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KITCHENER, Ont. — For Chris Bruton and Matt Pepe, the 21-year-old captains of the MasterCard Memorial Cup finalists on Sunday, plenty of reflection has flooded their thoughts as they prepare for their junior hockey swan song.
Bruton of the Western Hockey League-champion Spokane Chiefs and Pepe of the Ontario Hockey League titleholding Kitchener Rangers met briefly last Sunday, when the two were asked to participate in the ceremonial face-off before their round-robin game and their paths will cross on the ice again at the Memorial Cup final on Sunday.
Even though Bruton was born and raised in Calgary and Pepe hails from Dorchester, Ont. (near London), the pair shared similar thoughts on Saturday about the sacrifices their parents made to allow them to attain a high level of junior success.
"You know what would really make this whole thing special — and it is already — is to give my parents a hug after the winning the final," Bruton said. "When you look back at all they have done for you, it would be neat to repay them with a championship.
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"They did all the little things that add up. Coach you, carry the bags, tie up your skates. There are no words to describe the gratefulness that every hockey kid has for the sacrifices their parents make, especially the way I feel about my parents."
Bruton's parents, Catherine and Ed, were raised in Montreal. Ed was a walk-on hockey player at McGill University and later became a corporate lawyer. His wife was a flight attendant for Air Canada for 25 years.
"I remember her often getting off a flight at six in the morning and then driving me straight to practice," their son said.
Ed Bruton passed on promotions to Australia and India to stay in Canada and allow his three sons to play hockey.
"My Dad sacrificed a lot," Chris Bruton said. "He let that promotion go by because we loved hockey and loved living in Canada. We lived in Denver for two years, but I played there and had a lot of fun. The first thing they did when we moved there was sign us up for hockey."
Catherine and Ed are in Kitchener to share their son's final week of junior hockey, along with younger brother Thomas, 17, and older brother Patrick, 23, who cut short an Asian vacation to watch his sibling play in the WHL final earlier this month and now the Memorial Cup. "It's been awesome," said Chris, a centre.
On the other side of the rink, Pepe's parents always seem to be at his junior games. The drive from Dorchester is only 45 minutes and Matt couldn't recall an occasion when they missed a home game.
"My younger brother Marcus [who turns 18 next month] was in his first year with the Barrie Colts this year," Matt said. "So my parents have more time to spend in this league. But I know right now they are two of the biggest Kitchener Rangers fans.
"It's been noticeable all week that they have been emotional. They are excited, especially after Friday night [when the Rangers hammered the Belleville Bulls 9-0 to advance to the final against the Chiefs]."
Pepe's father is a hardwood sales representative and his mother is in charge of payroll for a London company that constructs skyscrapers.
"It would be awesome to go out on top," Pepe said. "It would be the best way to thank them for taking me to the arena when I was younger. There are so many sacrifices that hockey parents make that most people don't see."
Often when parents raise elite-level hockey players, there summer vacations are substituted for summer hockey, time spent at Christmas and Easter is not for resting and relaxing, but watching hockey tournaments.
"I look up to the both them so much," Pepe said. "I couldn't ask for a better situation than playing for Kitchener. I was a late draft pick [12th round] and to not only make the team but play here my entire junior career, so close to my parents, and now be the captain of a Memorial Cup team has been great.
"There would be nothing I would like to do more than hoist the trophy on Sunday and close this chapter on my life on a high note."
Pepe is the longest serving Rangers player. He will suit up for his 302nd regular season and playoff game on Sunday. Like his captain counterpart, Bruton, he never has been drafted by an NHL club and his future in hockey is cloudy.
But nothing matters more than the Memorial Cup final right now for Pepe and Bruton, who will play in his 289th game for the Chiefs after being drafted in the eighth round by Spokane.
Bruton's paternal grandfather, Georges Légaré, said on Saturday that he and his wife, along with Bruton's 88-year-old maternal grandmother, will assemble to watch the game on television in Montreal.
"We have a bottle of champagne ready," he said. "Let's hope we will open it."
No matter what the outcome, both the Pepes and Brutons should be toasted.
