The move to ban fighting from hockey, at least from the major junior level and below, made another advancement Monday with the publication of a story by John Branch in The New York Times.
The story on The Times’ website carried this headline: Junior Hockey on Cusp of a Revolution: Trying to Stop Fighting.
In the story, David Branch, the president of the Canadian Hockey League and the commissioner of the OHL, is quoted as saying: “The appetite is there. The time is certainly right to move forward.”
And here’s Bob Nicholson, the president of Hockey Canada: “The official stance from Hockey Canada is that we want to get rid of fighting as quickly as we can. Our ultimate goal is to remove fighting.”
John Branch writes:
“For decades, debates centered on whether hockey could survive without fighting. It is viewed by some as a necessary thermostat regulating the heat of a physical game, and by others as a way to draw bigger audiences.
“Now the talk is about how long the sport can live with fighting.
“That change has perched hockey at one of the most significant crossroads of its long history, as leaders see an opening to extinguish the game’s tradition of intermittent anarchy, particularly among teenage combatants.”
The fact that The New York Times feels this issue is important enough to cover tells you all you need to know about in which direction the fighting story is headed.
And you have to understand that this has nothing to do with the entertainment value of fighting, or its aesthetics or its impact, positive or negative, on ticket sales.
This is strictly a safety issue. And, in the case of major junior hockey, you could make a case for it being an issue involving safety in the work place.
The complete story is right here.
———
From @WHLFacts, via Twitter: “Brendan Shinnimin's LAST 50 goals have been scored in 46 games, which is a faster pace than Etem's 51 in 50. Shinnanigans.”
From Adam Hughesman (@Hughdog17), via Twitter: “Did you know . . . Sidney Crosby has been playing games in the WHL for his rehab, wearing jersey number 24 TC Americans.”
———
JUST NOTES:
Scoring adjustments were made on Monday morning, following the Tri-City Americans’ 7-3 victory over the host Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night.
And at the end of the day F Adam Hughesman of the Americans was up to 101 points, making him the team’s second 100-point man. F Brendan Shinnimin, with 115 points, is the other.
The Americans’ roster last contained two 100-point men in 1998-99 when F Dylan Gyori finished with 118 and Scott Gomez had 108.
F Patrick Holland is at 95 points, meaning the Americans are likely to finish with three 100-point men.
The Americans last had three of those in 1991-92 -- Terry Degner, 139; Brian Sakic, 128; and, Vladimir Vujtek, 102. . . .
———
F Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks has 52 goals, with a WHL-leading 26 of those having come via the power play. That is the most PP goals in a season by one player since F Eric Fehr of the Brandon Wheat Kings scored 31 in 2004-05. The WHL record (47) belongs to F Jason Krywulak of the 1992-93 Swift Current Broncos. He finished with a league-leading 81 goals that season. . . .
———
The Prince Albert Raiders are taking a look at D Zach Hodder, 18, who was selected with the 20th overall pick by the Vancouver Giants in the 2008 bantam draft. Hodder has 24 points in 37 games with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. In the WHL, he started the season with the Giants and was dealt to the Saskatoon Blades, where he played 11 games and picked up three points. . . . Hodder joined the Raiders on Sunday. He will play Wednesday against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes and then will return to the Express. . . .
———
In the end, the gamble cost the Tri-City Americans a fifth-round selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. That’s what GM Bob Tory gave the Prince George Cougars for the WHL rights to F Brett Connolly, 19, who is with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Tory was gambling that the NHL team would return Connolly to the WHL before the NHL’s trade deadline. That didn’t happen Monday as the Lightning revealed that Connolly will stay in the NHL where he has 13 points, including four goals, in 48 games. . . .
———
The Seattle Thunderbirds will be without F Branden Troock and D Cason Machacek when they visit the Tri-City Americans tonight. Troock will be serving a one-game suspension after taking a cross-checking major in a 5-1 loss to the visiting Americans on Sunday. . . . Machacek received a game misconduct at 15:40 of the third period. Three people have told me Machacek’s stick came in contact with linesman Zack Brooks in the neutral zone and that it appeared to be intentional. Machacek has been suspended pending an investigation of the incident. . . . The Thunderbirds took 75 of 95 penalty minutes. The Americans were 4-for-8 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were, uhh, 0-for-0. Seattle apparently wasn’t happy with the officiating. Ironically, Brooks is from the Seattle area. . . .
———
G Tyler Bunz is expected to start tonight for the Medicine Hat Tigers as they meet the Cougars in Prince George. Bunz, 19, hasn’t played since Feb. 12 as he has battled post-concussion syndrome. . . . He is 34-14-4, 2.58, .922, so obviously is a big part of the Medicine Hat club.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The Central league’s Arizona Sundogs have fired head coach Marco Pietroniro and assistant coach Chris Bartolone, with David Lohrei taking over as the new head coach. . . . Pietroniro, the only head coach in franchise history, was in his sixth season behind the Sundogs’ bench. . . . Bartolone completed his pro playing career with the Sundogs and his number has been retired by the team. He was an assistant coach for two seasons. . . . Lohrei has coaching experience in the Central league, the ECHL and the USHL. Most recently, he has been working as owner/operator of Maximum Sports Performance in Madison, Wisc. . . . At 16-28-9, the SunDogs have the league’s worst record. . . . The Sundogs are owned by Bill Yuill, who also owns the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.

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This February is Shinn-uary in WHL

Brendan Shinnimin (24) of the Tri-City Americans has owned the
month of February in the WHL.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

You will have to excuse Brendan Shinnimin if there are tears in his eyes when February comes to an end on Wednesday night.
“When I started scoring a bunch of goals,” the Tri-City Americans’ 20-year-old forward said Monday evening, “I thought I might as well keep shooting.”
He has done exactly that; in fact, the Winnipeg native has shot his way to the top of the WHL scoring race.
That’s what happens when you put up 41 points in a month. That’s right! He has 23 goals and 18 assists in 13 games this month. And there still is one game to be played.
In his latest performance, Shinnimin scored the game’s first four goals and set up the other as the Americans beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 on Sunday night.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Shinnimin said. “I’m just shooting the puck and it’s going in right now.”
Has he done anything differently?
“I’m just trying to play a pro style of game and everything is falling into place,” he said. “I’ve been looking to shoot a lot.”
He has scored goals in 10 straight games, with 21 goals in that stretch.
In his last four games, he has 19 points, 11 of them goals. That includes Sunday’s four-goal game as well as two earlier three-goal efforts.
A couple of weeks ago, head coach Jim Hiller decided to put his three top guns — Shinnimin, Adam Hughesman, another 20-year-old from Winnipeg, and Patrick Holland, a 19-year-old from Lethbridge — on the same line.
The three had played together before, on the power play or perhaps late in games when the Americans were down a goal or two.
“This is the first time we’ve actually played full games together,” Shinnimin said.
The result has been, to say the least, magic.
As Shinnimin put it: “Yeah . . . we’re playing good hockey. We mix pretty well together. Obviously, we’ve been good lately.”
Hughesman, who went over the 100-point plateau on the weekend, and Shinnimin have been teammates since they were seven or eight years of age. Holland has moved in and made like he wants to stay.
“Hollie is a great player . . . a top prospect,” Shinnimin said of Holland, whose NHL rights were dealt by the Calgary Flames to the Montreal Canadiens earlier this season. “He’s pretty under-rated.”
The line, in its last five games, has combined for 53 points, including 21 goals.
On the season, Holland has 95 points, including a WHL-leading 72 assists. He has 18 points, including 15 assists, in his last five games. All told, he has at least a point in each of his last 10 games.
Hughesman, with 101 points, has 14 points, including five goals, in his last five games. Overall, he is on a six-game point streak.
All of which pales when compared to Shinnimin, who admitted that he got off to something of a slow start. In fact, when October ended, he had 14 points in 14 games.
He now has 52 goals, one off the WHL lead. He also has 115 points and a 10-point lead atop the WHL scoring race.
A week ago, Shinnimin, who has been to NHL camps with the New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes but is unsigned, and the Americans were preparing to play host to the Everett Silvertips.
“I think I needed four points to get to 100,” he recalled. “The guys were joking before the game that maybe I’d get there that night. I didn’t think I’d get to 100 and I ended up getting six points. I’ve just kept the ball rolling.
“The last four games I’ve got 19 points so you never know what’s going to happen. I wish this month would never end, but it has to come to an end eventually.”
The hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time, too.
The Americans (44-15-3), who close out the month at home to the Thunderbirds tonight, have won six straight games and moved back into first place in the overall standings, one point ahead of the Kamloops Blazers (43-15-4) and Portland Winterhawks (43-15-4). The Blazers and Winterhawks will tangle tonight in Portland.
On Friday, while the Blazers are at home to the Kelowna Rockets, the Winterhawks will be in Kennewick, Wash., for a date with the Americans, who are scheduled to visit Portland on Sunday.
JUST NOTES: The Blazers will finish this U.S. swing in Everett on Wednesday. . . . Kamloops is 1-1-0 against Portland. The Winterhawks are to play here on March 7. . . . The Blazers are 3-0-0 against Everett. . . . Seattle will be without F Branden Troock, who received a cross-checking major on Sunday and has been suspended for one game. Seattle D Cason Machacek, who got a game misconduct after his stick came into contact with linesman Zach Brooks on Sunday, has been suspended while the league looks into what happened.


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    While this space is usually reserved for a look back a the great columns of Jim Murray as they relate to the sporting news of today, we felt that we would be remiss to ignore the fact that the 84th Academy Awards presentation was held Sunday. Prior to becoming a sports writer, Murray was an integral part of the Hollywood entertainment beat for Time Magazine.
    He was responsible for many of the memorable faces that graced the cover of that iconic publication, including Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, John Wayne and Charlton Heston.
    So let's take a look back at a 1987 column — "Merv Picked Right Racket? Oh, Really?" — about a tinsel town legend, Merv Griffin.
    Enjoy!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1987, SPORTS
Copyright 1987/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

Merv Picked Right Racket? Oh, Really?

    The richest man on Sunset Boulevard was driving along it, idly listening to the car radio. The announcer broke for a commercial message, promising to come right back with the name of the man who, according to Forbes Magazine, was currently the richest man in the entertainment industry. The driver vagrantly wondered who it might be. Bob Hope? Aaron Spelling? Bill Cosby? A moment later, he almost crashed into a curbside tree.
    "It was me!" recalls Merv Griffin in wonderment. "I had to pull off to the side of the road and sit there hyperventilating. I thought, 'How dare they?!' I glanced into cars going by and wondered whether they were listening to the same program. I hoped not."
    Merv Griffin arrived at his high estate, driving along and finding himself one of the richest men in town, from a standing start as a guy who used to stand in front of Freddy Martin's band in the Coconut Grove and sing "I Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts."
    Actually, Merv is the black sheep of the Griffin family. He comes from a long line of championship tennis players and they thought he might follow in the tradition. Uncle Clarence was three times U.S. men's doubles champion with the storied William (Little Bill) Johnston, and another time was runner-up at Forest Hills with John Strachan. Uncles Milton and Elmer were world-class players, as was his father, Mervin, Sr.
    "We all had lace curtain Irish names," explains Merv.
    The family parlor might have had muslin, but the lace curtain Griffins were very big in the ad court.
    Merv Griffin Jr. drifted south from his San Francisco and abandoned his tennis roots. He became the band singer for Martin's long run at the Grove. "It was the place for Hollywood in those days. Howard Hughes was there every night. Van Johnson used to grab the mike and sing. Bing Crosby used to dance by and say 'Don't pronounce your words so carefully, San Francisco. Slur them a little bit.' "
———
    Hollywood as they say, beckoned, and Merv became the lead in such non-Academy epics as "Cattle Town," "So This Is Love," and "By The Light Of The Silvery Moon." Winces Merv: "I was supposed to be Doris Day's co-star. But I photographed too young."
    It was tennis that got him out of films. "I hated the movies.”
    One day, Uncle Elmer had a chance to play Jack Warner in tennis.
    “I can let him win and save your job,” his uncle warned Merv.
    "Kill him!" instructed his nephew. The uncle mowed the Warner brother down in straight sets, love-love, and Merv was suddenly in New York on daytime television.
    It was the day of the quiz show scandals in New York, but Merv's shows were as honest as Uncle Elmer's tennis and he was soon whisking from his run on Broadway's "Finian's Rainbow" to center stage on such classics of the game-show genre as "Play Your Hunch," "Keep Talking," and "Word For Word."
    It was when he sat in for Jack Paar on the Tonight Show (pre-Carson) that his career took off. Merv Griffin had such a disingenuous air about his questioning that his guests frequently found themselves blurting their most intimate secrets and emptying all their closets with an alacrity that fascinated audiences.
    "Merv was so disarming they would forget they were on national TV and get to thinking they were talking to Merv on the bar car of the New York-New Haven-and-Hartford," an associate remembers. "Merv would just sit there and say 'Oh, really!' and 'You're kidding!' and they would fall all over themselves to tell him things they never told anybody."
    Once, when Merv had on the deposed vice-president, Spiro Agnew, his producer came to him in despair. "We can't talk about anything!" he wailed. "Look at the list of things that are off-limits! The most controversial thing on the show will be 'Hello!' "
    Merv just smiled. "Don't worry," he soothed. "Just start the camera."
    Viewers remember that, but the end of the show, Merv was getting away with questions like "And then what did you steal?"
    The Merv Griffin Show was an American institution. Congressmen, thieves, athletes, movie queens, diplomats took his couch. Merv acted as if he were in awe of all of them and played a part that was part autograph-seeker and part prosecutor. The show was more fun than a bugged confessional. It was impossible not to watch — like seeing a guy walk a ledge in a snowstorm.
    Merv tried to maintain his little-boy-in-the-big-city approach, but he was as sophisticated as any of his film-star guests. Once, when he was singing at the Palladium, a young Hollywood High student was president of his fan club. A girl named Carol Burnett.
    But Merv never forgot the fantastic popularity of the game show as a television staple. He put together a pair that were to become the biggest money-makers in the history of the breed and put Merv in the capital grouping that used to belong to guys who owned railroads or oil fields.
    "Wheel of Fortune" became the most watched game show of all time before Merv sold it to Coca Cola for a quarter of a billion dollars. "Jeopardy" was a favorite game show from the White House to the firehouse.
    Merv picked Vanna White out of a pile of photographs to dress "Wheel of Fortune."
    "Which face looks out at you?" he challenged his staff. "You can't have a guy with a ladder going out there changing letters."
    But Merv never got too far from his serve-and-volley background. Like all the Griffins, he yearned for a spot on center court. He played life as if the point were always deuce, but he played tennis to relax.
    His involvement took the form of organizing some of the earliest celebrity tournaments (he credits Clint Eastwood with pioneering them) and this weekend he hosts the Merv Griffin Tennis Tournament at the Riviera Tennis Club as part of the week-long Mita Festival, which annually raises more than a million dollars for United Cerebral Palsy. Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg and John McEnroe (if his baby is born) are expected.
    For Merv, it's a natural outgrowth of a lifetime of being able to say "Oh, really?" and "No kidding?" on TV with a perfectly sincere straight face. It's the show biz equivalent of the high lob which the opponent smashes into the net. That shot is a Griffin family tradition. Not only puts you in the finals at Forest Hills but on the cover of Forbes Magazine.

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247

Ryan Bender is doing rather well these days, even though his serious hockey playing days are behind  him.

Bender, a 25-year-old from Regina, played five seasons (2003-08) in the WHL, starting with the Kamloops Blazers (240 games) and finishing with the Regina Pats (30 games).
These days, he is in his fourth year at the U of Regina where he is in the business faculty majoring in marketing.
After leaving the WHL, he played for three seasons with the U of R Cougars but didn’t return for a fourth. Instead, he is playing for a senior team in Milestone, a farming community just south of Regina.
He also is taking part in The Interview, a Regina-based reality webinar that, he says, is “very similar to The Apprentice,” only presumably without Donald Trump’s hair.

RYAN BENDER
(Photo from The Interview Season 2)

According to its website, The Interview Season 2 is a “business reality show (and) web broadcast event that entertained and inspired Saskatchewan for 10 weeks in Season 1. The Interview is a contest created to showcase the best of Saskatchewan business in a unique way.
"Rock Bridge Realty, in collaboration with some of Regina's top businesses, is looking to give one talented individual the career opportunity of a lifetime. But they are going to have to work for it."
When this season's show was being cobbled together, there were more than 100 applicants. That was cut down to 20 for a weekend of preparation.
After a weekend of, as Bender puts it, "listening to different successful business people around Regina” address them on such subjects as networking, business thinking, effective social media and business strategy," the field was trimmed to 10.
Which is when things got really interesting as challenges were put in front of all 10, who have spent the last five or six weeks working at various tasks.
They marketed and sold Blizzards at Dairy Queen outlets. They sold pink anti-bullying t-shirts. “I’ve pretty much done it all,” Bender says.
All told, Bender has met five challenges, with participants judged on money raised and who won. (It should be noted that all money raised goes to the Red Cross’s Imagine . . . No Bullies campaign.)
During The Interview, viewers are able to follow along on the website. Not only that, they are able to vote, as the website notes, “for the contestant they feel competed with the most passion and business savvy. Internet voting begins immediately following the show each week.”
Two people were trimmed following the completion of each challenge.
After the latest challenge, the cuts were made and Bender found himself as one of the two remaining participants.
Up for grabs is a package worth more than $100,000, that includes a $50,000 contract with Rock Bridge Realty where Brooks Finlay, a former defensive lineman with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, is the lead agent and broker/owner. That deal includes education, training and licensing needed to become a real estate agent.
The winner also will receive a one-year lease on a Cadillac vehicle, a professional photo shoot, a marketing package that includes an advertising package from The Wolf 104.9, a Regina radio station, and a business wardrobe.
The big thing, though, is the opportunity to get a foot into real estate’s door.
Besides going to school, Bender also owns and manages a four-plex in Regina. He also has a single family home with a basement suite and says he is “in the early stages of a construction project” that involves another four-plex.
If you are interested, you are able to check it all out, make a donation and vote right here.

Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans
has had more than one goaltender in his sights
in the month of February.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

 The Brendan Shinnimin Show played in front of 3,654 fans at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., on Sunday night.
Pick one . . . Amazing! Incredible!! Out of sight!!!
Shinnimin scored the game’s first four goals as his Tri-City Americans beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 and moved into first place in the U.S. Division, the Western Conference and the WHL’s overall standings, all at the same time.
But first things first . . .
Shinnimin went into the game with 48 goals this season; he came out with 52, the third player in the WHL to get to 50 this season.
Shinnimin, a 20-year-old from Winnipeg, scored at 16:17 and 19:04 of the first period, and 1:21 and 11:23 of the second. The last three of those came via the PP.
He also drew an assist on a PP goal by F Adam Hughesman at 3:08 of the third period. That goal, his 38th, got Hughesman to 98 points.
The third member of that line, Patrick Holland, picked up four more assists. He has 96 points, including a WHL-leading 73 assists.
But back to Shinnimin. . . .
He now has 115 points and leads the WHL scoring race by 10 points over F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings. With 52 goals, Shinnimin is tied with Portland Winterhawks F Ty Rattie, one behind F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Shinnimin has career highs in goals (52), assists (63) and points (115), having reached those numbmers in 59 games. His previous highs were 34 goals, 62 assists and 96 points, all coming in 60 games last season.
Shinnimin is the first Tri-City skater to get to 50 goals in one season since Dylan Gyori in 1998-99. Gyori finished with 53.
Shinnimin also has goals in 10 straight games, with 21 goals in those games.
Now for the mind-boggling part of this . . .
In his last four games, Shinnimin has put up 19 points, including 11 goals. He has a four-goal game and two three-goal efforts. In 13 February games, Shinnimin has scored 23 goals and added 18 assists. That, folks, adds up to 41 points, which is a good season for a lot of players.
The Americans also have won each of those four games which, combined with other outcomes, has moved them back to the top of the WHL’s overall standings.
G Drew Owsley, a former teammate now with the Prince George Cougars, tweeted: “At this space, @ShinboSlice might score his 60th on me in a couple of weeks. #uhoh”
And there was this tweet from Hughesman: “Congrats to @ShinboSlice for 50 goals. Honestly speechless and have no words to describe/tweet about his month.”
Earlier in the day, Jeremy Schappert, a former Seattle skater who is from Winnipeg, tweeted: “Dear Brendan Shinnimin, How are you doing this?”
———

Garth MacBeth, who pens The MacBeth
Report, was in action on the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds lost F Branden Troock to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 19:05 of the second period. According to the online scoresheet, Seattle D Cason Machacek received a game misconduct — there is no explanation or accompanying penalty — at 15:40 of the third period. . . . Tthe Americans were 4-for-8 on the PP. . . . In February, the line of Shinnimin, Holland and Hughesman has totalled 92 points. That is in 13 games. . . . The Americans have won six in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds will play the Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Tuesday. . . .
The Thunderbirds and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska held their annual Hockey Challenge on Saturday and Sunday in Kent, Wash.
Included in the weekend festivities were the Thunderbirds’ two home games, along with the All-Star Game on Saturday that includes local celebrities and media personalities, along with alumni from the WHL team. And, yes, it turns out that Taking Note was represented. Garth MacBeth, who does such a remarkable job on The MacBeth Report, suited up and we have a photograph to prove it. . . . The Hockey Challenge began in 1998, according to a news release, “when hockey-playing Microsoft employees, with the help of the Thunderbirds, took an in-house rivalry public and decided to raise money the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska (RMHC). Since inception, the Challenge has raised more than $4 million for RMHC, which provides a home-away-from-home for children and their families during medical treatment, making each day a little easier.”
———
MORE SUNDAY GAMES:
(Once again, this is done with a tip of the hat to @WHLFacts. Follow @WHLFacts on Twitter for even more info.)
In Edmonton, F Mitch Moroz scored twice to help the Oil Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Moroz, who has 15 goals, got the game’s first and third goals as Edmonton took a 3-0 first-period lead. . . . The Hurricanes had won three in a row. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 31 shots in winning his 35th game this season. . . . F Brady Ramsay scored his 23rd goal of the season for Lethbridge. Ramsay, who turned 19 on Feb. 7, had one goal in 57 games last season. He has 23 in 61 this season. . . . The Oil Kings have a 10-point lead over the Medicine Hat Tigers atop the Central Division and lead the Eastern Conference by six points over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . .

In Calgary, F Victor Rask broke a 1-1 tie at 8:48 of the third period as the Hitmen edged the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . F Jimmy Bubnick opened the scoring for Calgary, with his 29th, at 4:57 of the first on a PP. Kelowna had been penalized for having too many men on the ice. . . . F Brett Bulmer pulled Kelowna even with his 29th at 11:07. . . . Rask won it with his 27th. . . . Calgary G Brandon Glover stopped 26 shots, four fewer than Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke. . . . Kelowna has lost three in a row. . . . The Hitmen had F Calder Brooks back after he missed seven games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Hitmen now are fourth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Medicine Hat and a point up on the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rockets will finish sixth in the Western Conference. . . .

In Everett, G Kent Simpson turned aside 35 shots to lead the Silvertips to a 2-1 OT victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Silvertips were less than a minute away from being blanked for a second straight game when F Josh Winquist pulled them into a 1-1 tie with his 13th goal at 19:09 of the third period. Yes, Simpson was on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . F Ryan Harrison won it with his 18th at 1:07 of extra time. . . . F Cam Reid had scored for Portland, at 2:53 of the second. . . . The Winterhawks had won nine in a row. . . . Everett D Brennan Yadlowski completed his 10-game suspension by sitting this one out. . . . Everett has closed to within a point of Seattle, which holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Portland and the Kamloops Blazers are one point behind the Western Conference-leading Tri-City Americans, who also lead the overall standings. The Blazers are to play in Portland on Tuesday.
———
SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Brady Ramsay, Lethbridge.
———
SUNDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
———
In the BCHL, the host Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 37 games, this time beating the Prince George Spruce Kings, 4-1. . . . The Vees next play Thursday when they return to Merritt to play the Centennials. Those teams played in Merritt on Saturday night, with the Vees winning 2-1 in double OT.
———
Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz wasn’t in uniform Saturday as the Tigers scored a 4-3 shootout victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. It seems the veteran goaltender, whose NHL rights belong to the Edmonton Oilers, is battling concussion problems.
Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal blog The Cult of Hockey has more right here.
———
F Brady Leavold (Swift Current, Kelowna, 2004-2008) is with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees these days. But the road to the Killer Bees was full of potholes and heroin and Oxycontin and who knows what else. Brian Sandalow of Valley Freedom Newspapers has Leavold’s story right here.
———
ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Paul Kelly, squeezed out as executive director of College Hockey Inc., tells Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that he isn’t sure where he’s going from here, but . . .
“Ideally, I’d like to stay in hockey,” Kelly told Dupont. “I’m grateful for the opportunity the commissioners gave me, and now I’m going to take some of the advice I’ve given to a lot of college-aged hockey players the last couple of years: back away a bit and not leap at the first thing that comes along. When you do that, it often forecloses what can be even better opportunities.
“But I know I love the game, and would equally love the chance to stay in it, be that with the NHL, a team’s front office, international hockey, wherever.
“I know we did some very good things at CHI, and I know I leave there with it in good hands. I truly believe it has the chance to thrive.’’
So, Mr. Commissioner, why doesn’t the CHL hire Kelly as its president, a move that would allow David Branch to focus entirely on his position as commissioner of the OHL?
Hey, it was just a thought!

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Giants victory postpones pennant clinching

That leg that is resting on the back of Kamloops defenceman Austin
Madaisky during a scrum belongs to Vancouver captain Brendan
Gallagher. The Giants beat the host Blazers 5-3 on Saturday night.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

The Kamloops Blazers’ first opportunity to clinch the WHL franchise’s first B.C. Division pennant since 2001-02 ended with head coach Guy Charron standing at the players’ bench yelling at referee Matt Thurston.
“Nice call,” Charron hollered, his voice audible over the booing of many of the 4,610 fans who remained to the bitter end at Interior Savings Centre on Saturday night.
Ten seconds after Thurston penalized Kamloops defenceman Austin Madaisky for hooking at 19:13 of the third period, Vancouver’s Marek Tvrdon broke a 3-3 tie with a screamer from the high slot and the Giants went on to defeat the Blazers, 5-3.
By the time Charron emerged from the dressing room, he was considerably more restrained than he had been minutes earlier.
“No comment,” he said, before adding that “it was one of those games that you didn’t know what was going to get called.”
In the last minute of the third period, Vancouver captain Brendan Gallagher drove down the right wing in the Kamloops zone and worked to cut around Blazers defenceman Austin Madaisky. As the two battled for position, Gallagher went down and Thurston’s arm went up.
“That’s how he plays,” Kamloops winger Brendan Ranford said of Gallagher. “He plays hard . . . he draws penalties like that.”
Gallagher had, well, a typical Gallagher night. He drew three penalties and scored two goals, the second into an empty net.
That second goal, his 38th this season, was the 274th point of his career, giving him the franchise record. The first goal had tied him with Adam Courchaine (2001-05).
“It’s pretty special to me,” said Gallagher, 19, who also holds the franchise’s career record for goals and is 15 assists shy of that record, too. “A lot of people have helped me . . . it’s not individual even though my name is on it. Every player I’ve played with . . . I’ve had a lot of good veteran players when I was young to learn from and see how they act. I was put in a really good situation and I’m thankful for that.”
He was thankful for the victory, too, because the Blazers had taken it to his guys for the game’s first 25 minutes.
After Gallagher opened the scoring at 7:32 of the first period, Chase Schaber, who also had two assists, and Ranford beat goaltender Adam Morrison five minutes apart to give the home boys a 2-1 lead.
The Blazers were full marks for that lead, too, as the Giants struggled to handle the home team’s speed and its forechecking and cycling games.
It appeared that the Blazers had seized control when Ranford upped the lead to 3-1 with his 36th goal, via the power play, at 4:21 of the second period.
However, it wasn’t to be.
“In the second half of the game,” Gallagher said, “we just started moving our feet and . . . we forced them to make plays under pressure. Every player has a tough time with pressure. When you’re doing that to teams it’s good.
“We got our legs going and we got a big goal from Jackson Houck. He’s a young guy and he stepped up.”
Houck, a 16-year-old from North Vancouver, put a puck through goaltender Cole Cheveldave from a bad angle at 13:16 to get the Giants to within a goal.
Then, just 56 seconds later, defenceman Brett Kulak dipsy-doodled off the left wing and beat Cheveldave to tie it.
Which served to set the table for Tvrdon.
As Charron put it: “If you’re killing penalties with 46 seconds to play, there’s not much to say. We broke down. They scored a goal.”
In truth, this one slipped away from the Blazers in the second period.
“The second period was our worst period again,” said Charron, whose charges had watched a 2-0 lead turn into a 2-2 tie in the second period of Friday’s 6-2 victory in Vancouver. “They outchanced us. They outworked us to the puck and they outworked us when they had the puck. That’s really the bottom line.”
Overall, though, Charron wasn’t too disappointed.
“We allowed ourselves (a chance) to win the hockey game in the third period,” he said. “We felt pretty good about ourselves and it was decided by a last-minute call.”
Of course, had Kamloops winger Tim Bozon fired that shot another inch or two to the right at 13:55 of the third period . . .
“We were dominating that whole third period, I felt,” Ranford said, “and we were getting back to it, but the bounces weren’t going our way. Bozon hits the post and it goes from there.”
Yes, Charron allowed, “Bozon hit the goal post. It’s a fine line this game of hockey . . . that’s why it’s such a great game.”
A pennant-clinching party will have to wait, as the Blazers (43-15-4) now are 14 points ahead of the second-place Giants (36-23-4), who have nine games remaining. However, in the overall standings, Kamloops has slipped a point behind the Tri-City Americans (44-15-3), who won Sunday, and is tied with the Portland Winterhawks (43-15-4), who lost in OT.
Kamloops next plays in Portland on Tuesday. The Blazers then will meet the Silvertips in Everett on Wednesay before returning home to face the Kelowna Rockets on Friday.
The loss Saturday was only the fifth time in 28 games against B.C. Division opposition that the Blazers were beaten in regulation time. They are 21-5-2 in B.C., and 14-1-1 against U.S. opposition.
JUST NOTES: Cheveldave finished with 26 saves, eight more than Morrison. . . . Vancouver was 1-for-6 on the PP; the Blazers were 1-for-4. . . . Madaisky returned after serving a two-game suspension for a cross-checking major he incurred a week earlier. . . . With Kamloops G Cam Lanigan (groin) sidelined, the Blazers had Liam McLeod backing up Cheveldave. McLeod, a ninth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft, spent the season with the major midget Thompson Blazers. . . . The Blazers scratched F Matt Needham with an undisclosed injury. He is probable for Tuesday in Portland. . . . The Daily News’ Three Stars: 1. Gallagher: He stirs the Giants’ drink; 2. Ranford: Three points and a 13-game point streak; 3. Houck: Key goal.


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The sporting fraternity in Saskatchewan is mourning the loss of Bill Johnston, a long-time organizer who passed away in Moose Jaw on Thursday after a short illness. He was 76.
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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The Memorial Cup hasn’t been decided in an American city since 1998, when the Portland Winterhawks won the championship in Spokane.
There are some people within WHL circles who wonder when one of the WHL’s five U.S. teams will get another chance to play host to the championship tournament.
Well, you fans in Everett, Kent, Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Portland, Seattle and Spokane shouldn’t hold your breath.
“We’ll never see a cup down here again,” someone who is with a U.S. team told me. “Once again, too lazy to make it work across the border.
“To me, it’s just arrogance on the Canadian side, telling us we don’t deserve the sport. . . .”
The WHL next will play host to the Memorial Cup tournament in 2013 when it will be in Saskatoon. Next up will be 2016 and there already is speculation that the Vancouver Giants are interested in putting in a bid to play host to that one.
Of course, the hangup with taking the tournament south seems to be sponsorships.
“The league marketing deals just frost all of us here,” the person said. “Baseball, NHL and the NBA can cross the border on deals . . . but us? And don’t even get me started on the TV deals with Shaw and ROOT.”
The CHL may have taken at least one step towards holding a Memorial Cup in the U.S. this week when it signed a deal with Aaron’s, Inc., a home furniture and electronics operation that is based in Atlanta and has more than 1,940 outlets in 48 states and Canada.
Aaron’s has huge involvement with NASCAR — if you are watching today’s Daytona 500, you will see its logo on Mark Martin’s No. 55 Toyota. Aaron’s is signed as a sponsor with Michael Waltrip Racing through the 2013 Sprint Cup season.
Aaron’s also was involved in sponsoring the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers, before the franchise flew north to Winnipeg.
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The Concussion Report is working hard to keep track of the number of concussions in the NHL this season. On Friday, TCR reported: “As of today there is a 40 per cent increase in concussions versus last (season). The total number of 98 is the exact total of the entire regular season last (season).” . . .
TCR’s report also includes this:
“Speaking of (upper-body injuries) and undisclosed, I know I am beating a dead horse, but why the need to hide the injury? Why misinform the public and even the players about injuries that are inherent to hockey? Haven’t we learned from Chris Pronger, Colby Armstrong, even Sidney Crosby? I am not good enough to write an open letter or even where to send it, but Mr. Bettman there are some very small changes you can make before you should eliminate all head contact and take on the fighting issue in hockey: Do not allow your teams to hide the concussion/brain injury. You want to know what the real problem is, (then) stop placing your head in the sand, start there!”
If there is a 40 per cent increase in the number of concussions in the NHL this season over last, should we assume that the WHL, which also is hiding its injuries in the vast majority of instances, will report the same kind of increase?
The WHL’s latest weekly injury report lists 44 players as being out with upper-body injuries.
TCR’s report is right here.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes, who are to play the Oil Kings in Edmonton today, were living the life on Saturday.
Here’s an afternoon tweet from Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Hurricanes:
“Well, still waiting to leave Lethbridge for Edmonton. The @WHLHurricanes bus broke down before it got to the rink to load up.” . . .
Later, F Nick Buonassisi tweeted:
“Our bus departs from lethbridge to edm 6 hours later then scheduled then finally get a bus that works and the tranny hits the ground #classic”
And then it was G Liam Liston’s turn:
“We had our bus replaced by one with a vhs player, no AC, smaller than normal number of seats, an awful transmission and a door that won’t close.”
One more from Buonassisi:
“Broken bus update: the door has just flew off. whats next? Place your bets.”
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F Brett Connolly played 15:21 on Saturday as his Tampa Bay Lightning lost 8-1 to the Penguins in Pittsburgh. He played 12:25 at even-strength and 2:56 on the power play. . . . Connolly had four shots on goal, took one minor penalty and was minus-1. . . . The Lightning has until Monday, the NHL’s trade deadline, to make a decision on whether to assign Connolly to the WHL’s Tri-City Americans.
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In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 36 games by beating the Centennials 2-1 in OT in Merritt. . . . The Vees got the winner from F Travis St. Denis with 45 seconds left in the second OT period, which is played 3-on-3. . . . The Vees, who have seven regular-season games remaining, are at home to the Prince George Spruce Kings this afternoon.
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It isn’t the WHL but Nanaimo appears about to land another hockey team. Already the home to the BCHL’s Clippers, the Vancouver Island city is about to become home to a junior B team that will play out of the Nanaimo Ice Centre. Phil And Brenda Levesque are negotiating for ice with the city. The team will play in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
Tamara Cunningham of the Nanaimo Daily News has that story right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(With a tip of the hat to @WHLFacts for some of the info that follows. If you are on Twitter and aren’t following, you should be.)
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 5-2. . . . Warriors D Travis Brown tied the game 2-2 at 18:32 of the second and F James Henry, with his 13th, both the tie just 25 seconds later. . . . F Kenton Miller scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 30 this season. He has 11 goals in February; last season he finished with 10 goals in 55 games with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Henry added two assists to his goal. He has 21 points, including seven goals, in 20 games with Moose Jaw since coming over from the Vancouver Giants at the trade deadline. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde stopped 43 shots, 26 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . The Warriors had lost three straight. . . . Moose Jaw is four points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. Each team has 10 games remaining. . . .

In Prince Albert, F Sam Reinhart’s 26th goal of the game, 19 seconds into OT, gave the Kootenay Ice a 5-4 victory over the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert took a 3-1 lead into the second period but couldn’t hold it. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart tied the game 4-4 when he scored his 26th goal on a penalty shot at 14:46 of the third. He finished with two goals and two assists. He drew the lone assist on his younger brother’s winner. . . . F Mark McNeill, who had a goal and two assists, had given the Raiders the lead with his 28th goal at 8:21 of the third. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 25 shots in setting the franchise record for career victories (83). The previous record was held by Taylor Dakers (2003-06). . . . The Ice is fourth in the Eastern Conference, a point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . .

In Saskatoon, D Alex Petrovic scored the only goal of the shootout as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Blades, 4-3. . . . With the Blades shooting first, Petrovic was the circus’s final shooter. . . . Red Deer F John Persson forced OT with his 21st goal at 18:45 of the third. . . . Persson finished with two goals and an assist. . . . F Jake Trask gave the Blades a 3-2 lead with his 18th goal, via the PP, at 2:45 of the third. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 44 shots, 12 more than Red Deer’s Deven Dubyk. . . . The Blades are 2-5-1 in their last eight. . . . This was the Blades’ last home game until March 13 as their home rink will be home to the Tim Hortons Brier — the Canadian men’s curling championship — from March 3-11. . . . The Blades are sixth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Calgary. . . . The Rebels are 10 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games left. . . .

In Brandon, F Mark Stone scored the only goal of the circus as the Wheat Kings beat the Regina Pats, 2-1. . . . Brandon’s victory officially eliminated the Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes from the playoff race. . . . The Broncos are out for just the third time in 26 seasons. . . . This was the third straight game in which Brandon went to OT. . . . Brandon has won nine of 11. . . . Stone, who had his 14-game point streak come to an end, was the first shooter of the circus. . . . F Jack Rodewald scored his sixth goal for Regina, at 1:51 of the first. . . . F Paul Ciarelli got the equalizer at 15:40 of the first. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 23 shots, seven fewer than Regina’s Matt Hewitt. . . . The Wheat Kings had gone two years without a shootout victory when they beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos 3-2 on Friday. . . . Brandon holds down eighth place in the Eastern Conference but is just one point behind Regina and four points out of fourth. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard stopped 29 shots as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-0. . . . Pickard has five shutouts this season and 12 in his career. . . . Pickard and Ty Rimmer of the Tri-City Americans are the WHL leaders, each with five. . . . WHLFacts points out that Seattle’s last 50 victories have been credited to Pickard. That’s right. It’s been more than two years since a goaltender other than Pickard has won a game for the Thunderbirds. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 42 shots. . . . Seattle F Dillon Wagner got his fifth goal, at 14:14 of the first, and it stood up as the winner. . . . D Brad Deagle drew two assists. . . . Seattle also got goals from F Connor Honey, his sixth, and F Jacob Doty, his second. . . . Everett has lost three in a row and now is three points behind Seattle, which holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Hunter Shinkaruk and F Curtis Valk scored in the circus to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Shinkaruk was returning after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Shinkaruk drew two assists. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his WHL-leading 53rd goal. . . . F Brett Bulmer scored twice for Kelowna, giving him 28 goals. . . . Bulmer, who also had an assist, has 50 points in 44 games. Last season, he finished with 49 in 57. . . . Kelowna took a 3-2 lead into the second period. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox tied it with his 10th goal at 8:00 of the second. . . . The Tigers were missing F Cole Grbavac, their captain, with an undisclosed injury, while G Tyler Bunz also wasn’t dressed. . . . Medicine Hat G Kenny Cameron stopped 35 shots. Dawson MacAuley of the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers backed him up. . . . After the game, Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News tweeted: “#Medhat Tigers lose import D Patrik Parkkonen, who was hit from behind by Kel. #Rockets LW Jessey Astles in second per. No pen. call.” . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of Kootenay. . . .

In Kamloops, the Vancouver Giants erased a 3-1 first-period deficit and beat the Blazers, 5-3. . . . A victory in regulation would have allowed the Blazers to clinch the B.C. Division’s regular-season pennant. . . . The Giants had lost their last three, including a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the visiting Blazers on Friday. . . . F Marek Tvrdon broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 19:23 of the third period, just 20 seconds after Kamloops D Austin Madaisky was penalized for hooking Giants F Brendan Gallagher. . . . F Riley Kieser had three assists for Vancouver. . . . F Brendan Ranford had two goals, giving him 36, and an assist for Kamloops. He ran his point streak to 13 games. . . . F Chase Schaber had a goal and two assists for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers lead the overall standings, by a point over the Tri-City Americans and Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Giants now are five points ahead of the fifth-place Spokane Chiefs, who hold two games in hand. . . .
Gallagher had two goals, the second one into an empty net. The second one gave him 274 career points, one more than the franchise record that had been held by Adam Courchaine (2001-05). . . . Gallagher also holds the franchise record for career goals. . . . He has 141 assists and needs 14 to equal D Jon Blum’s franchise assist record. . . . “It’s pretty special to me,” Gallagher said of the franchise record for career points. “A lot of people have helped me. It’s not invidividual even though my name is on it. Starting with (head coach) Don (Hay). When you’re 16 and you come here you don’t really understand the game. He’s a really good teacher and you learn every time you come to the rink. Every player I’ve played with . . . I’ve had a lot of good veteran players when I was young to learn from and see how they act. I was put in a really good situation and I’m thankful for that.” . . .

In Prince George, the Victoria Royals completed a weekend doubleheader sweep with a 5-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . The Royals had won 4-2 on Friday night. . . . In this one, F Robin Soudek, who had two goals, broke a 1-1 tie at 5:40 of the second period. . . . The Royals went on to take a 4-1 on goals by F Brandon Magee, at 17:47 of the second, and Soudek, at 3:16 of the third. . . . The Cougars got third-period goals from F Daulton Siwak, shorthanded, and F Chase Witala, at 8:30, but weren’t able to equalize. . . . Royals G Jared Rathjen, a Prince George native, stopped 30 shots for his second career victory. He had earned his first one on Friday. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley made 37 saves. . . . Each team was 0-6 on the PP. . . . The Royals are seventh in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Seattle. . . . The Cougars are four points out of eighth with 11 games left. . . .

In Spokane, F Brendan Shinnimin continued his amazing run with four points as the Tri-City Americans beat the Chiefs, 7-3. . . . Shinnimin, who was coming off back-to-back three-goal games, had a goal and three assists in this one. He has 14 points in his last three games. So let’s just announce the WHL and CHL player of the week right now. . . . He ran his goal-scoring streak to nine games. . . . Shinnimin now has 110 points and leads the WHL scoring derby by five points over F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland had two goals and two assists, giving him 92 points. He has three straight four-point games. Holland is on a nine-game point streak — he has 22 points, 19 of them assists, in that stretch. . . . F Adam Hughesman, the third member of that line, had a goal and an assist, giving him 96 points. . . . Holland broke a 2-2 tie at 11:11 of the second. . . . Americans F Justin Feser, with his second of the game and 31st of the season, made it 4-2 at 14:32. . . . Spokane F Blake Gal got his guys to within one at 9:46 of the third, but the Americans put it away with the last three goals. . . . F Dominik Uher had a goal and two assists for Spokane. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 36 shots in earning his 25th victory. . . . The Americans have won five in a row. . . . The Chiefs have lost six of seven. . . . The Americans moved back into a tie with Portland atop the U.S. Division.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tanner Muth, Kootenay.
F Tyrell Goulbourne, Kelowna.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Jagger Dirk, Kootenay.
D Jared Hauf, Seattle.
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The incomparable Roy MacGregor takes a look at Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin and what may be ailing him, and it’s right here.


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After one more birthday, how old is Bob Molinaro of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot? “Old enough,” he claims, “to remember when the collected wisdom of the world resided with barbers and taxi drivers, not bloggers.” . . . You have to think that quarterback Henry (Smilin’ Hank) Burris has a bigger grin than ever since his Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed receiver Andy Fantuz. . . . Burris will spend the upcoming season playing pitch-and-catch with Fantuz, Dave Stala and Chris Williams. . . . Tiger-Cats fans won’t have far to go to watch their favourites in the Grey Cup game, which is to be played in Toronto. . . .
Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times, isn’t holding his breath awaiting the arrival of NBA and NHL franchises. “You have to hand it to Mayor McSonic and this Chris Hansen guy — who, based on the keen insight into him we gathered during his half-day parachute trip into Seattle, we can assure you is very probably a demigod,” Judd writes. “It takes some chutzpah to pitch, to People Who Know Better, the mere concept of a ‘self-supporting’ half-billion-dollar sports pleasure palace — its primary tenants a set of currently nonexistent franchises of the two most financially crippled U.S. pro sports leagues.” . . . More from Judd: “Are the ugly little facts that the modern NBA remains a mockery of its own sport, an enterprise shunned by a huge portion of local dedicated sport-fandom, with 1-percenter ticket pricing, a still-failing business model, and a chief executive with the morals of a turkey vulture. Wait; where do we sign up for season tickets again?” . . . Judd is on a roll: “In spite of our distaste for all things NBA, it’d be great — check that, awesome — to have an NHL team in town. Maybe even great enough to merit putting up with fixed basketball games.” . . .
After hearing LeBron James say that he could see himself back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times wrote: “Yeah, sure — right after Elin takes Tiger back, the Bobcats win this year’s NBA title and three pigs make an emergency landing at LaGuardia.” . . . The Calgary Hitmen beat the Kamloops Blazers 5-4 one week ago tonight in what may have been the best-officiated game seen here this WHL season. Surely, the fact that referee Brent Montsion worked the game by himself was only a coincidence. . . . Buster Olney of ESPN couldn’t be happier to be covering spring training. Here’s a Thursday tweet: “Florida always good for wildlife. Today, saw a newly dead calf serving as lunch for buzzards, and 8-ft. gator lounging on side of the road.” . . . Was that Tiger Woods throwing a club as he exited a fairway sand trap on Thursday during a 1-up second-round loss to Nick Watney in the Accenture match play championship in Marana, Ariz.? Gee, didn’t Woods say he was going to change his ways a while back? . . .
A tweet from Bill Maher: “Seriously, this #JeremyLin dude is blowing up. He’s about 2 weeks away from marrying a Kardashian.” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Knicks front office unsure of how they’re going to mess this one up. . . . The third race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Monday, featured Winforlin, a five-year-old mare without a victory. This time, she finished sixth in an eight-horse field. “Lincompetent if you ask me,” noted Len Berman of ThatsSports.com. . . . Sorry, Hamilton, but that hockey team you are likely to get for next season won’t be in the NHL. No, it seems it might be the OHL’s Erie Otters. . . . I’m betting you didn’t realize Ales Hemsky was a $5-million-a-season player either. . . .
I officially became a huge fan of Alberta skip Heather Nedohin on Wednesday afternoon while watching her play Quebec at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Red Deer. While asking her front end what had happened to a stone she had just thrown, the mic’d up Nedohin let slip with, uhh, “(crap)balls . . . Jesus!” And she didn’t even flinch. . . . Gotta love live TV. . . . You also have to love New York Rangers fans, at least some of the time. With the Rangers rumoured to be in the Rick Nash sweepstakes, their fans chanted “We don’t want you!” after Nash scored in a game at MSG earlier this week. . . .
Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun: “Must be a miracle. One week Milos Raonic isn’t healthy enough to play Davis Cup for Canada. The next week, he’s defending his ATP title in San Jose. Who’s his doctor, Benny Hinn?” . . . The sweater that defenceman Ken Morrow wore when Team USA beat the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., had been hanging in a closet at his home. So he decided to sell it. He got US$104,328 for it. . . . The sweater he wore in the gold-medal game is in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. . . . Team USA beat the Soviets 4-3 on Feb. 22 but that wasn’t for gold. Two days later, the Americans beat Finland 4-2 to win the Olympic title. . . .
If you missed it, the New York Yankees have signed former Seattle Mariners closer David Aardsma, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Aardsma told Dave Sims, who works on the Mariners’ broadcast crew, that he hopes to be back by July 23. On that night, the Yankees are in Seattle. . . . It is calls like this, from a game between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild a week ago, that separate hockey play-caller Doc Emrick from a lot of others: “Shot! . . . And an easy stop — easy for me to say — by Niklas Backstrom.” . . .
Hey, drivers, when the weather gets a bit ugly out there is it too much to ask to have you turn on your headlights? . . . With speculation out there that Mario Rivera may retire after this season, New York Yankees set-up man David Robertson told MLB.com: “He may have hinted, but you never know. He could Brett Favre us.” . . . The B.C. Football Conference’s Okanagan Sun announced Friday that Jason Casey has resigned as its head coach. He is on the move to Kingston, Ont., to work as linebacker coach with the Queen’s Golden Gaels. . . . Here’s Florida Marlins head coach Ozzie Guillen on why he loves shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond: “I’d rather be there than drinking.” . . . Sounds like an advertising slogan.

(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, gdrinnan.blogspot.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.)


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Brendan Shinnimin (24) of the Tri-City Americans may be the hottest player
in the entire hockey world with 10 points in his last two games. He has moved
into the lead in the WHL scoring race, too.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.co)

Kyle Woodlief’s Red Line Report was posted Friday by USA TODAY. In it, he wonders about the lack of skilled North American forwards eligible for the NHL’s 2012 draft. Boy, ain’t that the truth. You need only watch the number of junior teams playing chip and chase to wonder just what is going on with that. Park a player in the neutral zone -- and I mean park him. Have a defenceman rifle the puck in his direction. The forward, who is standing still, tips the puck into the offensive zone. And then the other team repeats the exercise.
Anyway, Woodlief’s latest rankings are right here.
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D Tommy Stipancik’s fourth concussion in three years caused him to miss nine game with the Saskatoon Blades. the 17-year-old Stipancik was back in the lineup last night against the visiting Kootenay Ice, albeit wearing a Reebok helmet that it’s hoped will help prevent future concussions. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix has that story right here.
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F Tim McGauley, 16, has joined the Brandon Wheat Kings for the remainder of this season. McGauley had 53 points, including 29 goals, with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, who play out of Wilcox, Sask. McGauley was a first-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2010 bantam draft. He was dealt to Brandon in the Brayden Schenn deal in January 2011.
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“Players are getting bigger, faster. Helmets are getting better, but it's more effective at protecting the skull than the brain inside. A high-speed impact jostles the brain, and a helmet won't stop it from slamming into the skull.”
That’s Gregg Doyel, a columnist at cbssports.com, and, no, he’s not writing about hockey. He’s writing about football and he is starting to wonder if we aren’t witnessing the beginning of the end . . . not of concussions, of football.
It’s a good read and it’s right here.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
(With a tip of the hat to @WHLFacts for some of the info that follows. If you are on Twitter and aren’t following, you should be.)
In Brandon, F Mark Stone and D Eric Roy scored in the circus to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Brad Hoban scored twice for the Broncos, his 17th of the season coming at 18:57 of the third to force OT. . . . Stone had given Brandon a 2-1 lead with his 39th score, on the PP, at 16:04 of the third. . . . Stone extended his point streak to 14 games; he has 30 points, including eight goals, over that stretch. . . . Stone’s streak of 13 straight games with at least one assist came to an end. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 37 shots, one fewer than Jon Groenheyde of the Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings were again without F Kevin Sundher and D Tyrel Seaman, both of whom are concussed. . . . Brandon holds the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot and is 10 points ahead of Red Deer and two behind Regina. . . . The Pats, who are just a point behind Saskatoon, are in Brandon tonight. . . .

In Prince Albert, G Cole Holowenko stopped 43 shots to help the Raiders to a 4-0 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Red Deer loss allowed the Edmonton Oil Kings to become the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot. . . . Holowenko has two shutouts in his career, both this season. . . . F Mike Winther’s 29th goal, at 13:38 of the first, stood up as the winner. . . . F Mark McNeill picked up his 27th goal, into an empty net, and added two assists, as did F Shane Danyluk. . . . The Rebels were able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal had two goals and two assists to lead the Pats to an 8-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Regina has won six of seven. . . . Weal, who has 37 goals, finished the game with 100 points. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk broke a 1-1 tie at 13:41 of the first period. . . . The Pats then added six more goals before the Warriors closed out the scoring. . . . Regina was 2-8 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-3. . . . F Chandler Stephenson added two goals for Regina, giving him 18, while D Martin Marincin drew three assists. . . . Regina F Brandon Davidson missed his second straight game with a sore neck. He is questionable for a game tonight in Brandon. . . . Moose Jaw F James Henry played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Regina F Lane Scheidl opened the scoring with a PP goal at 2:46 of the first. Scheidl, who has 24 goals, has a PP goal in each of his last three games. . . . The Warriors won the first three games in the season series with Regina; the Pats have won the last three. . . . Moose Jaw leads the East Division by eight points over Saskatoon. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Andrey Makarov, making his 14th straight start, stopped 38 shots to earn his first WHL shutout as the Blades beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-0. . . . F Brent Benson got the game-winner at 6:31 of the first on the PP. . . . F Matej Stransky got his 34th goal for the Blades and also added an assist. . . . Kootenay F Drew Czerwonka missed his fourth game with an undisclosed injury that could keep him out up to six weeks. . . . Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, tweeted that Kootenay D Luke Paulsen and D Jagger Dirk both left with injuries. . . . The Blades remain without D Duncan Siemens (concussion). . . . The Ice is one point behind the fourth-place Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference and one point ahead of the Blades. . . .

In Calgary, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Hitmen, 4-1. . . . The Oil Kings, who lead the Eastern Conference, clinched a playoff spot as they beat the Hitmen for the fifth time in six meetings. . . . Calgary had won four in a row. . . . F Kristians Pelss tied the game with his 23rd at 10:36 of the first and F Tristan Sieben broke the tie with his fourth at 4:57 of the second. . . . F T.J. Foster got an empty-netter, his 24th goal, at 18:50 of the third. . . . F Rhett Rachinski rounded it out with his 25th at 19:56. . . . F Travis Ewanyk, who had offseason shoulder surgery, played his first game this season for Edmonton. Last season, in 72 games, Ewanyk had 27 points and 126 penalty minutes. He was pointless last night. . . . The Hitmen dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Calgary is three points behind the third-place Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference and a point ahead of Kootenay. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Brady Ramsay scored three times to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Ramsay has 22 goals this season. He has two hat tricks. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s first four goals, with Ramsay getting two of them. . . . Lethbridge captain Brody Sutter got his 29th goal and added two assists. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo stopped 37 shots. . . . The Hurricanes were 3-6 on the PP; the Rockets went 2-3. . . . Lethbridge won’t make the playoffs, while the Rockets will finish sixth in the Western Conference. . . .

In Portland, F Sven Baertschi had a goal and two assists as the Winterhawks ran their winning streak to nine games with an 8-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . That got Baertschi back to his two points-a-game pace. He has 84 points in 42 games. . . . F Ty Rattie scored his 52nd goal of the season, the most for a Portland skater since F Lonny Bohonos had 62 in 1993-94. . . . Rattie now is tied with Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem for the WHL lead in goals. . . . When this one was over, Portland still had a bunch of point steaks going — F Oliver Gabriel, 13 games; Baertschi, 12; D Derrick Pouliot, nine; Rattie, eight; and, F Marcel Noebels, six. . . . The Winterhawks have scored 34 goals in their last four games. . . . Portland D William Wrenn, the team captain, was back after being out since Jan. 28 with an injury to his right hand. . . . The Winterhawks lead the U.S. Division by two points over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, three points behind Vancouver with two games in hand. . . .

In Prince George, G Jared Rathjen earned his first WHL victory as the Victoria Royals beat the Cougars, 4-2. . . . Rathjen, who is from Prince George, stopped 26 shots in improving his record to 1-5-1. . . . Victoria F Dakota Conroy broke a 1-1 tie at 11:30 of the second period with his ninth goal. . . . This was the first of eight in a row at home for the Cougars. . . . The teams meet there again tonight. . . . The Royals are seventh in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the idle Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Cougars are two points behind Seattle. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin scored three goals and set up another as the Tri-City Americans beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-2. . . . Shinnimin, who has 10 points in his last two games, moved into top spot in the WHL scoring race, with 106 points, including 47 goals. He also leads all of the CHL in points. . . . Shinnimin is one point ahead of Brandon F Mark Stone and two up on Portland F Ty Rattie. . . . In 11 February games, Shinnimin has 32 points, including six goals over his last two games. He has an eight-game goal streak going. . . . F Patrick Holland had three assists for the Americans. He has drawn assists on 15 of the Americans’ last 26 games. He also leads the WHL with 67 assists. . . . The Silvertips scored the game’s first two goals, with F Josh Birkholz and D Dominik Bittner getting PP goals in the first period. . . . Shinnimin tied it with a shorthanded goal at 2:16 of the third. . . . F Adam Hughesman broke the tie at 11:52 with his 36th. . . . Shinnimin iced it with an empty-netter. . . .G Eric Comrie stopped 20 shots in running his record to 18-5-2. . . . Everett F Ryan Harrison was back in the lineup after taking a slapshot in the throat from D Ryan Murray on Tuesday. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . Everett is ninth in the Western Conference, one point behind Seattle. . . .
 
In Vancouver, the Blazers scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Giants, 6-2. . . . The victory lifted the Blazers back into first place in the overall standings, one point ahead of the Portland Winterhawks, who had been there about half an hour because their game last night ended before the Blazers were done. . . . Kamloops got eight points from the line of, left to right, Tim Bozon, Colin Smith and J.C. Lipon. The latter two each had a goal and two assists, while Bozon had one of each. . . . Smith and Bozon have 31 goals apiece. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 34 shots in winning for the 30th time this season. . . . The Blazers scored the game’s first two goals, but the Giants tied it with goals 38 seconds part in the first minute of the second period. . . . D Bronson Maschmeyer, whom the Blazers acquired from Vancouver prior to the 2009-10 season, broke the tie with a PP goal at 14:47 of the second. . . . The Blazers won for the 20th time on the road, the first time the franchise has done that since 1995-96. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Kamloops and a Blazers victory will clinch the B.C. Division pennant. . . . The Giants now have lost three in a row.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Robin Soudek, Victoria.
F Reid Petryk, Everett (double minor).
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Jordan Martinook, Vancouver.
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Adam Wodon, the managing editor at collegehockeynews.com has written a lengthy piece right here on the state of NCAA hockey as he tries to explain what led to this week’s departure of Paul Kelly, who had been the executive director of College Hockey Inc., until he was forced out.
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The United States of Hockey has more on the Paul Kelly situation, with comments from Kelly, right here. You can bet the major junior leagues are loving all of this.
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And then there is this, a stunning read from Ken Dryden, who writes about the victims of sexual abuse. If you read just one thing today, this has to be it. The end of the story will knock you off your chair.
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Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun weighs in on Tom Jefferson and wonders why the police haven’t done more to investigate the abuses he faced. That piece is right here.