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Post by kingpin794 on May 8, 2024 5:37:44 GMT -5
While we wait for the memorial cup to begin, I'd figure we could check in on the league finals to see who will be joining us at the end of the month.
In the Q we have Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Drummondville Voltigeurs. Baie-Commeau finished with the best record in the Q (109 pts). Drummondville was second (102). The Drakkar though have only 2 NHL drafted or signed players on the roster. Key players Justin Gill (NYI), Justin Poirer (2024), Matyas Melovsky. Drummondville has 5 NHL signed or drafted players. Key players are Ethan Gauthier (TBL), Vsevold Komarov (BUF), Mikael Diotte (NJD), and 3 other 30 goal scorers.
In the WHL its a battle between the Portland Winterhawks and the Moose Jaw Warriors. Each of the these teams downed the top team in their respective conference to get to the finals. Portland defeating Prince George. Meanwhile the Warriors beat the long suffering Saskatoon Blades in one of the most amazing 7 games series ever. 6 games went to OT including game 7. The blades will wait again. Portland has 7 NHL players. Key players are Nate Danielson (DET), James Stefan (EDM), Gabe Klassen, and their entire blue line. Moose Jaw also has 7 NHL players. Key among them are Jagger Firkus (SEA), Brayden Yager (PIT), Matt Savoie (BUF), and Denton Mateychuck (CBJ).
OHL finals is the ever present Knights vs the surprise Generals. London breezed through rounds 1 and 2 before being challenged in the conference finals. Oshawa entered the playoffs on a heater. Carried that momentum to a 3-0 lead against North Bay before almost blowing that series lead. They closed it out however and keep their surprising run alive. BIG talent discrepancy between the two. 10 NHL players for London. 4 for Oshawa. We know the names for London. Cowan, Barkey, Bonk, etc etc etc. Oshawa is being carried by Sennecke, Ritchie, Roobreck, Lockhart and Oster.
In the Q, I like the Voltigeurs depth over the Drakkar. Volts in 6. WHL is going to be a war. Portland has some injuries. Moose Jaw's top end is insane but don't think they are as deep as the Winterhawks. The WHL version of the knights take this one in 7. OHL...I think we all know how this ends, suspensions or not for London. Hoping for the opposite but London in 5.
Who do think we see rolling into the Dow in a few weeks?
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Post by Bthumme on May 8, 2024 7:44:38 GMT -5
I own several drakkar jersey, and would love to see them make it. They only lost one game in the playoffs so far. It’s one of the best jerseys in hockey from the team with the most points in the CHL. I’ve been watching Poirer for a bit and looking forward to seeing him get drafted in the first round this year.
The Moose Jaw/Saskatoon series was one of the most intense series I’ve ever seen. I think Portland is too much for them though, and having Nate Danielson play in Saginaw would be pretty cool, plus in general having two American teams kick off the tournament should make our Canadian friends happy.
And in the OHL, I’m not sure. As much as I’d like
To see London lose, I think they are way more talented and deep than Oshawa, despite the two games played this year.
So give me Baie-Comeau, Portland, and London.
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Post by aj0512 on May 8, 2024 8:21:14 GMT -5
Dang, I was coming on here to start a thread about the CHL Championships and you beat me to it lol. I will post schedules later on and keep them updated as the series all progress.
For the teams joining us in Saginaw in a few weeks, I'm taking London, Baie-Comeau, and Portland.
OHL: London over Oshawa in 4. I'll also say London in 5 if Hunter decides to have his boys goon it up for a game. Despite the two competitive games these teams played, London is more talented, and quite frankly, the Eastern Conference was just not very good this year. I really think London/Saginaw was the de facto OHL Championship this year.
WHL: Portland over Moose Jaw in 6. Gotta be real, the Moose Jaw/Saskatoon series that just ended may have been the greatest playoff series in the history of the Canadian Hockey League. I'm not a fan of either team and watching that series took a year or two off my life. Gotta wonder now how much gas does MJ have left in the tank, or if they'll crash from that emotional hangover. Portland looks very focused and tough. I saw them play a few weeks ago in person when they were playing Everett in the second round; their fans know all about Saginaw, and I think they'd travel very well here.
QMJHL: Baie-Comeau over Drummondville in 6. Le Drakkar have a suffocating defense and goaltending, and they led the Q pretty much wire-to-wire this year. Hard for me to go against them. Admittedly I haven't watched the Volts much this year other than highlights, but their series win over Rouyn-Noranda should be noted.
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Post by aj0512 on May 8, 2024 14:02:29 GMT -5
Series Schedules (all times Eastern)
Ontario Hockey League
(1) London Knights vs. (1) Oshawa Generals
Game 1: London 8, Oshawa 1
Game 2: London 9, Oshawa 1
Game 3: London 7, Oshawa 6 (2OT)
Game 4: London 7, Oshawa 1
London leads series 4-0
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
(1) Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. (1) Drummondville Voltigeurs
Game 1: Drummondville 5, Baie-Comeau 0
Game 2: Drummondville 1, Baie-Comeau 0 (OT)
Game 3: Drummondville 6, Baie-Comeau 2
Game 4: Drummondville 4, Baie-Comeau 3
Drummondville wins series 4-0
Western Hockey League
(2) Portland Winterhawks vs. (3) Moose Jaw Warriors
Game 1: Moose Jaw 3, Portland 2
Game 2: Moose Jaw 5, Portland 1
Game 3: Moose Jaw 4, Portland 3 (OT)
Game 4: Moose Jaw 4, Portland 2
Moose Jaw leads series 4-0
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Post by ricardo on May 10, 2024 12:16:55 GMT -5
I've seen where many Canadiens are concerned about the attendance for the upcoming Memorial Cup due to the fact that several playoff games weren't sold out. Craig Goslin was on WJR radio this past week and said at this point the tournament is 85% sold out. I would think that once the league champions are crowned, there will be another rush for tickets for fans of the three champions, especially the OHL champ.
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Post by Bthumme on May 10, 2024 12:20:48 GMT -5
I've seen where many Canadiens are concerned about the attendance for the upcoming Memorial Cup due to the fact that several playoff games weren't sold out. Craig Goslin was on WJR radio this past week and said at this point the tournament is 85% sold out. I would think that once the league champions are crowned, there will be another rush for tickets for fans of the three champions, especially the OHL champ. It’s a silly concern to begin with. I’ve been to the last several tournaments and while the opening game usually has a big crowd since the host plays, the other games are far from a packed house. |
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Post by kingpin794 on May 10, 2024 12:30:15 GMT -5
I've seen where many Canadiens are concerned about the attendance for the upcoming Memorial Cup due to the fact that several playoff games weren't sold out. Craig Goslin was on WJR radio this past week and said at this point the tournament is 85% sold out. I would think that once the league champions are crowned, there will be another rush for tickets for fans of the three champions, especially the OHL champ. It’s a silly concern to begin with. I’ve been to the last several tournaments and while the opening game usually has a big crowd since the host plays, the other games are far from a packed house. Exactly. It’s rooted in very Don Cherry ideals. “It’s Canada’s game. It should only be in Canada…blah blah blah.” It’s a 5000 seat arena. It’ll be packed almost every night. London fans will travel in mass. Portland fans will too if they win. The only potential games that might not be “sell outs” will be the games featuring the Q. |
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Post by donjohnson on May 10, 2024 12:38:54 GMT -5
If it's indeed London who wins the OHL, there will be one game that won't be sold out and that's the W vs. Q game. The Spirit games will be full and the London games will be full. Sure, there's going to be empty seats but they'll be sold tickets which is all anyone cares about.
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Post by aj0512 on May 10, 2024 14:23:42 GMT -5
I think at this point people are looking for any excuse to dog Saginaw. I have no idea why (maybe because Hache's dad works for the league or something). I recall the 2017 Mem Cup that was played in Windsor where pretty much every non-Spitfire game in the round robin portion was half empty. Fans were complaining on Twitter about the high ticket prices. Don't know what they were at the time, but I think the prices for this tournament are perfectly fine. This might be the best hockey we ever see here in our region.
I am not worried about this at all. Agree that if London wins the OHL title they will have tons of fans here. The first game for Saginaw on that Friday night has less than 200 tickets left. We'll be fine.
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Post by ricardo on May 10, 2024 15:39:37 GMT -5
The Canadian Hockey League says total attendance at the 2023 Memorial Cup in Kamloops was 48,405 – an average of 5,378 people a game.
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Post by Bthumme on May 10, 2024 16:31:35 GMT -5
The Canadian Hockey League says total attendance at the 2023 Memorial Cup in Kamloops was 48,405 – an average of 5,378 people a game. I'd imagine that's tickets sold, not butts in seats. I was there for game 1 and 2 last year, there was no where close to 5300 people for Peterborough and Seattle (game 2). See for yourself - www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6E533dY-KEFrom a tickets sold perspective, I'd imagine we will find a way to have sponsors buy up 100% of any remaining tickets. This is a business afterall, all the league cares is the event makes them a little bit of money. |
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Post by Bthumme on May 12, 2024 19:29:40 GMT -5
A bit surprising that both Moose Jaw and Drummondville are up 2-0. Drummondville has shutout Baie-Comeau in both games, which no one saw coming. Moose Jaw and Portland had a good game 1, and then game 2 got out of hand.
And to the surprise of probably no one in here, London is up 2-0 on Oshawa, although I don't think anyone expected back to back blowouts. The games haven't even been exciting to watch.
The Q and O play Monday night, while the Q and W play Tuesday night.
I'd still really like to see Baie-Comeau get their act together, and would be contempt with Moose Jaw to open up the tournament.
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Post by aj0512 on May 14, 2024 7:42:39 GMT -5
Might be about time to pencil (sharpie?) in London and Drummondville for the Memorial Cup, as both are now up 3-0. Drummondville has been thoroughly dominating Baie-Comeau and can win the Q Championship tonight on home ice. Oshawa choked a 4-goal lead in the third period last night en route to a double-overtime loss. The Generals are dealing with some injuries like we were, but they've looked pretty bad in the Finals for the most part.
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Post by spiritfan8 on May 14, 2024 8:26:35 GMT -5
No matter what they do or where they go in the future, the Oshawa players are going to have nightmares about that one for the rest of their lives.
Question for my brilliant friends on here: why only one semi final in the Memorial Cup? I thought pool play set up seeding and then there would be 2 semis.
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Post by Bthumme on May 14, 2024 9:01:35 GMT -5
No matter what they do or where they go in the future, the Oshawa players are going to have nightmares about that one for the rest of their lives. Question for my brilliant friends on here: why only one semi final in the Memorial Cup? I thought pool play set up seeding and then there would be 2 semis. ] Top seed gets a bye to the Final. That's why the tie-breaker game is optional. |
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