From somewhere in Washington State

We are supposed to be in Yakima but ended up in Puyallup. We got to within 70 miles of Yakima before two rock slides forced us to turn around. And here we are on a Saturday night. Of course, there is a big-time car show here so it wasn't easy finding a hotel room . . . Anyway . . .

It seems former Kootenay Ice assistant coach Brad Lauer won't be joining the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Perhaps the restructuring took took long and he now appears headed to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals as an assistant coach under head coach Lane Lambert.

Nothing new with the Portland Winter Hawks. Management apparently was down to two candidates but added two more on Friday or Saturday. They hope to have a decision within 10 days.

And it's official -- the Seattle Thunderbirds will be moving to Kent, with the city having OK'd the building of a 6,000-seat building that will cost almost $80 million. The Thunderbirds have agreed to a 30-year lease and should be in the new facility for 2008-09.

Dick Gibson will provide the analysis on Lethbridge Hurricanes broadcasts on 94.1 The Lounge this season. Gibson has a long history involving WHL teams, and has been the public address announcer for the Broncos and Hurricanes for 18 seasons. He also was the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings when they went to the Memorial Cup in the spring of 1979. It's funny there's nothing in the press release announcing Gibson's appointment about the time he missed the Wheat Kings bus . . . likely just an oversight.

Former WHLer Wes Rypien has been named an assistant coach with the BCHL's Quesnel Millionaires. Rypien, 25, is the older brother of Rick, another former WHLer who now is in the Vancouver Canucks organization, and a nephew of ex-Super Bowl QB Mark Rypien.