TRURO, N.S. — here were 60 teams in the Canadian Hockey League; only two remained.
Halifax Mooseheads and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies would go head-to-head, the Memorial Cup was on the line. The grand
finale took place Monday night in Halifax. You may have been at the game or watching on television.
After trailing 2-0 early in the game, Rouyn-Noranda came storming back like a band of highway robbers. Barnstorming to a 4-2 verdict, they captured the 101st edition of the Memorial Cup, major junior hockey’s top prize.
We’ve heard some interesting comments and views these past 10 days. Watching mostly on television, it was good to attend one game live – Huskies 4 – Mooseheads 3 in the final round-robin game.
A major event for Halifax, the fast, high-calibre hockey was played before huge crowds. With all four teams very close calibre-wise, Prince Albert Raiders, caught my attention early. From a small, northern Saskatchewan city of about 36,000 people, the short tournament format was not good to the Raiders. They were the first team eliminated.
Rouyn-Noranda, winners of The President Cup, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League supremacy, along with Halifax Mooseheads and Guelph Storm, would treat fans across this great nation (and also parts of the United States) to a ‘tremendous’ playoff.
If I may, what a brilliant and exciting play-by-play announcer, this RJ Broadhead. With it being significant that the Memorial Cup came into existence in memory of Canadian soldiers killed in the First World War, this was noted during telecasts and in the tournament’s souvenir program. Something special saw the television commentators wear poppies.
In the first Memorial Cup in 1919, University of Toronto Schools defeated Regina Pats. A couple other tidbits, it’s been 50 years since the QMJHL was formed, 25 years since Halifax Mooseheads arrived on the scene and it was 2013 that the Mooseheads were Memorial Cup champions.
And, something that really touched me was a Truro presence at the Memorial Cup.
Seeing defenceman Jared McIsaac and right-winger Ben Higgins out there playing for the Mooseheads was special. Both players started their hockey journey in Truro, they broke in on local ice surfaces, their early coaches lived somewhere nearby.
McIsaac, now a strapping six-foot-one and 194 pounds, played between 50 and 65 games in regular-season play in each of his last three
seasons with the Mooseheads. Drafted by Detroit Red Wings in the second round of the 2018 NHL entry draft, McIsaac stood out in the
recent world U-20 championships.
Giving an outstanding account of himself during Memorial Cup play, McIsaac has National Hockey League written all over him.
Higgins played two games with the 2015-16 Mooseheads, he played 59 games during 2016-17 and then 65 games in each of the
last two seasons. Playoff experience has been multiplying, he just came through a 25-game grind. Higgins has stepped up so many
aspects of his game, he is very exciting to watch. The five-foot-10, 188-pound forward is wicked fast and he is one very smart
hockey player.
* * * *
David Ross, 70, passed away May 20 in Truro. Ross grew up in Brookfield, he went west during his younger years and worked in the fertilizer industry for 30 years in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. Following retirement, he returned to Truro about 10 years ago.
Ross played his early sports around Brookfield with such serious competitors as Donald Ross (cousin) Randy Roop, Bobby Roop, David “Tub” MacDonald, Greg vanTassell, Gene Retson, Gary “Gig” McCoul, Graham Burrows, Don “Stace” Harvey, Stirling Delaney and others.
Nancy vanTassell, who has a ton of artifacts pertaining to sports in Brookfield, looked back at Ross’s career.
He played both intermediate and senior fastball for Brookfield Elks. At the 1971 Canadian fastball championship, Ross batted .400
with four base hits in 10 at bats. One of those hits was a long home run.
Ross played forward for the Hugh Matheson-coached Truro Bearcats of the APC Junior B Hockey League in 1967-68. He played a second season with the Bearcats in 1968-69. Following his ball and hockey days, he remained active through golf, skiing and biking.
Ross will be remembered as a friendly guy and a good athlete. We extend our sincere sympathy to his close friends and many cousins.
-Lyle Carter’s sports column appears weekly in the Truro News. If you have a story idea, contact him at 902 673-2857.
