‘PROUD TO BE A PAT’
Steel’s MVP nod bittersweet
Sam Steel’s final on-ice duty as the captain of the Regina Pats was to join CHL president David Branch for an obligatory presentation of the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP.
The award placed Steel in elite company alongside previous winners such as Dale Hawerchuk, Scott Niedermayer, Brad Richards, Corey Perry, Taylor Hall and Nathan MacKinnon.
The difference was, each of those players got to celebrate with their teammates after receiving the Memorial Cup trophy as national champions.
In this case, the MVP award was of little consolation following a 3-0 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in Sunday’s championship final at the Brandt Centre.
Under the circumstances, Steel couldn’t even force a smile as he posed for pictures at centre ice while his teammates sat quietly in a tear-soaked dressing room.
“I guess it’s good (to win the award), but I’d trade it 10 times out of 10 for a Memorial Cup,” said Steel, who believes he’ll ultimately look back fondly on the experience — just not right away.
“We were riding a high there, playing great hockey in front of great fans. Now it obviously feels terrible when you lose, but I’m sure looking back at it down the road, it was great to be a part of.”
Even in defeat, some of Steel’s first thoughts were of his teammates and everything they endured this season. He couldn’t help but think back to their five-week training camp after a devastating first-round playoff loss to the Swift Current Broncos, who went on to win the WHL title.
The Pats had hoped to enter the Memorial Cup through the front door instead of relying on their automatic berth. The club’s firstround playoff loss invited skepticism about its ability to compete with three battle-tested champions, but the host team proved a worthy opponent.
“(It’s an) unbelievable group of guys,” offered Steel, who was among the few homegrown players on a team that was mostly assembled prior to the trade deadline.
“Even when we lost out (in the playoffs) and we were going through the training process, there was not one guy who complained. I think it showed this tournament. We made each other proud, for sure. I couldn’t be happier with the group of guys. I’m going to talk to these guys for a long time.”
After a 45-day layoff, the Pats silenced a lot of doubters when they posted a 4-2 record at the Memorial Cup. They eliminated the WHL-champion Broncos and OHL-champion Hamilton Bulldogs but couldn’t quite solve the QMJHL champs, who handed Regina its only two losses of the tournament.
“They’re a fast team,” noted Steel, who was still trying to reconcile the outcome. “It’s tough to process right now. It was a onegoal game for most of the game, and we had our chances, but we just came up a little short.”
The loss ended Steel’s memorable five-year career with the Pats, who selected him second overall in the 2013 bantam draft. He became the face of the franchise and one of the few top prospects to fulfil every bit of his potential and more, finishing among the top 10 scorers in franchise history (338 points in 258 games).
Some of the highlights include being selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round (30th overall) of the 2016 NHL draft. He led the league last season with 131 points (including 50 goals) en route to winning the WHL player-of-the-year award. He also helped Canada win gold this year at the world junior championship.
Steel completed his junior journey on Sunday when he was named Memorial Cup MVP after leading the tournament with 13 points — three short of a record. Steel received a huge ovation as he waved to the crowd and headed back to the bench, disappearing down a dark tunnel toward Regina’s dressing room for the last time.
“It has been unbelievable,” Steel said of his time in Regina. “Since the day I was drafted, it was great to be a part of the city. I couldn’t ask for anything more. They’ve given me everything throughout my junior career.
“I’m just really proud to be a Pat.”
We made each other proud, for sure. I couldn’t be happier with the group of guys. I’m going to talk to these guys for a long time