Originally posted October 22, 2020.
While not every game is a classic, the Western Hockey League has provided incredible entertainment value for decades.
And occasionally, some of the off-ice stories are equally entertaining.
Let’s take you back today to the weekend of April 1, 1990, during a rather unique stretch of WHL playoff hockey on the Prairies. The events that occurred around that April Fools Day weekend are etched in the annals of WHL folklore.
One of the principles in all of this was Cam Moon, well known today as the voice of the Red Deer Rebels. (Editor’s Note: Moon made his National Hockey League debut as the new radio play-by-play voice of the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 14, 2021)
“Mooner”, who is now 50 years of age, appeared in a total of 60 WHL regular season games between 1989 and 1991. However, it’s his adventure during the 1990 playoffs, when he appeared in the only two post-season games of his career, that will live on forever.
The trade deadline deal…
Moon began the 1989-90 season as a member of the Saskatoon Blades, but was dealt to the Medicine Hat Tigers at the trade deadline, which was January 26, 1990.
In the Gas City, the trade was engineered by general manager Tim Speltz along with the Blades general manager Daryl Lubiniecki. The move bolstered the Tigers goaltending situation for the second half of the regular season – Moon and eventual Stanley Cup champion, Chris Osgood – as Medicine Hat goalie Patrik Backlund had decided to return home to Sweden.
The Blades had three capable goaltenders and chose to go with Trevor Robins and Damon Kustra, hence the decision to trade Moon to the Tigers for future considerations. Robins was carrying the mail in Saskatoon anyway, ultimately appearing in 51 regular season games.
“I didn’t want to leave Saskatoon,” Moon said. “I was devastated, I loved Saskatoon and I was very happy to play there. But I got traded, I couldn’t believe it.”
The night before the trade, the Tigers had pounded the Blades 9-3 in Medicine Hat. Moon started that game for the Blades, but was relieved by Robins. Then a few days later (Jan. 30), the teams met in Saskatoon and Moon, now a member of the Tigers, was given the start against the Blades.
“It was a little Saskatoon and Prince Albert road trip,” Moon said. “They say, “Mooner, you’ll play the Saskatoon game”. And we win!
“So, the game’s over and I’m really jacked up because I really wanted to win. You know, going back to Saskatoon and the whole deal. I know everybody on that team so well and I’m so excited.
“Speltzy (Tim Speltz) comes down to the dressing room after and I say, “see, I really stuck it up their butts, didn’t I”!
“And he’s like, “yeah Mooner, you did, that’s wonderful, but the media wants to talk to you and maybe we don’t say that?”
Moon was able to collect himself after the Tigers 7-5 victory and offered these thoughts to Vance Oliver of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix:
“I have 20 friends in that (Blades) dressing room, but business is business and we took care of business tonight.”
The quote wasn’t lost on Lubiniecki.
“The next day, we went down to the rink to pick up our stuff before heading to Prince Albert,” Moon said. “The Blades had some things for me and I was to go to the office to pick them up.
“So I run upstairs, I see Luby, and he says, “business is business…geezuz!”
“We started laughing, I grabbed my things and went down to the Tigers bus.”
Playoff bound…
Moon appeared in nine more regular season games for the Tigers after the trade. Then coincidentally, the teams met in the first round of the post-season, a best-of-five affair.
Saskatoon had home ice advantage by virtue of its fourth-place finish in the eight-team East Division. Medicine Hat finished fifth, five points behind the Blades.
Saskatoon won the first two games, 7-4 and 6-2, then completed a sweep of the Tigers with a 5-3 win at The Arena in Medicine Hat. Moon had relieved Osgood for a portion of game one in the series, but that was it for his ice time in the playoffs.
“Well, after the trade, we played the Blades twice,” Moon said. “I played both games. We won both games. Not because I was exceptional or anything, but that’s just how it is. We won both those games.
“So, yeah, I thought I would get a playoff start because of my success against Saskatoon. Then it didn’t happen. At the time, I was a little pissed off.”
Following the series, the writing was on the wall for Moon in Medicine Hat. Clearly, Osgood would be the number one netminder moving forward and it made little sense for the team to keep a 20-year-old goaltender as the backup.
Meanwhile, Robins played every minute of the series in the Blades cage. He was certainly the go-to-guy, as there was some concern in Saskatoon as Kustra, who had suffered an abdominal muscle injury during the second half of the season, was just rounding back into form as the playoffs approached.
“Damon was always battling that injury, which is too bad,” Moon said. “Geez, the guys loved Damon.”
After eliminating the Tigers, the Blades earned a best-of-seven series match up against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who finished atop the Eastern Division standings with 106 points. That was a mere 29 points clear of the second-place Prince Albert Raiders.
Talkin’ ’bout playoffs…
According to Moon, the Tigers players settled in for a couple days of “festivities” after being knocked out of the playoffs. For Moon, ever studious of junior hockey coverage during his playing career, he kept an eye on the Blades/Hurricanes series.
“Well I did,” Moon said. “I was in the league, but I was also a big fan of the league. I loved knowing what was happening.
“I’d love to know who had a big night. I would scour those game summaries. I mean, this is pre-Internet, we didn’t have instant access to everything. We’d be lucky if we got some highlights on the TV, that’s about it. So, I did pay attention, for sure.”
As for the Blades, riding a three-game winning streak, the team came crashing down to earth in the series opener.
“We went into Lethbridge for game one of the second round and they beat us 12-1,” said Dennis Beyak, the Blades assistant general manager at the time. “I thought I had repressed the memory of that game!
“Robins starts in goal, but we replace him with Kustra. Then, Kustra re-injures that abdominal muscle, so Robins goes back in to start the third period. Now Kustra is gone long-term and we don’t have a backup goalie.”
The morning after game one, the Blades were forced to be creative because they did not have another goalie on their active roster. Beyak is said to be the point man as the wheels began to turn on filling the team’s needs in goal.
“We got permission from the league and the Hurricanes, and we called Medicine Hat about Cam Moon,” Beyak said.
What evolved was an agreement that Moon would be loaned to the Blades, allowed to dress for the remainder of the playoffs, but he could not play unless Robins was injured or there was an emergency.
On the road again…
Moon was up for it, too – cool with the arrangement. He got a ride from Medicine Hat to Lethbridge that afternoon and suited up for the Blades in game two, a 7-6 Hurricanes victory in overtime.
“We lose in overtime in game two and we go back to Saskatoon,” Beyak said. “Lethbridge beats us 7-1, so now we’re down 3-0.”
It had gotten ugly in Saskatoon, where it appeared the group had pretty much thrown in the towel. Reports indicate a couple of Blades players had deliberately shot pucks into the Lethbridge bench near the end of game three. It wasn’t a good look.
“The next day,” Beyak said, “I get a call from downstairs at the rink and supposedly the players in the room were talking about what they were going to do for a year end party after the series. I mentioned this to Luby (general manager Daryl Lubiniecki), and he was just livid. He marches down to the dressing room and really gives it to the team.”
Is that true, Mooner?
“Oh yeah,” Moon said. “We were sitting around. We were playing the best team in the east. We’re down 3-0, they’ve got so much, and we’ve thrown a lot at them, certainly in games two and three, but we’re still coming up short.
“I remember the talk was like, we’ll all get together after game four at so and so’s house and we’ll make sure we got this there and this and this. We’re making a plan. Then Luby came down.
“Anytime Luby wanted to meet with us, well, you know. It shocked me because he didn’t do it very often. So yeah, he drilled us.”
In the April 5, 1990 edition of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Lubiniecki offered perhaps a polite version of the messages delivered in the dressing room:
“I just told them that I didn’t want to see any quitters,” said Lubiniecki. “People tend to remember the last thing you do, and I was a bit concerned about some of the stuff that went on in last night’s game (game three).”
The Blades would prevent a sweep by Lethbridge, knocking off the Hurricanes 8-6 in game four.
“I don’t know if Luby’s message changed the attitude a lot,” Moon said. “But I recall right before game four in the dressing room, we were still pretty loose. Nobody had any grand visions of beating the Hurricanes, quite honestly.”
“Blades Moon has day in sun”…
The adventures that took place in game five at Lethbridge certainly provided the headline writers at the Star Phoenix with a golden opportunity.
“To give you an idea how good Lethbridge was at home,” Moon said, “they only lost twice there all season.
“But the two teams to beat them in the regular season at home? One was Medicine Hat, and one was the Saskatoon Blades. And I played that game for the Blades in early December.”
Robins started for the Blades but late in the second period, he was ejected when the officials deemed him to be the third man into a fight between Blades defenceman Mark Wotton and ‘Canes Pat Pylypuik.
“I didn’t think for a second about ever getting into a game,” Moon said. “I mean seriously, like, how’s it possible?
“So, there was a little scrap, it really wasn’t much of anything late the second period down by our net. Robins just sort of got in there to kind of break it up because I’m pretty sure we wanted to keep our all the defencemen in the game.
“Mark was still a young guy, but a good defenseman and Robin’s really didn’t do much – he just kind of got in between them. And he got kicked out for third man in on a fight.”
The stipulation for Moon was that he could play only if the Blades starter was injured or in an emergency.
But, ejected?
“Robins comes skating over to the bench,” Moon said. “I thought maybe he was injured, but he’d gotten punted! So, I grabbed my stuff and, oh my god, the series is hanging in the balance.”
With 1:41 left to play in the second period, Moon found himself in goal for the first time since coming on in relief of Osgood against the Blades as a member of the Tigers in the first round series. Almost two weeks had passed.
The Blades were clinging to a 6-5 lead through two periods and according to Moon, the Hurricanes applied a full court press throughout the third period. Lethbridge outshot Saskatoon, 12-6 in the final frame and 37-27 on the night.
The teams exchanged a pair of quick goals midway through the period. Lethbridge tied the game at 8:24 when they snuck the puck between Moon’s pads, but Dean Holoien tallied for the Blades at 9:56. Moon held the fort the rest of the way and the Blades escaped with a 7-6 victory.
“I’ll never forget this,” Moon said. “Kevin St. Jacques, who was a very skilled forward, had a breakaway in the third period. Now, I believe Kevin went on to win the WHL scoring title in 1992, maybe?
“Anyway, Jocko’s a great guy and he’s from Edmonton, my hometown, so I know him. He gets a breakaway in the third, and as soon as he gets the breakaway, the first thing that pops into my head is, “if he scores, I have to listen to him all summer”. Like, that is the first thing that pops into my mind.
“So, here he comes and I’m not gonna lie, it was a bit of a guess on my part. But I guessed right. And that helped support us and we ended up getting the win.”
Moon’s strong play was not lost on the Blades brass.
In his game coverage piece, Ron Devitt of The Herald in Lethbridge spoke with Blades head coach Terry Ruskowski after the game about Moon’s play.
“He did a tremendous job. He came in and played not a great game, but a superb one. He kept us in the game.”
For his part, Moon was certain he could be up to the task at hand.
“I didn’t want to be the guy in the net when the season ended,” Moon said. “Knowing that this is the only way I could get into the game; I didn’t want it to end on my watch.
“I gave it everything I had. I’m flying all over the place, trying to make saves and none of it would have been appealing to the eye, nor would it be how you would teach it in the summer. I’m basically playing road hockey on ice.
“Now the game’s over and we’re walking off the ice. And I remember Rick Brodsky (former Blades owner) came flying down there, and he was so happy he lifted me off my skates!
“I was in full gear and he lifted me right off my skates. I was still at that point a little bit stunned, but really happy that we won and that this is going to push it to a game six.”
It was also a very special night for Moon, off the ice.
“My parents were at home in Edmonton and figured they’d go for a drive that day to Lethbridge to come see the game,” Moon said. “They knew the situation but made the drive anyway.
“As it turned out, they got to see one hell of a game. Looking back, I’m so glad that they were there.”
Sudden death overtime…
Robins was back between the pipes for the Blades in game six at home. Moon was back on the bench, only allowed to play if Robins was injured or ejected.
The Hurricanes started quickly, up 2-0 less than six minutes into the contest. But the plucky Blades took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission.
When the teams exchanged tallies in the third period, Saskatoon had won its third straight game and evened the series at 3-3.
“We left the next morning,” Moon said. “I remember seeing on our way out of Saskatoon, people had put up little makeshift billboards, wishing us luck, which is really cool.
“And that’s one of the beauties of junior hockey, when the town really gets wrapped up in a playoff push. I think it happens everywhere and I just love seeing it. I remember seeing all these signs on the side of the highway wishing us luck on our way out to Lethbridge.”
The Hurricanes would survive the Blades spirited comeback in the series, winning 4-3 on home ice in game seven when Neil Hawryluk’s seeing-eye slapper beat Robins early in overtime.
Star Phoenix sport editor Bob Strumm, who is no stranger to WHL historians, may have summed it up best in his column after the series.
“There is nothing more final than sudden-death overtime in game seven of a seven game series. Sudden death for the loser. Sudden victory for the winner. Sports has a strange way of spinning its wheel of fortune if you smell the liniment long enough and 50 percent of the time it prescribes a cruel fate.”
Another fateful twist…
Moon’s junior hockey road map was about to take yet another turn.
Traded by the Blades to the Tigers at the trade deadline for future considerations, Moon basically played second fiddle to Osgood in Medicine Hat.
What he didn’t know through the entire second half of the season was the Blades and Tigers had continued to discuss his future.
During the off-season, Moon landed back in Saskatoon with the Blades for the 1990-91 campaign. He appeared in 35 games that season, sharing the goaltending duties with Robins.
Where are they now…
Dennis Beyak is currently TSN’s play-by-play voice of the Winnipeg Jets. He was the Blades’ assistant general manager in the late 1980’s. He played an important role with the Blades organization, particularly in advance of and during the 1989 Memorial Cup hosted by the Blades. Following the 1990 season, Beyak moved over to the Seattle Thunderbirds in a similar role under then general manager Peter Anholt. Ostensibly, the move enabled the Thunderbirds to utilize Beyak’s experience and expertise as the organization prepared to host the 1992 Memorial Cup.
Daryl Lubiniecki began coaching the Blades in 1980 and spent 14 years with the organization. “Luby” moved on to a general manager role with the Prince George Cougars and called it quits after eight seasons. The Blades brought Lubiniecki back into the fold in an advisory role as the organization hosted the 2013 Memorial Cup.
Tim Speltz was the Tigers general manager until the end of April 1990 and was involved in both the Cam Moon trade with the Blades and also the “loan” arrangement during the playoffs. When he moved on from Medicine Hat, he became the general manager of the Spokane Chiefs for the next 26 years. He is currently the Head of Amateur Scouting for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Trevor Robins appeared in over 200 WHL game through four full seasons, the first three with the Blades and his final season as a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings. His son Tristen is currently a member of the Saskatoon Blades and early this month was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the second round, 56th overall, at the 2020 NHL Draft.
Cam Moon is now the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Edmonton Oilers. Formerly the Director, Media Relations with the Red Deer Rebels, it was a position he enjoyed for nearly 20 years. Prior to his role in Red Deer, he appeared on TSN in a number of capacities, working a variety of hockey telecasts. As the Rebels play-by-play voice, he brought energy and enthusiasm to WHL radio broadcasts. On Dec. 30, 2016, he called his 1500th WHL game. He made his NHL debut on Jan. 15, 2021.
