VANCOUVER - With Gordie Howe in the building, Jordan Martinook couldn’t resist the opportunity to pay tribute to one of hockey’s all-time greats.
Martinook had two goals and an assist for the Vancouver Giants in a 7-5 upset of the Kamloops Blazers on Friday night in Western Hockey League action.
The team honoured Howe before the game as part of their Legends Night series.
Martinook assisted on a first-period goal and then scored a goal in the second, prompting him to go out and get in a fight to complete the “Gordie Howe hat trick.”
“I came off after the goal and I said to our equipment manager (Chad Scharff) I think I should have a fight tonight because Gordie’s in the building,” said Martinook. “It just kind of happened. We bumped behind the net and I said ‘Let’s go.’”
He scrapped with Kamloops’ Tyler Hansen in the third period and ended up scoring an insurance goal late in the third. He was named the game’s first star and when he skated out to the applause of the 8,115 fans he raised his elbow in honour of the 83-year-old icon.
“When he did the mock-elbow at me yesterday (at a media event to promote Friday’s game) I figured if I was going to get a Gordie Howe hat trick tonight I had to do it,” said Martinook.
The Giants were wearing commemorative jerseys resembling those of the early Howe-era Detroit Red Wings, with his familiar number nine as the logo.
“Sometimes you take a double look when you’ve got No. 9 on the arm, but we’ll be back to normal tomorrow,” said Martinook of the special uniforms. “I wish we could keep wearing those – we were kind of good in them tonight.”
Vancouver blew a 3-0 lead but never trailed in their defeat of the WHL-best Blazers. Kamloops is still 13 points ahead of Vancouver, but the Giants are glad to be getting some wins against top opponents.
“We’ve gotten four points the last two games against two good hockey clubs in Edmonton and Kamloops, so that’s a stepping stone,” said Vancouver head coach Don Hay. “Something we can build on.”
Nathan Burns scored twice, while Brett Kulak, Brendan Gallagher, and Austin Vetterl each had a goal and an assist for Vancouver (30-19-3), which trails first-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division by 13 points.
Taylor Makin added three assists.
Colin Smith, Dylan Willick, Cole Ully, Brendan Ranford and Brock Balson scored goals for Kamloops (36-12-4). Bronson Maschmeyer had three assists.
Vancouver opened the scoring just 56 seconds into the game when Kulak threw a soft shot towards the net and Vetterl deflected it past goalie Cole Cheveldave for his seventh the year.
Kulak scored a power-play goal less than three minutes later to make it 2-0. Alex Kuvaev centred the puck to defenceman Kulak who crashed the crease and shovelled the puck home at 3:53.
Recording a goal and an assist so early in the game, the 18-year-old rookie wasn’t interested in getting a “Gordie Howe hat trick” of his own.
“I’m not too much of a fighter,” said Kulak. “Maybe next year when I put on some muscle I can throw some guys around a little better. I was really excited to get that goal and assist to help out the team.”
Vancouver made it 3-0 at 10:02 as Wes Vannieuwenhuizen's point shot wrung off the boards and right to Burns who fired home his ninth of the season.
Kamloops got on the board at 13:09 when Willick backhanded the puck past Giants goalie Adam Morrison on the short-handed breakaway, giving him 21 goals on the season.
Kamloops scored a power-play goal early in the second period to cut the deficit to one. The puck bounced to Smith at the side of the net and he potted his 26th at 1:32.
Balson tied the game at 6:11 when he jumped on a rebound, but Vancouver regained the lead two minutes later as Gallagher redirected Neil Manning’s point shot.
The lead was back up to two when Martinook jumped on a puck in the neutral zone, undressed Maschmeyer and fired a hard wrist shot glove side on Cheveldave at 11:41.
Morrison made perhaps the best stop of the night with four minutes to go in the second when he robbed Brandon Herrod point blank with a beautiful glove save.
Morrison finished with 31 saves.
Kamloops cut the deficit back to one when Ully jammed a puck past Morrison at 18:22, giving the rookie six goals on the season.
At the 4:40 mark of the first the Giants restored their two-goal cushion. Burns took a pass from Vetterl in the slot and slid it under Cheveldave for his second of the game.
The Blazers cut it to 6-5 when Ranford scored his 28th of the year, scoring short side on the power play at 10:52 of the third.
Martinook completed the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot at 18:34.
“He was involved,” said Hay of Martinook. “When you’re involved in all aspects of the game you’re around the puck and when he’s around the puck he’s making things happen. He’s got a quick shot that’s a little bit deceiving to some of the goalies. He’s got real good solid speed. That’s a real good combination to have.”
Howe's health has been a hot topic on this trip to Vancouver for the Friday's tribute and an appearance at Thursday night's Canucks game to promote an upcoming local Scotiabank Pro-Am fundraising tournament.
Launched in 2004, the tournaments span four cities across the country (Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver) and have raised more than $16 million for the Gordie and Colleen Howe Fund for Alzheimer's.
Howe's wife Colleen died of Pick's Disease in 2009 and Howe is dealing with a mild form of dementia.
Martinook says the game had greater significance for some players, though all of his team appreciated what the Giants’ part-owner had given to their organization and community.
“Whenever you have a crowd like we had out there tonight, whenever Gordie comes to town, it’s always really special,” said Martinook, playing his second season with the Giants. “We have quite a few new guys so they haven’t really experienced the feeling you get when you get to watch the video and see all the stuff he’s accomplished.
"I know the guys know about him, but to see him in person like that it jacks you up. When he’s fist-bumping you before you go for the game it’s pretty cool."
“We all wanted to put on a good showing for him,” added Kulak. “He comes out here and puts in his time. It was good to see him.”
Vancouver visits the Portland Winterhawks Saturday and then again on Monday night.
Kamloops finishes their road trip in Seattle Saturday to take on the Thunderbirds.
NOTES: Kamloops leads the season series 2-1-1. ... Giants forwards Dalton Sward and Matt Bellerive both missed the game with upper body injuries. ... Blazers Jordan DePape and J.C. Lipon also missed the game with upper body injuries.