We're back . . .

I’m back. . . . Spent a couple of days in Jasper, Alta. . . . Saw plenty of elk, some California bighorn sheep, a bear, some snow and lots of stupid people. . . . The park is full of pipeline crews, especially between Jasper and Hinton, where the going is slow at times. And that means plenty of impatient drivers, so be careful out there. . . .

It was in Jasper where I learned Friday night of the death of D Darcy Robinson, a Kamloops native who played in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels. Robinson, 26, collapsed and died early in the first period of an Italian league game with Asiago, a team for which he had played 66 games over the last two seasons. No word yet on the cause of death. Robinson wasn’t blessed with a lot of talent, but made up for it with his work ethic and really was one of those gentle giants. The one story I meant to do this summer, but didn’t get around to, was on his first season in Italy and how he was enjoying Europe. With the European season starting so early, relative to North American leagues, I just ran out of time and didn’t get it done. Robinson’s phone number and career stats from hockeydb.com have been sitting on my desk for the last few weeks. He was engaged to Kristen Windsor, the daughter of Brian Windsor, who skipped a rink to the B.C. men’s curling championship a couple of winters ago. . . .

Dean Vrooman, the longtime radio voice of the Portland Winter Hawks who left the team just before training camp, starts a new job Monday morning as a retail branch courier with First Independent Bank. . . . He also says he will be involved in internal marketing and business development. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades lost D Brendon Wall during Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. He took a puck to the face in the first period and was taken to a hospital in Calgary with a suspected broken jaw. . . .

In case you missed it, three teams swapped five players Saturday as the Calgary Hitmen traded away RW Keegan Dansereau, 19, who had been sent home a few days ago to ponder his future. When the smoke had cleared, D Paul Postma, 18, and C Kyle Bortis, 19, had moved from the Swift Current Broncos to the Hitmen for Dansereau and D Brett Plouffe, 18. . . . The Broncos then shipped Plouffe to the Tri-City Americans for LW Erik Felde, 20. . . . The Hitmen got rid of a distraction -- Dansereau is a talented player with a reputation for inconsistency and a lack of interest in the defensive side of the game -- and got a good, young defenceman in Postma. The Broncos, by acquiring Dansereau and Felde, took a step forward offensively, assuming GM/head coach Dean Chynoweth can get Dansereau turned around. . . . The Americans solved their 20-year-old problem and added a young defender in the process. . . .

The Medicine Hat Tigers have trimmed D Adrian Van de Mosselaer, 17, from their roster. He was seventh-round pick in the 2005 bantam draft. . . .


The Kelowna Rockets were outshot 16-0 in the first period of Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Giants in Vancouver. Gotta think the Rockets are in for some tough love this week.