Giant lose bid to host 2016 Memorial Cup to Rebels
The Vancouver Giants finished second Wednesday in a two- horse race to be named host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup.
Western Hockey League governors awarded the 2016 major junior championship to the Red Deer Rebels, the club owned and operated by Brent Sutter, in a secret- ballot vote at league meetings in Calgary.
The Giants captured their only Memorial Cup as host team in 2007. The Rebels have never hosted the event. Nor has any team from Alberta since 1974.
“We’re disappointed, we went in this to win it,” said Ron Toigo, the Giants’ majority owner. “I think the fact Brent hadn’t had it before, and we did, was probably the deciding factor. Red Deer will do a great job for the league and it will be a great event, but we would have liked to have it back in Vancouver. We’ll take another run at it some other day, I guess.
“We haven’t lost too many of these things and it’s not something we’re used to — or that we want to get used to.”
Since joining the WHL in 2001, the Giants have played host to the Top Prospects Game in 2005, the World Junior Championship in 2006 and the Memorial Cup in 2007.
“The organization is in good shape to go after more events, so we’ll start going down that path,” Toigo added. “We’ll look at the world juniors, the Top Prospects Game, all those things.”
Meanwhile, on the ice, the Giants will carry a 4- 2 record into Prince George for games Friday and Saturday riding the hot offensive hand of Carter Popoff.
The 19- year- old centre from Richmond has six goals and nine points in the early going.
The nine points might not be a surprise given Popoff collected 64 markers last season. It’s the six goals in six games that are eye- catching. Last season, he scored just 13 times.
Popoff was the Giants’ version of Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin: Pass first, pass second, pass third and then maybe shoot.
“Last year, I found when I got to good scoring areas, I was kind of looking to pass the puck off but this year, when I’m getting there, I’m just letting it rip and things are working out,” Popoff said. “I think this year I just have more of a scoring mentality.
“It’s a mindset where you believe that when you have a chance to score, you can score. So I’m just going to kind of ride it out right now and I’ll take it wherever it goes.”
This is Popoff’s third season in the WHL and his early goalscoring touch may simply be the byproduct of being a year older and a year wiser.
Or perhaps it’s being part of new coach Troy Ward’s greater emphasis on puck possession. Based on Wednesday’s league stats, Popoff was tied for second in goals scored behind only Tyson Baillie of Kelowna, who had eight.
“In the offensive zone, every team kind of plays the same. I mean, you use your creativity, right?” said Popoff, listed at 5- 9 and 178 pounds. “So maybe under Troy’s system, I’ve had more speed when I’m carrying the puck through the neutral zone and I’ve been able to maybe get in a better scoring area so that way, yeah, there’s a difference.”