Saturday . . . early

The soccer situation in Portland, in which Memorial Coliseum found itself mired, got some pub from si.com on Friday. I don’t know but it sure sounds to me as though this is a bigger mess than anything we ever witnessed in Moose Jaw. Anyway, the si.com piece is right here.
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The MJHL’s Dauphin Kings, the host team for the 2010 Royal Bank Cup, have added F Colton Graf, 19, to their roster. Graf, who has WHL experience with the Chilliwack Bruins, was acquired from the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars for D Koltyn Miller, 18, who was released by the Regina Pats during training camp.
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D Tyler Schmidt of the Tri-City Americans has spoken out about the new rules involving fighting and helmets.
"I don't agree with the rule," Schmidt, who had 10 fights last season, told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. "It's taking way from the game and how it has always been. The amount of broken hands will go up. They are slowly taking fighting out of the game. You have to stick up for each other -- you can't let players take advantage of your team."
Why do I get the feeling that Schmidt is echoing the feelings of the vast majority of players?
Hmmm! I wonder if anyone thought to ask the players what they thought before the decision was made to make the rulebook even thicker?
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D Colby Robak has been returned to the Brandon Wheat Kings by the NHL’s Florida Panthers and will play against the host Regina Pats on Saturday night if at all possible. Robak, a second-round pick of the Panthers in the 2008 NHL draft, is going into his fourth WHL season. He played for the Panthers in a 4-0 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton on Friday so it’s a quick trip for Regina so that he can play tonight.
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The time has come for the WHL to do something with the dreadful way in which it reports transactions on its website. If you visit that website (www.whl.ca) and click on NEWS, you will get a drop-down menu that includes WHL transactions. Click on there and you will get a list of the season’s transactions. Which is where you find things like this:
09/17/2009 Garrett Thiessen (D) Edmonton DEL Traded to Prince George
09/17/2009 Garrett Thiessen (D) Prince George ADD Signed to
09/17/2009 Garrett Thiessen (D) Prince George Deleted
09/17/2009 Garrett Thiessen (D) Prince George ADD Signed to
Got it? Good. Maybe you can explain what it all means.
Why can’t the WHL simply adopt the Associated Press transactions style?
EDMONTON OIL KINGS—Traded D Garrett Thiessen to Prince George Cougars for ?????.
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS—Signed D Garrett Thiessen.