Dante Hannoun playing his final game for the Raiders at the 2019 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia. (Vincent Ethier/CHL Images)

By Jeff D'Andrea

What legends are made of

Hannoun will forever go down as a Raider legend

May 24, 2019 | 1:46 PM

He may not have been a Prince Albert Raider for just half of a season, but Dante Hannoun will always be remembered as a Raider legend.

He’ll always be the one that finished off the fairy tale 2018-19 season for the season, scoring the overtime winning goal in Game 7 of the 2019 WHL Rogers Championship Finals against the Vancouver Giants.

He’ll always be the player that raced down the ice and threw his helmet 30 feet in the air as he shared the celebratory moment with his teammates and a sold out crowd at the Art Hauser Centre on May 10.

“You dream about it as a kid growing up,” Hannoun said. “As it happens, you couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it out there. Obviously, it’s pretty special. The boys worked so hard for this.”

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Hannoun’s phone has been buzzing and full of notifications ever since he scored the goal. He’s been sent the video countless times, and watched it each time.

“I’ve seen it quite a few times, it’s pretty cool,” he said.

Of course, Hannoun had some help on the play. It was Noah Gregor who weaved around to protect the puck in the Giants’ zone, attracted the attention of their defence and found the open Hannoun at the back door.

Both played together in Victoria as Royals last season, and being reunited this year was special, especially for that moment.

“It was pretty cool playing with him in Victoria, and coming here in P.A., he was already here,” Hannoun said. “It was pretty cool to play with him for another season. We had a lot of good times this year and it’s a fun one to remember forever.”

Hannoun played his first 286 regular season games and 32 playoff games with the Victoria Royals, and played all his hockey in his native province of British Columbia. But Hannoun said he was proud to finish off his career with the Raiders.

“It’s a good organization. I’m thankful for this opportunity and it’s been a blast.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW