By Aaron Bell
They’ve had enough time to watch the video and read the scouting reports and now Bob Boughner and Stan Butler are anxious to get this series going.
Boughner’s Windsor Spitfires will host Butler’s Brampton Battalion in Game One of the Rogers OHL Championship Series on Wednesday (7:00 p.m. on Rogers TV and the OHL Action Pak).
The Spitfires have been idle since Thursday when they knocked off the London Knights in five overtime games to win the Wayne Gretzky Trophy and the Rogers Western Conference Championship while the Battalion finished their six-game Rogers Eastern Conference Series win against the Belleville Bulls on Friday to claim the Bobby Orr Trophy for the first time in team history.
“They are going to be two highly skilled teams going at it,” Boughner said. “I think that both teams will be very prepared when we hit the ice on the other’s tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. It’s going to be a great series for the league. I think it’s going to be fast, physical and high energy.”
This is the Spitfires’ first crack at an OHL championship since winning the Robertson Cup in 1988 and Brampton’s first appearance in the OHL Championship Series. The coaches expect that to give both teams a lift in the early going.
“The City of Windsor has been waiting a long time as has Brampton for a championship,” Boughner said. “That’s what I think is so great about this series – both franchises have been waiting so long and finally get their chance at it. I think that’s going to bring the best out in both teams.”
For Butler, this season is the culmination of 11 years at the helm in Brampton. He was hired by owner Scott Abbott to build the team from the ground up and after getting close to the semi-finals on a couple of occasions, they are relishing this shot at their first OHL championship.
“Obviously we’re happy to get to the Ontario Hockey League finals,” Butler said. “We realize we are playing a very special team in the Windsor Spitfires. They’ve been the number one team in Canada all year. Bob Boughner, Warren Rychel and their group there have done not only a great job drafting but acquiring players through trades as well. We realize that we’re up against an extremely talented team but we’re really looking forward to and are excited about starting the series.”
The series has special meaning for Spitfires’ captain Harry Young. The four-year OHL veteran is a Windsor native and was brought home from the Guelph Storm in a trade soon after Boughner and Rychel purchased the team in 2006. He said that he is looking forward to trying to raise another championship banner in the city he grew up in.
“Growing up and watching the Spitfires for so long – this city really deserves this right now,” Young said. “We’re just proud to be playing for them. We’re happy to be here right now and are excited for this series. There are a lot of talented players going head-to-head. That’s great to watch and it’s going to be a lot of fun to play in.”
The Battalion have enjoyed tremendous fan support during their playoff run after struggling at the gate through most of their seasons. Brampton captain Cody Hodgson said that the fan support they have received has been an inspiration to his team.
“It’s been great,” said Hodgson, who was named the OHL’s player of the year on Tuesday. “We’ve always known that our fans are passionate but when they come out in numbers like this it brings a whole different atmosphere to the game. It really pumps us up when we have a powerplay and everyone is going crazy. It adds another dynamic to the team that hasn’t been there in other years. It’s been a lot of fun.”
