AIR CANADA CUP
With the prestige of winning the Atlantic title came the honour of representing the region at the Air Canada Cup national championship in Prince Albert, Sask.
At the time, the Jeans Experts were only the second team from Cape Breton to ever play in the tournament.
Before the birth of the Atlantic championship, each provincial champion qualified for the Canadian tournament.
Before the Jeans Experts, the last team to make it to the event was the 1981 Cape Breton Colonels, who won bronze. That team included players like Fabian Joseph, Jackie MacKeigan, Jean Marc MacKenzie and Phillip David.
The Jeans Experts — now known as the Sydney Mitsubishi Rush — posted a 1-4-0 record at the Air Canada Cup that season.
Cape Breton opened the tournament with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the host Prince Albert Mintos. The team later posted losses to the Ste-Foy Gouverneurs of Quebec 9-3, Regina Pat Canadians of Saskatchewan 10-0, and the Calgary Flames of Alberta 4-1.
The club’s only win came against Ontario’s Sault Ste. Marie North Stars 5-4. Unfortunately, Cape Breton didn’t advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
“We weren’t as successful as we would have liked to be, but it wasn’t because of the lack of effort that the guys had – we were a little outmatched out west,” said Gouthro. “We wanted to make the most of it and as a group be able to experience it and we did.”
Now, during the offseason, Gouthro coaches St. Louis Blues prospect Colten Ellis, who in 2017 made history with the Cape Breton West Islanders, a team that became the first from Atlantic Canada to ever win the now Telus Cup national under-18 tournament.
“He brings it up quite often that he won it and I didn’t,” laughed Gouthro.
“It’s one of those things where they had an unbelievable goaltender in Colten, but they had a hard-working group and it goes to show young players around here that if you all work as a team and gel together anything can happen.”
Despite it being 25 years since the Jeans Experts won the Atlantic title, Gouthro said the memories have never faded.
“It really makes you feel old when you realize it’s been that long,” he said. “We were chatting on a group text the other day and we can’t believe it’s been that long because we remember it like it was yesterday.”
The Telus Cup national under-18 tournament will be hosted by the Sydney Mitsubishi Rush in Membertou this month. The tournament runs April 22-28 at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.