Hockey a family business for some players at WHL Cup

Semifinal action goes at Win Sport Arena as Alberta, Manitoba face off Saturday

While his dad made a living preventing goals, Jack Finley prefers to score them.

Finley did just that on Friday as he tallied a pair of goals to lead Team B.C. to a 6-0 win over Team Saskatchewan on the final day of round-robin action at the 2017 WHL Cup at Win Sport Arena.

“My dad always wanted me to play forward, because he thought I was smart,” said Finley, whose dad, Jeff, played defence in 708 NHL games for six different teams from 1987 to 2004.

After racking up 186 points in 216 games with the WHL’s Portland Winter Hawks, Jeff went on to record 13 goals and 70 assists in his NHL career that ended with a six-year stint playing for the St. Louis Blues.

“In the WHL he was more of a skilled guy, but in the NHL he was more of a defensive defenceman,” said Finley, who was born in St. Louis. “I was about two years old when he retired in the lockout year and we went over to Germany (where Jeff played for the Hannover Scorpions) for a year. He officially retired after that and then we came back to Kelowna.”

Growing up around the game of hockey has paid off for Jack, who was chosen sixth overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.

“It’s been in my life ever since I was a young kid,” said the 6-foot-3, 184-lb. forward, whose dad is now a scout for the Detroit Red Wings. “The love of the game’s always been there. I got to be around the arena a bit, around the dressing rooms, so I’ve seen what they do off the ice. It’s motivated me for sure.”

Team Alberta also features a trio of players — Jake Sanderson, Brayden Morrison and Ridly Greig — whose dads played in the NHL.

While his dad, Geoff, racked up 700 points in 1,104 NHL games as a forward with eight different teams, Sanderson has aspirations of playing professionally as a defenceman.

“Nobody else in my family was a forward,” said Jake, who was chosen in the fourth round, 67th overall, by the Kootenay Ice last May. “I was just trying to switch it up.”

After showing his offensive abilities on Friday with a goal during Alberta’s 4-3 win over Team Manitoba, Jake credited his dad with helping foster his love of the game.

“My dad was a big part of it just growing up and watching him play,” he said. “I’ve always loved the game since I was little.”

With his dad, Brendan, in the stands, Morrison scored the gamewinning goal in the second period of Alberta’s third win in three days.

“He’s been here all tournament cheering me on,” said Morrison, a fifth-round selection (108th overall) of the Everett Silvertips who’s motivated by his dad’s accomplishment of playing 934 NHL games for seven teams. “Most definitely, I’d really like the chance to play pro hockey.”

While he didn’t get to see his dad, Mark, play live, Greig found out another way to see him in action.

“I always watched videos of him,” admitted Greig, who was selected eighth overall by the Brandon Wheat Kings. “He was pretty good so I kind of copied his moves and stuff.”

His father was a high-scoring right winger for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes who went on to play 125 NHL games for four different teams.

In semifinal action on Saturday, Alberta will face Manitoba in the early game (1 p.m.) at Win Sport Arena, while B.C. will take on Saskatchewan later in the afternoon (4:30 p.m.).

Although B.C. lost 6-2 to Alberta on Thursday, Finley believes that he and his teammates have what it takes to win a rematch should both teams advance to Sunday’s gold-medal game (1:30 p.m.).

“I don’t think we played to our capabilities,” Finley said. “We couldn’t get any bounces. I think we can beat them.”