It was only a few short days ago that the Remparts appeared to have Gatineau on the ropes, Patrick Roy's boys having a 3-1 series lead.
But a 5-3 win in Game 5 on Colisée ice served as notice to all that the 'Piques were not going to go gentle into that good night, but rather were intent on winning this series. A 4-0 domination by the Olympiques on their home ice, The Robert Guertin arena, - The Bob, as it's referred to by some fans - set the stage for tonight's winner-take-all tilt.
For the first period and a half, Gatineau kept the Remparts at bay with their stifling defence and spirited play. Taking advantage of their chances, they were up 2-0, when they started to show the first signs of developing chinks in their defensive armour.
Around the midway point of the second period the rink seemed to get bigger, and the Remparts started to find skating lanes into, ans space within, the Gatineau end and buzzed the Olympiques net, sending the teams to the dressing rooms tied 2-2 after two.
The Remparts seemed poised to continue their assault on the Gatineau net, while the Olympiques appeared at a loss to find the defensive formula which had served them so well over the course of the past two and a half games.
Whatever adjustments were made, whatever tactics were reviewed in the room, coach Benoit Groulx and his staff seemed to get things back on track because the Olympiques controlled the puck for much of the final period and clogged up the ice the few times the Remparts created some rushes.
Particularly impressive was the play of Nicolas Deslauriers, a third round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2009 NHL draft, who set the pace of the game from his position on the Gatineau blueline. He lead the way with timely bodychecks, steady stickhandling and sharp, accurate, outlet passes.
Jimmy Appleby, called in relief of Louis Domingue in the Remparts net in the first period after the second Gatineau goal, surrendered two goals in the final frame.
Philip-Michael Devos capped off the win with the empty net with three seconds left on the clock. 5-2 final score...
On to the final
And with this, Gatineau moves onto the President's Cup Final series where they will meet the regular season champs the St-John Sea Dogs.
The end of series handshake was particularly emotional as the Nicolas Deslauriers and Mikael Tam, the Remparts captain, led their teams through one of sports' few remaining displays of true sportsmanship.
After the Gatineau Olympiques headed off to the dressing room, the Remparts took one last skate around the Colisée ice to salute the fans.
Pat Burns.
As the fans streamed out of the building, into the rainy, cold Quebec City night, I couldn't help but think about Pat Burns, the former NHL coach with the Habs, Leafs, Bruins and Stanley Cup winner with the Devils.
It all started in Gatineau for Pat. He had impressed as a Midget coach while earning a living as a cop. After being offered the head coaching position with the then Hull Olympiques in 1984, Burns took a leave of absence from his job and took up coaching full time.
He would never look back.
In his three seasons with the Olympiques where he coached players such as Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille, high-scoring Guy Rouleau, longtime NHLer Stéphane Matteau, and Pat Brisson, Burns enjoyed his fair share of success.
In his second season at the helm, Burns led the 'Piques to their first QMJHL President's Cup and came within one win of the Memorial Cup, falling in the final to the OHL champion Guelph Platers, coached by present-day Hab bench boss Jacques Martin, by the score of 6-2.
Montreal calling.
In the summer of 1987, Serge Savard, General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens came calling and offered Burns the head coaching job with the Sherbrooke Canadiens, the Habs American Hockey League farm club, and the rest can be found in the pages of hockey history books.
In all the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques have played in 10 President's Cup Finals and have won a record seven trophies. They head into the 2011 Finals as definite underdogs. But as many teams over the years have learned, the St-John Sea Dogs had better not take the Olympiques too lightly.
Because this is a team that never quits. Pat Burns wouldn't have it.
Photo: Pat Burns waves to fans as they prepare to raise a banner in his honour at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau (Hull).
In 2007, he was elected to the QMJHL Hall of Fame.
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