In the WHL, the Eastern Division finals have been set, as the Prince Albert Raiders knocked off the Saskatoon Blades in four straight, and the Medicine Hat Tigers did likewise in eliminating the Calgary Hitmen.
The Western Conference will have to wait just a bit longer, as the Kelowna Rockets, who host the Memorial Cup this season, found a way to squeak by the Everett Silvertips, who still hold a 3-1 lead. Prince George and Penticton will need at least six games, as the Vees mounted a comeback and took two games in Prince George. The battle will see at least one home game each, and if a deciding seventh game is needed, it will be in Penticton. The travel, about eight hours each way, will show in some tired bus legs, especially with games only two days apart. This may change with rule changes next year allowing teams to fly.
The Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference saw a sweep by the Brantford Bulldogs over the North Bay Battalion, and a 2-1 lead by the Barrie Colts over the Ottawa 67’s, with the next four games sandwiched over the next five days. In the Eastern Division, there are a pair of 3-0 leads, with the Kitchener Rangers over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and the Windsor Spitfires over the Flint Firebirds.
The QMJHL saw the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies sweep the Shawinigan Cataractes and now face the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, while Moncton awaits the winner of the Newfoundland Regiment and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, with the two deadlocked at 2-2. Should Newfoundland win, it will set up an all-Maritime quarterfinal and a Quebec quarterfinal, which would make for some longer travel.
The WHL landed two spots in the CHL Top 50, with #36 going to Shea Weber, who suited up for the Kelowna Rockets from 2001 to 2005, and Ray Ferraro, who played one season and won a Memorial Cup in 1983. He was then traded to Brandon, which raises the question of why a player like that was moved. Ferraro, believe it or not, was a third-line player at the time, and the Hawks had to move players who were aging out while getting strong compensation in return. Originally, Ferraro was not going to report, but it was his father who urged him to go. That year, Ray had a banner season with 108 goals and 84 assists for 193 points, along with 84 penalty minutes. The team lasted through the third round of the playoffs. Following his WHL career, he carved out a lengthy 18-year NHL career. Ferraro was inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025.
Over the next few weeks, the CHL will unveil 10 players at a time until they reach number one on the list of the 60 best to ever play in the CHL.
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