It’s been more than three decades in the making.
The last time it happened, Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister and Ronald Reagan the U.S. president. The UVic Vikes were in the midst of their basketball dynasty and the New York Islanders of their Stanley Cup reign. Gandhi beat out ET for the best-picture Oscar.
A Victoria team has won a Western Hockey League playoff series for the first time since the 1982-83 Cougars did it.
When the third-seed Victoria Royals swept the sixth-seed Spokane Chiefs 4-0 in the best-of-seven WHL Western Conference opening-round Thursday night, it was the first time the team won a playoff series in the eight-year history of the Chilliwack Bruins/Royals franchise.
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That’s all ancient history, says Royals GM Cam Hope. He’s only in his second year in the capital, so it’s not surprising he’s more concerned about the here and now. That’s fine by Victoria’s long-suffering hockey fans.
“We don’t look into the past. We’re always focused on what we’ve done this season and what we have to do next,” said Hope.
What is next are the Portland Winterhawks, who swept the seventh-seed Vancouver Giants in their opening-round series to advance to the second round for the fifth consecutive season.
The Royals will meet the second-seed Winterhawks in a Western Conference semifinal. The top-seed Kelowna Rockets, who clinched their first-round series Friday night, will play either fourth-seed Seattle or fifth-seed Everett in the other conference semifinal.
The best-of-seven Victoria-Portland series begins with Games 1 and 2 next Friday and Saturday in Oregon.
The dates for Games 3 and 4 in Victoria are to be announced.
The Winterhawks are loaded with potential future NHLers. Portland has won 32 of its last 33 games including the last 11 straight.
“Portland is a formidable team and an even bigger hill to climb,” said Hope. “It’s a test for us unlike any other.”
Hope attributed the sweep of Spokane to his team’s cohesion and attitude.
“I was most impressed by how alert our players were to the details, such as matchups, and how focused they were physically and mentally,” he said.
“We kept waiting for Spokane to push back. But every time they got some traction, we took the air out of their tires.”
That same quiet confidence will carry over into the Portland series, predicted Hope.
“All the players are on the same page… they don’t want to let each other down,” said the Royals GM. “They believe in themselves even more now, and they don’t want this to end.”
