Oshawa Generals eliminate Otters, McDavid to claim OHL championship

OSHAWA, Ont. — As the Oshawa Generals skated around the ice passing around J. Ross Robertson Trophy after winning the OHL championship, another trophy sat solitary on the floor of a hallway far from the celebration.

That trophy, belonging to Erie’s Connor McDavid, was awarded moments after the Generals skated to a 6-2 victory in Game 5 of the OHL final. The 18-year-old had been named playoff MVP, but it was little consolation as McDavid’s spectacular junior career came to an end.

“It’s upsetting obviously,” said McDavid. “There’s no other way to put it. It’ll pass. It hurts now but it’ll pass.

“I’m so, so very proud of these guys, of our team. You don’t ever say goodbye, these are lifelong friends and I’ll never forget them.”

Not since Sudbury defenceman Marc Staal in 2007, has a player from a losing side been voted as the playoff’s best. In this case, there was little question who would win the Wayne Gretzky ‘99’ trophy.

In the post-season McDavid scored 21 goals and 28 assists in 20 games, falling just three points short of breaking the OHL’s scoring record of 51 points. He had his chances in Game 5, but couldn’t finish.

The Generals did yeoman’s work to keep Erie’s top line of McDavid, Remi Elie and Alex DeBrincat in check. Using the combination of forwards Cole Cassels, Bradley Latour and Hunter Smith, and the top defensive pairing of Josh Brown and Dakota Mermis, the Generals were able to neutralize McDavid, who had been tearing through the opposition.

“He’s a spectacular player, the best in the world,” Cassels told reporters on the ice after the game. “I was lucky enough to do that with 20 other guys. … (It’s the) hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. We were just containing him in his own zone and making sure he lost the puck and didn’t know where it was going and we were able to capitalize on our opportunities.”

McDavid’s best scoring opportunity came in the third period when he was set free on a breakaway against Oshawa goalie Ken Appleby, who came up with a huge glove save, one of his many big stops on the night.

“I was very nervous, I’m not going to lie,” said Appleby, on facing McDavid one-on-one. “I was very nervous but I just tried to stay with him the best I (could) and fortunately I was able to get a glove on it.”

“I think I jumped about four-feet in the air on that play,” added Brown. “That (save) kept us in it. It was still anyone’s game at that point so that was huge for us.”

Appleby, who turned 20 in April, was passed over at the NHL draft and is still unsigned. But his play in the playoffs – particularly in the final against McDavid and the Otters – should garner some pro attention now that the Generals have punched their ticket to the Memorial Cup in Quebec City starting next Friday.

“Unbelievable,” said Brown of Appleby’s performance. “We wouldn’t be here without Kenny. A guy like that coming in and getting his first real start (this season) as a 95-born, showing everybody he can play. We had faith in him from the beginning and it paid off. He’s a great goalie.”

As one of the OHL’s oldest franchises, the Generals are steeped in history. They are the team of Bobby Orr, Red Tilson, Eric Lindros, Marc Savard and more recently John Tavares. On Friday night, the Generals added to their cannon, having won the title last in 1997.

“We were overlooked because a lot of teams scored more goal than we did,” said Smith. “It takes a lot of people to buy into playing defense like that, a lot of unsung heroes. But at the end of the day, I think they’re happy.”

It’s the first time since 2006 the OHL has crowned a league champion from the Eastern Conference.

“This is huge for the east and putting us back on the map,” said Brown. “Everyone counts out the east saying the west is the best, but this is huge for us, we showed we could beat anybody.”

In fact since 2000 only two Eastern Conference teams – Ottawa (2001) and Peterborough (2006) – have won an OHL title.

“So many people have made fun of the Eastern Conference – that it’s easy,” said Smith. “I don’t think they’re laughing today.”

The Generals will have little time to rest or reflect on their achievements as they’ll have to prepare for the Memorial Cup next week. They’ll face the WHL champion Kelowna Rockets, who swept their final against Brandon, and the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts and Rimouski Oceanic. The Remparts are currently leading their best-of-seven series 3-2, but because they’re hosting the tournament, both teams have advanced.

The Generals will face the Rimouski Oceanic in their Memorial Cup opener next Saturday.

“This is great; we’ll celebrate this,” said Smith. “But tomorrow morning when I get up, we’ve got a harder trophy to win.”