2010 Memorial Cup Memories
As part of the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup Memories series between May 25 and June 21, CHL on Sportsnet talent including RJ Broadhead, Sam Cosentino, and Rob Faulds will recall some of their most memorable moments from tournaments over the last decade, and we’ll recap the highlights to help set the stage for 10 championship game rebroadcasts on CHL.ca.
The 2010 Windsor Spitfires were crowned Memorial Cup champions in Brandon, Manitoba, becoming history’s eighth back-to-back winner with a dominant performance.
On the road to CHL supremacy, the defending champs won 50 regular season games for the third time in franchise history, then four rounds of OHL playoff action counting three perfect series and a stunning four-game comeback in the Western Conference Finals after trailing 3-0 to the Kitchener Rangers. Their 16-3 record was capped off by a sweep of the Barrie Colts for a second-straight J. Ross Robertson Cup.
The Spitfires continued to soar during the Memorial Cup’s round robin, putting together a perfect 3-0 record while outscoring the opposition by a 19-8 margin including a 9-3 tournament-opening victory against Brandon.
Despite a tough start against the Spitfires, the Wheat Kings bounced back two nights later, shutting out the QMJHL playoff champion Moncton Wildcats by a 4-0 score that saw Finnish import Toni Rajala lead the way with a two-goal effort while the ‘Wheaties’ also received tallies from captain and then Los Angeles Kings prospect Brayden Schenn as well as veteran forward Brent Raedeke who continues his playing career today in Germany’s top pro league.
Brandon earned themselves a shot at redemption against the WHL champion Calgary Hitmen in the tournament’s semi-final after losing in five games during the league’s Eastern Conference Final. The hosts seized the opportunity with a 5-4 overtime that saw fourth-year forward Jay Fehr notch the winner drawing assists from Rajala and New York Islanders draft pick Travis Hamonic.
Reconnecting with Windsor in the Final, the much-anticipated contest ultimately ended in a 9-1 decision by the Spitfires with a trio of players registering three-point performances counting Hall, Nashville Predators prospect Ryan Ellis, as well as New Jersey Devils draft pick Adam Henrique who scored two goals and one assist.
The Spitfires scored 28 goals which stands as the most by any team over four tournament games, while Hall’s MVP accolades made him history’s first back-to-back Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy recipient ahead of his first overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft.
Quick Hits
Tournament Scores:
May 14 – Windsor 9 vs. Brandon 3
May 15 – Calgary 5 vs. Moncton 4
May 16 – Brandon 4 vs. Moncton 0
May 17 – Calgary 2 vs. Windsor 6
May 18 – Moncton 3 vs. Windsor 4 (OT)
May 19 – Brandon 1 vs. Calgary 5
May 21 (Semi-Final) – Brandon 5 vs. Calgary 4 (OT)
May 23 (Final) – Brandon 1 vs. Windsor 9
Awards:
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (MVP) – Taylor Hall, Windsor
Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Leading Scorer) – Taylor Hall, Windsor
George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike) – Toni Rajala, Brandon
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Top Goaltender) – Martin Jones, Calgary
All-Stars:
Forwards: Jimmy Bubnick (Calgary), Matt Calbert (Brandon), Taylor Hall (Windsor)
Defence: Cam Fowler (Windsor), Travis Hamonic (Brandon)
Goaltender: Martin Jones (Calgary)
NHL Alumni:
Brandon Wheat Kings
D – Colby Robak
D – Travis Hamonic
D – Alexander Urbom
F – Matt Calvert
F – Micheal Ferland
F – Scott Glennie
F – Brayden Schenn
F – Mark Stone
Calgary Hitmen
G – Martin Jones
D – Michael Stone
F – Kris Foucault
F – Brandon Kozun
Moncton Wildcats
D – Mark Barberio
D – Brandon Gormley
D – David Savard
F – Gabriel Bourque
F – Nicolas Deschamps
F – Marek Hrivik
Windsor Spitfires
G – Philipp Grubauer
D – Mark Cundari
D – Ryan Ellis
D – Cam Fowler
F – Taylor Hall
F – Adam Henrique
F – Zack Kassian
F – Greg Nemisz
F – Justin Shugg
F – Scott Timmins
F – Eric Wellwood
Relive the action between the Spitfires and Wheat Kings on Monday’s rebroadcast streaming live at 7 p.m. ET on CHL.ca.