2024 Memorial Cup

[WarriorofTime]

Poor McCue. Kid won’t sleep all summer. I’m glad my mite and my squirt were watching that game with me. I’ve told them many times not to lob pucks up the middle. Seeing such dramatic consequences resulting from that choice was probably good for making that lesson stick.

Heart goes out to McCue for that pizza. We’ve all served them up. But not in moment like that, in a game like that. He’s gonna feel sick about that a long time.

Don’t forget the kid who committed the five minute major. They showed his parents in the stands in an act of cruelty and you could tell they were heartbroken. I agreed with the call fwiw.

 

[Fatass]

Best team on the night won. Beck and Bloom dominated. They were the difference.

 

[rt]

A high lob to the neutral zone is often the right play, in this case it looked like Bloom got a stick on the clearing attempt. Not a pizza.

It landed six feet inside the zone. Just above the high slot. On a platter. Even the kid who scored said it was on a platter. Pizza.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Whenever a host team that didn't win its League wins, it just kinda feels like nobody wins the title of Junior Hockey champions, lol.

Like Saginaw is the Memorial Cup Champion but not the CHL Champion in my eyes if that makes sense.

A lot more luck in winning a memorial cup vs a league championship. Saginaw was a very strong host team at 50-16, very easily the 2nd best OHL team, but London beat them pretty convincingly in the conference finals. I would think that if the Memorial cup final was a best of 7 London would have won.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

A high lob to the neutral zone is often the right play, in this case it looked like Bloom got a stick on the clearing attempt. Not a pizza.

Yeah really not much else he could have done there, he had no lane to clear it up the boards, and no way of eating the puck either. A high flip was his best bet. Unfortunately it looks like Bloom got a stick on it on the way out and then Donavan caught it at the blue line.

It landed six feet inside the zone. Just above the high slot. On a platter. Even the kid who scored said it was on a platter. Pizza.

It didn't even land, it was caught at the blue line and would have for sure landed outside the zone. The real mistake was made by Gazizov who was cheating a bit for offense, hoping for the puck to bounce out. He was then on the wrong side of the puck, and was too soft on Donavan, allowing him to walk in uncontested.

 

[rt]

Yeah really not much else he could have done there, he had no lane to clear it up the boards either, a high flip was his best bet. Unfortunately it looks like Bloom got a stick on it on the way out and then it caught at the blue line.

It didn't even land, it was caught at the blue line and would have for sure landed outside the zone. The real mistake was made by Gazizov who was cheating a bit for offense, hoping for the puck to bounce out. He was then on the wrong side of the puck, and was too soft on Donavan, allowing him to walk in uncontested.

It was a pass. Lol.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

It was a pass. Lol.

What was a pass? He flipped it up 20 feet into the air?

 

[rt]

What was a pass? He flipped it up 20 feet into the air?

And didn’t clear the zone. But perfectly hit the oncoming forward directly in the middle of the ice.

 

[rt]

Look at angle number two. Rough stuff.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1797454841478090969

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

And didn’t clear the zone. But perfectly hit the oncoming forward directly in the middle of the ice.

Not for a lack of trying, where else was he supposed to go with that puck? It's a broken play in the middle of the ice, he has no lane up the near side boards.

He tried to shoot it out, and Bloom got his stick on it. Unfortunately Gazizov cheated instead of defending Donavan.

 

[rt]

looking again, maybe Bloom got a piece of his stick. Nice play by Bloom all around.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

looking again, maybe Bloom got a piece of his stick. Nice play by Bloom all around.

Yeah huge sequence from Bloom and Donavan there.

 

[rt]

Yeah huge sequence from Bloom and Donavan there.

Saginaw played a perfect game until they turtled but then they came through with some amazing plays right when it mattered most. The game was kind of a microcosm of their post season. Was a roller coaster year for them. Big off season acquisitions, a really disappointing start, then they get their groove, go absolutely wild at the trade deadline, look like monsters, roll through the Attack, sputter a bit against the hounds, and then get rag dolled by the knights. This was a heckuva revenge game.

 

[Kingpin794]

Saginaw played a perfect game until they turtled but then they came through with some amazing plays right when it mattered most. The game was kind of a microcosm of their post season. Was a roller coaster year for them. Big off season acquisitions, a really disappointing start, then they get their groove, go absolutely wild at the trade deadline, look like monsters, roll through the Attack, sputter a bit against the hounds, and then get rag dolled by the knights. This was a heckuva revenge game.

That hounds team was every bit as good as us or London. They would have likely handled Moose Jaw and Drummondville as well. The west was a slaughterhouse this year.

 

[rt]

That hounds team was every bit as good as us or London. They would have likely handled Moose Jaw and Drummondville as well. The west was a slaughterhouse this year.

I also think SSM gave London the playbook in some ways. At the very least they tenderized the meat. Saginaw came into the London series dragging themselves out of a dogfight, whereas the knights were fresh as new.

Both the Spirit and the Knights were really fun to follow this season. Normally I never develop much of a rooting interest as I watch junior games all year. I’m always just looking at particular players on either team. But I became a bit of a Saginaw fan and a bit of a London fan this season. In the final I wanted the American team to win, but when London started to mount a come back I was cheering them on. I think I just wanted the best game possible. It was a heckuva final.

 

[Kingpin794]

I also think SSM gave London the playbook in some ways. At the very least they tenderized the meat. Saginaw came into the London series fresh out of a dogfight, whereas the knights were fresh as new.

Yeah that series was hell. Knew they used a ton of their energy to get past the Soo and wouldn't have quite enough in the tank for London. Most of those games were one goal games with some empty netters. Was just some little things everytime we play London. Finally broke through and I cannot express to you how cathartic it was when Bloom put the puck in the net.

 

[majormajor]

It landed six feet inside the zone. Just above the high slot. On a platter. Even the kid who scored said it was on a platter. Pizza.

The part you're missing is that Bloom got a stick on the clearing attempt.

That's why I don't go along with the pizza/platter stuff - like when someone chooses to put the puck in an area and it gets picked off. I'm sure McCue knows that you're supposed to clear the blueline.

 

[rt]

The part you're missing is that Bloom got a stick on the clearing attempt.

That's why I don't go along with the pizza/platter stuff - like when someone chooses to put the puck in an area and it gets picked off. I'm sure McCue knows that you're supposed to clear the blueline.

I always reply before finishing the thread too. Haha. We’re alike that way!

 

[WarriorofTime]

Yeah one of the worst parts of the host thing is teams know exactly what year to go 'all in' on. Saginaw had a good team last year, and traded away their best player in Pavel Mintyukov to essentially punt their '23 postseason, because Mintyukov was an '03 and would be in Pro Hockey for 23-24, to help give them the capital to load up for 2023-24.

It's a bad system and needs to be re-worked. I don't know any scenario quite like that, where a certain team is just guaranteed a spot a year and a half in advance (and earlier than that, teams start preparing their bids and likely have a good sense of who might get it due to the rotating nature). It's especially bad given the age restricted and thus predictably flipping nature of a sport like junior hockey.

 

[kyle44]

Yeah one of the worst parts of the host thing is teams know exactly what year to go 'all in' on. Saginaw had a good team last year, and traded away their best player in Pavel Mintyukov to essentially punt their '23 postseason, because Mintyukov was an '03 and would be in Pro Hockey for 23-24, to help give them the capital to load up for 2023-24.

It's a bad system and needs to be re-worked. I don't know any scenario quite like that, where a certain team is just guaranteed a spot a year and a half in advance (and earlier than that, teams start preparing their bids and likely have a good sense of who might get it due to the rotating nature). It's especially bad given the age restricted and thus predictably flipping nature of a sport like junior hockey.

Saginaw probably does that trade regardless of whether they were hosting the Memorial Cup. They didn't even break 80 points during the regular season, and two of their best players were 15 and 16 year old rookies. Its not like they had a veteran core at the end of their cycle that needed a couple of pieces to put them over the top, like Peterborough did. Yes, they did win one round, but it was against a pretty bad Flint side, and it still took 7 games.

Its hard to hold on to one of (if not the best) trade assets in the league to maybe win one more playoff round (I doubt they would've beat Sarnia even with Mintyukov) when you can get a kings ransom for him to build around instead. Guys like Misa and Parekh were untouchable, so they didn't have too much in the way of young talent to help with buying veterans at the deadline. This situation happens almost every year in the CHL with teams that are borderline contenders. Its a calculated decision that sometimes works and sometimes backfires (see Halifax with Elliot Desnoyers). When the bulk of your best players are eligible to return the next year, you'll often see GMs sell. Conversely, if your best players are 19-20, and/or likely to make the NHL/AHL the following year, GMs usually add (always exceptions of course).

I agree the Mem Cup hosting system certainly isn't the greatest as it can cause some programs to really bottom out after hosting, but I don't think the example you cite above is necessarily the best one.

 

[Finster8]

The redemption arc for Bloom is beautiful.

Drinkill picked him up as an oa for a handshake. Good GM

 

[Chainshot]

Drinkill picked him up as an oa for a handshake. Good GM

He seems like a good kid and his dad was always pleasant to interact with (which in today’s day and age is amazing given how foolish some people can be online toward sports figures and others). Glad he had that moment after a rough start to his pro season.

 

[Kingpin794]

Yeah one of the worst parts of the host thing is teams know exactly what year to go 'all in' on. Saginaw had a good team last year, and traded away their best player in Pavel Mintyukov to essentially punt their '23 postseason, because Mintyukov was an '03 and would be in Pro Hockey for 23-24, to help give them the capital to load up for 2023-24.

It's a bad system and needs to be re-worked. I don't know any scenario quite like that, where a certain team is just guaranteed a spot a year and a half in advance (and earlier than that, teams start preparing their bids and likely have a good sense of who might get it due to the rotating nature). It's especially bad given the age restricted and thus predictably flipping nature of a sport like junior hockey.

Saginaw was trading Mintyukov host or not. The plan was always to go all in for 2023/24 no matter what. The hosting cycle just happened to line up this time around.

 

[Savi]

A lot more luck in winning a memorial cup vs a league championship. Saginaw was a very strong host team at 50-16, very easily the 2nd best OHL team, but London beat them pretty convincingly in the conference finals. I would think that if the Memorial cup final was a best of 7 London would have won.

Yeah you can't convince me London weren't the best team in the nation this season.

They were the best team in their league in the regular season. They then rolled everyone in the playoffs as well, including Saginaw who they beat twice in their own stadium. After that they beat Saginaw on their home ice again, beat the QMJHL champion and beat the WHL champion. So basically at this point, they have done it all. And their reward is having to play Saginaw another time, and yes once again on their home ice, and despite playing one of their worst games of the year (and Saginaw one of their best) they almost beat them again. So no, that one final game doesn't mean they're not the best.

 

[Hinterland]

Yeah you can't convince me London weren't the best team in the nation this season.

They were the best team in their league in the regular season. They then rolled everyone in the playoffs as well, including Saginaw who they beat twice in their own stadium. After that they beat Saginaw on their home ice again, beat the QMJHL champion and beat the WHL champion. So basically at this point, they have done it all. And their reward is having to play Saginaw another time, and yes once again on their home ice, and despite playing one of their worst games of the year (and Saginaw one of their best) they almost beat them again. So no, that one final game doesn't mean they're not the best.

I agree with the rest of your post but they didn't "almost beat them again". The result may suggest that it was close but if you actually watched the game you know that it really wasn't. It was one way hockey for most of the game. The way they played, London never really had a chance and they were in fact incredibly lucky to only lose by one.