WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Knights look to tie CHL record

Published on December 8, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Brandon, Manitoba -- The Ontario Hockey League's London Knights may have never had the opportunity to meet the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings on the ice, but you can bet that Dale Hunter's team will have them on their minds tonight when they take on the Rangers in Kitchener.

A win or a tie tonight and the Knights will equal a 26-year old Canadian Hockey League record for the longest unbeaten streak in a single season.

The Knights (27-0-1) have the '78-79 record of 29-games in their sights heading into tonight's game. That record was set by the Wheat Kings, who began the year by reeling off 24 victories and five ties.

Brandon went on to win the WHL championship that year, defeating Portland in the best of seven final before eventually losing out to the Peterborough Petes 2-1 in the 1979 Memorial Cup title game in Montreal.

Should the 2005 Memorial Cup hosts equal the mark tonight, they will have the opportunity to set a new CHL record on Friday night at home when they play host to the Guelph Storm.

"They know what's at stake," coach Hunter told Donna Spencer of the Canadian Press this week. "It's part of hockey. We have to deal with the pressure of performing in front of a lot of media and a lot of fans hoping that you do it. We know we're doing something special. We set the OHL record. Now we're trying to set another record."

While the Knights have been led by Hunter and all stars Corey Perry, the league's leading scorer, David Bolland and defenceman Danny Syvret, the '78-79 Wheat Kings boasted what could be described as one of the best major junior teams in history - and certainly the best team never to win the Memorial Cup.

Behind the bench was former National Hockey League blueliner Dunc McCallum, who until Bobby Lowes' run with the Wheat Kings in the nineties was the club's winningest coach.

Rick Knickle, who now scouts western Canada for the NHL's Nashville Predators was between the pipes while current Atlanta Thrashers' assistant coach Brad McCrimmon was an anchor on the Brandon blueline.

Up front, the Wheat Kings were led by the explosive trio of center Laurie Boschman, right-winger Ray Allison and left-winger Brian Propp, who was recently chosen to the CHL's MasterCard All Time Team. For the first time ever, the three finished 1-2-3 in the WHL scoring race with Propp leading the way with an incredible 194 points including 94 goals. All three went on to become first round draft picks in the NHL - Boschman (Toronto), Propp (Philadelphia) and Allison (Hartford).

In fact, four members of the '78-79 team were selected in the opening round of the '79 draft. Joining the Big Three was McCrimmon, who went to the Boston Bruins (15th overall). In all, a club record ten Wheat Kings were chosen by NHL clubs that June.

The others were Mike Perovich (Atlanta), Don Gillen (Philadelphia), Tim Lockridge (NY Islanders), Brad Kempthorne (Atlanta), Knickle (Buffalo) and Dave McDonald (Hartford).

Among the other members of that team that went on to post an unbelievable 58-5-9 record, good for 125 points - which represents another CHL record - were former Buffalo Sabres' first round draft choice Steve Patrick, defenceman Don Dietrich and rookie right-winger Kelly McCrimmon.

McCrimmon returned to Brandon as an assistant coach in 1988, soon became the club's general manager and eventually purchased the franchise from Bob Cornell. Today, he also serves as the WHL club's head coach.

"I guess as a current and former Wheat King, I'm hoping that they can get to 28 and stop," McCrimmon recently told James Shewaga of the Brandon Sun. "But if they are able to break our record, I guess records are made to be broken and London has played very, very well to position themselves to break it."

While the Knights look to tie the record in Kitchener tonight, the Wheat Kings will close out a 3-game Alberta road trip in Red Deer.

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 8, 2004


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