Put On Your Cote

[CowboyinAmerica 2,889]

 

The Season 44 Calgary Wranglers were remembered for coming out of nowhere to take a title - taking down the Meute then of Quebec City in the semifinals, followed by a Cologne team in its third straight finals thereafter. Over time, a lot of credit for this win has gone to Hall of Fame goaltender Hans Wingate or to the team's GM Austin Gow. But the Playoff MVP for this run was neither of these - it was forward Tyler Cote, who perhaps lost to history had one of the great playoff runs ever.

 

The player from @Ball, Cote finished the Season 44 playoffs with 31 total points. For reference, not a single other player has reached 30 points in a single playoffs since, and you have to go back to Season 34 ( @Victor's Chershenko) for the previous time it happened. Cote finished with 8 goals and 23 assists in 16 games that playoffs with a +22 and 56 hits. And to think, this was also his first season on the Wranglers, coming over from Toronto in an offseason trade.

 

Unfortunately, that would be the high water mark for both Cote and Ball - he wouldn't win another individual award or a title, despite topping 35 goals and 85 points in each of his three seasons in Calgary. The following season, the Wranglers would go up 3-1 in the finals, but ultimately fall to Helsinki in tragic fashion (Cote had 21 points that playoffs too). Ball himself, meanwhile, has been in and out of activity since then. But it was a magical playoff run for all involved, and for Cote's 31 points, a playoff run that is indeed unheralded.

[Victor 10,937]

What a run that was.