The masked men of the Mastercard Memorial Cup

For me it's the hardest trophy in hockey to win.  Not only do you have to grind through 4 rounds in your own league, but then face at minimum 2 teams from a different league to become Memorial Cup Champions.  That means goaltenders not only getting used to new shooters, but a whole new style of skill.  Here's a look at the pipe men you will see starting Friday.

Kings Take WHL Crown

The Edmonton Oil Kings saved their best game for last as they topped the Portland Winterhawks 4-1 on their way to capturing their first WHL championship in modern history.

Led by their veterans and leadership group, the Oil Kings controlled play almost from start to finish as they defeated the Winterhawks in a thrilling conclusion to the epic 7-game series in front of a record playoff crowd at Rexall Place. 

Does it get any better then game 7?

The Oil Kings had a chance to close things out in Portland tonight but the Winterhawks were relentless and in the end, forced Laurent Brossoit to say Uncle on a knuckle puck shot from Oliver Gabriel, who just happens to have grown up in Edmonton.

2012 Draft Blog: Mike Matheson Pt.4

Michael Matheson is a native of Quebec who just finished playing his rookie season in the USHL for the defending champion Dubuque Fighting Saints. His first blog entry here with us was made public back on October 3rd and gave readers a sense of where he's come from and what has led to the position he is in today. He continued his 2011-12 story with chapter 2 at the end of November. The blueliner added a third entry in mid-February.

Here now is the fourth chapter in the 2012 Guest Player Blog written by defenceman Mike Matheson.

WHL Coaching Rumours

As the Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks were getting set to do battle in game 2 of the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions, the rumour mill was ramping up with some possible coaching moves.

Kings take game one and take out Ty Rattie

Edmonton slipped past Portland 3-2 at Rexall Place Thursday night in a game that had many twists and turns.

WHL Final Should Be a Classic

The WHL Final begins tonight at Rexall Place in Edmonton and has the makings of a fantastic series. The two teams are similar in some ways but the amount of sidebar stories have added to the intrigue of the match up as fans await to see how things play out. 

We'll discuss a variety of those things after the jump.

2012 WHL Bantam Draft: Top 22

We've ranked the forwards the dmen and the top 10 goaltenders and now it's time to wrap it all together. After the jump, check out our panel of scouts top 22 heading into this year's draft. As always remember that this isn't personal and if your 'player' isn't on our list doesn't mean he's not on someone else's. Enjoy.

Oilers Sign 'Latvian Assassin'

Photo: Andy Devlin / Edm Oil Kings

New this morning from the Edmonton Oilers that they have signed 2010 7th round selection Kristians Pelss to a 3-year entry level contract. Here is the official release. Pelss is currently a member of the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings who are getting ready to open the league championship series at home against the Portland Winterhawks this Thursday night.

Pelss ended the 2011-12 campaign with 28 goals and 50 points through 63 games. He also captained Latvia's entry at the 2012 World Junior Championship. 

Coming Down the Pipe Tonight

As we are now just 2 sleeps from the WHL championship and just over a week from knowing who will hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup, the Edmonton Oil Kings are the team that used to be the Oil Kings before flying off to Portland and becoming the Winter Hawks.