Big news in Blazerville

From The Daily News of Monday, Jan. 7, 2008 . . .

It was during the second period of Friday night’s WHL game at Interior
Savings Centre when Victor Bartley realized something was awry.
The veteran defenceman had suffered a groin injury during a Wednesday
practice so was watching from the catwalk as the Kamloops Blazers played the
Tri-City Americans.
And then his phone started to ring . . . and ring . . . and ring . . .
“I kind of figured something happened in the second period,” he said
Saturday afternoon. “I was at the game and my mom called me about four
times. I didn’t answer my phone but I figured something happened.”
That something involved the Blazers’ three senior-most players — Bartley,
19, defenceman Ryan Bender, 20, and centre Brock Nixon, 20, who led the club
in goals (14), assists (25), and points (39). Shortly after scoring a
thrilling 3-2 victory over the Americans, the team was told that Bartley,
Bender and Nixon, all of whom had spent their entire careers with the
Blazers, had been traded. Bender was the team captain; the other two were
alternates.
In two trades that were common knowledge through the WHL on Friday night but
not confirmed by the team until Saturday morning, the Blazers dealt Bender
and Bartley to the Regina Pats for defencemen Nick Ross, 18, and Spencer
Fraipoint, 19, and a 2008 fourth-round bantam draft pick. The Blazers sent
Nixon and a 2008 sixth-round draft pick to Calgary for centre Devon
Kalinski, 17, and a 2008 second-round pick.
All of the players, with the exception of Bartley, played for their new
teams Saturday night. Bartley won’t play until at least this weekend.
Nixon and Bender, frustrated by the seemingly constant change in which the
Kamloops organization has found itself, had asked to be traded.
“I was pretty excited when I found out,” said Nixon, who is from Russell,
Man., and knows Calgary forwards Ryan White and Carson McMillan, both of
whom are from Brandon.
At the same time, Nixon admitted to feeling sadness and disappointment.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Four and a half years. . . . it becomes your home. As
exciting as it is to be on this Calgary team, any time you’re leaving
somewhere you’ve been for that period of time, it’s tough. And I really was
(disappointed). I never planned on not finishing my career in Kamloops. When
it came down to it, I really didn’t want to leave but for my career I had
to.”
Nixon, who is tied with Jarret Lukin for sixth place on the Blazers’
all-time games played list, said he did a lot of soul-searching before
asking for a trade.
“It was by far the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” he explained.
“In 4 1/2 years in Kamloops I’ve made one selfish decision and that was to
leave my teammates and go to a contender. At this point in time it’s
something I had to do.”
Nixon, whose 181 points here have him 37th on the franchise’s career list,
already has played two games with the Hitmen, scoring the game-winning goal
in a 4-3 victory over the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday and drawing an
assist in a 6-2 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Sunday.
Bender played for his new club Saturday as it beat the visiting Lethbridge
Hurricanes 2-1 in a shootout. And he was in the lineup again Sunday as the
Pats lost 3-2 in overtime to the Broncos in Swift Current.
“It was interesting,” said Bender, who played 279 games here and is tied for
ninth with Ray Macias on the all-time list. “I’ve never been that nervous
for a game in my life.
“You go there and you feel like a rookie again. You don’t know anyone. You
don’t know where the tape is. You don’t know what to do. You just sit in
your stall and try to get prepared.”
Bender, who is from Regina, added that there were plenty of familiar faces
in the Brandt Centre crowd of 5,208.
“I was excited,” he said. “At the same time, it was hard to leave Kamlops
and my billets. I had a family and friends back in Kamloops, too, from being
there so long.
“But it’s time to move forward and start some new things.”
Like Nixon, Bender admitted to being terribly frustrated with how things
unraveled here.
“I was very frustrated and it was tough,” he said. “Last summer I was
training hard and looking for a very positive season. But things just didn’t
go our way . . .
“That was very tough, especially for me with it being my last season. Things
just kept on going down and down. I hope the team can get things on track
and try to salvage the season . . . there’s nothing I’d like better."
Bartley, meanwhile, said he was shocked to find out that he had been traded.
“You hear stuff about trades but you never actually think it could happen
until it actually does and then once it hits you it’s a pretty big shock,”
he said. “I’m sad and excited. Packing up my gear . . . I never thought I’d
have to do that. Being here four years, going on five years next year, I
thought I’d stay here, but. . . .
“I’m pretty excited to be going there.”
While the Blazers and Hitmen don’t see each other again this season,
Kamloops is scheduled to visit Regina on Feb. 27.
“These are significant changes to our hockey club,” noted Blazers president
Tom Gaglardi, the only person quoted in a statement announcing the trades.
“We feel we have improved our team, added to our draft options for next May,
and created opportunities for the younger players on our roster to step
forward. Plus, we have added three players who we expect to have back with
us next season.”
Head coach Greg Hawgood didn’t appear for his traditional post-game radio
interview after Friday’s game; nor did he return a phone message left
inquiring as to whether trades had been made.
Ross, who is from Lethbridge, was selected 30th overall by the Phoenix
Coyotes in the NHL’s 2007 draft.
On Saturday night, with Ross, Fraipont and Kalinski in the lineup, the
Blazers fell 6-1 to the Rockets in Kelowna. Ross drew an assist on the
Blazers’ lone goal, a power-play score from left-winger Alex Rodgers. The
victory was Kelowna’s 24th of the season; the Rockets won 22 games all of
last season.
On Sunday night, in Vancouver, the Blazers were beaten 8-1 by the Giants.
Centre Mark Hall scored the Blazers' only goal.
BLAZERS BUZZ: RW Tyler Shattock left Saturday’s game with a sprained ankle.
He was injured in the first period and ended up on crutches. Shattock didn’t
play Sunday and will miss at least two more games. The Blazers meet the
Chiefs in Spokane on Wednesday and the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick,
Wash., on Friday, before facing the Chilliwack Bruins at Interior Savings
Centre on Saturday. . . . The Blazers played through the weekend without a
captain. RW Brady Calla, C Scott Wasden and C C.J. Stretch wore ‘A’s. . . .
Calla, who has been fighting a cold and the flu, didn’t finish Saturday’s
game.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: With the World Junior Championship over, the Calgary Flames
are believed to be attempting to sign Swedish F Patrick Backlund, the 22nd
pick in the 2007 NHL draft. If the Flames are able to sign him, look for him
to land with the Rockets, who selected him in the CHL’s 2007 import draft. .
. . The Chilliwack Bruins have added F Randy McNaughton, 17, from the BCHL’s
Nanaimo Clippers. McNaughton, 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, had five points and
54 penalty minutes with Nanaimo.