2012-13 Memorial Cup

Johnny Hotcakes · Post by **Johnny Hotcakes** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:39 pm

The holst Saskatoon Blades lost in the first round of the WHL playoffs tonight. They now have 51 days off before the start of the Memorial Cup. Talk about a layoff, that's practically a new season.

MaxWebster · Post by **MaxWebster** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:17 pm

?

Cakes?

JOHNNY HOTCAKES?

the real one??

no way. i feel like i'm in a Lost flashback.

Hotcakes. prove it.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:22 pm

I mentioned that in the Iggy thread.

Shawinigan had a ton of time off last year, too. And they won (in the worst vuvuzela airhorn environment the world has ever seen, or heard)

Johnny Hotcakes · Post by **Johnny Hotcakes** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:25 pm

MaxWebster wrote:?

Cakes?

JOHNNY HOTCAKES?

the real one??

no way. i feel like i'm in a Lost flashback.

Hotcakes. prove it.

The password is "Appletini."

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:31 pm

The locals (Victoria Royals) got kicked out of their arena because the World Men's Curling Championships is in that barn for the next week. So our WHL team is playing its home games up at Bear Mountain Arena in Langford, which only seats about 2500. That's out of the question. In a word, gak.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:43 pm

Good article about the problem of including a host team in the Memorial Cup tournament.

But the fact that the Memorial Cup format will never be changed doesn't mean it isn't incredibly unfair. The purpose of the tournament is to showcase the best junior hockey clubs in Canada. Including a team that was swept in the opening round of its league's playoffs is a terrible injustice, and it weakens the legitimacy of the event.

Should Saskatoon manage to win the Memorial Cup tournament this spring, the team's victory will forever be tainted by the inescapable impression that it didn't belong there in the first place.

SportsDoc · Post by **SportsDoc** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:33 am

How has all the fallout from the sanctions the WHL laid upon the Portland Winterhawks affected their season and chances at winning the "W" and appearing in the Memorial Cup this year? Was there any appeal of the sanctions leveled against them? Haven't heard Boo down here since it all came down last fall. Oh, and Seth Jones is above average.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:53 pm

sancarlos wrote:Good article about the problem of including a host team in the Memorial Cup tournament.

That's complete fucking bullshit. Idiotic article. Really. Sickeningly stupid. What sort of fucking idiot writes: "There's absolutely no excuse for a Memorial Cup host to lose in the first round, nevermind be swept."? What??? The host city is awarded before the season begins. Upsets happen; that's SPORTS 101: WHY WE PLAY THE GAMES IN THE FIRST PLACE. The host city is NOT designated because the CHL thinks that the host will win the friggin' Memorial Cup. That is NOT what the Memorial Cup is about. Not remotely. And clearly that asscanoe has no idea what the Memorial Cup is in the first place nor why it is in a different community FROM WHICH THE FUTURE OF HOCKEY WILL COME every season.

How did the NHL's #1 seed do in the first-round of the playoffs last year? Oh, yeah, the Canucks lost, didn't they? Because shit like that fucking happens. Baaaaaaah! The stupid, it burns.

Should Saskatoon manage to win the Memorial Cup tournament this spring, the team's victory will forever be tainted by the inescapable impression that it didn't belong there in the first place.

How the fuck can you call something as fucking ridiculous as that a "good article"? Sweet twenty-armpitted Vishnu, the ludicrous asshat that authored that doesn't have a goddamn clue what he's blathering about. Fuck that and fuck him. Kukla? What the fuck is Kukla. Kookla. Fuck Kukla and everyone that looks like Kookla.

Gak! Every once in a while, thankfully I'm becoming proficient at not encountering it, you see something so appallingly stupid that English, the richest and deepest vault of all human languages, still lacks sufficient words to vehemently, accurately, describe the senseless sheer idiocy of ignorant crap like that.

SportsDoc63 wrote:How has all the fallout from the sanctions the WHL laid upon the Portland Winterhawks affected their season and chances at winning the "W" and appearing in the Memorial Cup this year? Was there any appeal of the sanctions leveled against them? Haven't heard Boo down here since it all came down last fall. Oh, and Seth Jones is above average.

It has not affected them in the least; perhaps made them stronger them if anything. Portland is the class of the WHL. One of the best teams in the entire CHL. Chances of winning the Memorial Cup? Excellent.

Post by **brian** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:58 pm

Yeah, I don't get how having the host team in the tournament is an issue, no matter how good or bad they might be. I've never seen anyone suggest the host country shouldn't get a bid in the World Cup, for example. Could give dozens example of same. If they win the Memorial Cup, it will be because they were the best team for that 1 1/2 weeks. No more, no less.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:01 pm

brian wrote:Yeah, I don't get how having the host team in the tournament is an issue, no matter how good or bad they might be. I've never seen anyone suggest the host country shouldn't get a bid in the World Cup . . .

A perfect example.

So according to Kookla: "Yeah, so South Africa couldn't even get out of the group stage at the 2010 World Cup, therefore they were a disgraceful host. And if South Africa had won the World Cup, the whole thing would have been a sham."

Pffft, yeah, right.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:16 pm

Look at recent history. The Vancouver Giants hosted the Memorial Cup. They lost the WHL final (to Medicine Hat) in one of the greatest WHL (or CHL) league finals ever. And went on to win the Memorial Cup in what is arguably the greatest Memorial Cup final game ever played. So, that's what? An embarrassment or something? Blech.

Ugh. This Kukla idiot doesn't even have the slightest idea what point he is trying, and failing, to make. Wretched.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:33 pm

At risk of getting another verbal pummeling, I'll note that I still disagree with you guys. The World Cup includes what, 32 teams? This is four. I agree with the author that one randomly selected team does not belong in this elite group.

/ducking

Post by **brian** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:34 pm

sancarlos wrote:At risk of getting another verbal pummeling, I'll note that I still disagree with you guys. The World Cup includes what, 32 teams? This is four. I agree with the author that one randomly selected team does not belong in this elite group.

/ducking

They're not randomly selected. They're the host team. Some years they'll be awesome and some years they won't. I don't see how it is a big deal either way. It doesn't make a sham of the tournament if they win it even if they had a poor "regular" season, no more than it's a sham for the 8th seeded team in its conference to win the Stanley Cup.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:45 pm

brian wrote:
sancarlos wrote:At risk of getting another verbal pummeling, I'll note that I still disagree with you guys. The World Cup includes what, 32 teams? This is four. I agree with the author that one randomly selected team does not belong in this elite group.

/ducking
They're not randomly selected. They're the host team. Some years they'll be awesome and some years they won't. I don't see how it is a big deal either way. It doesn't make a sham of the tournament if they win it even if they had a poor "regular" season, no more than it's a sham for the 8th seeded team in its conference to win the Stanley Cup.

I meant random in the sense that any team's city could have been chosen the host. First, you compared it to the host team of a 32-team tournament, now you're comparing it to a low seed in a 16-team tournament. This is four. Much greater odds of winning a short series. And, that was a shame last year - it'd be a shame this year. Agree to disagree.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:49 pm

sancarlos wrote:At risk of getting another verbal pummeling, I'll note that I still disagree with you guys. The World Cup includes what, 32 teams? This is four. I agree with the author that one randomly selected team does not belong in this elite group.

/ducking

What's random about it? Each league's teams put in bids; the host league rotates. Those bids are community-based, locally-driven, because, y'know, THAT IS THE WHOLE FUCKING PURPOSE OF THE MEMORIAL CUP. Teams typically know as much as two years in advance that they'll be hosting. They build a team (with whatever resources they can muster) for THAT tournament. They are NOT building a team for a WHL, OHL or QMJHL playoff run. The host community readies itself for the economic boom that results; local pride is at an all-time high. It's hockey giving back to itself, to its very roots.

This kookla arsehole doesn't even know what the fuck he is talking about. His ignorance of the very reason the Memorial Cup exists is embarrassing.

The Memorial Cup is about the one perfect thing left in sports. So what the fuck do you want? Bettman adjustments to make it "better". Give it some speed holes? Play the Memorial Cup in Vegas every year with the top four, no top eight, no top sixteen, computer ranked teams? Hey, that's fucking brilliant.

The Memorial Cup exists to keep the future of major junior hockey as healthy, as universally, as it can. The Memorial Cup does NOT exist to please some Kookla asshole that doesn't know anything about it whatsoever.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:54 pm

sancarlos wrote:I meant random in the sense that any team's city could have been chosen the host. First, you compared it to the host team of a 32-team tournament, now you're comparing it to a low seed in a 16-team tournament. This is four. Much greater odds of winning a short series. And, that was a shame last year - it'd be a shame this year. Agree to disagree.

You can disagree all you want but you're still dead wrong.

What was a shame about last year? Seriously. What?

Shawinigan was the #2 seed in the QMJHL. So they lost a playoff round. Just like Saskatoon did this year. Upsets happen. If the team that finished first in the standings every year was handed the league cup, there would be no playoffs in ANYTHING. No Stanley Cup. No SuperBowl. No World Series.

You should either think a bit harder about this or stop talking about it all together.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:05 pm

Scottie wrote:You can disagree all you want but you're still dead wrong.

Oh, stop it. Everybody who's disagrees with you is wrong? Settle down.

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Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:14 pm

sancarlos wrote:Oh, stop it. Everybody who's disagrees with you is wrong?

Nope. That's small-minded aspect and I've never looked at the world in such a dreadful fashion. I've been wrong about many things, time to time. This is not one of them. The jackass that wrote that article doesn't have a clue what he's taking about. That is evident in every poorly phrased sentence.

And if you are looking to challenge one particular person's knowledge of what the Memorial Cup is and why it is played, well, you certainly picked the wrong guy. Ask around.

Post by **brian** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:21 pm

The Memorial Cup without a host team participating in it just seems dumb. I'm struggling to figure out why anyone would care as much without them.

(Also, who exactly do you propose replacing them with, sancarlos? If you're going be anti-host team, give me a better solution, especially considering there are only three major junior leagues).

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:24 pm

This is so much fun that I'll wade through the condescension a bit longer, here. Theoretically, Saskatoon could have finished last in its league, missed its playoffs altogether, but put together a short burst of good play and win the Cup, right? With the unpredictable nature of a short series, it has a not inconsiderable amount of probability to someday occur. Many would be delighted by such an occurrence, I suppose. Personally, I think it would be a sad result for such a prestigious trophy to go to such a team.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:28 pm

sancarlos wrote:This is so much fun that I'll wade through the condescension a bit longer, here. Theoretically, Saskatoon could have finished last in its league, missed its playoffs altogether, but put together a short burst of good play and win the Cup, right? With the unpredictable nature of a short series, it has a not inconsiderable amount of probability to someday occur. Many would be delighted by such an occurrence, I suppose. Personally, I think it would be a sad result for such a prestigious trophy to go to such a team.

Except nothing like that has ever happened and that's not why the tournament is even played.

SportsDoc · Post by **SportsDoc** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:45 pm

sancarlos wrote:At risk of getting another verbal pummeling, I'll note that I still disagree with you guys. The World Cup includes what, 32 teams? This is four. I agree with the author that one randomly selected team does not belong in this elite group.

/ducking

My experience is that when a City/Team is awarded the Memorial Cup, they go out of their way to be sure to have a competitive team that particular year. Sometimes even giving up prospects for experience in trades during the year. And, usually it works. Can't remember the last time a host team was 0-3 in Pool play, either.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:08 pm

Exactly, Doc. The host team wants to put in a good show; make their community proud because that community has been very heavily involved in everything surrounding the Memorial Cup (which in a community like Shawinigan or Saskatoon) is the biggest event that their community will host in the lifetimes of the people living there. Trust me on this, the Memorial Cup coming to Rimouski is like the Olympics happening there. It's impossible to understate how big it is to a host town. Typically, a team will make a number of trades in the early season; there are many agreements. Let me give you an example of that. Let's say Halifax is the host city. So they trade younger guys to, say, Cape Breton and Moncton, for the veterans. Host teams always max out on their possible "over-age" players. There are two reasons for that. To give a kid a chance of playing in the Memorial Cup and to give those kids the experience of all the tremendous amount of community work that only happens in a Memorial Cup city. That's huge. That's the "why" behind the Cup. Also, once Halifax cuts that deal with, say, Cape Breton and Moncton, that is going to go the other way in a year or two. So if Moncton starts making a run at the QMJHL title, Halifax will return the favor and help them out. Or some other team gets involved. One of the truly beautiful things about Major Junior is that, ultimately, it is about building lives, preparing young men for their futures. Sure, there is a competitiveness between the leagues themselves. But face it, the will to win doesn't come from the CHL towns. That determination comes from the kids who play that game with more heart than most people can ever imagine.

Last year, Cape Breton traded their best player, Morgan Ellis, just so he could have a shot at the Memorial Cup. And the team to which they traded him, Shawinigan, no accident, that trade, won.

Criticizing a host city team's misfortune in a league playoff is flat-out ignorance.

Teams don't build so that they can make a run at winning the WHL, OHL or QMJHL in a year when they are a Memorial Cup team. No, that's not it at all. They build a team for that community specifically for the Memorial Cup tournament. That's one of, although the biggest, points of which Kookla is completely unaware.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:52 pm

WHL playoffs. Kelowna lost the first three games of round one best-of-seven and won the last four; game seven going to overtime.

http://www.whl.ca/standings/playoffs/ls_season/243" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.whl.ca/schedule/show/game/64441" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SportsDoc · Post by **SportsDoc** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:34 am

Scottie wrote:WHL playoffs. Kelowna lost the first three games of round one best-of-seven and won the last four; game seven going to overtime.

http://www.whl.ca/standings/playoffs/ls_season/243" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.whl.ca/schedule/show/game/64441" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Didn't the Rockets and Portland have an Epic "W" final last year that Kelowna won?

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Sat Apr 13, 2013 10:44 pm

I can't place that reference, Doc. Not sure what series you are referring to. And Kelowna and Portland play in the same conference. By the way, did you know the Portland Winterhawks have lost the WHL final EIGHT times? No other WHL teams is even close to that. They've won twice.

Anyway . . . here we go.

Final Four(s):

QMJHL:
Halifax -v- Rouyn-Noranda
Baie-Comeau -v- Blainville-Boisbriand
(Both Halifax and Baie-Comeau are 8-0 in the playoffs so far)

OHL:
Belleville -v- Barrie
London -v- Plymouth/Owen Sound winner
(Barrie is 8-0 in the playoffs so far)

WHL:
Portland -v- Kamloops
Edmonton -v- Calgary

The Edmonton Oil Kings -v- the Calgary Hitmen should be a real treat. Hey, degen, get tix!

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sat Apr 13, 2013 11:00 pm

Scottie wrote:I can't place that reference, Doc. Not sure what series you are referring to. By the way, did you know the Portland Winterhawks have lost the WHL final EIGHT times? No other WHL teams is even close to that. They've won twice.

Anyway . . . here we go.

Final Four(s):

QMJHL:
Halifax -v- Rouyn-Noranda
Baie-Comeau -v- Blainville-Boisbriand
(Both Halifax and Baie-Comeau are 8-0 in the playoffs so far)

OHL:
Belleville -v- Barrie
London -v- Plymouth/Owen Sound winner
(Barrie is 8-0 in the playoffs so far)

WHL:
Portland -v- Kamloops
Edmonton -v- Calgary

The Edmonton Oil Kings -v- the Calgary Hitmen should be a real treat. Hey, degen, get tix!

I had tickets to Game 4 but i'm going to Hawaii.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Fri May 10, 2013 9:24 pm

Halifax Mooseheads win the QMJHL title. Yes!

Halifax Herald LINK

Funny story on CBS Sportsline

How about that, HDO?

Barrie leads London 3-2 in the OHL finals (London won this evening to stay alive).
Portland leads Edmonton 3-1 in the WHL finals (they're playing this evening; I've never seen, not remotely, the amount of advertising on the ice as I am seeing now in Portland. It's everywhere, even the four end zone face-off circles).

Presidents Cup champions:

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Mon May 13, 2013 8:41 pm

London Knights won the OHL this evening in a game seven. The winning goal for London came at 19:59 of the third period. Yes, one second left to play.

Barrie was leading that series three games to one; London won games 5,6 & 7. It was fantastic stuff every night. In game six, London was leading 4-0 after two periods and Barrie scored four times in the third to tie it. London won in OT.

Memorial Cup field is now complete: Saskatoon (host), Halifax, London and Portland. The Winterhawks defeated Edmonton in six games to win the WHL (last night).

HDO45331 · Post by **HDO45331** » Mon May 13, 2013 9:33 pm

Ever since I bought a Mooseheads cap a few years ago, while in Halifax, they have been steadily improving. The HDO bump, as it were. Is there any way (Internet) I can see the games for the Memorial Cup?

(Thanks to Scottie's recommendations, I saw some amazing things in Halifax, a beautiful city. It would have been much better without the fallout from a hurricane. The Maritime Museum is a great place, with artifacts of the Titanic, and pictures of the time 1/2 of the city was blown up during WW1.)

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Mon May 13, 2013 9:42 pm

Do you get the NHL Network, HDO? The entire Memorial Cup is being televised on that in the US.

http://www.mastercardmemorialcup.ca/page/coverage" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Schedule:
Friday, May 17
19:00 London Knights @ Saskatoon Blades
Saturday, May 18
19:00 Portland Winterhawks @ Halifax Mooseheads
Sunday, May 19
19:00 Saskatoon Blades @ Halifax Mooseheads
Monday, May 20
19:00 Portland Winterhawks @ London Knights
Tuesday, May 21
19:00 Halifax Mooseheads @ London Knights
Wednesday, May 22
19:00 Saskatoon Blades @ Portland Winterhawks
Thursday, May 23
19:00 Tie Breaker - (if necessary)
Friday, May 24
19:00 Semi-Final
Sunday, May 26
19:00 Championship Final

HDO45331 · Post by **HDO45331** » Tue May 14, 2013 1:17 am

No, I do not get the NHL Network.

I'll check to see what is out there.

Thanks.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Tue May 14, 2013 1:36 am

This might not help but . . . the cable provider I use (Shaw) let's you add (and subtract) individual channels. And they charge by the month for them or they'll pro-rate if you drop a channel after a couple of weeks (or however long). So, for example, if I want something I don't have, like Al-Jazeera, I can just call them and they turn it on immediately. And it typically costs around $2.00 per month for a channel like that. I wanted Al-Jazeera during "Arab Spring" last year; their coverage of those massive demonstrations in Libya was fantastic. Phoned the cable provider, they activated it straight away. When I cancelled it after a month they deactivated it right away.

Maybe look into that? If you can get the NHL Network for a couple of bucks extra, that's your best bet; you really only need it for ten days. I'll also keep my eyes open for any live Internet streaming of the games. The Memorial Cup is being televised by SportsNet but I have no idea (yet) if they will be offering the video feed on their site. They have in the past.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue May 14, 2013 6:30 am

Scottie wrote: . . . the cable provider I use (Shaw) let's you add (and subtract) individual channels.

Heh. Not in the States. This particular consumer freedom of choice is considered blasphemy against capitalism down here.

SportsDoc · Post by **SportsDoc** » Tue May 14, 2013 9:51 am

I'll take Portland over Halifax in the Final.

MaxWebster · Post by **MaxWebster** » Tue May 14, 2013 10:11 am

the portland-halifax games will have the likely 1-2-3 draft picks in the June draft.

NHL/NHL Network should be promoting the hell out of that.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Tue May 14, 2013 10:59 am

howard wrote:
Scottie wrote: . . . the cable provider I use (Shaw) let's you add (and subtract) individual channels.
Heh. Not in the States. This particular consumer freedom of choice is considered blasphemy against capitalism down here.

Well, just to clarify, they'll only let you add individual channels if you are already a digital cable subscriber that is tossing a chunk of money at them every month in the first place. In an ideal world, one would be able to pick only the two dozen or so channels that one wants. I don't need the Home&Garden network, the religious channels, "O", cartoons, three separate women's networks, aboriginal TV, the x-games channel, blah blah blah, yet I'm stuck with them.

So if someone wanted to add the NHL Network, what would (or could) they do? Is it necessary to buy a bundle of channels to get it?

Post by **brian** » Tue May 14, 2013 11:08 am

Scottie wrote:
howard wrote:
Scottie wrote: . . . the cable provider I use (Shaw) let's you add (and subtract) individual channels.
Heh. Not in the States. This particular consumer freedom of choice is considered blasphemy against capitalism down here.
Well, just to clarify, they'll only let you add individual channels if you are already a digital cable subscriber that is tossing a chunk of money at them every month in the first place. In an ideal world, one would be able to pick only the two dozen or so channels that one wants. I don't need the Home&Garden network, the religious channels, "O", cartoons, three separate women's networks, aboriginal TV, the x-games channel, blah blah blah, yet I'm stuck with them.

So if someone wanted to add the NHL Network, what would (or could) they do? Is it necessary to buy a bundle of channels to get it?

Yeah, that's assuming that's even an option for Steve, but typically there would be some kind of a bundle of premium sports channels for $15 or $20 per month. I pay through the nose for DirecTV, but consider it mostly money well-spent considering the number of channels I get. They're usually really good about adding new sports channels when they come online and usually adding them to the standard (not sports) tiers. (Though I do get the sports pack anyway.)

HDO45331 · Post by **HDO45331** » Tue May 14, 2013 1:15 pm

Scottie wrote:Maybe look into that? If you can get the NHL Network for a couple of bucks extra, that's your best bet; you really only need it for ten days. I'll also keep my eyes open for any live Internet streaming of the games. The Memorial Cup is being televised by SportsNet but I have no idea (yet) if they will be offering the video feed on their site. They have in the past.

Thanks. I'll check Sportsnet.

MaxWebster · Post by **MaxWebster** » Fri May 17, 2013 5:06 pm

awesome. it's not on NHL Network. that makes sense.