KITCHENER -- If the first game of the 2008 MasterCard Memorial Cup is any indication, this year’s tournament will be a dandy.
The host Kitchener Rangers twice blew leads of three goals against the Québec Major Junior Hockey League champion Gatineau Olympiques. A mistake at the blue line in overtime led to a penalty which opened the door for Mr. MVP, Justin Azevedo.
In vintage Azevedo fashion, the star forward cut from the boards towards the middle where he unleashed his laser-like accurate wrist shot top corner on Gatineau goaltender Ryan Mior.
It was clear there was a real nervous energy in the crowd after the Olympiques tied it. Rangers fans have been on a wild rollercoaster ride in the last three weeks after a three- goal lead in Game 4 of the Ontario Hockey League finals was whipped out. Kitchener went on to lose the game in overtime.
The Belleville Bulls brought the series to the brink by forcing a Game 7 after the Rangers led three games to none. Kitchener won the series but gave their fans and head coach plenty of heartache.
"Between seven games with Belleville and what (Gatineau head coach and general manager) Ben (Groulx) gave us tonight, I’ve aged about 20 years in the last two weeks," Rangers head coach and general manager Peter DeBoer said in the post-game press conference.
"It was a tough game but you have to give Gatineau full marks after being down 3-0 in that building and with all the momentum we had, to get off the mat and battle back like that."
It would have never got to overtime if not for the gutsy performance from the QMJHL champions. Gatineau deserves a ton of credit for their performance in the opening game which will go down as one of the most memorable in tournament history.
It would have been easy for the Olympiques to focus ahead to Monday’s game against the Bulls but for anyone who has seen Gatineau this season, that’s just not their style.
With so much on the line in a short tournament like the Memorial Cup, it’s clear just how much passion each team has and how badly they want to be crowned the Canadian Hockey League’s best.
If nothing else, the Rangers and Olympiques set the bar for what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable Memorial Cup.
