Canes' Host Rebels Tonight

Tonight will be the final meeting of the regular season between the Hurricanes and Red Deer Rebels.

The Canes' are coming off an eastern road trip that saw the team go 2 and 2, the last game being a real solid performance by every single player on the team. It was team victory in Regina on Sunday and something this team can use to build on and get better in the final 6 games of the season going into the post-season. Lethbridge sits in 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, one point back of the Kootenay Ice, which lost 3-1 to the Rebels last night in Cranbrook. The Canes' are also 7 points back of 5th place Swift Current.

One team the Hurricanes have had a lot of success against, has been the Red Deer Rebels. They've played them 5 times and have beat them 4 times, all shutout victories. Despite the scores, Red Deer has out shot Lethbridge in the majority of those games and really made the Canes' work for those 4 wins. Even though, the Rebels won't make the playoffs, they have a strong young team that will be fun to watch in the years ahead. From what I've seen so far, Red Deer is hard working group.

After tonight the Hurricanes hit the road again this weekend for stops in Saskatoon Saturday and Edmonton Sunday before returning home to play 3 games in 3 days next weekend to close out the season (Back-to-back vs. Kootenay and then Calgary on the 15th). The Canes' are looking to use the great effort in Regina this past Sunday as a springboard going into the playoffs.

Tonight on the broadcast, I'll be joined by Fred Jack in the broadcast booth. Fred in a local school teacher and helped out last year with the Hurricanes. He also has play-by-play and colour experience from the BCHL and the old Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League. He also organized and ran his own hockey school in Sherwood Park and coached Midget "AAA" in 2003-2004. He'll provide colour on the broadcast tonight.


"Gentle Vic" to Be Inducted Into the Albert Sports Hall of Fame:
The Lethbridge Hurricanes’ organization would like to congratulate hometown hockey hero, Vic Stasiuk, on his selection to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in the Athlete category.

Vic played or coached professionally for 18 years entering the National Hockey League with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1949 before moving to Detroit where he helped the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup Championships in 1952, 1954 and 1955. Stasiuk would then move onto Boston where he was one of the three Bruins to form the famed “Uke Line” which also featured Johnny Bucyk and Bronco Horvath. In 1961 he returned to the Red Wings to complete his last three seasons as an NHL player.

Following his NHL playing career the big winger who jokingly refers to himself as “Gentle Vic” eased into coaching in the minors, first as a playing coach and then as a full-time bench boss eventually working his way back to the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, California Golden Seals and Vancouver Canucks.

Stasiuk would complete his coaching career giving back to junior hockey with the Taber Golden Suns, Lethbridge Broncos and Medicine Hat Tigers.

Despite sharing the same surname, Vic Stasiuk is not related to current Hurricanes’ General Manager, Roy Stasiuk.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Red Deer on May 29th.