One of Guelph’s greatest leaders recalls rise to championship
Former Guelph Storm captain Matt Finn takes a look back on his four-year major junior career, starting with his step into the OHL as a rookie straight through to lifting the J. Ross Robertson cup as a league champion.
Steph Coratti, GuelphStorm.com —
In the game of hockey, there are some things that just can’t be taught.
Nearing the top of that list is the natural ability to lead.
That natural ability was something that separated former Guelph Storm captain Matt Finn from the rest.
“I was obviously honoured to get the nod and be named captain,” the Toronto, Ontario native said of the earned captaincy at the start of his third OHL season in 2012-13. “It was a cool experience – we had a really good group of guys, so I enjoyed the challenge.”
It wouldn’t be the first challenge for the four-year Storm defenseman who began his major junior career with 21 points in 60 games played.
The following season, as a league sophomore, Finn more than doubled his point total, tallying for 48 points (10 goals, 38 assists) in 61 games during the 2011-12 campaign.
“It’s always tough the first year – you’re young and you don’t know what to expect but you want to contribute,” Finn remembered of his rookie season and what helped transition into his breakout year. “Luckily, for myself, I had guys like [Scott Kosmachuk] and [Brock McGinn] – we were all rookies together and we got a lot of ice time towards the end of that year.”
“That really helped our development and that’s thanks to Scott Walker for letting us play and develop into the players we became the next year.”
Rookie and breakout seasons checked off the list, Finn – with the ‘C’ now on his jersey – moved into his third major junior season in 2012-13, only to face the challenge of injury and illness.
Despite only appearing in 41 games, the six-foot-one, 204-pound defenseman compiled 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists), but believes there were much bigger lessons learned off the ice that season.
“Whenever you can watch and see the game from a different perspective, you get to look at it differently and learn some things you wouldn’t regularly when you’re playing,” Finn explained of being sidelined. “A lot of learning went into that year, but I know I learned how to deal with the adversity of injuries and not having a year go the way you wanted it to.”
“It helped me mature as a player,” Finn continued. “It was tough obviously, but I know it helped me in the long run.”
Last, but certainly not least, the 2013-14 campaign would be the cap on a successful four-year major junior career for the Storm blue liner.
And it would be nothing but historic.
In a season that saw the Storm win the regular season with an incredible 52-12-2-2 record for 108 points, captain Finn – registering 61 points (14 goals, 47 assists) in 66 games – would officially cement himself as one of the greatest leaders the Royal City has ever seen.
Poised, always holding a certain sense of confidence from the blue line, Finn brought a level of comfort and edge to a roster that would go on to be crowned 2014 OHL Champions.
For Finn, however, holding a true captain’s perspective, the title will always stem straight from the team as a whole.
“Going into that year, we knew it was our last chance at that championship and we knew we had a team to compete for it,” the now-New York Islanders prospect explained. “The way our coaching staff and our group came together… we had really good chemistry, not just on the ice, but off – the coaches, staff, everybody.”
“We had a great, and real team dynamic, and everybody was right there on the same page.”
That very team dynamic extended off the ice, something Finn remembered as the most memorable aspect of the championship year.
“Winning all those games was awesome and the experiences were once in a lifetime,” Finn started on what he will never forget about the 2014 run. “But it was the fun our group had off the ice and away from the rink – I’ve never seen a team that was so close and a group that would hang out with each other every single day.”
“Everybody cared for everybody.”
On the ice, the Storm would fall in a heartbreaking result to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Memorial Cup Final, something Finn sees as his one and only regret from his OHL career.
Everything else?
“I don’t regret a single thing,” Finn said without hesitation. “I had awesome billets, awesome relationships with the staff, people in the front office, my teammates… everything.”
Putting all four years together, encompassing an incredible 161 points in 228 career games, there’s really only one thing the former No. 4 will let define his career.
“That championship,” he said, adding that winning the OHL’s Mickey Renaud Captain’s trophy was an added personal bonus. “But when I look back on it all, it’s that championship and getting to lift that J. Ross Robertson trophy.”
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Matt Finn
- Guelph Storm, 2010-2014
- OHL Totals: 228 games played, 38 goals, 123 assists, 161 points
- Playoffs: 31 games played, five goals, 14 assists, 19 points
- Awarded the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy (2013-14)
- Participated in 2012 Subway Super Series in Guelph
- Named the fifth all-time defenseman in Guelph Storm history
- Selected in the second round (35th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
