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OHL Guelph Storm

Storm Embark on 25th OHL Season

September 29, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Guelph Storm News Release


The Guelph Storm are celebrating a quarter century in the Ontario Hockey League this season, and embarked on their 25th campaign Friday in their home opener against the Oshawa Generals.

Though the Storm were blanked 3-0 at the hands of the reigning MasterCard Memorial Cup champions, several prominent Storm alumni were on hand to celebrate 25 years and usher in another hockey season in the Royal City.

"Those three years I played here were all great," Sylvain Cloutier, a member of the inaugural 1991-92 Storm team told Rogers TV's Trevor Prior. "We only won four games in our first season, which was frustrating, but we had a young team assembled by Mike Kelly and guys like O'Neill and Bertuzzi eventually developed into stars, helping us reach the second round of the playoffs two years later." Those two guys, as well as Rumun Ndur, Ryan VandenBussche, Kenny Belanger and Mike Prokopec were all big parts of the team in the years I spent here."

Joining Cloutier at centre ice for a pre-game ceremonial faceoff were Brian Willsie and Chris Madden, two members of the Storm's first OHL Championship team from 1997-98. That J. Ross Robertson Cup hoisting was followed by others in 2004 and 2014.

A pair of more recent Storm alumni were also in the building. 2010 OHL All-Star Matt Kennedy, who is currently studying Finance at the University of Waterloo, and former Storm goaltender Cody St. Jacques, who now works in Real Estate with fellow Storm alumnus Andrew Long, recalled fond memories of their time with the franchise.

"It's a first class organization," said Kennedy, who scored 33 goals in a Storm uniform during the 2008-09 season. "There are a lot of familiar faces still around like Rusty and Doug (Equipment Managers Russ Hammond and Doug Robertson) and I really enjoy coming back here to say hello now and then."

"I've made so many good friendships, the whole team felt like a big family," added St. Jacques. "I loved Guelph so much that I went to school here afterward and then settled down in the community."

The anticipation for the Storm's 25th anniversary season built throughout the offseason, as fans voted on five Storm players to round out the franchise's top-25 all-time list.

The fans had their say, and voted Peter Holland, Tyler Bertuzzi, Brock McGinn, Craig Anderson and Brian Willsie into the top-25, a ranking that featured top goaltender Chris Madden, top blueliner Drew Doughty and top forward Jeff O'Neill along with several other franchise greats such as Ryan Callahan, Martin St. Pierre and Dustin Brown.

Just two years removed from an OHL title, the buzz in Guelph is still very much alive as GM Mike Kelly and head coach Bill Stewart get to work on developing a young core that can contribute for years to come.

For more information on the Storm's 25th anniversary celebration, visit guelphstorm.com.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from September 29, 2015


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