Was it the ugliest goal we witnessed last night?  Not quite.

That honor goes to Tomas Jurco of the Saint John Sea Dogs.  Jurco is known for having some of the best hands in hockey – NHL included – but during last night’s Memorial Cup Game against the Kootenay Ice, he was letting his head do the work.

With the Sea Dogs trailing 4-3 with less than 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Jurco was standing in front of the Kootenay goal when he took a shot off the head from one of his teammates.  Jurco hit the ice in pain, as the puck bounced over Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen and across the goal line for the game-tying goal.

The Sea Dogs would go on to lose to the Ice in overtime, however, they had already clinched a berth in the finals with wins in their previous two games against the Owen Sound Attack and the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.  Here is a look at the game’s highlights, with Jurco’s goal coming at the 1:36 mark.

This years top European prospect, Victor Hedman, expected to go in the top two at the 2009 NHL entry draft, was selected by Spartak in the fourth and final round, 83rd overall.  That was of little surprise, but what may have turned a few more heads was the selection of Windsor Spitfires star Taylor Hall, going 89th overall to AK Bars.  Hall is not eligible for this year’s NHL draft, but with the KHL’s minimum age being one year younger, he was on the list of possible selections.

One notable prospect who didn’t get taken was John Tavares, who is also slated to go in the top couple of picks at this years NHL entry draft.  It was likely figured by most teams that he will no doubt be going to the NHL, and thus is not worth using a pick on.  So what does that tell us about Hedman and Hall?

It is almost a sure thing that Hedman will also be playing in the NHL next season rather than the KHL, but him being a European may have Spartak believing in the possibility of keeping the young defenseman closer to home.  As for Hall, with another year to wait before being eligible for the NHL draft, there is always the chance that he will take the money and go to the KHL, rather than remain in the OHL.  Although he did not comment on the situation, his agent Darren Ferris did:

“He’s one of the best players I’ve seen in a long time, so I can see why they’d want to draft him.  I wouldn’t have any immediate comment to say whether he’d go or not go. We haven’t even discussed it.”

It is an interesting decision for Hall, but one that he is likely to pass up for another shot at the Memorial Cup.  Don’t expect this to turn into a big drama, but should Hall be tempted by the big bucks of the KHL, it could become an interesting summer story.

The Spitfires became the first team in history to win the Memorial Cup tournament after starting 0-2.  Their victory was capped off with a 4-1 win on Sunday against the Kelowna Rockets.  Windsor is the early favorite to repeat next year with the return of most of their roster players, but for now the players and fans are only worried about celebrating this years win.

As for the shirtless kids parading around Windsor, what better way to show your support.  We wonder if their parents encouraged them to take off their shirts and wave them, or if it was out of their own love for the home town team.  Maybe it was just another one of those hot Canadian days.  Times may be tough in Windsor, but for just this week they will be letting the shirts fly in celebration.

Here is the vidwo of the madness in Windsor.

After losing their first two games to Drummonville and Rimouski, Windsor needed to defeat Kelowna in their third round robin game in order to advance to a tie-break game.  They would get the 2-1 victory and go on to face Rimouski for a place in the semi-finals.  After defeating Drummonville in overtime, the Spits found themselves in an unlikely position, going from down and out to the Memorial Cup Finals.

Kelowna had endured a lengthy rest of four days, last playing on Tuesday when they lost to Windsor.  The Spitfires would take advantage of that rust in the final game, going up 3-0 in the first and never looking back.

After a great season and dominating playoffs, the Spits looked as though they had crashed after the first couple of days of the tournament.  Instead, they were only heating up, getting better as each game passed, and hitting full stride in time for the championship game.  The victory puts an end to what has been an unforgettable year for the team from Windsor.

Just over a year ago, Spitfire captain Mickey Renaud passed away at the age of 19 with a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  His team has since hung his sweater in their dressing room so he can still be there with them for every game.  This season and the way they fought hard in the end to give it the perfect ending is a testament to their fallen teammate and friend.  It also comes at a perfect time as the city of Windsor has fallen on hard times with the struggles of the auto industry.

We at TPS would once again like to congratulate the Windsor Spitfires on a terrific Memorial Cup victory and a great season all around.  Good luck next year, although it is unlikely they will need it with most of their players expected to return, making them early favorites to win the OHL again.

Just one more thing now that it is all over.  What is going to happen to all those terrible playoff mushaches and beards?