Thursday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge) signsed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk (KHL). He had 22 goals and 38 assists in 45 games with Genève-Servette (Swiss NL A) this season.
———
An apology to Mark Holick, the head coach of the Kootenay Ice, who was named an assistant coach with Canada’s under-18 team that will play at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in August. I referred to Mark as Jeff here on Wednesday; Jeff, of course, is the radio voice of the Ice.
———
THE COACHING GAME: On Wednesday, Darryl Porter, the governor and interim GM of the Chilliwack Bruins, told Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress that he had three candidates remaining on a list of potential head-coaching candidates . . . . That same day, Vancouver radio station CKNW reported that there are four names on the Bruins’ shortlist. . . . According to CKNW, the candidates are Gord Dineen, a member of one of hockey’s first families who coached the AHL’s Iowa Chops this season; former Regina Pats head coach Curtis Hunt, who is head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators; former Kelowna Rockets head coach Marc Habscheid; and, Perry Pearn, who was on head coach Tom Renney’s staff with the New York Rangers until the axe fell during this season. . . . The Chops are the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, whose GM was Brian Burke when Dineen was hired. Burke owns a chunk of the Bruins. . . . Glen Sather, the Rangers’ president and GM, also is part of the ownership group and obviously is quite familiar with Pearn. . . . It is interesting to hear Hunt’s name mentioned in regards to Chilliwack because he continues to be the leading candidate to take over as the Pats’ head coach. Hunt left last summer to be an assistant under head coach Craig Hartsburg with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. When Hartsburg was fired in midseason, former Kootenay Ice head coach Cory Clouston was promoted from Binghamton, and Hunt was assigned to Binghamton. . . . The Bruins, of course, fired GM Darrell May in January and head coach Jim Hiller after the season.
———
THE COACHING GAME, Part 2: Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post is reporting that the Pats’ short list of potential head coaches is down to two — former Pats head coach Curtis Hunt and Michael Dyck, who was told earlier this month that his contract as head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes won’t be renewed. The Pats are looking to replace Dale Derkatch, who was fired May 5 after one year as head coach. . . . It is interesting that Hunt, who has a job as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, is reported to be on the short list of two WHL teams. . . . Former Kelowna Rockets head coach Jeff Truitt, who is available after being fired as head coach of the AHL’s Springfield Falcons this season, also talked with the Pats, but no longer is a candidate there. “You hear that Curtis is coming back,” Truitt told Harder. “That’s just what I’ve heard and it’s probably a good choice. There’s familiarity there.”
———
JUST NOTES: The Swift Current Broncos have promoted assistant GM Sheldon Ferguson. Now he also is the director of hockey operations. Ferguson, a veteran hockey man who spent 12 years with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, joined the Broncos in February after Elden Moberg left the organization. At the same time, the Broncos promoted Jordan Wall, the director of marketing for the last two years, to director of business operations. . . . Former WHL D Marc Hussey has signed on as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Gerard Gallant, the team’s new head coach, also added former NHLer Yvon Vautour to his coaching staff. Hussey played with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Tri-City Americans and Medicine Hat Tigers (1990-94) before going on to a pro career that included time in Europe. He has been coaching a midget AAA team in Saint John for the past two seasons. . . . Victor Gervais, 40, is the new head coach of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Gervais, who played five seasons with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds (1985-90), replaces Geoff Courtnall, who walked away from the job after the Grizzlies were the host team for the Royal Bank Cup. . . . F Dwight King of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. King was the 109th selection in the NHL’s 2007 draft. King just completed his 19-year-old season with Lethbridge, rolling up 60 points in 64 games. He is the younger brother of St. Louis Blues prospect D.J. King, who played with Lethbridge and the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Portland Winter Hawks issued a press release on Thursday that deals with ticket prices. That release is right here. According to the release, they plan on playing about 18 games in the Rose Garden next season.
———
THE MEMORIAL CUP: The host Rimouski Oceanic became the first team eliminated at the Memorial Cup when it lost a tiebreaker 6-4 to the Windsor Spitfires on Thursday. . . . Windsor, the OHL-champion, will play the QMJHL-champion Drummondville Voltigeurs in the semifinal game Friday. . . . The winner of that game will meet the Kelowna Rockets in Sunday’s final. . . . This was Windsor’s second straight victory in a win-or-go-home game. . . . The Spitfires actually trailed 4-2 going into the third period when they scored four times. The first three of those goals were scored by F Dale Mitchell. He scored three times in three minutes 33 seconds. A Memorial Cup record? No. That record belongs to Joe Contini of the Hamilton Fincups. He did it in 1:12 in an 8-4 victory over the New Westminster Bruins on May 12, 1976, in the Montreal Forum. Contini also holds the record for fastest two goals — eight seconds.