Spruce Kings off to the weekend....2001+2002 RBC memories

photo: hockeycanada.ca

Congrats to the Prince George Spruce Kings, as the 2007 Royal Bank Cup hosts are off to the weekend semi-finals after defeating the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Champ Selkirk Steelers 2-1 last night to finish the round robin at 2 and 2.

The Royal Bank Cup is an INCREDIBLE time, and looking back I realize how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to attend and broadcast two of them- the 2001 tourney in my hometown of Flin Flon, Manitoba, and then the 2002 RBC in Halifax Nova Scotia.

Both experiences were VERY and I mean VERY different for me. I was a neutral, unbiased play-by-play broadcaster in 2001 in Flin Flon, as the radio station there had sold advertising to broadcast the "West" represenatives games. The radio station had banked/hoped on the OCN Blizzard winning the Manitoba league, and then defeating the Saskatchewan champs, to qualify for the RBC themselves. OR-----if the host Flin Flon Bombers would've kept up their part of the bargain and won the SJHL that year, the Blizzard would've been awarded an automatic berth. The Bombers would lose out in the second round of the playoffs. The Blizzard would indeed win the Manitoba League (for the third year in a row) but they couldn't beat the SJHL Champ Weyburn Red Wings in the "Anavet Cup" to advance to the RBC. I still remember the unbelieveable elation and heartbreak of this one. At home, we were down by a goal with four seconds left in game 6, down in the series 3-2.....And then the game tying goal went in and I don't think I have ever seen or heard a situation as crazy....But the Blizzard would lose in double overtime, and the dream RBC was not to be. You see, Flin Flon and OCN are a little over an hour a part. And they are as bitter as rivals as you will find ANYWHERE in the game. Think Nanaimo vs Port Alberni, Nanaimo vs Cowichan, Salmon Arm vs Vernon....with a BIG twist....the teams don't play in the SAME LEAGUE. Flin Flin is in the SJHL, OCN is in the MJHL, due to the Man/Sask border. Imagine Nanaimo or Port Alberni hosting the Royal Bank Cup, and both teams being in the tournament. Crazy! Back to the point- As I was the play-by-play voice of the Blizzard, it would've been a very different tournament to go there and broadcast "our" games, for our audience. Instead, I went to broadcast games as a neutral party, covering the Weyburn Red Wings, the team we had just battled for for 6 games. It gave me a different appreciation for the opposition and the game, looking at the game evenly from both sides. It was a WICKED RBC and Flin Flon put on quite a show. I think they went through about 4 beer permits....had to keep going back.

Fast forward a year later- The Blizzard won the MJHL again, four times running, (looking at the Championship Ring on my finger right now, yes they considered us PART of the team) and they also finally got over the "Anavet Cup" hump, beating the Saskatchewan champs in 5 games. Off to Halifax for the Royal Bank Cup! It was an incredible experience, the ups, the downs, the ending. Going into their final game of the round robin (like Prince George was in last night) the Blizzard were just 1 and 2, winning their only game in double OT, and losing to the host Halifax team in OT in game one. Throw in a 8-5 spanking at the hands of the BCHL Champion Chilliwack Chiefs heading into our last game of the round robin and then the pressure was really on as it was MUST win to advance to the semis. The situation went from bad to worse when our #1 goalie couldn't go due to injury. Our back-up went in, playing for the first time since the last game of the regular season about two months earlier, and he was LIGHTS OUT as the Blizzard were 5-0 victors to advance to the semi-final play downs. Their opponent? Yup, the vaunted Chilliwack Chiefs.

This very well could be the best game I've ever seen or broadcasted. The stakes obviously were huge....WIN, and you are off to the the National Championship game, live on TSN. Lose...and you are done, finis, caput. The Blizzard came out flying in this one with their number 1 goalie back, dominating early to take a 2-0 lead. Chilliwack then started to dominate and ended up scoring three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead. It probably should've been 4 or 5 to 2 if not for our goaltending. Then, with just seconds remaining in the second period our top scorer from all season finally got on the board in the RBC Tournament, scoring on a breakaway to tie the game 3-3 heading into the third. The third period was incredible -both teams amazingly cautious, yet both teams just WAYYYY to talented offensively to not generate plenty of chances. With under seven minutes to play the Blizzard scored the go ahead goal as a D man pinched in off the line and drove the net to find a loose puck off a pass from the corner off a won battle for posession. Wow, what a time to pinch! That's guts! He sure picked the right time to jump in though. Chilliwack would mount a furious comeback attempt over the dying minutes and right down to the final seconds where Chief superstar Jeff Tambellini had ONE last shot that was turned away as the Blizzard skated off to the RBC final. I can't talk to much about the final game. It still hurts to much. It was almost the OPPOSITE of the elation of the semi-final game. 1-1 heading into the third, the host Halifax team scored the winner with just under 7 minutes left if I remember right. They then scored an empty-netter as the last ditch effort fell short to tie it up.

Halifax was an incredible experience. I still remember the thousands and thousands of faxes that were sent from back home to our hotel in Halifax. I started out as "funny" to the hotel staff there, 70 or 80 faxes that they kept running up to our room so we could put them on the wall outside the dressing room. 200 or 300 faxes later it wasn't so funny for the hotel staff and the team ended up getting a "paper charge" on their bill when we checked out. It was quite the experience as a broadcaster, having the whole of our fanbase, AND all of Northern Manitoba listening to us on three radio stations. There just wasn't any other way to follow the team. Then along comes TSN to televise the final. I was told that they put up a big screen in our home rink and packed the place and put the game on.....10 minutes in people couldn't handle the TSN guys and they put the radio audio on over the TV. Fans didn't seem to care that the TSN feed was 4 seconds behind us. What I would've given to see that place and see the fans reactions listening to us and their team on the other side of the country. I heard incredible stories- strangers hugging, people running and crying in the streets, honking horns, etc. I also still remember broadcasting the postgame show in the pressbox after the semi final victory. Way down in the tunnels below us, we heard this "noise" coming from down below. We actually thought there was a disturbance or something it was so loud. We wondered if the teams got into it going off the ice or if fans of either side had gotten involved with the other team.....We wrapped our post game show up and went downstairs and came out of the tunnel coming from our dressing room. Standing there were all 200 or so fans that had come from home and all over the country to cheer the team on. They were giving an ovation to every individual who came out of the room. The team- the players, coaches, trainer, me and my colour guy, anyone who had anything to do with the team. It was just another incredible experience of the RBC I will never forget. I still remember the Blizzard fans- known for their horns and their noise- buying EVERY SINGLE airhorn in Halifax. Seriously. They bought every single one they could find. They ended up travelling to Dartmouth to buy more for the final game. Now that's support, lol.

I doubt anyone in Prince George is reading this- but if you are- and to anyone else reading this that is a fan of this great game- ENJOY THE RIDE when you are on it, because it doesn't happen all the time. As you can see, the memories last a life time. Here I am 5 and 6 years later writing about it and thinking about it and it feels like yesterday!

I dug this up- I think I have posted it before- the "highlight reel" that was a look back at at the Royal Bank Cup year. It was a year with a little of everything. Sadness at a former player losing his life on Christmas day and the memorial service that follow. The joy of the first ever championship win on HOME ice, the 4th title in a row, the FIRST trip to the RBC, and so on and so forth. I listen to my play-by-play as a relative rookie and say "ouch, was I really that bad?" At least the MEMORIES are good! Click the link to listen below!

RBC MEMORIES

Good luck to all teams at the RBC this weekend. It's not cheesey- this really is "memories of a lifetime" stuff.

Hammer