ShareMAJOR BANTAM WILD TEAM ADVANCES TO PLAYOFF FINALS
2012-02-22
(Photo courtesy of Trish Paupst)
For the 2nd straight season, the Eastern Ontario Wild’s Bantam Team is advancing to the OEMHL-AAA Playoff Finals. With the exact same 17 player roster from last season, this Wild team, who repeated a similar successful season as last season, is praying that the Hockey Gods are on their side this year.Last season, when the OEMHL-AAA Bantam convenor, Mr Gerry Sommerville, presented the Team with the Lockie Hendsbee Memorial Cup as the Minor Bantam AAA League Champions, all of the players took the opportunity to pose with the Trophy for pictures. After all, the players recognized that they could not repeat their Minor Bantam hockey playing days and they wanted to cherish the memory of a very successful season.
After being upset in last season’s playoff finals, the Team who is not typically superstitious did not want history to be exactly repeated.
On February 11, 2012 following the Team’s Semi-Final Playoff game against the Ottawa 67s, Mr. Sommerville presented the Team with the Morris Venne Cup as the OEMHL-AAA Major Bantam AAA League Champions. During Mr. Sommerville’s presentation, he issued his congratulations to the Team as this is the 1st time since the inception of AAA hockey in the Nation’s Capital has a team been crowned back-to-back league champion at the Bantam levels. Following his presentation, Mr. Sommerville chuckled as he was left standing on the ice with the trophy still in hand as all of the players refused to touch/accept the trophy.
It soon became clear to everyone in attendance that the players were following a superstition that is prevalent among many of today's NHL players whereby no player either touches or hoists the Wales (Eastern Conference champion) or Clarence S. Campbell (Western Conference champion) Trophies after they have won the conference playoffs.
The Team did take the opportunity to pose with the Trophy; however, it had to be transported by the team’s manager, Mr. JP Sabourin, as the players also refused that the coaches, Steve Malette and Brian Gillam, touch the Trophy.
After defeating the Ottawa 67s 7-3 in points (in a 1st to 7pt series), the Wild will face the winner of the other semi-final series between the Ottawa Valley Titans and the Ottawa Jr. Senators. Despite who the Wild will face in the finals, either opponent will provide the spectators with a very entertaining playoff final!
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