From the press box, it looked like the passing of the torch. Down at ice level, it was business as usual. A veteran netminder masked his sunburn in order to be a good teammate and a friend, as he quickly painted a picture of positivity and encouraged the backup that everything was going to be alright.
Dylan Ferguson, a Kamloops Blazers draft pick that turned himself into a seventh rounder by the Dallas Stars in 2017, had just given up four goals on 16 shots to the dominant Vancouver Giants on home ice.
The Blazers weren’t in desperation mode on March 2, but time was becoming of the essence as the playoffs were drifting into the distance.
When he got the hook from Head Coach Serge Lajoie, instead pouting and feeling down on himself for surrendering 10 goals over the past two games, Ferguson skated off with his head held high. He also stopped at centre ice to greet Dylan Garand, his backup. He didn’t just stick out his blocker to dap up the rookie, he made an effort to stop the 16-year-old and relay his eternal positivity. Not the easiest task in the world given the crumbling playoff probabilities.
“He was positive and told me to play my game. He told me not to worry about anything else,” said Garand. “That’s what I love about the guy, he is always positive and a great teammate.”
“I just wanted him to feel comfortable out there and give him confidence,” said Ferguson.
That wouldn’t be the last time Garand stepped in for the franchise goaltender.
Four nights later, the Giants were back in town. Ferguson was playing much better this time. He bounced back like you expect a professional would.
With nine saves in the opening frame, Ferguson went into his aggressive butterfly stance in the second for his 10th save, but didn’t pop back up the way he has so many times before.
The next stoppage in play, Ferguson called for Colin Robinson, the team’s trainer. Something was wrong.
After a few moments in the away goal crease, Ferguson was ushered off the ice and down the Zamboni tunnel. This time, there was no opportunity to pass along a shot of positivity from one islander to another.
Garand filled the void, uncertain how long his interim status would last.
The Blazers got outscored 10-4 over the two games with the Giants as their playoff odds dropped. News eventually came out that Ferguson and he was listed as day-to-day. With seven games remaining, no one knew if they would see him in a Blazer uniform again. The Blazers weren’t a playoff team at the time and Ferguson was wrapping up his overage season.
Insert Garand.
“We had a lot of confidence in Garand. When Ferguson went down, we knew we had a capable goaltender in Garand,” said Blazers GM Matt Bardsley. “We have always felt it was important to have two quality goaltenders regardless of their ages in case something like this happens.”
Garand came to the Blazers from the Delta Hockey Academy in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, when he was selected in the third round.
Entering camp this fall, depending on Ferguson’s return from the Vegas Golden Knights, the fight was to be his backup and primarily the gate opener.
Rayce Ramsay and Max Palaga presented great cases to fill the backup role this season. According to the Blazers, it was a close call when the exhibition games came to an end.
“All the goalies were really good at camp. It was a really hard decision and I’m glad it wasn’t mine to make,” said Blazers goaltending coach Dan De Palma. “I thought that [Garand’s] habits, detail and skill went way beyond his age. He really impressed us then and he’s stayed true to form.”
Joining the WHL at 16 as a backup instead of being the big man on campus at midget was an easy choice for the Victoria, B.C. product.
“The WHL is really fun and it’s been a great learning experience for me. It’s more of a professional lifestyle than what I would have experienced in midget,” said Garand. “We are on the ice everyday, working with great coaches and there’s just so much to learn from my teammates and watching each game.”
Even though he only had one win in his first five outings with the blue and orange, Hockey Canada still came calling. He was named to Team Canada Red for the annual World U-17 Hockey Challenge Nov. 3–10 in New Brunswick.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Garand appeared in four games, went 2-1 with a 2.33 goals against average and a .930 save percentage. He also made 45 saves in the bronze medal game before losing to Team Sweden in a shootout.
“That was such a great experience. It’s a great feeling to play for your country and being in a tournament like that — playing and practising so often — really helped me prepare for life in the playoffs,” said Garand.
Returning to the Sandman Centre, Garand went back to filing in for Ferguson whenever he needed a break.
Spotty playing time was something Garand expected, but he didn’t anticipate getting frozen out of the crease for a solid month.
Ferguson started all 10 games in February and picked up points in six of them.
“Not playing at all [in February] was mentally tough at times. I began focusing a lot more on practice with De Palma, working on some mind games, practised really hard, supported the guys and developed good habits. That really helped out alot. It was a tough time but I’m glad it happened because it made me ready whenever I got the chance to go in again,” said Garand.
All those learning opportunities in a short time frame came to ahead when Ferguson limped off the ice at the beginning of March. The team’s playoff hopes were resting on the shoulders of a 16-year-old.
Of course, it wasn’t the first time the Blazers leaned on a 16-year-old between the pipes.
In the final year of the Blazers’ Ed Chynoweth Cup dynasty, 16-year-old Randy Petruk subbed in for 19-year-old starter Rod Branch in the 1995 league championship final.
Branch wasn’t injured, but had a few tough games in the Division Finals against the Tri-City Americans. After dropping the first two games on home ice in the league final, Blazers Head Coach Don Hay made a switch between the pipes.
“We were hosting the Memorial Cup that year, so we had a chance to defend our national title one way or another,” said Petruk. “But Don’s message all year long was that we didn’t want to back into the tournament. We wanted to win our way into the tournament.”
The Blazers stormed back by taking games 3, 4 and 5 in Brandon with Petruk between the pipes.
“We had a lot of veteran leadership from the year before and I was playing behind a really, really good team,” said Petruk. “They took the pressure off me.”
Hay stuck with the hot hand and the Blazers captured their sixth Ed Chynoweth Cup on home ice in Game 6.
Petruk got the nod during the Memorial Cup, too. He started all four games, posted a 2.75 goals against, as the Blazers ran the table and captured their third Memorial Cup.
“That tournament was a testament to the team around me. I never had to put the team on my shoulders, but a situation did present itself for me and I did what was asked,” said Petruk. “I’ll never forget that experience.”
Petruk’s performance has grown to legendary status in the WHL. Since then, Dan Blackburn (Kootenay ICE, 1999-2000) and Carl Stankowski (Seattle Thunderbirds, 2016-17) have led teams to WHL titles at the ripe age of 16.
Garand has a long way to go to join that list, but what he has accomplished in the past few weeks is a considerable achievement.
With their playoff odds below 20 per cent at the beginning of the month, Garand went 6-0-1-0 with a .942 save percentage and a 1.60 goals against average, as the Blazers picked up 11 of 12 points to close out the season.
Supporting him the whole way was Ferguson, who was also trying to rehab in an attempt to get back into the crease.
“Dylan Ferguson is an outstanding teammate,” said De Palma. “Typically, the starter gets the first choice on what crease to use at practice, where he sits on the bus and usually anything else around the rink. These past few weeks, Ferguson has gone out of his way to let Garand choose first and be the guy.”
By Ferguson checking his ego at the door and being there for his teammate, Garand settled into his role smoothly.
Garand’s legitimacy was cemented during the Blazers biggest game of the year in front of a raucous crowd for the WHL’s seventh tie-breaking game. Unfazed by the moment, he stopped 27-of-28 shots, as the Blazers downed the Rockets for the third time in the final two weeks of the season.
After the final buzzer sounded and the Blazers clinched a trip to the playoffs, Garand was the first person Ferguson sought out.
“I just kept telling him how proud I was of him. I’ve never been so proud of a younger goalie before. Looking back at what he’s accomplished these past few weeks… I’m speechless,” said Ferguson.
Whichever Dylan — Ferguson or Garand — gets the net for Game 1 against the Victoria Royals is still a mystery. The Blazers are more than comfortable entering playoffs loving their goaltending situation, for both the short- and long-term future.
