Randall Gelech with his partner and two children

By Regan Bartel

Massive assist mystery solved

21 years later, Randall Gelech cherishes his Memorial Cup moment

Aug 4, 2025 | 9:00 AM

At the 2004 Memorial Cup in Kelowna, Rockets forward Randall Gelech could do no wrong. He scored one of the biggest goals in franchise history, set up another. He banged on the glass like a man possessed and then somehow didn’t get credited with an assist on the championship-winning goal.

Or did he?

Down 1-0 to Gatineau in the third period, the Rockets needed a spark, and Gelech delivered. He tied the game with a goal that sent the crowd into complete chaos.

“I have goosebumps right now just thinking about it,” Gelech said when RocketFAN asked what it was like to tie the score at one. “Seeing the fans behind the glass… it was pure mayhem. To see how the building erupted. To hit the glass. It will be a moment I will never forget.”

As he celebrated, eyes wide, he sprinted to the glass behind the Gatineau net and pounded it with both hands in jubilation. The Kelowna crowd had seen great goals before, but not in this moment, not on this stage.

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“If you look back on the clip, I’m still a little confused how they didn’t take a better look at it, with [Justin] Keller landing on the goalie,” he said with a sheepish grin. “But it counted and that’s all that matters. There are no pictures on the scoreboard.”

Just under four minutes later, Gelech was involved again, this time on the goal that would seal the deal.

Archived video shows defenceman Mike Card retrieving the puck in his own zone and sending a cross-ice pass to Brett Palin. Palin chipped it off the right boards to Gelech, who entered the Gatineau zone with speed and slid a pass across to Keller, his linemate along with Cam Paddock, who somehow snuck a weak backhand through the startled goaltender.

“I was supposed to have an assist on that one,” Gelech recalled, chuckling. “I passed it off the wall to him, and he goes down and slides the puck underneath the goalie’s pad. I’m not sure what the goalie was doing. He had the yipes. Maybe if I was credited with that assist, I’d still be playing,” he joked.

RocketFAN looked everywhere to figure out if Gelech really didn’t get credited with an assist on Keller’s game-winning goal. The official scoresheet might have had his name on it when it was finalized, but you won’t find it online. So, we checked with Doyle Potenteau, the Kelowna Daily Courier sports writer who was at the game, and he did note that both Gelech and team captain Josh Gorges picked up assists on the goal.

No matter what the records say, the play is clear in the memories of fans and the video showing Gelech’s perfect pass.

It’s the kind of detail that would drive most players mad, but Gelech has long made peace with it. The ring fits just fine either way.

And besides, it’s hard to stay annoyed about paperwork when you’re winning a national championship in front of a sold-out home crowd.

Gelech was on the ice for the tying goal, the winner, and the final minute as the Rockets protected their lead. When the final buzzer sounded, he skated directly to goaltender Kelly Guard, who had been near-invincible the entire tournament, for the first embrace of many.

“Playing there [Kelowna] for four years, we had never heard the crowd like that,” Gelech said, recalling the electric atmosphere. “I can remember U2 playing ‘Streets Have No Name.’ I remember it like it was yesterday.”

The championship capped off a dominant run by a team that had become a powerhouse in the WHL and across the country. But it wasn’t just about banners or parades. For players like Gelech, it became a cornerstone of their life.

“Those four years in Kelowna, there is obviously strong mental and physical growth, but how it shapes you into a young man is tremendous. Let’s face it. Hockey doesn’t last forever. A few guys like Josh Gorges, Shea Weber and Blake Comeau played close to 1,000 games in the NHL. That isn’t by mistake. They put in the work. They were dedicated. For some of the other guys, life comes a little quicker. Having those skills prepares you for the rest of your life. I’ve learned a ton from hockey that I wouldn’t trade for the world. The rest of your life has to start too, and I am really enjoying mine.”

Gelech now lives in Calgary, where he works in sales in the oil and gas industry. The competitive drive that helped him win a Memorial Cup still shapes his life today.

“When I came to Kelowna, guys who played in the Memorial Cup and won championships were getting drafted and getting signing bonuses. I knew that winning a championship, even though I was drafted by that point by the Phoenix Coyotes, I was going to have a really strong case for a larger signing bonus and moving up the pro ranks. We knew the team came first, but after that, individual success followed.”

It’s safe to say that goal, and that moment, didn’t just help bring a Memorial Cup to the city. It helped launch lives.

“There was no doubt we were going to win,” Gelech added. “It’s easy to say now, but we had that confidence that we were going to get it done.”