, Thomson Products, a local firm that produced automotive and aircraft parts.
The Teepees would become one of the most recognizable nicknames in junior hockey. The organization hung on to the nickname through 1963, after which it changed to the Black Hawks and later Fincups.
Barry Cullen's three goals led St. Catharines to a 9-1 victory before 11,912 fans in Quebec City on May 5 as the Teepees took a 3-2 edge in the series. St. Catharines wrapped it up two nights later in Toronto, winning 4-2 before 6,669 fans at Maple Leaf Gardens.
"They're going to be really tough to beat, McAuley said after watching the clinching game.
The Teepees, of coach Rudy Pilous, went into the best-of-seven final having already played 91 games in their season. They were also in their first Memorial Cup final since being born 12 years earlier. The Oil Kings, with an amazing 61 victories in 65 games, hadn't played in 16 days.
Game 1, played on May 9 before 4,790 fans, wasn't much. Jack Armstrong scored three times as the Teepees rolled to an 8-2 victory over the rusty Oilers.
The Canadian Press reported: "Teepees, clicking on every turn after winning the eastern junior title Friday night, put on the pressure from the opening and handed the Oil Kings their worst defeat of the season.
Don McLean and Hughie Barlow added two goals each while Brian Cullen scored once. Edmonton's goals came from future NHLers Norm Ullman and Jerry Melnyk.
"We expect a lot of opposition yet, Pilous said. "They're a good bunch of boys and they handle the puck well. And they should improve.
The Oil Kings played better on May 11 but it still wasn't enough as they lost 5-3.
CP reported that the game was played before "3,680 fans, one of the smallest crowds in years to see a Memorial Cup playoff.
After a scoreless first period, Edmonton took a 2-0 lead in the second on goals by John Bucyk and Ullman. McLean put St. Catharines on the board at 17:03.
St. Catharines then struck for four third-period goals, Barlow scoring twice and Barry Cullen and Hank Ciesla adding one each.
Edmonton's Ray Kinasewich, playing on a line with Bucyk and Ullman, ended the scoring at 14:19 of the third.
Edmonton goaltender Al Jacobson, who blocked 43 shots in Game 1, stopped 24 shots. The Teepees' Marv Edwards kicked out 25 shots, 11 more than he had been asked to stop in the opener.
There were only 3,030 fans in the stands on May 13 as St. Catharines took a stranglehold on the series with a 4-1 victory over what CP called a "ragged-looking band of Oil Kings.
Brian Cullen led the winners with three goals and set up the other by Barlow, a 20-year-old centre who played with the Cullen brothers on his wings.
Kinasewich scored the game's first goal, at 14:20 of the second period, but the Oil Kings fell behind shortly thereafter and were never in it after that.
"My club will win Saturday night -- we'll win it in four straight, Pilous said. "(The Oil Kings) just don't play in the same kind of a league. That club couldn't win 60 games in a season in the Ontario Hockey Association.
McAuley fired back: "What do you expect? We went 16 days without a game before we started this series. The boys are making mental mistakes which could be cured, but they've been off the ice so long you can't talk them into it. The only way the east wins this thing is by stalling the west.
Pilous was wrong. His boys didn't get their sweep as the teams played to a 3-3 tie -- they played one 10-minute overtime period -- on May 15. Kinasewich, Bucyk and Chuck Holmes scored for Edmonton. Barlow, with two, and Cec Hoekstra scored for the Teepees.
St. Catharines wrapped it up the next day, however, posting a 6-2 victory before 2,848 fans.
Brian Cullen led the winners with two goals and two assists in his last junior game. Barlow, Ciesla, Barry Cullen and Wimpy Roberts added one each. Ullman and Bucyk replied for the westerners.
Ciesla's goal, at 9:38 of the first period, gave St. Catharines a 3-0 lead and stood up as the Memorial Cup-winning score.
"It's been a good series, Pilous said. "But I honestly believe we have the better hockey team.
It marked the sixth straight season in which an eastern team had won the Memorial Cup.
NEXT: 1955 (Regina Pats vs. Toronto Marlboros)
From Gregg Drinnan...1955
1955 MEMORIAL CUP
Regina Pats vs. Toronto Marlboros
at Regina (Exhibition Stadium)
It was a talented group of Toronto Marlboros that arrived in Regina on April 20 to meet the Regina Pats in the best-of-seven Memorial Cup final, with all games scheduled for Exhibition Stadium.
Coached by Turk Broda, the retired star netminder who had moved on to the NHL from the Brandon Native Sons and was in his first season as a head coach, the Marlies featured the likes of captain Al MacNeil, Bob Baun, Billy Harris, Gerry James (a two-sporter, he also played football with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers), Mike Nykoluk, Bob Pulford and Gary Aldcorn.
The Marlboros had dumped the St. Catharines Teepees in a six-game eastern final.
Stafford Smythe was the Marlboros' manager; Harold Ballard was the president. Ballard wasn't in Regina long before he was complaining. It seems he didn't like the fact the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association had his club traveling tourist class on the train to Regina. It seems his club always traveled first class.
"The CAHA takes all the gate receipts as soon as a team gets out of its own province, Ballard said, "but the governing body only allows $180 daily expenses for an 18-man team.
Tom Melville had this to say in the Regina Leader-Post: "Mr. Ballard objected to traveling in a so-called tourist sleeping car and is reported to have paid the difference for a standard. Because Marlboros did most of their eastern traveling by bus, he may be forgiven for not knowing that eastern trains on the short hauls do not carry tourist cars. Western clubs, both in football and hockey, in the main use tourist cars. What is the difference between the two classes?
"A tourist car has 12 lowers and a drawing room; the standard has 12 lowers and a drawing room. The tourist cars are a little older than the standards, although not always, and on a tourist car the door is taken off the drawing room and a curtain substituted.
"If Mr. Ballard preferred a newer car and a door on the drawing room, surely he could have made arrangements for this without making a national issue out of it.
The Pats, who had taken care of the Winnipeg Monarchs in five games in the western final, were coached by Murray Armstrong. Included on the roster were Bill Hicke and Bill Hay. Murray Balfour, an all-star defenceman, would miss the first two games as he recovered from a cracked kneecap suffered seven weeks previous.
Regina had added three players for the series -- defenceman Lionel Repka from the Edmonton Oil Kings and forwards Earl Ingarfield and Les Colwill from the Lethbridge Native Sons. Ingarfield, however, was injured and would miss the start of the series.
Ken Girard, the right winger on Toronto's first line, suffered a charleyhorse when checked by James during a practice and was on the limp when the series opened.
Prior to the opener, Broda said: "I haven't seen the Regina Pats in action, so I don't know just how the Marlboros will stack up against them. It takes a game in any series to sort things out. I hear the Pats are pretty fast and throw the puck around rather well. The Marlboros had to beat some pretty good teams to get where they are, so I guess I shouldn't be backwards in touting my own boys.
"Let's say this, though. If we don't win the series in five games I might be looking for a new job. The pattern lately has been the east in five and I might get thrown out if I let the side down.
History shows that Broda didn't let the side down.
The Pats opened the series with a 3-1 victory before 4,756 fans on April 21.
"Pats were outshot and outweighed, wrote Ernie Fedoruk in The Leader-Post. "But Armstrong's warriors didn't let the coach down in vital departments. He expected hustle and desire. He got that and an excellent defensive and backchecking display which proved to be the big factor in an important contest.
Armstrong, so far, was refusing to use the three additions that were allowed under CAHA rules. Neither Ingarfield, who was hurt, nor Colwill dressed for the opener; Repka was dressed but never got off the bench.
Glenn MacDonald and Harry Ottenbreit, who played on Regina's third line with Hay, scored the first two goals, both on passes from Hay. Elmer Schwartz added Regina's other goal. Gary Collins scored for Toronto.
"We'll play it the same way Saturday, Armstrong said, "with the same lineup. We'll have to keep with them all the way. When things got really bad, Joe Selinger came through. Joe's like the pitcher on a ball team. If you haven't got good pitching, you haven't got anything. It's the same think in goalkeeping.
The Marlies tied the series on April 23, scoring a 5-2 decision thanks to four power-play goals before 5,478 fans.
Toronto, which outshot Regina 31-10, led 3-0 halfway through the game and Regina rarely threatened. Nykoluk scored twice for Toronto, with singles coming from Glen Cressman, James and Pulford. Regina's goals came from Danny Wong and Schwartz.
"It was a dandy hockey game, Broda said. "Regina fans may never see another one as good.
"Still, the boys didn't play as well as they could. Their checking has improved and after another game, we'll be hard to beat.
Immediately after the game, Armstrong announced that he would dress Balfour, Ingarfield and Colwill for Game 3. Repka finally had played halfway through Game 2.
To get in the replacements, Armstrong scratched defencemen Wayne Klinck and Fred Buchan, while forward Harvey Flaman bowed out with the flu.
After Game 3 on April 25, Fedoruk reported: "Pats outskated, outshot and outchecked the heavier Toronto team. Regina spotted Dukes a 2-0 first-period lead, then came back to stage a display that had Marlboros hanging on the ropes.
However, the Pats didn't win. With 4,500 fans on hand, the Marlboros scored a 3-2 victory.
Still, the Pats were upbeat despite trailing 2-1 in the series.
"They're not half as tough as we're going to be, Armstrong said.
Harris, Pulford and Nykoluk scored for Toronto, with Colwill and Hay scoring for Regina.
Broda, commenting on his team's play, said: "They were terrible. That was the worst game of hockey I've seen them play all winter.
Toronto would play better on April 27 and earn a 3-2 overtime victory to go up 3-1 in the series.
"When the going gets tough and the games get bigger, then Billy Harris will get us the big goals, Ballard had said back when the series was even at 1-1.
And that's exactly what happened.
"Harris dropped the Pats after 44 seconds of overtime action, scoring a pretty unassisted goal, wrote Fedoruk.
Harris figured in all three Toronto goals as he set up MacNeil and Girard for the other goals.
The best of the Pats was Balfour, who sent 5,378 fans into hysteria when he forced overtime with 13 seconds left in the third period. It was his second goal of the game.
"Our boys couldn't get up for the overtime, Armstrong said. "I thought when we tied it they'd rise and really go. But they were awfully tired. We had to make the game after Toronto got the goal but we couldn't make a go of it.
Said Broda: "I think we played our best hockey game, but winning that way is awfully bad for the heart. Sure, we only need one more, but it'll be just as hard to get.
It was hard, but the Marlies got it in Game 5, winning 8-5 in overtime in front of 5,718 fans.
"Pats, great in defeat, blew a 3-0 first-period lead and the hard-hitting Dukes exploded for three goals in a minute and 27 seconds midway in the third period to send the game into overtime, read one report.
Harris, again, scored the winner. It came at 6:13 of overtime on Toronto's first good scoring chance of extra time. Cressman had two goals, the tying goal in the third period and an insurance score in overtime. Collins also scored twice, with James, Pulford and Bill Kennedy getting one each. Hay fired three goals for the Pats, with Ottenbreit and captain Bev Bell getting the others.
Armstrong finished the series the way he started it -- he didn't use any of the players who had been added from other teams.
"Pats were powerful, Ballard said. "Make no bones about it. If the breaks in those three games fell in favor of Regina, all this noise you hear would be coming from the Pat dressing room instead of ours.
"It was your Pats, and not the Marlboros, who have regained for the Memorial Cup final the prestige it so rightfully deserves.
The attendance at Game 5 brought the total to 25,821, almost 8,000 more than had witnessed the 1954 Memorial Cup final.
"Hold your heads up -- high, Armstrong told the Pats. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of. You gave everything you had and I'm just as proud of you as I would be if you had won. There's no disgrace in losing a series like that and to a team like that.
NEXT: 1956 (Regina Pats vs. Toronto Marlboros)
From Gregg Drinnan...1956
1956 MEMORIAL CUP
Regina Pats vs. Toronto Marlboros
at Toronto (Maple Leaf Gardens)
The Toronto Marlboros, a team full of future NHLers, would take eight games to eliminate the Montreal Junior Canadiens and advance to the Memorial Cup final.
Coached by Turk Broda, the former Toronto Maple Leafs great goaltender, and with the likes of Bob Nevin, Charlie Burns, Carl Brewer, Bob Pulford, Bobby Baun, Lou Angotti, team captain Al MacNeil and Harry Neale on their roster, the Marlboros blanked the Baby Habs 2-0 on April 25 in the eighth game of the eight-point Eastern Canadian final.
Toronto won the eighth game on goals by Jim Murchie and Burns, with the perfect goaltending supplied by Les Broderick, who made 14 saves in front of 12,339 fans at Maple Leaf Gardens. It was Broderick's third shutout of the series.
The Regina Pats, the western Memorial Cup finalists, were in the stands for that game.
"I guess if you are big enough, tough enough and can skate, you can play hockey, Regina head coach Murray Armstrong said of the game. "But the checking was very good. The players lean on one another and that type of hard checking doesn't enable a team to cut loose with pleasing, wide-open plays.
Regina picked up three players for the final -- Len Lunde (Edmonton Oil Kings), Johnny Kowalchuk (Fort William Canadians) and Stewart McNeill (Port Arthur North Stars) -- and Armstrong put them together on one line.
The Pats' roster also included the likes of Bill Hicke, Murray Balfour, captain Harry Ottenbreit and goaltender Hank Metcalf.
The series opened on April 27 before only 3,855 fans at Maple Leaf Gardens, site of all games in this series. The Pats, coming off a 13-day layoff, held a 4-2 lead in the third period but had to settle for a 4-4 overtime tie.
After a scoreless first period, Regina led 3-2 after the second.
Bryan Whittal, Wayne Klinck, Joe Lunghamer and Johnny (Kayo) Kowalchuk scored for Regina. Left-winger Ken Girard got two goals for Toronto, with singles coming from Wally Boyer and Brewer. Girard's second goal, at 18:29 of the third, forged the tie. The teams played a scoreless 10-minute overtime period.
"I wasn't going to stay and see the series, offered Toe Blake, head coach of the Stanley Cup-champion Montreal Canadiens, "but I think I will have to now.
Two nights later, with 8,463 fans in the seats, the Marlboros breezed to a 5-1 victory. Toronto led 3-0 after one period and 5-1 after the second.
Pulford, who would turn into the star of this final, struck for two Toronto goals, with singles coming from MacNeil, Girard and Gary Collins. Balfour had Regina's only goal.
"The boys realize they have to toss the puck around a bit now, Armstrong said. "They weren't shooting. They were hanging on too long. Our goalie, Hank Metcalf, admitted he should have had the first and third goals. The final goal was another gift. The clearing on the play was very weak.
"But that's the way the breaks fall. We should have scored more than one goal. We had a few good chances. Maybe we'll start getting some of these breaks the next time.
Broda said: "Pats are getting better. They're starting to look like big leaguers. I did expect Regina would be a great deal stronger, and I still say it's going to be a good series.
"My club played better . . . although a few of the players are not too happy about their performances.
The Marlboros won their second game in a row on May 2, beating the Pats 4-2 behind Pulford's two goals in front of 4,416 fans.
Pulford went into the final having struck for 18 goals in 14 playoff games. Ron Farnfield and Ron Casey also scored for Toronto. Whittal had both Regina goals. (Farnfield, from Winnipeg, was the only player on the Marlies' roster from outside of Toronto.)
"What can you say when you lose? said Armstrong. "With any breaks we might have won.
Toronto moved to within one victory of its second straight championship with a 6-1 whipping of Regina before 2,470 fans on May 4.
Broda said the Marlies "played their best game of the series.
Armstrong was disappointed. "That was the key game and we weren't even in it. It was certainly a bad game.
Toronto scored two goals in each period -- Pulford striking for three of them. Girard, Bill Kennedy and Burns added one each. Con Collie spoiled Broderick's shutout bid late in the third period.
Maple Leaf Gardens president Conn Smythe -- his son Stafford was the Marlboros' manager -- wasn't the least bit surprised the way the series was going.
"I defy any ordinary citizen to know what the Pats are supposed to be playing, he said. "They're supposed to like this type of hockey in the west. That's why they keep losing the Memorial Cup. The Marlies play it like the pros and that's why they're winning.
"I don't blame the boys. It's not their fault because some of them show plenty of promise. It's the officials above them.
The Marlboros wrapped it up on the afternoon of May 6, beating the Pats 7-4 before 3,601 fans.
Toronto led 4-1 after the first period, striking for three power-play goals in a 45-second span, and 6-4 after the second.
Pulford led the way with three goals, giving him 10 in the series. Baun, MacNeil, Kennedy and Boyer also scored for the winners. Whittal had two goals for Regina, with singles from Hicke and Kowalchuk.
"It was Regina's best showing, Broda said. "They played a good game and have the nucleus of a good team. That kid Whittal was outstanding. He works hard. They tell me only two of the Regina players are overage for next season.
"If that's the case, then they could quite easily win the Memorial Cup next year. Isn't Saskatchewan supposed to be next year country?
The Memorial Cup-winning goal came from Kennedy at 1:40 of the second period. It gave Toronto a 5-1 lead.
Broda became only the second coach to win back-to-back Memorial Cup titles. The other? Tracy Shaw, with the Oshawa Generals in 1939 and 1940.
Armstrong, meanwhile, was in his fifth Memorial Cup final, four of them as a coach. He now was 0-5. Counting regular-season and playoff games, Armstrong had 299 coaching victories with the Pats. He would have loved to have gotten No. 300 in the Memorial Cup. And now there were rumors that he was headed for Colorado College.
NEXT: 1957 (Flin Flon Bombers vs. Ottawa Canadiens)