A LOOK BACK: Memorial Cup 2006

With the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup winding down the Round Robin portion of the tournament, we’re taking an opportunity to look back at two very special years in our history, when we took part in back-to-back Memorial Cup tournaments.

In today’s first edition, we’ll look at 2006. After a dominating run to the franchise’s first WHL Championship, the team flew cross-country to Moncton, NB to take on the three more of the top teams in the Canadian Hockey League.

But first, LISTEN HERE to relive some memories of that magical run with an audio highlight package of our “Road to Moncton”.

On May 20, 2006 the Vancouver Giants made their Memorial Cup debut against the QMJHL Champion and tournament host, Moncton Wildcats. That team was led by Keith Yandle (PHX), Philippe Dupuis, Brad Marchand (BOS) and the late Luc Bourdon (VAN). Michal Repik scored the first Memorial Cup goal in Giants history just 1:17 into the game, but the Wildcats, coached by former Jack Adams Trophy winner Ted Nolan, eeked out a 3-2 victory. Vancouver’s other goal came from veteran winger Mitch Bartley. It was a chippy affair that set the table for another spirited meeting later in the tournament.

The following day the Giants took the ice against Angelo Esposito, Marc-Edouard Vlasic (SJS), Alexander Radulov and the Quebec Remparts. Coached by NHL legend Patrick Roy, the Remparts qualified for the tournament despite losing to the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL Final. As CHL rules dictate, since the Wildcats were also tournament hosts the Remparts earned an automatic berth by making their league finals. The Giants got off to another hot start, with 1st period goals by Mitch Bartley and Gilbert Brule. After a Paul Albers goal in the 2nd, they would carry a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period. However, Quebec would explode for four unanswered goals in the final frame on route to a 6-3 victory. Radulov was prominent, with 2 goals and 1st star honours.

On May 23 the Giants’ backs were against the wall in their final round robin game. After having gone 16-2 through the WHL Playoffs en route to a WHL Championship, they had lost their first two games at the Memorial Cup and needed a win to stay alive. Their opponents were the OHL Champion Peterborough Petes, led by Patrick Kaleta (BUF), Steve Downie (COL) and Jordan Staal (CAR). Brett Parker opened the scoring for the Giants, and Gilbert Brule added a pair, as the Giants hung on for a 3-2 victory, thus guaranteeing at least a spot in a 3rd place tie-breaker game. The next day, Quebec beat Moncton in the last round robin game, which meant the Giants and Petes would meet again in the tie-breaker.

And so on May 25 those teams took the ice with the winner earning a berth in the tournament Semi-Final. The Giants carried the momentum from their previous encounter into this game with a goal from defenceman Cody Franson (TOR) in the 1st period. Gilbert Brule made it 2-0 early in the 2nd, before Franson potted another two goals to complete the hat trick before the period was complete. Brule and Jonathon Blum (NAS) heaped on two more tallies in the 3rd, and Dustin Slade earned the shut-out, as the Giants cruised to a 6-0 win.

The victory set the table for a re-match with the Moncton Wildcats in the Memorial Cup Semi-Final, and the chippiness that marked their earlier match-up continued. It was a heated, tightly-contested game that saw the teams tied after both the 1st and 2nd periods (0-0 and 1-1 respectively). Gilbert Brule continued his dominant play with yet another goal but it wouldn’t be enough, as the Wildcats scored twice in the 3rd including an empty netter to seal the win. The Giants pushed hard right to the final whistle though, which nearly resulted in a line-brawl with only seconds left on the clock. Despite the loss, Brule was named the game’s 1st star.

Gilbert Brule and defenceman Paul Albers were named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team, with Brule also taking home the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as the tournament’s leading scorer. In fact, Brule’s 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) stood as the highest total registered in the tournament since 1997, until Michael Chaput equaled the mark for Shawinigan last year.

Be sure to come back later in the week for a look back at the 2007 Memorial Cup – a tournament that had a much happier ending for Giants fans.