The Hockey News - Greatest Games (USA)
1990 OSHAWA VS. KITCHENER
‘IT. IS. OVER!’
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Turned out he was wrong. NdeoltivoenrleyddaidmBaragtnhifwicaeintet plearyf,ohreimnaonnce oafntdhewgarseatceesnttMraelmfiogruirael CHuisptofriynaslhogwams tehse e1v9e8r9-p9l0ayCead-. cnamdieandoHwoncktoeya Lbeaattglueebestewaesoen two OHL rivals in a game played dBerouutRbathlneegrOeerTsist–omocnurecohwt,hnmatuarcewhqiumninroerdre. to Tthoiscsotomrpy.letely comprehend ltihttele1b9a9c0kMgreomunodriiasl nCeucpesfisnaarly,. a whTehreis tshteorOyHsLtaMrtsarilnboTrorsonhtaod, been losing money hand over ftihset fobrleseedvienrga,l soewansoenr sh. iTpo stoolpd t1o9a89grofourp afrormepHoratmeditlhtoencluinb C$5o0p0p,s00C0o.lisTehuemn, eaw17h,o3m83e-sweast 1w9h8it5e ienletphheanhtotpheast ofpeantterdacitning an NHL franchise. The team Hwams ilrteona. med the Dukes of
The 1990 Memorial Cup tHoaumrnilatmone.nTthewCaHs Lahwaadrdveisdiontos folfocmkionngsttoerthecrroiwnkdsto osfeelothcaelisr tnheewlMyecmrowrianledCuDpu. kTehsergeowfoasr wonelrye aobnyesmpraol.blem: the Dukes oDfuIkptelwascaeswaaopsupladarpebanertteiucaitrptleayrnlotyninothuaet touprfnoaumr etneat mrsesienrvmeadjorfojruntihoer hockey – they ended up finissthanindginlgastwoitvheralrleicnortdheofO1H1L49-6. Midway through the year, ethvenDt,uakneds tbhoewCeHdL oauntnooufnctehde the tournament hosts would be replaced by the team that lost in tohebOeHtLhefinRaln.gTehrastftoullronwedinoguat hard-fought seven-game loss to KthietchGenerahlasd, aheseldriaes3-i1n lweahdic. h strSaoightht eagGaeinesrtalKsitwchoennethrretoe capture the OHL title, then beat dionufdeltohiunebtlhMeeoepvmeroerltihmeieRniaannryagetrriotsau5nn-id4c r3i-a0l-C0urpe.coOrsdhainwtahehapdrealimpeirnfaercyt round, while Kitchener was 2-1T-h0e. QMJHL-champion Laval Titan managed one win in three
preliminary games, while the Bthlaztelrist,uaphtihghe-WscoHrLKinagmblouonpchs fwlaitmheadleoaugtuaet-0le-a3d-0in. g 484 goals,
Oh, one more significant nCuotpe atobuoruntatmhe n1t9:90it Mfeamtuoreiadl oLuindd17ro-ys,eara-ol6d-foporto-d5i,gy22E5r-ipc rthepeorsteatsoontheafStearultreSftues.inMgartioe G1roeGvyoehirnoagullnidnstto,hwethh1oe98tfo9inoOaklH,hLaimdorNnafeot-. mgaamrbelesh, otwhedopwanrticfiopranatlsl htahde ma digifhfteruennftolvdi.sion of how things
ANY ONE ONE OF THOSE GAMES AGAINST THEM COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY – Mike Torchia, Kitchener goalie
Actually, we liked playing
RICK CORNACCHIA: (Oshawa
against them, but like anything
coach)
else, how many times can you wbeoartrtyh. Kemitc?hTehnaetrwaassoauvrebriyg ginoosedvteenamga.mFoers uins thoebOeaHtLthfienmal aotvtehreatinmdetwheinth(tghoetmo)dtowuibcle aMbeomutorhioawl Cguopotdeltlhseyyowu earleo.t gTYoohuoedygecwtlueubrse.eMadigtkoeopTdloacrylciunhbgi,aatihnveenmrey.t
ERIC LINDROS: (Oshawa center)
dweaespfalinteauspti.c. They had a deep,
JASON YORK: (Kitchener defenseman)
We sure knew each other well. Wcaeusweawnteewd atontpeldaytothbemat, tbhee-m. bTeheintethame ftinhalt was Ksuapmplosoepds.to Tcohcekyyc. Wamheninwaendgowt etorepsloay Oshtoiamwpelaatyoagtwhaieinm,. wIategwafaeinslt,laitknewd, a“nsWooweugrweet can beat them.” tIuthrnoutoghwtienv.eArnyygoanmeeowf tahsoosuer
MIKE TORCHIA: (Kitchener goalie)
cgoaumldeshwaveepglaoynedeaitghaeinr swt atyh.eImt wthaesrea tbhraetawk ahsertheeodr iaffberoeunccee. bWoeuwnceeretojugsot owuaritwinagy.for a
You never like to say it out
JOE MCDONNELL: (Kitchener
wliot auwydafsboutritma, yceehfsao,nrwgteeh.irnTeghaslelytgoadgmidoefoseuerl
coach)
bweerrehasdo tbolocodmyeculops.eY,ou rthniunmk - tourynotuorsweilnf,.”“It’s got to be our
The Generals hit a speed bump before the final. Right winger Mike Craig, their leading scorer in the preliminary round, injured fhoisr ftohoet cahnadmwpaiosnusnhaipblegatmo ed.reInssstead, he stood solemnly behind the bench leaning on crutches. Craig had a hat trick in Oshawa’s asegcaoinnsdt gKaammelooofptshaentdoutrhneanmheandt three points against Kitchener. Losing such a star was a jolt to Oshawa.
He played in the NHL the year after, so how
CORNACCHIA:
gowofaoasdpitlwatyhaesrerh.wTe?hoHeurebifwgirgasestsaltinhtheeilonl ugt of sorts. He had been skating wsoitwheLhinadrtoos jaungdglIeaitnhiFnrgass.eWr,e needed to find a combination ftihnadt iwt ofarskte. d, and we needed to
Having a phenom like Lindros boosted the Generals’ chances, especially when he came in and supplied 17 goals and 36 points in 25 regular-season games, then added 18 goals and 36 points in 17 playoff games. It was as though he was showing exponential growth every week. Truth cbaerrtieodldO, sthhaowuaghfr,otmhestadrutototfihna-t pTishihcektsthwwaoteNrseeetawhseoYnoGrekwnIaesslraaFnlsrd’aeosrveser,drartaghfeet team’s captain, and Brent Grieve. players. They had a long history together, having played on the same team since they were kids.
IfraoinmFpraeseewreweatshrmoyugchenmteyr
BRENT GRIEVE: (Oshawa left winger)
sfiirosntatlhhreoeckyeya.rTshoef tprruotfheso-f the mteamtteirnisSpthrienIgsfliaenld ewrass’ AvHerLy strong that season. If it hadn’t been that strong, we probably would have played in the AHL. odInfosuotsresastdceo,pwroeedf gt4he0et dgGoreoanplespr, easdols.woBneo’trthehe bringing 80 goals to the table.
Iain Fraser didn’t wcaarnetaebdotuotwaniny.tFhrinomg –Dhaeyj1ust
LINDROS:
when I arrived in Oshawa, he was fantastic.
Fraser was caawpetsaoinmaen. dHeulwtiamsattheeleualtdimera. Htee
BRATHWAITE:
led by example.
While Cornacchia juggled his tlihneesddecuirsiinvge tghaemfier,stdepsepreioradteolyf searching for a replacement for Craig on Oshawa’s top line, the Rangers jumped out to a 1-0 lead on York’s power-play goal at 13:26. York, who wound up playGinegn7e5ra7lsganmeetsmiinndtheer NKHeLv,inscoBruetdt on a slapshot from the point after had been penalized for shooting the puck over the glass.
In junior, I had a good slapper, and they used me on
YORK:
hthaedpaobinigt onet-hteimpeorw. er play. I
The first period ended 1-1 after Oshawa’s Cory Banika skated around Kitchener D-man Cory Keenan and tied it at 14:58, beating Torchia with a backhand. At 9:38 of the second, the game took a dramatic turn. It started when Kitchener center Joey St. Aubin, who was 10th in OHL scoring during the regular season with 104 points in 66 games, connected on the power play. His slapshot from a sharp angle careened in off Butt’s ankle.
The shot injured Butt and forced him out of the game. Suddenly, all eyes were on Oshawa backup goalie Brathwaite, who joined the team in January after the team’s previous backup, Mike Lenarduzzi, was traded to the Greyhounds as part of the Lindros deal. Brathwaite hadn’t played since a short relief effort back in the first round of the OHL playoffs against Cornwall. IJtOoEoYk Sa Tlo. wAUsBlaIpNs:h(oKittcthhenaetr cheintter) Butt in the ankle, and suddenly he’s out of the game. I
remember thinking, “This is the tipping point. We’re going to put them away.”
I sure never expected I would get thrown in, BRATHWAITE: watacshiancgstuoaIllwyaqsupitreeettnyjoloyoinsge.wI the game from the bench. I was etfannkcsien. gIanwitdaasjlulesintjhoaaynpidnpgwytaIhtdecihdeixnnp’gtetrhi-e ohnavtehetoicpelaayn. dI sIawaKs ethvinklyiningg ItP’omlemarsyeesaegdleyf,tf“uoHpro!tlhIyidscoryanep’t!.”kGneotwupif!
Honestly, we Ftwhreerduedtrmyi.doisntgcBountftid, beuntcewienhad CORNACCHIA: sTiOnRceCHIwIAa:sI1h0a,daknndoIwhnadFrpeladydeyd Fasagryeadiintd,sybt iuhntitmIottfhohoreuygeahamtrbse.rwIinhagasitnaegto tshtepGienntehrealrsi.gIhthdoiuregchttiohne for wgshoaoasuliaeldgtroheabavetegbioneaewlineit.th.eFiresdtadryting Kitchener takes a 2-1 lead,
STEPHEN WALKOM: (referee)
gaanmd eO.sYhoauw’rae’sthgionaklienglealvletshethe momentum is with the Rangethres,Gbeuntearsatlhs ejugsatmdoeng’ot elestounp,.
You’re always worried
BILL ARMSTRONG: (Oshawa about how a kid will
defenseman)
respond in such a pressure situation. Then a few minutes af2te-ornh-e1g, aonesdiFnr,eKdidtcyhmenaekregsets an unbelievable save. After the play stopped, I kind of looped around back toward our net, and there’s Freddy singing ianlogntghrtoutghhe tshoengartehnaat’sissboluanr-d
I WAS ACTUALLY QUITE ENJOYING
WATCHING THE GAME FROM THE BENCH. I WAS TAKING IT ALL IN – Fred Brathwaite, Oshawa goalie
Lindros was a 17-year-old wrecking machine at the 1990 Memorial Cup, already tipping the scales at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds.
sfoyrstaebmo.uHt efi’vsebmeeinuintetsh, eande this stuff just doesn’t faze him. You wtherfearcet ahlelywcaosmnfort tnaebrlveowuist.hHe was there to play.
The loss of Butt did not take the wind out of Oshawa’s sails. Cornacchia solved his top-line issue with Grieve. He became the left winger on the line with Lindros at center and Fraser, a natural center, on right wing.
I knew everything Fraser was doing because we
GRIEVE:
h(loCanodgrp.nAlaatcycoehndieat)op,go“eYintohtu,e’Irdsfbaoierdtstteor put mwheawt’isthgoIaining,tboehcapupse nth.”iSsuisre leinoeu, Igshc,oarsestohoentaysinIgggootaolnanthdat then another to put us ahead.
Grieve tied the game 2-2 at 18:15 of the second period, scooping a rebound from in tight and firing it high past Torchia. Lindros and Fraser earned assists. The trio struck again at 3:47 of the third period when, after applying pressure in the Rangers’ zone, Grieve connected on a backhander from the slot. Once again, Lindros and Fraser earned assists on the play. A goal by Kitchener’s Gilbert Dionne, younger brother of Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, at 4:37 of the third was the only one Brathwaite allowed. It was Kitchener’s third straight power-play goal of the game.
There’s no question Grieve and Fraser were delighted to be reunited. They were especially motivated after having played on the powerful Oshawa team that made it to the 1987 Memorial Cup final, where they were stunned 6-2 by the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. The ’87 tournament was held in Oshawa, which made losing that much worse. 5-3 in theWperebleimatiMnaerdyicrionuenHd,at GRIEVE:
then we met up with a different Tigers team in the final. You don’t know what you’re going tforgaent,ystohiynogu. ’d better be ready FraNsoewr a, nthdretheeyreeasrtsolaf ttehre, GGreineveer-, als found themselves in a similar bsietuaatetinoinnatghaeiOnsHtLafitenaaml atnhdeiynhtahde past four games. The first overtime period was off-the-scale exciting, with Oshawa outshooting Kitchener 19-11.
With thirty total shots on goal in the first overtime period, it truly was a goaltenders’ battle. While much of the focus was on Brathwaite, the reliever, Kitchener starter Torchia also performed phenomenally. He had been sent was playing his 37th consecutive game, going toe-to-toe with the Generals.
tpiece. Awlewea.ysTwoarsc,heiavewnabsafcakntians
LINDROS:
•••
A big pillar on defense at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Bill Armstrong wasn’t particularly skilled, but he used his size and physicality to keep opponents in line. His career stat line in the OHL reads: 191 games, four goals, 347 penalty minutes. You get the picture. A year earlier, Armstrong was in his office – you know, the one patrons need to borrow a key to use – at his gasstation job when he got some good news.
It was May, and I was coming off a lousy season
ARMSTRONG:
with the Toronto Marlboros. Our franchise had shifted to
bHwaahtmahtrilotto mnex, apantedcwtI.oIdrkwid,ansn’tidnkInthoew opened up Sun.
There it was, a story about the
The Toronto
H19a9m0ilMtoenmDourkiaelsChuops.tIinwgatshleike, “bOehliemvey tghoids! IC’mangyooinugfrtiockpilna’y in the Memorial Cup!”
The Dukes’ ugly record resulted in Armstrong getting traded, even though he was their captain. He wound up with the Niagara Falls Thunder, but that experience lasted all of four games before he was dealt to Oshawa. It was there that his unlikely climb toward glory began. Cornacchia knew right away he had a project.
When we tradefodrfaorgoBaill-,swcoerwere. rWeen’ht alodopklienngty
CORNACCHIA:
otbofigss,kutipollupugophrtfgoruouynrots.nkWitlehl.enHbeeelupdelealdiyneaed his role to perfection.
I always felt like I was walking a tightrope
ARMSTRONG:
wtoitphlanyoinngeftotirnRgiwckh. eHneiwt caasmoen me carllatzhye, btuimt iet. tIut runsed otoutdhrieve whaapsptehneebdetsot tmhein. gHtehmataedveemr e .tIimcoeuwldhny’thuenwdaesrsatcacnodunatatbhle otphvicrekereianlmgl (otnonttmhseel.PaItnheisrlaaIdywienlepgnhtiha4a6tt,
h FlyReircsk) winatshgeoNoHd Labdoruatftp. utting me in a role that was to proavniddebperoatneectfifoecntifvoer deveefernysbiovdey Hpleaywearnwteitdh meytpohpylsaiycalvneartyure. dsiomsptilcekghaamned.liHneg mdraidlles emvery dsianiglyleudnatiyl, IarnedtiIreddid. those drills
Armstrong contributed two goals, 10 points and 115 penalty minutes in 41 games with the Generals and added seven assists and 39 penalty minutes in 17 playoff games.
Following a thrilling first overtime, hockey scribe Bob McKenzie, providing commentary on the TSN broadcast, said, “When pyoeuriogde,tytooutshtearstelcooonkdingovfeorrtitmhee aRutnatlneikgmeeplrytshtheoarodg.”emt atdhee paudckesopuetraotef
During the second OT, the their zone after being hemmed in for a long time, only to have Armstrong pick it off at the blueline. Armstrong immediately snapped a shot toward the Rangers’ net, which hit Kitchener defenseman John Uniac’s stick and changed direction ever so slightly.
I remember that tphlaoyuglihkeI’vitewnaesveyreswteartdchayedeven TORCHIA:
evaidseyoshoof ittf.rAormtshtreopnogintatk, aensdan because we had been in our zone for so long, my plan was tohestpoupctkhteosgheottaawndhissmtleo.thAesr Iknreoacckhtfhoerpitu,cUknoiauct torfiethsetoair. He didn’t get a huge piece of tcheanpgueckthbeudt ijruescttieonnoaugbhitt. oIt umwgaylsytijwmusaitynegtno. Ioltuowgsehastthokeitnhgdraomowfea.onff don’t understanWdhiast, opneeopolfe ARMSTRONG: theizropnlaey. IerksncehweaI tceodualdndgelteft pathlsaeoypehuracidkntatohnbedengaeewut tarraselhzooft,ntbheueiitfrI msoyonshaostIgsohtobtl,oIctkuerdn.eSdoaansd gLainvdercohsaaslewtaoytshjeoikrepslawyietrh. me, saying, “You didn’t even know iwt ewrengtoiin.gItfoloroakleindelickheaynogue.”
The shot is a credit to Rick, ebavteecpraryuacsdteaicywe, eo. Hvweorwrakoneudlodovnheartvhaeagtuapsinla, y pull the puck off the wall, move tlionteh, eanmdidthdelen awloensghtohteitb. Rluiec-k’s bwiagyt,hwineghwadast,osfoinmdeahowwa,ysotomgeet “thItedsoheostno’tnhgaovael.toHbeewaoruoldckseaty., Just get it on net.”
Armstrong was so lucky oscnotrheatthpelaoyv.eOrtfiamllethweingnueyrs, itto’s YORK:
ma baing.,Tsthaeyr-eatw-heoremseodmefaenyseb-ig aonffdenhseivgeegtsutyhseinwtihnantegr.ame,
High above the ice in the press
box, Oshawa native Paul Romanuk was calling the action for the TSN broadcast of the game. When Armstrong scored, Romanuk offered the immortal words, “It. Is. Over!” Romanuk’s call of that goal has been played time and time again on TSN.
I would sometimes PAUL ROMANUK: (TSN playby-play)
sthaiynaktatbhoeuetnwdhoaftaIgwaamneteadndto
stoomryelhinoew. TtiheeitMinetmootrhiealgCaumpe’s gtaianmmdeet,hwehneincittheinwntdaoseddnoosuotbeslxeupdoedvceetnre-dly,. oYof uancaen’dt ipnrge.pare for that type
After Armstrong’s shot went in and his teammates celebrated, Brathwaite raced the length of the ice and offered solace to Torchia, who was hunched over on one knee.
Mike Torchia made so many great saves in BRATHWAITE:
that game. I made a few saves, bwuetreheinwdaosutbhle roevaesrotnimweh. yYowue knew it was going to be a fluke goal that ended it, and unforthuanpaptenlyedfo.rI Mjuisktet,htohuagthist wgohiantg down there to see him was the right thing to do. We still enjoy a friendship to this day. to see me. BSurtew, heatcamloet dofown TORCHIA: pweaonptleeddtong’tetktnhoewgaismhepaulscok out of our net. (laughs) He did absolutely console me, though.
We were two evenly matched teams, and for me, YORK:
Freddy was the reason they won that game.
– Eric Lindros to Bill Armstrong