In S60, two new franchises joined the SMJHL, the Great Falls Grizzlies and the Regina Elk. By default they are each overs greatest rivals, having similar experiences in the J throughout their existences. The only time that these teams met in the playoffs was the S66 first round, in which the Elk won in 5 games before losing to Quebec in 6 in round 2. Now, Great Falls did reach the finals in S63, but ran into the totally-not cloning Hamilton’s test system Newfoundland in the finals and predictably lost in 5. If you’re wondering, The Regina/Thunder Bay franchise has never appeared in the 4 star cup finals before, what a shame. Another fuel for the rivalry was the Now Thunder Bay Walleye not taking Mumei back in the S78 draft, allowing the Grizzlies to select Mumei at pick 24. The Walleye chose Chaos Giraffe instead who is still a solid pick, but is almost 20 TPE behind Mumei.
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