Second chance finally arrives for Regina
Veteran players confident host team has the horses to win Memorial Cup
After 30-plus years in coaching, John Paddock’s stamina isn’t in doubt.
However, the tireless leader of the Regina Pats doesn’t mind admitting that the road to the 100th Memorial Cup has presented one uphill battle after another.
“It’s one of those things that has been more challenging than you imagined,” said the Pats’ head coach and general manager. “You knew it was going to be different. (Several coaches and GMs) told me that. Dave (Struch) told me that. Kelly McCrimmon told me that. Brent Sutter told me that. Pete Anholt told me that. You can listen, but until you experience it, you don’t know.
“Each year has its challenges. This is just a different level.”
Former Pats GM Brent Parker reached the same conclusion 17 years ago, which was the last time Regina hosted the Memorial Cup. The 2001 CHL championship was considered a huge success, but the responsibility of hosting it was just as exhausting as it was exhilarating.
“You don’t have any idea what you’re in for until you’re in the middle of it,” said Parker. “It’s an all-consuming thing and you’re always evaluating your team. On top of that, you’re trying to make sure you put on an event that the city was going to be proud of and that the (CHL) was going to be proud of.”
The Pats’ new regime hopes to raise the bar by throwing the party of the century.
When the tournament begins on Friday night, it will be the culmination of a 21-month journey that began in August of 2016 when Regina’s brass decided to pursue the centennial event.
It was a natural complement to the club’s own 100th anniversary, but there were also some obvious challenges, including the fact that Regina’s lineup was set up to peak a year before the 100th Memorial Cup. It resulted in quite a balancing act for Paddock, whose task was further complicated by a delay in the Memorial Cup selection process that pushed it beyond the trade deadline.
Paddock took a chance that his team’s bid would succeed, bypassing cheaper short-term acquisitions in favour of players with at least two years of junior eligibility remaining. That included star defenceman Josh Mahura, whose acquisition from the Red Deer Rebels cost a pretty penny.
The gamble paid off when Regina was awarded the 2018 Memorial Cup, beating out Hamilton and Oshawa, Ont.
However, the Pats fell two wins short of their other objective, losing to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the league final.
“We were good enough last year. We believe we would have won if we didn’t have injuries,” said Paddock. “We were trying to win last year while keeping a little bit of an eye for the next year. If we won the bid, we would deal with that after, which is sort of what happened.”
After graduating several highend players, Paddock went back to work right after the league final in hopes of upgrading his roster. He swung a deal with the Medicine Hat Tigers just eight days later for overage centre Matt Bradley — the first of 15 trades prior to the trade deadline on Jan. 10.
Paddock had hoped to get away with fewer moves, but his hand was forced when Regina struggled through the first half, hovering around the .500 mark.
Paddock had also expected to get overage forward Austin Wagner back from off-season shoulder surgery, but the Los Angeles Kings elected to keep him in their system, creating yet another hole in Regina’s flawed lineup.
The Pats paid a heavy price to fill those holes, but they ended up with an elite team that compiled the second-best record in the league after Jan. 10, finishing 40-25-6-1 overall.
Their reward was a first-round playoff series against the Swift Current Broncos, who boasted the WHL’s No. 2 record (48-17-52). The clubs went back and forth in a true heavyweight tilt before Swift Current advanced thanks to a slim 3-2 decision in Game 7.
The Broncos went on to win three more series en route to the WHL title while Regina spent about five weeks on hold, trying to make the best of a difficult situation.
“One of the things we emphasized to the guys to start with was, ‘ We have a chance to be healthy, we have a chance to be in better condition than any team, and we’re playing at home, which nobody else can say. Let’s focus and feed off those three things,’ ” said Paddock. “It’s challenging in different ways, but it’s challenging for every team (to reach the Memorial Cup). We’re excited about it. We’re going to put our best foot forward.”
The Pats believe their deep and talented veteran-laden group stacks up favourably against the three CHL champions that won their way to Regina: The Broncos, Hamilton Bulldogs and AcadieBathurst Titan.
They’ll have a chance to prove it on Friday night against Hamilton.
“John did a great job of getting the right team for us,” said Mahura. “Honestly, we feel like we have the guys in the locker-room (to win). Once the second half (of the season) came, we started to really gel as a team. We haven’t lost that and we’ve gotten better over this time together. Every guy has been so committed. We want to win. That’s why we’re here.”
Given their disappointing firstround exit, the Pats will be expected to show some kind of return in the Memorial Cup for their substantial investment at the trade deadline.
That said, the pressure is nothing new for a team that’s been under the microscope all season due to its automatic berth in the Memorial Cup.
“There’s pressure, but we might have felt it a little bit more at the start of the year,” said captain Sam Steel. “As things went on, we grew together, and just realized it’s hockey. Unfortunately, we went out earlier than we had hoped, but we have a second chance. It’s an unbelievable opportunity.”
We have a chance to be healthy, we have a chance to be in better condition than any team, and we’re playing at home.