If there is anyone looking to make history in the final, it’s Justin Shugg.
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- For all the goals Justin Shugg scored in his career, there's one natural hat trick he never envisioned.
The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors forward will have a rare chance to capture his third-straight MasterCard Memorial Cup when the Majors take on the Saint John Sea Dogs in Sunday's final. Only four players have won three national championships and just one, Robert Savard, did it in three straight years.
Savard scored the tournament's lone natural hat trick with victories in 1980 and 1981 with the Cornwall Royals, then again in 1982 with the Kitchener Rangers.
Twenty-nine years later, Shugg is hoping to add his name beside Savard's in the MasterCard Memorial Cup record books.
"Yeah, it's time," Shugg said with a grin. "To meet his standards would be awesome, but hopefully I can perform better than he did."
In order to equal Savard, Shugg will need to score the game-winning goal on Sunday. Savard, who actually predicted he would score the deciding goal before the 1980 tournament, proved his prophecy in overtime against the Peterborough Petes.
But regardless of whether he scores the tournament-clinching goal, Shugg said winning the championship again is an honour he never thought would be bestowed upon him. After winning back-to-back with the Windsor Spitfires, Shugg thought he would anchor a young, rebuilding team this season.
Instead, the Spitfires decided to expedite the rebuild and sent him, along with overage defenceman Marc Cantin, to the tournament host Majors before the season started.
"I wasn't really looking for a third chance until I did get traded," he said.
As much as the situation may feel the same, each has been distinctly different. Shugg was a young, role player on the 2009 Spitfires and had his tournament end prematurely with a broken collarbone in the second game. Watching his teammates celebrate in Rimouski, Que. brought mixed emotions.
"The long road that I had with winning an OHL championship then watching my best friends -- family at the time -- go out and battle and win a championship without me was tough," he said.
The disappointment of not being a part of the final run subsided when the Spitfires were once again crowned national champions in Brandon, Man. last year. It was hardly a surprising outcome considering the star-studded roster and many returning players on last year's Spitfires.
But by experiencing the thrill of winning it last season, Shugg got to live out a dream, and fulfill a promise given to him by Windsor general manager Warren Rychel. Mindful that Shugg was feeling down after his tournament ended early in 2009, Rychel boldly promised his injured forward a national championship and increased role the following year.
"That's exactly how it panned out," Shugg said.
Rychel never made any promises this year, but he may as well have. By trading Shugg to Mississauga, the product of Niagara Falls, Ont. was guaranteed another trip to the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
"You can't always be promising players everything," Shugg said, when asked if a similar promise was made at the time he was traded.
But there's no denying he recognizes how special he is to have a third chance at winning junior hockey's holy grail.
"How can I not feel spoiled being here three years in a row?" he said. "Every player wants to go deep in the playoffs and I've had the opportunity for three years now.
"I don't know what the off-season feels like," Shugg continued. "I don't know what it would be like to be working out right now and trying to become a pro next year."
In addition to playing as the host team this year, another distinct difference comes to mind when Shugg compares the three tournaments. He and his Majors teammates haven't been shy in calling the Sea Dogs the favourite to win the MasterCard Memorial Cup and labeling themselves the underdogs.
Although the 2009 Spitfires had a tough road going through the tiebreaker, they were picked by many as the odds-on favourite prior to the tournament. A year later, that same label was given to them once again.
"I don't think we felt like the underdog when I played in Windsor," he said. "Here, obviously Saint John was ranked first (in the CHL rankings) and we were ranked third coming into the tournament. I guess you could say that we are the underdog going into this tournament and there's not going to be as much pressure."
History is calling Shugg's name, though.
"It's exciting," he said. "A lot of people talk about (winning) three, but I'm happy to have one.
"It's definitely unique. A lot of people say it's one of the hardest trophies to win in sports. To win three is mind-blowing."
It's almost as mind-blowing as winning three in a row.
Natural hat tricks don't get much prettier than this.
