Monday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: D Brandon Smith (Portland, 1989-94) signed a one-year contract with Straubing (Germany DEL). He had one goal and five assists in 17 games for Eisbären Berlin (Germany DEL) last season.
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When Portland G Ian Curtis blanked the host Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent on Saturday, it marked the second time in Winterhawks’ history that they had opened a regular-season with a shutout. The last time? On Sept. 28, 1978, the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Breakers, 5-0.
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The Winterhawks have won six straight games now and, yes, five of them were exhibition games. More impressive than winning six in a row, then, is the fact that they have scored at least five times in each of their last five games.
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Portland plays the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday and then returns home to meet the Thunderbirds on Saturday. The Winterhawks have won 20 of their 32 home-openers.
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Andrew Walker, over there at the Red Deer Scene, reports that Rebels ace Landon Ferraro isn’t as seriously injured as was first believed. Ferraro suffered a knee injury when he was cross-checked in a Saturday night game. He had an MRI on Monday and, according to Walker, it “showed that it's barely injured at all.” . . . In fact, there’s a chance Ferraro could play Friday against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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The Saskatoon Blades have welcomed back two players from NHL camps. F Milan Kytnar returned from the Edmonton Oilers and D Jyri Niemi is back from the New York Islanders who, of course, held camp in Saskatoon. . . . The Blades’ roster is at 27, including nine defencemen and 16 forwards. . . . Complicating matters is the fact that Kytnar is a two-spotter — a 20-year-old import.
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F Jason Beeman (Tri-City, 20001-05) has signed with the Central league’s Arizona Sundogs, who play out of Prescott Valley. Beeman, who is from Los Angeles, played in the ECHL, with the Long Beach Ice Dogs, Texas Wildcatters, Stockton Thunder and Mississippi Sea Wolves, after leaving Tri-City.
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F Tyler Fiddler of the Calgary Hitmen is the season’s first Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had five points, four of them goals, in two games. Fiddler scored three goals in 64 games last season; in his first game this season, he struck for three goals in less than nine minutes. . . . Ian Curtis of the Portland Winterhawks has been nominated as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He posted his first career shutout in beating the host Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent on Saturday.
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F Scott Glennie has been returned to the Brandon Wheat Kings by the Dallas Stars. Glennie hasn’t been on the ice of late as he ended up with a groin injury that he has been rehabbing with the Dallas medical staff.
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The Spokane Chiefs, who are into their 25th anniversary season, stage their home-opener on Saturday. The Tri-City Americans will provide the opposition for the 18th time in the last 20 openers.
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The Americans have assigned G Joel Danyluk, 19, to the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. Danyluk is from Yorkton. . . . The move leaves the Americans with the two goaltenders who backed up the departed Chet Pickard for all of last season — Brett Martyniuk and Drew Owsley, both of whom are 18.
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So . . . how are things in Lethbridge where the Hurricanes have started an eight-game season-opening road trip with two losses, by scores of 8-1 and 7-3?
Well, here’s how Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald started his story that appears in Tuesday’s newspaper:
“Lethbridge Hurricanes players must have been amazed to see Adams Ice Arena still standing Monday morning, as they gathered for practice.
“They must have gawked in utter disbelief that the High Level Bridge had not collapsed, that Lethbridge Centre Tower was not a steel husk and and that Lethbridge itself was not destroyed, leaving the scattered remains of a once-proud city. Bodies, covered in ash like some modern-day Pompeii were not strewn through the coulees.
“Surely the Hurricanes realized that after 8-1 and 7-3 losses to open the Western Hockey League season on the weekend, they would be facing a post-apocalyptic wasteland?”
Read Purcell’s story right here.
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And now for a terrific story . . .
Through the magic of email I often hear from WHL fans who are located around the globe. I have heard more than once or twice from a gentleman, who is an avid WHL fan and whose nine-year-old son is even more of a WHL fan.
The other day, the father wrote to tell me how much the WHL and its players mean to his son . . .
“My son has autism and he’s absolutely fascinated with the WHL.
“Every summer we go to Everett to attend all nine games of the Everett tournament over the three days . . . and he would stay for nine more if he could.
“My son meets some amazing people down there each summer. He has a particular fascination with goaltenders so he knows where they all played, where they were born, their stats . . . I swear he knows what their weight was at birth.
“The players are all very accommodating to him and we’ve yet to encounter any ‘attitudes’ from any of the players that he has met. . . . absolutely first-class individuals ranging from coaches to players and support staff.
“Really all he wants to do is say hi, shake their hand and get a picture with some of his favourites.”
And then Dad added a little story from this year’s tournament . . .
“There must be close to 200 players milling around in the concourse area at varying times over the three days and they all pretty much wear the same suit . . . have the same haircut.
“He was able to pick (Tri-City goaltenders) Brett Martyniuk and Drew Owsley out of the crowd of people in the concourse. I know they’re goalies and I couldn’t pick them out of a crowd, but he sure did.
“And they were accommodating. These are good people.”