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notoriousTRON · 03-11-2020, 11:29 AM

"And where is Rhys? Right, I wouldnt know either."

The words written on a piece of tape inside Rhys Pritchard's locker room door have been there for the better part of S52 for the Anaheim sophomore winger. Reporters have pressed him again and again in post game interviews for a response to the Cal Labovitch quote but Rhys has always deflected. "I'm focused on what's going on with this team and in this locker room" was the most substantial quote the winger offered. "No comment" was by far his most common response to reporters desperate to provoke Pritchard to inflaming the rivalry between the two players.

The two players have been linked since their first days in Junior hockey. Pritchard, at 17th overall (round 2 pick 7), was drafted 8 spots in front of Labovitch who was taken with the 25th (round 3 pick 5) pick by the Detroit Falcons. In their respective rookie seasons both players made an immediate impact on their respective teams. Labovitch scored 31 points in his first year (7 goals and 24 assists) and Rhys eclipsed him with 32 points (10 goals and 22 assists) including 2 assists on the season's final day to steal the rookie points lead from his counterpart on his way to winning the Esa Anrikkanen, which is awarded to the league's top rookie. That this late season surge convinced voters to give the award to Pritchard, in addition to inclusion on the Leauge's All Rookie team, evidently rubbed Labovitch the wrong way. During a press conference following the winter classic, Labovitch had some frank commentary when asked about his rivalry with Pritchard. "Rhys blowing past me and Luke [McMaster] in rookie points, him winning the SMJHL rookie of the year award and getting a spot on the all-rookie SMJHL line at the end of the season left me pretty sour, going into the off season." Labovitch secured some hardware of his own in S51, winning the Elias Armia award. He also was drafted two spots ahead of Pritchard in the SHL entry draft, going 2nd overall to Minnesota. Indeed, Labovitch has thrived since the end of S51. He finished 3rd in SMJHL in points with 54 (19 goals, 35 assists) in 50 games. Meanwhile Rhys regressed to 27 points (9 goals, 18 assists) which likely led to the comment taped inside Rhys' locker door. In that same presser, Labovitch called him "Prickchard" and suggested that Rhys isn't in his league when it comes to junior hockey success, saying "But here I am now, killing it on Detroit's first line, racking up points left and right and being part of the SMJHL All Star game. And where is Rhys? Right, I wouldnt know either."

"And where is Rhys? Right, I wouldnt know either."

Fast forward to locker room clean out day in Anaheim. The Outlaws have just won the S52 Four Star Cup and Rhys is packing up his personal items and preparing for his busy offseason. In a few days Rhys will be heading back home to the UK for a few days before reporting to his WJC team, British Isles. Asked if he's happy with the way his sophomore season went, he grins wide. "That's a softball question, eh? Do you like winning championships? Yes, the season was a resounding success." Fair enough. However when the topic changes to Labovitch his mood and even his posture changes. "You know it was you blokes in the media that made this rivalry. I said something joking and off hand and you all couldn't wait to run to Cal to get his comment. Yeah, I felt disrespected by what he said and I've kept my mouth shut and used it as motivation this season. It's been here in my locker so I don't forget it. And look where Rhys is now? Four Star Cup Champion" Pritchard says. "I won't lie, it felt good to knock the Falcons out of the playoffs in S51, but lifting that cup while Cal was at home on his couch or on the golf course or wherever. That was a sweet feeling. My only regret is that it wasn't his team on the opposing bench watching us celebrate with our fans." Despite the harsh words, Rhys insists that he isn't one to hold grudges and that he's happy to leave S52 in S52, especially when he feels he got the last laugh. "I hope Cal has a great SHL career and I wish him success. But I also plan on being better and having more success and it looks like I have a head-start on the hardware that matters. And if you can find him on his golf course you can tell him I said that."

As for S52, Pritchard will be returning to what will likely be an expanded role in Anaheim. With top six forwards such as Ivan Maximus and Kevin Robinson likely to be called up to their respective SHL teams, Rhys will likely find himself playing more minutes for the Outlaws. "Yes, I'll be back next year, whatever role they want me in, I'll be happy. My singular focus will be on winning a 2nd cup" he says, "I'm going to step up my training regimen this off-season, starting with some ice time after this interview." Asked if Cal's productive season has anything to do with his increase in training, Rhys hesitates before answering. "I'd be lying if I said Cal's personal and statistical success wasn't a motivating factor but I don't play the game for personal success. I play to win championships. I play for the boys in this locker room. So as far as I'm concerned it's Rhys 1 Cal 0."

"You want my on the record response to this quote in my locker? Kiss the ring Labobitch" -Rhys Pritchard

Sig Cred: Carpy, ML, RainDelay, Donini & Geekusoid

*Mutedfaith* · 03-11-2020, 12:00 PM

I'll see you when I win both IIHF AND WJC gold.

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