With the 1991 Memorial Cup to be played in Quebec City’s Le Colisee, the QMJHL sent its champion, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, and runner-up, the Drummondville Voltigeurs. The Sagueneens, coached by Joe Canale, had swept Jean Hamel’s Voltigeurs in the final.
The tournament also included the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, under Ted Nolan, and the Spokane Chiefs, who were coached by Bryan Maxwell. He had won the 1987 Memorial Cup as head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Chiefs ran roughshod through the WHL, with an offence led by Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney. They were 48-23-1 in the regular season, then went on a 14-1 playoff run.
The Chiefs were owned by baseball’s Brett brothers — Bobby, George John and Ken — and they dominated play in Quebec City, going 4-0 while outscoring the opposition, 27-9.
“This feels better than winning the world junior,” said Falloon, after a 5-1 victory over Drummondville in the final on May 19. Falloon scored once to finish with eight, tying the tournament record (Dale Hawerchuk, Cornwall, 1981; Luc Robitaille, Hull, 1986).
Falloon, the leading point-getter with 12, one more than Whitney, was named the MVP.
Drummondville reached the final by beating Chicoutimi, 2-1, in the semifinal, winning on Ian Laperriere’s goal at 11:26 of overtime. It was the second time in the tournament that Drummondville beat the team that had swept it in the QMJHL final.
Two nights earlier, in a game that didn’t mean anything in terms of advancement, the Voltigeurs had dumped the Sagueneens, 5-3.
Drummondville opened the tournament on May 11 with a 4-2 victory over Sault Ste. Marie. The Greyhounds followed that up the next day by dropping a 2-1 decision to Chicoutimi. The OHL champions were done on May 15 after losing, 8-4, to Spokane.
The Chiefs opened on May 12 with Falloon scoring three times in a 7-3 victory over Drummondville. The game featured 206 penalty minutes.
On May 14, the Chiefs got two goals from Falloon and a goal and four assists from Mark Woolf as they rocked Chicoutimi, 7-1, in a game that featured eight ejections, 226 penalty minutes and a third-period line brawl. Spokane defenceman Kerry Toporowski scored the Chiefs’ second goal, but wasn’t around at the end.
Toporowski totalled 505 regular-season penalty minutes and 108 more in the playoffs. He set a Memorial Cup record with 63 penalty minutes. Add it up and Toporowski incurred 676 penalty minutes that season.
The Chiefs completed their domination of the round-robin with an 8-4 victory over the Greyhounds on May 15. Falloon and Whitney had two goals each, and Woolf scored again, giving him four goals and five assists in three games. But he didn’t play in the final, suspended by Maxwell for breaking a team rule.
Four nights later, the Chiefs became the second American-based team to win the Memorial Cup, after the 1983 Portland Winterhawks.
1991 Spokane Chiefs:
Scott Bailey, Mike Chrun, Bart Cote, Cam Danyluk, Tommie Eriksen, Frank Evans, Danny Faassen, Pat Falloon, Murray Garbutt, Geoff Grandberg, Mike Jickling, Steve Junker, Trevor Kidd, Jon Klemm, Chris Lafreniere, Shane Maitland, Mark Szoke, Calvin Thudium, Brent Thurston, Kerry Toporowski, Trevor Tovell, Bram Vanderkracht, Ray Whitney, Mark Woolf, Tim Speltz (general manager), Bryan Maxwell (coach).
