Medicine Hat Tigers rookie Oasiz Wiesblatt celebrates with teammate Tyler MacKenzie after scoring the first goal of his Western Hockey League career on Saturday at Co-op Place.--NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
mccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Medicine Hat Tigers Oasiz Wiesblatt and Brayden Boehm will forever be linked to one of the most incredible accomplishments in Western Hockey League history.
The pair of rookie forwards both lit the lamp for the first time in their careers on Saturday night at Co-op Place, helping secure a 7-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels for Bob Ridley’s 4,000th Tigers broadcast.
“I was kind of waiting 11 months to score my first goal, so it was awesome,” Wiesblatt said in a post-game Zoom conference with media. “And Ridley’s 4,000th game, it’s just so surreal seeing how much people respect him.”
The victory followed up a 5-4 overtime comeback in Red Deer Friday, putting Medicine Hat at 2-0-0-0 on the 24-game season with the weekend sweep.
Wiesblatt’s milestone tally capped off a four-goal first period with a well-placed shot over the shoulder of Rebel netminder Byron Fancy, while Boehm finished off a cross-ice feed from Caleb Willms on a 2-on-1 with eight minutes left in the third.
“Both guys were good, both guys played hard. That’s good to see,” said Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins. “It’s good to see our young guys not just scoring, but Red Deer’s a tough team, they play hard physically and what’s important to me … is just to see how they play under some heavy contact and they all did a good job.”
Cole Clayton led the early scoring surge with three points in the dominant first period, including the opening goal just 36 seconds in.
“Back to the point, Cole Clayton shoots – he scores!” Ridley belted out over the radio broadcast.
Tigers captain Ryan Chyzowski says playing in game No. 4,000 has been in his mind since last March, when the pandemic halted the WHL season just two games short of Ridley’s milestone. So when that 354-day wait finally ended Saturday, Chyzowski says the Tigers were beyond fired up to hit the ice.
“We were buzzing from the start just with the energy from him, so it was great to get the win for him,” said Chyzowski. “I think it was pretty disappointing not getting to see him get that last year when it all shut down, so it was pretty exciting just knowing that when we got to start up, we were going to get that milestone for Rids.”
Desjardins agreed it was great to win it for Ridley, whose milestone rightly overshadowed the game itself.
“A lot of things were going right for us. I think that was good, but I think the night was Bob Ridley night. I think what he accomplished tonight overshadowed the game, for sure. I’m glad that his 4,000th game was a win,” said Desjardins.
“Rids means so much to our franchise, especially the older guys who have been around. The young guys don’t know him like we do, it’s kind of a different year this year, so that’s too bad. But he’s such a legend. How can you go that long and not have somebody dislike you? All the guys that have gone through, every one of them is a Bob Ridley fan. He’s made us all better and I know we sure appreciate him.”
That sentiment seemed to be shared not just across the WHL, but the hockey world at large.
Saturday opened with WHL commissioner Ron Robison announcing the new Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence, and none other than Ridley was named as the first recipient. A special tribute video was played prior to puck drop, and video messages from dozens of former Tigers – from Lanny McDonald and Jim Nill to Mason Shaw and David Quenneville – were broadcast during breaks in play throughout the game. There was even a segment on Hockey Night in Canada devoted to Ridley’s milestone, with Ron MacLean sporting a Tigers jersey.
“Last night, I had the honor of broadcasting my 4000th Tiger hockey game in the WHL. Congratulatory remarks from the hockey world was overwhelming and I thank all of you,” Ridley said on Twitter.
“Not only did I get to broadcast my 4000th Tiger game, but the WHL established a new yearly award called the Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence. The ultimate honor for myself. Words escape my gratitude.”
The Tigers are back in action next weekend with a home-and-home set against the Oil Kings, starting Friday in Edmonton at 7 p.m.
