Ex-Cat seeks better Memorial Cup result
Two years later, Jean-Philip Chabot is returning to the scene of his greatest heartbreak.
The Gatineau Olympiques captain has a sense of unfinished business as he prepares for battle in the 2008 Memorial Cup, which opens on Friday in Kitchener, Ont. He was with the Moncton Wildcats when they fell 6-2 to the Quebec Remparts in the 2006 Memorial Cup final at the Moncton Coliseum.
"I remember the pain we felt in Moncton after that game," he said. "It was total silence in the dressing room. There were no words being spoken. Everyone had tears in their eyes. We were so close and missed our chance.
"We all had regrets about things we did or didn't do. I don't want to experience that feeling again. For sure, that's an extra motivation for me to win it this time."
Chabot has captured two championships during his three-year career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
He was a 17-year-old rookie when he hoisted the President's Cup with Moncton in 2005-06. The Wildcats defeated Quebec in a six-game series and clinched the title in front of a noisy sellout crowd at the Moncton Coliseum.
The 19-year-old centre got to relive the thrill when Gatineau posted a 7-3 road win last Friday night to defeat the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in a five-game series. Rouyn-Noranda finished first overall in the league during the regular season.
"My two championship experiences are really different," he said. "I think it's even more special to have won this year because we weren't considered the favourite and we had a lot of injuries. We had a lot of adversity to overcome.
"In Moncton, everyone knew that we were hosting the Memorial Cup so everyone expected us to have a great team. This season in Gatineau we caused a surprise. Not many people included us in the conversation when they were talking about the top four clubs in the league."
Gatineau will face the host Kitchener Rangers on Friday night in the opening game of the 2008 Memorial Cup.
The Belleville Bulls and Spokane Chiefs, who round out the four-team tournament, will clash on Saturday. Spokane is the Western Hockey League champion while Kitchener defeated Belleville in an Ontario Hockey League final that went the seven-game limit.
Chabot was Gatineau's fourth-leading scorer this season with 38 goals and 57 points in 70 games. He followed up with a clutch performance in the playoffs by notching 22 points, including 14 goals, in 19 contests.
Moncton selected Chabot in the third round of the 2004 QMJHL draft. He was the player to be named later in the trade that allowed the Wildcats to acquire star defenceman Keith Yandle's rights from Gatineau when they were building for the 2006 Memorial Cup.
"I have a more important role on the team this season in Gatineau than I had in Moncton," he said. "I'm on the top two lines, the power play and penalty kill. I have more responsibility now being a third-year veteran."
Gatineau posted a 12-3 playoff record en route to capturing its seventh QMJHL championship. The Olympiques are currently on a run that includes three President's Cups in six seasons.
"There's a great tradition with the Olympiques," said Chabot. "It's always fun to be part of a winning organization. I had the opportunity to be part of the Wildcats and the Olympiques in two big seasons so I feel fortunate."
Chabot and former Quebec defenceman Joey Ryan are the only Gatineau players with Memorial Cup experience.
"I'm going there knowing what to expect this time," said Chabot. "It's not just what happens on the ice at the Memorial Cup. I've lived through all the stress and hype that surrounds the tournament with all the media and the fans.
"I'm going to tell my teammates to stay focused on the game and don't get caught up in all the activity around the tournament. We can't let ourselves be impressed by the other teams. Just focus on playing our type of game. We were the host team in Moncton and this time we're playing on the road so that's going to be different for me."
Meanwhile, there are six former Moncton QMJHL players still battling for a championship in the professional ranks. The only one in the NHL playoffs is Patrick Thoresen of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Two former Wildcats are chasing the Calder Cup in the American Hockey League playoffs.
Portland Pirates goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin leads his club into Game 1 of the league semifinal tonight against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Rockford IceHogs goalie Corey Crawford was looking for a semifinal berth when his club met the Chicago Wolves in Game 7 last night.
Three former Wildcats are vying for the Kelly Cup in the East Coast Hockey League playoffs.
The Utah Grizzlies trailed the Las Vegas Wranglers 1-0 entering Game 2 of the league semifinal last night. Utah's roster includes Christian Gaudet of Memramcook, James Sanford of Alma and Andrew MacDonald.
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