MacDonald watched his Victoria Salsa (now Grizzlies) teammates hoist the Fred Page Cup as 2001 BCHL champions at the old Memorial Arena and Hunt as his Vancouver Giants mates of the WHL skated with the 2007 Memorial Cup at the Pacific Coliseum.
It was far sweeter for MacDonald, but still bitter for Hunt, as MacDonald’s Reading Royals defeated the Hunt-captained Stockton Thunder 6-0 in Game 5 late Saturday night in California to capture the best-of-seven 2013 ECHL Kelly Cup final 4-1.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime, awesome experience,” said MacDonald, the 29-year-old Racquet Club of Victoria product.
“It makes you feel much more a part of it [compared to his Salsa championship] when you’re healthy and playing,” added the six-foot-two power-forward, who had four goals and 12 points in Reading’s 22-game playoff run to the Kelly Cup.
His broken leg, suffered in the 2001 Coastal Conference final against the Burnaby Bulldogs, would prove only a minor detour compared to when MacDonald was diagnosed with testicular cancer while playing for the RPI Engineers of the NCAA.
That would be a harrowing experience for anyone, never mind a 21-year-old suddenly facing death squarely in the face.
“I guess when you make it back from that, nothing else seems that hard,” said MacDonald, who spent the previous three seasons with the Providence Bruins of the AHL.
“It puts life and hockey in perspective.”
So much so that MacDonald turned down an AHL offer this season from the Houston Aeros to remain in the ECHL with a Royals group he felt had a destiny.
Nothing against Houston, but MacDonald is beyond being content with the third line at this point in his career. Reading is where he felt best in what may be his last pro season. MacDonald is going out on his own terms.
“Four of our [Royals] players asked to come down from the AHL and that doesn’t happen too often,” said MacDonald, who has a business degree from RPI.
Previously under contract to the Boston Bruins, MacDonald mused about not making it to the Show.
“The NHL was obviously the goal and I worked as hard as I could to put myself in position to achieve that goal. I have no regrets. Boston is one of the best organizations in the NHL. You would see almost entire AHL rosters being called up to other [lesser] NHL teams, but during the Bruins’ 2010-11 Stanley Cup season, only two guys from Providence were called up and that was only for less than 10 games each. It’s often a matter of being at the right place at the right time in the right organization.”
In the end, considering all he has come through, the Kelly Cup is not a bad consolation for one of the best Island hockey players not to play in the NHL.
