Monday's notes . . .

One of hockey’s real gentlemen celebrated his 100th birthday — think about that — 100! — in the coronary care unit of the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg on Sunday. Bill Addison, once the longtime commissioner of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, suffered a mild heart attack Friday, resulting in his birthday celebration being rescheduled from the Clarion Hotel to the Winnipeg hospital. It has been more than 30 years since I was involved with Addison and the MJHL — back then I was writing for the Winnipeg Tribune and looking after the MJHL’s statistics and banging out the odd press release. Working with Addison, a true gentleman in every sense of the word, continues to be one of the highlights of my involvement with junior hockey at any level. . . . For more on Addison, check out this story that appeared in Monday’s Winnipeg Free Press. . . .
————————
The Spokane Chiefs advanced to the Western Conference final Monday night by beating the visiting Vancouver Giants, 3-1. . . . The Chiefs won the series, 4-2. . . . Spokane will meet the Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference final. That series is expected to open with games Friday and Sunday in Kennewick, Wash. . . . The Giants are the defending Memorial Cup champions, although they didn’t win the WHL championship a year ago. They lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers in the final and were in the Memorial Cup as the host team. . . . Spokane F Ondrej Roman broke a 1-1 tie at 14:53 of the third period and F Chris Bruton added an empty-netter. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowan scored the game’s first goal. . . . Vancouver C Mario Bliznak tied the score with a late second-period goal. . . . Vancouver thought it had gone ahead when F Lance Bouma drove the net and the puck ended up in the net with the net off its moorings at 7:51 of the third period. But officials ruled that the net was off its moorings before the puck crossed the goal-line. . . . The Giants had a season-low 17 shots on goal. . . . Spokane was 0-for-4 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 4,816. . . . The Chiefs last were in the conference final in 2001. That spring, they lost in five games to the Portland Winter Hawks. . . .
———
JUST NOTES: F Ryan White of the Calgary Hitmen is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had 12 points, including four goals, and was plus-6 in four playoff games against the Swift Current Broncos. That included a double-overtime goal and three assists in Game 3 and a six-point outing in Game 6 as the Hitmen finished the series with an 8-4 victory in Swift Current. White originally was credited with two goals and three assists in that game but later was credited with a fourth assist. . . . The WHL office has announced that Shaw TV and Star Choice will carry the Eastern Conference final between Calgary and the Lethbridge Hurricanes. That series opens with games in Calgary on Thursday and Friday before shifting to Lethbridge and games Tuesday, April 22, and Wednesday, April 23. The rest of the dates for that series have yet to be determined. . . . In case you’ve forgotten, the MasterCard Memorial Cup — it’s the 90th time this trophy has been contested — goes May 16-25 in Kitchener. . . . The Calgary Flames have brought in Kootenay Ice D John Negrin for the remainder of the NHL playoffs. Negrin, a third-round selection in the 2007 NHL draft, will hang around and likely skate with the Black Aces, the extra players on the roster.