JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Vancouver Giants, who continue to search for an assistant coach, are also in the market for someone to handle their video work. Jonas Plumb, their video co-ordinator, has signed on with the Washington Capitals. The Giants have yet to replace Craig Bonner, the assistant GM/assistant coach who signed on as GM of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . There is quite a WHL flavour to the Tampa Bay Lightning prospects camp in Victoria. For a taste of it — and news on Brady Leavold being a new father — visit here.
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JUST NOTES: According to Newsday, former WHLer Petr Nedved is coming back to the NHL. Newsday reports that Nedved has accepted an invitation to the New York Rangers’ training camp. He had 25 points, 20 of them goals, in 45 games with Sparta Praha of the Czech Republic’s top league last season. He split the 2006-07 season between the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers. . . . Scratch Joel Quenneville’s name from any coaching rumours. Newsday reports that Quenneville, who was the Colorado Avalanche’s head coach last season, wants to take the season off. . . .
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If you’re like me, you absolutely love hockey anecdotes. Howard Berger recounts two or three hilarious stories from a new book by former Minnesota North Stars GM Lou Nanne right here.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday . . .
While speculation about a possible sale continues to run rampant, the Portland Winter Hawks have hired Jerry Moss as director of fan relations.
How big is this signing?
In a release on their website, the Winter Hawks say it “could be one of the biggest free agent signings in Portland Winter Hawks history.”
According to the release: “Moss will lead the Winter Hawks charge into the community, oversee all aspects of game operations and guide the overall fan experience for the team.”
Moss spent 11 seasons with the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
More from the release: “In 11 years with the Trail Blazers, Moss became somewhat of a cult hero to fans, co-workers and the media thanks to his energy and passion for the people, especially children.
“Many fans will recognize Moss from his years as ‘The Man in the Stands’ during Trail Blazers games, his zany characters on television commercials and, to some fans, he may even conjure up images of Jolly Old Saint Nick. Moss was known for growing a sizeable beard during the Christmas season in order to play Santa Claus at community and charity functions.”
According to the release: “Moss wants to hear from fans and urges them to email their ideas to jerrym@winterhawks.com.”
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Ondrej Fiala (Everett/Saskatoon) is on a tryout with Kärpät Oulu (Finland SM-Liiga), the defending Finnish champions. He took a regular shift on the third line with former Calgary Flames F Vesa Viitakoski in Wednesday night’s 2-1 exhibition loss to Sport Vaasa. From the game report on the Kärpät website –a loose translation: Kärpät were also accompanied by 20-year old Czech forward Ondrej Fiala, who has short tryout with the team. Fiala has played in the North American junior league. "He is a skilled forward and plays a good game with the puck and with power. On the other hand is the fact that he lacks experience at this level," head coach Matti Alatalo says. . . . Fiala had been negotiating with Spartak Moscow of the Contintental league but that deal must have fallen through for whatever reason.
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Tri-City Americans have signed F Brock Zimak, 17, to a standard WHL contract. Zimak is from – you guess it! – Winnipeg and was a fourth-round pick by the Americans in the 2006 bantam draft. He had 35 points in 39 games for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild last season. . . . While the WHL isn’t expected to release its complete schedule until Aug. 7, you can scoot over to Small Thoughts At Large where Alan Caldwell has pieced together what various teams have released and has most of a schedule posted. . . . As mentioned here earlier, Rob Stouffer, the Brandon Wheat Kings’ athletic therapist for seven seasons, lost his battle with cancer Wednesday. A funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday (Aug. 6), 2 p.m., at Central United Church in Brandon. Central United is located at 327 8th St.
THE COACHING GAME: Former NHL coach Marc Crawford has joined Hockey Night in Canada’s crew. . . . Kind of a big day in the NHL so far, what with Scotty Bowman leaving the Detroit Red Wings to join the Chicago Blackhawks’ front office, alongside his son, Stan. Scotty will be senior advisor of hockey operations; Stan is assistant general manager. . . . And, in Edmonton, the Oilers punted Kevin Lowe upstairs and brought in Steve Tambellini from the Vancouver Canucks as general manager. Lowe becomes president of hockey operations, while Kevin Prendergast, who has been with the Oilers forever, most recently as vice-president of hockey operations, moves up to assistant GM. Adding Tambellini to their organization is a terrific move for the Oilers, and losing him is yet another goofy decision by the Canucks. Tambellini spent 17 seasons in Vancouver’s front office and was their vice-president and assistant GM. But he was passed over when the Canucks fired GM Dave Nonis and hired Mike Gillis. Tambellini is one of the great ‘young’ minds in the game and it’s great to see him get an opportunity like this. . . . But, you have to ask yourself, what the h-e-double hockey sticks is going on with the Canucks?
How big is this signing?
In a release on their website, the Winter Hawks say it “could be one of the biggest free agent signings in Portland Winter Hawks history.”
According to the release: “Moss will lead the Winter Hawks charge into the community, oversee all aspects of game operations and guide the overall fan experience for the team.”
Moss spent 11 seasons with the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
More from the release: “In 11 years with the Trail Blazers, Moss became somewhat of a cult hero to fans, co-workers and the media thanks to his energy and passion for the people, especially children.
“Many fans will recognize Moss from his years as ‘The Man in the Stands’ during Trail Blazers games, his zany characters on television commercials and, to some fans, he may even conjure up images of Jolly Old Saint Nick. Moss was known for growing a sizeable beard during the Christmas season in order to play Santa Claus at community and charity functions.”
According to the release: “Moss wants to hear from fans and urges them to email their ideas to jerrym@winterhawks.com.”
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Ondrej Fiala (Everett/Saskatoon) is on a tryout with Kärpät Oulu (Finland SM-Liiga), the defending Finnish champions. He took a regular shift on the third line with former Calgary Flames F Vesa Viitakoski in Wednesday night’s 2-1 exhibition loss to Sport Vaasa. From the game report on the Kärpät website –a loose translation: Kärpät were also accompanied by 20-year old Czech forward Ondrej Fiala, who has short tryout with the team. Fiala has played in the North American junior league. "He is a skilled forward and plays a good game with the puck and with power. On the other hand is the fact that he lacks experience at this level," head coach Matti Alatalo says. . . . Fiala had been negotiating with Spartak Moscow of the Contintental league but that deal must have fallen through for whatever reason.
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Tri-City Americans have signed F Brock Zimak, 17, to a standard WHL contract. Zimak is from – you guess it! – Winnipeg and was a fourth-round pick by the Americans in the 2006 bantam draft. He had 35 points in 39 games for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild last season. . . . While the WHL isn’t expected to release its complete schedule until Aug. 7, you can scoot over to Small Thoughts At Large where Alan Caldwell has pieced together what various teams have released and has most of a schedule posted. . . . As mentioned here earlier, Rob Stouffer, the Brandon Wheat Kings’ athletic therapist for seven seasons, lost his battle with cancer Wednesday. A funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday (Aug. 6), 2 p.m., at Central United Church in Brandon. Central United is located at 327 8th St.
THE COACHING GAME: Former NHL coach Marc Crawford has joined Hockey Night in Canada’s crew. . . . Kind of a big day in the NHL so far, what with Scotty Bowman leaving the Detroit Red Wings to join the Chicago Blackhawks’ front office, alongside his son, Stan. Scotty will be senior advisor of hockey operations; Stan is assistant general manager. . . . And, in Edmonton, the Oilers punted Kevin Lowe upstairs and brought in Steve Tambellini from the Vancouver Canucks as general manager. Lowe becomes president of hockey operations, while Kevin Prendergast, who has been with the Oilers forever, most recently as vice-president of hockey operations, moves up to assistant GM. Adding Tambellini to their organization is a terrific move for the Oilers, and losing him is yet another goofy decision by the Canucks. Tambellini spent 17 seasons in Vancouver’s front office and was their vice-president and assistant GM. But he was passed over when the Canucks fired GM Dave Nonis and hired Mike Gillis. Tambellini is one of the great ‘young’ minds in the game and it’s great to see him get an opportunity like this. . . . But, you have to ask yourself, what the h-e-double hockey sticks is going on with the Canucks?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
More from Wednesday . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings are mourning the death of athletic therapist Rob Stouffer. He died Wednesday after a long battle with liver cancer. Stouffer, who turned 40 on Tuesday, is survived by his wife, Maria, and one son, Logan. Stouffer worked with the Wheat Kings from 2000-01 through 2006-07 before having to take a leave of absence because of his health situation. . . . “Rob enjoyed people and he cared about people so I think he was real well suited for the line of work that he chose,” Wheat Kings owner/GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon told the Brandon Sun. “I know that he had a lot of impact on the players that he was around during his time in our organization, not only in terms of what their immediate needs might be medically, but I think just in terms of being a friend and a person that they could talk to as well. This past year with Rob not working, it was always a pleasure to have him at the rink.” . . . Funeral arrangements are pending.
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G Daniel Salamandyk, who is likely the No. 2 man on the Kelowna Rockets’ depth chart, was traded last week. His Kootenay International junior league rights went from the Sicamous Eagles to the Kimberley Dynamiters. The Rockets acquired Salamandyk last season from the Kootenay Ice in a deal that had F Clayton Bauer go the other way. The Ice selected Salamandyk with the 140th pick of the 2005 bantam draft. . . . Right now, he is likely behind only veteran Torrie Jung, 19, on the Rockets’ depth chart.
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G Daniel Salamandyk, who is likely the No. 2 man on the Kelowna Rockets’ depth chart, was traded last week. His Kootenay International junior league rights went from the Sicamous Eagles to the Kimberley Dynamiters. The Rockets acquired Salamandyk last season from the Kootenay Ice in a deal that had F Clayton Bauer go the other way. The Ice selected Salamandyk with the 140th pick of the 2005 bantam draft. . . . Right now, he is likely behind only veteran Torrie Jung, 19, on the Rockets’ depth chart.
Bowman signs with 'Canes
LW Drayson Bowman of the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs has signed a three-year deal with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. Here is the release from the Chiefs:
Ron Francis, Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Development for the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that the team has signed Spokane Chiefs forward Drayson Bowman to a three-year, entry- level contract. The contract will pay Bowman $550,000, $600,000 and $650,000 on the NHL level or $65,000 on the minor-league level in years one through three. Bowman will also receive a signing bonus of $262,500. Bowman is still eligible to return to play for the Chiefs, should he not be named to the Hurricanes' roster following training camp.
"Drayson had an outstanding season capped off by a strong performance in helping Spokane win the Memorial Cup" said Francis. "He is an excellent goal- scorer with good hockey sense and is capable of competing for a spot on our roster as early as this fall."
Bowman, 19, led Spokane and ranked tied for 10th in the WHL in scoring during the 2007-08 regular season with 42 goals and 40 assists (82 points) in 66 games. He was named the WHL's Player of the Month in November after scoring 13 goals and earning 11 assists (24 points) and being named the Canadian Hockey League's Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks during the month. Born in Grand Rapids, MI, but raised in Littleton, CO, Bowman was tied for third among all WHL skaters in scoring during the playoffs with 20 points, and second only to fellow Hurricanes prospect Zach Boychuk in playoff goals with 11. After helping lead Spokane to the WHL Championship, Bowman was the leading goal scorer during the 2008 Memorial Cup in Kitchener, Ont., with six goals in four games. He notched the game-winning goal in Spokane's 4-1 victory in the Memorial Cup championship game against Kitchener, and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.
Drafted by the Hurricanes with their second pick, 72nd overall, in the third round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Bowman has totaled 83 goals and 76 assists (159 points) and 168 penalty minutes in 203 career WHL regular-season games with Spokane. He has averaged a point per game in 27 career playoff games, tallying 13 goals and 14 assists.
Ron Francis, Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Development for the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that the team has signed Spokane Chiefs forward Drayson Bowman to a three-year, entry- level contract. The contract will pay Bowman $550,000, $600,000 and $650,000 on the NHL level or $65,000 on the minor-league level in years one through three. Bowman will also receive a signing bonus of $262,500. Bowman is still eligible to return to play for the Chiefs, should he not be named to the Hurricanes' roster following training camp.
"Drayson had an outstanding season capped off by a strong performance in helping Spokane win the Memorial Cup" said Francis. "He is an excellent goal- scorer with good hockey sense and is capable of competing for a spot on our roster as early as this fall."
Bowman, 19, led Spokane and ranked tied for 10th in the WHL in scoring during the 2007-08 regular season with 42 goals and 40 assists (82 points) in 66 games. He was named the WHL's Player of the Month in November after scoring 13 goals and earning 11 assists (24 points) and being named the Canadian Hockey League's Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks during the month. Born in Grand Rapids, MI, but raised in Littleton, CO, Bowman was tied for third among all WHL skaters in scoring during the playoffs with 20 points, and second only to fellow Hurricanes prospect Zach Boychuk in playoff goals with 11. After helping lead Spokane to the WHL Championship, Bowman was the leading goal scorer during the 2008 Memorial Cup in Kitchener, Ont., with six goals in four games. He notched the game-winning goal in Spokane's 4-1 victory in the Memorial Cup championship game against Kitchener, and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.
Drafted by the Hurricanes with their second pick, 72nd overall, in the third round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Bowman has totaled 83 goals and 76 assists (159 points) and 168 penalty minutes in 203 career WHL regular-season games with Spokane. He has averaged a point per game in 27 career playoff games, tallying 13 goals and 14 assists.
Early Wednesday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Duncan Milroy (Swift Current/Kootenay) signed with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL). He was with Hamilton (AHL) last season.
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: C Chris Bruton, who captained the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs, has decided to attend Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., and play for the Axemen. Bruton, who played out his junior eligibility last season, had 63 points, including 26 goals. . . . Also committing to the Axemen are G Kris Westblom, who played four seasons with the Kelowna Rockets, and D Paul Kurceba, from the Kootenay Ice. Both were 20-year-old players last season. . . . D Matt McCue, 20, of the Brandon Wheat Kings has received a training camp invitation from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. McCue was acquired by Brandon from the Chilliwack Bruins at the January trade deadline. . . . McCue is one of five 20-year-olds on Brandon’s roster, the others being D Chad Erb and forwards Daniel Bartek, Andrew Clark and Matt Lowry. . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, will have a new broadcast partner. With Ryan Switzer leaving after five seasons, Tim Tisdale, who scored the Memorial Cup-winning goal in overtime for the Broncos in 1989, will be putting on a headset. . . . On his blog, Keen also noted that Rob Carnie, a former radio voice of the Moose Jaw Warriors, is leaving CHAB, the station on which the Warriors have long been heard. No one – but no one – brought sartorial splendour to WHL press boxes the way that Carnie did. There’s a neat little piece on Carnie right here. . . .
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: C Chris Bruton, who captained the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs, has decided to attend Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., and play for the Axemen. Bruton, who played out his junior eligibility last season, had 63 points, including 26 goals. . . . Also committing to the Axemen are G Kris Westblom, who played four seasons with the Kelowna Rockets, and D Paul Kurceba, from the Kootenay Ice. Both were 20-year-old players last season. . . . D Matt McCue, 20, of the Brandon Wheat Kings has received a training camp invitation from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. McCue was acquired by Brandon from the Chilliwack Bruins at the January trade deadline. . . . McCue is one of five 20-year-olds on Brandon’s roster, the others being D Chad Erb and forwards Daniel Bartek, Andrew Clark and Matt Lowry. . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, will have a new broadcast partner. With Ryan Switzer leaving after five seasons, Tim Tisdale, who scored the Memorial Cup-winning goal in overtime for the Broncos in 1989, will be putting on a headset. . . . On his blog, Keen also noted that Rob Carnie, a former radio voice of the Moose Jaw Warriors, is leaving CHAB, the station on which the Warriors have long been heard. No one – but no one – brought sartorial splendour to WHL press boxes the way that Carnie did. There’s a neat little piece on Carnie right here. . . .
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday . . .
THE COACHING GAME: You will recall frequent mention here a few weeks ago of veteran coach Wayne Fleming, who is under contract to the NHL’s Calgary Flames. At the time, he was negotiating with Dinamo Minsk of the Continental Hockey League and seemed likely to end up as that club’s head coach. But negotiations fell apart at the last minute and Fleming chose not to sign there. Instead, the job went to Paul Gardner. Well, guess what? Garth MacBeth, who keeps an eye on all things across the pond on our behalf, informs us today that Gardner has resigned “for personal reasons.” . . . Vince Malette, whose contract as head coach of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes wasn’t renewed after last season, has signed on as head coach of the Central junior league’s Gloucester Rangers. The CJHL is a junior A league in Ontario. Malette spent two seasons as the Petes’ head coach after being an assistant to Ottawa 67’s head coach Brian Kilrea for nine years.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: D Reagan Rome (Moose Jaw/Saskatoon) signed with Lausiter Weisswasser (Germany 2. Bundesliga). He was with Phoenix Roadrunners (ECHL) last season.
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Mickey Renaud, the captain of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires who died on Feb. 18, died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that results in a thickening of the heart muscle. According to his family, toxicological tests all came back negative.
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BRUINS’ BANTER: In what may be the neatest news of the summer, the Chilliwack Bruins have partnered with the Fraser Valley Health Centre Foundation on a project that will result in the building of a pediatric centre that will be named the Bruins Pediatric Centre. While a news conference is scheduled for Wednesday, the story in the Chilliwack Progress is right here. . . . At the same time, the Bruins are involved in quite a scrap with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies over F Evan Pighin, 20. The latest from the Progress is right here. . . . The Progress also reports that Bruins F Matt Meropoulis will attend camp with the NHL’s New York Rangers in September. A free agent, Meropoulis will be in camp on a tryout deal. He has four goals in 113 WHL games. Rangers president/GM Glen Sather is a part-owner of the Bruins.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: D Reagan Rome (Moose Jaw/Saskatoon) signed with Lausiter Weisswasser (Germany 2. Bundesliga). He was with Phoenix Roadrunners (ECHL) last season.
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Mickey Renaud, the captain of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires who died on Feb. 18, died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that results in a thickening of the heart muscle. According to his family, toxicological tests all came back negative.
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BRUINS’ BANTER: In what may be the neatest news of the summer, the Chilliwack Bruins have partnered with the Fraser Valley Health Centre Foundation on a project that will result in the building of a pediatric centre that will be named the Bruins Pediatric Centre. While a news conference is scheduled for Wednesday, the story in the Chilliwack Progress is right here. . . . At the same time, the Bruins are involved in quite a scrap with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies over F Evan Pighin, 20. The latest from the Progress is right here. . . . The Progress also reports that Bruins F Matt Meropoulis will attend camp with the NHL’s New York Rangers in September. A free agent, Meropoulis will be in camp on a tryout deal. He has four goals in 113 WHL games. Rangers president/GM Glen Sather is a part-owner of the Bruins.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday . . .
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president hockey, tells me the tentative plan is for the league office to release the entire 2008-09 schedule on Aug. 7. If all goes according to plan, that release will be made late in the morning Calgary time. . . . The league’s plan is for it to have all changes OK’d by Aug. 5 at noon, have the schedule inputted (is that a word?) and proofed on Aug. 6 and out to the hockey public on Aug. 7. . . . Doerksen said the WHL office has made “seven or eight changes” to the schedule since the Western Conference scheduling meeting in Kelowna on Thursday and is waiting for the particulars before making one more change. . . . One of those Western Conference changes involves a Kelowna at Kamloops game that is scheduled for a Tuesday but may get moved to a Friday.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Matt Keith (Spokane/Red Deer) signed with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL). He was mostly with Portland (AHL) and Bridgeport (AHL) last season but got into three games with the New York Islanders.
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JUST NOTES: The Tampa Bay Lightning, its brass gathered in Victoria for a prospects camp, will reveal today that Steven Stamkos, the first overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft, has signed a three-year contract. As per the CBA, that deal will be worth US$850,000 per season with a maximum of $2.85 million in attainable annual bonuses. . . . If you haven’t been interviewed by GM Garth Snow for the New York Islanders’ vacant head-coaching job, perhaps it’s only because you didn’t apply. Already Snow has chatted up John Tortorella, Paul Maurice and Bob Hartley. Mike Sullivan met with Snow on Monday and Scott Gordon gets to pitch himself on Wednesday. Joel Quenneville, Marc Crawford and Gerard Gallant also are scheduled to be interviewed. What? No Pat Quinn? No Pat Burns?
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Matt Keith (Spokane/Red Deer) signed with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL). He was mostly with Portland (AHL) and Bridgeport (AHL) last season but got into three games with the New York Islanders.
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JUST NOTES: The Tampa Bay Lightning, its brass gathered in Victoria for a prospects camp, will reveal today that Steven Stamkos, the first overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft, has signed a three-year contract. As per the CBA, that deal will be worth US$850,000 per season with a maximum of $2.85 million in attainable annual bonuses. . . . If you haven’t been interviewed by GM Garth Snow for the New York Islanders’ vacant head-coaching job, perhaps it’s only because you didn’t apply. Already Snow has chatted up John Tortorella, Paul Maurice and Bob Hartley. Mike Sullivan met with Snow on Monday and Scott Gordon gets to pitch himself on Wednesday. Joel Quenneville, Marc Crawford and Gerard Gallant also are scheduled to be interviewed. What? No Pat Quinn? No Pat Burns?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Dudra to Raiders
Well, so much for speculation that Ray Dudra, who left the Spokane Chiefs' organization last week after 18 years of scouting, would surface with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Instead, you can watch for an announcement that he has joined the Prince Albert Raiders as a cross-checker. The Raiders also have added James Morgan, in the Okanagan area of B.C., and Bruno Zarrillo (Winnipeg) to their scouting staff. Glen McRae, who worked for the Raiders in the Kootenays, no longer is with the organization.
Some early Sunday notes . . .
THE COACHING GAME: The AHL’s Rochester Americans, who are affiliated with the NHL’s Florida Panthers, are in the market for a head coach, what with Randy Cunneyworth having signed on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers. Kevin Oklobzija, who covers the Americans for the Rockester Democrat and Chronicle, has done up a speculative list of candidates on his blog, pointing out that while the fans are hoping for a John Paddock, Ted Nolan or Bob Hartley, they are more likely to get a lesser name. Someone, Oklobzija writes, like Dean Chynoweth, who is presently the GM and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . According to Oklobzija, Chuck Weber of the ECHL-champion Cincinnati Cyclones is the favourite to land the job. But Oklobzija lists former Brandon Wheat Kings F Derek Laxdal, now head coach of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, and Chynoweth as candidates. Of Chynoweth, he writes: “Has been coach and GM with the team since 2004 and is willing to make the move to pro hockey. Former defenceman for the Bruins and Islanders (plus plenty of AHL time with Capital District and Providence) in the 1990s.”. . . And, yes, Marc Habscheid’s name has been mentioned in the rumour mill but that seems rather unlikely, what with the emphasis he has put on family of late. Habscheid has pointed out repeatedly that his son has moved 10 times in 15 years, something he would prefer not to have to go through again.
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THE SCHEDULING GAME: Why does the WHL so often shoot itself in the foot when it comes to keeping its fans informed? That was the case again last in the week with the manner in which the WHL handled -- or didn't handle -- the Western Conference scheduling meeting and its aftermath. While Kamloops Blazers general manager Craig Bonner said all team officials were hit with a gag order following the July 24 meeting in Kelowna, one other GM said no such thing existed. Obviously, there was some confusion and that was very much in evidence the next day. A few teams issued their schedules, but said they were tentative and wouldn’t be final until Aug. 7. One team informed its fans only about its opening game and said the final schedule would be released early next week. . . . In the meantime, fans and parents of players are trying to book vacations and time off in order to get to games but they can’t make a move without knowing to where they’ll be traveling. One parent, knowing his son would be playing at home Sept. 19, e-mailed me and asked if I knew where the team would be playing the following night. Sorry, training camps are less than a month away and regular-season play opens in less than two months. But there isn’t anything I can do to help. . . . Gag order? Gag me with a spoon!
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Shay Stephenson (Red Deer) signed with Krefeld (DEL). He had 25 assists and 20 assists in 34 games for Milan (Italy Serie A) last season. He was released when Milan folded earlier this summer for financial reasons. . . . F Brent Ottman (Prince Albert) signed with EHC Sonthofen (Germany Bayernliga). He played with Nipawin (SJHL) last season. . . . D Ivan Baranka (Everett) signed with Spartak Moscow (Continental Hockey League). Baranka was with Hartford (AHL) and got into one game with the New York Rangers. F Ondrej Fiala (Everett/Saskatoon) also may be on the verge of signing with Spartak Moscow.
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One of the Western Conference teams that did release its schedule was the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds, who will open the season with a Sept. 19-20 doubleheader in Prince George against the Cougars, will play their final home-opener in Seattle on Oct. 4 against the Spokane Chiefs. Seattle will play 26 of its first 34 games on the road before playing its first game in its new home – the 6,025-seat Kent Events Center – in late December or early January. “The official date scheduled for completion of the Kent Events Center is Friday, Jan. 2,” Thunderbirds’ vice-president Colin Campbell said in a statement. “We are pointing towards the last week in December as to when we could open the doors and play hockey at the Kent Events Center. We booked Dec. 27, 28, and 30 in the KeyArena between Christmas and New Year’s with the idea that games on these days could be relocated to the Kent Events Center if it is completed at that time.”. . . The Thunderbirds have home games scheduled for Dec. 27 (Portland), Dec. 28 (Spokane), Dec. 30 (Chilliwack), Jan. 3 (Everett) and Jan. 4 (Kamloops). I’m betting that the opener in the new rink DOES NOT take place on Dec. 30 or Jan. 4. . . . A Thunderbirds’ press release also revealed a spike in ticket sales after the club took part in Kent Cornucopia Days in early July. According to that release: “Results of the spike in ticket sales thus far include: 70 per cent of the luxury suites in the Kent Events Center have been sold; there are fewer than 250 club seats available in the building; and, Rows 1 and 2, which are the very popular glass seats, are completely sold out. There is also a very limited number of premium seats remaining at center ice.”
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Mike Babcock, head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, recently had the Stanley Cup in Saskatoon and area. While there, Spokane Chiefs head coach Bill Peters, who once worked under Babcock in Spokane, dropped by with the Memorial Cup. . . . There is an entertaining story about all the happenings right here. . . . More than anything, this one story explains why they play the game. When all is said and done, sitting around a campfire with hockey people and with two trophies, well, that about says it all. . . . Nice to see Ken Juba, a friend from way back, involved in the Saskatoon party, too.
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The Chiefs have announced that Ray Dudra, who scouted for them for 18 years, the first 15 as head scout, is moving on. Don’t be surprised if Dudra ends up as a western scout with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Dudra helped the Chiefs get to four WHL finals and win two Memorial Cups. That’s a pretty good track record.
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I must say I chuckled when I stumbled on this gem while cruising around: “ALTOONA -- 18th and 19th Century English poet Edward Young best described procrastination as ‘the thief of time’ and the Eastern League's Altoona Curve (AA/Pittsburgh Pirates) admittedly have been robbing time for months with their planning for the previously-announced, but not-yet-scheduled ‘Salute to Procrastination Night’ at Blair County Ballpark.”
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James Shewaga, the sports editor at the Brandon Sun, caught up with Dave Semenko during the Wheat Kings’ reunion that has captivated the Wheat City this weekend. Here is one paragraph from Shewaga’s story:
“A lot of the stuff, to tell people now, I have to actually tone it down to make it believable,” said Semenko, who took to the boxing ring back in 1983 to spar with legendary Muhammad Ali in a three-round charity boxing match. “We had a number of brawls, especially in Flin Flon ... having the fans come on the ice and trying to get into it, where you had to leave the building with an RCMP escort back to the hotel.”
Ahhh, yes, those were the days . . .
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THE SCHEDULING GAME: Why does the WHL so often shoot itself in the foot when it comes to keeping its fans informed? That was the case again last in the week with the manner in which the WHL handled -- or didn't handle -- the Western Conference scheduling meeting and its aftermath. While Kamloops Blazers general manager Craig Bonner said all team officials were hit with a gag order following the July 24 meeting in Kelowna, one other GM said no such thing existed. Obviously, there was some confusion and that was very much in evidence the next day. A few teams issued their schedules, but said they were tentative and wouldn’t be final until Aug. 7. One team informed its fans only about its opening game and said the final schedule would be released early next week. . . . In the meantime, fans and parents of players are trying to book vacations and time off in order to get to games but they can’t make a move without knowing to where they’ll be traveling. One parent, knowing his son would be playing at home Sept. 19, e-mailed me and asked if I knew where the team would be playing the following night. Sorry, training camps are less than a month away and regular-season play opens in less than two months. But there isn’t anything I can do to help. . . . Gag order? Gag me with a spoon!
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Shay Stephenson (Red Deer) signed with Krefeld (DEL). He had 25 assists and 20 assists in 34 games for Milan (Italy Serie A) last season. He was released when Milan folded earlier this summer for financial reasons. . . . F Brent Ottman (Prince Albert) signed with EHC Sonthofen (Germany Bayernliga). He played with Nipawin (SJHL) last season. . . . D Ivan Baranka (Everett) signed with Spartak Moscow (Continental Hockey League). Baranka was with Hartford (AHL) and got into one game with the New York Rangers. F Ondrej Fiala (Everett/Saskatoon) also may be on the verge of signing with Spartak Moscow.
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One of the Western Conference teams that did release its schedule was the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds, who will open the season with a Sept. 19-20 doubleheader in Prince George against the Cougars, will play their final home-opener in Seattle on Oct. 4 against the Spokane Chiefs. Seattle will play 26 of its first 34 games on the road before playing its first game in its new home – the 6,025-seat Kent Events Center – in late December or early January. “The official date scheduled for completion of the Kent Events Center is Friday, Jan. 2,” Thunderbirds’ vice-president Colin Campbell said in a statement. “We are pointing towards the last week in December as to when we could open the doors and play hockey at the Kent Events Center. We booked Dec. 27, 28, and 30 in the KeyArena between Christmas and New Year’s with the idea that games on these days could be relocated to the Kent Events Center if it is completed at that time.”. . . The Thunderbirds have home games scheduled for Dec. 27 (Portland), Dec. 28 (Spokane), Dec. 30 (Chilliwack), Jan. 3 (Everett) and Jan. 4 (Kamloops). I’m betting that the opener in the new rink DOES NOT take place on Dec. 30 or Jan. 4. . . . A Thunderbirds’ press release also revealed a spike in ticket sales after the club took part in Kent Cornucopia Days in early July. According to that release: “Results of the spike in ticket sales thus far include: 70 per cent of the luxury suites in the Kent Events Center have been sold; there are fewer than 250 club seats available in the building; and, Rows 1 and 2, which are the very popular glass seats, are completely sold out. There is also a very limited number of premium seats remaining at center ice.”
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Mike Babcock, head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, recently had the Stanley Cup in Saskatoon and area. While there, Spokane Chiefs head coach Bill Peters, who once worked under Babcock in Spokane, dropped by with the Memorial Cup. . . . There is an entertaining story about all the happenings right here. . . . More than anything, this one story explains why they play the game. When all is said and done, sitting around a campfire with hockey people and with two trophies, well, that about says it all. . . . Nice to see Ken Juba, a friend from way back, involved in the Saskatoon party, too.
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The Chiefs have announced that Ray Dudra, who scouted for them for 18 years, the first 15 as head scout, is moving on. Don’t be surprised if Dudra ends up as a western scout with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Dudra helped the Chiefs get to four WHL finals and win two Memorial Cups. That’s a pretty good track record.
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I must say I chuckled when I stumbled on this gem while cruising around: “ALTOONA -- 18th and 19th Century English poet Edward Young best described procrastination as ‘the thief of time’ and the Eastern League's Altoona Curve (AA/Pittsburgh Pirates) admittedly have been robbing time for months with their planning for the previously-announced, but not-yet-scheduled ‘Salute to Procrastination Night’ at Blair County Ballpark.”
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James Shewaga, the sports editor at the Brandon Sun, caught up with Dave Semenko during the Wheat Kings’ reunion that has captivated the Wheat City this weekend. Here is one paragraph from Shewaga’s story:
“A lot of the stuff, to tell people now, I have to actually tone it down to make it believable,” said Semenko, who took to the boxing ring back in 1983 to spar with legendary Muhammad Ali in a three-round charity boxing match. “We had a number of brawls, especially in Flin Flon ... having the fans come on the ice and trying to get into it, where you had to leave the building with an RCMP escort back to the hotel.”
Ahhh, yes, those were the days . . .
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Keeping Score
These days, there is no bigger story, nor one that is more tiring, than the saga of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. . . . Here’s Sam Farmer, in the Los Angeles Times: “Who could have dreamed Joe Montana would finish his career with Kansas City, Franco Harris would end his in Seattle, Johnny Unitas in San Diego. But Favre? The greatest Packers icon this side of Vince Lombardi? Oh yes, Lombardi. He ended his career as coach of the Washington Redskins.” . . . I’m expecting any day now that Dev Dley, this province’s newest judge and the area’s biggest Packer backer, will issue a ruling on Favre’s immediate future. . . . After the Packers invited Favre to return, but as the backup QB, Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune wrote: "This is the football equivalent of deciding Elvis will give up singing to play the tambourine." . . . After the Tour de France experienced yet another doping scandal, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe, during a recent appearance on ESPN’s Sports Reporters, uttered: "I'm shocked! . . . Next thing you're going to tell me is Brett Favre is coming back."
In 1993, four regular-season box seats with parking for New York Mets’ games would have set you back $5,837. When the Mets move into their new facility, Citi Field, next season, that package will set you back $60,000. . . . John Blanchette, in the Spokane Spokesman-Review: “Dana Torres has all my admiration, but when the Olympic Games give us a 41-year-old female gymnast, then I’ll be really impressed.” . . . Torres, of course, is the 41-year-old swimmer who made the U.S. Olympic team. . . . She also is the mother of a two-year-old daughter by a fertility doctor who was treating her and her now ex-husband. . . . “Believe me,” Dr. Itzhak Shasha, the ex-husband, told the Palm Beach Post, “I have achieved many significant things in my life, and none of them was being married to her.” . . . One more from Blanchette: “Bag on soccer all you want, but at least play is never stopped so that a referee can spend five minutes with his head buried under the tent of the instant replay gizmo.”
So far this week, I have received two e-mails notifying me of lottery winnings — $2 million in one, $2.25 million in the other. As well, Lady Jenny Brooks, a dear, dear friend who is dying of cancer, e-mailed to let me know she is leaving me $2.5 million in her will. . . . And how was your week? . . . Rick Reilly of ESPN.com tries to analyze Charles Barkley’s golf swing: “Technically, it's not even a swing. It's a lunge. Scientists study it. He gets to the top, starts down and then — 2 feet from impact — just stops! Totally freezes! He looks like a man waiting for a rattlesnake to pop up so he can kill it. It's the only swing in the world with an intermission." . . . It’s not often that I’ve been in a movie theatre where the audience broke out into spontaneous applause but that’s what happened the other night at the end of The Dark Knight. And, yes, you should believe everything you have heard or read about Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker.
Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle, commenting on the LZR Racer, the Nike swimsuit that will dominate Olympic news next month: “If you wonder why mankind can't cure cancer or solve the energy problem or climate crisis, it's because all the world's scientists have been diverted into R&D of the swimsuit." . . . Well, not all of them. . . . It seems researchers at the U of Miami are working to learn if Viagra helps cyclists improve performance at high altitudes. "The study,” wrote Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, “is an indication that evidently all diseases have been cured and scientists have officially run out of important things to research." . . . Jeff Schultz, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The signing of Marty Reasoner officially gives the Thrashers 27 fourth-line centers, a franchise record.”
How strong is Cincinnati Reds’ slugger Adam Dunn? So strong, according to former pitcher Ron Darling, now an analyst on TBS, that “he blows bubbles with beef jerky.” . . . You’ve got to think that Mickey Mouse was involved in doing up the NHL schedule. Who else would have the Boston Bruins playing their home-opener against Sid the Kid and the Penguins on Oct. 20 at the same time that the New England Patriots are entertaining the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football? . . . The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will open the NHL season with a doubleheader in Prague. When that deal was cut, the Rangers had Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka, a pair of Czech veterans, on their roster, but both have since signed to play in Europe. . . . Craig Bonner, the Kamloops Blazers’ new GM, has done more building and rebuilding in the last three months than a kid on Christmas morning with a new bucket of Lego. . . . A birdie whispers that Blazers management offered two free season tickets to former shareholder (and former season-ticket holder) Bernie Deys who, you will recall, wintered in the Phoenix area and missed out on the buying back of shares. Deys response, I’m told, was “thanks, but no thanks” or something similar.
The gang at Fark.com is ready for next month’s Beijing Olympics. Here’s a headline from the other day: Olympians: On your mark, get set, cough.” . . . If you haven’t seen the confrontation Danica Patrick tried to have with fellow IRL driver Milka Duno, find it and give it a look. And the next time Patrick does that we can only hope she brings along her bodyguards, or the West Ham hooligans who brawled in Columbus last weekend. . . . Steve Rosenbloom, at ChicagoSports.com, on the Chicago Bears’ quarterback situation: “You watch, every detail of every play, every pass, every drop, every day will be reported and then a decision will be made by (Lovie) Smith and (Jerry) Angelo, two guys who couldn’t find a quarterback in Gisele Bündchen’s apartment.”. . . By the way, these days, while Bears’ fans pray for Favre’s arrival, it’s Rex Grossman versus Rex Orton. . . . And here’s Rosenbloom, commenting on Grossman’s confidence level: “Grossman said his mind-set is that he wants to be the best quarterback in the NFL. Me, too. And I want to be an astronaut and a heart surgeon and Mick Jagger.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
In 1993, four regular-season box seats with parking for New York Mets’ games would have set you back $5,837. When the Mets move into their new facility, Citi Field, next season, that package will set you back $60,000. . . . John Blanchette, in the Spokane Spokesman-Review: “Dana Torres has all my admiration, but when the Olympic Games give us a 41-year-old female gymnast, then I’ll be really impressed.” . . . Torres, of course, is the 41-year-old swimmer who made the U.S. Olympic team. . . . She also is the mother of a two-year-old daughter by a fertility doctor who was treating her and her now ex-husband. . . . “Believe me,” Dr. Itzhak Shasha, the ex-husband, told the Palm Beach Post, “I have achieved many significant things in my life, and none of them was being married to her.” . . . One more from Blanchette: “Bag on soccer all you want, but at least play is never stopped so that a referee can spend five minutes with his head buried under the tent of the instant replay gizmo.”
So far this week, I have received two e-mails notifying me of lottery winnings — $2 million in one, $2.25 million in the other. As well, Lady Jenny Brooks, a dear, dear friend who is dying of cancer, e-mailed to let me know she is leaving me $2.5 million in her will. . . . And how was your week? . . . Rick Reilly of ESPN.com tries to analyze Charles Barkley’s golf swing: “Technically, it's not even a swing. It's a lunge. Scientists study it. He gets to the top, starts down and then — 2 feet from impact — just stops! Totally freezes! He looks like a man waiting for a rattlesnake to pop up so he can kill it. It's the only swing in the world with an intermission." . . . It’s not often that I’ve been in a movie theatre where the audience broke out into spontaneous applause but that’s what happened the other night at the end of The Dark Knight. And, yes, you should believe everything you have heard or read about Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker.
Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle, commenting on the LZR Racer, the Nike swimsuit that will dominate Olympic news next month: “If you wonder why mankind can't cure cancer or solve the energy problem or climate crisis, it's because all the world's scientists have been diverted into R&D of the swimsuit." . . . Well, not all of them. . . . It seems researchers at the U of Miami are working to learn if Viagra helps cyclists improve performance at high altitudes. "The study,” wrote Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, “is an indication that evidently all diseases have been cured and scientists have officially run out of important things to research." . . . Jeff Schultz, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The signing of Marty Reasoner officially gives the Thrashers 27 fourth-line centers, a franchise record.”
How strong is Cincinnati Reds’ slugger Adam Dunn? So strong, according to former pitcher Ron Darling, now an analyst on TBS, that “he blows bubbles with beef jerky.” . . . You’ve got to think that Mickey Mouse was involved in doing up the NHL schedule. Who else would have the Boston Bruins playing their home-opener against Sid the Kid and the Penguins on Oct. 20 at the same time that the New England Patriots are entertaining the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football? . . . The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will open the NHL season with a doubleheader in Prague. When that deal was cut, the Rangers had Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka, a pair of Czech veterans, on their roster, but both have since signed to play in Europe. . . . Craig Bonner, the Kamloops Blazers’ new GM, has done more building and rebuilding in the last three months than a kid on Christmas morning with a new bucket of Lego. . . . A birdie whispers that Blazers management offered two free season tickets to former shareholder (and former season-ticket holder) Bernie Deys who, you will recall, wintered in the Phoenix area and missed out on the buying back of shares. Deys response, I’m told, was “thanks, but no thanks” or something similar.
The gang at Fark.com is ready for next month’s Beijing Olympics. Here’s a headline from the other day: Olympians: On your mark, get set, cough.” . . . If you haven’t seen the confrontation Danica Patrick tried to have with fellow IRL driver Milka Duno, find it and give it a look. And the next time Patrick does that we can only hope she brings along her bodyguards, or the West Ham hooligans who brawled in Columbus last weekend. . . . Steve Rosenbloom, at ChicagoSports.com, on the Chicago Bears’ quarterback situation: “You watch, every detail of every play, every pass, every drop, every day will be reported and then a decision will be made by (Lovie) Smith and (Jerry) Angelo, two guys who couldn’t find a quarterback in Gisele Bündchen’s apartment.”. . . By the way, these days, while Bears’ fans pray for Favre’s arrival, it’s Rex Grossman versus Rex Orton. . . . And here’s Rosenbloom, commenting on Grossman’s confidence level: “Grossman said his mind-set is that he wants to be the best quarterback in the NFL. Me, too. And I want to be an astronaut and a heart surgeon and Mick Jagger.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Blazers scouting staff in place
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers have all but completed the restructuring of their
scouting staff, something that began May 23 with the firing of director of
player personnel Gord Loiselle.
Loiselle, who had a year left on his contract, was relieved of his duties by
general manager Craig Bonner, who had signed a five-year contract on April
22.
Since then, Bonner has rebuilt the coaching staff and, with Matt Recchi, the
WHL team’s new director of player personnel, redone the scouting staff.
That staff is headed up by Ken Fox, the Swift Current Broncos’ assistant
scouting director last season who also spent four seasons scouting for the
Vancouver Giants and nine seasons with the Red Deer Rebels.
At the moment, Fox is the only Saskatchewan-based scout on the Blazers’
staff.
“One place we might be looking is in the Saskatoon area,” Bonner said. “But
I’d rather have quality over quantity with those guys. I like the staff now
. . . but we might need another guy in Saskatchewan.”
Also included on the Blazers’ scouting staff are:
Greg Batters, who played four seasons (1984-88) in the WHL, mostly with the
Victoria Cougars, and handles Vancouver Island; Grant Evans, who grew up in
Kamloops, worked for the Prince George Cougars for a bit and now is on the
Lower Mainland; Mark Blair, who works out of Edmonton; Warren Renden, who is
in Calgary; Cliff Cumiskey, who is on the Lower Mainland; and, Gerry Hogue,
who handles the Winnipeg area.
Gone from last season’s staff are Barry Bartholomay, Cam Camden, Todd Hansen
and Terry Reich.
p p p
Bonner spent Thursday in Kelowna as the Western Conference’s 10 teams held
their scheduling meeting.
The WHL stuck a gag order on team personnel, so Bonner wasn’t able to say
who will supply the opposition when the Blazers open at home on Sept. 19.
However, he was able to provide some information:
l The Blazers will play a total of 16 Friday and Saturday home games;
l They will play four back-to-back Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheaders at home;
l Only three times will they play three games in three nights;
l On opening weekend, they will play at home Friday and on the road Saturday
(Sept. 20); and,
l The Blazers will play the Kelowna Rockets nine times and meet the other
three B.C. Division clubs eight times apiece.
Bonner seemed pleased with the schedule, with the exception of the
Tuesday-Wednesday home doubleheaders.
“We ran out of dates,” he said. “The (Interior Savings Centre) seems to be
quite busy this season. Four times we play back-to-back Tuesday-Wednesday at
home. When you looked at it, there was nothing else there. So what do you
do?
“The building had a lot of dates blacked out on us. That’s good that the
building’s busy but it makes it challenging.”
JUST NOTES: Scott Ferguson, who was named an assistant coach by the Blazers
on Tuesday, signed a three-year contract. Geoff Smith, the other assistant
coach, signed a one-year deal, as did goaltender coach Steve Passmore. . . .
Head coach Barry Smith is on a three-year deal with the club holding an
option on a fourth season. . . . The CHL again is playing host to the
six-game ADT Canada-Russia Challenge series in late November and early
December. Two games will be played in WHL centres but Bonner said he doesn’t
expect the Blazers to be involved.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers have all but completed the restructuring of their
scouting staff, something that began May 23 with the firing of director of
player personnel Gord Loiselle.
Loiselle, who had a year left on his contract, was relieved of his duties by
general manager Craig Bonner, who had signed a five-year contract on April
22.
Since then, Bonner has rebuilt the coaching staff and, with Matt Recchi, the
WHL team’s new director of player personnel, redone the scouting staff.
That staff is headed up by Ken Fox, the Swift Current Broncos’ assistant
scouting director last season who also spent four seasons scouting for the
Vancouver Giants and nine seasons with the Red Deer Rebels.
At the moment, Fox is the only Saskatchewan-based scout on the Blazers’
staff.
“One place we might be looking is in the Saskatoon area,” Bonner said. “But
I’d rather have quality over quantity with those guys. I like the staff now
. . . but we might need another guy in Saskatchewan.”
Also included on the Blazers’ scouting staff are:
Greg Batters, who played four seasons (1984-88) in the WHL, mostly with the
Victoria Cougars, and handles Vancouver Island; Grant Evans, who grew up in
Kamloops, worked for the Prince George Cougars for a bit and now is on the
Lower Mainland; Mark Blair, who works out of Edmonton; Warren Renden, who is
in Calgary; Cliff Cumiskey, who is on the Lower Mainland; and, Gerry Hogue,
who handles the Winnipeg area.
Gone from last season’s staff are Barry Bartholomay, Cam Camden, Todd Hansen
and Terry Reich.
p p p
Bonner spent Thursday in Kelowna as the Western Conference’s 10 teams held
their scheduling meeting.
The WHL stuck a gag order on team personnel, so Bonner wasn’t able to say
who will supply the opposition when the Blazers open at home on Sept. 19.
However, he was able to provide some information:
l The Blazers will play a total of 16 Friday and Saturday home games;
l They will play four back-to-back Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheaders at home;
l Only three times will they play three games in three nights;
l On opening weekend, they will play at home Friday and on the road Saturday
(Sept. 20); and,
l The Blazers will play the Kelowna Rockets nine times and meet the other
three B.C. Division clubs eight times apiece.
Bonner seemed pleased with the schedule, with the exception of the
Tuesday-Wednesday home doubleheaders.
“We ran out of dates,” he said. “The (Interior Savings Centre) seems to be
quite busy this season. Four times we play back-to-back Tuesday-Wednesday at
home. When you looked at it, there was nothing else there. So what do you
do?
“The building had a lot of dates blacked out on us. That’s good that the
building’s busy but it makes it challenging.”
JUST NOTES: Scott Ferguson, who was named an assistant coach by the Blazers
on Tuesday, signed a three-year contract. Geoff Smith, the other assistant
coach, signed a one-year deal, as did goaltender coach Steve Passmore. . . .
Head coach Barry Smith is on a three-year deal with the club holding an
option on a fourth season. . . . The CHL again is playing host to the
six-game ADT Canada-Russia Challenge series in late November and early
December. Two games will be played in WHL centres but Bonner said he doesn’t
expect the Blazers to be involved.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Thursday . . .
With the Regina Pats’ hiring of Dale Derkatch on Thursday, each of the WHL’s 22 teams has a head coach under contract. Derkatch, who signed a three-year deal, knows that his toughest job will be making Pats fans forget Dale Derkatch, the player who dazzled them for so many games during his playing days, and recognize Dale Derkatch, the coach. . . . It is worth noting that Regina GM Brent Parker now has twice searched for a head coach, gotten down to a two-man list that included Marc Habscheid and hired the other guy. . . . The Regina Leader-Post, as usual, covers the Derkatch signing like a grasshopper infestation and it’s all right here.
————————
Officials from the WHL’s Western Conference teams gathered in Kelowna on Thursday for their annual scheduling meeting.
I would love to be able to provide you with more information but, according to Kamloops Blazers GM Craig Bonner, the WHL placed a gag order on all involved. While everyone knows the regular season will open on Sept. 19, Western Conference teams aren’t allowed to provide the name of their opponent until sometime Friday when the league apparently is going to issue a release involving home-openers. I am taking the day off — kind of placing a gag order on myself, if you will — so there won’t be any information here.
(Whoops! There was one leak — the Seattle Thunderbirds will be in Prince George for a Sept. 19 and 20 doubleheader with the Cougars.)
The WHL apparently will release its entire schedule on Aug. 7.
————————
THE MacBETH REPORT: D Chad Greenan, who just finished his WHL career with Kootenay, signed with Fussen (Germany Oberliga). . . . D Chris McAllister (Saskatoon) signed with Newcastle (UK Elite Hockey League). He was with Hershey (AHL) last season. McAllister played 14 games with Newcastle during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Former Seattle F Paul Ferone is Newcastle's club director and a co-owner.
————————
The AHL’s Iowa Chops have made a contract offer to Brett Favre. Yes, that Brett Favre. Should he accept the offer, Favre is expected to, ahem, quarterback the Chops’ power play.
Here is Chops president Steve Nitzel, from a press release:
"Brett (Favre) is one of the greatest American athletes of the past 50 years and deserves a place to play, so we are extending an offer to him to become the newest member of the Iowa Chops Hockey team of the American Hockey League. . . . All we have to do is sharpen his skating skills and after that, his athletic instincts will take over and he'll be one heck of a hockey player."
————————
It’s been a short offseason for the Spokane Chiefs, who won the Memorial Cup on May 25 and open training camp on Aug. 22.
Of course, it’s been shorter for some players than for others.
D Jared Spurgeon and G Dustin Tokarski are to report Friday to the Canadian national junior team’s evaluation camp at the U of Ottawa. That camp runs through Wednesday. Of course, Spurgeon has already been through the New York Islanders’ prospects camp; the Isles selected him in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL draft.
Spokane head coach Bill Peters will head for Calgary early next month. He is head coach of the Canadian entry that will play at the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in Czech Republic and Slovakia, Aug. 12-16. Chiefs D Jared Cowen will attend the Canadian team’s selection camp.
As well, LW Drayson Bowman, C Tyler Johnson and C Mitch Wahl will be in Lake Placid next week for the U.S. national junior team evaluation camp. It begins Aug. 1 and runs through Aug. 9.
————————
Officials from the WHL’s Western Conference teams gathered in Kelowna on Thursday for their annual scheduling meeting.
I would love to be able to provide you with more information but, according to Kamloops Blazers GM Craig Bonner, the WHL placed a gag order on all involved. While everyone knows the regular season will open on Sept. 19, Western Conference teams aren’t allowed to provide the name of their opponent until sometime Friday when the league apparently is going to issue a release involving home-openers. I am taking the day off — kind of placing a gag order on myself, if you will — so there won’t be any information here.
(Whoops! There was one leak — the Seattle Thunderbirds will be in Prince George for a Sept. 19 and 20 doubleheader with the Cougars.)
The WHL apparently will release its entire schedule on Aug. 7.
————————
THE MacBETH REPORT: D Chad Greenan, who just finished his WHL career with Kootenay, signed with Fussen (Germany Oberliga). . . . D Chris McAllister (Saskatoon) signed with Newcastle (UK Elite Hockey League). He was with Hershey (AHL) last season. McAllister played 14 games with Newcastle during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Former Seattle F Paul Ferone is Newcastle's club director and a co-owner.
————————
The AHL’s Iowa Chops have made a contract offer to Brett Favre. Yes, that Brett Favre. Should he accept the offer, Favre is expected to, ahem, quarterback the Chops’ power play.
Here is Chops president Steve Nitzel, from a press release:
"Brett (Favre) is one of the greatest American athletes of the past 50 years and deserves a place to play, so we are extending an offer to him to become the newest member of the Iowa Chops Hockey team of the American Hockey League. . . . All we have to do is sharpen his skating skills and after that, his athletic instincts will take over and he'll be one heck of a hockey player."
————————
It’s been a short offseason for the Spokane Chiefs, who won the Memorial Cup on May 25 and open training camp on Aug. 22.
Of course, it’s been shorter for some players than for others.
D Jared Spurgeon and G Dustin Tokarski are to report Friday to the Canadian national junior team’s evaluation camp at the U of Ottawa. That camp runs through Wednesday. Of course, Spurgeon has already been through the New York Islanders’ prospects camp; the Isles selected him in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL draft.
Spokane head coach Bill Peters will head for Calgary early next month. He is head coach of the Canadian entry that will play at the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in Czech Republic and Slovakia, Aug. 12-16. Chiefs D Jared Cowen will attend the Canadian team’s selection camp.
As well, LW Drayson Bowman, C Tyler Johnson and C Mitch Wahl will be in Lake Placid next week for the U.S. national junior team evaluation camp. It begins Aug. 1 and runs through Aug. 9.
Pats have their man
Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post reports that the Regina Pats are naming Dale Derkatch as their head coach today.
Here's what Vanstone posted:
REGINA -- The Regina Pats are to announce this afternoon that Dale Derkatch will be their new head coach.
A media conference is scheduled for 3 p.m., at the Brandt Centre.
The 43-year-old Derkatch has been the director of hockey development at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame for five years. He coached the Notre Dame Hounds to the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League title this past season.
Derkatch is one of the elite players in Pats history. He had 491 points, including 222 goals, in 204 regular-season games with the Pats between 1981 and 1985. The Pats retired Derkatch's uniform number (16) in 1998.
The Pats have been looking for a head coach since July 11, when Curtis Hunt announced he was leaving to become an assistant to Ottawa Senators bench boss Craig Hartsburg. Hunt was the Pats' head coach for four seasons.
Parker's short list also consisted of Marc Habscheid and Terry Perkins. Habscheid coached with the Melfort Mustangs, Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets and the national junior team before spending the 2006-07 NHL season as an associate coach with the Boston Bruins.
Here's what Vanstone posted:
REGINA -- The Regina Pats are to announce this afternoon that Dale Derkatch will be their new head coach.
A media conference is scheduled for 3 p.m., at the Brandt Centre.
The 43-year-old Derkatch has been the director of hockey development at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame for five years. He coached the Notre Dame Hounds to the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League title this past season.
Derkatch is one of the elite players in Pats history. He had 491 points, including 222 goals, in 204 regular-season games with the Pats between 1981 and 1985. The Pats retired Derkatch's uniform number (16) in 1998.
The Pats have been looking for a head coach since July 11, when Curtis Hunt announced he was leaving to become an assistant to Ottawa Senators bench boss Craig Hartsburg. Hunt was the Pats' head coach for four seasons.
Parker's short list also consisted of Marc Habscheid and Terry Perkins. Habscheid coached with the Melfort Mustangs, Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets and the national junior team before spending the 2006-07 NHL season as an associate coach with the Boston Bruins.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wednesday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Frank Banham (Saskatoon) signed with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, play in Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 31 games with Salzburg (Austria Erste Bank Liga) and four goals and three assists in eight games with Malmö (Sweden Allsvenskan) last season. . . . F Mike Maneluk (Brandon) signed with Dinamo Minsk (Continental Hockey League). He had 11 goals and 10 assists in 33 games with Basel and Davos (Swiss NL A) last season. . . . F Steven Crampton (Moose Jaw) signed with Esbjerg (Denmark Elitserien). He had 12 goals and 31 assists in 48 games with Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser (Germany 2. Bundesliga) last season. . . . F Layne Ulmer (Swift Current) signed with Graz 99ers (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 13 goals and 14 assists in 56 games with Frankfurt (Germany DEL) last season. . . .Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Continental Hockey League) released D Steve McCarthy (Edmonton/Kootenay).
———
THE MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: We are getting closer to the start of the season in Europe and camps have opened in some countries. To give you an idea of how early things get rolling there, here are the dates of the first regular-season games:
Russia (Continental Hockey League): Sept. 2
Germany (DEL): Sept. 4
Switzerland (National League A): Sept. 5
Slovakia (Extraliga): Sept. 7
Czech Republic (Extraliga): Sept. 9
Finland (SM-Liiga): Sept. 11
Sweden (Elitserien): Sept. 15
Austria (Erste Bank Liga): Sept. 19
SM-Liiga and Continental Hockey League teams start playing exhibition games on Friday.
————————
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports on his blog that the Vancouver Giants are expected to “name Dave Sheldon as their new play-by-play man in the coming couple of days.” Sheldon has spent the last two seasons on the Chilliwack Bruins’ radio crew, doing play-by-play last season and colour the previous season. Before that, he spent three seasons providing analysis on Everett Silvertips’ broadcasts. . . . Sheldon will be replacing Joey Kenward, the radio voice of the Giants for five seasons. Kenward left to become of the Vancouver Canucks’ radio crew. . . . James Shewaga of the Brandon Sun writes that more than 100 former players spanning six decades are expected to attend a Wheat Kings reunion that begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. Among the names dropped by Shewaga are Brian Propp, Ray Allison, Brad McCrimmon, Eric Fehr, Ryan Craig, Wade Redden, Marty Murray, Kelly Glowa, Dave Semenko, John Paddock and Bobby Ash. The highlight for Wheat Kings fans is certain to be the free breakfast and autograph session set for Saturday morning. The reunion was organized by the Wheat Kings’ Alumni Association under president Ken Schneider.
————————
THE COACHING GAME: The Giants continue to search for an assistant coach. They have to replace Craig Bonner, the assistant GM/assistant coach who left to become GM of the Kamloops Blazers. Ewen reports that the Giants have had discussions with former NHL D Bob Rouse, now an assistant in Chilliwack, and former Vancouver Canucks assistant Mike Kelly. The Giants also talked with former NHL D Scott Ferguson, who signed Tuesday as an assistant coach with the Blazers. . . . Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post is reporting that “Dale Derkatch continues to be the front-runner in the Regina Pats’ head-coaching derby. A source close to the negotiations said Thursday night that Pats general manager Brent Parker was leaning toward hiring Derkatch, although a contract agreement had yet to be reached.” . . . According to Vanstone, Parker’s short list featured Derkatch, Marc Habscheid and Pats assistant coach Terry Perkins.
————————
As part of what is a regular interview feature in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Cory Wolfe spoke with Gordie Howe this week. One of the exchanges went like this:
The SP: Would you put up with Tomas Holmstrom being in your goalie‚s face all night?
Howe: Nope. He’d be wearing tape on his head. (Laughs) That’s the first time in my life that I felt sorry for a defenceman. If he touches (Holmstrom,) he goes off. . . . In my first game, I lost teeth and I got about six stitches. That’s what motivated me to get the lumber up.
————————
GOING CAMPING: D Nick Ross of the Kamloops Blazers is one of three players added to the roster for the Canadian national junior team’s evaluation camp that opens Friday in Ottawa. Ross was selected in the first round of the NHL’s 2007 draft and has signed a three-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. . . . Also added to the roster were F Louie Caporusso of the U of Michigan Wolverines and F Eric O’Dell of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. Caporusso was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the third round in 2007; O’Dell went to the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2008. . . . Lethbridge Hurricanes F Zach Boychuk (wrist) and D Cody Goloubef of the U of Wisconsin Badgers, who is also injured, will attend the camp’s first couple of days but won’t be on the ice. . . . Also missing will be F Steven Stamkos of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. He was the first pick in the NHL’s 2008 draft and will be attending a Tampa Bay Lightning prospects camp in Victoria. . . . The development regarding Stamkos is really, really interesting. While he is expected to open the NHL season with the Lightning, what if he doesn’t? Hockey Canada has long had a policy that if you don’t attend the summer camp, you won’t make the national junior team’s final roster. . . . The Ottawa camp — all the action is at the U of Ottawa Sports Complex — will feature four goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 24 forwards. The rosters have been split into two teams and they will play three intersquad games — on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. . . . The 2009 World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa from Dec. 26, 2008, through Jan. 5, 2009. . . . Benoit Groulx of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques is Canada’s head coach. Assistants are Dave Cameron (OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors) and Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers). . . . Canada’s final roster will be revealed in early December.
———
While Stamkos will be at the Lightning camp in Victoria, two other Tampa Bay prospects — F Dana Tyrell and G Dustin Tokarski — will be at the junior team camp in Ottawa. . . . Other players familiar to WHL fans who will be at the Tampa Bay camp in Victoria include G Riku Helenius and G Torrie Jung, D Andy Rogers and D Ty Wishart, and F Mitch Fadden and F James Wright, all of them Lightning draft picks. Also expected to attend are D Scott Jackson, D Daryl Boyle, D Tyson Marsh, F Brady Leavold, F Evan Pighin and F Taylor Procyshen.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT, Part 2: We are getting closer to the start of the season in Europe and camps have opened in some countries. To give you an idea of how early things get rolling there, here are the dates of the first regular-season games:
Russia (Continental Hockey League): Sept. 2
Germany (DEL): Sept. 4
Switzerland (National League A): Sept. 5
Slovakia (Extraliga): Sept. 7
Czech Republic (Extraliga): Sept. 9
Finland (SM-Liiga): Sept. 11
Sweden (Elitserien): Sept. 15
Austria (Erste Bank Liga): Sept. 19
SM-Liiga and Continental Hockey League teams start playing exhibition games on Friday.
————————
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports on his blog that the Vancouver Giants are expected to “name Dave Sheldon as their new play-by-play man in the coming couple of days.” Sheldon has spent the last two seasons on the Chilliwack Bruins’ radio crew, doing play-by-play last season and colour the previous season. Before that, he spent three seasons providing analysis on Everett Silvertips’ broadcasts. . . . Sheldon will be replacing Joey Kenward, the radio voice of the Giants for five seasons. Kenward left to become of the Vancouver Canucks’ radio crew. . . . James Shewaga of the Brandon Sun writes that more than 100 former players spanning six decades are expected to attend a Wheat Kings reunion that begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. Among the names dropped by Shewaga are Brian Propp, Ray Allison, Brad McCrimmon, Eric Fehr, Ryan Craig, Wade Redden, Marty Murray, Kelly Glowa, Dave Semenko, John Paddock and Bobby Ash. The highlight for Wheat Kings fans is certain to be the free breakfast and autograph session set for Saturday morning. The reunion was organized by the Wheat Kings’ Alumni Association under president Ken Schneider.
————————
THE COACHING GAME: The Giants continue to search for an assistant coach. They have to replace Craig Bonner, the assistant GM/assistant coach who left to become GM of the Kamloops Blazers. Ewen reports that the Giants have had discussions with former NHL D Bob Rouse, now an assistant in Chilliwack, and former Vancouver Canucks assistant Mike Kelly. The Giants also talked with former NHL D Scott Ferguson, who signed Tuesday as an assistant coach with the Blazers. . . . Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post is reporting that “Dale Derkatch continues to be the front-runner in the Regina Pats’ head-coaching derby. A source close to the negotiations said Thursday night that Pats general manager Brent Parker was leaning toward hiring Derkatch, although a contract agreement had yet to be reached.” . . . According to Vanstone, Parker’s short list featured Derkatch, Marc Habscheid and Pats assistant coach Terry Perkins.
————————
As part of what is a regular interview feature in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Cory Wolfe spoke with Gordie Howe this week. One of the exchanges went like this:
The SP: Would you put up with Tomas Holmstrom being in your goalie‚s face all night?
Howe: Nope. He’d be wearing tape on his head. (Laughs) That’s the first time in my life that I felt sorry for a defenceman. If he touches (Holmstrom,) he goes off. . . . In my first game, I lost teeth and I got about six stitches. That’s what motivated me to get the lumber up.
————————
GOING CAMPING: D Nick Ross of the Kamloops Blazers is one of three players added to the roster for the Canadian national junior team’s evaluation camp that opens Friday in Ottawa. Ross was selected in the first round of the NHL’s 2007 draft and has signed a three-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. . . . Also added to the roster were F Louie Caporusso of the U of Michigan Wolverines and F Eric O’Dell of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. Caporusso was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the third round in 2007; O’Dell went to the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2008. . . . Lethbridge Hurricanes F Zach Boychuk (wrist) and D Cody Goloubef of the U of Wisconsin Badgers, who is also injured, will attend the camp’s first couple of days but won’t be on the ice. . . . Also missing will be F Steven Stamkos of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. He was the first pick in the NHL’s 2008 draft and will be attending a Tampa Bay Lightning prospects camp in Victoria. . . . The development regarding Stamkos is really, really interesting. While he is expected to open the NHL season with the Lightning, what if he doesn’t? Hockey Canada has long had a policy that if you don’t attend the summer camp, you won’t make the national junior team’s final roster. . . . The Ottawa camp — all the action is at the U of Ottawa Sports Complex — will feature four goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 24 forwards. The rosters have been split into two teams and they will play three intersquad games — on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. . . . The 2009 World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa from Dec. 26, 2008, through Jan. 5, 2009. . . . Benoit Groulx of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques is Canada’s head coach. Assistants are Dave Cameron (OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors) and Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat Tigers). . . . Canada’s final roster will be revealed in early December.
———
While Stamkos will be at the Lightning camp in Victoria, two other Tampa Bay prospects — F Dana Tyrell and G Dustin Tokarski — will be at the junior team camp in Ottawa. . . . Other players familiar to WHL fans who will be at the Tampa Bay camp in Victoria include G Riku Helenius and G Torrie Jung, D Andy Rogers and D Ty Wishart, and F Mitch Fadden and F James Wright, all of them Lightning draft picks. Also expected to attend are D Scott Jackson, D Daryl Boyle, D Tyson Marsh, F Brady Leavold, F Evan Pighin and F Taylor Procyshen.
Blazers head coach eager to get started
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
His coaching staff in place, Kamloops Blazers head coach Barry Smith can
hardly wait to get the new WHL season started.
“I’m really excited. I can’t wait to get there,” Smith said from Penticton,
where he is working at a hockey school, after announcing his coaching staff
earlier in the week.
Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith, both former Blazers and ex-NHL defencemen,
will be the assistant coaches. Steve Passmore, a former Blazers goaltender
who also played in the NHL, is returning as the goalie coach.
“I’ve been a head coach twice but not like this where, for me, it really
means something,” said Barry Smith. “I am really excited.
“I wish I could be there now. But I’ve got some other commitments that were
made a long time ago and I have to stick to them. But I’m excited to be
there. We’re all going to be there Aug. 1, early, to get started.”
Smith, a veteran coach, is a 47-year-old native of Stambaugh, Mich. His
head-coaching experience has been limited to two seasons — with the ECHL’s
Erie Panthers (1995-96) and the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks (1996-97).
He spent the last five years with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, but, along
with fellow assistant Mike Kelly, was fired May 22 by new general manager
Mike Gillis.
The Blazers signed Smith to a three-year contract on July 3.
“People ask me, ‘Are you nervous?’ ” Smith said. “No, I’m not. I’m calm.
I’ve waited for this. I’m ready.
“I know exactly what I want to do, how I want to do it. Now that I have the
staff to do it with, the excitement and the fun begins.”
The coaching staff already is working on the systems it plans on
implementing for the fast-approaching season. Smith spent the weekend at a
Kamloops Minor Hockey Association-sponsored coaching clinic and said he
heard from Geoff Smith every day.
“He was trying to figure out what we’re gong to do and when we’re going to
do it,” the head coach said. “So I think they have the same enthusiasm I
have. It’s going to be fun. I’m really excited about it.”
The Blazers, who finished last season by losing 18 of their last 19 games,
are scheduled to open training camp on Aug. 22 with rookies reporting to
Interior Savings Centre. Veteran players, however, may be in town and
skating earlier than that.
Smith wants his staff to be fully versed in his systems by that point.
“I want them to learn what my systems are going to be,” he explained. “I
want some input from them but I have a pretty solid idea and they know what
I want.
“We’ll have to get our buzz points, what’s right and what’s wrong, what
we’re really pushing, what my defensive system is, what I’m going to do in
the neutral zone, our forecheck system, special teams . . . I want input
from them but it’s going to be teaching them . . . and getting them
comfortable with it.”
Smith knows that knowledge of the game won’t be a problem with the two
assistants, both of whom are coming off long playing careers. As well, the
two and Passmore won three Memorial Cups and a Stanley Cup during their
careers.
“They played in the National league . . . they did the right things to
become good players,” Barry Smith said, admitting that was part of why they
were hired. “One won a Stanley Cup, they have won Memorial Cups . . . all
that stuff is important and it only adds to what we can bring the kids.”
Smith added that the winning is important, too, because “it makes the kids
understand that these guys have won, they know how to win, so it’s important
to pay attention.”
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Blazers D Nick Ross has been added to the roster for the
national junior team evaluation camp that opens Friday in Ottawa. Ross was
the 30th overall selection in the NHL’s 2007 draft and has signed a
three-year entry-level contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. . . . Also added
to t he camp roster were F Louie Caporusso of the U of Michigan Wolverines
and F Eric O’Dell of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. Scratched were Lethbridge
Hurricanes F Zach Boychuk (wrist) and D Cody Goloubef of the U of Wisconsin
Badgers, who also is injured. As well, F Steven Stamkos, the first pick in
the NHL’s 2008 draft, won’t be attending. Instead, he will be at a Tampa Bay
Lightning prospects camp at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria. Lightning
co-owner Len Barrie is one of pushes behind Bear Mountain.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
His coaching staff in place, Kamloops Blazers head coach Barry Smith can
hardly wait to get the new WHL season started.
“I’m really excited. I can’t wait to get there,” Smith said from Penticton,
where he is working at a hockey school, after announcing his coaching staff
earlier in the week.
Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith, both former Blazers and ex-NHL defencemen,
will be the assistant coaches. Steve Passmore, a former Blazers goaltender
who also played in the NHL, is returning as the goalie coach.
“I’ve been a head coach twice but not like this where, for me, it really
means something,” said Barry Smith. “I am really excited.
“I wish I could be there now. But I’ve got some other commitments that were
made a long time ago and I have to stick to them. But I’m excited to be
there. We’re all going to be there Aug. 1, early, to get started.”
Smith, a veteran coach, is a 47-year-old native of Stambaugh, Mich. His
head-coaching experience has been limited to two seasons — with the ECHL’s
Erie Panthers (1995-96) and the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks (1996-97).
He spent the last five years with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, but, along
with fellow assistant Mike Kelly, was fired May 22 by new general manager
Mike Gillis.
The Blazers signed Smith to a three-year contract on July 3.
“People ask me, ‘Are you nervous?’ ” Smith said. “No, I’m not. I’m calm.
I’ve waited for this. I’m ready.
“I know exactly what I want to do, how I want to do it. Now that I have the
staff to do it with, the excitement and the fun begins.”
The coaching staff already is working on the systems it plans on
implementing for the fast-approaching season. Smith spent the weekend at a
Kamloops Minor Hockey Association-sponsored coaching clinic and said he
heard from Geoff Smith every day.
“He was trying to figure out what we’re gong to do and when we’re going to
do it,” the head coach said. “So I think they have the same enthusiasm I
have. It’s going to be fun. I’m really excited about it.”
The Blazers, who finished last season by losing 18 of their last 19 games,
are scheduled to open training camp on Aug. 22 with rookies reporting to
Interior Savings Centre. Veteran players, however, may be in town and
skating earlier than that.
Smith wants his staff to be fully versed in his systems by that point.
“I want them to learn what my systems are going to be,” he explained. “I
want some input from them but I have a pretty solid idea and they know what
I want.
“We’ll have to get our buzz points, what’s right and what’s wrong, what
we’re really pushing, what my defensive system is, what I’m going to do in
the neutral zone, our forecheck system, special teams . . . I want input
from them but it’s going to be teaching them . . . and getting them
comfortable with it.”
Smith knows that knowledge of the game won’t be a problem with the two
assistants, both of whom are coming off long playing careers. As well, the
two and Passmore won three Memorial Cups and a Stanley Cup during their
careers.
“They played in the National league . . . they did the right things to
become good players,” Barry Smith said, admitting that was part of why they
were hired. “One won a Stanley Cup, they have won Memorial Cups . . . all
that stuff is important and it only adds to what we can bring the kids.”
Smith added that the winning is important, too, because “it makes the kids
understand that these guys have won, they know how to win, so it’s important
to pay attention.”
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Blazers D Nick Ross has been added to the roster for the
national junior team evaluation camp that opens Friday in Ottawa. Ross was
the 30th overall selection in the NHL’s 2007 draft and has signed a
three-year entry-level contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. . . . Also added
to t he camp roster were F Louie Caporusso of the U of Michigan Wolverines
and F Eric O’Dell of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. Scratched were Lethbridge
Hurricanes F Zach Boychuk (wrist) and D Cody Goloubef of the U of Wisconsin
Badgers, who also is injured. As well, F Steven Stamkos, the first pick in
the NHL’s 2008 draft, won’t be attending. Instead, he will be at a Tampa Bay
Lightning prospects camp at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria. Lightning
co-owner Len Barrie is one of pushes behind Bear Mountain.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Hay! He's a Hall of Famer!
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It was early in the summer of 1992 and Don Hay had decided to walk away from
coaching.
He didn’t, of course, and on Friday the Kamloops native, now the head coach
of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, will walk into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame
as one of five new inductees.
“I am excited. It’s quite an honour,” Hay, 54, says. “You look at the people
you’re going in with and some of the people who have been inducted . . . it
really starts to sink in.
“It’s going to be an interesting day. So many people helped me along the
way. I grew up in B.C., and to get this honour sure says a lot about the
people you worked with and worked for.”
Hay, former NHLers Cliff Ronning and Steve Yzerman, and builders Larry Lund
and Allan Matthews will be feted by a capacity crowd at the Lakeside Resort
and Casino in Penticton. Hay, who coached Ronning with the NHL’s Phoenix
Coyotes in 1996-97, will be introduced by former Blazers head coach Ken
Hitchcock, who now is head coach of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
“In 1992, I kind of walked away,” Hay says with a chuckle. “We won the
Memorial Cup and I thought to myself, ‘My kids are 11 and 12 years old and
it’s time to spend more time with them.’ ”
As far as Hay was concerned, his coaching days were done. He had spent
1991-92 working under head coach Tom Renney, and the Blazers had won their
first Memorial Cup. Renney had just signed a new contract with the Blazers,
so it was time, Hay felt, to get on with his life. After all, he was an
employee of the Kamloops Fire Department and, yes, there was his wife,
Vicki, and three young children — Darrell and twins Angela and Ashly.
“I thought seven years as an assistant . . . I didn’t want to go anywhere to
be a head coach,” Hay says. “We won the Memorial Cup . . . that was kind of
the icing on the cake.”
Sometimes, however, the finger of fate isn’t so fickle.
“And then, lo and behold,” Hay recalls, “about July 15, Tom gets an offer
from Team Canada.”
Dave King, Hockey Canada’s head coach, had signed with the NHL’s Calgary
Flames.
“That was always Tom’s dream job,” Hay says. “(General manager Bob Brown)
came to me and asked me if I wanted to try being the head coach.”
That position wasn’t totally unfamiliar to Hay, who had filled in for
Hitchcock and Renney when they had worked with the national junior team.
Which didn’t mean Hay jumped at the opportunity to coach his hometown team.
“My biggest decision was: Was I going to leave the fire department,” he
says, adding that there also was the matter of salary. “When I first took
the Blazers job in 1992-93, I took a pay cut. I was making $42,000 with the
fire department and I had to go to $34,000 with the Blazers as head coach.
“I had to ask my wife: Just let me try this for one more year.”
Which is what he had done a few years earlier when Hitchcock, then the
Blazers’ head coach, first approached him.
Hay, whose junior playing career included stints with the Kamloops Rockets,
Calgary Centennials and New Westminster Bruins, had done a three-year tour
of duty in the minor pro ranks before deciding it was time to stop chasing
the dream.
After playing 1976-77 with the North American league’s Philadelphia
Firebirds, he did just that. While playing, he had spent his summers working
for the City of Kamloops, either in parks and rec or public works. So he
returned to that, which led him to the fire department in 1979.
He also joined the senior Kamloops Cowboys, which is where he got his start
in the coaching game.
“We played with Williams Lake, Quesnel, Prince George and the North Shore
Hurricanes,” Hay remembers. “That’s where I got into coaching. I was a
player and the coach didn’t show up one day and I took over coaching. I was
a player-coach and that got me into coaching.”
He also helped John Soberlak in the local midget program “and that’s how I
got to know Hitch.”
One day Hay’s phone rang. It was Hitchcock, inviting him to lunch. It seems
the Blazers were doing some shuffling of responsibilities — Bob LaBrier is
listed in the WHL’s 1985-86 Guide as assistant coach, scout, office manager
and public relations manager — and were in need of an assistant coach.
Hay said he and Hitchcock, who was preparing for his second season as head
coach, “didn’t know each other at all” until they met for lunch. About the
time dessert arrived, Hitchcock offered Hay the assistant coach’s position.
“I went home and I said to my wife, ‘Just let me try this for one year and
see how it works,’ ” Hay says. “I’ve been at it ever since.
“I’ve got a pretty understanding wife — we’ve been together 34 years — and I
owe a lot to Hitch.”
The next year, Bob Brown, who was the club’s head scout, was brought into
the office “to kind of curtail Hitch’s phone bills,” a laughing Hay says.
Hay would spend five years coaching with Hitchcock and two with Renney.
After getting the OK from Vicki and taking over from Renney, Hay guided the
Blazers to Memorial Cup titles in 1994 and 1995. Little did he know that the
1995 title would be the organization’s last taste of glory.
“Yeah,” he says, “a lot of things happened that summer.”
Shortly after the Blazers won the 1995 championship, in then-Riverside
Coliseum, Hay flew to Calgary and met with New York Islanders general
manager Don Maloney, who was in the market for a head coach.
Hay returned to Kamloops and reported to work on the morning of June 5, two
days after meeting with Maloney.
“I went in on the Monday and I went in a little bit later than normal,” Hay
says. It wasn’t long before trainer Spike Wallace appeared.
“I went into my office . . . and Spike came in there and he was crying. I
said, ‘What’s wrong Spike.’
“He said, ‘Didn’t you hear? They just let Bob go.'
“I said, ‘You’re sh------ me. Right?’
“ We’d just won the Memorial Cup and that’s kind of the last thing I thought
would be happening. It came as a complete shock to everybody.”
He pauses.
“It was a real shock . . . that day,” he continues. “It was a shock . . .
that’s all you could say. I thought everything was fine and would keep on
going. Going to Calgary to interview with the Islanders general manager was
quite a thing for me, and then to come back and walk into that . . .”
Hay wouldn’t coach another game with the Blazers. He later interviewed with
Calgary GM Doug Risebrough and joined the Flames as an assistant coach.
After one season there, he had a one-season stint as head coach in Phoenix.
Later would come a season as an assistant with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and
one season as the Flames' head coach.
“I went to the NHL,” Hay now says. “I thought the NHL was going to be run
like the Blazers and it wasn’t.”
Still, you can bet he wants another shot at it.
“Yeah, I’d like to go back one day,” he says. “I’d like to go back.”
Which doesn’t mean he isn’t happy with the Giants.
“I’m really happy where I’m at right now,” he adds. “I work with good people
and it’s a good organization. I’m close to my family . . . I always believe
that if you’re happy where you’re at that’s very important. We were happy to
have the opportunity to come back to Vancouver and get back to B.C., and get
closer to our daughters here in Kamloops, and granddaughter now. It’s good.
The Giants have really treated me well.”
And he has treated the Giants well through four seasons. They won the 2007
Memorial Cup in front of their hometown fans, giving him his fourth such
title — the first three came with the Blazers, two as head coach.
He also spent two seasons with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans annd did three
seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Utah Grizzlies, where he coached his son,
Darrell, in 2003-04.
Darrell just signed a new deal with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, this one as
player-coach.
“He was thinking about going to Europe,” Dad says, “but they offered him the
assistant coaching spot.”
Does Dad see his son following in his footsteps?
“That’s a good question,” Don offers. “It’ll be interesting to talk to him
after this season.”
Don says Darrell’s biggest challenge, at least in the beginning, will
involve having “to stop thinking as a player and start thinking as a coach
and about what’s best for everybody, not just what’s best for yourself.
“As a coach, I’ve always told my assistant coaches . . . when they tell me,
‘Hey, they don’t get it, they can’t figure it out,’ I say, ‘Well, you better
tell them again. If you tell them 100 times, you better tell them 101 times.
Because that’s your job.'
“You can’t just say, ‘Why can’t they figure it out?’ or ‘Those guys are
stupid.’ I mean, that’s part of coaching. That’s the challenge of coaching.
“To me, coaching isn’t about wins and losses; it’s about the process you go
through to build a team. You’re going to have good days and you’re going to
have bad days. The bad days are the most challenging because they make you
think about how you’re going to get out of this, how you’re playing and what
the solution is.
“That’s the challenge of coaching; not to go out and win five or six games
in a row. It’s the challenge of forming a team.”
And that, in a nutshell, is Hay’s coaching philosophy.
Does it work?
The answer will be on display in Penticton on Friday night.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
It was early in the summer of 1992 and Don Hay had decided to walk away from
coaching.
He didn’t, of course, and on Friday the Kamloops native, now the head coach
of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, will walk into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame
as one of five new inductees.
“I am excited. It’s quite an honour,” Hay, 54, says. “You look at the people
you’re going in with and some of the people who have been inducted . . . it
really starts to sink in.
“It’s going to be an interesting day. So many people helped me along the
way. I grew up in B.C., and to get this honour sure says a lot about the
people you worked with and worked for.”
Hay, former NHLers Cliff Ronning and Steve Yzerman, and builders Larry Lund
and Allan Matthews will be feted by a capacity crowd at the Lakeside Resort
and Casino in Penticton. Hay, who coached Ronning with the NHL’s Phoenix
Coyotes in 1996-97, will be introduced by former Blazers head coach Ken
Hitchcock, who now is head coach of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
“In 1992, I kind of walked away,” Hay says with a chuckle. “We won the
Memorial Cup and I thought to myself, ‘My kids are 11 and 12 years old and
it’s time to spend more time with them.’ ”
As far as Hay was concerned, his coaching days were done. He had spent
1991-92 working under head coach Tom Renney, and the Blazers had won their
first Memorial Cup. Renney had just signed a new contract with the Blazers,
so it was time, Hay felt, to get on with his life. After all, he was an
employee of the Kamloops Fire Department and, yes, there was his wife,
Vicki, and three young children — Darrell and twins Angela and Ashly.
“I thought seven years as an assistant . . . I didn’t want to go anywhere to
be a head coach,” Hay says. “We won the Memorial Cup . . . that was kind of
the icing on the cake.”
Sometimes, however, the finger of fate isn’t so fickle.
“And then, lo and behold,” Hay recalls, “about July 15, Tom gets an offer
from Team Canada.”
Dave King, Hockey Canada’s head coach, had signed with the NHL’s Calgary
Flames.
“That was always Tom’s dream job,” Hay says. “(General manager Bob Brown)
came to me and asked me if I wanted to try being the head coach.”
That position wasn’t totally unfamiliar to Hay, who had filled in for
Hitchcock and Renney when they had worked with the national junior team.
Which didn’t mean Hay jumped at the opportunity to coach his hometown team.
“My biggest decision was: Was I going to leave the fire department,” he
says, adding that there also was the matter of salary. “When I first took
the Blazers job in 1992-93, I took a pay cut. I was making $42,000 with the
fire department and I had to go to $34,000 with the Blazers as head coach.
“I had to ask my wife: Just let me try this for one more year.”
Which is what he had done a few years earlier when Hitchcock, then the
Blazers’ head coach, first approached him.
Hay, whose junior playing career included stints with the Kamloops Rockets,
Calgary Centennials and New Westminster Bruins, had done a three-year tour
of duty in the minor pro ranks before deciding it was time to stop chasing
the dream.
After playing 1976-77 with the North American league’s Philadelphia
Firebirds, he did just that. While playing, he had spent his summers working
for the City of Kamloops, either in parks and rec or public works. So he
returned to that, which led him to the fire department in 1979.
He also joined the senior Kamloops Cowboys, which is where he got his start
in the coaching game.
“We played with Williams Lake, Quesnel, Prince George and the North Shore
Hurricanes,” Hay remembers. “That’s where I got into coaching. I was a
player and the coach didn’t show up one day and I took over coaching. I was
a player-coach and that got me into coaching.”
He also helped John Soberlak in the local midget program “and that’s how I
got to know Hitch.”
One day Hay’s phone rang. It was Hitchcock, inviting him to lunch. It seems
the Blazers were doing some shuffling of responsibilities — Bob LaBrier is
listed in the WHL’s 1985-86 Guide as assistant coach, scout, office manager
and public relations manager — and were in need of an assistant coach.
Hay said he and Hitchcock, who was preparing for his second season as head
coach, “didn’t know each other at all” until they met for lunch. About the
time dessert arrived, Hitchcock offered Hay the assistant coach’s position.
“I went home and I said to my wife, ‘Just let me try this for one year and
see how it works,’ ” Hay says. “I’ve been at it ever since.
“I’ve got a pretty understanding wife — we’ve been together 34 years — and I
owe a lot to Hitch.”
The next year, Bob Brown, who was the club’s head scout, was brought into
the office “to kind of curtail Hitch’s phone bills,” a laughing Hay says.
Hay would spend five years coaching with Hitchcock and two with Renney.
After getting the OK from Vicki and taking over from Renney, Hay guided the
Blazers to Memorial Cup titles in 1994 and 1995. Little did he know that the
1995 title would be the organization’s last taste of glory.
“Yeah,” he says, “a lot of things happened that summer.”
Shortly after the Blazers won the 1995 championship, in then-Riverside
Coliseum, Hay flew to Calgary and met with New York Islanders general
manager Don Maloney, who was in the market for a head coach.
Hay returned to Kamloops and reported to work on the morning of June 5, two
days after meeting with Maloney.
“I went in on the Monday and I went in a little bit later than normal,” Hay
says. It wasn’t long before trainer Spike Wallace appeared.
“I went into my office . . . and Spike came in there and he was crying. I
said, ‘What’s wrong Spike.’
“He said, ‘Didn’t you hear? They just let Bob go.'
“I said, ‘You’re sh------ me. Right?’
“ We’d just won the Memorial Cup and that’s kind of the last thing I thought
would be happening. It came as a complete shock to everybody.”
He pauses.
“It was a real shock . . . that day,” he continues. “It was a shock . . .
that’s all you could say. I thought everything was fine and would keep on
going. Going to Calgary to interview with the Islanders general manager was
quite a thing for me, and then to come back and walk into that . . .”
Hay wouldn’t coach another game with the Blazers. He later interviewed with
Calgary GM Doug Risebrough and joined the Flames as an assistant coach.
After one season there, he had a one-season stint as head coach in Phoenix.
Later would come a season as an assistant with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and
one season as the Flames' head coach.
“I went to the NHL,” Hay now says. “I thought the NHL was going to be run
like the Blazers and it wasn’t.”
Still, you can bet he wants another shot at it.
“Yeah, I’d like to go back one day,” he says. “I’d like to go back.”
Which doesn’t mean he isn’t happy with the Giants.
“I’m really happy where I’m at right now,” he adds. “I work with good people
and it’s a good organization. I’m close to my family . . . I always believe
that if you’re happy where you’re at that’s very important. We were happy to
have the opportunity to come back to Vancouver and get back to B.C., and get
closer to our daughters here in Kamloops, and granddaughter now. It’s good.
The Giants have really treated me well.”
And he has treated the Giants well through four seasons. They won the 2007
Memorial Cup in front of their hometown fans, giving him his fourth such
title — the first three came with the Blazers, two as head coach.
He also spent two seasons with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans annd did three
seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Utah Grizzlies, where he coached his son,
Darrell, in 2003-04.
Darrell just signed a new deal with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, this one as
player-coach.
“He was thinking about going to Europe,” Dad says, “but they offered him the
assistant coaching spot.”
Does Dad see his son following in his footsteps?
“That’s a good question,” Don offers. “It’ll be interesting to talk to him
after this season.”
Don says Darrell’s biggest challenge, at least in the beginning, will
involve having “to stop thinking as a player and start thinking as a coach
and about what’s best for everybody, not just what’s best for yourself.
“As a coach, I’ve always told my assistant coaches . . . when they tell me,
‘Hey, they don’t get it, they can’t figure it out,’ I say, ‘Well, you better
tell them again. If you tell them 100 times, you better tell them 101 times.
Because that’s your job.'
“You can’t just say, ‘Why can’t they figure it out?’ or ‘Those guys are
stupid.’ I mean, that’s part of coaching. That’s the challenge of coaching.
“To me, coaching isn’t about wins and losses; it’s about the process you go
through to build a team. You’re going to have good days and you’re going to
have bad days. The bad days are the most challenging because they make you
think about how you’re going to get out of this, how you’re playing and what
the solution is.
“That’s the challenge of coaching; not to go out and win five or six games
in a row. It’s the challenge of forming a team.”
And that, in a nutshell, is Hay’s coaching philosophy.
Does it work?
The answer will be on display in Penticton on Friday night.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Blazers confirm coaching staff
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers’ coaching staff, in a state of flux since Nov. 7, has
been finalized.
The WHL team made official Tuesday what was first reported in Monday’s Daily
News — assistant coaches Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith have been added to
head coach Barry Smith’s staff, while goaltending coach Steve Passmore will
be returning.
“It’s going to be a great group of guys,” Barry Smith said, pointing out
that all three are former Blazers. “I like the culture they bring. We’ve got
a lot of NHL experience. We’ve got a Stanley Cup, we’ve got three Memorial
Cups . . .”
Referring to Ferguson and Smith, the two newcomers, Barry Smith added: “I’m
probably a little more vocal and outgoing than those guys; they’re probably
a little quieter and can probably calm me down when need be. That’s the kind
of mix I was looking for.
“As well, all three have ties to the Blazers and we’re trying to get that
past back.”
Ferguson, a 35-year-old native of Camrose, Alta., played three seasons
(1991-94) with the Blazers and was on the Memorial Cup championship teams in
1992 and ’94.
“He’s a quality person,” Blazers general manager Craig Bonner said of
Ferguson, with whom he played for two seasons. “You won’t find anybody who
will say a bad thing about his character. He made the NHL, not because of
his ability, but because of his character.”
After leaving the Blazers, Ferguson went on to a pro career that included
218 NHL games split between the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and
Minnesota Wild. He also played in the ECHL, AHL, Sweden and Germany. Last
season, he was with Ingolstadt ERC of the German DEL. In 10 of his 14 pro
seasons, Ferguson compiled at least 100 penalty minutes.
“Ferguson’s a hard-working guy. He’s a real honest guy,” offered Vancouver
Giants head coach Don Hay, who coached Ferguson, Smith and Passmore in
Kamloops. “(Ferguson) was an honest player. He won two Memorial Cups. (In
1994), he was a shutdown defenceman. He and (Nolan) Baumgartner played
together. He was a hard-working guy . . . a real character guy.”
Geoff Smith, 39, is a native of Edmonton who left the U of North Dakota
Fighting Sioux and joined the Blazers for the second half of the 1988-89
season. He went on to play 462 NHL games and won a Stanley Cup with the
1989-90 Edmonton Oilers. He lives in Kamloops — he owns the Thirsty Dog
Sports Club — and coached the bantam AAA Jardine’s Blazers last season.
“I really liked Geoff,” Hay said. “He’s a real good person. He worked to get
into the coaching business and this is a good challenge for him.”
Passmore, 35, won a Memorial Cup with the 1993-94 Blazers before going on to
a lengthy pro career that included 93 NHL games. He is a co-coach with the
junior B Kamloops Storm, a position he will continue with as he works with
Blazers goaltenders. Passmore also is involved in the local business
community as a co-owner of the Players Chophouse and Lounge.
Barry Smith said he has talked with Ferguson and Smith about their roles but
that is something that will evolve, at least in part, as the season
progresses.
“I think Smitty will end up helping me a little bit more with the forwards
at some point,” the head coach said, “with Scott running the defence. We
might just flip every five games. I’m confident with both of those guys
being able to do whatever. We’re going to see what everybody is comfortable
with and what their strong points are.”
One thing that isn’t an issue is the coaching depth chart.
“We’re a staff. We’re together,” Smith added. “I’m not about ranking this
guy as the No. 1 guy or the No. 2 guy. It’ll be where we fit in. Our roles
are going to cross over.”
A coaching staff that one year ago featured head coach Dean Clark and
assistants Shane Zulyniak, Andrew Milne, Steve Gainey and Larry Robinson now
has been completely rebuilt.
Also gone is Greg Hawgood, who took over as interim head coach after the
franchise’s new ownership group fired Clark, then the general manager and
head coach, on Nov. 7. Hawgood, who signed a contract through 2008-09 when
he took over, was fired last week.
The Blazers open training camp on Aug. 22 when rookies report to the
Interior Savings Centre.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers’ coaching staff, in a state of flux since Nov. 7, has
been finalized.
The WHL team made official Tuesday what was first reported in Monday’s Daily
News — assistant coaches Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith have been added to
head coach Barry Smith’s staff, while goaltending coach Steve Passmore will
be returning.
“It’s going to be a great group of guys,” Barry Smith said, pointing out
that all three are former Blazers. “I like the culture they bring. We’ve got
a lot of NHL experience. We’ve got a Stanley Cup, we’ve got three Memorial
Cups . . .”
Referring to Ferguson and Smith, the two newcomers, Barry Smith added: “I’m
probably a little more vocal and outgoing than those guys; they’re probably
a little quieter and can probably calm me down when need be. That’s the kind
of mix I was looking for.
“As well, all three have ties to the Blazers and we’re trying to get that
past back.”
Ferguson, a 35-year-old native of Camrose, Alta., played three seasons
(1991-94) with the Blazers and was on the Memorial Cup championship teams in
1992 and ’94.
“He’s a quality person,” Blazers general manager Craig Bonner said of
Ferguson, with whom he played for two seasons. “You won’t find anybody who
will say a bad thing about his character. He made the NHL, not because of
his ability, but because of his character.”
After leaving the Blazers, Ferguson went on to a pro career that included
218 NHL games split between the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and
Minnesota Wild. He also played in the ECHL, AHL, Sweden and Germany. Last
season, he was with Ingolstadt ERC of the German DEL. In 10 of his 14 pro
seasons, Ferguson compiled at least 100 penalty minutes.
“Ferguson’s a hard-working guy. He’s a real honest guy,” offered Vancouver
Giants head coach Don Hay, who coached Ferguson, Smith and Passmore in
Kamloops. “(Ferguson) was an honest player. He won two Memorial Cups. (In
1994), he was a shutdown defenceman. He and (Nolan) Baumgartner played
together. He was a hard-working guy . . . a real character guy.”
Geoff Smith, 39, is a native of Edmonton who left the U of North Dakota
Fighting Sioux and joined the Blazers for the second half of the 1988-89
season. He went on to play 462 NHL games and won a Stanley Cup with the
1989-90 Edmonton Oilers. He lives in Kamloops — he owns the Thirsty Dog
Sports Club — and coached the bantam AAA Jardine’s Blazers last season.
“I really liked Geoff,” Hay said. “He’s a real good person. He worked to get
into the coaching business and this is a good challenge for him.”
Passmore, 35, won a Memorial Cup with the 1993-94 Blazers before going on to
a lengthy pro career that included 93 NHL games. He is a co-coach with the
junior B Kamloops Storm, a position he will continue with as he works with
Blazers goaltenders. Passmore also is involved in the local business
community as a co-owner of the Players Chophouse and Lounge.
Barry Smith said he has talked with Ferguson and Smith about their roles but
that is something that will evolve, at least in part, as the season
progresses.
“I think Smitty will end up helping me a little bit more with the forwards
at some point,” the head coach said, “with Scott running the defence. We
might just flip every five games. I’m confident with both of those guys
being able to do whatever. We’re going to see what everybody is comfortable
with and what their strong points are.”
One thing that isn’t an issue is the coaching depth chart.
“We’re a staff. We’re together,” Smith added. “I’m not about ranking this
guy as the No. 1 guy or the No. 2 guy. It’ll be where we fit in. Our roles
are going to cross over.”
A coaching staff that one year ago featured head coach Dean Clark and
assistants Shane Zulyniak, Andrew Milne, Steve Gainey and Larry Robinson now
has been completely rebuilt.
Also gone is Greg Hawgood, who took over as interim head coach after the
franchise’s new ownership group fired Clark, then the general manager and
head coach, on Nov. 7. Hawgood, who signed a contract through 2008-09 when
he took over, was fired last week.
The Blazers open training camp on Aug. 22 when rookies report to the
Interior Savings Centre.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Tuesday . . .
AS MOOSE JAW TURNS: Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to court we go. . . . The Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more on the multiplex mess in Moose Jaw. And it would seem that things aren’t getting any better with a Regina lawyer — what, no qualified lawyers in Moose Jaw? — and his clients booking time in court. . . . The story is right here. . . . And make sure you check out the comments section that follows the story. It just gets better and better. Geez, I mean one writer quotes Joseph Goebbels — yes, that Goebbels — and Abraham Lincoln in the same post. . . . Penticton Warriors?
————————
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Ronald Petrovicky (Tri-City/Prince George/Regina) signed a tryout contract through Aug. 31 with Dinamo Riga (Continental Hockey League). He was with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga), MoDo (Sweden Elitserien), and Zug (Swiss NL A) last season, totaling one goal and two assists in 30 games with the three clubs.
————————
THE COACHING GAME: The Kamloops Blazers confirmed Tuesday what was reported here and in The Daily News on Monday. Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith, both former Blazers and ex-NHL defenceman, have been added to head coach Barry Smith’s staff as assistant coaches. And goaltender coach Steve Passmore, who also played for the Blazers and in the NHL, is returning. The three also represent three Memorial Cup titles and one Stanley Cup. . . . Rob Vanstone, the Regina Leader-Post’s sports columnist, has the latest on the Regina Pats’ search for a head coach. Check it out right here. . . . Chris Hajt has been named assistant coach with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. The son of former NHLer Bill Hajt, Chris played four seasons with the Storm and is a former team captain. He will work under Jason Brooks, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach to replace Dave Barr, who now is an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche. Chris played last season with Balzano HC in Italy. . . . Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids Press reports that the AHL's Griffins have hired Curt Fraser as head coach. Fraser, a former NHL player who was the first head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers, replaces Mike Stothers. . . . The Wilkes-Barre Standard-Speaker reports that Todd Richards, head coach of the AHL's Penguins, will be joining head coach Todd McLellan's staff in San Jose. That coaching staff also is expected to include Trent Yawney, the former Chicago Blackhawks' head coach, and video coach Jay Woodcroft. Woodcroft comes over from the Detroit Red Wings.
————————
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: G Tyson Sexsmith of the Vancouver Giants has a signed a three-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks, who selected him 91st overall in the NHL’s 2007 draft. Sexsmith, 19, led the WHL last season in GAA (1.89) and shutouts (9). He has 20 shutouts in his three seasons with the Giants. . . . KING 5 News out of Seattle has done up a story on the Seattle Thunderbirds and their soon-to-be new home. You can get a look at it right here.
————————
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Ronald Petrovicky (Tri-City/Prince George/Regina) signed a tryout contract through Aug. 31 with Dinamo Riga (Continental Hockey League). He was with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga), MoDo (Sweden Elitserien), and Zug (Swiss NL A) last season, totaling one goal and two assists in 30 games with the three clubs.
————————
THE COACHING GAME: The Kamloops Blazers confirmed Tuesday what was reported here and in The Daily News on Monday. Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith, both former Blazers and ex-NHL defenceman, have been added to head coach Barry Smith’s staff as assistant coaches. And goaltender coach Steve Passmore, who also played for the Blazers and in the NHL, is returning. The three also represent three Memorial Cup titles and one Stanley Cup. . . . Rob Vanstone, the Regina Leader-Post’s sports columnist, has the latest on the Regina Pats’ search for a head coach. Check it out right here. . . . Chris Hajt has been named assistant coach with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. The son of former NHLer Bill Hajt, Chris played four seasons with the Storm and is a former team captain. He will work under Jason Brooks, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach to replace Dave Barr, who now is an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche. Chris played last season with Balzano HC in Italy. . . . Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids Press reports that the AHL's Griffins have hired Curt Fraser as head coach. Fraser, a former NHL player who was the first head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers, replaces Mike Stothers. . . . The Wilkes-Barre Standard-Speaker reports that Todd Richards, head coach of the AHL's Penguins, will be joining head coach Todd McLellan's staff in San Jose. That coaching staff also is expected to include Trent Yawney, the former Chicago Blackhawks' head coach, and video coach Jay Woodcroft. Woodcroft comes over from the Detroit Red Wings.
————————
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: G Tyson Sexsmith of the Vancouver Giants has a signed a three-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks, who selected him 91st overall in the NHL’s 2007 draft. Sexsmith, 19, led the WHL last season in GAA (1.89) and shutouts (9). He has 20 shutouts in his three seasons with the Giants. . . . KING 5 News out of Seattle has done up a story on the Seattle Thunderbirds and their soon-to-be new home. You can get a look at it right here.
Sydor's boat back home
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Darryl Sydor has his boat back.
The 2002 Tige ski boat disappeared from the buoy in front of Sydor’s Shuswap Lake summer home earlier this month. It was found a week later on the other side of the lake.
The boat was stolen while Sydor, a former Kamloops Blazers defenceman who now is one of the WHL team’s co-owners, stopped off to visit ex-teammate Tyson Nash en route to Edmonton.
“I got a call the next day,” Sydor said Monday night. “My neighbour called me and my boat was gone. It was on my buoy.
“My two neighbours went all the way down to the mouth of the river at Chase and then all the way up to the narrows and they couldn’t see it.”
By the time a week had come and gone, Sydor, who now plays for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, said he had all but given up hope.
“After a week goes by, you don’t hear about it . . . I thought it was gone,” Sydor said. “But they found it a week later.”
It was found on a buoy on the other side of the lake from Sydor’s property. The boat had a dealer’s sticker on it from Captain’s Village Marina at Scotch Creek.
“A guy called Dean Acton over at Captain’s and said they had a boat. He went and got it,” Sydor said. “Nothing was stolen. They ripped out the ignition. They tried to steal the satellite radio and that was it. It could have been a lot worse.”
Asked if he thought the thieves were able to start the boat, for which Sydor paid $76,000, he offered: “I don’t believe so. They ripped one battery case out — I don’t know what they were trying to do, if they were trying to hotwire it, or what.
“They may have just drifted across the lake.”
Sydor said a “couple of Sea-Doos and a houseboat” that were stolen around the same time also have been recovered.
“We’ve never had anything like this in our little strata development,” Sydor said of the recent thefts. “I haven’t heard about people’s boats being stolen or even vandalized.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Daily News Sports Editor
Darryl Sydor has his boat back.
The 2002 Tige ski boat disappeared from the buoy in front of Sydor’s Shuswap Lake summer home earlier this month. It was found a week later on the other side of the lake.
The boat was stolen while Sydor, a former Kamloops Blazers defenceman who now is one of the WHL team’s co-owners, stopped off to visit ex-teammate Tyson Nash en route to Edmonton.
“I got a call the next day,” Sydor said Monday night. “My neighbour called me and my boat was gone. It was on my buoy.
“My two neighbours went all the way down to the mouth of the river at Chase and then all the way up to the narrows and they couldn’t see it.”
By the time a week had come and gone, Sydor, who now plays for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, said he had all but given up hope.
“After a week goes by, you don’t hear about it . . . I thought it was gone,” Sydor said. “But they found it a week later.”
It was found on a buoy on the other side of the lake from Sydor’s property. The boat had a dealer’s sticker on it from Captain’s Village Marina at Scotch Creek.
“A guy called Dean Acton over at Captain’s and said they had a boat. He went and got it,” Sydor said. “Nothing was stolen. They ripped out the ignition. They tried to steal the satellite radio and that was it. It could have been a lot worse.”
Asked if he thought the thieves were able to start the boat, for which Sydor paid $76,000, he offered: “I don’t believe so. They ripped one battery case out — I don’t know what they were trying to do, if they were trying to hotwire it, or what.
“They may have just drifted across the lake.”
Sydor said a “couple of Sea-Doos and a houseboat” that were stolen around the same time also have been recovered.
“We’ve never had anything like this in our little strata development,” Sydor said of the recent thefts. “I haven’t heard about people’s boats being stolen or even vandalized.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: Garth MacBeth, our man on the European scene, reports one signing of interest, although it isn’t WHL related. F Hayley Wickenheiser is going to Europe again. She has signed to play with Linden Hockey, a Swedish Division 1 club based in Eskilstuna (about an hour west of Stockholm). According to the club website, she will report to the team around Aug. 25, after doing softball commentary for CBC in Beijing. Linden’s regular season starts Sept. 21. . . . And, on the subject of CBC, Mike Milbury has left TSN and signed on as an analyst and Hot Stove participant on Hockey Night in Canada. I wonder if they will allow Milbury and Don Cherry to be in the same room at the same time?
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THE COACHING GAME: Former Brandon Wheat Kings D Brad McCrimmon has signed on with the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach. McCrimmon had been the associate head coach with the Atlanta Thrashers — all told, he spent five seasons there — but he was passed over twice for the head-coaching job, once when GM Don Waddell took the position himself after firing Bob Hartley early last season and again this summer when John Anderson was hired as head coach. . . . “I spent five years here (in Atlanta) and I tried to do everything I could and was asked to do and I felt good about that,” the 49-year-old McCrimmon told the Brandon Sun’s James Shewaga. “And at the end of the day decisions are made and sometimes they don’t include you . . . So I will move forward and make the best of new opportunities.” . . . With the Red Wings, McCrimmon, the older brother of Brandon owner/GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon, replaces Todd McLellan, who left to become head coach of the San Jose Sharks. . . . One of these days, McLellan will get around to naming his coaching staff. It will include former Saskatoon Blades D Trent Yawney. . . . Regina Pats GM Brent Parker formally interviewed Marc Habscheid on Monday. The Pats are looking for a head coach to replace Curtis Hunt, now an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Earlier, Parker interviewed Dale Derkatch and is to meet with an unidentified candidate on Tuesday. For a complete update, check out Rob Vanstone’s story in the Regina Leader-Post. It’s right here. . . .
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Tri-City Americans have signed D Zach Yuen, their first pick in the 2008 bantam draft. Yuen, who played for the bantam AAA North Shore Winterhawks in the Lower Mainland, was the 22nd overall selection. He had 46 points and 108 penalty minutes in 52 games. The Americans plan to take a long look at him, including in two preseason tournaments. . . . D Collin Bowman of the Kelowna Rockets has been named to the U.S. under-18 team that will play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, Aug. 12-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia. The U.S. team was chosen after a July 7-13 camp at St. Cloud, Minn., State. Bowman, from Littleton, Colo., is the younger brother of Spokane Chiefs LW Drayson Bowman. . . . Canada’s entry in that tournament will be selected following an Aug. 1-5 camp in Calgary.
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THE COACHING GAME: Former Brandon Wheat Kings D Brad McCrimmon has signed on with the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach. McCrimmon had been the associate head coach with the Atlanta Thrashers — all told, he spent five seasons there — but he was passed over twice for the head-coaching job, once when GM Don Waddell took the position himself after firing Bob Hartley early last season and again this summer when John Anderson was hired as head coach. . . . “I spent five years here (in Atlanta) and I tried to do everything I could and was asked to do and I felt good about that,” the 49-year-old McCrimmon told the Brandon Sun’s James Shewaga. “And at the end of the day decisions are made and sometimes they don’t include you . . . So I will move forward and make the best of new opportunities.” . . . With the Red Wings, McCrimmon, the older brother of Brandon owner/GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon, replaces Todd McLellan, who left to become head coach of the San Jose Sharks. . . . One of these days, McLellan will get around to naming his coaching staff. It will include former Saskatoon Blades D Trent Yawney. . . . Regina Pats GM Brent Parker formally interviewed Marc Habscheid on Monday. The Pats are looking for a head coach to replace Curtis Hunt, now an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Earlier, Parker interviewed Dale Derkatch and is to meet with an unidentified candidate on Tuesday. For a complete update, check out Rob Vanstone’s story in the Regina Leader-Post. It’s right here. . . .
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Tri-City Americans have signed D Zach Yuen, their first pick in the 2008 bantam draft. Yuen, who played for the bantam AAA North Shore Winterhawks in the Lower Mainland, was the 22nd overall selection. He had 46 points and 108 penalty minutes in 52 games. The Americans plan to take a long look at him, including in two preseason tournaments. . . . D Collin Bowman of the Kelowna Rockets has been named to the U.S. under-18 team that will play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, Aug. 12-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia. The U.S. team was chosen after a July 7-13 camp at St. Cloud, Minn., State. Bowman, from Littleton, Colo., is the younger brother of Spokane Chiefs LW Drayson Bowman. . . . Canada’s entry in that tournament will be selected following an Aug. 1-5 camp in Calgary.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Blazers to add coaches
From The Daily News of Monday, July 21, 2008 . . .
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Things are slowly coming together for Barry Smith, the new head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
And three more pieces will fall into place Tuesday when the WHL team rounds out its coaching staff.
The Daily News learned Sunday night that former Blazers defencemen Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith will be added to the coaching staff on Tuesday. At the same time, the WHL team will announce that Steve Passmore will be returning as goaltending coach.
While neither general manager Craig Bonner nor Smith would confirm the signings, sources familiar with the situation told The Daily News the deals are done.
Ferguson, 35, is a native of Camrose, Alta., who spent three full seasons (1991-94) with the Blazers. Bonner was on two of those teams; in fact, the two were paired together in 1993-94. Ferguson’s pro career included 218 NHL games, split between the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Minnesota Wild. He spent last season with Ingolstadt ERC of the German DEL.
Smith, who played 32 games with the Blazers in 1988-89 after leaving the U of North Dakota, is from Edmonton. During his pro playing career, he split 462 NHL games between the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. A Kamloops businessman, he is involved in the ownership of The Thirsty Dog, a local watering hole. Smith, 39, was head coach of the bantam AAA Jardine’s Blazers last season.
Passmore, 35, played four seasons in the WHL (1990-94) before embarking on a pro career that included 93 NHL games. Locally, he is a co-owner of the Players Chophouse and Lounge. Passmore was a co-coach with the junior B Kamloops Storm last season, a position he will continue with in the approaching season.
Passmore joined the Blazers’ coaching staff in midseason after the club’s new ownership group started rebuilding the organization.
The Blazers revealed last week that Greg Hawgood, who finished last season as the interim head coach, and assistant coach Steve Gainey won’t be returning. Hawgood had a year left on his contract when he was released.
Asked last night about impending coaching announcements, Bonner deferred to Smith.
“Talk to Barry,” Bonner said, “but I think we’re real close.”
Reached in Penticton, Smith said: “We’re going to announce it on Tuesday.”
Smith, who is in Penticton working a hockey school for the next couple of weeks, was named head coach on July 3. Since then, he has spoken to all the team’s returning players, with the exception of goaltender Jon Groenheyde and centre C.J. Stretch, with whom Smith has been playing phone tag.
Smith said his message to the players is simple.
“It’s going to be a culture change,” Smith said of that message. “There’s going to be a lot more structure both on and off the ice . . . discipline on and off the ice.
“The big thing is for guys to be in shape. I’m a stickler about conditioning. Make sure you come to camp in shape . . . it’s going to be hard.
“You’re going to learn good work habits right from Day 1. There will be a high learning curve with new systems and things . . . I don’t want to waste my time having to get guys into shape.”
Bonner and Storm head coach Ed Patterson met over lunch last week in a move aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two organizations.
“It makes no sense why we don’t have a relationship with them,” Bonner said. “It doesn’t have to be an affiliation, but we should be able to put players there. They aren’t competing with us . . . it’s a different product and they are the first to admit it . . . and we’re not competing with them.
“If we have some players we can affiliate there . . . if we need players fo practise . . . it makes so much sense to have a working relationship.
“I think it’s important and I don’t see anything negative in it.”
The Blazers had defenceman Josh Caron with the Storm last season. He was taken in the third round of the WHL’s 2006 bantam draft.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Bonner will be in Kelowna on Thursday as the Western Conference’s 10 teams gather for their scheduling meeting. . . . The Everett Silvertips have signed C Paul Van de Velde, 18, who was a third-round selection by the Blazers in the 2005 bantam draft. Van de Velde left the Blazer’s camp last year when he wasn’t able to obtain undisclosed guarantees from the team. From Mariapolis, Man., he played for the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines. He had 28 points in 29 games, but missed a number of games with a knee injury.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Things are slowly coming together for Barry Smith, the new head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
And three more pieces will fall into place Tuesday when the WHL team rounds out its coaching staff.
The Daily News learned Sunday night that former Blazers defencemen Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith will be added to the coaching staff on Tuesday. At the same time, the WHL team will announce that Steve Passmore will be returning as goaltending coach.
While neither general manager Craig Bonner nor Smith would confirm the signings, sources familiar with the situation told The Daily News the deals are done.
Ferguson, 35, is a native of Camrose, Alta., who spent three full seasons (1991-94) with the Blazers. Bonner was on two of those teams; in fact, the two were paired together in 1993-94. Ferguson’s pro career included 218 NHL games, split between the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Minnesota Wild. He spent last season with Ingolstadt ERC of the German DEL.
Smith, who played 32 games with the Blazers in 1988-89 after leaving the U of North Dakota, is from Edmonton. During his pro playing career, he split 462 NHL games between the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. A Kamloops businessman, he is involved in the ownership of The Thirsty Dog, a local watering hole. Smith, 39, was head coach of the bantam AAA Jardine’s Blazers last season.
Passmore, 35, played four seasons in the WHL (1990-94) before embarking on a pro career that included 93 NHL games. Locally, he is a co-owner of the Players Chophouse and Lounge. Passmore was a co-coach with the junior B Kamloops Storm last season, a position he will continue with in the approaching season.
Passmore joined the Blazers’ coaching staff in midseason after the club’s new ownership group started rebuilding the organization.
The Blazers revealed last week that Greg Hawgood, who finished last season as the interim head coach, and assistant coach Steve Gainey won’t be returning. Hawgood had a year left on his contract when he was released.
Asked last night about impending coaching announcements, Bonner deferred to Smith.
“Talk to Barry,” Bonner said, “but I think we’re real close.”
Reached in Penticton, Smith said: “We’re going to announce it on Tuesday.”
Smith, who is in Penticton working a hockey school for the next couple of weeks, was named head coach on July 3. Since then, he has spoken to all the team’s returning players, with the exception of goaltender Jon Groenheyde and centre C.J. Stretch, with whom Smith has been playing phone tag.
Smith said his message to the players is simple.
“It’s going to be a culture change,” Smith said of that message. “There’s going to be a lot more structure both on and off the ice . . . discipline on and off the ice.
“The big thing is for guys to be in shape. I’m a stickler about conditioning. Make sure you come to camp in shape . . . it’s going to be hard.
“You’re going to learn good work habits right from Day 1. There will be a high learning curve with new systems and things . . . I don’t want to waste my time having to get guys into shape.”
Bonner and Storm head coach Ed Patterson met over lunch last week in a move aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two organizations.
“It makes no sense why we don’t have a relationship with them,” Bonner said. “It doesn’t have to be an affiliation, but we should be able to put players there. They aren’t competing with us . . . it’s a different product and they are the first to admit it . . . and we’re not competing with them.
“If we have some players we can affiliate there . . . if we need players fo practise . . . it makes so much sense to have a working relationship.
“I think it’s important and I don’t see anything negative in it.”
The Blazers had defenceman Josh Caron with the Storm last season. He was taken in the third round of the WHL’s 2006 bantam draft.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Bonner will be in Kelowna on Thursday as the Western Conference’s 10 teams gather for their scheduling meeting. . . . The Everett Silvertips have signed C Paul Van de Velde, 18, who was a third-round selection by the Blazers in the 2005 bantam draft. Van de Velde left the Blazer’s camp last year when he wasn’t able to obtain undisclosed guarantees from the team. From Mariapolis, Man., he played for the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines. He had 28 points in 29 games, but missed a number of games with a knee injury.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
Saturday . . . no joking!
Spent the evening with Batman and the Joker. What a terrific movie! I’m not a big fan of the outrageous concession prices (of course, if you don’t like them, don’t buy) or the pre-movie commercials but on this night I couldn’t begin to remember what the popcorn costs or what products were featured in the ads. All I know is that a full house burst into spontaneous applause at movie’s end and that’s something that doesn’t happen too often. . . . Believe everything you have seen and heard about Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. As my son, Todd, said on the way out: “If he doesn’t win an Oscar, there’ll be no need to watch them ever again.” . . . It is especially interesting to watch the Joker’s gruesome looking makeup job deteriorate with time, while he sinks deeper and deeper into his mental morass. . . . Even with the many levels of this movie, and with all of the messages involving right vs. wrong and good vs. evil, this is what going to a movie should be all about – escapism and entertainment. . . . And admit it: Every one of us has wished, at one time or another, that we could laugh like the Joker.
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THE COACHING GAME: Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Times reports that former NHLer Darren Rumble is to be introduced Tuesday as head coach of the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals. Rumble was on the Admirals’ staff under Steve Stirling last season and the team didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons. Stirling was reassigned to scouting by the parent Tampa Bay Lightning. Rumble played with Tampa Bay co-owner Len Barrie with the AHL’s Hershey Bears from 1990-92. Former WHLer Alan May (Brandon/Medicine Hat/New Westminster) will be Rumble’s assistant coach. . . . The OHL’s Soo Greyhounds have named Mike Stapleton and Nick Warriner as assistant coaches under new head coach Denny Lambert. Stapleton, a former NHL player, has been an assistant with the OHL’s Erie Otters the last two seasons. Warriner is a first-year coach, having spent the last three seasons playing in the Central league.
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Here’s a thought from columnist John Blanchette of the Spokane Spokesman-Review: “Spokane Chiefs captain Chris Bruton is getting his shot at pro hockey in a Calgary Flames camp, which is outstanding since he can’t live off his YouTube royalties.”
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THE COACHING GAME: Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Times reports that former NHLer Darren Rumble is to be introduced Tuesday as head coach of the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals. Rumble was on the Admirals’ staff under Steve Stirling last season and the team didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons. Stirling was reassigned to scouting by the parent Tampa Bay Lightning. Rumble played with Tampa Bay co-owner Len Barrie with the AHL’s Hershey Bears from 1990-92. Former WHLer Alan May (Brandon/Medicine Hat/New Westminster) will be Rumble’s assistant coach. . . . The OHL’s Soo Greyhounds have named Mike Stapleton and Nick Warriner as assistant coaches under new head coach Denny Lambert. Stapleton, a former NHL player, has been an assistant with the OHL’s Erie Otters the last two seasons. Warriner is a first-year coach, having spent the last three seasons playing in the Central league.
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Here’s a thought from columnist John Blanchette of the Spokane Spokesman-Review: “Spokane Chiefs captain Chris Bruton is getting his shot at pro hockey in a Calgary Flames camp, which is outstanding since he can’t live off his YouTube royalties.”
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday . . .
Took a bit of a break and toured into northern Washington this week. . . . Love traveling and seeing newspapers that I don’t normally get a chance to read. Best line I saw came from columnist John Blanchette of the Spokane Spokesman-Review: “Dana Torres has all my admiration, but when the Olympic Games give us a 41-year-old female gymnast, then I’ll be really impressed.” . . . You spend hockey season covering the Spokane Chiefs and their successful run to the Memorial Cup. So what do you do in the offseason? In the case of the Spokesman-Review’s Jessica Brown, you write about the Spokane Shock of arenafootball2. . . . Of course, traveling and doing the hotel thing means lots of XM Radio and lots of ESPN. Which means, after the last few days, that I hope Brett Favre never plays another down. I mean, geez, is there anyone in the United States who hasn’t voiced their opinion on Favre on TV or radio?
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THE MacBETH REPORT: While I was away, Garth MacBeth continued to keep both eyes glued to the European scene. Here’s what he has noticed over the last few days. . . . F Paul Deniset (Kamloops/Swift Current/Vancouver/Prince Albert) signed with the Belfast Giants (UK Elite Hockey League). He had 13 goals and 22 assists in 46 games with Bietigheim and Schwenningen (Germany 2. Bundesliga) last season. According to the Belfast press release announcing the signing, Deniset also will attend the University of Ulster to work on his Master’s degree while with the Giants. . . . F Curtis Brown (Moose Jaw/Prince Albert) signed with Kloten (Swiss NL A). He was with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks last season. . . . G Scott Langkow (Portland) signed with Krefeld (Germany DEL). He had a 3.16 GAA and .896 save percentage in 13 games last season for Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia Superliga). . . . G Kelly Guard (Kelowna) signed with Val Pusteria (Italy Serie A). He played with China Sharks (Asian Hockey League), Vienna Capitals (Austria Erste Bank League), and HC Gomel (Belarus) last season. . . . D Sergei Klimentiev (Medicine Hat) signed with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Continental Hockey League). He had three goals and 11 assists in 51 games with Avangard Omsk (Russia Superliga) last season. . . . F Ty Morris (Swift Current/Vancouver/Red Deer) signed with Miesbach (Germany Oberliga). He had two goals and eight assists in 21 games for Landsberg (Germany 2. Bundesliga) last season.
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Chilliwack Bruins have signed D Mitch Topping, the eighth overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. Topping, from Red Deer, had 44 points and 100 penalty minutes in 33 games with a bantam AAA team last season. . . . C Chris Bruton, the captain of the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs, will be in Calgary on Monday for the Flames’ development camp. Bruton, who has used up his WHL eligibility, will be one of 18 forwards in the camp. Also there will be Spokane C Mitch Wahl, who was Calgary’s second-round pick in the NHL’s 2008 draft. Bruton, an NHL free agent, had 63 points last season, while Wahl had 73. . . . Lethbridge F Zach Boychuk had surgery this week to repair a fractured wrist. The Carolina Hurricanes ordered up the surgery after taking a close look at Boychuk, whom they took 14th overall in the NHL’s 2008 draft. What this means is that Boychuk, who played through the playoffs despite the wonky wrist, will miss the Canadian national junior team’s summer camp, as well as NHL and WHL training camps. It also means he will be back with the Hurricanes for another season, barring a trade, of course.
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THE COACHING GAME: The Kamloops Blazers have fired Greg Hawgood, who finished last season as the team’s interim head coach. Hawgood, who spent five seasons playing for the Blazers, was named interim head coach after GM/head coach Dean Clark was fired on Nov. 7. Hawgood had one year left on his contract. . . . Under Hawgood, the Blazers went 21-32-1-1 and then were swept from the first round of the playoffs by the Tri-City Americans. All told, Kamloops lost 18 of its last 19 games. . . . Kamloops head coach Barry Smith also revealed that part-time assistant coach Steve Gainey won’t be back. Smith said the feeling he got from Gainey was that he might want to resume his playing career. . . . The Blazers hope to have a full-time assistant coach in place early next week. . . . No word yet on whether goaltending coach Steve Passmore will be back with the Blazers. . . . The Peterborough Examiner is reporting that former NHLer Ken McRae “will be introduced in the next week as the Peterborough Petes’ new head coach.” McRae, who played pro hockey for 11 seasons, spent the last six seasons coaching in the Central league with the Corpus Christi IceRayz and Indianapolis Ice. The Petes’ executive decided in May not to renew the contract of head coach Vince Malette. He was 52-75-0-9 in two seasons with the Petes.
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Interesting note in a Dwight Jaynes column in the Portland Tribune earlier this week:
“Too bad, Portland Winter Hawks fans. It appears that Jim Goldsmith and his group may yet get an offer for the team higher than the one former Coach Brent Peterson and his group of investors wants to make.
“Word on the street is that there are two other groups interested in buying the team and both may be prepared to offer more than the $4 million Peterson’s group wants to pay. I just hope the next owners know what they’re doing because paying any more than that for a junior hockey team in this town is courting financial disaster.”
I don’t have any idea who is involved or may be involved in the “two other groups” interested in purchasing the Winter Hawks. But I agree with Jaynes on the potential for financial disaster should someone pay more than $4 million for a franchise that is really, really struggling and appears on the verge of becoming irrelevant in its marketplace. . . . People shouldn’t hold up last summer’s sale of the Kamloops Blazers as the benchmark when it comes to placing a value on any WHL franchise. According to the minutes of the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society extra-ordinary general meeting held Jan. 28, the “net proceeds on sale are $6,133,249.” But there were special circumstances involved in the sale -- the franchise was community-owned (actually, it was owned by 280-plus shareholders) and was being privatized, and the group that purchased it really, really, really wanted it. You may recall that it all began early in the summer of 2006 when Vancouver-based businessman Tom Gaglardi and former Blazers stars Shane Doan, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor offered $6 million. That offer never even got to the shareholders, who voted that the society’s assets weren’t for sale. Gaglardi and Co., then known as River City Hockey Inc., added Jarome Iginla to the group and bought up enough shares to swing the vote in their favour, which is exactly what happened at a meeting in August 2007. And, in the end, the Blazers changed hands for something more than $6 million. But does that mean the Winter Hawks are worth as much? One wouldn’t think so, but time will tell.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: While I was away, Garth MacBeth continued to keep both eyes glued to the European scene. Here’s what he has noticed over the last few days. . . . F Paul Deniset (Kamloops/Swift Current/Vancouver/Prince Albert) signed with the Belfast Giants (UK Elite Hockey League). He had 13 goals and 22 assists in 46 games with Bietigheim and Schwenningen (Germany 2. Bundesliga) last season. According to the Belfast press release announcing the signing, Deniset also will attend the University of Ulster to work on his Master’s degree while with the Giants. . . . F Curtis Brown (Moose Jaw/Prince Albert) signed with Kloten (Swiss NL A). He was with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks last season. . . . G Scott Langkow (Portland) signed with Krefeld (Germany DEL). He had a 3.16 GAA and .896 save percentage in 13 games last season for Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia Superliga). . . . G Kelly Guard (Kelowna) signed with Val Pusteria (Italy Serie A). He played with China Sharks (Asian Hockey League), Vienna Capitals (Austria Erste Bank League), and HC Gomel (Belarus) last season. . . . D Sergei Klimentiev (Medicine Hat) signed with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Continental Hockey League). He had three goals and 11 assists in 51 games with Avangard Omsk (Russia Superliga) last season. . . . F Ty Morris (Swift Current/Vancouver/Red Deer) signed with Miesbach (Germany Oberliga). He had two goals and eight assists in 21 games for Landsberg (Germany 2. Bundesliga) last season.
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS: The Chilliwack Bruins have signed D Mitch Topping, the eighth overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. Topping, from Red Deer, had 44 points and 100 penalty minutes in 33 games with a bantam AAA team last season. . . . C Chris Bruton, the captain of the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs, will be in Calgary on Monday for the Flames’ development camp. Bruton, who has used up his WHL eligibility, will be one of 18 forwards in the camp. Also there will be Spokane C Mitch Wahl, who was Calgary’s second-round pick in the NHL’s 2008 draft. Bruton, an NHL free agent, had 63 points last season, while Wahl had 73. . . . Lethbridge F Zach Boychuk had surgery this week to repair a fractured wrist. The Carolina Hurricanes ordered up the surgery after taking a close look at Boychuk, whom they took 14th overall in the NHL’s 2008 draft. What this means is that Boychuk, who played through the playoffs despite the wonky wrist, will miss the Canadian national junior team’s summer camp, as well as NHL and WHL training camps. It also means he will be back with the Hurricanes for another season, barring a trade, of course.
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THE COACHING GAME: The Kamloops Blazers have fired Greg Hawgood, who finished last season as the team’s interim head coach. Hawgood, who spent five seasons playing for the Blazers, was named interim head coach after GM/head coach Dean Clark was fired on Nov. 7. Hawgood had one year left on his contract. . . . Under Hawgood, the Blazers went 21-32-1-1 and then were swept from the first round of the playoffs by the Tri-City Americans. All told, Kamloops lost 18 of its last 19 games. . . . Kamloops head coach Barry Smith also revealed that part-time assistant coach Steve Gainey won’t be back. Smith said the feeling he got from Gainey was that he might want to resume his playing career. . . . The Blazers hope to have a full-time assistant coach in place early next week. . . . No word yet on whether goaltending coach Steve Passmore will be back with the Blazers. . . . The Peterborough Examiner is reporting that former NHLer Ken McRae “will be introduced in the next week as the Peterborough Petes’ new head coach.” McRae, who played pro hockey for 11 seasons, spent the last six seasons coaching in the Central league with the Corpus Christi IceRayz and Indianapolis Ice. The Petes’ executive decided in May not to renew the contract of head coach Vince Malette. He was 52-75-0-9 in two seasons with the Petes.
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Interesting note in a Dwight Jaynes column in the Portland Tribune earlier this week:
“Too bad, Portland Winter Hawks fans. It appears that Jim Goldsmith and his group may yet get an offer for the team higher than the one former Coach Brent Peterson and his group of investors wants to make.
“Word on the street is that there are two other groups interested in buying the team and both may be prepared to offer more than the $4 million Peterson’s group wants to pay. I just hope the next owners know what they’re doing because paying any more than that for a junior hockey team in this town is courting financial disaster.”
I don’t have any idea who is involved or may be involved in the “two other groups” interested in purchasing the Winter Hawks. But I agree with Jaynes on the potential for financial disaster should someone pay more than $4 million for a franchise that is really, really struggling and appears on the verge of becoming irrelevant in its marketplace. . . . People shouldn’t hold up last summer’s sale of the Kamloops Blazers as the benchmark when it comes to placing a value on any WHL franchise. According to the minutes of the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society extra-ordinary general meeting held Jan. 28, the “net proceeds on sale are $6,133,249.” But there were special circumstances involved in the sale -- the franchise was community-owned (actually, it was owned by 280-plus shareholders) and was being privatized, and the group that purchased it really, really, really wanted it. You may recall that it all began early in the summer of 2006 when Vancouver-based businessman Tom Gaglardi and former Blazers stars Shane Doan, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor offered $6 million. That offer never even got to the shareholders, who voted that the society’s assets weren’t for sale. Gaglardi and Co., then known as River City Hockey Inc., added Jarome Iginla to the group and bought up enough shares to swing the vote in their favour, which is exactly what happened at a meeting in August 2007. And, in the end, the Blazers changed hands for something more than $6 million. But does that mean the Winter Hawks are worth as much? One wouldn’t think so, but time will tell.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
More from Tuesday . . .
If you’re a WHL fan, a document that is in circulation on the Internet provides a brief but interesting glimpse of the coaching game. The document is the lawsuit – for breach of contract, promissory estoppel and wage claim – filed by former Portland Winter Hawks head coach Mike Williamson against the Portland Winter Hawks, Inc. The lawsuit was filed May 16 in circuit court in Multnomah County.
Williamson had been with the Winter Hawks, in various roles, since the summer of 1991 when his contract wasn’t renewed last summer. He was on a two-year contract that expired June 30, 2007. Williamson claims agreement was reached June 27, 2007, on a one-year deal that, were certain conditions reached, could have grown into a two- or three-year deal.
According to the lawsuit, Williamson, thinking agreement had been reached, “worked for Defendant starting July 1, 2007, until his employment was terminated effective July 17, 2007. Defendant’s termination of Plaintiff’s employment after 17 days of employment was breach of the employment contract, which guaranteed Plaintiff’s first year of employment.
“As a result of Defendant’s breach of the employment contract Plaintiff suffered economic loss in the sum of $80,000, less payments received of $8,499.99, for lost wages; $9,779.40 for health insurance not provided, less $1,629.90 paid by Defendant; and the value of internet service at home which is alleged to have a yearly value of $680; plus prejudgment interest at the legal rate of nine per cent per annum from July 17, 2007.”
The most-interesting document in the lawsuit is what appears to be an e-mail sent by Jack Donovan, one of the Winter Hawks owners who also is governor and president, to himself. Printed at the top is: Business terms to be incorporated in employment contract.
Five type-written paragraphs follow:
“First year guaranteed.
“A fourth-place finish in the conference or a first-round advance triggers a second year, guarantee automatically.
“A first-place finish in the division and/or a second in conference triggers a third-year guarantee and an additional bonus ($4,000 for first or $2,000 for second in conference standings).
”If we get control of the MC, all playoff bonuses will be $4,000 per round.
“Regular playoff bonus structure for the playoffs shall be $2,000 for the first round and $4,000 for all other rounds and winning the Memorial Cup.”
And then there are six paragraphs printed in ink, each prefaced by an asterisk:
*Base contract is 80k per annum for all years.
*Health Ins.
*PPS of company puts one in play.
*Internet connection in home.
*Plus above guarantee and bonuses.
*If team moves contract is cancelable by employee – by notice to employer after completion of season.
---
That last page is initialed by Williamson and co-owner/CEO Jim Goldsmith, with both men having dated it June 27, 2007.
--------
Indications are that a standard contract never was drawn up so Williamson’s lawsuit may rest on the strength of that last page as a legal document. . . . It will be interesting to see what happens if this ever reaches the inside of a courtroom. But for an interested observer, perhaps the most interesting part of it all is the very last line – “If the team moves contract is cancelable . . . “ . . . Does that mean the owners, who already had dumped a lot of their front-office staff in a cost-cutting move, were thinking of (a) moving the franchise, (b) selling the franchise to someone who was prepared to move it, or (c) simply covering all their options?
--------
THE COACHING/SCOUTING GAME: A reader sends along a note about a coaching hire that I missed. Colin O’Hara, who played in the WHL with Swift Current and Medicine Hat (1995-97) is the new GM/head coach of the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. O’Hara, 31, spent last season as an assistant coach under Mark Ferner with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. O’Hara actually left the Vipers for an assistant-coaching position with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers but then moved on to Nipawin. . . .
--------
Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay News-Advertiser broke the news early in the week that the Cranbrook-based Kootenay Ice has invoked the attendance clause in its lease with the city, which now controls the Rec Plex. The Ice is eight years into a 15-year lease. Under the clause, the Ice can get out of its lease if attendance falls below 2,800 for two consecutive seasons. Last season, including playoffs, Bromley writes that “reports have put the actual paid attendance for last season at 2770 per game, including playoffs.” . . . Of course, none of this means the Ice is on the way out of Dodge; it just means Ice general manager Jeff Chynoweth is keeping the franchise’s options open. But, in talking with Bromley, Chynoweth sounds a little more frustrated and serious than at any time in the recent past. "It's a big concern to us," Chynoweth said. "We're down 11 per cent the last two seasons and that's after a 49-win season and a 42-win season. If you're down that much and you're winning, what does that say when we have an off-year?
Everyone knows that junior hockey is a cyclical business and we're
all going to have off years at one time or another. Fortunately, we
haven't had that yet during our 10 years in Cranbrook. We think we have 2,500-2,600 of the best fans in the entire CHL; unfortunately, it's not enough to make a go of it." . . . So let the speculation begin. . . . Victoria. . . . Nanaimo. . . . How about Salem, Oregon? . . . Actually, the Ice and the city of Cranbrook are in lease negotiations now. "We've had some good conversation,” Chynoweth told Bromley. “Hopefully, we'll have something at the end of the summer that we can announce that will work for both parties."
--------
If you haven’t yet read Phil Taylor’s column on Page 144 of the July 14-21 issue of Sports Illustrated, you owe it to yourself to give it a look. Nothing I have read lately sums up the state of sports, all sports, moreso than this column, which carries this headline: The Day Cool Died. . . . And, no, it has nothing to do with Wynton Marsalis or Charlie Parker. . . .
--------
And if you’re really looking for a chuckle, check out this blog where it’s pointed out that the NHL is experiencing a shortage of Dicks.
Williamson had been with the Winter Hawks, in various roles, since the summer of 1991 when his contract wasn’t renewed last summer. He was on a two-year contract that expired June 30, 2007. Williamson claims agreement was reached June 27, 2007, on a one-year deal that, were certain conditions reached, could have grown into a two- or three-year deal.
According to the lawsuit, Williamson, thinking agreement had been reached, “worked for Defendant starting July 1, 2007, until his employment was terminated effective July 17, 2007. Defendant’s termination of Plaintiff’s employment after 17 days of employment was breach of the employment contract, which guaranteed Plaintiff’s first year of employment.
“As a result of Defendant’s breach of the employment contract Plaintiff suffered economic loss in the sum of $80,000, less payments received of $8,499.99, for lost wages; $9,779.40 for health insurance not provided, less $1,629.90 paid by Defendant; and the value of internet service at home which is alleged to have a yearly value of $680; plus prejudgment interest at the legal rate of nine per cent per annum from July 17, 2007.”
The most-interesting document in the lawsuit is what appears to be an e-mail sent by Jack Donovan, one of the Winter Hawks owners who also is governor and president, to himself. Printed at the top is: Business terms to be incorporated in employment contract.
Five type-written paragraphs follow:
“First year guaranteed.
“A fourth-place finish in the conference or a first-round advance triggers a second year, guarantee automatically.
“A first-place finish in the division and/or a second in conference triggers a third-year guarantee and an additional bonus ($4,000 for first or $2,000 for second in conference standings).
”If we get control of the MC, all playoff bonuses will be $4,000 per round.
“Regular playoff bonus structure for the playoffs shall be $2,000 for the first round and $4,000 for all other rounds and winning the Memorial Cup.”
And then there are six paragraphs printed in ink, each prefaced by an asterisk:
*Base contract is 80k per annum for all years.
*Health Ins.
*PPS of company puts one in play.
*Internet connection in home.
*Plus above guarantee and bonuses.
*If team moves contract is cancelable by employee – by notice to employer after completion of season.
---
That last page is initialed by Williamson and co-owner/CEO Jim Goldsmith, with both men having dated it June 27, 2007.
--------
Indications are that a standard contract never was drawn up so Williamson’s lawsuit may rest on the strength of that last page as a legal document. . . . It will be interesting to see what happens if this ever reaches the inside of a courtroom. But for an interested observer, perhaps the most interesting part of it all is the very last line – “If the team moves contract is cancelable . . . “ . . . Does that mean the owners, who already had dumped a lot of their front-office staff in a cost-cutting move, were thinking of (a) moving the franchise, (b) selling the franchise to someone who was prepared to move it, or (c) simply covering all their options?
--------
THE COACHING/SCOUTING GAME: A reader sends along a note about a coaching hire that I missed. Colin O’Hara, who played in the WHL with Swift Current and Medicine Hat (1995-97) is the new GM/head coach of the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. O’Hara, 31, spent last season as an assistant coach under Mark Ferner with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. O’Hara actually left the Vipers for an assistant-coaching position with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers but then moved on to Nipawin. . . .
--------
Jeff Bromley of the Kootenay News-Advertiser broke the news early in the week that the Cranbrook-based Kootenay Ice has invoked the attendance clause in its lease with the city, which now controls the Rec Plex. The Ice is eight years into a 15-year lease. Under the clause, the Ice can get out of its lease if attendance falls below 2,800 for two consecutive seasons. Last season, including playoffs, Bromley writes that “reports have put the actual paid attendance for last season at 2770 per game, including playoffs.” . . . Of course, none of this means the Ice is on the way out of Dodge; it just means Ice general manager Jeff Chynoweth is keeping the franchise’s options open. But, in talking with Bromley, Chynoweth sounds a little more frustrated and serious than at any time in the recent past. "It's a big concern to us," Chynoweth said. "We're down 11 per cent the last two seasons and that's after a 49-win season and a 42-win season. If you're down that much and you're winning, what does that say when we have an off-year?
Everyone knows that junior hockey is a cyclical business and we're
all going to have off years at one time or another. Fortunately, we
haven't had that yet during our 10 years in Cranbrook. We think we have 2,500-2,600 of the best fans in the entire CHL; unfortunately, it's not enough to make a go of it." . . . So let the speculation begin. . . . Victoria. . . . Nanaimo. . . . How about Salem, Oregon? . . . Actually, the Ice and the city of Cranbrook are in lease negotiations now. "We've had some good conversation,” Chynoweth told Bromley. “Hopefully, we'll have something at the end of the summer that we can announce that will work for both parties."
--------
If you haven’t yet read Phil Taylor’s column on Page 144 of the July 14-21 issue of Sports Illustrated, you owe it to yourself to give it a look. Nothing I have read lately sums up the state of sports, all sports, moreso than this column, which carries this headline: The Day Cool Died. . . . And, no, it has nothing to do with Wynton Marsalis or Charlie Parker. . . .
--------
And if you’re really looking for a chuckle, check out this blog where it’s pointed out that the NHL is experiencing a shortage of Dicks.
Tuesday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: D A.J. Thelan (Prince Albert/Vancouver) signed a tryout contract with Salzburg (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He was with Texas (ECHL) last season. The tryout runs through mid-September. . . . D Bryce Lampman (Kamloops) signed with Khabarovsk (Continental Hockey League). He was with Norfolk (AHL) and Iowa (AHL) last season. . . . F Shaun Sutter (Lethbridge/Medicine Hat/Calgary) signed with Lausitzer Fusche Weisswasser (Germany 2. Bundesliga). He had 31 goals and 19 assists in 51 games with Belfast (UK Elite Hockey League) last season. . . . D Steve McCarthy (Edmonton/Kootenay) signed with Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Continental Hockey League). He was with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers last season.
F Owen Fussey (Calgary/Moose Jaw) signed with Fassa (Italy Serie A). He was with Columbia (ECHL) and also got into four games with Hershey (AHL) last season. . . . F Josh Olson (Portland) signed with Bolzano (Italy Serie A). He had 27 goals and 30 assists in 38 games with Ritten/Renoin (Italy Serie A) last season. . . . D Mike Siklenka (Seattle) signed with Salzburg (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had nine goals and 14 assists in 43 games with Lukko Rauma (Finland SM-Liiga) last season. . . . D Wade Davis (Calgary/Kamloops) signed with HYS The Hague (Netherlands). He played at University of Calgary the past four seasons.
F Matt Hubbauer (Regina) signed a tryout contract with EHC Freiburg (Germany 2. Bundesliga) through the end of September. He had 21 goals and 21 assists in 41 games with Moskitos Essen (Germany 2. Bundesliga) last season. . . . F Tim Krauss (Vancouver/Regina) signed with EV Fussen (Germany Oberliga) after finishing his WHL career with Regina last season. . . . D Patrik Magnusson (Prince George) signed a one-year contract with Almtuna (Sweden Allsvenskan).
--------
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Joey Kenward, the radio voice of the Vancouver Giants for the last five seasons, is going to The Show. Kenward, 30, will be one of three radio voices of the Vancouver Canucks on the Team 1040 next season. John Shorthouse, who has been the sole play-by-play voice of the Canucks, will be calling their games on Rogers Sportsnet but will do games on radio that aren’t on TV. Rick Ball, who calls B.C. Lions games on radio, will handle Canucks’ home games on radio, with Kenward handling the road games. . . . Got that? . . . Here's a recap. . . . Games not on TV, listeners get Shorthouse. Home games that are on TV, it’s Ball. Road games on TV, it’s Kenward on the radio. . . . So that's three voices to do what one voice once did. Only in radio, kiddies, only in radio . . .
F Owen Fussey (Calgary/Moose Jaw) signed with Fassa (Italy Serie A). He was with Columbia (ECHL) and also got into four games with Hershey (AHL) last season. . . . F Josh Olson (Portland) signed with Bolzano (Italy Serie A). He had 27 goals and 30 assists in 38 games with Ritten/Renoin (Italy Serie A) last season. . . . D Mike Siklenka (Seattle) signed with Salzburg (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had nine goals and 14 assists in 43 games with Lukko Rauma (Finland SM-Liiga) last season. . . . D Wade Davis (Calgary/Kamloops) signed with HYS The Hague (Netherlands). He played at University of Calgary the past four seasons.
F Matt Hubbauer (Regina) signed a tryout contract with EHC Freiburg (Germany 2. Bundesliga) through the end of September. He had 21 goals and 21 assists in 41 games with Moskitos Essen (Germany 2. Bundesliga) last season. . . . F Tim Krauss (Vancouver/Regina) signed with EV Fussen (Germany Oberliga) after finishing his WHL career with Regina last season. . . . D Patrik Magnusson (Prince George) signed a one-year contract with Almtuna (Sweden Allsvenskan).
--------
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Joey Kenward, the radio voice of the Vancouver Giants for the last five seasons, is going to The Show. Kenward, 30, will be one of three radio voices of the Vancouver Canucks on the Team 1040 next season. John Shorthouse, who has been the sole play-by-play voice of the Canucks, will be calling their games on Rogers Sportsnet but will do games on radio that aren’t on TV. Rick Ball, who calls B.C. Lions games on radio, will handle Canucks’ home games on radio, with Kenward handling the road games. . . . Got that? . . . Here's a recap. . . . Games not on TV, listeners get Shorthouse. Home games that are on TV, it’s Ball. Road games on TV, it’s Kenward on the radio. . . . So that's three voices to do what one voice once did. Only in radio, kiddies, only in radio . . .
Monday . . .
THE COACHING/SCOUTING GAME: If there ever was any doubt, there isn’t now. Marc Habscheid has tossed his hat into the ring. Rob Vanstone reports in the Regina Leader-Post that Habscheid is interested in the Regina Pats’ vacant head-coaching job. You can read all about it right here. . . . Pats GM Brent Parker is getting ready to being his first round of interviews and you’ve got to think he’ll talk with Habscheid and Dale Derkatch, perhaps Dean Clark and maybe Steve Young. Habscheid is unemployed at present; Derkatch is at the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask.; Clark, one of the winningest coaches in WHL history, is with the Mike Priestner Automotive Group in the Edmonton area; and, Young is an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders who has WHL head-coaching experience with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Young apparently has an out in his contract that expires July 31. . . . What makes all of this even more interesting is the speculation that Diane and Russ Parker, who own the Pats, are starting to think about selling the franchise – maybe not today, but certainly at some point in the not-too-distant future. To date, most of the speculation has centred on the intentions of ex-Pats stars Jamie Heward and Mike Sillinger and their desire to own the franchise. . . . While Derkatch may be the favourite to get the coaching position, it would be something of a coup for the Parkers to sign Habscheid as head coach. However, one source has said that in order to land Habscheid, the Parkers may have to give him first option on purchasing the franchise should they decide to sell by a specified date. . . . No matter how you look at it, it’s interesting. Very interesting.
Jason Brooks is the new head coach of the OHL's Guelph Storm replacing Dave Barr, who now is an assistant coach with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Brooks has spent seven season with the Storm, mostly as an assistant coach. Last season, he was the associate coach and assistant GM. . . . Paul Fixter has joined the OHL's Kitchener Rangers as associate coach and assistant GM under Steve Spott, the team's new GM and head coach. Spott moved up after Peter DeBoer joined the NHL's Florida Panthers as head coach. Fixter, who was an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche for six seasons and has two Stanley Cup rings, spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Central league's Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.
Oh, and one more thing. . . . The New York Islanders didn't make the NHL playoffs, meaning their season has been over for a long, long time. And it takes management until July 14 to decide there are unrepairable philosophical differences between the general manager and the head coach? Now that's dysfunctional! . . . I am suggesting that perhaps Alexei Yashin could come back as a playing head coach. . . . You have to wonder about the future of Ted Nolan's NHL coaching career, though. After all, this isn't the first time he couldn't see eye-to-eye with an NHL general manager and it cost him a job. . . . Hmmm! How about Ted Nolan as the next head coach of the Regina Pats. Actually, Brent Parker and Nolan once talked about exactly that -- but it was about eight years ago and Parker ended up hiring Lorne Molleken instead.
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Clare Rothermel, a veteran of the scouting game, died July 1 in Pemberton, B.C. Rothermel, who was 85, worked out of Regina for 25 years as he scouted for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. His obituary is here.
Jason Brooks is the new head coach of the OHL's Guelph Storm replacing Dave Barr, who now is an assistant coach with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Brooks has spent seven season with the Storm, mostly as an assistant coach. Last season, he was the associate coach and assistant GM. . . . Paul Fixter has joined the OHL's Kitchener Rangers as associate coach and assistant GM under Steve Spott, the team's new GM and head coach. Spott moved up after Peter DeBoer joined the NHL's Florida Panthers as head coach. Fixter, who was an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche for six seasons and has two Stanley Cup rings, spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Central league's Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.
Oh, and one more thing. . . . The New York Islanders didn't make the NHL playoffs, meaning their season has been over for a long, long time. And it takes management until July 14 to decide there are unrepairable philosophical differences between the general manager and the head coach? Now that's dysfunctional! . . . I am suggesting that perhaps Alexei Yashin could come back as a playing head coach. . . . You have to wonder about the future of Ted Nolan's NHL coaching career, though. After all, this isn't the first time he couldn't see eye-to-eye with an NHL general manager and it cost him a job. . . . Hmmm! How about Ted Nolan as the next head coach of the Regina Pats. Actually, Brent Parker and Nolan once talked about exactly that -- but it was about eight years ago and Parker ended up hiring Lorne Molleken instead.
--------
Clare Rothermel, a veteran of the scouting game, died July 1 in Pemberton, B.C. Rothermel, who was 85, worked out of Regina for 25 years as he scouted for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. His obituary is here.
Friday, July 11, 2008
More from Friday . . .
THE COACHING/SCOUTING GAME: For a complete update on what’s happening with the Regina Pats, check out the Regina Leader-Post’s superb coverage. It’s right here. . . . The package includes a piece on just who is the leading candidate to be their next head coach (hint: he’s a former WHL scoring champion) and an update on the health of general manager Brent Parker. . . . As was speculated in this space a while back, Brad McEwan is the new head scout for the Medicine Hat Tigers. He replaces Bill McLellan, who is looking to lessen his workload. McLellan is the father of San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. McEwan is a former GM and head coach with the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Former NHL defenceman Brian Curran, who played in the WHL with the Portland Winter Hawks, is the new GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. He replaces Kevin Higo who left for an assistant coaching position with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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