Friday Night Hockey
Jonathan Drouin should’ve been given more than a two-minute penalty for his check from behind on Alexander Ranger in the first period.
Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman was in attendance. Will he be left with Nathan MacKinnon or Drouin when he picks at No. 3?
Halifax’s defence corps was the best I’ve seen it all year.
Dominique Ducharme doesn’t get enough credit for guiding his club. Teams as deep as his oftentimes have internal struggles finding enough ice time for everyone.
The Halifax Mooseheads are up 2-0 and have scored eight goals. What’s scary is that MacKinnon and Drouin haven’t scored and have combined for just two assists.
After several live viewings, we finally got to see the real Zachary Fucale.
Always good to get caught up with Stephen MacAulay. After losing his mother Jean in mid-March, he’s used hockey to help cope. MacAulay is playing in his fourth President’s Cup.
Eric Veilleux could and should write a book about the trials and tribulations in winning the 2012 Mastercard Memorial Cup with Shawinigan.
Veilleux doesn’t go anywhere without equipment guru Patrick Leonard.
Didn’t like the “send-the-message,” tactics used by Baie-Comeau at the end of the game. If I coached the Mooseheads I would’ve used my last second PP to make it 5-0.
Jeremy Grégoire has found comfort in playing a third line role in Baie-Comeau. I haven’t seen many first-year draft eligible players as comfortable in their skin with that role, and that’s why he’ll be a good pro.
Veilleux claims Félix Girard is the best captain he’s ever had and feels strongly about his ability as a role player in the NHL.
Girard is as mature an 18-year-old (almost 19) as I’ve met.
Petr Straka looks like a different player than the one that laboured through two seasons in Rimouski.
Le Drakkar GM Steve Ahern is an interesting character who has a plethora of titles. He’s also done an amazing job turning the franchise around.
It was Ahern who convinced Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau to play in Baie-Comeau after he told Le Drakkar he wouldn’t report.
Maxim Lamarche is a pro prospect, it wouldn’t shock me if he gets a deal within the next week.
QMJHL
All that’s left for the sales of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the PEI Rocket is the paperwork.
OHL
Good on Mike Vellucci for winning the OHL Coach of the Year award. Oftentimes the U.S. markets in the OHL get overlooked.
The Barrie Colts are highly underrated. Although the series is far from over, London was actually a better match-up for the Colts than Plymouth.
Mathias Niederberger might be the most underrated goalie in the CHL.
Condolences to the family of former Mississauga News man Gary McCarthy. Gary lost his battle with cancer last week. I knew Gary since I first started calling games, locally, in
Mississauga back in the late 90’s. I can remember Gary as a golf nut and a guy who always said, “I’m just living the dream,” every time I saw him. Gary, you will be missed.
WHL
The Edmonton Oil Kings stymied the Calgary Hitmen in Game 7. Limiting Calgary’s chances and allowing minimal shots over long stretches of time. And when things did break down, Laurent Brossoit was there to make the save.
The Husky WHL Eastern Conference trophy must have the plague. The closest any Oil King got to it was about four inches when WHL President Ron Robison and acting Oil Kings captain Keegan Lowe posed for the traditional photo.
Edmonton an underdog, that sounds weird to me.
Don’t you get the feeling that the Ed Chynoweth Cup will go seven games again?
It’s the first rematch Championship series since the New Westminster Bruins and Saskatoon Blades met in 1975 and 1976.
It’s not often the Brandon Wheat Kings are down and out as they were this year, finishing last in the Eastern Conference. Don’t expect that to happen much in the years to come, especially after the drafting of Nolan Patrick (fourth overall) and Kale Clague (sixth overall).
Calder Talk
All three of this year’s nominees played in the CHL last season.
Stat Trick
Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin have been held pointless in the same game just four times all season.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| September 29, 2012 | vs. Cape Breton | 3-2 SOW |
| November 4, 2012 | @Rimouski | 6-5 SOL |
| November 23, 2013 | vs. Cape Breton | 4-2 W |
| March 23, 2013 | vs. Saint John | 2-1 W |
Completely Off Topic:
How in the world do three Cleveland women and a child survive ten years in captivity? It’s nice to hear some good news for a change.
FNH
Returns to the OHL for Game 5 of the Barrie/London series. Check here for local listings.
More CHL
Be sure to check out the latest from Patrick King right here.