With Gatineau and Ottawa set to play a league-sanctioned outdoor game at TD Bank Place in Ottawa on Sunday, Dec. 17, we felt it was a good time to look at a few more odd or unique games from the CHL over the years.
10. Regina Pats, 3 @ Calgary Hitmen, 2: February 21, 2011
The first-ever WHL regular season outdoor game drew a record crowd of more than 20,000 fans at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. The Hitmen wore replica Calgary Canadians jerseys from 1926, while the Pats featured mid-50s Montreal Canadiens-styled jerseys.
Regina’s Chandler Stephenson scored with 37 seconds left to lift the Pats to victory on a bitterly cold day. The football press box was too far from the action to call the game from, so we had a temporary scaffold set up at midfield about 20 feet high and 30 yards back from the glass. Seeing anything on the near-side boards was impossible without looking at a monitor.
9. Kelowna, 2 vs. Portland, 1 (OT): February 18, 2004
Everyone was looking to knock off the Rockets not only from being one of the best teams in the Western Conference, but they were the hosts of that year’s Mastercard Memorial Cup as well.
Portland wasn’t the most gifted team, but were the most penalized in the league with the likes of Frazer McLaren, Cody McLeod, and Braydon Coburn on the roster, amongst others. In a 1-1 game in the third period Kelowna’s Shea Weber went back to retrieve a puck and was hit by Portland’s Robin Big Snake, and resulted in Weber’s head hitting the boards — it was part Weber losing his balance and part Big Snake trying to finish his check.
Weber went into convulsions on the ice and as a broadcaster doing one of my first ever games, I was beside myself. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to react. It’s still the worst injury I’ve witnessed in a game I called. Big Snake was given a game misconduct, Weber was treated and ended up being fine, and the Rockets scored in overtime to win.
8. Sudbury, 0 @ Mississauga, 0: February 26, 2017
Mississauga’s star-laden team deserved some national recognition during their run to the 2017 OHL final and this game was set-up on the back-end of a home-and-home series against Sudbury.
Two nights earlier, in a 10-1 win over Peterborough, there were serious concerns about the ice conditions at Mississauga’s Hershey Centre. The arena was converted for a boxing match while the Steelheads went up to Sudbury for the opening end of the home-and-home. The arena was converted back for hockey ahead of the return trip and some new logos were placed in the ice. One particular logo just inside the home blue line didn’t take and became exposed.
After trying to fix the ice for an hour, the surface was deemed unplayable and the game, which was to be broadcast nationally, was cancelled. The game was eventually added to the end of the regular season schedule, and Mississauga won it 4-2.
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7. Moncton, 5 @ Val d’Or, 1: December 9, 2017
After taking a double-minor for high-sticking at the 8:24 mark of the first period, Moncton’s Jakob Pelletier sat in the penalty box and watched teammates Dylan Seitz and Brady Pataki pick up a shorthanded goal and assist each over a 1:41 span to take a 2-0 lead.
Just over a minute later, Jaxon Bellamy’s interference call put Moncton a man down again and this time Seitz struck for his second shorty of the game – and it was assisted by Pataki. Interestingly enough, both Seitz and Pataki played in the OHL in 2016-17.
6. Windsor, 4 @ Kelowna, 1 (in Rimouski, Que.): May 24, 2009
As a heavy favourite going into the 2009 Mastercard Memorial Cup, Windsor lost its first two games and was on the brink of elimination in its final round robin game against Kelowna. The Rockets had won both of their games and were guaranteed a spot in the semis when they handed Windsor life with a 2-1 win. Ironically, the same two teams ended up playing for the title and with no rooting interest in a home team or a QMJHL-based team, the Rockets came on to the ice for warm-up and were booed unceremoniously by the Rimouski fans. It didn’t stop throughout the entire game as the fans felt Kelowna gave the round robin game to Windsor.
The Spitfires went on to win the first of back-to-back Memorial Cups and became the first team to ever lose its first two games and come all the way back to be crowned champions.
5. OHL East, 17 vs. OHL West, 10 (in Kingston, Ont.): February 3, 2010
Five Eastern Conference players had five points apiece, lead by Andrew Agozzino’s four-goal, one-assist effort. East netminder Christopher Carrozzi allowed six goals on 23 shots for a 12.74 goals-against average paired with a .739 save percentage. The game was so high-scoring that my broadcast partner, Rob Faulds, ran out of space on his score sheet.
Erie’s Zack Torquato had three goals and two assists to lead the way for the Western Conference. Plymouth rearguard Matt Hackett allowed 12 goals in 28 minutes of work for a 25.49 GAA and a .586 save percentage. Current NHLers Tyler Seguin and Casey Cizikas were both held pointless in the affair.
This game was truly a no-hitter and because of how soft it was played and how high-scoring it became, the league realized it was more of an detriment than a promotion and so the OHL hasn’t played another All-Star game since. It seemed like the in-arena PA announcer didn’t stop talking the whole game.
4. Rimouski, 6 vs. Baie-Comeau, 1: February 15, 2004
In one of my very first games for Sportsnet we travelled into Rimouski to get a look at Sidney Crosby and the Oceanic. Travel was treacherous as most of the crew flew by charter into Rimouski, while I ended up being driven in a snowstorm from Quebec City.
Upon arrival, we caught wind that Crosby might be scratched from the lineup as a way for the Oceanic to protest what they felt was the unfair treatment of their star player. They felt not only was the opposition taking liberties with Crosby, but that the league was not doing enough from an officiating standpoint to quell the storm. Rimouski GM Doris Labonte felt that with the national spotlight on his team, he’d send a message.
Cooler heads prevailed and Crosby was put into the lineup. Labonte was interviewed on French language TV and it could be heard 25 feet away from our broadcast location. Labonte made his point, and so too did Crosby with two goals in the runaway victory.
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3. Niagara IceDogs, 2 vs. Erie, 1: November 14, 2014
One of the most polarizing figures to ever play in the CHL, New York Islanders first-round pick Josh Ho-Sang was dealt from Windsor to Niagara the day Sportsnet was broadcasting the game. Our producer, Jeff Girodat, was in constant contact with the IceDogs as Ho-Sang left Windsor in hopes of making it in time to start the game.
He arrived well after puck-drop, our cameras followed him in from the car, and he ended up with the lone assist on Zack Wilkie’s game-winning goal early in the second period. Ho-Sang was given the game’s second star before officially meeting any of his new teammates.
2. Medicine Hat, 3 vs. Vancouver 2, (OT): May 14, 2007
In what is widely considered one of the best Ed Chynoweth Cup finals ever, the old Medicine Hat Arena played host to Game 7. The game had to be stopped twice due to visibility concerns and all the players were asked to come on to the ice and skate in circles to lift the fog.
Tigers netminder Matt Keetly stopped 37 shots, while Giants keeper Tyson Sexsmith made 34 saves before Brennan Bosch’s winner in double overtime. The two teams met again in the Mastercard Memorial Cup final at Pacific Coliseum, with the Giants avenging their league loss by winning the CHL Championship 3-1 on home ice in front of a record crowd of 16,281.
1. Saint John, 5 @ Chicoutimi, 4 (OT): November 18, 2007
With Saint John on its Quebec swing, the Sea Dogs were up 4-0 after 40 minutes of play, when the power went out at the Centre Georges Vezina in Chicoutimi. It couldn’t be restored and the Sea Dogs couldn’t wait to play the final 20 minutes because they were headed to Baie Comeau to play the Drakkar the next night.
The Friday night game wasn’t completed until Sunday at noon as Saint John had to circle back and play the final 20 minutes. Thinking the game was completely in hand, the Sea Dogs allowed the Sags back into the game as they scored four times, with the game-tying goal scored with less than three minutes to play.
About 600 people showed up just to watch 20 minutes of hockey and Chicoutimi fans were literally dancing, crying and making noise of a crowd 10 times its size as the Sags came all the way back before Chris DiDomenico restored order for Saint John, notching the winner with 38 seconds left in overtime.
