After hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup at the Art Hauser Centre in May, general manager Curtis Hunt has seen his club ride that momentum to a spot at the top of the division as the holiday break approaches. (Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia)

By Trevor Redden

Redden on the Raiders

Redden on the Raiders: Incredible 2019 nearly in the books

Dec 13, 2019 | 2:21 PM

After the Raiders get through this gauntlet of four games within 96 hours, the Christmas break will be here, providing players and staff an opportunity to get home for some rest, relaxation, and time with loved ones.

Reflecting back on the year it’s been, I’m sure all members of the organization will feel very proud of what has been accomplished together. Obviously, the Ed Chynoweth Cup was the pinnacle of it all, but it was an incredible year in all aspects with support for the team through the roof, and continued success into the 2019-20 season.

Earlier this week, head coach Marc Habscheid shared a message for all those around the region that have been behind the team.

“We just want to thank everyone. We’re big into the team aspect of what we do, and last year was a team effort for sure and the team includes everyone in Prince Albert,” Habscheid said.

“It was definitely a home ice advantage, and to win it at home in game seven was very special. Winning on the road would have been more difficult, so a big reason we were able to do it at home was thanks to the support we get.”

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As for the continued success this season, I had the opportunity to talk to a few staff members this week to share their thoughts.

Hunt happy with lack of championship hangover

In Moose Jaw on Saturday night, general manager Curtis Hunt joined the CKBI broadcast during the second intermission to discuss the year it’s been.

Hunt has been consistent from the first day I met him his vision for the team is to remain as successful as possible year in and year out in a sustainable manner. If you look at the makeup of this year’s roster, with 18 of 23 players aged 18 or younger, the next few years show plenty of promise.

“Being competitive this year was always the mandate, but we circled next year on the calendar [as a strong year for the group]. From my chair, it’s important to look at this year, next year, and beyond in terms of stability of the organization,” Hunt said.

It wasn’t long ago Prince Albert was nowhere near the top of the list of the most desirable places to go as a junior hockey player. But under the watch of the current regime, the organization has undergone a renaissance, thanks in no small part to winning the title, but also embracing what the community has to offer.

“For us small market teams, it’s important that we stress the things that we’re good at. Our fans, that sense of community,” Hunt said. “We want to keep ourselves among the elite not only in the league but of course the CHL in terms of our program, the players, and the expectations our fans have for us every single night.”

With the Raiders recently hosting the final game of the CIBC Canada Russia series between Team WHL and Russia, it was an opportunity for newly named Canadian Hockey League president Dan MacKenzie to get a feel for the community for the first time.

“[MacKenzie] walked around and shook more hands than the mayor on any given night. He said to me ‘whatever you do, if you get a new building, keep those wooden beams because this place is phenomenal,’” Hunt said. “I give credit to the kids and of course the fans because they make that commitment [to come here as a player or to the rink as a fan], they have other choices, and I hope we make them proud day in and day out.”

As for the looming WHL trade deadline, the general manager said there isn’t a specific aim for the team to make any changes for the second half of the season. He acknowledged the disturbance trades can create in the room, within the billet families, and throughout the organization, and said it would take the right situation to pull the trigger on anything significant.

“We have a great group; we’re sitting where we are today with this group of players. We have depth throughout our lineup and the kids are only going to get better, that’s part of the environment we play in,” Hunt said.

Truitt on the podcast

Assistant coach Jeff Truitt was my guest this week on the Overtime podcast and had plenty of stories to share.

Among many different topics, he touched on his experience with Team Canada at the 2004 World Junior Championships which took place in Finland.

Canada had players like Ryan Getzlaf, Jeff Carter, Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, Braydon Coburn, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Mike Richards on the team and had a perfect record heading into the gold medal game. In the final, Canada met USA, and a late gaffe in the third period cost the Canadians when Marc-Andre Fleury played the puck and accidentally put it in his own net off a defender, sending the red and white home with a silver medal.

For Truitt, one of his biggest memories from the tournament came after the game when the team was in line to receive their medals.

“As we were getting to the final guys in line…I was kind of counting the medals on the platter. I noticed that there were only three silver medals and I saw [three other coaches] in line ahead of me,” Truitt said.

“I saw that there was no medal there for me and thought why go shake hands and not get anything, so I made the decision to just go to the bench. I didn’t think much of it, but of course it was on TSN and I got a few calls on it.”

Things ended up working out in his favor as officials from the IIHF met Truitt at the hotel after the game to present him with a medal, and Hockey Canada requested one for him as well so there was a second medal waiting for him back home in Canada.

Lastly, there was a third silver medal waiting for him when he re-joined the Kelowna Rockets that may hold the most significance for him.

“The team was at the airport to pick us up, Marc [Habscheid] included, and they made a line on either side and [Josh Gorges and I] walked down the middle,” Truitt said. “At the end was Randall Gelech with a pillow and on it was a medal made of tin foil they wrote on with marker, and a lanyard made of skate lace. They had another presentation there and that silver medal is the one that sits in my basement on the team picture.”

You can listen to the full conversation with Truitt below.

Happy holidays

After this weekend the WHL will be going silent until action resumes on Dec. 27, so I hope Raider fans are able to enjoy some time off with family and friends wherever you may be, and I’m looking forward to getting back at it after the break.

I would also like to share here a closing comment from Curtis Hunt he shared Saturday night in Moose Jaw.

“To our fans, our friends, our families, from the Prince Albert Raiders we want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and prosperity in the new year, we’ll see you down at the Hauser.”

Final stretch

Before holiday break sets in, three big games are on deck for the Raiders this weekend.

First it’s the Winnipeg ICE in town tonight, who sit five points back of Prince Albert in the East Division entering the weekend. Friday night is Ugly Christmas Sweater night at the Art Hauser Centre, with some of the novelty jerseys available via auction during the game.

Saturday night is the lone meeting of the year between the Raiders and the Kamloops Blazers. This game will also mark Max Martin’s final regular season game at the Art Hauser Centre. Fans are asked to bring a new stuffed animal to the game to throw on the ice after the Raiders’ first goal during the Teddy Bear Toss. All animals will be donated to local charities.

Then on Sunday, the Raiders head to Saskatoon for a 4 p.m. showdown against the Blades.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden