Man in command

Things often have a way of coming full circle.

Last January, in one of those bittersweet moments life can sometimes throw a person’s way, Justin McCrae was involuntarily relieved of his team captain duties with the Saskatoon Blades.

That resulted when 20-year-old McCrae, a 2007 fourth-round NHL draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes and a five-year Western Hockey League veteran, was dealt to the Spokane Chiefs in a trade-deadline deal that forced him to leave the team with which he’d spent his entire junior hockey career.

As much as that might have initially stung, the right-winger came to Spokane knowing that the Chiefs were poised for a potentially long and successful postseason. Just like that, he’d gone from one of the worst – as the Blades were all but out of playoff contention when the trade took place – to the real possibility of first.

“That part of it was pretty crazy, and it did make it a little better,” the Cochrane, Alberta, native said. “I mean, it was hard leaving my friends at first and all of that, because (Saskatoon) is where I had spent so much of my career and I was captain of the team. But when I came to Spokane the guys were awesome and made me feel welcome right away.

“Plus, it was nice knowing that the team was probably going to make a good playoff run.”

As it turned out “a good playoff run” was a severe understatement. It was a spectacular playoff run.

By the end of May the Chiefs (19-9-0-3 this season) – who play back-to-back home games against the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight and Saturday night – had won the WHL title (the Ed Chynoweth Cup) and the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup championship.

“It was honestly a dream come true,” McCrae said. “You definitely dream about it when you’re a kid and stuff like that, but you just can’t even imagine what it’s really like until it really happens. It was the best thing that’s happened in my hockey career – and it’s something that I’ll never forget.”

Things are still coming back around for McCrae. He’s a year older, a year wiser, two hockey major junior hockey titles richer, and once again he has hockey’s coveted letter stitched onto his sweater.

McCrae was officially named the new Chiefs captain at the beginning of December when he returned to the ice after missing 23 games because of a knee injury he suffered during Spokane’s Sept. 27 season opener in Cranbrook, British Columbia, against the Kootenay Ice.

“It’s an absolute compliment to him to play on two teams and both teams would consider him captain material,” Chiefs coach Hardy Sauter said.

Sauter said he knew by mid-October that McCrae, who is playing on Spokane’s top line with left-wing Drayson Bowman and center Mitch Wahl, would be his captain this season. Sauter thought it would be best, though, to wait and make the announcement when McCrae returned to the ice.

“We wanted everyone’s input – players included – and that’s when we had gotten it all – around the 15th of October,” Sauter said. “Just his work ethic, his attitude and the respect he has from his teammates and his approach to playing hockey – all those things put together just made him the obvious choice in my mind.

“He’s the type of guy we’re hoping our young guys will see and mimic – from his preparation to his attitude, and right down to the way he plays and works hard in every game.”

Those qualities add up to McCrae’s lead-by-example nature. Last season’s captain – Chris Bruton – was more of an in-your-face type of captain. McCrae’s style is different, Sauter said.

“I think when (McCrae) chooses to talk from a leadership standpoint, he has his own way about him,” Sauter said. “To some guys he does it quietly and to others he isn’t concerned if it’s in front of other people or not. He has a feel of how he can help each guy on an individual basis.”

Speaking of which, there are some individual goals McCrae has for himself this season. Besides the desire to repeat as a champion with his coach and his teammates, it’s McCrae’s last chance to earn a pro contract and fulfill his NHL dreams.

“That’s my main goal – to make sure I have a good rest of the season and hopefully end up signing a contract and end up playing professionally next year. Obviously, for whatever reason, if that doesn’t work out, then the (WHL scholarship) will come into play,” said McCrae, who is eligible for a year’s worth of college scholarship money for each year he has played in the WHL. “I definitely want to pursue hockey, so this is a big season for me.

“I guess it would hurt a little, to not get to play professionally like I’ve always wanted to.”

But then again, things have a way of coming full circle.