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***Ace*** · 06-23-2021, 09:13 AM

It’s funny how things come full circle. Sitting as the GM of the Anaheim Outlaws today, I was then facing the very team I manage in the Four Star Cup Finals, with one thing on my mind – getting a ring. I was in my third and final season as a starting goaltender with the Kraken. I would go to war with those folks. We were all bought in. We got it all done.

Adam Friedland, goon turned SECRET WEAPON.
Ambacas Cuddles, a one-man wrecking crew.
Ben Van Dijk, a swell guy.
Bobby Bergen, a nobody. Conner Hutton, a man with a future as bright as the sun.
Dwight Knight, future Barracuda star and bachelor extraordinaire.
Jimmy Wagner, perhaps the fastest skater the SMJHL had ever seen.
Keith Lee, a purveyor of fine wrestling moves that somehow didn’t get called on the ice.
Kwame Dakari, one of the most clutch players I’ve shared the ice with.
Linus Grimstad, offensive dynamo.
Panda Panico, literally had bamboo on the bench.
Stan Hanson, all foiled up.
Stein Nilsen, I could never really understand his accent.
Sven Yxskaft, gun for hire, and close friend.
Vincent Wolfe, howlin’ for a Four Star Cup. Great hair on that guy too.
Vitek Vitecek, the Czech sensation with an insatiable thirst for that god damn song.
Zelma Zuntnere, Latvian winger and part-time popstar.
Blunt Man, the greatest backup goaltender the SMJHL may have ever seen.
Frans Eller, the goalie destined to win a ton of IIHF Gold Medals and not much else.

This was the roster that Terry Bradshaw bestowed his blessing on. Praise be to Terry, and Terry be his name. It was on Terry’s coattails that that Kraken roster achieved the impossible. The Kraken finished the regular season that year in 3rd, trailing both the Kelowna Knights and the Newfoundland Berserkers by two points in the standings. They faced a strong St. Louis Scarecrows team in Round 1, and the Kraken emerged victorious in a pivotal Game 7. Carolina was favored in that series, but St. Louis found a way to crack the Kraken defensive structure and nearly stole away a Round 1 win that would have been catastrophic for the Kraken. Carolina didn’t want to make it easy on themselves, and they faced a young and (Clean) Newfoundland Berserkers roster in the semi-finals. It took 7 games once again for the Kraken to wrap their tentacles around their opponents, crushing the life out of them. This series found Carolina in the underdog role, but they got it done. Finally, the path was there and the stage was set for the ultimate tango with the Anaheim Outlaws. The Outlaws were a run and gun roster with offense in spades. It was time for the Kraken to lock it down defensively and bring it across the line. They got it done.

My run with the Kraken was one of the fondest moments I’ve had in my time here on the site. I’ll never forget it, or the people I shared that locker room with.

Approved! +5 TPE @Ace

***sve7en*** · 06-23-2021, 09:45 AM

Not gonna lie, sometimes I forget how much we were up against the wall that postseason. We went to overtime in game 6 facing elimination in St. Louis before that too. 3-0 in elimination games, 5-4 in 1 goal games, and 20 games over the three rounds. What a run.

***Chevy*** · 06-23-2021, 10:19 AM

It was THE BEST SMJHL finals series a person could have wanted.

***sve7en*** · 06-23-2021, 10:21 AM

06-23-2021, 10:19 AMGeekusoid Wrote: It was THE BEST SMJHL finals series a person could have wanted.

:(

***Chevy*** · 06-23-2021, 10:26 AM

06-23-2021, 10:21 AMsve7en Wrote:
06-23-2021, 10:19 AMGeekusoid Wrote: It was THE BEST SMJHL finals series a person could have wanted.

:(

What?

***sve7en*** · 06-23-2021, 10:40 AM

06-23-2021, 10:26 AMGeekusoid Wrote:
06-23-2021, 10:21 AMsve7en Wrote:
:(

What?

Oh I thought you were being sarcastic lol

I didn't like having to beat you to win the cup

***Chevy*** · 06-23-2021, 10:49 AM

06-23-2021, 10:40 AMsve7en Wrote:
06-23-2021, 10:26 AMGeekusoid Wrote: What?

Oh I thought you were being sarcastic lol

I didn't like having to beat you to win the cup

Hell no man.

Was I sad that we didn't win? Sure. What team wouldn't be.

But that series was fire. The back and forth, especially on the tactics and management side of things. I freaking enjoyed the hell out of it. I just wish, 100% that I could get WPG to duplicate that sort of success.

LairdButler · 06-24-2021, 02:27 PM

Good, Good Times!

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