Whl Championship -- Seattle Vs. Lethbridge -- T-Birds Prepare Payback -- Ex-Lethbridge Players Have Extra Inspiration

Merry Christmas - we're trading you.

That's the greeting Dave Taylor received Christmas Eve when he took a telephone call at his home in Stony Plain, Alberta, from Bryan Maxwell, general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Taylor said the deal that sent him to the Seattle Thunderbirds for defenseman Shane Belter was a gift.

"Things weren't going my way there," the left winger said of Lethbridge. "Coming to Seattle was a big boost. It has a reputation for treating its people very well. I knew I was going to a really good, young team that was going to be good even in the future. Coach (Don) Nachbaur said I'd get the opportunity to play right away. So I was really happy I was traded."

Taylor scored a goal in each of his first two games with the T-birds, finished the regular season with seven goals and 13 assists and helped Seattle to its first Western Conference championship with three playoff goals - especially impressive for a player whose main role is defense-oriented.

Overage defenseman Randy Perry also began the season in Lethbridge, but was traded to Seattle Oct. 16 for future considerations as each WHL team pared to its maximum three 20-year-olds.

Perry's arrival had an immediate impact on the T-birds, who were 3-8-1 when he arrived - they won nine of the next 11 games.

With his poise and leadership, Perry earned team and Western Conference Defenseman of the Year honors and was voted top defenseman and overage player in the annual Best in the West poll.

But Perry said he still feels the sting of being dropped by the team he captained.

And when the T-birds and Eastern Conference champion Hurricanes open the WHL title series Friday in Lethbridge, Perry will have added inspiration.

"I don't hold a lot of bitter feelings against them as people," Perry said of the Lethbridge management.

At least publicly, Maxwell speaks of Perry as though he's a perfect candidate for son-in-law or Eagle Scout. In a statement issued at the time of the trade, Maxwell called Perry "without question one of the best quality individuals ever to play in Lethbridge. We wanted to move him to a place where he can continue to be an exemplary citizen."

But, Perry said, "They didn't want me to be a part of their organization. And in those regards, I want to show them they made the wrong decision."

Taylor called Lethbridge Coach Parry Shockey "a real motivator" and predicted the Central Division champion Hurricanes "will come out flying and so will we."

In its only game against Seattle this season, Lethbridge withstood two T-bird rallies for a 6-5 victory.

Taylor, still a Hurricane in that Nov. 17 matchup, said, "We didn't think (the T-birds) were a powerhouse at the time."

Nor might anyone who puts stock in the final Canadian Hockey League regular-season poll of National Hockey League scouts. It has Lethbridge No. 3 and Seattle absent from the top 10 teams among the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior League.

Since Taylor's departure, the Hurricanes have added superstars Chris Phillips and Shane Willis in a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders. Phillips, who edged Perry for WHL defenseman of the year, was the No. 1 overall selection in the 1996 NHL entry draft (by Ottawa). Willis is a 1995 pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Leading scorer Byron Ritchie finished second in the WHL scoring race with 126 points (50 goals and 76 assists), one ahead of T-bird Patrick Marleau (51 goals, 74 assists).

Perry called Lethbridge "a really well-rounded team. They don't have a lot of drawbacks."

The Hurricanes ended the regular season with a 47-22-3 record, scoring a league-best 342 goals. The T-birds were 41-27-4, second in their conference. They had 311 goals.

In goal, the teams would appear to be about even. Each allowed 249 goals during the regular season.

After a season in which he went 22-11-3 with a 3.20 goals-against average, Jeff Blair has emerged as the T-birds' No. 1 goalie in the playoffs. He has started all 11 games and has a 7-3 record and 2.31 GAA. Backup Cody Rudkowsky, who sported a 3.45 GAA in a 19-victory season, earned the T-birds' other playoff victory. For Lethbridge, Blaine Russell, who played 35 games in the regular season, has wrested the No. 1 role from Ryan Hoople and is 9-1 with a 2.50 GAA in 10 playoff games. Hoople, who played in 56 regular-season games, is 3-2 with a 4.22 GAA in six playoff appearances.