Generally Speaking

I covered Junior ‘A’ and ‘B’ games early in my newspaper career (back in my sports editor days), but the first Major Junior hockey game I ever saw was in Oshawa in 1997.

That was an Oshawa Generals team led by Marc Savard and John Tripp which, against all odds, captured an OHL championship and went on to play in the Memorial Cup.

This year’s edition of the Gens looks like it might be that kind of squad.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself here. There are a few teams with equal or better pedigrees who have Memorial Cup dreams of their own, so if I was a betting man I would hesitate just a little bit before getting too excited and putting anything down on them booking a trip to Saskatoon this May.  But you know, they have a fighting chance, and that’s enough for me.

They have a balanced and finally healthy attack, which starts with team captain (and two-time national junior player) Boone Jenner, and also includes NHL draftees Tyler Biggs (Toronto), Scott Laughton (Rangers) and Lucas Lessio (Phoenix), as well as overager Scott Sabourin, and young guns Michael Dal Colle and Cole Cassels.

The defence, led by Matt Petgrave, Geoff Schemitsch and veteran Colin Suellentrop is sound and the trio has contributed 111 points as well. And with Daniel Altshuller (Carolina) in net, the Generals have no worries about their goaltending.

But there’s the little matter of the Belleville Bulls, the team that doesn’t want to lose.

Oshawa, second in the division, is on a five game win streak and is 8-2 over their last ten games, which should be enough to start gaining some ground on the leaders. But Belleville, with Malcolm Subban between the pipes, is 8-1-1. Every time Oshawa goes on a roll, the Bulls match and are now nationally ranked, a position Oshawa held as late as January 26.

A month ago Oshawa thumped Belleville 8-2 at home and the Bulls will get a chance at revenge next week at Yardman Arena, where they’re almost unbeatable. With just a handful of games left, however, the result will be mean nothing more than bragging rights, as both teams are virtually locked into their playoff seedings.

The Generals will open against the Niagara Ice Dogs, the team that eliminated Oshawa the previous two years, and will more than likely face a very strong Barrie Colts squad in the second round, with the winner – assuming there are no major upsets – playing Belleville for the conference title.

After that? Probably the powerful London Knights – the third ranked team in the country – for the OHL championship.

It’s no wonder they call the Memorial Cup the toughest trophy to win in sports. The Generals, which boasts such distinguished alumni as Bobby Orr, Eric Lindros and John Tavares, have won it four times – the most of any current CHL team – so its fans know that as well as anybody.

Playoff tickets are already on sale. You know what to do.