2001 Memorial Cup Champion Rebels headed to Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame
The greatest team in Red Deer Rebels history is receiving a well-deserved honour as the 2000-01 Memorial Cup Champion Rebels team is being inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame this summer.
The 2024 Class of Inductees, which also includes Jarome Iginla, Craig MacTavish, Kelly Kisio, Shannon Szabados, and Billy Dea, was announced at a press conference Tuesday morning. An induction gala will be held in Red Deer at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre on July 20.
Devin Francon, a member of the 2001 Memorial Cup Champion Red Deer Rebels, at Tuesday’s press conference. (Photo: Josh Hall/rdnewsNOW)
The Rebels won their first Memorial Cup championship when they defeated the Val-d’Or Foreurs 6-5 in a thrilling come-from-behind victory in overtime on May 27, 2001 at the Agricentre (now Brandt Centre) in Regina, SK.
Doug Lynch scored the biggest goal in the Rebels’ then nine-year history, when he fired the puck through a maze of legs and sticks for the game-winning marker at 13:16 in the extra frame.
Jeff Smith, who scored the winner against Val d’Or in the round robin earlier in the week was originally suspected as the goal scorer and said it was mayhem following the goal.
“As soon as it went across the goal-line I just charged right at Doug. I couldn’t believe it… the whole year just passed right in front of me.”
RED DEER REBELS NAMES INSCRIBED ON THE MEMORIAL CUP
9-Colby Armstrong, 31-Shane Bendera, 12-Andrew Bergen, 29-Martin Erat, 18-Devin Francon, 19-Boyd Gordon, 3-Shane Grypiuk, 23-Diarmuid Kelly, 8-Ross Lupaschuk, 24-Doug Lynch, 16-Justin Mapletoft, 2-Derek Meech, 1-Cam Ondrik, 5-Darcy Robinson, 27-Joel Rupprecht, 11-Jeff Smith, 25-Shay Stephenson, 10-Joel Stepp, 4-Bryce Thoma, 20-Jim Vandermeer, 26-Kyle Wanvig, 6-Jeff Woywitka, Dave “Radar Horning (trainer), Les Scott (Trainer), Andy Nowicki (Goaltending Consultant), Carter Sears (Head Scout), Dallas Gaume (Assistant Coach), Brent Sutter (General Manager and Coach)
The Rebels got outstanding efforts from defenceman Ross Lupaschuk and winger Kyle Wanvig, whose overtime winner in the WHL League Final at Portland lifted the Rebels into the Championship tournament. The players combined for three goals and six points in the Memorial Cup Tourney. Lupaschuk, who signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals earlier that season, had four points in what would be his junior hockey swan-song.
“I think that’s about as good as she gets,” said Lupaschuk, who still has one year of junior eligibility left. “I don’t think I’ve ever had four points in a game before, never mind a Memorial Cup game, so it’s just unbelievable. It’s been a learning process ever since I got to Red Deer and this is the end result.”
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Wanvig had his best game of the tournament, scoring his first two goals and was a big physical presence in front of the Foreurs goal. Wanvig, the Boston Bruins third-round pick in 1999, was named the Stafford Smythe trophy winner as the tournament’s most valuable player. The Calgary native capped a career season with two goals and six points in four games at the Cup.
The Rebels led the CHL with a franchise-best 54-12-3-3 regular season and held the No. 1 ranking for most of the year. Red Deer advanced to the Memorial Cup by beating Lethbridge, Calgary, Swift Current and Portland in the WHL playoffs.
Rebels head coach Brent Sutter, who won two Stanley Cups and three Canada Cups in the 1980s, added the Memorial Cup to his impressive resume two years after purchasing the team.
“They all mean a lot,” said Sutter, who won Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders in 1982 and ’83. “The biggest thing is that they’ve been team accomplishments and they’ve been something that as a group everyone has done together and those are things that you never ever forget.”
(Story written with file from Rebels team archives)
