Oil Kings title run truly a top-to-bottom effort

Curtis Lazar pays tribute to fallen teammate Kristians Pelss. (Aaron Bell/CHL Images)

My ninth MasterCard Memorial Cup will never be forgotten because of the wonderful storylines surrounding the Edmonton Oil Kings, starting with their veteran core.

Nine members of the 2014 championship team were also part of the 2012 team that made it to the Memorial Cup. That group, consisting of Griffin Reinhart, Curtis Lazar, Henrik Samuelsson, Cody Corbett, Mitch Moroz, Ashton Sautner, Tristan Jarry, Cole Benson and Brandon Baddock, made sure the focus this time was on winning the Memorial Cup and not just being happy to play in it.

Second, the experience gained in the Ed Chynoweth Cup final against Portland allowed the Oil Kings to remain calm when they were up against elimination in Friday’s thrilling semifinal and down a goal one minute into the final against Guelph. The Oil Kings trailed two games to none in that series, went down 0-2 in Game 3, gave up two three-goal leads in Game 6 and trailed 0-1 in Portland in Game 7.

Then there was the aura of Kristians Pelss, who was also part of that 2012 team. It’s hard to say that it was just coincidence that one of Pelss’s best friends (Mitch Moroz) scored the game-winning goal in the final and countryman Edgars Kulda won the tournament MVP. Pelss’s body was found in a river in his Latvian hometown last summer and his loss hit his teammates hard.

Lastly, the Oil Kings title run was truly a top-to-bottom effort.

Former GM turned Oilers scout Bob Green laid the groundwork for a team that was mostly homegrown. Green spent six years as the Oil Kings’ GM, earning the WHL’s Executive of the Year award in 2011-12 and again in 2012-13. Before accepting the job with the Oilers, he acquired Riley Kieser from Vancouver for a sixth-round draft pick.

Current GM Randy Hansch took over in August and tweaked the Oil Kings roster with the additions of Blake Orban from Vancouver and Reid Petryk from Everett.

Coach Derek Laxdal’s game planning was brilliant. The Oil Kings felt they had to play a more “OHL style of game” in order to overcome the high-scoring Storm. The Oil Kings locked down the neutral zone, used their size, went to the front of the net against Justin Nichols and used simple chips and flips to get the puck out of their own end.

Laxdal was intent on getting some of his lightly used players into the game to better enhance their MasterCard Memorial Cup experience. Fourth-liners Benson and Tyler Robertson hooked up for Edmonton’s third goal, which caused a spark on the Oil Kings bench. The other member of the trio was Baddock, who gave Laxdal quality minutes on a few different lines.

Associate coach Steve Hamilton was responsible for the penalty kill, which allowed just two power-play goals against in 15 attempts over the tournament. It won’t be long before he is poached by another WHL team for a head-coaching job.

Assistant coach Sean Brown used a recently retired NHL voice to help reinforce the messages sent by Laxdal and Hamilton, while goalie consultant Dustin Schwartz helped Jarry refocus after a couple of mediocre efforts to start the tournament.

Head athletic therapist Brian Cheesman utilized NormaTec technology to help players recover from two of the longest games in MasterCard Memorial Cup history and equipment manager Rogan Dean was instrumental in starting the “Play for Pelss” campaign. Pelss’s jersey was omnipresent, helmet stickers were worn and patches were stitched into every Oil Kings jerseys so the players could be close to their former teammate.

Memorial Cup Notes

  • Jarry had to wait patiently for this moment after amassing just 41 regular season games and one playoff game over the last two years. He played in his 89th game of the 2013-14 season on Sunday.
  • Including exhibition play, the Oil Kings won the Cup in their 103rd game of the season.
  • The team that occupied the London Knights bench won only one game. Having to use the home bench for the championship game couldn’t have sat well with Guelph
  • Edmonton was the only team to ever hold a lead in a game against Guelph.
  • Edmonton’s bench was stick-tapping for the introductions of Bobby Orr and former London Knight Corey Perry before the game.
  • The Oil Kings were sure to remove their hats when two members of Canada’s military brought the MasterCard Memorial Cup onto the ice.
  • Country star Brett Kissell was seen hovering around the Oil Kings dressing room after the game.
  • The five years between MasterCard Memorial Cup wins for the WHL was the longest drought in league history.

 
Here are some of the most touching visuals in the aftermath of the win:

  • Cody Corbett and his mother Marie Forsell embraced in an emotional hug.
  • Mitch Moroz fighting back tears discussing the impact of Kristians Pelss.
  • Tristan Jarry and his father didn’t seem like they were ever going to let go of one another.
  • Curtis Lazar inviting his family into the on-ice interview with Rob Faulds.

 
Pretty cool to see the tweet from Prime Minister Stephen Harper:

Speaking of tweets, how about this one from Sportsnet:

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