While Sidney Crosby was hoisting the Stanley Cup in Detroit Friday night, a couple of his buddies were north of the border doing victory laps with the Calder Cup.
Andrew Gordon of Porters Lake and Andrew Joudrey of Bedford, teammates with the Hershey Bears, captured the American Hockey League championship at MTS Centre in Winnipeg with a 4-1 win over the Manitoba Moose in Game 6.
“I sent (Crosby) a text message after the game and said we should do some serious partying this summer,” laughed Gordon, who scored the game’s opening goal Friday.
Gordon played on Crosby’s wing during their major midget days with the Dartmouth Subways. They combined for 154 goals among 347 points in 81 games and won silver at the 2002 Telus Cup national championship in Bathurst, N.B.
Crosby, Gordon and Joudrey — another former Subways forward — reunited late last summer in Halifax to prepare for the 2008-09 season, waking up in the wee hours of the morning for on-ice training sessions at local rinks.
“The three of us were up early every day, working hard, and I guess it paid off, looking back,” said Gordon.
Gordon, a St. Cloud State graduate, was tied for third on the Bears with six goals among 10 points in 22 games. Joudrey, a product of Wisconsin, had four points and was plus-8.
It marked Hershey’s record 10th Calder Cup
“It’s a feeling of extreme satisfaction,” said Gordon. “Ten months ago we set out to do this. All the work, all the sacrifice, all the bumps and bruises paid off. It’s incredible.
“I’ll remember this forever.”
Gordon and Joudrey are both Washington Capitals draft picks who will vie for NHL roster spots in the next couple of years. The 23-year-old Gordon made his NHL debut last December and has a good example to follow in Crosby.
“His championship’s a little more prestigious than ours, but I’ll take this as a stepping stone,” said Gordon. “Hopefully, I’ll hoist the big Cup over my head some day, too.”
