Yeah so, the Memorial Cup.

[ptbopete]

For transparency sake, I'm a Petes fan and go to OHL HF Boards like all the time and notice that there is no thread about the ding-dang Memorial Cup. You may have heard of it?

So post your predictions here and your general thoughts etc.

So I'm thinking that the Petes got this BUT this should be ONE HELL OF A TOURNAMENT.

Click to read more...

 

[HUSH10]

My predictions are as follows:

1.Seattle
2.Quebec
3.Peterborough
4.Kamloops

 

[Petes1987]

I think the Petes will go 2-1 in the round robin. They will lose to Seattle with them scoring the game winner late in the period. They will get a win against Kamloops with Jonathan Melee scoring the winning goal in the final three minutes and a win against Quebec with Michael Simpson being the star of the game making over 50 saves. Seattle will finish with a 3-0 record. Peterborough and Kamloops will play in the semi final after Kamloops eliminates Quebec in the tie breaker game. The Petes will win after building up 4-1 in the first two periods but Kamloops will make it interesting late in the third scoring two goals six on four with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker. They will add an empty net goal for a 5-3 win. In the final the Petes will play Seattle for the Memorial Cup. They will be trailing by two goals heading into the third period but will early in the third and will tie the game with ten minutes to go. Tucker Robertson will score in overtime with Donovan McCoy and Sam Mayer assisting, winning the Memorial Cup.

 

[OMG67]

Seattle 3-0
Quebec 2-1
Kamloops 1-2
Peterborough 0-3

Quebec over Kamloops in the Semis

Seattle over Quebec in the Final.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Kamloops 3-0
Peterborough 1-2
Seattle 2-1
Quebec 0-3

Peterborough over Seattle in semis

Kamloops over Peterborough in finals

 

[dirty12]

Petes over Seattle in the semi-final and beat Quebec in the final.

 

[EvenSteven]

My order of finish:
Seattle
Kamloops
Peterboro
Quebec.

Kamloops beats Peterboro in the semi final.
Seattle beats Kamloops in the final.

 

[Petes1987]

My order of finish:
Seattle
Kamloops
Peterboro
Quebec.

Kamloops beats Peterboro in the semi final.
Seattle beats Kamloops in the final.

I am not impressed with Kamloops. They are already down 4-1 seven minutes into the second period. Quebec looks really strong.

 

[ZDH]

That's bogus. Should be a goal.

Seattle/Peterborough are the two best teams imo.

Seattle
Peterborough
Quebec
Kamloops

 

[EvenSteven]

I am not impressed with Kamloops. They are already down 4-1 seven minutes into the second period. Quebec looks really strong.

After looking at the strength of rosters, just wild guesses for me after taking into account a rested host team, an OHL low seed Pete’s team, and a WHL champ familiar with the host team.

I’m wrong a lot on my predictions! Lol!!

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I wonder if Kamloops uses a different goali next game other than Ernst

 

[Metallo]

I wonder if Kamloops uses a different goali next game other than Ernst

From what I saw tonight, he sucks ass.

 

[Petes1987]

After looking at the strength of rosters, just wild guesses for me after taking into account a rested host team, an OHL low seed Pete’s team, and a WHL champ familiar with the host team.

I’m wrong a lot on my predictions! Lol!!

I don’t think you can consider the Petes a low seed team based on the teams they won series against in the playoffs. Ottawa and North Bay were the top two teams in the regular season and London was the second seed in the Western Conference. They under achieved in the regular season and met expectations in the playoffs. The Quebec and Seattle teams will be the biggest test they have faced to date. My prediction after tonight’s game is Kamloops go 0-3 in the tournament.

 

[EvenSteven]

My prediction after tonight’s game is Kamloops go 0-3 in the tournament.

I hope they do. I’m not a fan of host teams getting in the back door.

 

[Petes1987]

I hope they do. I’m not a fan of host teams getting in the back door.

I have mixed feelings about the host team automatically being in the Memorial Cup. I see it on one hand from a fan perspective. Peterborough hosted the cup in 1996 and I know I would not have had the same interest in the event if the Petes were not guaranteed to participate. They ended up winning the OHL Championship and played in the tournament as league champions. I also look at the fact the Memorial Cup is the CHL Championship and to have a team win the tournament as the Memorial Cup host team but not league champions does not seem right. There are varying situations. Kamloops did make it to the final four in the WHL. However I really did not like the fact that Ottawa who won it in 1999 and were eliminated in the second round and Windsor who won it in 2017 and did not win a playoff series both won the Memorial Cup as hosts. I consider both those teams not to be true champions based on their early playoff exits. It was a little different with Sault Ste Marie in 1993. They did win the Super Series to determine the host city and played in the league final. I have less of issue of them winning it compared to Ottawa and Windsor other than they defeated my Peterborough Petes in the final game to win the Memorial Cup. I am not sure what the answer is. Maybe have regions host it with no defined host city instead of a particular OHL centre. Examples: Peterborough-Oshawa-Kingston or London-Sarnia-Windsor.

 

[OMG67]

I don’t think you can consider the Petes a low seed team based on the teams they won series against in the playoffs. Ottawa and North Bay were the top two teams in the regular season and London was the second seed in the Western Conference. They under achieved in the regular season and met expectations in the playoffs. The Quebec and Seattle teams will be the biggest test they have faced to date. My prediction after tonight’s game is Kamloops go 0-3 in the tournament.

Ottawa was dismembered twice by Gatineau. Ottawa was lost! Gatineau was dismembered by Quebec in the playoffs. Just left for dead. Trust me, Quebec is for real. Seattle is likely better Than Quebec.

The battle for the Petes is against Kamloops trying to get to the Semi-Finals. They’ll have to do it in Kamloops home rink. That won’t be easy which is why I have that as the sole Kamloops win.

I’ve said it for much of the season that the OHL is in a down year from a top powerhouse team perspective. Both the Q and the W each had 2-3 teams that were crazy powerhouses. The O lagged behind this year quite a bit from that perspective. There is no way on Earth the 67’s would have had the year they had with the roster they had in a normal OHL season. They were a good team but not record breaking best record ever by a 67’s team. That team was easily the weakest of the last three good seasons not to mention many of the late 90’s teams. The London Knights teams as well as the Windsor teams during their stretch would have rolled right over Ottawa…and Peterborough for that matter.

That’s my perspective and read on what I have watched this year. Gatineau was on a roll and they looked great until they ran into Quebec and WHAMMO! Dead. Just a mess.

There were a few deadly teams at the top of the CHL this season. Maybe some of the best I’ve ever seen. I’m super looking forward to the Quebec v Seattle game in the Round Robin Monday night. I’m trying not to overhype that game but it’s going to be a clash!

 

[OMG67]

I have mixed feelings about the host team automatically being in the Memorial Cup. I see it on one hand from a fan perspective. Peterborough hosted the cup in 1996 and I know I would not have had the same interest in the event if the Petes were not guaranteed to participate. They ended up winning the OHL Championship and played in the tournament as league champions. I also look at the fact the Memorial Cup is the CHL Championship and to have a team win the tournament as the Memorial Cup host team but not league champions does not seem right. There are varying situations. Kamloops did make it to the final four in the WHL. However I really did not like the fact that Ottawa who won it in 1999 and were eliminated in the second round and Windsor who won it in 2017 and did not win a playoff series both won the Memorial Cup as hosts. I consider both those teams not to be true champions based on their early playoff exits. It was a little different with Sault Ste Marie in 1993. They did win the Super Series to determine the host city and played in the league final. I have less of issue of them winning it compared to Ottawa and Windsor other than they defeated my Peterborough Petes in the final game to win the Memorial Cup. I am not sure what the answer is. Maybe have regions host it with no defined host city instead of a particular OHL centre. Examples: Peterborough-Oshawa-Kingston or London-Sarnia-Windsor.

Kamloops was 48-13-7

They lost 4-2 in the semi’s to the team that finished with 54-11-3!

Kamloops is no slouch. They are a great team that got beaten by a Quebec team that is really F’n good.

I understand what you are saying but the Memorial cup isn’t a National Championship anymore. It’s a week long all-star game where the CHL tries to generate income to run their league. Jsut gotta roll with it and trust that the host teams are strong enough to compete. Pointing a finger at a team that finished with 103 points probably isn’t wise if you take the stance that they didn’t earn their way in. The teams they would have had to go through to get there were superior to the OHL teams Peterborough had to get through. If they had gotten past Seattle, they’d have played Winnipeg with a record of 57-10-1. A pretty steep uphill climb. Seattle climbed that hill. Peterborough took out 107-99-92….almost like going downhill if you look at it from strictly the standings…. How often does a team with 74 points go up against a team with 92 points in the League Championship Final? Not very often.

Then look at 115 v 111 in the WHL Final and 109 v 107 in the QMJHL Final. And each of those four teams had to beat 100 point teams in the semi’s as well!

 

[Petes1987]

Ottawa was dismembered twice by Gatineau. Ottawa was lost! Gatineau was dismembered by Quebec in the playoffs. Just left for dead. Trust me, Quebec is for real. Seattle is likely better Than Quebec.

The battle for the Petes is against Kamloops trying to get to the Semi-Finals. They’ll have to do it in Kamloops home rink. That won’t be easy which is why I have that as the sole Kamloops win.

I’ve said it for much of the season that the OHL is in a down year from a top powerhouse team perspective. Both the Q and the W each had 2-3 teams that were crazy powerhouses. The O lagged behind this year quite a bit from that perspective. There is no way on Earth the 67’s would have had the year they had with the roster they had in a normal OHL season. They were a good team but not record breaking best record ever by a 67’s team. That team was easily the weakest of the last three good seasons not to mention many of the late 90’s teams. The London Knights teams as well as the Windsor teams during their stretch would have rolled right over Ottawa…and Peterborough for that matter.

That’s my perspective and read on what I have watched this year. Gatineau was on a roll and they looked great until they ran into Quebec and WHAMMO! Dead. Just a mess.

There were a few deadly teams at the top of the CHL this season. Maybe some of the best I’ve ever seen. I’m super looking forward to the Quebec v Seattle game in the Round Robin Monday night. I’m trying not to overhype that game but it’s going to be a clash!

However when you look at the Petes team this year and compare them to their OHL Championship teams in 1989, 1993, 1996 and 2006. The current team stacks up very well with all four. More offence than the 1989 team but have similar defence and goaltending. More depth than the 1993 team but not the star power that team had. They are more experienced overall and older than the 1996 team and they are very similar to the 2006 team but likely a tighter knit group The Petes made it to the Memorial final in the 1993 and 1996. The question is, are Seattle, Kamloops and Quebec stronger than teams than the 1993 Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, Laval Titan and Swift Current Bronco teams or the 1996 Granby Predateurs, Brandon Wheat Kings and Guelph Storm teams?

 

[Juniorhockeyguru]

Kamloops with playoffs, are 31-7-3 on home ice this year. 2nd highest scoring team in the CHL. They ar3nt pushovers.

But their goaltending is mediocre at best, hence a big reason they lost tonight.

 

[dirty12]

Ottawa was dismembered twice by Gatineau. Ottawa was lost! Gatineau was dismembered by Quebec in the playoffs. Just left for dead. Trust me, Quebec is for real. Seattle is likely better Than Quebec.

The battle for the Petes is against Kamloops trying to get to the Semi-Finals. They’ll have to do it in Kamloops home rink. That won’t be easy which is why I have that as the sole Kamloops win.

I’ve said it for much of the season that the OHL is in a down year from a top powerhouse team perspective. Both the Q and the W each had 2-3 teams that were crazy powerhouses. The O lagged behind this year quite a bit from that perspective. There is no way on Earth the 67’s would have had the year they had with the roster they had in a normal OHL season. They were a good team but not record breaking best record ever by a 67’s team. That team was easily the weakest of the last three good seasons not to mention many of the late 90’s teams. The London Knights teams as well as the Windsor teams during their stretch would have rolled right over Ottawa…and Peterborough for that matter.

It has been the norm for a while now for the Q & W leagues to have 2-3 absolutely loaded teams. I have believed that is to compete and beat the OHL representatives in the Memorial Cup tournament. This year, I think Quebec and Seattle are unusually great teams.
A buddy on the other side of the Quebec bridge who thinks the Remparts might be the top organization in the CHL said, ‘the Remparts could go undefeated in league playoffs, but would not bet on them vs an OHL team.’ ‘The OHL is clearly the superior league.’ He has had extended periods in Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and now Quebec over the past 20 years. I believe he has a pretty good understanding of the CHL.

That’s my perspective and read on what I have watched this year. Gatineau was on a roll and they looked great until they ran into Quebec and WHAMMO! Dead. Just a mess.

There were a few deadly teams at the top of the CHL this season. Maybe some of the best I’ve ever seen. I’m super looking forward to the Quebec v Seattle game in the Round Robin Monday night. I’m trying not to overhype that game but it’s going to be a clash!

 

[Bra Wavers]

A few thoughts from Kamloops….
- Quebec is so fast and skilled….they will be tough to slow down and contain
- Kamloops was playing on adrenaline early and thanks to the crowd had the early momentum but I wonder if the added time off hurt them in the long run
- Quebec’s goalie was outstanding
- IMO the Petes best chance is to continue their rope-a-dope style….sit back in their trap and wait for opportunities
- Simpson will have to be sharp
- Seattle is the favourite by most accounts so it’s good that the Petes face them first to see how well they stack up
- if they lose to Seattle they will need to scratch and claw vs Kamloops and Quebec to avoid 4th and get into the playoffs
- looking forward to tonight….I mean today….. 3:00 hockey seems weird but at least I don’t have to wait as long

 

[rangersblues]

It has been the norm for a while now for the Q & W leagues to have 2-3 absolutely loaded teams. I have believed that is to compete and beat the OHL representatives in the Memorial Cup tournament. This year, I think Quebec and Seattle are unusually great teams.
A buddy on the other side of the Quebec bridge who thinks the Remparts might be the top organization in the CHL said, ‘the Remparts could go undefeated in league playoffs, but would not bet on them vs an OHL team.’ ‘The OHL is clearly the superior league.’ He has had extended periods in Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and now Quebec over the past 20 years. I believe he has a pretty good understanding of the CHL.

Those are usually my thoughts but for some reason I feel different this season. I definitely could be wrong.

That said the WHL has definitely been the weaker of the 3 leagues in recent seasons. Until they win a game vs the O or the Q I'm not sure you can take them seriously.

 

[ptbopete]

I'm not surprised that Quebec is as good as they showed last night. Kamloops was also good and fast but not as structurally sound as Quebec. It should be a Quebec-Seattle final with Quebec being the winner. They're just a sound team with speed that takes advantage of their opportunities.

I agree with Bra Wavers that the Petes will need to rope-a-dope opposing teams by absorbing lots of own zone time and then by tight checking in the neutral zone , blocking shots and by winning battles along the boards like they have done all playoffs.

 

[three dog night]

I hope they do. I’m not a fan of host teams getting in the back door.

They didn’t went to the Division finals

Seattle over Quebec in the finals

 

[OMG67]

It has been the norm for a while now for the Q & W leagues to have 2-3 absolutely loaded teams. I have believed that is to compete and beat the OHL representatives in the Memorial Cup tournament. This year, I think Quebec and Seattle are unusually great teams.
A buddy on the other side of the Quebec bridge who thinks the Remparts might be the top organization in the CHL said, ‘the Remparts could go undefeated in league playoffs, but would not bet on them vs an OHL team.’ ‘The OHL is clearly the superior league.’ He has had extended periods in Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and now Quebec over the past 20 years. I believe he has a pretty good understanding of the CHL.

Strength of league is not tested at the Memorial Cup. Strength of the team there is. The reality is the OHL is in a bit of a down year and there wasn’t one team that stood out going into the deadline which means teams were all battling for the same players instead of one team pulling ahead. The OHL representative is nowhere near as strong as it usually is this year. It is what it is. You can’t expect the OHL to have the most dominant team every year.

I called this back around December when Ottawa was in the lead after not adding one player and trading away like five of them for draft picks starting in the off-season up to November. Not one OHL team stood out. It’s not normal. It was even more evident when Gatineau handed Ottawa its lunch in January in their home and home. So one of the Q or W will win it this year. They are stronger teams. No shame in it.