Oil Kings face familiar foe in WHL final.
Only third time league nal has been ever repeated
On the surface, a rematch between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League final was inevitable.
After Edmonton won a thrilling seven-game series in last year’s final, they were the top two teams during the regular season and both had high expectations they would meet once again.
But history hasn’t always smiled favourably on repeat matchups in the final. This is only the third time in league history the same pair of teams have been featured in back-toback seasons.
The last time it happened was 1975-76, when the New Westminster Bruins won consecutive titles over the Saskatoon Blades. The original Oil Kings and Flin Flon Bombers met in the league final for three successive years from 1969-71.
Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal knows how difficult it was for Edmonton in what he called an “outstanding” Eastern Conference final with the Calgary Hitmen.
“That could’ve been the final of the WHL very easily,” he said before the Oil Kings’ flight to Portland on Wednesday afternoon, with the league final starting Friday night at the Rose Garden.
“If you look at Portland’s road, they had to go through some teams out there that are building.
“Two strong organizations and this is Portland’s third time in the final, so it looks pretty solid,” he added. “They’ve done a good job of rebuilding that franchise.”
The Winterhawks are the first team since the Red Deer Rebels in the early 2000s to make it to three league finals in a row.
“For us to get back, it was a lot of work. When you win the championship and it’s supposed to be your year, there’s a lot of internal pressure in the organization and I thought the players have handled it very well,” Laxdal said about the Oil Kings. “There’s no need for motivation. This far in the season, you’ve just got to go out and play your game.
“If you play your best hockey and throw all your chips on the table, you see what
happens and go from there.”
Green, Wruck WHL award winners
Two members of the Oil Kings organization received awards on Wednesday at Calgary — general manager Bob Green was named executive of the year for a second consecutive season, while overage forward Dylan Wruck was chosen the most sportsmanlike player.
Thanks to a career-best 85 points and a measly 14 penaltyminutes,whichwerethe fewest among the WHL’s top 20 scorers, Wruck became the first player in franchise history to earn a year-end individual award.
“(Him) as a 20-year-old, you love to see that,” Green said. “The great thing about Dylan is that he plays a hard game. He’s a smaller guy who has to battle hard against bigger players and he does it within the rules and he does it very effectively.”
As for Green, the only back- to-back hardware he’s worried about is the Ed Chynoweth Cup, which is presented to the league champions.
“Well, if it means the team will win, for sure,” Green said with a laugh when asked if his back-to-back wins could be a good-luck sign for the Oil Kings.
“This award to me is a team award. It shows the great jobs that our scouts do, that (assistant GM) Randy Hansch and our coaches do in developing players. It’s certainly more indicative of that than anything else.”
Oil Kings have 42nd pick in bantam draft
Edmonton’s first pick in Thursday’s WHL bantam draft is 42nd overall, although Green hinted he’s not content to sit around and wait. He might have a move into the second round on his mind.
What is all but guaranteed is that phenomenal South Side Athletic Club product Tyler Benson, the younger brother of Oil Kings forward Cole Benson, will be the No. 1 overall selection.
NOTES: Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos won the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as league MVP ... Winterhawks defencemen Seth Jones, the potential No. 1 draft pick in June’s NHL entry draft, took home rookie of the year honours.