Thursday . . .

The Regina Pats have a new three-year lease on the Brandt Centre but that doesn’t mean all is peachy-keen in the Saskatchewan capital. Shortly after signing the lease, the Pats issued a press release that included this:
“Pats President Russ Parker said: ‘Our organization is not pleased with the overall lease; however, we intend to do our utmost to be successful under the terms of this document. Furthermore, under one of the terms of the lease, we are prohibited from discussing any further aspects of this document.’ ” . . . Does that sound like the words of a happy tenant? Actually, this has long been a tenuous relationship, at best. . . . “You can certainly judge by Russ’s tone that we’re not exactly enthralled
with how everything took place,” Brent Parker, the Pats’ general manager, told the Regina Leader-Post’s Rob Vantsone. . . . Brent Parker, Russ’s son, told Vanstone he actually recommended the Pats not sign the lease with IPSCO Place, which operates the arena. But, according to the Parkers, had they not signed they wouldn’t have been given dates for the 2008-09 season in time for the Eastern Conference scheduling meeting in Calgary on Monday. . . . For more on this messy situation, check out Vanstone’s juicy story which should be up on The Leader-Post’s website sometime Friday.
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You have to wonder if recent and upcoming NHL-related coaching assignments will have an impact on WHL coaching staffs. . . . Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock just lost assistant coach Todd McLellan, who signed with the San Jose Sharks as their head coach. Babcock, of course, coached with the Spokane Chiefs and one of his assistants was Bill Peters. Peters now is head coach of the Chiefs — make that the Memorial Cup-champion Chiefs. Might Peters end up on Detroit’s staff? . . . Babcock and McLellan, who spent six seasons coaching the Swift Current Broncos, are from Saskatchewan — Babcock from Saskatoon, although he made a few stops while growing up, including one in Leaf Rapids, Man., and McLellan from Melville. . . . Might one of them add Marc Habscheid, the pride of Swift Current, to his staff? . . . Barry Melrose, who also is from Saskatchewan (Kelvington), is rumoured to be the next head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He, too, is a former WHL head coach and you wonder if he might reach into the west to fill out a coaching staff.
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RUMOUR MILL: Former Kelowna Rockets head coach Jeff Truitt is said to have been offered the head-coaching job with the Springfield Falcons, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Truitt was an assistant coach with the Falcons last season. . . . (This is the time of year when there is a ‘last season’ and a ‘next season’ but no ‘this season.’) . . . Former Moose Jaw Warriors captain Kelly Buchberber was the Falcons’ head coach last season but will be an assistant with the Oilers next season. . . . The Oilers, however, have yet to make it official. "Everybody on the outside is drawing conclusions and they're probably accurate," Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish told Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun the other day. "But it's a discussion for another day." . . . When it happens, Buchberger will fill a spot that had belonged to Rob Daum, another former WHL coach. The Oilers were thought to be creating a video/scouting spot for Daum, but now the rumour mill has him returning to the U of Alberta. He has been on leave from coaching the Golden Bears. . . . Bill McLellan, Todd’s father, is rumoured to be retiring as the Medicine Hat Tigers’ head scout. If that, in fact, happens, regional scout Brad MacEwan is expected to move up to head scout. . . . By the way, one can only imagine the thrills the McLellans felt the night the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. It was a case of grandfather, father and two grandsons on the ice and in the dressing room celebrating victory. . . . A source has told me that the Calgary Hitmen have picked up the rights to G David Aime, who turns 19 on Dec. 18. Aime has played in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer Rebels. You can bet the Hitmen will be looking at all possible options after neither Dan Spence nor Martin Jones lit it up in the playoffs.
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The Tri-City Americans have acquired D Scott Macaulay, 18, from the Swift Current Broncos for a conditional 2009 bantam draft pick. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Macaulay is yet another Winnipegger added to the Tri-City arsenal. He had 56 points in 55 games with the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints last season. His older brother Blair, 20, is on the Ams’ roster. “Scott is a skilled d-man with very good skating ability,” Tri-City GM Bob Tory said in a release. “He has excelled offensively at all levels that he has played at.” . . . Tory said the Americans recognize that Scott has seemed pointed to the NCAA, but “we are hoping that with our connections to Winnipeg and with the positive experience his brother had with our organization that Scott will attend training camp and make a decision on our program at that time.”
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The MJHL’s Dauphin Kings have signed Marlin Murray, their assistant GM and head coach, to a one-year extension that will take him through 2009-10. The Kings’ staff also includes GM Darcy Dawson and assistant coaches David Anning and Scott McCallum. The Kings are the host team for the 2010 Royal Bank Cup. . . . William Houston of The Globe and Mail reports: “Peter Loubardias, who has been calling junior hockey for Sportsnet, will take over as the network's Calgary Flames voice next season.” . . . USA Hockey has named Ron Rolston as head coach of its national junior team that will compete at the world championship in Ottawa, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. Rolston coached the U.S. to third place at the 2007 championship in Sweden. He has spent four seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . Rolston’s assistant coaches will be Nate Leaman (Union College) and P.K. O’Handley (USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks), and goalie coach Jeff Blashill (USHL’s Indiana Ice). . . . When the U.S. holds its summer evaluation camp, associate coach Jay Varady of the Everett Silverips will be one of the coaches. He’ll be joined by Mark Osiecki (U of Wisconsin) and Mike Cavanaugh (Boston College), along with Rolston and his staff. That camp will be held Aug. 1-9 in Lake Placid, N.Y.