Down The Stretch

We are down to the final month of the regular season and the Lethbridge Hurricanes will be a busy bunch with eleven games remaining on the schedule.

With a playoff spot sewn up for the fifth year in a row under head coach Brent Kisio, the Hurricanes have a really interesting stretch coming up.

Canes clinch playoff spot in three-game weekend https://t.co/Qtpon4hyDg #yql #WHLCanes @WHLHurricanes pic.twitter.com/fXs3iYLCCk

— Lethbridge Herald (@Leth_Herald) February 18, 2020

Of the games remaining, five are at home, including the next two. Then they head off on a four-game roadtrip before bouncing back and forth to wrap up the season.

While it might have been easy to take the foot off the gas a bit to rest up ahead of the playoffs, there won't be much time for that. Just three of the games are against sub-.500 teams while six of the games are against division rivals they are jockeying for position with in the playoff picture.

As it stands now, the Hurricanes are ten points back of first place Edmonton while they are four points up on Medicine Hat and six up on Calgary.

They will take on the Oil Kings three more times, the Tigers twice and Calgary once. If the playoffs were to start today, they would be facing Medicine Hat, who they wrap up the season against with a home-and-home.

Can you imagine these two rivals battling it out twice to wrap up the season and then going at it again in a best-of-seven opening round playoff series?


And while ten points back of Edmonton seems like a tall mountain to climb, they face each other three times and the 'Canes have a game at hand. That would make it close if the Hurricanes were able to win each of the matchups, but they would also need to depend on the rebuilding Red Deer Rebels, who the Oil Kings play three times in their final ten games.

The real interesting battle is actually in the East Division, which could have an impact on who the Hurricanes play in round one if they end up in first or if they slip to fourth in the Central.

Just eight points separate the first place Prince Albert Raiders and fourth place Saskatoon Blades, with the Winnipeg Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings stuck in the middle. While PA is the only team confirmed to be in the playoffs at this point, it's all mathematical at this point as Red Deer is 18 points back of the second wildcard spot spot with 11 games to go.

There will be no shortage of scoreboard watching over the next four weeks as teams try to set the tone heading into the playoffs.

And yes, I'm cheering for a Highway 3 Battle Royale between the Hurricanes and Tigers.

FOR THE RECORD: Kaese Starts Romp

It was around this time last year where the Calgary Hitmen were getting set for the “Corral Series.” It was a three-game set at the old Stampede Corral, as a way to say goodbye to the former junior hockey home as it is slated for demolition.

As it turns out, this week marks an anniversary that many fans of the old Calgary Wranglers probably want to forget. And it comes courtesy of the Lethbridge Broncos.

On February 19, 1986, the two teams hooked up for a midweek contest. Fans barely had the chance to grab a beer and hot dog before getting to their seats to see visitors go up 1-0.

Buffalo Sabres draft pick Trent Kaese scored just six seconds into the game, tying the league record for fastest goal to start a game.

You would think that would be a dominating piece of the story, but it was relegated after the Broncos just kept filling the net.

Terry Houlder made headlines that night by potting five goals en route to the 11-1 victory. For Houlder, he ended up one short of the team record for goals in a game, which is held by Gord Williams with six. We’ll tell that record-setting story another day.

Steve Nemeth scored twice for the Broncos on Kaese’s record-setting night while Dwight Mullins had a goal and five helpers. Jay More and Doug Quinn also tallied in the victory.

As for the record, Kaese became the fifth player to score six seconds into a game. But it would fall nearly a year later.

Dean Sexsmith now holds the mark after scoring five seconds into a game for the Seattle Thunderbirds in a 7-6 win over the Victoria Cougars.

Kaese scored 24 goals for the Broncos that season, then followed the team to Swift Current but his stay didn’t actually last that long. In a bit of irony, he spent the majority of the 1986-1987 season with the Calgary Wranglers.

Interestingly, the player who led the Wranglers in scoring that season was none other than the five-goal man himself, Terry Houlder.

Kisio Sets Team Mark For Wins & Some Other Numbers

It has been a very good stretch of games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Winners of their last four games and ten of their last twelve, it’s pretty clear they are quite happy to have forward Dylan Cozens and defenseman Calen Addison back in the fold.

This is a very confident team, as I witnessed firsthand yesterday in their 6-4 win over the Calgary Hitmen. Despite seeing a 4-1 lead crumble, they didn’t seem to lose their cool and came back with a couple of more goals to finish off a wild third period.

And if the chirping back-and-forth between the two teams post-game is any indication, their next meeting on March 1^st at the Scotiabank Saddledome will be a fun one. Maybe we’ll get another playoff series out of them.

A quick look at the leaderboards in the WHL, the Hurricanes sport the 6^th best powerplay and 13^th best penalty kill. Interestingly, the ‘Canes lead the league in shorthanded goals for with 12. Cozens and Oliver Okuliar have three apiece to lead the charge there.

They have the 4^th most potent offense in the league with 210 goals and have done a good job at keeping the puck out of their net, allowing the 9^th fewest goals with 148.

A lot of credit needs to go to coach Brent Kisio and his staff for finding some solid line combinations and defensive pairings that are producing.

Now, speaking of Kisio, he quietly hit a milestone over the weekend. With their 3-1 win over Prince Albert on Saturday at the Enmax Centre, Kisio picked up his 189^th career coaching victory.

That moves him into first place in team history ahead of Bryan Maxwell. A quick search of the team’s all-time coaching records definitely takes you down memory lane.

The top five in the wins department is rounded out by Bob Loucks, Mike Dyck and Rich Preston. You also have names like Rob Daum, Lindsay Hoffard and Mikko Makela. One-year bench bosses like Luc Theoret, Blaine Gailbraith and Rocky Saganiuk. And who could forget Drake Berehowsky, who had 18 wins to his credit in 101 games.

How many more will Kisio add to his name when all is said and done? With 16 games left in the regular season, you have to wonder if this team gets him to 200 in the not-too-distant future, especially the way they’re playing right now.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS: Jordy Bellerive

It's been a while since we've been able to catch up with a Lethbridge Hurricanes alumni.

We've been working on getting in touch with a few over the last couple of weeks as many Canes This Week fans enjoyed our first "Where In The World Is" with Jamal Watson.

The first to get back to us was former captain Jordy Bellerive.

He turned a lot of heads when he first signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins and he has been adjusting to life in the American Hockey League this season, picking up eight goals and nine assists in 41 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

We chatted with him after practice on Monday and here's the transcription of that conversation.

#1. Where in the world is Jordy Bellerive?

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania.

#2. You scored your first pro goal there. What was that like?

It was a special moment. I think it was in my eighth game or so, so it took me a couple of games to get it out of the way. But it was really exciting and a moment I’ll remember forever.

#3. Favourite memory in Lethbridge?

Oof. I always loved the Teddy Bear Toss games. I thought they were awesome. I think I was 17 when I scored the Teddy Bear Toss goal so that was a pretty cool moment for me.

#4. Best teammate you had while you were with the Hurricanes.

That is a tough one. I played with a lot of great guys. Geez, that is a very good question. You know, recently, I have my two good buddies on that team right now with Addy (Calen Addison) and Coz (Dylan Cozens). In the past, I’d have to call it a tie between the two guys we brought in last year. Hank (Nick Henry) and Lysh (Jake Leschyshyn) were two pretty great guys so I gotta go with them.

#5. Best meal made by your billet?

Wow. She made very good perogies and sausages so that was good.

#6. Favourite arena to play in while in the WHL?

I liked Portland. I liked playing there in the older building. It’s an open feeling, I don’t know. I think it’s because the seats are just so far back, it feels like you have so much time and space out there. It’s kind of a mental thing. And also, my great uncle (Roger Bellerive) played there for the Portland Buckaroos so I have some cool memories there.

#7. Weirdest pre-game ritual you’ve ever seen, be it in Lethbridge or anywhere else?

Some guys make themselves throw up, which is pretty weird. I played with a guy who had some very weird ones. A lot had to do with his Velcro, he couldn’t just put it on. He had to take it on and off like 25 times before he could put it on with every piece of equipment so you can imagine how long it took for him to get dressed.

#8. Many youngsters in Lethbridge were awestruck when meeting you. Who have you been starstruck by?

Hahaha! I definitely think an easy one is Sidney Crosby. That’s a really easy one. Him and (Kris) Letang were two of my favourite players growing up in each position. I think meeting both of those guys and spending time with those guys on the ice and the gym and whatnot was pretty cool.

#9. Favourite song to warm up to?

Honestly, I don’t really have a song. I’m not a big music guy when it comes to preparation and stuff for games so I honestly couldn’t answer that one.

#10. Who has had the biggest influence on your hockey career?

Oof. You know, I’d have to give it to a guy who was my coach in peewee. His name was Billy Copeland. He put together some pretty special spring hockey teams over the years and he’s someone I’m still in touch with almost monthly I’d say. Talking about hockey, on the ice and off the ice and he’s helped me out with the mental side of the game as well. I know every year there’s something he does for me so I gotta go with him. And of course, my family.

The First Hurricanes Captain

Back when Jordan first started Canes This Week, I had a themed idea for the blog entitled "The Captains."

Every few weeks, I would check in with one of the many Lethbridge Hurricanes players who have worn the 'C' to see where they are now. Everyone from Brent Seabrook and Jamie Pushor to Tyler Wong and Jordy Bellerive.

To be honest, that idea kind of hit the skids right off the bat because I had some questions about who the first captain in team history was.

In going back through past news releases from the Hurricanes, I had seen a few different names listed as the first. Some lists had Kevin Heise as the first in 1987-1988 while others had Peter Berthelson.

So with the recent announcement that forward Dylan Cozens and defenseman Ty Prefontaine would be sharing the duties for the remainder this year, I thought I would reignite my captain idea by first trying to get to the bottom of my little mystery.

In doing trade trees and other historical pieces for the blog, I've become pretty good at sleuthing through the Lethbridge Herald's archives and struck gold pretty early on. As it turns out, the answer to the question of the Hurricanes' first captain might surprise a few.

In the October 5, 1987 edition of the Herald, the answer was found in the article about the club's season opening losses to Prince Albert and Medicine Hat.

A little way down Ron Davitt's article, he writes "Hurricanes captain Terry Black tied the game."

Prior to the team's home opener on October 7, the Herald's Randy Jensen wrote a lengthy piece entitled "Black prepared to lead Hurricanes."

In it, Jensen wrote "Black is one of the most, if not the most, respected players on a young team which is eligible to return 22 out of 25 players next season."

The then 18-year-old had played with the Lethbridge Broncos in 1985-1986 and admitted that he "didn't expect anything like that to happen" in getting the 'C'.

That night, the Hurricanes made their Lethbridge Sportsplex debut. And in his post-game rundown of the 3-2 loss to the Tigers, the Herald's Randy Jensen said the players were introduced individually to the crowd with Black "receiving the loudest applause."

But a change was made in late-January, with an "Ice Chips" quick mention that Heise would take over as captain with Black taking an alternate captain spot with Jim Wheatcroft.

It's not quite clear why the change was made, as I've searched around the archives.

What is clear is that I have finally stopped going down this particular rabbit hole and can now start catching up with some of the captains for the rest of the season.

Hurricanes By The Jersey Numbers

What’s in a number?

Howe and Richard wore #9. Lemieux had #66. Lindros was #88. And of course, #99 was synonymous with Gretzky.

I’m not sure why, but many Western Hockey League teams don’t have a lot of players wearing digits over #35. If they have retired a number or two, they will likely bump it up to #40. But it seems pretty rare to see players donning non-standard numbers.

How about the Lethbridge Hurricanes?

They are definitely in the same boat. The goaltenders typically get #1 or anything in the #30’s, although Logan Koopmans did wear #29 for a season. The skaters get everything else.

But there have been a few exceptions to the rule.

Defenseman Andy Thompson wore #39 for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons. The tough guy picked up 39 points and 291 penalty minutes in 107 games.

Many Canes This Week listeners will remember Stuart Skinner. I’m not exactly sure why, but the netminder wore #74 in junior. I thought it’d be cool if he kept that number all the way up to pro. Instead, he’s worn #34 in Bakersfield and is listed as #50 with the Edmonton Oilers.

When Chris Phillips landed in Lethbridge after that massivetrade with Prince Albert, he had to change his number. It appears he wore #7 with the Raiders, but when he was moved to Lethbridge, that number was taken by Kirby Law. So just like Paul Coffey when he went to Pittsburgh, Phillips added another 7 and became #77.

And finally, Jeremy Jackson channeled his inner-Connor McDavid in his time with the Hurricanes. Wearing #97, Jackson picked up 150 points in 100 games for the Hurricanes over two seasons.

Interestingly, a couple of other jersey numbers stand out as you go through the all-time list.

Only one player has worn #34 for the Hurricanes and that was Kevin Opsahl. The netminder played in 35 games for the Hurricanes in 2005-2006.

And only one player also suited up with the #13 on the back and arms of the jersey. Ivan Vologzaninov was a pure point-getter for the Hurricanes between 1992 and 1994, picking up 198 points in 136 games. A draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, he went overseas after a couple of seasons in the ECHL.

All this talk about jersey numbers has me wondering a bit: will we ever see a day where oddball numbers become just as frequent in the WHL as they are in the NHL?

For a full rundown of all Lethbridge Hurricanes by jersey number, you can click this link.