SHAWINIGAN, Que. – On the morning of Game 1 of the MasterCard Memorial Cup, Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal was treating the tournament opener as just another game on a season-long journey.
“I’m sure all four coaches in this competition are not going to change the routine,” Laxdal said, after putting the Oil Kings through a brief, upbeat workout at the Centre Bionest. “We’re going to stick to our same routine, same pre-game skate, approach it the same way with our meetings.
“It’s not any different from any other game and we’re going to approach it the same way as we prepared for Game 7 against Portland.”
That one worked out well, of course, a 4-1 victory that clinched the Western Hockey League championship and propelled the Oil Kings to their first Memorial Cup in 40 years.
Now the Oil Kings are into tournament play, facing the host Cataractes tonight, the QMJHL champion Saint John Sea Dogs on Monday and the OHL champion London Knights on Tuesday.
Different opponents, unknown opponents largely, but don’t change a thing, said Laxdal.
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“The biggest message is stick to our game plan, stay the course and obviously be who we are and stick to our systems,” Laxdal emphasized. “We’re not going to change for Shawinigan, we’re not going to change for Saint John, we’re not going to change for London, we’re going to stick to our game plan.”
And who is that, exactly, a Montreal-based reporter inquired. “Oh, I can’t tell you that right now. We’ll see after tonight.”
That we will. The first game for all teams is crucial in a short tournament like this. There is little margin for error, and setting a winning tone out of the gate matters hugely.
The Oil Kings are hoping to surf on the momentum they had built up in winning four playoff series. But the Cataractes were knocked out in the second round of the Quebec league playoffs, so they might have to manufacture playoff intensity, with plenty of help from a sellout crowd of close to 5,000 people.
“They’re going to have a lot of energy,” Laxdal said of the Cataractes. “They’ve been off for about a month and obviously they’ve got something to prove, having been eliminated early in the playoffs.
“They’re a very good hockey club. They’re one of the teams that were in the Top 10 all year. They’ve got a lot of talent on their team, a great back end.
“It’s going to be one heck of a game tonight.”
Global’s Dean Millard will be covering the tournament from Quebec from Monday May 21 onward, and will be reporting on location for the duration the Oil Kings are in the running for the Cup.
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