Shawinigan Cataractes coach Eric Veilleux's team had a month to prep for the Memorial Cup (Francis Vachon, The …
Everyone has a plan until they get hit, which segues into why the Shawinigan Cataractes are the wild card at this MasterCard Memorial Cup.
All the talk about how Shawinigan regrouped after exiting during the second round of the QMJHL playoffs will go poof as soon the time the final notes of O Canada fade out on Friday. The Cataractes are a blanker slate than most teams coming into the tourney, since they are the first host in nine seasons which had four weeks off after failing to reach their league's semifinals. The last team which went out so early, the 2003 Quebec Remparts, was the first team ousted from the Memorial Cup. The same went for the Guelph Storm a year earlier. Three years prior to that, the Ottawa 67's provided a lasting beacon when they won the tournament after the long layoff, although they caught some breaks in the tournament.
The history isn't on Shawinigan's side. But this was a very good team in the regular-season, regularly vying with the Saint John Sea Dogs for top spot in BTN's Dynamic Dozen. Coach Éric Veilleux's team allowed the fewest goals in the league despite the lack of a star goalie and despite playing in the Q's high-rent district, the Telus East Division. Their full potential was inhibited by an injury that limited perhaps the best 19-year-old defenceman in junior hockey, Brandon Gormley, to just 16 games since he came west in a trade. It adds up to a team which will enter with far less hype than the three league champs, but could be a tough out. Here's a few items for consideration.
Read More »






