WHL veteran Babych steps up as unsung hero for Silvertips

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 5, 2017

EVERETT — It seemed like an ideal situation in September when Cal Babych was traded from the Prince Albert Raiders to the Vancouver Giants.

Sure, it was Babych’s fourth WHL stop in four seasons, but the Vancouver native was headed back to his hometown after spending a season each in Calgary, Prince George and Prince Albert. Plus it was a chance to provide a veteran presence on a young, developing Giants team.

It lasted just three games.

Instead, Babych found himself playing at the Junior A level with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express when the Everett Silvertips added him to their protected list in January. With Everett’s forward depth dwindling as the regular season came to an end, Babych found himself back in a WHL lineup.

“I was excited and I was just thankful,” Babych said. “At the start of the year I thought I had a good chance in Vancouver and obviously that didn’t work out, and then for whatever reason we parted ways. Just going to Coquitlam and playing my year, obviously I had a solid year there and I was thankful to get the call.”

Babych played in two games with Everett at the end of January before returning to the Express. He returned for portions of Everett’s trip to the East Division in February without appearing in any games, and then rejoined the Tips full-time at the beginning of March when Coquitlam’s season ended.

He played in 10 of Everett’s final 11 games of the regular season as the team chased down and eventually won the U.S. Division title.

“Here’s a kid who has been around the game his whole life,” Everett assistant coach Mitch Love said. “I think that, first and foremost, has a lot to do with (it). He’s a mature kid who is well-spoken, very professional when he comes to the rink. He’s very low maintenance, which any coach wants. He’s got a pretty high hockey IQ, which you would see from a guy who that has been around the game for a long time. He’s got some really nice hands and he can make some really nice little hockey plays in tight areas.”

Babych finished with two goals and two assists in a dozen total games with Everett during the regular season. That was ample time for him to assimilate to his fifth WHL team and sixth junior team in four seasons, and he immediately felt comfortable in his new role.

“Everyone on the team does their specific thing that they need to do and we all know what it is,” he said. “That’s personally what I think makes us successful as a team. Everyone knows their role and we go out there and execute it every night.”

But sometimes roles change. Sometimes role players are counted on to help turn the tide of a series.

In Game 6 of Everett’s first-round playoff series with Victoria on Sunday, it was Babych’s turn as he opened the scoring in the second period. Then, nearly five hours later, he ended the longest game in CHL history with a breakaway goal in the fifth overtime as the Tips won 3-2 to eliminate the Royals in six games to reach the Western Conference semifinals.

“It’s the story of the playoffs,” head coach Kevin Constantine said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and one thing I can tell you pretty consistently is somebody who is not maybe a featured or prominent regular-season player will have moments like this in the playoffs.”

The story of the five-overtime game reverberated throughout Canada. The Silvertips missed the final ferry back to the mainland, but that enabled them to celebrate the win and watch the television coverage at the hotel.

Babych’s cell phone was deluged with calls and text messages. He spoke to his family and girlfriend and left the rest until Monday morning, calling it “overwhelming.”

“You need unsung heroes in playoff time,” Love said. “Here’s a guy in Cal’s case that came and joined us late and has been a breath of fresh air in the locker room mixing with our guys and it was cool to see him get rewarded. I’m sure it was a big moment for him personally and his family and a huge goal for our organization.”

The Tips didn’t skate Monday or Tuesday as they took time to recover from Sunday’s contest. It gave them an opportunity to reflect, but the focus returned Wednesday as the team was back on the ice in anticipation of Game 1 Friday against the Seattle Thunderbirds at Xfinity Arena.

“As a team we’re trying to look forward to the next round,” Babych said. “I’m kind of trying to put that behind me for now. Obviously that’s something cool and I’ll have that for the rest of my life and we all will as a group. But we’re looking forward to Seattle and what’s going to come next.”

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