Thursday . . .

OK. Here we go. . . . I haven’t complained about the loser point since the end of last season. At least, I don’t think I have. . . . But, and let’s be honest here, it’s the stupidest thing in sport. The CFL’s single point doesn’t even come close to this; neither does anything else. . . . Consider: The Vancouver Giants will play the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday night. Over the last five seasons, the Blazers are 8-9-1-0 at home against the Giants. Or, if you’re a Giants’ fan, Vancouver is 10-5-0-3 in those same games. . . . Isn’t that wonderful?
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And here’s another one. . . . Over the last five seasons, Kamloops and the Portland Winterhawks are each better than .500 against each other. . . . Kamloops is 10-7-1-2, while Portland is 10-9-1-0.
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Here’s a hockey-related game of sorts that will provide you with a chuckle or two. Or raise your blood pressure. Check it out right here.
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Curtis Hunt, the head coach of the Regina Pats, has been fined $500 by the WHL after he was tossed from Wednesday night’s 9-3 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. Referee Derek Zalaski gave Hunt the ol’ heave-ho at 7:06 of the third period. Hunt got thrown out after he threw a water bottle onto the ice. He was upset about what he felt was a hit from behind by Prince Albert’s Harrison Ruopp on Regina’s Tomas Hiricina. . . . With Hunt gone, assistant coach Shaun Sutter, who is in his first season as a coach at any level, ran the Pats’ bench. . . . Sutter told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “We had a lot going on. We had a lot of penalties, there was a lot of emotion in the game, being frustrated with Curtis’s situation, we didn’t agree with a lot of the referee’s calls. We also had fans throw some projectiles at us. The players had a tough time staying focused.” . . . Sutter nailed Regina stars Jordan Eberle and Jordan Weal to the bench for the latter part of the third period. . . . “Any moron can take a cheap-shot at someone any time,” Hunt told Harder. “In a game that’s out of hand (on the scoreboard and on the ice), it just doesn’t make any sense (to leave Eberle and Weal in). I’ve also been on the receiving side of one of those (blowout games) and it raises the hair on my neck when you get late in a game like that and the other team wants to put their top unit out.” . . . By the way, the Pats and Raiders next play Oct. 20 in Prince Albert. Get your tickets now!
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Harder also reports that Pats G Damien Ketlo reinjured his groin Wednesday and didn’t practice Thursday. That means freshman Dawson Guhle will get his fourth start of the young season Friday against the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Pats also may recall G Derek Tendler from the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins to back up Guhle.
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The Saskatoon Blades have released F Hampus Gustafsson, 18, who was a 2009 CHL import draft selection. Gustafsson, who is scheduled to fly home to Sweden on Friday, lost his roster spot when Slovakian F Milan Kytnar, 20, unexpectedly was returned to the Blades by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Saskatoon’s other import is D Jyri Niemi, 19.
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The Kootenay Ice might be in for an uncomfortable weekend. Reports out of Cranbrook indicate that 13 members of the Ice are under the weather. . . . The Ice is at home to the Calgary Hitmen on Friday and then meets the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Saturday.
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The Chilliwack Bruins meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday night. So what’s the big deal? Marc Habscheid, the GM and head coach of the Bruins, was the head coach of the Rockets when they won the 2004 Memorial Cup as the host team. This will be Habscheid’s first regular-season visit to Prospera Place since the championship game of that Memorial Cup tournament. “Will it be nice to get the first one out of the way? I don’t think it will ever get out of the way,” Habscheid told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province.
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The Calgary Hitmen are down to two 20-year-olds after releasing F Jason MacDonald on Thursday. MacDonald, from Calgary, also has played for the Regina Pats, Kootenay Ice and Kelowna Rockets. He had one assist in four games with the Hitmen this season. . . . Calgary is left with F Joel Broda and F Cody Gross as its 20-year-olds and you can bet that GM Kelly Kisio will be keeping a close eye on who comes available between now and the Oct. 15 deadline for teams to declare their three such players. . . . Earlier, the Hitmen released D Ryan Kerr, 20, who spent last season with the Portland Winterhawks. Kerr, who was taken first overall by the Prince George Cougars in the 2004 bantam draft, has joined the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints.
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They’re feeling the love in Peoria where former WHLer Mitch Love is in camp with the AHL’s Rivermen. There’s a story right here.
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Meanwhile, in Binghamton, N.Y., former Tri-City Americans head coach Don Nachbaur is skating the AHL’s Senators into shape. That story is right here.
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Former Medicine Hat Tigers star Tyler Ennis plans on being a big part of the offence with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. That story is right here.