A much younger Shea Weber is pictured in this photo submitted by the Kelowna Rockets.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Kelowna Rockets/Marissa Backer
June 28, 2021 - 1:58 PM
Three former Kelowna Rockets defencemen, including a Sicamous native, are headed to game one of the Stanley Cup Final tonight.
Sicamous product Shea Weber is making his debut in the NHL finals after 16 seasons in the league, but he already boasts two WHL Championships, a Memorial Cup, a World Junior Championship, a World Championship, World Cup and two Olympic gold medals. He also won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award after his 2015-2016 season with the Nashville Predators.
If the Montreal Canadiens manage four wins in the upcoming series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Weber will finally add the Stanley Cup to his trophy case.
Weber was a second-round pick in the 2003 NHL draft. Since then, he has played over 1,000 games in the league, most of which with Nashville until he was traded to Montreal for the 2016 season.
So far, the Montreal captain has scored one goal, with three assists in 17 games during the 2021 Canadiens' playoff run.
The other two Rockets alumni, Luke Schenn and Cal Foote will line up on the opposite blue line with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Prior to beginning is NHL career, Schenn joined the rockets in the 2005-2006 season. While he and Weber didn't play together, they roomed together during the 2005 memorial cup while Weber was on the roster, according to a press release from the Kelowna Rockets.
Schenn is headed to the finals to repeat last year's success after having his name engraved on the cup after the 2020 Playoffs, which was Tampa's second time ever winning the finals.
So far, the Saskatoon native has played nearly 800 games in his 14-season NHL career.
Foote, the youngest alumni in the upcoming series, is 35 games into his first NHL season. He has scored one goal and has two assists with the Lightning.
In his WHL career, Foote played three seasons in Kelowna. In 60 games he scored 19 goals, with 51 assists, while captain during the 2017-2018 season.
The 22-year-old defenceman is on the Lightning roster, but he hasn't been on the ice in the 2021 NHL playoffs.
The game one puck drops at 5 p.m. PST today, June 28, at Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena.
2021 Stanley Cup Final schedule:
(All start time PST)
Game 1: Mon., June 28, 5 p.m., Canadiens at Lightning, NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 2: Wed., June 30, 5 p.m., Canadiens at Lightning, NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 3: Fri., July 2, 5 p.m., Lightning at Canadiens. NBC, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 4: Mon., July 5, 5 p.m., Lightning at Canadiens, NBC, SN, CBC, TVAS
Game 5: Wed., July 7, 5 p.m., Canadiens at Lightning, NBC, SN, CBC, TVAS*
Game 6: Fri., July 9, 5 p.m., Lightning at Canadiens, NBC, SN, CBC, TVAS*
Game 7: Sun., July 11, 4 p.m., Canadiens at Lightning, NBC, SN, CBC, TVAS*
* if necessary
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