four-game sweep of the Everett Silvertips.
Medicine Hat went on to make the post-season in every one of Desjardins’ eight seasons behind the bench while winning the team’s fifth WHL title in 2007 with a star-studded roster that included names like Tyler Ennis, Derek Dorsett and Kris Russell.
Desjardins took a break from the Tigers in 2010 — moving on to win the American Hockey League championship with the Texas Stars in 2014 before coaching for three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and one with the Los Angeles Kings. He even guided Canada to an Olympic bronze medal in Pyeongchang. But the bench boss returned to his role in the Gas City just in time for the 50th season.
In his nine-year absence, the Tigers were left in the hands of protégé Shaun Clouston. Although he was unable to bring Medicine Hat back into the WHL final, Clouston oversaw the bulk of a 13-year playoff streak and helped forge another significant
The 1970-71 Medicine Hat Tigers pose for a team photo in this undated photograph.
chapter in the franchise’s storied history through their move to the Canalta Centre.
That playoff streak was snapped in a heartbreaking Game 73 loss to the Oil Kings to close out their first year in the building, but they answered with another rise up the ranks — surging to their best record under Clouston at 51-20-1- 0 in a season that included a few franchise defining moments, most notably, the day Lysiak’s No. 9 was lifted to the rafters.
One of the largest crowds in the Canalta Centre’s history filled the stands to watch Lysiak’s number posthumously rise above the Tigers goal next to his former linemate McDonald on Feb. 25, 2017.
The Tigers rode the transcendent emotion of that evening all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals that season, and are well on pace to return for a lengthy run under Desjardins this year.
A night like Lysiak’s proved that the lasting legacy of the Tigers lies not just in the hands and hearts of the 20 young men on skates, but the fans those young men play for as well. For thousands of Gas City residents, the Medicine Hat Tigers are an ingrained and integral part of this city’s culture, history and identity and will continue to be for decades to come — all because of a game.
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WWW.MEDICINEHATMINORHOCKEY.COM Celebrating 50 Yeas | 7
PERSEVERANCE CHARACTER
HONOUR RESPECT
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ATTITUDE
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