THE MacBETH REPORT: F Richard Zednik (Portland) signed a two-year contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Russia KHL). He had 17 goals and 16 assists with Florida (NHL) this season. . . .
Canada has added D Braydon Coburn (Portland) to its roster at the World championship. Earlier, I failed to note the following coaches who have WHL connections and are at the World championship:
BELARUS - Head coach Glen Hanlon (Brandon); Assistant coach Dave Lewis (Saskatoon).
CANADA - Head coach Lindy Ruff (Lethbridge Broncos); Assistant Coach
Barry Trotz (Regina).
Earlier, I missed G Chris Mason (Victoria/Prince George) and D Joel Kwiatkowski (Tacoma/Kelowna/Prince George), who had been added to Canada’s roster. This means there are 32 former WHL players involved in the World championship, 28 as players and four as coaches.
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The Kamloops Blazers dropped Slovakian D Michal Siska, 19, on Thursday. General manager Craig Bonner said that with a number of returning defenceman, he didn’t see Siska playing in the team’s top four so the decision was made to release him. Siska had 12 points in 51 games as a rookie this season. . . . Later in the day, the Blazers acquired D Matt Cumming, who is from Kamloops, from the Prince George Cougars for a conditional 2010 bantam draft pick.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Swapping on draft day . . .
If you want coverage of Thursday’s WHL bantam draft, you’ve come to the wrong place. For that, you want to be over at Small Thoughts At Large where Alan Caldwell has the whole package, including an incredible display of statistics.
What I have here is a compilation of whatever trades I was able to track down . . .
2009 BANTAM DRAFT TRADES:
The Chillwack Bruins dealt D Matt Strong, 19, to the Vancouver Giants for a 2010 eighth-round draft pick. Strong, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, was injured for most of this season. The Giants, whose season ended Monday in Kelowna, are already at work, rebuilding a defence that will lose Mike Berube and Craig Schira, likely Jon Blum and Nick Ross, and perhaps Brent Regner. Strong also has played with the Everett Silvertips and Red Deer Rebels. . . .
Vancouver continued to work on its defensive corps by acquiring D Ryan Funk, 20, from the Saskatoon Blades for a fifth-round pick in Thursday’s bantam draft. That pick, 90th overall, originally was acquired by Vancouver from the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . In 215 games over four seasons with the Blades, Funk, who was their longest-serving player, had 46 points and 334 penalty minutes. . . . Saskatoon used that pick on RW Brett Stovin of Stony Mountain, Man.
The Edmonton Oil Kings acquired the third pick in the 2009 bantam draft from the Chilliwack Bruins, in exchange for the ninth pick. Edmonton also got Chilliwack’s first-round pick in the 2010 import draft. Chilliwack also acquired a 2009 first-round import draft pick, a 2009 third-round bantam draft pick, a 2010 fifth-round bantam draft pick and F Shayne Neigum, 19. Neigum played the last two seasons with Edmonton, picking up 28 points and 188 penalty minutes in 127 games. . . . Edmonton used that third overall pick on D Griffin Reinhart, the son of former NHL D Paul Reinhart and the brother of Kootenay Ice F Max Reinhart. . . . With the ninth pick, Chilliwack took Stephen Hodges, a centre from South Delta, B.C. . . . Chilliwack used the third-round pick, 48th overall, to take D Brett Cote of Oakbank, Man. . . .
The Tri-City Americans traded up in the first round, dealing the 19th overall selection and a 2009 third-round pick to the Prince George Cougars for the seventh overall pick. The Americans took C Connor Rankin of North Vancouver with the seventh pick. Rankin won’t turn 15 until Nov. 30. The Cougars took D Joshua Smith of Rimbey, Alta., with the 19th selection. . . . Prince George used the third-round pick, 46th overall, to take D Dane Phaneuf of Edmonton. He is the younger brother of Calgary Flames D Dion Phaneuf. . . . That third-round pick originally belonged to the Portland Winter Hawks but was dealt to Tri-City for D Brock Cornish. . . .
The Prince George Cougars dealt D Matt Cumming, 18, to the Kamloops Blazers for a conditional 2010 seventh-round bantam draft pick. The Cougars had told Cumming, who is from Kamloops, that he wouldn’t be back with them next season. Cumming has five assists in 86 games over two seasons with the Cougars. . . .
The Regina Pats sent F Neal Prokop, 19, to the Tri-City Americans for F Jason Gardiner, 18. Both players are former first-round bantam draft picks, Prokop going to the Moose Jaw Warriors with the fifth pick in 2005; the Americans taking Gardiner eighth overall in 2006. . . . Prokop has 48 points and 122 penalty minutes in 179 games. Grdiner, who was hurt for much of this season, has nine points in 51 games over two seasons. . . . Regina acquired Prokop from Moose Jaw earlier this season for G Jeff Bosch. . . .
The Tri-City Americans dealt D Mitch McColm, 20, to the Chilliwack Bruins for a 2011 fourth-round bantam draft pick. McColm played 114 games with the Americans over the last two seasons, earning 21 points and 225 penalty minutes.
What I have here is a compilation of whatever trades I was able to track down . . .
2009 BANTAM DRAFT TRADES:
The Chillwack Bruins dealt D Matt Strong, 19, to the Vancouver Giants for a 2010 eighth-round draft pick. Strong, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, was injured for most of this season. The Giants, whose season ended Monday in Kelowna, are already at work, rebuilding a defence that will lose Mike Berube and Craig Schira, likely Jon Blum and Nick Ross, and perhaps Brent Regner. Strong also has played with the Everett Silvertips and Red Deer Rebels. . . .
Vancouver continued to work on its defensive corps by acquiring D Ryan Funk, 20, from the Saskatoon Blades for a fifth-round pick in Thursday’s bantam draft. That pick, 90th overall, originally was acquired by Vancouver from the Portland Winter Hawks. . . . In 215 games over four seasons with the Blades, Funk, who was their longest-serving player, had 46 points and 334 penalty minutes. . . . Saskatoon used that pick on RW Brett Stovin of Stony Mountain, Man.
The Edmonton Oil Kings acquired the third pick in the 2009 bantam draft from the Chilliwack Bruins, in exchange for the ninth pick. Edmonton also got Chilliwack’s first-round pick in the 2010 import draft. Chilliwack also acquired a 2009 first-round import draft pick, a 2009 third-round bantam draft pick, a 2010 fifth-round bantam draft pick and F Shayne Neigum, 19. Neigum played the last two seasons with Edmonton, picking up 28 points and 188 penalty minutes in 127 games. . . . Edmonton used that third overall pick on D Griffin Reinhart, the son of former NHL D Paul Reinhart and the brother of Kootenay Ice F Max Reinhart. . . . With the ninth pick, Chilliwack took Stephen Hodges, a centre from South Delta, B.C. . . . Chilliwack used the third-round pick, 48th overall, to take D Brett Cote of Oakbank, Man. . . .
The Tri-City Americans traded up in the first round, dealing the 19th overall selection and a 2009 third-round pick to the Prince George Cougars for the seventh overall pick. The Americans took C Connor Rankin of North Vancouver with the seventh pick. Rankin won’t turn 15 until Nov. 30. The Cougars took D Joshua Smith of Rimbey, Alta., with the 19th selection. . . . Prince George used the third-round pick, 46th overall, to take D Dane Phaneuf of Edmonton. He is the younger brother of Calgary Flames D Dion Phaneuf. . . . That third-round pick originally belonged to the Portland Winter Hawks but was dealt to Tri-City for D Brock Cornish. . . .
The Prince George Cougars dealt D Matt Cumming, 18, to the Kamloops Blazers for a conditional 2010 seventh-round bantam draft pick. The Cougars had told Cumming, who is from Kamloops, that he wouldn’t be back with them next season. Cumming has five assists in 86 games over two seasons with the Cougars. . . .
The Regina Pats sent F Neal Prokop, 19, to the Tri-City Americans for F Jason Gardiner, 18. Both players are former first-round bantam draft picks, Prokop going to the Moose Jaw Warriors with the fifth pick in 2005; the Americans taking Gardiner eighth overall in 2006. . . . Prokop has 48 points and 122 penalty minutes in 179 games. Grdiner, who was hurt for much of this season, has nine points in 51 games over two seasons. . . . Regina acquired Prokop from Moose Jaw earlier this season for G Jeff Bosch. . . .
The Tri-City Americans dealt D Mitch McColm, 20, to the Chilliwack Bruins for a 2011 fourth-round bantam draft pick. McColm played 114 games with the Americans over the last two seasons, earning 21 points and 225 penalty minutes.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
To suspend . . . or not to suspend
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president hockey, handles all of the league’s disciplinary issues.
He has been around the WHL longer than anyone. And the one word that always is used to describe him is “fair.” He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and you can bet that he has yet to issue a suspension that he enjoyed handing out.
It was his decision not to suspend D Tyler Myers of the Kelowna Rockets for at least the first game of the WHL championship final. The Rockets are to open that series Friday night in Calgary against the Hitmen.
Myers received a major penalty for boarding and an automatic game misconduct at 7:51 of the third period in Game 6 of the Western Conference final on Monday night in Kelowna. Myers checked Vancouver Giants D Craig Schira and referees Pat Smith and Andy Thiessen chose to issue the boarding major.
The Rockets, of course, went on to win the game, 5-4 in overtime, thus taking the best-of-seven series, 4-2. And there immediately was speculation involving the immediate playing future of the 6-foot-8 Myers.
It should be noted that Doerksen reviews every major penalty that occurs in any WHL game. This one, then, would be no different.
“I was at the game so had seen it numerous times before talking to the officials after,” Doerksen said Wednesday.
He then explained a bit of the thought process involving the two referees.
“We have a double minor for checking from behind,” Doerksen said, pointing out that Vancouver D Nolan Toigo had been on the receiving end of exactly that call at 11:27 of the second period. “We don’t have a double minor for boarding.”
The establishing of these penalties go back to March 1, 1987, when Regina Pats forward Brad Hornung was left a quadriplegic after being on the receiving end of a hit from behind.
“We had a minor penalty or, if a player was injured, a major and a game misconduct,” Doerksen said. “Or if it was really severe it was a match penalty.”
But, as time wore on, something happened on the ice – some players tried to take advantage of the situation.
“What we were getting was . . . a guy would turn at the last second and the (checker) can’t hold up, now he hits him and the player is cut or injured and the (checker) is thrown out of the game,” Doerksen said. “There had to be some kind of break for (the checker) if the opponent turns. It’s not fair. He thinks he’s going to hit him legally and he turns on him.”
And, on Monday night, that was the situation Doerksen found himself facing.
“We reviewed this one immediately,” he said. “There’s no doubt on the play that Schira turns just before he gets hit. The referees didn’t pick that up. They didn’t think it was necessarily checking from behind so they went boarding. When the player was injured, it went to a major and a game misconduct because under boarding there is no double minor.”
Schira suffered a 10-stitch facial cut, a hand injury and a concussion.
“I hate it when players get injured . . . yet my policy over all these years has been that when the player turns in front,” Doerksen stated, “(the checker) is not intending to hit him from behind. Therefore, I don’t give a suspension on it.
“It gets amplified when that player is injured quite seriously. But, to be consistent on my rulings, and we had a couple this season that were very similar, there is no suspension assessed on the play.”
Had Schira been drilled from behind, Doerksen said, things would have been different.
“If I didn’t think there was a turning and (Myers) had just run him from behind,” Doerksen said, “we’d be talking how many games, not the one game everyone seems to think I should give just because a player got injured.
“I’m trying to be consistent with previous rulings.”
Doerksen added that this situation could perhaps lead the WHL’s competition committee into a discussion. Perhaps there could be a double minor option attached to a boarding foul.
In the meantime, Doerksen said, “My policy has been and will continue to be that there is no suspension given when the player turns.”
The turn by Schira, Doerksen said, “is the critical part of it.”
“Schira picks up the puck on his backhand and if he just keeps going with it, he’s going to get hit hard, there’s no doubt about it,” Doerksen said. “It’s going to be right on the shoulder from the side and there’s no penalty applicable. He looks over his shoulder and he sees the big guy coming – and (Myers) is a big guy – and he turns back . . . right as he’s getting hit and now it’s right in the numbers. And, unfortunately, he gets hurt.”
Doerksen understands that Vancouver fans are up in arms over his decision not to suspend Myers. And Doerksen knows that Kelowna fans are in full agreement with the decision. He knows, too, that were the skate on the other foot, the two groups would look at it the other way, too.
It is that passion that makes hockey in Canada such a great game.
And now Doerksen just wants to enjoy what he expects will be a great championship final.
He has been around the WHL longer than anyone. And the one word that always is used to describe him is “fair.” He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and you can bet that he has yet to issue a suspension that he enjoyed handing out.
It was his decision not to suspend D Tyler Myers of the Kelowna Rockets for at least the first game of the WHL championship final. The Rockets are to open that series Friday night in Calgary against the Hitmen.
Myers received a major penalty for boarding and an automatic game misconduct at 7:51 of the third period in Game 6 of the Western Conference final on Monday night in Kelowna. Myers checked Vancouver Giants D Craig Schira and referees Pat Smith and Andy Thiessen chose to issue the boarding major.
The Rockets, of course, went on to win the game, 5-4 in overtime, thus taking the best-of-seven series, 4-2. And there immediately was speculation involving the immediate playing future of the 6-foot-8 Myers.
It should be noted that Doerksen reviews every major penalty that occurs in any WHL game. This one, then, would be no different.
“I was at the game so had seen it numerous times before talking to the officials after,” Doerksen said Wednesday.
He then explained a bit of the thought process involving the two referees.
“We have a double minor for checking from behind,” Doerksen said, pointing out that Vancouver D Nolan Toigo had been on the receiving end of exactly that call at 11:27 of the second period. “We don’t have a double minor for boarding.”
The establishing of these penalties go back to March 1, 1987, when Regina Pats forward Brad Hornung was left a quadriplegic after being on the receiving end of a hit from behind.
“We had a minor penalty or, if a player was injured, a major and a game misconduct,” Doerksen said. “Or if it was really severe it was a match penalty.”
But, as time wore on, something happened on the ice – some players tried to take advantage of the situation.
“What we were getting was . . . a guy would turn at the last second and the (checker) can’t hold up, now he hits him and the player is cut or injured and the (checker) is thrown out of the game,” Doerksen said. “There had to be some kind of break for (the checker) if the opponent turns. It’s not fair. He thinks he’s going to hit him legally and he turns on him.”
And, on Monday night, that was the situation Doerksen found himself facing.
“We reviewed this one immediately,” he said. “There’s no doubt on the play that Schira turns just before he gets hit. The referees didn’t pick that up. They didn’t think it was necessarily checking from behind so they went boarding. When the player was injured, it went to a major and a game misconduct because under boarding there is no double minor.”
Schira suffered a 10-stitch facial cut, a hand injury and a concussion.
“I hate it when players get injured . . . yet my policy over all these years has been that when the player turns in front,” Doerksen stated, “(the checker) is not intending to hit him from behind. Therefore, I don’t give a suspension on it.
“It gets amplified when that player is injured quite seriously. But, to be consistent on my rulings, and we had a couple this season that were very similar, there is no suspension assessed on the play.”
Had Schira been drilled from behind, Doerksen said, things would have been different.
“If I didn’t think there was a turning and (Myers) had just run him from behind,” Doerksen said, “we’d be talking how many games, not the one game everyone seems to think I should give just because a player got injured.
“I’m trying to be consistent with previous rulings.”
Doerksen added that this situation could perhaps lead the WHL’s competition committee into a discussion. Perhaps there could be a double minor option attached to a boarding foul.
In the meantime, Doerksen said, “My policy has been and will continue to be that there is no suspension given when the player turns.”
The turn by Schira, Doerksen said, “is the critical part of it.”
“Schira picks up the puck on his backhand and if he just keeps going with it, he’s going to get hit hard, there’s no doubt about it,” Doerksen said. “It’s going to be right on the shoulder from the side and there’s no penalty applicable. He looks over his shoulder and he sees the big guy coming – and (Myers) is a big guy – and he turns back . . . right as he’s getting hit and now it’s right in the numbers. And, unfortunately, he gets hurt.”
Doerksen understands that Vancouver fans are up in arms over his decision not to suspend Myers. And Doerksen knows that Kelowna fans are in full agreement with the decision. He knows, too, that were the skate on the other foot, the two groups would look at it the other way, too.
It is that passion that makes hockey in Canada such a great game.
And now Doerksen just wants to enjoy what he expects will be a great championship final.
Wednesday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat/Lethbridge/Tri-City) signed a two-year contract as player/assistant coach with the Hull Stingrays (UK Elite). He had eight goals and six assists in 28 games for Corpus Christi (Central Hockey League) this season after spending the previous four seasons in the UK league. . . . D Shane Peacock (Lethbridge) signed a one-year contract extension with Nuremberg (Germany DEL). He had five goals and 16 assists in 52 games with Nuremberg this season. Peacock has played the past 12 seasons in the DEL.
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JUST NOTES: Lane Lambert and Brad Lauer, the head coach and assistant coach respectively of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, have been given contract extensions by the parent Nashville Predators. Both played and coached in the WHL and are completing their second seasons with the Admirals, who are 93-51-3-13 over that time. Terms or lengths of the new deals weren’t revealed. The Admirals are playing the Houston Aeros in the AHL’s West Division final. The Aeros’ head coach is Kevin Constantine. . . . According to reports out of Kelowna, the WHL has chosen not to suspend Rockets D Tyler Myers for a hit on Vancouver Giants D Craig Schira during Game 7 of the Western Conference final. Schira was left with a 10-stitch cut, a hand injury and a concussion when he was hit by Myers early in the third period in Kelowna on Monday night. Myers was hit with a boarding major and a game misconduct.
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The WHL presented its annual awards at a luncheon in Edmonton on Wednesday. Here’s a look at who won what . . .
Player-of-the-year (Four Broncos Memorial Trophy): Brett Sonne, Calgary.
Runner-up: Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Vancouver.
Rookie-of-the-year (Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy): Brett Connolly, Prince
George. Runner-up: Jordan Weal, Regina.
Goaltender-of-the-year (Del Wilson Trophy): Chet Pickard, Tri-City.
Runner-up: Braden Holtby, Saskatoon.
Defenceman-of-the-year (Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy): Jonathon Blum,
Vancouver. Runner-up: Paul Postma, Calgary.
Scholastic player award (Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy): Stefan Elliott,
Saskatoon. Runner-up: Tyler Maxwell, Everett.
Most sportsmanlike player (Brad Hornung Trophy): Tyler Ennis, Medicine Hat.
Runner-up: Colin Long, Kelowna.
Humanitarian-of-the-year (Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy): Taylor
Procyshen, Tri-City. Runner-up: Ian Barteaux, Kootenay.
Coach-of-the-year (Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy): Don Hay, Vancouver.
Runner-up: Lorne Molleken, Saskatoon.
Executive-of-the-year (Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy): Kelly Kisio,
Calgary. Runner-up: Scott Bonner, Vancouver.
Marketing and communications award: Mike Bortolussi, Medicine Hat marketing.
Runner-up: Grant Riddle, Spokane marketing.
Top scorer (Bob Clarke Trophy): Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Vancouver.
Top official (Allan Paradice Memorial Trophy): Chris Savage.
Regular-season champion (Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy): Calgary Hitmen.
Scholastic team award: Prince Albert Raiders.
WHL Alumni Association Achievement Award: Professional hockey recipient:
Trevor Linden (Medicine Hat Tigers alumnus). Academic recipient: Daniel
Hulak (Swift Current Broncos and Portland Winter Hawks alumnus).
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JUST NOTES: Lane Lambert and Brad Lauer, the head coach and assistant coach respectively of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, have been given contract extensions by the parent Nashville Predators. Both played and coached in the WHL and are completing their second seasons with the Admirals, who are 93-51-3-13 over that time. Terms or lengths of the new deals weren’t revealed. The Admirals are playing the Houston Aeros in the AHL’s West Division final. The Aeros’ head coach is Kevin Constantine. . . . According to reports out of Kelowna, the WHL has chosen not to suspend Rockets D Tyler Myers for a hit on Vancouver Giants D Craig Schira during Game 7 of the Western Conference final. Schira was left with a 10-stitch cut, a hand injury and a concussion when he was hit by Myers early in the third period in Kelowna on Monday night. Myers was hit with a boarding major and a game misconduct.
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The WHL presented its annual awards at a luncheon in Edmonton on Wednesday. Here’s a look at who won what . . .
Player-of-the-year (Four Broncos Memorial Trophy): Brett Sonne, Calgary.
Runner-up: Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Vancouver.
Rookie-of-the-year (Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy): Brett Connolly, Prince
George. Runner-up: Jordan Weal, Regina.
Goaltender-of-the-year (Del Wilson Trophy): Chet Pickard, Tri-City.
Runner-up: Braden Holtby, Saskatoon.
Defenceman-of-the-year (Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy): Jonathon Blum,
Vancouver. Runner-up: Paul Postma, Calgary.
Scholastic player award (Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy): Stefan Elliott,
Saskatoon. Runner-up: Tyler Maxwell, Everett.
Most sportsmanlike player (Brad Hornung Trophy): Tyler Ennis, Medicine Hat.
Runner-up: Colin Long, Kelowna.
Humanitarian-of-the-year (Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy): Taylor
Procyshen, Tri-City. Runner-up: Ian Barteaux, Kootenay.
Coach-of-the-year (Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy): Don Hay, Vancouver.
Runner-up: Lorne Molleken, Saskatoon.
Executive-of-the-year (Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy): Kelly Kisio,
Calgary. Runner-up: Scott Bonner, Vancouver.
Marketing and communications award: Mike Bortolussi, Medicine Hat marketing.
Runner-up: Grant Riddle, Spokane marketing.
Top scorer (Bob Clarke Trophy): Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Vancouver.
Top official (Allan Paradice Memorial Trophy): Chris Savage.
Regular-season champion (Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy): Calgary Hitmen.
Scholastic team award: Prince Albert Raiders.
WHL Alumni Association Achievement Award: Professional hockey recipient:
Trevor Linden (Medicine Hat Tigers alumnus). Academic recipient: Daniel
Hulak (Swift Current Broncos and Portland Winter Hawks alumnus).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Some Tuesday stuff . . .
Well, well, well . . .
History will show that the rivalry between the Kamloops Blazers and Prince George Cougars took its place, again, among the best in the WHL on April 28, 2009.
Geez, both teams have been off the ice for over a month now but already the gears – and the teeth – are grinding.
In case you missed it, the Cougars have signed Dean Clark to a five-year contract as head coach.
Clark has been out of the coaching racket since Nov. 7, 2007. It was on that afternoon when he was fired as the Blazers’ general manager and head coach. A couple of weeks earlier, the sale of the franchise, from a community group to one headed up by majority owner Tom Gaglardi, had become official.
Now you can bet that no one is going to say anything on the record. But these people don’t like each other. Period. If it comes to it, don’t believe it when either party tries telling the world “that’s all in the past” or “we’ve turned the page” or anything else of that ilk.
The Blazers and Cougars usually play a home-and-home series during the exhibition season. Should they do that again in the fall, well, those will be two exhibition games that just may be worth attending.
---
From Coming Down the Pipe, at thepipelineshow.blogspot.com:
“I've been hearing for a while now that the Western Hockey League is planning an outdoor game, possibly next season. The site I've heard is Taylor Field in Regina. Makes sense to me. Can fit a lot of fans into stands, would bring whole province in for it and keeps it in the prairies which is the heart of the WHL.”
---
JUST NOTES: The MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders have signed Dwayne Kirkup to a two-year contract as head coach. Kirkup has spent the last three seasons as head coach of the midget AAA Southwest Cougars in Manitoba. Kirkup, 52, is a native of Souris, Man., which also is the hometown of St. Louis Blues head coach Andy Murray and Garry Davidson, the Portland Winter Hawks’ director of player personnel. . . . D Jon Blum of the Vancouver Giants is off to join the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He was Nashville’s first-round pick, 23rd overall, in the 2007 NHL draft.
---
The WHL’s championship final is scheduled to begin with the Kelowna Rockets meeting the Hitmen in Calgary on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s an interesting schedule in that Games 3, 4 and 5, if it goes that far, will be played out over four nights, with no time off between Games 4 and 5. And Game 4 is to be played in Kelowna, with the next one in Calgary. . . . (Calgary’s Pengrowth Saddledome plays host to Smuckers Stars on Ice on Friday, May 8, and Fleetwood Mac on Tuesday, May 12, so that had to be taken into consideration with the scheduling. . . . Should the series go seven games, it will be played out over 11 nights.
Observers are waiting to see whether Kelowna D Tyler Myers, the Western Conference final’s MVP, will be suspended after taking a boarding major and game misconduct at 7:51 of the third period of Game 7 of the Western Conference final. The hit by Myers left Vancouver Giants D Craig Schira with a 10-stitch cut, a hand injury (he is waiting for results of X-rays on a finger) and what he told the Vancouver Province’s Steve Ewen is a minor concussion. . . . “The rumour,” one team official told me, “is that Myers isn’t getting suspended. Schira is badly hurt. I think it’s wrong . . . very poor message, I think, by our league.”
The Myers situation puts the WHL in one of those uncomfortable positions of having to consider suspending a star player. In this case, Myers plays for the Rockets, whose president and general manager, Bruce Hamilton, is the chairman of the board of directors and is seen by most people as the most powerful individual in the league today. . . . It will be interesting to see how this plays out. . . . Myers has been the best of the Rockets since these playoffs began. His confidence level since he returned from a stint with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship has been at an incredibly high level and his play has reflected that.
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WHL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL (all times local):
Friday, May 1: Kelowna at Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Monday, May 4: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 6: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Thursday, May 7: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 9: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, May 11: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x -- if necessary.
History will show that the rivalry between the Kamloops Blazers and Prince George Cougars took its place, again, among the best in the WHL on April 28, 2009.
Geez, both teams have been off the ice for over a month now but already the gears – and the teeth – are grinding.
In case you missed it, the Cougars have signed Dean Clark to a five-year contract as head coach.
Clark has been out of the coaching racket since Nov. 7, 2007. It was on that afternoon when he was fired as the Blazers’ general manager and head coach. A couple of weeks earlier, the sale of the franchise, from a community group to one headed up by majority owner Tom Gaglardi, had become official.
Now you can bet that no one is going to say anything on the record. But these people don’t like each other. Period. If it comes to it, don’t believe it when either party tries telling the world “that’s all in the past” or “we’ve turned the page” or anything else of that ilk.
The Blazers and Cougars usually play a home-and-home series during the exhibition season. Should they do that again in the fall, well, those will be two exhibition games that just may be worth attending.
---
From Coming Down the Pipe, at thepipelineshow.blogspot.com:
“I've been hearing for a while now that the Western Hockey League is planning an outdoor game, possibly next season. The site I've heard is Taylor Field in Regina. Makes sense to me. Can fit a lot of fans into stands, would bring whole province in for it and keeps it in the prairies which is the heart of the WHL.”
---
JUST NOTES: The MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders have signed Dwayne Kirkup to a two-year contract as head coach. Kirkup has spent the last three seasons as head coach of the midget AAA Southwest Cougars in Manitoba. Kirkup, 52, is a native of Souris, Man., which also is the hometown of St. Louis Blues head coach Andy Murray and Garry Davidson, the Portland Winter Hawks’ director of player personnel. . . . D Jon Blum of the Vancouver Giants is off to join the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He was Nashville’s first-round pick, 23rd overall, in the 2007 NHL draft.
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The WHL’s championship final is scheduled to begin with the Kelowna Rockets meeting the Hitmen in Calgary on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s an interesting schedule in that Games 3, 4 and 5, if it goes that far, will be played out over four nights, with no time off between Games 4 and 5. And Game 4 is to be played in Kelowna, with the next one in Calgary. . . . (Calgary’s Pengrowth Saddledome plays host to Smuckers Stars on Ice on Friday, May 8, and Fleetwood Mac on Tuesday, May 12, so that had to be taken into consideration with the scheduling. . . . Should the series go seven games, it will be played out over 11 nights.
Observers are waiting to see whether Kelowna D Tyler Myers, the Western Conference final’s MVP, will be suspended after taking a boarding major and game misconduct at 7:51 of the third period of Game 7 of the Western Conference final. The hit by Myers left Vancouver Giants D Craig Schira with a 10-stitch cut, a hand injury (he is waiting for results of X-rays on a finger) and what he told the Vancouver Province’s Steve Ewen is a minor concussion. . . . “The rumour,” one team official told me, “is that Myers isn’t getting suspended. Schira is badly hurt. I think it’s wrong . . . very poor message, I think, by our league.”
The Myers situation puts the WHL in one of those uncomfortable positions of having to consider suspending a star player. In this case, Myers plays for the Rockets, whose president and general manager, Bruce Hamilton, is the chairman of the board of directors and is seen by most people as the most powerful individual in the league today. . . . It will be interesting to see how this plays out. . . . Myers has been the best of the Rockets since these playoffs began. His confidence level since he returned from a stint with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship has been at an incredibly high level and his play has reflected that.
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WHL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL (all times local):
Friday, May 1: Kelowna at Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Monday, May 4: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 6: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Thursday, May 7: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 9: Calgary at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, May 11: Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x -- if necessary.
Cougars hire Dean Clark
From Jim Swanson, the sports editor of the Prince George Citizen:
The Prince George Cougars have a new head coach.
Dean Clark, 45, has agreed to a five-year contract to take over the Western Hockey League franchise. Clark succeeds Wade Klippenstein, who took over on an interim basis on Dec. 1 when Drew Schoneck was fired.
Klippenstein will remain as assistant general manager, and is expected to take control of the scouting operations some time after Thursday’s WHL bantam draft.
Clark has been a head coach with the Calgary Hitmen, Brandon Wheat Kings and Kamloops Blazers, compiling a record of 382-253-61. He was named CHL coach-of-the-year in 1998 after steering the Hitmen following the Graham James scandal, then led the Hitmen to an overtime loss in the 1999 Memorial Cup.
Clark has been out of hockey since being fired by the Blazers early in the 2007-08 season.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to come to Prince George to continue my coaching career,” Clark said in a team-issued release.
“Having known (Cougars owner and president) Rick Brodsky and (general manager) Dallas Thompson previously and seeing the character those two men bring to the organization makes me very excited about joining the Cougars, especially to a team that is on the rise with the amount of young talent it has.
“I’ve had the opportunity to coach in Prince George when the CN Centre was probably the toughest building in the WHL to play in for visiting teams. In the WHL, things have a way of coming around again and I look forward to getting back to those days when the building was full and teams had a tough time facing the Cougars in Prince George.”
Clark becomes the ninth coach in Prince George’s WHL history, and the second former Blazers coach to move into the office. Ed Dempsey, the first coach ever fired by the Kamloops franchise, was in his seventh season guiding the Cougars when he was terminated in 2003.
“This is a giant step forward for our organization,” Brodsky said in the release. “With Dean behind the bench, we foresee great things for the organization and the city of Prince George. With the group of kids we have and our younger prospects, Dean is exactly what we were looking for.”
Clark and wife Darilyn are expected to move to Prince George in early August to prepare for the upcoming season.
The Prince George Cougars have a new head coach.
Dean Clark, 45, has agreed to a five-year contract to take over the Western Hockey League franchise. Clark succeeds Wade Klippenstein, who took over on an interim basis on Dec. 1 when Drew Schoneck was fired.
Klippenstein will remain as assistant general manager, and is expected to take control of the scouting operations some time after Thursday’s WHL bantam draft.
Clark has been a head coach with the Calgary Hitmen, Brandon Wheat Kings and Kamloops Blazers, compiling a record of 382-253-61. He was named CHL coach-of-the-year in 1998 after steering the Hitmen following the Graham James scandal, then led the Hitmen to an overtime loss in the 1999 Memorial Cup.
Clark has been out of hockey since being fired by the Blazers early in the 2007-08 season.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to come to Prince George to continue my coaching career,” Clark said in a team-issued release.
“Having known (Cougars owner and president) Rick Brodsky and (general manager) Dallas Thompson previously and seeing the character those two men bring to the organization makes me very excited about joining the Cougars, especially to a team that is on the rise with the amount of young talent it has.
“I’ve had the opportunity to coach in Prince George when the CN Centre was probably the toughest building in the WHL to play in for visiting teams. In the WHL, things have a way of coming around again and I look forward to getting back to those days when the building was full and teams had a tough time facing the Cougars in Prince George.”
Clark becomes the ninth coach in Prince George’s WHL history, and the second former Blazers coach to move into the office. Ed Dempsey, the first coach ever fired by the Kamloops franchise, was in his seventh season guiding the Cougars when he was terminated in 2003.
“This is a giant step forward for our organization,” Brodsky said in the release. “With Dean behind the bench, we foresee great things for the organization and the city of Prince George. With the group of kids we have and our younger prospects, Dean is exactly what we were looking for.”
Clark and wife Darilyn are expected to move to Prince George in early August to prepare for the upcoming season.
AHL is in Abby
It’s official!
The American Hockey League is coming to Abbotsford.
The AHL’s other 28 teams have approved the application by the NHL’s Calgary Flames to move their AHL affiliate from Moline, Ill., where it played as the Quad City Flames, to Abbotsford in time for next season.
The actual vote isn’t know, at least not at this point, but the Flames needed 75 per cent of the votes in order to gain approval.
The AHL team, which is likely to get a new nickname through a name-the-team promotion, will play out of the brand new 7,000-seat Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Tyler Bouck (Prince George) signed a one-year contract with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL). He had seven goals and 16 assists with Portland (AHL) this season. . . . F Kris Beech (Calgary) signed a two-year contract extension with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden Elitserien). He had 17 goals and 17 assists in 45 games with HV71 this season. . . . D Rudolf Červený (Regina) had decided to return to his hometown, signing a contract with České Budějovice (Czech Extraliga). He had six goals and 15 assists in 55 games with the Pats this season.
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JUST NOTES: The USHL has sold an expansion franchise to Bruce Zoldan, who will operate it out of Youngstown, Ohio, beginning next season. The team will play out of the Chevrolet Centre in downtown Youngstown. Zoldan also owns the NAHL’s Mahoning Valley Phantoms. . . . With the addition of Youngstown and Team USA, which will represent the USA Hockey’s National Training Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., the USHL will operate with 14 teams in 2009-10.
The American Hockey League is coming to Abbotsford.
The AHL’s other 28 teams have approved the application by the NHL’s Calgary Flames to move their AHL affiliate from Moline, Ill., where it played as the Quad City Flames, to Abbotsford in time for next season.
The actual vote isn’t know, at least not at this point, but the Flames needed 75 per cent of the votes in order to gain approval.
The AHL team, which is likely to get a new nickname through a name-the-team promotion, will play out of the brand new 7,000-seat Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Tyler Bouck (Prince George) signed a one-year contract with Ingolstadt (Germany DEL). He had seven goals and 16 assists with Portland (AHL) this season. . . . F Kris Beech (Calgary) signed a two-year contract extension with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden Elitserien). He had 17 goals and 17 assists in 45 games with HV71 this season. . . . D Rudolf Červený (Regina) had decided to return to his hometown, signing a contract with České Budějovice (Czech Extraliga). He had six goals and 15 assists in 55 games with the Pats this season.
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JUST NOTES: The USHL has sold an expansion franchise to Bruce Zoldan, who will operate it out of Youngstown, Ohio, beginning next season. The team will play out of the Chevrolet Centre in downtown Youngstown. Zoldan also owns the NAHL’s Mahoning Valley Phantoms. . . . With the addition of Youngstown and Team USA, which will represent the USA Hockey’s National Training Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., the USHL will operate with 14 teams in 2009-10.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: F Taggart Desmet, who played seven games for Calgary in 2000-01, signed a one-year contract with Brunico (Italy Serie A). He led the
Dutch league in scoring this season, getting 53 goals and 83 assists in 56 games for Tilburg. . . . F Dylan Gyori (Tri-City) signed a one-year contract extension with
Munich (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 23 goals and 29 assists in 45 games for Munich this season. . . . D Darcy Werenka (Lethbridge/Brandon) signed a one-year contract
extension with Vienna (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 10 goals and 28 assists in 50 games in his sixth season with Vienna and is currently playing for Austria at the World championship.
There are 25 former WHL players currently playing in the World championship:
CANADA (9) - G Josh Harding (Regina/Brandon); D Dan Hamhuis (Prince George); D Chris Phillips (Prince Albert/Lethbridge); D Luke Schenn (Kelowna); D Shea Weber (Kelowna); D Ian White (Swift Current); F Colby Armstrong (Red Deer); F Shane Doan (Kamloops); F Scottie Upshall (Kamloops).
SLOVAKIA (5) - G Rastislav Stana (Calgary/Moose Jaw); D Ivan Baranka (Everett); D Jaroslav Obsut (Swift Current/Medicine Hat); F Milan Bartovic (Tri-City/Brandon); F Marcel Hossa (Portland).
GERMANY (4) - D Sven Butenschön (Brandon); D Chris Schmidt (Seattle); F T.J. Mulock (Vancouver/Regina); F Yannic Siedenberg (Medicine Hat).
RUSSIA (3) - D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon); F Oleg Saprykin (Seattle); F Danis Zaripov (Swift Current).
AUSTRIA (2) - D Gerhard Unterluggauer (Brandon); D Darcy Werenka (Lethbridge/Brandon).
LATVIA (1) - F Lauris Darzins (Kelowna).
CZECH REPUBLIC (1) - F Jakub Klepis (Portland).
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JUST NOTES: Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province is reporting that Giants G Tyson Sexsmith didn’t leave with his teammates Sunday. The team says Sexsmith has the flu so didn’t travel with the team to Kelowna, site of Monday’s Game 6 in the Western Conference final. The Giants say that Sexsmith will join them Monday but Giants head coach Don Hay, according to Ewen, “wouldn’t guarantee that he would be capable of playing, though.” . . . Ewen added: “Keep in mind, it is the playoffs, where tweaking the truth and trying to play with the opponents’ minds is common.” . . . If Sexsmith can’t play, backup Jamie Tucker, 18, will start. He was 18-1-0-1 in the regular season. . . . Kelowna holds a 3-2 edge in the series. If necessary, a seventh game would be played Tuesday in Vancouver.
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Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail has a piece on the Ladislav Scurko situation right here.
Dutch league in scoring this season, getting 53 goals and 83 assists in 56 games for Tilburg. . . . F Dylan Gyori (Tri-City) signed a one-year contract extension with
Munich (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 23 goals and 29 assists in 45 games for Munich this season. . . . D Darcy Werenka (Lethbridge/Brandon) signed a one-year contract
extension with Vienna (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 10 goals and 28 assists in 50 games in his sixth season with Vienna and is currently playing for Austria at the World championship.
There are 25 former WHL players currently playing in the World championship:
CANADA (9) - G Josh Harding (Regina/Brandon); D Dan Hamhuis (Prince George); D Chris Phillips (Prince Albert/Lethbridge); D Luke Schenn (Kelowna); D Shea Weber (Kelowna); D Ian White (Swift Current); F Colby Armstrong (Red Deer); F Shane Doan (Kamloops); F Scottie Upshall (Kamloops).
SLOVAKIA (5) - G Rastislav Stana (Calgary/Moose Jaw); D Ivan Baranka (Everett); D Jaroslav Obsut (Swift Current/Medicine Hat); F Milan Bartovic (Tri-City/Brandon); F Marcel Hossa (Portland).
GERMANY (4) - D Sven Butenschön (Brandon); D Chris Schmidt (Seattle); F T.J. Mulock (Vancouver/Regina); F Yannic Siedenberg (Medicine Hat).
RUSSIA (3) - D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon); F Oleg Saprykin (Seattle); F Danis Zaripov (Swift Current).
AUSTRIA (2) - D Gerhard Unterluggauer (Brandon); D Darcy Werenka (Lethbridge/Brandon).
LATVIA (1) - F Lauris Darzins (Kelowna).
CZECH REPUBLIC (1) - F Jakub Klepis (Portland).
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JUST NOTES: Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province is reporting that Giants G Tyson Sexsmith didn’t leave with his teammates Sunday. The team says Sexsmith has the flu so didn’t travel with the team to Kelowna, site of Monday’s Game 6 in the Western Conference final. The Giants say that Sexsmith will join them Monday but Giants head coach Don Hay, according to Ewen, “wouldn’t guarantee that he would be capable of playing, though.” . . . Ewen added: “Keep in mind, it is the playoffs, where tweaking the truth and trying to play with the opponents’ minds is common.” . . . If Sexsmith can’t play, backup Jamie Tucker, 18, will start. He was 18-1-0-1 in the regular season. . . . Kelowna holds a 3-2 edge in the series. If necessary, a seventh game would be played Tuesday in Vancouver.
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Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail has a piece on the Ladislav Scurko situation right here.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
More on Scurko . . .
Here is an edited translation of a story that is at www.hokejportal.sk.
Because of the seriousness of this matter, I have followed the first rule of journalist -- when in doubt, leave out . . .
HC Kosice hockey player Ladislav Šcurko on Thursday was arrested and brought for questioning to the Regional Directorate of the Police Force in Prešov on suspicion of murdering Popradské hockey referee Marek Liptaj.
Scurko is reported to have confessed to the murder during questioning.
Karol Korpas, the deputy director of the police force, confirmed at a Friday press conference that the murder took place at a rest stop on “on State Highway 1 / 68 in the direction of Košice to Prešov Ťahanovce.”
Scurko is in custody and awaiting a court appearance. If guilty, he is looking at 15 to 20 years in prison.
Juraj Bakos, the vice-president and general manager of HC Kosice, has refused to comment. "The whole thing is in the hands of the police and we do not comment," he said in a statement.
Scurko, who played two seasons with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and part of another with the Tri-City Americans, spent this season with HC Kosice, which won the Slovakian championship.
Scurko is well known in Slovakia, having twice played in the world championship and also in a couple of world junior championships.
The police investigation continues so they are reluctant to provide more details.
According to Rudolf Pilarcika, the deputy director of the police in Kosice, the case is unrelated to Scurko’s hockey career. Pilarcika said the motive appears to have been money. Liptaj is believed to have owed Scurka money; however, the details of how that came about aren’t known or, at least, haven‘t been released by the police.
The murder is believed to have occurred on a night in January 2008. According to investigators, Scurko stabbed the victim at least 14 times in the thorax and spine. The body was loaded into a car and taken into the forest in the district of Huncovce Kezmarok, where it was placed into a shallow grave. The remains were discovered accidentally in December 2008. The corpse was identified using DNA.
Two phone cards were found with the body. Police also have seized Scurko’s car and it, too, has become part of the investigation.
Pilarčíka said he is inclined to believe that Scurko over-reacted and that this probably wasn’t a planned murder.
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There is video right here, involving a brief look at the site where the body was found.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Andy Schneider (Seattle/Swift Current) and F Jeff Shantz (Regina) signed one-year contract extensions with Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank
Liga). Schneider had 25 goals and 61 assists in 71 games and Shantz had 19 goals and 33 assists in 66 games this season.
Because of the seriousness of this matter, I have followed the first rule of journalist -- when in doubt, leave out . . .
HC Kosice hockey player Ladislav Šcurko on Thursday was arrested and brought for questioning to the Regional Directorate of the Police Force in Prešov on suspicion of murdering Popradské hockey referee Marek Liptaj.
Scurko is reported to have confessed to the murder during questioning.
Karol Korpas, the deputy director of the police force, confirmed at a Friday press conference that the murder took place at a rest stop on “on State Highway 1 / 68 in the direction of Košice to Prešov Ťahanovce.”
Scurko is in custody and awaiting a court appearance. If guilty, he is looking at 15 to 20 years in prison.
Juraj Bakos, the vice-president and general manager of HC Kosice, has refused to comment. "The whole thing is in the hands of the police and we do not comment," he said in a statement.
Scurko, who played two seasons with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and part of another with the Tri-City Americans, spent this season with HC Kosice, which won the Slovakian championship.
Scurko is well known in Slovakia, having twice played in the world championship and also in a couple of world junior championships.
The police investigation continues so they are reluctant to provide more details.
According to Rudolf Pilarcika, the deputy director of the police in Kosice, the case is unrelated to Scurko’s hockey career. Pilarcika said the motive appears to have been money. Liptaj is believed to have owed Scurka money; however, the details of how that came about aren’t known or, at least, haven‘t been released by the police.
The murder is believed to have occurred on a night in January 2008. According to investigators, Scurko stabbed the victim at least 14 times in the thorax and spine. The body was loaded into a car and taken into the forest in the district of Huncovce Kezmarok, where it was placed into a shallow grave. The remains were discovered accidentally in December 2008. The corpse was identified using DNA.
Two phone cards were found with the body. Police also have seized Scurko’s car and it, too, has become part of the investigation.
Pilarčíka said he is inclined to believe that Scurko over-reacted and that this probably wasn’t a planned murder.
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There is video right here, involving a brief look at the site where the body was found.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Andy Schneider (Seattle/Swift Current) and F Jeff Shantz (Regina) signed one-year contract extensions with Klagenfurt (Austria Erste Bank
Liga). Schneider had 25 goals and 61 assists in 71 games and Shantz had 19 goals and 33 assists in 66 games this season.
Friday, April 24, 2009
A few Friday notes . . .
Former WHL F Ladislav Scurko, 23, is reported to have confessed to murdering a referee.
According to a story posted at www.hockeysverige.se, Scurko, a Slovakian, was arrested Thursday by Slovakian police.
According to the website, he is “suspected of the murder of referee Mark Liptaje, in December 2007. (It is) a deed which Scurko later pleaded guilty to the police during questioning.”
According to police spokesman Karol Raven, Scurko “cut the victim in the chest with an unknown object several times.” The body was dumped in a forested area outside Poprad and was not found for a year.
The website reported that “according to police, the attack” wasn’t “premeditated” but was “done impulsively.” Scurko could receive 15 years to life if he is convicted.
Scurko played two seasons (2004-06) with the Seattle Thunderbirds and 12 games with the Tri-City Americans in 2006-07. He played this season with Kosice, which won the Slovakian championship. . . . He was a sixth-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL’s 2004 draft.
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JUST NOTES: D Chad Erb of the Brandon Wheat Kings is waiting to hear whether he will be joining the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Erb, 20, had hoped to join them over the weekend but now is waiting and hopes to hear from them by Monday. The Admirals are into the second round after sweeping the Rockford Ice Hogs. Lane Lambert, a former WHL player and coach, is the Admirals’ head coach, while Brad Lauer, who also played and coached in the WHL, is the assistant coach. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have announced that 1510 KGA will continue to carry their games through the 2011-12 season. The station also carries Spokane Indians baseball games, and the broadcast agreement covers both teams, both of which are owned by Brett Sports and Entertainment. there is a three-year mutual option on the agreement. . . . The U of Alberta has removed the interim from head coach Eric Thurston’s title. Thurston, a former WHL defenceman, had been the Golden Bears’ interim hockey coach for four seasons, ever since Rob Daum took a leave of absence. Daum, who finished this season as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, has told the school that he won’t be returning. Last summer, Thurston was on the Kamloops Blazers’ short list of candidates for their head-coaching vacancy before withdrawing his name. Under Thurston, the CIS’s 2008-09 coach of the year, the Golden Bears have never been ranked worse than second. . . . F Carson McMillan of the Calgary Hitmen has signed with the NHL's Minnesota Wild. McMillan, 20, was selected by the Wild in the seventh round of the 2007 NHL draft. . . . Gerard Gallant, a former NHL player and once the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the new head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs. Former Brandon Wheat Kings head coach Mike Kelly was signed as associate coach and director of hockey operations. Both men signed three-year deals.
According to a story posted at www.hockeysverige.se, Scurko, a Slovakian, was arrested Thursday by Slovakian police.
According to the website, he is “suspected of the murder of referee Mark Liptaje, in December 2007. (It is) a deed which Scurko later pleaded guilty to the police during questioning.”
According to police spokesman Karol Raven, Scurko “cut the victim in the chest with an unknown object several times.” The body was dumped in a forested area outside Poprad and was not found for a year.
The website reported that “according to police, the attack” wasn’t “premeditated” but was “done impulsively.” Scurko could receive 15 years to life if he is convicted.
Scurko played two seasons (2004-06) with the Seattle Thunderbirds and 12 games with the Tri-City Americans in 2006-07. He played this season with Kosice, which won the Slovakian championship. . . . He was a sixth-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL’s 2004 draft.
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JUST NOTES: D Chad Erb of the Brandon Wheat Kings is waiting to hear whether he will be joining the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Erb, 20, had hoped to join them over the weekend but now is waiting and hopes to hear from them by Monday. The Admirals are into the second round after sweeping the Rockford Ice Hogs. Lane Lambert, a former WHL player and coach, is the Admirals’ head coach, while Brad Lauer, who also played and coached in the WHL, is the assistant coach. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have announced that 1510 KGA will continue to carry their games through the 2011-12 season. The station also carries Spokane Indians baseball games, and the broadcast agreement covers both teams, both of which are owned by Brett Sports and Entertainment. there is a three-year mutual option on the agreement. . . . The U of Alberta has removed the interim from head coach Eric Thurston’s title. Thurston, a former WHL defenceman, had been the Golden Bears’ interim hockey coach for four seasons, ever since Rob Daum took a leave of absence. Daum, who finished this season as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, has told the school that he won’t be returning. Last summer, Thurston was on the Kamloops Blazers’ short list of candidates for their head-coaching vacancy before withdrawing his name. Under Thurston, the CIS’s 2008-09 coach of the year, the Golden Bears have never been ranked worse than second. . . . F Carson McMillan of the Calgary Hitmen has signed with the NHL's Minnesota Wild. McMillan, 20, was selected by the Wild in the seventh round of the 2007 NHL draft. . . . Gerard Gallant, a former NHL player and once the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the new head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs. Former Brandon Wheat Kings head coach Mike Kelly was signed as associate coach and director of hockey operations. Both men signed three-year deals.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Of grapes (no, not Cherry), marshmallows and Hitmen . . .
Working at night as I do, I rarely get to watch TV in the evening/night hours. There is a TV set hanging from the ceiling near the sports department at The Daily News and it usually is tuned to a sports channel or sports event. In other words, I can’t remember the last time I watched Jay Leno or David Letterman.
Obviously, I’m really missing out on a slice of life.
You will recall a mention here yesterday of Leno, during a show earlier this week, using a headline from a story on the Vancouver Giants that had appeared in a February edition of the Vancouver Province.
It seems that was at least the second time in recent memory that the WHL got some pub from Leno.
It seems that the Chilliwack Bruins made something of a splash with Leno a while back.
Robbie Snooks, the Bruins’ director of video services, sent me the above photo along with this note:
“You asked the question: When is the last time the WHL or one of its teams got a mention from NBC-TV’s Jay Leno?
“Well, it wasn't that long ago when I appeared on The Tonight Show and presented Jay with a Chilliwack Bruins jersey. Leno may have mentioned the Giants the other night but I can assure you that he doesn't have their jersey hanging up on his office wall.”
But wait . . . there’s more.
It turns out that Snooks is kind of an interesting guy. I mean, how many other people who are involved with the WHL have been on with Leno . . . not once, but twice?
The first time, Snooks says, was about four years ago. He was living in Ottawa at the time and, well, mere words don’t do justice to his appearance with Leno, but you can watch it right here.
He was such a hit that, he says, “I ended up on Leno again last year in a Halloween marshmallow peeps stuffing contest against the U.S. hamburger stuffing champion.”
Uhh, you can watch that contest right here, near the end of the story on what goes on behind the scenes at Chilliwack Bruins’ games.
Thanks, Robbie. You made my day!
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WEDNESDAY’S PLAYOFF REPORT: And then there were three. . . . The Calgary Hitmen made it 12 straight playoff victories with a 6-4 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon. That allowed the Hitmen to sweep the Eastern Conference final in four games. They have, of course, swept their way through the conference playoffs and now await an opponent for the WHL championship series. . . . The 12 straight victories equals the WHL record for consecutive wins in one playoff season. They are going to have to wait a while for a chance to set that record as the Vancouver Giants hold a 2-1 edge over the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Conference final. That series resumes Thursday night in Kelowna. Why did those teams take a night off between Games 3 and 4 in Kelowna? Because Neil Young, whose father knew something about hockey, was rockin’ in Prospera Place. Neil Young’s father was Scott Young, who died in 2005. He was one of the greats of Canadian sports journalist and also the author of three of my all-time favourite books – Scrubs on Skates, Boy on Defence, and A Boy at the Leafs’ Camp.
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In Brandon, the Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s first five goals as they romped to a 6-4 victory and a four-game sweep of the Wheat Kings. . . . The Hitmen got goals from six difference players. . . . Calgary F Kris Foucault, who was pointless in Game 4, was named the series’ MVP. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 12 shots. Brandon starter Andrew Hayes was beaten four times on 19 shots, with reliever James Priestner stopping 14 of 16. . . . When Calgary F Brett Sonne scored to give Calgary its 5-0 lead in the second period, the Wheat Kings had mustered only four shots on goal. . . . Attendance was 4,501. . . . Brandon had opened the playoffs by winning eight straight games to get into the conference final. . . . Including the regular season, the Hitmen are 71-9-3-1 this season.
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JUST NOTES: Fans of the Lethbridge Hurricanes shouldn’t expect any developments on the front-office situation there until sometime after the bantam draft. . . . That draft, by the way, is set for April 30 in Edmonton. . . . Former WHLer Curtis Bateman (Brandon and Portland, 1984-88) has resigned as GM and head coach of the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. . . . I am on vacation from my real job so postings here may be few and far between over the next few days. . . . No, I am not headed to a grape-stuffing appearance on The Tonight Show. . . . I mean, 50 grapes . . . and none are broken . . . or swallowed . . . Amazing! . . . Why hasn’t the WHL gone big with that? Why hasn’t the WHL had that on its website? Maybe the WHL takes itself far too seriously?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The WHL and Jay Leno . . .
When is the last time the WHL or one of its teams got a mention from NBC-TV’s Jay Leno?
Well, congratulations to the Vancouver Province for getting the WHL a little exposure, if you will.
The Feb. 18 edition of the Province included a story in its sports pages written by Steve Ewen, who is on the Giants’ beat.
The headline on the story read: Hay not pleased with slumping PP.
So . . . part of Leno’s Monday night monologue included his regular riff on newspaper headlines.
And one of the headlines he used was the one from the Province.
Hey, you wouldn’t be pleased either.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT: D Jason Holland (Kamloops) signed a two-year contract with Düsseldorf (Germany DEL). He had six goals and 19 assists in 51 games for Ingolstadt this season.
———
It seems that Lethbridge Hurricanes F Kyle Beach didn’t finish the season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. . . . From Patrick Kissane’s Chitown Daily News Chicago Hockey Blog: “News flash, noticeably absent from (Sunday) night's game was Blackhawks prospects Akim Aliu and Kyle Beach. Apparently both received disciplinary actions from the IceHogs front office. There is a code of conduct that is expected of the players by both the IceHogs and the Blackhawks. The IceHogs sent Beach and Aliu home for the remainder of the Milwaukee series. It is unknown if they will be returning this post season, should the IceHogs move on in the playoffs." . . . The Milwaukee Admirals beat the IceHogs 4-1 on Tuesday night to sweep their first-round playoff series.
———
JUST NOTES: The AHL’s Providence Bruins released D Victor Bartley, who joined them following the end of the Regina Pats‚ season. Bartley, who played as a 20-year-old with Regina, was pointless in 10 games. . . . Vancouver Giants G Tyson Sexsmith is the CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-1 with a 1.80 GAA and .931 save percentage. . . . F Mikael Backlund of the Kelowna Rockets was named the CHL’s player of the week. He had a goal and four assists in two games.
———
TUESDAY’S PLAYOFF REPORT: The Calgary Hitmen ran their playoff winning streak to 11 games, one short of the WHL’s record. Calgary can tie that record with a victory in Brandon on Wednesday night. . . . The Vancouver Giants took a 2-1 edge in the Western Conference final and this series is starting to look as though it won’t end in a hurry. It also shows some signs of nastiness, what with Kelowna F Ryley Grantham and Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith involved in something of a feud. Lots of chatter going on between those two in this one. But, then, as Vancouver head coach Don Hay told reporters after this one: “It’s not the Goodwill Games; it’s playoffs.”
———
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings got out to a 2-0 but couldn’t hold it and ended up losing 4-3 in OT to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary has a 3-0 series lead and can end it Wednesday night in Brandon. . . . F Ian Schultz got the winner 1:04 into the first OT period. . . . The Wheat Kings led 2-0 before the game was nine minutes old. . . . Calgary got two goals from red-hot F Kris Foucault, who now leads the WHL with 10 playoff goals. . . . Foucault, who also had an assist, gave Calgary a 3-2 lead just 12 seconds into the third period. . . . Brandon F Matt Calvert forced OT with a PP goal at 6:26. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 24 shots. Brandon’s Andrew Hayes turned aside 28. . . . Calgary was 0-for-3 on the PP; Brandon was 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was 4,636.
———
In Kelowna, G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 33 shots as the Vancouver Giants edged the Rockets, 3-2. . . . The Giants hold a 2-1 lead in the series, with Game 4 in Kelowna on Thursday. . . . F Lance Bouma got the game-winning goal, his seventh, breaking a 2-2 tie at 18:52 of the third period. . . . Kelowna LW Jamie Benn forced OT with a PP goal at 1:03 of the third period. It was his ninth goal of the playoffs. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 21 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,021. . . . Sexsmith was especially sharp in the third period when the Giants took minor penalties 18 seconds apart. The Rockets weren’t able to score. . . . The Rockets had F Kyle St. Denis back in the lineup. He missed 37 early-season games with a hand injury, came back and suffered a concussion.
———
How big is the rivalry between Kelowna and Vancouver? Dave Sheldon, the Giants’ director of broadcasting and media relations, reported on his pregame show that he entered a Kelowna restaurant Tuesday while wearing Giants gear and was refused service unless he ditched the apparel. Did he peel? Uh, no. He said he went elsewhere.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7, all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 3-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon 4 at Calgary 5
Tuesday: Calgary 4 at Brandon 3 (OT)
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
˜˜˜
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Vancouver leads series 2-1)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna 3 at Vancouver 4 (OT)
Tuesday: Vancouver 3 at Kelowna 2
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
Well, congratulations to the Vancouver Province for getting the WHL a little exposure, if you will.
The Feb. 18 edition of the Province included a story in its sports pages written by Steve Ewen, who is on the Giants’ beat.
The headline on the story read: Hay not pleased with slumping PP.
So . . . part of Leno’s Monday night monologue included his regular riff on newspaper headlines.
And one of the headlines he used was the one from the Province.
Hey, you wouldn’t be pleased either.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT: D Jason Holland (Kamloops) signed a two-year contract with Düsseldorf (Germany DEL). He had six goals and 19 assists in 51 games for Ingolstadt this season.
———
It seems that Lethbridge Hurricanes F Kyle Beach didn’t finish the season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. . . . From Patrick Kissane’s Chitown Daily News Chicago Hockey Blog: “News flash, noticeably absent from (Sunday) night's game was Blackhawks prospects Akim Aliu and Kyle Beach. Apparently both received disciplinary actions from the IceHogs front office. There is a code of conduct that is expected of the players by both the IceHogs and the Blackhawks. The IceHogs sent Beach and Aliu home for the remainder of the Milwaukee series. It is unknown if they will be returning this post season, should the IceHogs move on in the playoffs." . . . The Milwaukee Admirals beat the IceHogs 4-1 on Tuesday night to sweep their first-round playoff series.
———
JUST NOTES: The AHL’s Providence Bruins released D Victor Bartley, who joined them following the end of the Regina Pats‚ season. Bartley, who played as a 20-year-old with Regina, was pointless in 10 games. . . . Vancouver Giants G Tyson Sexsmith is the CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-1 with a 1.80 GAA and .931 save percentage. . . . F Mikael Backlund of the Kelowna Rockets was named the CHL’s player of the week. He had a goal and four assists in two games.
———
TUESDAY’S PLAYOFF REPORT: The Calgary Hitmen ran their playoff winning streak to 11 games, one short of the WHL’s record. Calgary can tie that record with a victory in Brandon on Wednesday night. . . . The Vancouver Giants took a 2-1 edge in the Western Conference final and this series is starting to look as though it won’t end in a hurry. It also shows some signs of nastiness, what with Kelowna F Ryley Grantham and Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith involved in something of a feud. Lots of chatter going on between those two in this one. But, then, as Vancouver head coach Don Hay told reporters after this one: “It’s not the Goodwill Games; it’s playoffs.”
———
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings got out to a 2-0 but couldn’t hold it and ended up losing 4-3 in OT to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary has a 3-0 series lead and can end it Wednesday night in Brandon. . . . F Ian Schultz got the winner 1:04 into the first OT period. . . . The Wheat Kings led 2-0 before the game was nine minutes old. . . . Calgary got two goals from red-hot F Kris Foucault, who now leads the WHL with 10 playoff goals. . . . Foucault, who also had an assist, gave Calgary a 3-2 lead just 12 seconds into the third period. . . . Brandon F Matt Calvert forced OT with a PP goal at 6:26. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 24 shots. Brandon’s Andrew Hayes turned aside 28. . . . Calgary was 0-for-3 on the PP; Brandon was 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was 4,636.
———
In Kelowna, G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 33 shots as the Vancouver Giants edged the Rockets, 3-2. . . . The Giants hold a 2-1 lead in the series, with Game 4 in Kelowna on Thursday. . . . F Lance Bouma got the game-winning goal, his seventh, breaking a 2-2 tie at 18:52 of the third period. . . . Kelowna LW Jamie Benn forced OT with a PP goal at 1:03 of the third period. It was his ninth goal of the playoffs. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 21 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,021. . . . Sexsmith was especially sharp in the third period when the Giants took minor penalties 18 seconds apart. The Rockets weren’t able to score. . . . The Rockets had F Kyle St. Denis back in the lineup. He missed 37 early-season games with a hand injury, came back and suffered a concussion.
———
How big is the rivalry between Kelowna and Vancouver? Dave Sheldon, the Giants’ director of broadcasting and media relations, reported on his pregame show that he entered a Kelowna restaurant Tuesday while wearing Giants gear and was refused service unless he ditched the apparel. Did he peel? Uh, no. He said he went elsewhere.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7, all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 3-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon 4 at Calgary 5
Tuesday: Calgary 4 at Brandon 3 (OT)
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
˜˜˜
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Vancouver leads series 2-1)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna 3 at Vancouver 4 (OT)
Tuesday: Vancouver 3 at Kelowna 2
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
The Memorial Coliseum saga plays on . . .
Memorial Coliseum has won a stay of execution while the city, the Trail Blazers and Portland Beavers look for a way to shoehorn a baseball stadium into the Rose Quarter while saving the coliseum's sleek glass shell from the wrecking ball.
The rest of that Oregonian story is right here.
---
And there’s more here, this time from KATU.com. Gotta love the comments at the end, too. It’s all right here.
---
And there’s this from KGW-TV. With more good comments, of course.
---
Jim Redden of the Portland Tribune has his story right here.
---
And don’t forget the rally that is scheduled for Tuesday night.
---
This one is worth a look if only for the top photo.
The rest of that Oregonian story is right here.
---
And there’s more here, this time from KATU.com. Gotta love the comments at the end, too. It’s all right here.
---
And there’s this from KGW-TV. With more good comments, of course.
---
Jim Redden of the Portland Tribune has his story right here.
---
And don’t forget the rally that is scheduled for Tuesday night.
---
This one is worth a look if only for the top photo.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: D Gerad Adams (Regina/Kelowna) has signed a one-year contract to continue as player-head coach of Cardiff Devils (UK Elite Hockey League). He had one assist in 20 games with the Devils this season. Adams had retired as a player after the 2007-08 season but injuries brought him back to a playing role, one he has decided to continue for another season.
———
JUST NOTES: F Mikael Backlund of the Kelowna Rockets is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. Backlund had a goal and four assists in two games as the Rockets split the first two games of the Western Conference final with the Vancouver Giants. . . . G Tyson Sexsmith of the Giants is the WHL nominee as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-1 with a 1.80 GAA and a .931 save percentage last week. . . . Jason Brooks, the assistant GM and head coach of the OHL’s Guelph Storm, has had his title changed. He now is GM and head coach. He was named assistant GM and head coach when Dave Barr moved into the NHL as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche.
———
If you are interested in the situation in Portland regarding Memorial Coliseum, here are a few links worth checking out. There is one here and another one here, and one here and another one here and here and here.
———
MONDAY’S PLAYOFF REPORT: Both conference finals took Monday off with the series changing venues. . . . The Eastern Conference final, with the Calgary Hitmen enjoying a 2-0 lead over the Wheat Kings, resumes Tuesday in Brandon. . . . The Hitmen are 10-0 in these playoffs and only five teams have done better than that. The Wheat Kings won 11 in a row in the spring of 1979. The record is 12 and is shared by the Vancouver Giants (2006), Spokane Chiefs (1991), Swift Current Broncos (1989) and Kamloops Jr. Oilers (1984). The Broncos went 12-0 in their run to the WHL title that spring and then went on to win the Memorial Cup in Saskatoon. . . . The Western Conference final resumes in Kelowna on Tuesday night with the Rockets and Vancouver Giants tied, 1-1.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7, all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 2-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon 4 at Calgary 5
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
˜˜˜
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Series tied 1-1)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna 3 at Vancouver 4 (OT)
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
JUST NOTES: F Mikael Backlund of the Kelowna Rockets is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. Backlund had a goal and four assists in two games as the Rockets split the first two games of the Western Conference final with the Vancouver Giants. . . . G Tyson Sexsmith of the Giants is the WHL nominee as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 2-1 with a 1.80 GAA and a .931 save percentage last week. . . . Jason Brooks, the assistant GM and head coach of the OHL’s Guelph Storm, has had his title changed. He now is GM and head coach. He was named assistant GM and head coach when Dave Barr moved into the NHL as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche.
———
If you are interested in the situation in Portland regarding Memorial Coliseum, here are a few links worth checking out. There is one here and another one here, and one here and another one here and here and here.
———
MONDAY’S PLAYOFF REPORT: Both conference finals took Monday off with the series changing venues. . . . The Eastern Conference final, with the Calgary Hitmen enjoying a 2-0 lead over the Wheat Kings, resumes Tuesday in Brandon. . . . The Hitmen are 10-0 in these playoffs and only five teams have done better than that. The Wheat Kings won 11 in a row in the spring of 1979. The record is 12 and is shared by the Vancouver Giants (2006), Spokane Chiefs (1991), Swift Current Broncos (1989) and Kamloops Jr. Oilers (1984). The Broncos went 12-0 in their run to the WHL title that spring and then went on to win the Memorial Cup in Saskatoon. . . . The Western Conference final resumes in Kelowna on Tuesday night with the Rockets and Vancouver Giants tied, 1-1.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7, all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 2-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon 4 at Calgary 5
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
˜˜˜
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Series tied 1-1)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna 3 at Vancouver 4 (OT)
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Keeping Score
Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “Seven players, including captain Tomas Ujfalusi, were kicked off the Czech Republic soccer team this week after being caught with prostitutes the same night they lost a World Cup qualifying game. With the pressure of the World Cup, I'm thinking the players wanted a friendly.” . . . One more from Hutchinson: “It is sad and pathetic to see photos of John Daly selling memorabilia from a bus outside the entrance of Augusta National. Once arguably the most loveable character in golf, I'm thinking Daly is now a bad haircut and dye job from becoming Pete Rose.” . . . British heavyweight boxer David Haye is to scrap with Wladimir Klitschko on June 20 in Frankfurt. As Haye told BBC Sport: “I'm a man on a mission to save boxing from this Eastern European invasion of Ivan Drago clones."
Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Mike (Sigmund) Singletary says the 49ers won’t consider Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford because at the NFL combine Stafford seemed reluctant to talk to the 49ers’ psychologist about his parents’ divorce some years prior. Here’s hoping that Beaver Cleaver is still on the board when the 49ers draft.” . . . Of the four NHL players involved in the Kamloops Blazers’ ownership group, only defenceman Darryl Sydor won’t play hockey this spring. His Dallas Stars didn’t make the playoffs. You can bet that Sydor, 37, won’t want his career to end like that. . . . While Mark Recchi (Boston Bruins) and Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) are involved in playoff hockey, Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes) will play for Canada at the World championship in Switzerland. . . . It says here that the only way Recchi, 41, considers retirement is if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.
Hey, TSN, you should know that LGIW bought me an iPod. Yes, I now am of the iPod Nation. Which means you may pre-empt PTI whenever you want because it’s available via podcast. And you also should know that listening to the podcast allows one to hear the whole show, including the last three minutes. . . . The death this week of Mark (The Bird) Fidrych brings back a lot of memories. Will baseball ever again see something like The Bird on his hands and knees working on the mound, then standing up and talking to the baseball? . . . “He set me straight on talking to the ball,” wrote Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press. "He said that wasn't what he was doing. He was talking to himself, demanding he get his act in gear. But with the Bird, people saw what they wanted to see. It was too irresistible."
Gary Loewen, in the Toronto Sun: “Question to those who watched the final round of the Masters on CBS: Is it possible we missed coverage of one of Tiger Woods' practice swings?” . . . Here’s what Cory Clouston is up against as head coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Mike Fisher is dating singer Carrie Underwood, Mike Comrie and Hilary Duff have been an item for a while now, and Chris Campoli is going out with model Gia Allemand. As Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press notes: “No wonder they didn't make the playoffs.” . . . By now you have seen and heard Susan Boyle somewhere on the Internet. Which means that by now you're wondering when we're going to find out it's all an Internet scam perpetrated by the nefarious Simon Cowell.
When GM Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs stood in front of the media this week and delivered his State of the Laffs address, why didn’t he just tell John Tavares not to bother reporting to the New York Islanders or Tampa Bay Lightning, who hold the first two selections in the 2009 draft? . . . Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail points out that next season the Rogers Centre, formerly SkyDome, will be the eighth-oldest park in Major League Baseball. “Look,” Blair writes, “I’m just throwing this out. I’d rather extend subway lines, get the sewage out of the house safely and keep swimming pools and libraries open. But the debate’s a-comin’, at a time when it appears we won’t be able to prevent the NFL from imposing the Buffalo Bills on us, and at a time when politicians are musing about grand schemes and shovels in the ground.”
The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons, with some history for Maple Laffs’ fans: “Luke Schenn said he remembered watching the Leafs in the playoffs but what he didn't say was that he was probably playing bantam hockey at the time. Officially, Schenn was 14 years old when Jeremy Roenick scored an overtime goal on May 4, 2004, to eliminate the Leafs in, if you can believe it, the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.” . . . The Laffs haven’t been in a playoff game since Roenick’s goal. . . . Here’s Simmons, before the U.S. and Canada met for women’s hockey gold on Sunday: “Today is the 12th gold-medal game in the 12-year history of the women's world hockey championship and the 12th time Canada and the United States will play for the big prize. Not even Vince McMahon can make sport this predictable. And tell me again, how a sport with only two teams in the world deserves membership in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”
A few days ago, the first sports page of this daily journal carried a photo of a rather larger hamburger. Well, the West Michigan Whitecaps played their home-opener last week and, yes, the big burger was available at the concession stand. All told, 107 fans bought one — and 17 of them did eat the whole thing. Which might be the first time in history that one baseball game featured 17 grand slams. . . . Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “The 364 people who still attend (Florida) Marlins games sure are lucky to watch Hanley Ramirez every day.” . . . One more from Lupica: “Lance Armstrong saying he had to go take a shower when the dope testers came calling — that's like the cycling version of the dog ate Lance's homework, right?”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score returns May 16.
Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Mike (Sigmund) Singletary says the 49ers won’t consider Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford because at the NFL combine Stafford seemed reluctant to talk to the 49ers’ psychologist about his parents’ divorce some years prior. Here’s hoping that Beaver Cleaver is still on the board when the 49ers draft.” . . . Of the four NHL players involved in the Kamloops Blazers’ ownership group, only defenceman Darryl Sydor won’t play hockey this spring. His Dallas Stars didn’t make the playoffs. You can bet that Sydor, 37, won’t want his career to end like that. . . . While Mark Recchi (Boston Bruins) and Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) are involved in playoff hockey, Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes) will play for Canada at the World championship in Switzerland. . . . It says here that the only way Recchi, 41, considers retirement is if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.
Hey, TSN, you should know that LGIW bought me an iPod. Yes, I now am of the iPod Nation. Which means you may pre-empt PTI whenever you want because it’s available via podcast. And you also should know that listening to the podcast allows one to hear the whole show, including the last three minutes. . . . The death this week of Mark (The Bird) Fidrych brings back a lot of memories. Will baseball ever again see something like The Bird on his hands and knees working on the mound, then standing up and talking to the baseball? . . . “He set me straight on talking to the ball,” wrote Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press. "He said that wasn't what he was doing. He was talking to himself, demanding he get his act in gear. But with the Bird, people saw what they wanted to see. It was too irresistible."
Gary Loewen, in the Toronto Sun: “Question to those who watched the final round of the Masters on CBS: Is it possible we missed coverage of one of Tiger Woods' practice swings?” . . . Here’s what Cory Clouston is up against as head coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Mike Fisher is dating singer Carrie Underwood, Mike Comrie and Hilary Duff have been an item for a while now, and Chris Campoli is going out with model Gia Allemand. As Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press notes: “No wonder they didn't make the playoffs.” . . . By now you have seen and heard Susan Boyle somewhere on the Internet. Which means that by now you're wondering when we're going to find out it's all an Internet scam perpetrated by the nefarious Simon Cowell.
When GM Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs stood in front of the media this week and delivered his State of the Laffs address, why didn’t he just tell John Tavares not to bother reporting to the New York Islanders or Tampa Bay Lightning, who hold the first two selections in the 2009 draft? . . . Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail points out that next season the Rogers Centre, formerly SkyDome, will be the eighth-oldest park in Major League Baseball. “Look,” Blair writes, “I’m just throwing this out. I’d rather extend subway lines, get the sewage out of the house safely and keep swimming pools and libraries open. But the debate’s a-comin’, at a time when it appears we won’t be able to prevent the NFL from imposing the Buffalo Bills on us, and at a time when politicians are musing about grand schemes and shovels in the ground.”
The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons, with some history for Maple Laffs’ fans: “Luke Schenn said he remembered watching the Leafs in the playoffs but what he didn't say was that he was probably playing bantam hockey at the time. Officially, Schenn was 14 years old when Jeremy Roenick scored an overtime goal on May 4, 2004, to eliminate the Leafs in, if you can believe it, the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.” . . . The Laffs haven’t been in a playoff game since Roenick’s goal. . . . Here’s Simmons, before the U.S. and Canada met for women’s hockey gold on Sunday: “Today is the 12th gold-medal game in the 12-year history of the women's world hockey championship and the 12th time Canada and the United States will play for the big prize. Not even Vince McMahon can make sport this predictable. And tell me again, how a sport with only two teams in the world deserves membership in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”
A few days ago, the first sports page of this daily journal carried a photo of a rather larger hamburger. Well, the West Michigan Whitecaps played their home-opener last week and, yes, the big burger was available at the concession stand. All told, 107 fans bought one — and 17 of them did eat the whole thing. Which might be the first time in history that one baseball game featured 17 grand slams. . . . Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “The 364 people who still attend (Florida) Marlins games sure are lucky to watch Hanley Ramirez every day.” . . . One more from Lupica: “Lance Armstrong saying he had to go take a shower when the dope testers came calling — that's like the cycling version of the dog ate Lance's homework, right?”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score returns May 16.
Sunday . . .
SUNDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES: Is it too early to start talking about the Calgary Hitmen running the table in these playoffs. The Hitmen now are 10-0, having come from behind to beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Sunday. . . . Meanwhile, the Western Conference final will go at least five games now that the Vancouver Giants have tied it at 1-1, thanks to a 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets.
———
In Vancouver, C Casey Pierro-Zabotel’s goal with 34.7 seconds left in the first OT period gave the Giants a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The series is tied 1-1 and now heads for Kelowna at games Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, who won the WHL’s regular-season scoring title, ended a six-game goal drought. . . . The Giants have gone into OT in four of their last six games. They have won three of those games. . . . Vancouver, which had lost four straight games to Kelowna, led 3-1 after the second period, only to have the Rockets tie it on goals by LW Jamie Benn, at 12:29 on the PP, and C Cody Almond, at 16:36. . . . With the Vancouver Canucks playing on TV, attendance at the Giants game was 7,159. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith made 28 saves. Kelowna’s Mark Guggenberger stopped 33 shots. . . . The Giants spent a goodly part of the game going to the Kelowna net, and Guggenberger may have injured his right leg during an OT scramble. . . . “He got run over a few times tonight,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. “You talk about goalie interference and there hasn’t been one call that’s been made. They can crash the net, but it’s someone’s job to protect the goaltender, too. There’s going hard to the net but there’s also contact on your goaltender. Those are two different things.”
———
In Calgary, the Hitmen never held the lead until F Brett Sonne’s goal at 13:10 of the third period gave them a 5-4 lead over the Brandon Wheat Kings. And that stood up as the final score. . . . Calgary holds a 2-0 series lead with Games 3 and 4 in Brandon on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Brandon led 2-0 aftr one period on goals by F Matt Calvert and F Brayden Schenn. . . . The teams were tied 3-3 after two periods, with Calgary D Michael Stone scoring perhaps the game’s biggest goal at 19:48 of the second period. . . . Brandon D Keith Aulie gave his club a 4-3 lead at 8:56 of the third period, only to have Calgary F Ian Schultz tie it at 10:54 and Sonne win it with his second goal of the playoffs. . . . Calvert, Schenn and Calgary F Joel Broda, who set up the winner, each scored his eighth goal of the playoffs. . . . Calgary D Keith Seabrook had assists on his side’s last two goals. . . . The Hitmen are 10-0 in these playoffs and have won 13 straight games overall. . . . Calgary has set a franchise record for consecutive playoff victories. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 21 shots, while Brandon’s Andrew Hayes turned aside 22. . . . Each team was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 8,600.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7)
(all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 2-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon 4 at Calgary 5
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Series tied 1-1)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna 3 at Vancouver 4 (OT)
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
In Vancouver, C Casey Pierro-Zabotel’s goal with 34.7 seconds left in the first OT period gave the Giants a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The series is tied 1-1 and now heads for Kelowna at games Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, who won the WHL’s regular-season scoring title, ended a six-game goal drought. . . . The Giants have gone into OT in four of their last six games. They have won three of those games. . . . Vancouver, which had lost four straight games to Kelowna, led 3-1 after the second period, only to have the Rockets tie it on goals by LW Jamie Benn, at 12:29 on the PP, and C Cody Almond, at 16:36. . . . With the Vancouver Canucks playing on TV, attendance at the Giants game was 7,159. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith made 28 saves. Kelowna’s Mark Guggenberger stopped 33 shots. . . . The Giants spent a goodly part of the game going to the Kelowna net, and Guggenberger may have injured his right leg during an OT scramble. . . . “He got run over a few times tonight,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. “You talk about goalie interference and there hasn’t been one call that’s been made. They can crash the net, but it’s someone’s job to protect the goaltender, too. There’s going hard to the net but there’s also contact on your goaltender. Those are two different things.”
———
In Calgary, the Hitmen never held the lead until F Brett Sonne’s goal at 13:10 of the third period gave them a 5-4 lead over the Brandon Wheat Kings. And that stood up as the final score. . . . Calgary holds a 2-0 series lead with Games 3 and 4 in Brandon on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Brandon led 2-0 aftr one period on goals by F Matt Calvert and F Brayden Schenn. . . . The teams were tied 3-3 after two periods, with Calgary D Michael Stone scoring perhaps the game’s biggest goal at 19:48 of the second period. . . . Brandon D Keith Aulie gave his club a 4-3 lead at 8:56 of the third period, only to have Calgary F Ian Schultz tie it at 10:54 and Sonne win it with his second goal of the playoffs. . . . Calvert, Schenn and Calgary F Joel Broda, who set up the winner, each scored his eighth goal of the playoffs. . . . Calgary D Keith Seabrook had assists on his side’s last two goals. . . . The Hitmen are 10-0 in these playoffs and have won 13 straight games overall. . . . Calgary has set a franchise record for consecutive playoff victories. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 21 shots, while Brandon’s Andrew Hayes turned aside 22. . . . Each team was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 8,600.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7)
(all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 2-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon 4 at Calgary 5
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Series tied 1-1)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna 3 at Vancouver 4 (OT)
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
Saturday . . .
THE PLAYOFFS: One game on Saturday as the Western Conference final opened in Vancouver. . . . The Eastern Conference final continues Sunday with the Calgary Hitmen holding a 1-0 lead over the Brandon Wheat Kings, thanks to a resounding 9-3 decision on Friday. Game time in Calgary is 2 p.m. . . . The status of Brandon C Brayden Schenn is unknown as the Wheat Kings prepare for Sunday’s second game in Calgary. He was injured in the second period of Game 1 on Friday and may have an upper body injury. Schenn didn’t skate with his teammates on Saturday.
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SATURDAY’S GAME – F Mikael Backlund (geez, sorry Mr. Anonymous) had a goal and two assists to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-2 victory over the host Vancouver Giants. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday, 5 p.m., in Vancouver. . . . Backlund opened the scoring with his sixth goal at 4:59 of the second period, as he went end-to-end on the PP. . . . The Rockets took a 2-0 lead at 13:16 of the second when F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored his first playoff goal. . . . F Ian Duval upped the lead to 3-0, on an assist from Backlund, at 16:54. . . . Kelowna held a 15-4 edge in shots in the second period. . . . The Giants got back in it with two third-period goals, from F Lance Bouma and F James Henry, before Duval, off a pass from, yes, Backlund, put it away with an empty-netter. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 20 shots, four fewer than Vancouver’s Tyson Sexsmith. . . . There were six unsportsmanlike conduct minors, three to each team, handed out in the second period. . . . Kelowna was 1-for-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 8,543.
---
JUST NOTES: D Trevor Glass, who completed his WHL eligibility with the Spokane Chiefs, has signed with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and will finish the season there. The WolfPack is up against the Worcester Sharks in a first-round AHL playoff series. . . . G Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans has joined the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Pickard, 19, has signed with the NHL’s Nashville Predators, who selected him with the 18th pick of the 2008 draft.
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THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7, all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 1-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Kelowna leads series 1-0)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
THE EAST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down (11-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in 5.
Alan Caldwell (11-1), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in 5.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser (10-2): Calgary, in 6.
Gregg Drinnan (10-2), Kamloops Daily News: Brandon, in 7.
Dave Sheldon (10-2), Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Brandon, in 6.
Rob Vanstone (10-2), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (9-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary in 5.
Dan Russell (9-3), CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Calgary, in 4.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Calgary, in 5.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Brandon, in 6.
———
THE WEST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down, Calgary Herald: Kelowna, in 6.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser: Kelowna, in 6.
Alan Caldwell, Small Thoughts At Large: Vancouver, in 7.
Gregg Drinnan, Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 5.
Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post: Vancouver, in 6.
Cory Wolfe, Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Vancouver, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Kelowna, in 6.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Kelowna, in 6.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Kelowna, in 6.
NOTE: I missed the Bartel and Potenteau first-round picks. Their second-round records looked like this — Bartel, 4-0; Potenteau, 3-1.
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And, finally, something special for all you American readers out there who dream of living in the land of hockey. I spotted this on Chris Snethen’s blog (onthevig.com). . . . Check it out right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAME – F Mikael Backlund (geez, sorry Mr. Anonymous) had a goal and two assists to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-2 victory over the host Vancouver Giants. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday, 5 p.m., in Vancouver. . . . Backlund opened the scoring with his sixth goal at 4:59 of the second period, as he went end-to-end on the PP. . . . The Rockets took a 2-0 lead at 13:16 of the second when F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored his first playoff goal. . . . F Ian Duval upped the lead to 3-0, on an assist from Backlund, at 16:54. . . . Kelowna held a 15-4 edge in shots in the second period. . . . The Giants got back in it with two third-period goals, from F Lance Bouma and F James Henry, before Duval, off a pass from, yes, Backlund, put it away with an empty-netter. . . . Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 20 shots, four fewer than Vancouver’s Tyson Sexsmith. . . . There were six unsportsmanlike conduct minors, three to each team, handed out in the second period. . . . Kelowna was 1-for-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 8,543.
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JUST NOTES: D Trevor Glass, who completed his WHL eligibility with the Spokane Chiefs, has signed with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and will finish the season there. The WolfPack is up against the Worcester Sharks in a first-round AHL playoff series. . . . G Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans has joined the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Pickard, 19, has signed with the NHL’s Nashville Predators, who selected him with the 18th pick of the 2008 draft.
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THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7, all times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
(Calgary leads series 1-0)
Friday: Brandon 3 at Calgary 9
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
(Kelowna leads series 1-0)
Saturday: Kelowna 4 at Vancouver 2
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
THE EAST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down (11-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in 5.
Alan Caldwell (11-1), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in 5.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser (10-2): Calgary, in 6.
Gregg Drinnan (10-2), Kamloops Daily News: Brandon, in 7.
Dave Sheldon (10-2), Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Brandon, in 6.
Rob Vanstone (10-2), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (9-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary in 5.
Dan Russell (9-3), CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Calgary, in 4.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Calgary, in 5.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Brandon, in 6.
———
THE WEST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down, Calgary Herald: Kelowna, in 6.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser: Kelowna, in 6.
Alan Caldwell, Small Thoughts At Large: Vancouver, in 7.
Gregg Drinnan, Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 5.
Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post: Vancouver, in 6.
Cory Wolfe, Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Vancouver, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Kelowna, in 6.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Kelowna, in 6.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Kelowna, in 6.
NOTE: I missed the Bartel and Potenteau first-round picks. Their second-round records looked like this — Bartel, 4-0; Potenteau, 3-1.
---
And, finally, something special for all you American readers out there who dream of living in the land of hockey. I spotted this on Chris Snethen’s blog (onthevig.com). . . . Check it out right here.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday . . .
THE MacBETH REPORT: G Wade Flaherty (Kelowna Wings/Seattle/Spokane/Victoria) has won two awards this season in the Asia Hockey League. He won Best Goalkeeper and Best Saving Percentage awards. In 36 games with the China Sharks, he had a 3.29 GAA and a save percentage of .917. Flaherty also led the league's goalies in saves, shots faced, games played, and minutes played. . . . F Jason Miller (Medicine Hat) signed a one-year contract extension with Dresden (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 17 goals and 12 assists in 29 games with Dresden this season.
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JUST NOTES: LW Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs is getting a taste of the NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Bowman, who had 47 goals this season, for the duration of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was a third-round selection in the 2007 NHL draft. . . . Earlier, the Hurricanes recalled Lethbridge Hurricanes F Zach Boychuk for the playoff run. . . . Neither is expected to get into a game but will travel and practice with the team and hang out with the other Black Aces, who include former WHLers Brandon Sutter and Brett Carson. . . . The Tri-City Americans announced Friday that “athletic trainer Kevin Heise will not be returning to the club for the 2009-10 season.” Heise was in his second stint with the Americans, having left after the 2005-06 season for one season with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The B.C. School Superintendents Association has honoured the Vancouver Giants with its 2009 Award of Recognition. This award goes to “individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to support and enhance public school education in the Province of British Columbia,” according to a release. The Giants started a 'Read to Succeed' program six seasons that by last year had grown to involve 98 schools and 10,000 students. Also involved in the program are sponsors CIBC, Save On Foods and Campbell's Soup.
As expected, C Casey Pierro-Zabotel of the Vancouver Giants was named Friday as the Western Conference finalist as the WHL’s player of the year. Zabotel, who won the WHL scoring title with 115 points, is up against F Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitmen, who had 100 points. . . . Grant Riddle of the Spokane Chiefs is the Western Conference’s nominee for the league’s marketing/public relations award. The Eastern Conference finalist is Mike Bortolussi of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The WHL also revealed that Tri-City Americans captain Taylor Procyshen is the Western Conference nominee as its humanitarian of the year. The Eastern Conference nominee is Kootenay Ice D Ian Barteaux.
All signs point to this being a sillier silly season than usual, what with the number of coaching changes that are going to happen at all levels. Already, we have the Chilliwack Bruins, Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars looking for head coaches. And there most certainly will be two or three other coaching changes before another season arrives. . . . In Regina, Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Pats head coach Dale Derkatch remains in limbo. He has two years left on his contract but hasn’t yet been told he’ll be back for a second season. . . . Sources tell me that at least two AHL teams are poised to drop their 2008-09 head coaches go. Harder’s story is right here. . . . And the U of Calgary dumped head coach Scott Atkinson this week after the Dinos missed the playoffs for the first time in 24 seasons. Atkinson had been there since the summer of 2001.
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Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune reports that Winter Hawks owner Bill Gallacher isn’t sweating out the political discussions taking place concerning the possible blowing up of Memorial Coliseum, the WHL team’s home rink. That story is right here.
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FRIDAY NIGHT’S PLAYOFF GAME: Well, so much for Brandon’s eight-game playoff winning streak. The Wheat Kings opened the Eastern Conference final in Calgary and the Hitmen took them apart to the tune of 9-3. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Calgary. . . . The Hitmen now are 9-0 in these playoffs; Brandon is 8-1. . . . Calgary had a 7-0 lead before Brandon’s Andrew Clark scored on the PP at 15:38 of the second period. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 18 shots, although he was beaten three times for the first time in these playoffs. . . . F Kris Foucault, who has turned into one of the real stories in these playoffs, and D Paul Postma each had a goal and an assist for Calgary, while F Kyle Bortis scored twice. . . . Foucault, who was acquired from the Kootenay Ice at the trade deadline for F Ryan Fox, has 10 points, including a team-leading eight goals, in nine playoff games. . . . He had 16 points, nine of them goals, in 22 regular-season games with the Hitmen. . . . Foucault also is tied for the WHL playoff goal lead, along with Clark. Two players whose teams have been eliminated, Spokane’s Drayson Bowman and Medicine Hat’s Tyler Ennis, also have eight goals. . . . Calgary D Erik Bonsor didn’t earn a point but was plus-4. . . . Brandon G Andrew Hayes stopped 10 shots before being lifted at 7:45 of the second period with his side down 5-0. James Priestner came on to stop 16 of 20. . . . Attendance was 8,812.
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JUST NOTES: LW Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs is getting a taste of the NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Bowman, who had 47 goals this season, for the duration of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was a third-round selection in the 2007 NHL draft. . . . Earlier, the Hurricanes recalled Lethbridge Hurricanes F Zach Boychuk for the playoff run. . . . Neither is expected to get into a game but will travel and practice with the team and hang out with the other Black Aces, who include former WHLers Brandon Sutter and Brett Carson. . . . The Tri-City Americans announced Friday that “athletic trainer Kevin Heise will not be returning to the club for the 2009-10 season.” Heise was in his second stint with the Americans, having left after the 2005-06 season for one season with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The B.C. School Superintendents Association has honoured the Vancouver Giants with its 2009 Award of Recognition. This award goes to “individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to support and enhance public school education in the Province of British Columbia,” according to a release. The Giants started a 'Read to Succeed' program six seasons that by last year had grown to involve 98 schools and 10,000 students. Also involved in the program are sponsors CIBC, Save On Foods and Campbell's Soup.
As expected, C Casey Pierro-Zabotel of the Vancouver Giants was named Friday as the Western Conference finalist as the WHL’s player of the year. Zabotel, who won the WHL scoring title with 115 points, is up against F Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitmen, who had 100 points. . . . Grant Riddle of the Spokane Chiefs is the Western Conference’s nominee for the league’s marketing/public relations award. The Eastern Conference finalist is Mike Bortolussi of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The WHL also revealed that Tri-City Americans captain Taylor Procyshen is the Western Conference nominee as its humanitarian of the year. The Eastern Conference nominee is Kootenay Ice D Ian Barteaux.
All signs point to this being a sillier silly season than usual, what with the number of coaching changes that are going to happen at all levels. Already, we have the Chilliwack Bruins, Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars looking for head coaches. And there most certainly will be two or three other coaching changes before another season arrives. . . . In Regina, Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Pats head coach Dale Derkatch remains in limbo. He has two years left on his contract but hasn’t yet been told he’ll be back for a second season. . . . Sources tell me that at least two AHL teams are poised to drop their 2008-09 head coaches go. Harder’s story is right here. . . . And the U of Calgary dumped head coach Scott Atkinson this week after the Dinos missed the playoffs for the first time in 24 seasons. Atkinson had been there since the summer of 2001.
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Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune reports that Winter Hawks owner Bill Gallacher isn’t sweating out the political discussions taking place concerning the possible blowing up of Memorial Coliseum, the WHL team’s home rink. That story is right here.
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FRIDAY NIGHT’S PLAYOFF GAME: Well, so much for Brandon’s eight-game playoff winning streak. The Wheat Kings opened the Eastern Conference final in Calgary and the Hitmen took them apart to the tune of 9-3. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Calgary. . . . The Hitmen now are 9-0 in these playoffs; Brandon is 8-1. . . . Calgary had a 7-0 lead before Brandon’s Andrew Clark scored on the PP at 15:38 of the second period. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 18 shots, although he was beaten three times for the first time in these playoffs. . . . F Kris Foucault, who has turned into one of the real stories in these playoffs, and D Paul Postma each had a goal and an assist for Calgary, while F Kyle Bortis scored twice. . . . Foucault, who was acquired from the Kootenay Ice at the trade deadline for F Ryan Fox, has 10 points, including a team-leading eight goals, in nine playoff games. . . . He had 16 points, nine of them goals, in 22 regular-season games with the Hitmen. . . . Foucault also is tied for the WHL playoff goal lead, along with Clark. Two players whose teams have been eliminated, Spokane’s Drayson Bowman and Medicine Hat’s Tyler Ennis, also have eight goals. . . . Calgary D Erik Bonsor didn’t earn a point but was plus-4. . . . Brandon G Andrew Hayes stopped 10 shots before being lifted at 7:45 of the second period with his side down 5-0. James Priestner came on to stop 16 of 20. . . . Attendance was 8,812.
Thursday . . .
If you’re looking for a chuckle, chug on over to Center Ice, Dylan Bumbarger’s blog, and check out his He HATE Me WHL Power Rankings. Nothing like a good, well-thought-out list to put a smile on my face. The rankings, which are more accurate than NHL Central Scouting’s, are right here.
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F Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitmen was named Thursday as the Eastern Conference’s finalist for the WHL player of the year award. Sonne, from Maple Ridge, B.C., had 100 points, including 48 goals, inn 62 regular-season games. His NHL rights belong to the St. Louis Blues, who selected him in the third round of the 2007 draft. . . . Sonne missed four playoff games with an injury but returned for Game 4 of the sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . C Casey Pierro-Zabotel of the Vancouver Giants is expected to be named the Western Conference finalist for the award at a news conference at Pacific Coliseum on Friday.
Meanwhile, D Ian Barteaux is the Eastern Conference finalist for the WHL humanitarian of the year award and Mike Bortolussi is is the conference’s nominee for the WHL marketing and communications award.
All award winners will be honoured April 29 at a luncheon in Edmonton. For ticket information, visit www.oilkings.ca.
———
The Brandon Sun reports that the flu bug has made its way through the Wheat Kings’ dressing room while the team waited to start the Eastern Conference final against the Hitmen in Calgary. F Jesse Hall and D Ryley Miller, neither of whom has dressed for a playoff game, stayed at home with the flu when the Wheat Kings left for Calgary. The series opens Friday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie and F Aaron Lewadniuk, who missed practice time during the week, skated in Calgary on Thursday.
———
F Matt Wilkins, 17, has agreed to play for the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters next season. I don’t know if he still is, but he was on the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ list earlier this season. Why do I mention him? Because he played this season for the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters. . . . This means that when next season ends, Wilkins will have played for the two teams with the greatest nicknames in the entire hockey world. . . . Smoke Eaters. . . . Dynamiters. . . . Nicknames don’t get any better than those.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 4 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
THE EAST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down (11-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in 5.
Alan Caldwell (11-1), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in 5.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser (10-2): Calgary, in 6.
Gregg Drinnan (10-2), Kamloops Daily News: Brandon, in 7.
Rob Vanstone (10-2), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (9-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary in 5.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Brandon, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Calgary, in 4.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Calgary, in 5.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Brandon, in 6.
———
THE WEST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down, Calgary Herald: Kelowna, in 6.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser: Kelowna, in 6.
Alan Caldwell, Small Thoughts At Large: Vancouver, in 7.
Gregg Drinnan, Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 5.
Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post: Vancouver, in 6.
Cory Wolfe, Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Vancouver, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Kelowna, in 6.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Kelowna, in 6.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Kelowna, in 6.
NOTE: I missed the Sheldon, Russell, Bartel and Potenteau first-round picks. Their second-round records looked like this — Russell, 4-0; Bartel, 4-0; Potenteau, 3-1; Sheldon, 3-1.
———
F Brett Sonne of the Calgary Hitmen was named Thursday as the Eastern Conference’s finalist for the WHL player of the year award. Sonne, from Maple Ridge, B.C., had 100 points, including 48 goals, inn 62 regular-season games. His NHL rights belong to the St. Louis Blues, who selected him in the third round of the 2007 draft. . . . Sonne missed four playoff games with an injury but returned for Game 4 of the sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . C Casey Pierro-Zabotel of the Vancouver Giants is expected to be named the Western Conference finalist for the award at a news conference at Pacific Coliseum on Friday.
Meanwhile, D Ian Barteaux is the Eastern Conference finalist for the WHL humanitarian of the year award and Mike Bortolussi is is the conference’s nominee for the WHL marketing and communications award.
All award winners will be honoured April 29 at a luncheon in Edmonton. For ticket information, visit www.oilkings.ca.
———
The Brandon Sun reports that the flu bug has made its way through the Wheat Kings’ dressing room while the team waited to start the Eastern Conference final against the Hitmen in Calgary. F Jesse Hall and D Ryley Miller, neither of whom has dressed for a playoff game, stayed at home with the flu when the Wheat Kings left for Calgary. The series opens Friday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome. . . . Brandon F Scott Glennie and F Aaron Lewadniuk, who missed practice time during the week, skated in Calgary on Thursday.
———
F Matt Wilkins, 17, has agreed to play for the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters next season. I don’t know if he still is, but he was on the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ list earlier this season. Why do I mention him? Because he played this season for the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters. . . . This means that when next season ends, Wilkins will have played for the two teams with the greatest nicknames in the entire hockey world. . . . Smoke Eaters. . . . Dynamiters. . . . Nicknames don’t get any better than those.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 4 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
THE EAST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down (11-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in 5.
Alan Caldwell (11-1), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in 5.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser (10-2): Calgary, in 6.
Gregg Drinnan (10-2), Kamloops Daily News: Brandon, in 7.
Rob Vanstone (10-2), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (9-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary in 5.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Brandon, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Calgary, in 4.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Calgary, in 5.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Brandon, in 6.
———
THE WEST FINAL:
THE PICKS:
John Down, Calgary Herald: Kelowna, in 6.
Jeff Bromley, Kootenay NewsAdvertiser: Kelowna, in 6.
Alan Caldwell, Small Thoughts At Large: Vancouver, in 7.
Gregg Drinnan, Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 5.
Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post: Vancouver, in 6.
Cory Wolfe, Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Dave Sheldon, Vancouver Giants marketing and radio: Vancouver, in 6.
Dan Russell, CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Kelowna, in 6.
Regan Bartel, Kelowna Rockets radio voice: Kelowna, in 6.
Doyle Potenteau, Kelowna Daily Courier: Kelowna, in 6.
NOTE: I missed the Sheldon, Russell, Bartel and Potenteau first-round picks. Their second-round records looked like this — Russell, 4-0; Bartel, 4-0; Potenteau, 3-1; Sheldon, 3-1.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Bonner looks to Blazers' future
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The WHL's Kamloops Blazers are one year into general manager Craig Bonner's
five-year plan.
So . . . how's it going?
“Player personnel-wise,” Bonner says, “the one thing I'm happy with . . . I
really think we revamped our defence. We have one player left from the team
that was here a year ago. That was a big concern of mine. I know how
important defence is if you want to win in this league.”
Three weeks have come and gone since the Blazers, after going 33-33-2-4 in
the regular season, were swept from the first round of the playoffs by the
Kelowna Rockets. Those same Rockets will open the Western Conference final
in Vancouver against the Giants on Saturday night.
Bonner, of course, spent six seasons with the Giants. He was their assistant
general manager/assistant coach when he signed a five-year contract with the
Blazers a year ago.
Had he not signed with the Blazers, Bonner would be experiencing the
adrenaline rush that comes with a deep playoff run. Yes, even now, three
weeks later, getting swept from the playoffs sticks in his craw.
“We improved this season but our compete level on a game-by-game basis has
to get better,” he says. “I don't know if I'll ever be satisfied with our
compete level. But that and our work ethic still have to go up.”
When Bonner took over the Blazers, he knew exactly what he was getting into
- while he and the Giants were becoming playoff mainstays, the Blazers were
failing, again and again and again, to get out of the first round.
So he got to work rebuilding the defence and gathering bantam draft picks.
He holds a first-, a second- and three third-round picks in the April 30
draft.
And when Bonner got through revamping the defence, only Kurt Torbohm was
left from the 2007-08 team.
“I like our group back there now,” Bonner said. “We have a little bit of
everything. We have good people. We went through some tough times this
season but it was a pretty young group and I think we're going to be that
much better for it.”
Having said that, Bonner is quick to add that defence is a team thing and
this team has a long ways to go before it's of championship calibre.
“I don't worry about our team scoring goals,” he says. “We need to get much
better defensively . . . not just our defencemen and our goalies . . .
everybody. It's team defence. We score enough goals.”
They scored 242 goals, the 10th-highest total in the 22-team WHL. But they
gave up 277 and only three teams allowed more.
He also wasn't pleased that the Blazers faced more opposition power plays
(437) than any other team. Only one other club was over 400.
“When you're the (most-)penalized team in the league,” he says, “eventually
it catches up to you. You waste too much energy killing penalties; you don't
get all your players involved in the game.
“I really didn't like our penalties and our goals-against . . . as a team
statistic. We need to strive to give up fewer shots and get more shots.”
All of which is certain to be part of the game plan when training camp opens
Aug. 20. You can bet, too, that there will be a lot of players in camp.
“I want to be real competitive,” Bonner says, as he flashes something of a
devious grin. “I want to have lots of guys around.”
He especially wants to get a look at a healthy Mark Hall. The Kamloops
native, a smallish, feisty forward, blew out a knee in August and didn't
play at all this season.
“He's healthy . . . he's training, he's running,” Bonner says. “He's a hard
guy to play against. He's the type of player I thought we were missing last
season at times. And now he's going to be a hungry player.”
Bonner thinks that forward Uriah Machuga, a 17-year-old from Norco, Calif.,
also will be a hungry player. Machuga was sent home on Dec. 13 due primarily
to school-related issues.
“He came with his dad to see me in Anaheim,” says Bonner, who was in
California last week for a WHL-sponsored camp. “It was a bit of a wakeup
call for him. We made it very clear to him that this is his opportunity and
that you don't get nine lives in this league.
“The kid is working hard. He's a guy who brings us some speed . . . when
he's playing the way he played at camp, he's a competitive guy.”
Bonner also would like to add Sahir Gil, a 1992-born forward from Terrace
whose WHL rights he acquired from the Giants. Gil had 17 points in as many
games as he helped the Vernon Vipers to the BCHL championship.
Bonner has seen Gil play about six times since Christmas, while head coach
Barry Smith also has made the jaunt to Vernon and “some of our ownership has
contacted him.” In other words, the Blazers have gone to a full-court press.
“He's a good player,” Bonner says. “They've won a championship so he's been
through a winning playoff run.
“I think he's a higher-end player. If he wants to do the world junior thing
and get to the next level, where I know he wants to get to, we believe this
is the way for him to come.
“But that's a decision his family is going to have to make. What the family
has said is that after all this is said and done they have to meet and come
up with a decision.
“But for him to spend another one or probably two years in junior A . . .”
Whether Gil is in Kamloops when camp opens, one thing is for certain - that
is that nothing is for sure, not with a Bonner-managed team that was swept
from the playoffs by the Rockets, a team that beat the Blazers 13 times -
yes, 13 times! - this season.
“I think I made it clear to everybody that there's no guaranteed jobs,”
Bonner says. “When you lose four straight, to me there's no guaranteed
jobs.”
JUST NOTES: Bonner expects the Blazers' coaching staff to return intact.
Head coach Barry Smith and assistant Scott Ferguson are under contract while
assistant Geoff Smith is expected to sign on for another season. . . . The
NHL's Central Scouting Service released its final rankings of draft-eligible
players earlier this week. Blazers RW Jimmy Bubnick is ranked 55th among
North American skaters, while G Jon Groenheyde is 18th among North American
goaltenders. The NHL draft is scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal. . . . D
Wes McLeod of Kamloops, who played for the BCHL's Prince George Spruce
Kings, is ranked 200th. . . . The late Dan (Heavy) Evason, who was scouting
for the Blazers when he died in 2004, will be inducted into the Manitoba
Hockey Hall of Fame in October. Evason, who was 41 when he died, had joined
the Blazers' scouting staff in 1999. He will join his brother, Dean, in the
Manitoba hall. Dean, who played and coached with the Blazers, was inducted
in 2005.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
An unofficial Blazers' depth chart (x - on playoff roster when season ended;
year of birth in parentheses):
Goal - x-Justin Leclerc (89); x-Jon Groenheyde (91); John Keeney (93), Twin
Peaks, Calif.; Josh Thorimbert (92), Saskatoon.
Defence - x-Giffen Nyren (89); x-Curtis Kulchar (90); x-Michal Siska (90);
x-Zak Stebner (90); x-Kurt Torbohm (90); x-Josh Caron (91); x-Linden Saip
(91); x-Brandon Underwood (92); Nick Buchanan (91), Victoria; Daniel
Medland-Marchen, Kelowna (92); Tyler Hansen (93), Magrath, Alta.
Forwards - x-C.J. Stretch (89); x-Tyler Shattock (90); x-Shayne Wiebe (90);
x-Dalibor Bortnak (91); x-Jimmy Bubnick (91); x-Cole Grbavac (91); x-Brett
Lyon (91); x-Jake Trask (91); x-Brendan Ranford (92); x-Colin Smith (93);
Richard Vanderhoek (91), Langley; Ryan Hanes (92), Kamloops; Neil Landry (92), Saskatoon; Uriah Machuga (92), Norco, Calif.; Dylan Willick (92),
Prince George.
Daily News Sports Editor
The WHL's Kamloops Blazers are one year into general manager Craig Bonner's
five-year plan.
So . . . how's it going?
“Player personnel-wise,” Bonner says, “the one thing I'm happy with . . . I
really think we revamped our defence. We have one player left from the team
that was here a year ago. That was a big concern of mine. I know how
important defence is if you want to win in this league.”
Three weeks have come and gone since the Blazers, after going 33-33-2-4 in
the regular season, were swept from the first round of the playoffs by the
Kelowna Rockets. Those same Rockets will open the Western Conference final
in Vancouver against the Giants on Saturday night.
Bonner, of course, spent six seasons with the Giants. He was their assistant
general manager/assistant coach when he signed a five-year contract with the
Blazers a year ago.
Had he not signed with the Blazers, Bonner would be experiencing the
adrenaline rush that comes with a deep playoff run. Yes, even now, three
weeks later, getting swept from the playoffs sticks in his craw.
“We improved this season but our compete level on a game-by-game basis has
to get better,” he says. “I don't know if I'll ever be satisfied with our
compete level. But that and our work ethic still have to go up.”
When Bonner took over the Blazers, he knew exactly what he was getting into
- while he and the Giants were becoming playoff mainstays, the Blazers were
failing, again and again and again, to get out of the first round.
So he got to work rebuilding the defence and gathering bantam draft picks.
He holds a first-, a second- and three third-round picks in the April 30
draft.
And when Bonner got through revamping the defence, only Kurt Torbohm was
left from the 2007-08 team.
“I like our group back there now,” Bonner said. “We have a little bit of
everything. We have good people. We went through some tough times this
season but it was a pretty young group and I think we're going to be that
much better for it.”
Having said that, Bonner is quick to add that defence is a team thing and
this team has a long ways to go before it's of championship calibre.
“I don't worry about our team scoring goals,” he says. “We need to get much
better defensively . . . not just our defencemen and our goalies . . .
everybody. It's team defence. We score enough goals.”
They scored 242 goals, the 10th-highest total in the 22-team WHL. But they
gave up 277 and only three teams allowed more.
He also wasn't pleased that the Blazers faced more opposition power plays
(437) than any other team. Only one other club was over 400.
“When you're the (most-)penalized team in the league,” he says, “eventually
it catches up to you. You waste too much energy killing penalties; you don't
get all your players involved in the game.
“I really didn't like our penalties and our goals-against . . . as a team
statistic. We need to strive to give up fewer shots and get more shots.”
All of which is certain to be part of the game plan when training camp opens
Aug. 20. You can bet, too, that there will be a lot of players in camp.
“I want to be real competitive,” Bonner says, as he flashes something of a
devious grin. “I want to have lots of guys around.”
He especially wants to get a look at a healthy Mark Hall. The Kamloops
native, a smallish, feisty forward, blew out a knee in August and didn't
play at all this season.
“He's healthy . . . he's training, he's running,” Bonner says. “He's a hard
guy to play against. He's the type of player I thought we were missing last
season at times. And now he's going to be a hungry player.”
Bonner thinks that forward Uriah Machuga, a 17-year-old from Norco, Calif.,
also will be a hungry player. Machuga was sent home on Dec. 13 due primarily
to school-related issues.
“He came with his dad to see me in Anaheim,” says Bonner, who was in
California last week for a WHL-sponsored camp. “It was a bit of a wakeup
call for him. We made it very clear to him that this is his opportunity and
that you don't get nine lives in this league.
“The kid is working hard. He's a guy who brings us some speed . . . when
he's playing the way he played at camp, he's a competitive guy.”
Bonner also would like to add Sahir Gil, a 1992-born forward from Terrace
whose WHL rights he acquired from the Giants. Gil had 17 points in as many
games as he helped the Vernon Vipers to the BCHL championship.
Bonner has seen Gil play about six times since Christmas, while head coach
Barry Smith also has made the jaunt to Vernon and “some of our ownership has
contacted him.” In other words, the Blazers have gone to a full-court press.
“He's a good player,” Bonner says. “They've won a championship so he's been
through a winning playoff run.
“I think he's a higher-end player. If he wants to do the world junior thing
and get to the next level, where I know he wants to get to, we believe this
is the way for him to come.
“But that's a decision his family is going to have to make. What the family
has said is that after all this is said and done they have to meet and come
up with a decision.
“But for him to spend another one or probably two years in junior A . . .”
Whether Gil is in Kamloops when camp opens, one thing is for certain - that
is that nothing is for sure, not with a Bonner-managed team that was swept
from the playoffs by the Rockets, a team that beat the Blazers 13 times -
yes, 13 times! - this season.
“I think I made it clear to everybody that there's no guaranteed jobs,”
Bonner says. “When you lose four straight, to me there's no guaranteed
jobs.”
JUST NOTES: Bonner expects the Blazers' coaching staff to return intact.
Head coach Barry Smith and assistant Scott Ferguson are under contract while
assistant Geoff Smith is expected to sign on for another season. . . . The
NHL's Central Scouting Service released its final rankings of draft-eligible
players earlier this week. Blazers RW Jimmy Bubnick is ranked 55th among
North American skaters, while G Jon Groenheyde is 18th among North American
goaltenders. The NHL draft is scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal. . . . D
Wes McLeod of Kamloops, who played for the BCHL's Prince George Spruce
Kings, is ranked 200th. . . . The late Dan (Heavy) Evason, who was scouting
for the Blazers when he died in 2004, will be inducted into the Manitoba
Hockey Hall of Fame in October. Evason, who was 41 when he died, had joined
the Blazers' scouting staff in 1999. He will join his brother, Dean, in the
Manitoba hall. Dean, who played and coached with the Blazers, was inducted
in 2005.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
An unofficial Blazers' depth chart (x - on playoff roster when season ended;
year of birth in parentheses):
Goal - x-Justin Leclerc (89); x-Jon Groenheyde (91); John Keeney (93), Twin
Peaks, Calif.; Josh Thorimbert (92), Saskatoon.
Defence - x-Giffen Nyren (89); x-Curtis Kulchar (90); x-Michal Siska (90);
x-Zak Stebner (90); x-Kurt Torbohm (90); x-Josh Caron (91); x-Linden Saip
(91); x-Brandon Underwood (92); Nick Buchanan (91), Victoria; Daniel
Medland-Marchen, Kelowna (92); Tyler Hansen (93), Magrath, Alta.
Forwards - x-C.J. Stretch (89); x-Tyler Shattock (90); x-Shayne Wiebe (90);
x-Dalibor Bortnak (91); x-Jimmy Bubnick (91); x-Cole Grbavac (91); x-Brett
Lyon (91); x-Jake Trask (91); x-Brendan Ranford (92); x-Colin Smith (93);
Richard Vanderhoek (91), Langley; Ryan Hanes (92), Kamloops; Neil Landry (92), Saskatoon; Uriah Machuga (92), Norco, Calif.; Dylan Willick (92),
Prince George.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Wednesday . . .
Questions, questions . . . we’ve got questions:
1. How about former NHL head coach Marc Crawford as the next head coach of the Chilliwack Bruins?
2. Or will the Bruins hire Marc Habscheid?
3. How about Dean Clark, the 13th-winningest head coach in WHL regular-season history, as the next head coach of the Prince George Cougars?
4. Was Habscheid really this () close to signing as GM/head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors before it all fell apart?
5. Would Brent Sutter really give up a prime NHL head-coaching position to return to his beloved (and struggling) Red Deer Rebels?
6. After D Nick Ross scored the Game 7-winning goal that allowed Vancouver to eliminate the Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday night, did Giants GM Scott Bonner send a thank you note to his brother Craig?
7. Which AHL team will announce this week that it has fired its head coach?
8. If the Lethbridge Hurricanes don’t re-sign head coach Michael Dyck, could former Kelowna Rockets head coach Jeff Truitt be the man there?
9. If Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay and Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska both learned how to win while in the Kamloops organization, just what exactly happened to the Blazers?
10. If Portland’s Memorial Coliseum ends up being demolished, could the Winter Hawks end up in Wenatchee, Wash.? No. How about Victoria?
Hey, just asking . . .
———
JUST NOTES: The New York Rangers have assigned D Tomas Kundratek, a 1989-born Czech, from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. . . . The Kelowna Rockets are making noises as though F Kyle St. Denis (concussion) might play at some point in the Western Conference final. He has been out since Feb. 18 and has missed 23 games, 10 of them in these playoffs. . . . The Eastern Conference final, between the Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings, features a matchup of brothers. Calgary D Michael Stone, 18, and Brandon F Mark Stone, 16, are brothers from Winnipeg who had never played against each other prior to this season. . . . It’s worth noting, too, that Calgary’s lineup includes D Alex Plante, 19, and F Carson McMillan, 20, both of whom are from Brandon.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 4 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 23: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
THE EAST FINAL:
Calgary has to be favoured over Brandon if only because G Martin Jones is 8-0 with a 0.86 GAA and a .957 save percentage. The Hitmen are deeper on defence, although it could be that Brandon’s bunch is under-rated. Let’s not forget that the Wheat Kings also are 8-0. Brandon’s forwards may be as deep as Calgary’s, and that is really, really deep. In the end, the key figures are Brandon’s goaltenders — Andrew Hayes and James Priestner get to prove their mettle in this one.
THE PICKS:
John Down (11-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in five.
Alan Caldwell (11-1), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in five.
Gregg Drinnan (10-2), Kamloops Daily News: Brandon, in seven.
Rob Vanstone (10-2), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (9-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary in 5.
———
THE WEST FINAL:
Kelowna has put together two four-game winning streaks in these playoffs, taking out Kamloops in four, then losing the first two games to Tri-City before winning the last four. This is a confident bunch that is playing an intense, physical style. The Giants are the Giants, with G Tyson Sexsmith at his best. But they are going to need more from WHL scoring champ Casey Pierro-Zabotel and sniper Evander Kane to win this series.
THE PICKS:
John Down, Calgary Herald: Kelowna, in 6.
Alan Caldwell, Small Thoughts At Large: Vancouver, in 7.
Gregg Drinnan, Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 5.
Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post: Vancouver, in 6.
Cory Wolfe, Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
1. How about former NHL head coach Marc Crawford as the next head coach of the Chilliwack Bruins?
2. Or will the Bruins hire Marc Habscheid?
3. How about Dean Clark, the 13th-winningest head coach in WHL regular-season history, as the next head coach of the Prince George Cougars?
4. Was Habscheid really this () close to signing as GM/head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors before it all fell apart?
5. Would Brent Sutter really give up a prime NHL head-coaching position to return to his beloved (and struggling) Red Deer Rebels?
6. After D Nick Ross scored the Game 7-winning goal that allowed Vancouver to eliminate the Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday night, did Giants GM Scott Bonner send a thank you note to his brother Craig?
7. Which AHL team will announce this week that it has fired its head coach?
8. If the Lethbridge Hurricanes don’t re-sign head coach Michael Dyck, could former Kelowna Rockets head coach Jeff Truitt be the man there?
9. If Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay and Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska both learned how to win while in the Kamloops organization, just what exactly happened to the Blazers?
10. If Portland’s Memorial Coliseum ends up being demolished, could the Winter Hawks end up in Wenatchee, Wash.? No. How about Victoria?
Hey, just asking . . .
———
JUST NOTES: The New York Rangers have assigned D Tomas Kundratek, a 1989-born Czech, from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. . . . The Kelowna Rockets are making noises as though F Kyle St. Denis (concussion) might play at some point in the Western Conference final. He has been out since Feb. 18 and has missed 23 games, 10 of them in these playoffs. . . . The Eastern Conference final, between the Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings, features a matchup of brothers. Calgary D Michael Stone, 18, and Brandon F Mark Stone, 16, are brothers from Winnipeg who had never played against each other prior to this season. . . . It’s worth noting, too, that Calgary’s lineup includes D Alex Plante, 19, and F Carson McMillan, 20, both of whom are from Brandon.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Finals
(Best-of-7)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 4 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 23: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
THE EAST FINAL:
Calgary has to be favoured over Brandon if only because G Martin Jones is 8-0 with a 0.86 GAA and a .957 save percentage. The Hitmen are deeper on defence, although it could be that Brandon’s bunch is under-rated. Let’s not forget that the Wheat Kings also are 8-0. Brandon’s forwards may be as deep as Calgary’s, and that is really, really deep. In the end, the key figures are Brandon’s goaltenders — Andrew Hayes and James Priestner get to prove their mettle in this one.
THE PICKS:
John Down (11-1), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in five.
Alan Caldwell (11-1), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in five.
Gregg Drinnan (10-2), Kamloops Daily News: Brandon, in seven.
Rob Vanstone (10-2), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (9-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary in 5.
———
THE WEST FINAL:
Kelowna has put together two four-game winning streaks in these playoffs, taking out Kamloops in four, then losing the first two games to Tri-City before winning the last four. This is a confident bunch that is playing an intense, physical style. The Giants are the Giants, with G Tyson Sexsmith at his best. But they are going to need more from WHL scoring champ Casey Pierro-Zabotel and sniper Evander Kane to win this series.
THE PICKS:
John Down, Calgary Herald: Kelowna, in 6.
Alan Caldwell, Small Thoughts At Large: Vancouver, in 7.
Gregg Drinnan, Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 5.
Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post: Vancouver, in 6.
Cory Wolfe, Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday . . .
Sam Adams, the mayor of Portland, was greeted by more than a few hostile people on Tuesday as he appeared at an open house that was aimed at explaining development plans for the Rose Quarter. Those plans include the tearing down of Memorial Coliseum, the home of the WHL’s Winter Hawks. The Portland Tribune’s Jim Redden has the latest right here.
———
When the Brandon Wheat Kings and Calgary Hitmen open the Eastern Conference final in Cowtown on Friday, both teams will take 8-0 playoff records into the game. . . . From Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun: “This will mark the first time under the current playoff format that two teams undefeated in the playoffs will meet in a conference final. The last time two teams entered a conference final with perfect postseason records was 1988-89 when the Swift Current Broncos met the Saskatoon Blades, but that season both clubs had first-round byes and had only played four games before meeting. The Broncos went on to win the WHL title with a perfect 12-0 playoff record that season and eventually beat the host Blades in the Memorial Cup final.”
———
It’ll be the Vancouver Giants and Kelowna Rockets in the Western Conference final. The Giants, who are the conference’s top seed, will play host to the No. 3 Rockets on Saturday and Sunday nights. . . . The Giants advanced by scoring a 1-0 overtime victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday night. . . . F Gary Nunn was credited with the game’s only goal, at 1:56 of the first OT period. However, Nunn told the Vancouver Sun’s Ian Walker that he isn’t certain that he deserves credit. “It hit a Chiefs defenceman's stick on the way, I don’t think I touched it at all,” Nunn said. “We’ll have to take a look on the video, but I’m sure that was Ross’s goal.” . . . Attendance was 10,684. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 28 shots for his first shutout of these playoffs and the fifth of his career. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski, who had been named the CHL’s goaltender of the week earlier in the day, turned aside 41 shots. . . . The last three games in this series went to extra time. All told, the teams played 93 minutes 28 seconds of OT. . . . Another note from Walker: “It was just the second Game 7 to be played at Pacific Coliseum in the arena’s history. The only other time the Rink on Renfrew was witness to a seventh game was when the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-0 on April 30, 1992.” . . . And, yes, Shaw will cover the series between the Giants and Rockets.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Final
(Best-of-7)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 22: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 4 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 23: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
When the Brandon Wheat Kings and Calgary Hitmen open the Eastern Conference final in Cowtown on Friday, both teams will take 8-0 playoff records into the game. . . . From Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun: “This will mark the first time under the current playoff format that two teams undefeated in the playoffs will meet in a conference final. The last time two teams entered a conference final with perfect postseason records was 1988-89 when the Swift Current Broncos met the Saskatoon Blades, but that season both clubs had first-round byes and had only played four games before meeting. The Broncos went on to win the WHL title with a perfect 12-0 playoff record that season and eventually beat the host Blades in the Memorial Cup final.”
———
It’ll be the Vancouver Giants and Kelowna Rockets in the Western Conference final. The Giants, who are the conference’s top seed, will play host to the No. 3 Rockets on Saturday and Sunday nights. . . . The Giants advanced by scoring a 1-0 overtime victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday night. . . . F Gary Nunn was credited with the game’s only goal, at 1:56 of the first OT period. However, Nunn told the Vancouver Sun’s Ian Walker that he isn’t certain that he deserves credit. “It hit a Chiefs defenceman's stick on the way, I don’t think I touched it at all,” Nunn said. “We’ll have to take a look on the video, but I’m sure that was Ross’s goal.” . . . Attendance was 10,684. . . . Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith stopped 28 shots for his first shutout of these playoffs and the fifth of his career. . . . Spokane G Dustin Tokarski, who had been named the CHL’s goaltender of the week earlier in the day, turned aside 41 shots. . . . The last three games in this series went to extra time. All told, the teams played 93 minutes 28 seconds of OT. . . . Another note from Walker: “It was just the second Game 7 to be played at Pacific Coliseum in the arena’s history. The only other time the Rink on Renfrew was witness to a seventh game was when the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-0 on April 30, 1992.” . . . And, yes, Shaw will cover the series between the Giants and Rockets.
———
THIRD ROUND
Conference Final
(Best-of-7)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (3)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 22: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, April 24: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 26: Calgary at Brandon, 4 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver (1) vs. Kelowna (3)
Saturday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Kelowna at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 23: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 25: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 27: Vancouver at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 28: Kelowna at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
Tuesday . . . early
The hockey world awaits at the foot of Mount Blog for Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, to climb to the top and make another pronouncement. His last one drew 59 comments; the bar has been set awfully high. LOL! . . . Ahh, what fun it is . . .
---
The NHL’s Central Scouting Service has released its final rankings of players eligible for the 2009 draft. All the info is right here. Unfortunately, Central Scouting doesn’t rank all draft-eligible players together, choosing instead to separate them in Don Cherry-like fashion.
---
A source in the Portland area is striving to keep me up to date on goings-on involving the potential blowing up of Memorial Coliseum, which just happens to be the home of the Winter Hawks, and has been since the summer of 1976. Judging from the early reaction, this issue isn't going to go away any time soon. Here then are a few links to the latest news . . .
The Oregonian’s Anne Saker has a piece right here in which Winter Hawks president Doug Piper tells her: “"There hasn't been a lot of talk about us in this process publicly, and our fans seem to think that we're not being considered. We weren't in the beginning. We are now. It's fair for the public to realize that we're not getting steamrolled. We're getting our day at the podium."
---
The latest from the Portland Tribune is right here.
---
A blog that specializes in “designs in the Rose City” is dead against tearing down Memorial Coliseum. It is right here.
---
Also from the blogosphere comes savethecoliseum.blogspot.com. Check it out.
---
And the Daily Journal of Commerce also has a piece on the situation. It is right here.
---
The NHL’s Central Scouting Service has released its final rankings of players eligible for the 2009 draft. All the info is right here. Unfortunately, Central Scouting doesn’t rank all draft-eligible players together, choosing instead to separate them in Don Cherry-like fashion.
---
A source in the Portland area is striving to keep me up to date on goings-on involving the potential blowing up of Memorial Coliseum, which just happens to be the home of the Winter Hawks, and has been since the summer of 1976. Judging from the early reaction, this issue isn't going to go away any time soon. Here then are a few links to the latest news . . .
The Oregonian’s Anne Saker has a piece right here in which Winter Hawks president Doug Piper tells her: “"There hasn't been a lot of talk about us in this process publicly, and our fans seem to think that we're not being considered. We weren't in the beginning. We are now. It's fair for the public to realize that we're not getting steamrolled. We're getting our day at the podium."
---
The latest from the Portland Tribune is right here.
---
A blog that specializes in “designs in the Rose City” is dead against tearing down Memorial Coliseum. It is right here.
---
Also from the blogosphere comes savethecoliseum.blogspot.com. Check it out.
---
And the Daily Journal of Commerce also has a piece on the situation. It is right here.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Recchi eager for Original Six matchup
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Boston Bruins . . . if you’re a hockey fan, it does get the motor running, doesn’t it?
So you can imagine what it does to a player.
It was early Sunday afternoon and there was boredom in Mark Recchi’s voice.
Of course, the veteran NHL forward was preparing for the Boston Bruins’ final regular-season game, against the (seemingly always) struggling New York Islanders.
Recchi and the Bruins anxiously awaited the completion of that game — they would win it, 6-2 — so that they, the top-seeded team in the NHL’s Eastern Conference, could begin contemplating a first-round matchup with the No. 8 Canadiens.
That series will open Thursday in Boston.
“You know what . . . it’s tough,” Recchi said of trying to prepare to play the Islanders. “Especially with playoffs around the corner. You just want to get it started.”
And that’s about where the boredom left Recchi’s voice, replaced with the enthusiasm that comes with playoff hockey.
“It’s a great rivalry so it’s going to be good,” he said of Bruins versus Canadiens which is bigger, yes, than Alien vs. Predator. “They’re playing a lot better now. It’ll be tough. With the emotions and everything . . . it’ll be good for the league, I’ll tell you that.”
Recchi, the Kamloops native who owns a piece of his hometown Blazers, turned 41 in February. He has been a professional since 1988. Even at his age and with his experience, the Original Six matchup has him fired up. Yes, he still gets butterflies.
“Oh yeah . . . that’s awesome,” he said. “It’s neat. Especially when you have the rivarly like this.”
The Bruins and Habs whetted the sport’s appetite for this matchup last week when they played some oldtime hockey in the TD Banknorth Garden. The Bruins won 5-4 — on Recchi’s overtime goal — but not before the Bruins lost their cool and a 3-1 lead.
The Bruins, Recchi said, are going to have to have better control of their emotions as the first round evolves.
“We’re deep and we’re balanced,” he said of the Bruins who, over the 82-game regular season, had the NHL’s best defence and third-best offence. “We’re big and physical and we have to play that way but be smart.”
He said the Bruins have to play with what he called “controlled emotions.”
At the same time, he added, “We have to get pucks deep and we have to play physical and we have to get pucks on their net. We have to get behind their defence and forecheck.”
It is absolutely imperative that the Bruins get the puck deep in the Montreal zone and not turn it over in the neutral zone.
“We have to make them come 200 feet,” Recchi explained. “If you start turning pucks over on them, they have good enough players that they can turn that in your face and that doesn’t benefit us at all.”
This will be the 32nd time the Canadiens and Bruins have met in a playoff round. The Habs have won 24 of those series, including the last three (2008, 2004, 2002).
This season, the Canadiens were 1-3-2 against the Bruins. Put another way, thanks to overtime and shootouts, the Bruins were 5-0-1 against the Habs.
Recchi said the Bruins are especially aware of Alexei Kovalev, Montreal’s enigmatic sniper, and linemates Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay.
“That line was going real good,” Recchi said. “They basically got their team hot at the right time.”
Recchi, of course, played for the Canadiens, spending four seasons (1995-99) there. So he knows all about the pressures involved in wearing le bleu, blanc et rouge.
But there are pressures in Boston, too, and that is exacerbated right now because the Bruins are a first-place team. Just one year ago, the roles were reversed — the Canadiens were the conference’s top seed and they took out the eighth-seeded Bruins in the first round.
Recchi is hoping that his presence will help guarantee that doesn’t happen again. The Bruins, looking for some depth and veteran leadership, acquired him from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the March 4 trade deadline.
It’s safe to say the Bruins, to this point, have gotten at least that from him. In 18 games with the Beantowners, Recchi, a master at driving to the net with his stickblade on the ice, totaled 16 points, including 10 goals.
By the way, all Recchi, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, did this season was solidify his status as a sure-fire Hall of Famer, should he ever decide to retire. He has 1,442 career regular-season points, which is 14th on the NHL’s career list. He ranks 14th in games played (1,490), 26th in goals (545, one more than a guy named Maurice Richard) and 18th in points (897).
But that kind of talk is for this summer or, more likely, the summer of 2010.
For now, there are playoff games to be played.
“I feel great. I feel real good . . . for this time of year,” Recchi said.
He gives credit for his good health to Tampa Bay head coach Rick Tocchet, who “was really good to me.”
Tocchet made sure Recchi got ample rest and wasn’t on the ice every day.
“He would let me get my workouts in . . . instead of going on the ice some days he knew I would like to go in the gym and get my workouts and stuff done in there,” Recchi explained. “And on certain days he said just take it off. That was good.”
The same thing has happened in Boston where head coach Claude Julien appears to know exactly what he has in Recchi.
In one conversation, Julien hesitatingly told Recchi: “Nothing against you but you’re at the point with your age . . .”
A laughing Recchi said he responded with: “Don’t worry. I’m not offended. I’m not offended by you saying that.”
With the Bruins, Recchi has found life playing alongside a couple of pups — centre Patrice Bergeron, 23, and right-winger Chuck Kobasew, the Osoyoos native who turns 27 on Friday.
“Bergeron is a good player,” Recchi said, sounding not unlike a proud father. “I can’t belive how strong he is and how good he is defensively. He’s only 23 . . . he is talented. He’s strong, he’s smart. And not a lot of people realize that he plays against every top line.”
Which means Recchi might see a lot of Kovalev, Koivu and Tanguay in the days ahead.
And that suits him just fine.
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com.
So you can imagine what it does to a player.
It was early Sunday afternoon and there was boredom in Mark Recchi’s voice.
Of course, the veteran NHL forward was preparing for the Boston Bruins’ final regular-season game, against the (seemingly always) struggling New York Islanders.
Recchi and the Bruins anxiously awaited the completion of that game — they would win it, 6-2 — so that they, the top-seeded team in the NHL’s Eastern Conference, could begin contemplating a first-round matchup with the No. 8 Canadiens.
That series will open Thursday in Boston.
“You know what . . . it’s tough,” Recchi said of trying to prepare to play the Islanders. “Especially with playoffs around the corner. You just want to get it started.”
And that’s about where the boredom left Recchi’s voice, replaced with the enthusiasm that comes with playoff hockey.
“It’s a great rivalry so it’s going to be good,” he said of Bruins versus Canadiens which is bigger, yes, than Alien vs. Predator. “They’re playing a lot better now. It’ll be tough. With the emotions and everything . . . it’ll be good for the league, I’ll tell you that.”
Recchi, the Kamloops native who owns a piece of his hometown Blazers, turned 41 in February. He has been a professional since 1988. Even at his age and with his experience, the Original Six matchup has him fired up. Yes, he still gets butterflies.
“Oh yeah . . . that’s awesome,” he said. “It’s neat. Especially when you have the rivarly like this.”
The Bruins and Habs whetted the sport’s appetite for this matchup last week when they played some oldtime hockey in the TD Banknorth Garden. The Bruins won 5-4 — on Recchi’s overtime goal — but not before the Bruins lost their cool and a 3-1 lead.
The Bruins, Recchi said, are going to have to have better control of their emotions as the first round evolves.
“We’re deep and we’re balanced,” he said of the Bruins who, over the 82-game regular season, had the NHL’s best defence and third-best offence. “We’re big and physical and we have to play that way but be smart.”
He said the Bruins have to play with what he called “controlled emotions.”
At the same time, he added, “We have to get pucks deep and we have to play physical and we have to get pucks on their net. We have to get behind their defence and forecheck.”
It is absolutely imperative that the Bruins get the puck deep in the Montreal zone and not turn it over in the neutral zone.
“We have to make them come 200 feet,” Recchi explained. “If you start turning pucks over on them, they have good enough players that they can turn that in your face and that doesn’t benefit us at all.”
This will be the 32nd time the Canadiens and Bruins have met in a playoff round. The Habs have won 24 of those series, including the last three (2008, 2004, 2002).
This season, the Canadiens were 1-3-2 against the Bruins. Put another way, thanks to overtime and shootouts, the Bruins were 5-0-1 against the Habs.
Recchi said the Bruins are especially aware of Alexei Kovalev, Montreal’s enigmatic sniper, and linemates Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay.
“That line was going real good,” Recchi said. “They basically got their team hot at the right time.”
Recchi, of course, played for the Canadiens, spending four seasons (1995-99) there. So he knows all about the pressures involved in wearing le bleu, blanc et rouge.
But there are pressures in Boston, too, and that is exacerbated right now because the Bruins are a first-place team. Just one year ago, the roles were reversed — the Canadiens were the conference’s top seed and they took out the eighth-seeded Bruins in the first round.
Recchi is hoping that his presence will help guarantee that doesn’t happen again. The Bruins, looking for some depth and veteran leadership, acquired him from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the March 4 trade deadline.
It’s safe to say the Bruins, to this point, have gotten at least that from him. In 18 games with the Beantowners, Recchi, a master at driving to the net with his stickblade on the ice, totaled 16 points, including 10 goals.
By the way, all Recchi, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, did this season was solidify his status as a sure-fire Hall of Famer, should he ever decide to retire. He has 1,442 career regular-season points, which is 14th on the NHL’s career list. He ranks 14th in games played (1,490), 26th in goals (545, one more than a guy named Maurice Richard) and 18th in points (897).
But that kind of talk is for this summer or, more likely, the summer of 2010.
For now, there are playoff games to be played.
“I feel great. I feel real good . . . for this time of year,” Recchi said.
He gives credit for his good health to Tampa Bay head coach Rick Tocchet, who “was really good to me.”
Tocchet made sure Recchi got ample rest and wasn’t on the ice every day.
“He would let me get my workouts in . . . instead of going on the ice some days he knew I would like to go in the gym and get my workouts and stuff done in there,” Recchi explained. “And on certain days he said just take it off. That was good.”
The same thing has happened in Boston where head coach Claude Julien appears to know exactly what he has in Recchi.
In one conversation, Julien hesitatingly told Recchi: “Nothing against you but you’re at the point with your age . . .”
A laughing Recchi said he responded with: “Don’t worry. I’m not offended. I’m not offended by you saying that.”
With the Bruins, Recchi has found life playing alongside a couple of pups — centre Patrice Bergeron, 23, and right-winger Chuck Kobasew, the Osoyoos native who turns 27 on Friday.
“Bergeron is a good player,” Recchi said, sounding not unlike a proud father. “I can’t belive how strong he is and how good he is defensively. He’s only 23 . . . he is talented. He’s strong, he’s smart. And not a lot of people realize that he plays against every top line.”
Which means Recchi might see a lot of Kovalev, Koivu and Tanguay in the days ahead.
And that suits him just fine.
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca and gdrinnan.blogspot.com.
Monday stuff . . .
There wasn’t any playoff action on Monday, but we’ve got a Game 7 treat Tuesday night with the Spokane Chiefs in Vancouver to face the Giants. Game time is 7 p.m. Pacific time.
Some notes, courtesy of Dave Sheldon, the radio voice of the Giants: This will be the first time in Giants history that they will be playing host to a Game 7. In the 2007 WHL final, the Giants lost Game 7 to the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . On Sunday, when the Giants won 3-2 in double OT in Spokane, it was the first time in these playoffs that the Chiefs had lost after going into the third period with the lead. They are 39-3 when leading after two periods. . . . The Giants were 6-6-2-1 when trailing after 40 minutes in the regular season; they are 1-1 in the playoffs when facing the same situation. . . . In this series, Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith has a 1.60 GAA with a .931 save percentage; Spokane’s Dustin Tokarski is 1.73 and .944. . . . Through the first six games, Vancouver has allowed more than three goals once, in a 5-2 loss in Game 3. During the regular season, the Giants were 53-4-2-0 when holding the opposition to three or less. In the playoffs, the Giants are 7-2. . . . Spokane has held the Giants to three or fewer in all but one game, a 4-1 loss in Game 2. When the Giants were held to three or fewer in the regular season, they were 11-9-2-1. So far in the playoffs, they are 4-3 in that situation. . . .The Giants and Chiefs have played 451 minutes of hockey in the series, or the equivalent of seven and a half games.
———
The Chiefs, meanwhile, are headed into their ninth Game 7 appearance in franchise history. That includes one series (1985-86) that went nine games. . . . Spokane has a 5-3 record in series that have gone seven or nine games. . . . Most recently, the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans 4-1 in Kennewick, Wash., in Game 7 of the Western Conference final a year ago. . . . There are 12 players on Spokane’s roster who played in that game. . . . Spokane D Trevor Glass will be playing in the fourth Game 7 of his WHL career. Glass, who turned 21 on Jan. 22, is 3-0 in such games, although two of them came while he was with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
———
If you want to get your morning laugh, chug on over to Regan Bartel’s blog and check out the debate that raged after his posting on Sunday. It is headlined: Rockets in final four. The last time I checked, there were more than 50 comments. Atta boy, Regan. Way to stir it up!
———
D Colby Robak of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had seven points, four of them goals, and was plus-6 in two games last week. The Wheat Kings won both games and swept the Medicine Hat Tigers from a second-round playoff series. . . . G Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs is the WHL’s nominee as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 3-1-0-0 with a 1.27 GAA and .956 save percentage.
———
Here’s Tri-City Americans G Chet Pickard, in conversation with Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier:
“As the season went on, I thought Kelowna was definitely the best team in the league. They made a couple of good deals at the deadline, and acquiring (Mikael) Backlund at the same time was a big deal, too.
“They play such a good system and they have a lot of guys who play good roles. You look at (Mitchell) Callahan and (Curt) Gogol, those guys ran the crap out of us every game. They have guys for every role on that team: Big guys, strong guys, lots of guys who can put the puck in the net.
“And if you look at their back-end, they have (Tyler) Myers and (Tyson) Barrie and (Tysen) Dowzak and (Collin) Bowman. They have a very complete team."
———
The Phoenix Coyotes have signed F Justin Bernhardt to an entry-level NHL contract. Bernhardt, a free agent, played as a 20-year-old with the Prince Albert Raiders this season, completing his fifth WHL season. He was fifth in the WHL points derby, with 92 in 72 games. Bernhardt, who is from Yorkton, Sask., was never selected in the NHL draft.
———
The Allan Cup tournament began Monday in Steinbach, Man., and there are a whole lot of former WHLers — including Theo Fleury — chasing the Canadian senior hockey championship. You can follow the tournament right here.
Some notes, courtesy of Dave Sheldon, the radio voice of the Giants: This will be the first time in Giants history that they will be playing host to a Game 7. In the 2007 WHL final, the Giants lost Game 7 to the Tigers in Medicine Hat. . . . On Sunday, when the Giants won 3-2 in double OT in Spokane, it was the first time in these playoffs that the Chiefs had lost after going into the third period with the lead. They are 39-3 when leading after two periods. . . . The Giants were 6-6-2-1 when trailing after 40 minutes in the regular season; they are 1-1 in the playoffs when facing the same situation. . . . In this series, Vancouver G Tyson Sexsmith has a 1.60 GAA with a .931 save percentage; Spokane’s Dustin Tokarski is 1.73 and .944. . . . Through the first six games, Vancouver has allowed more than three goals once, in a 5-2 loss in Game 3. During the regular season, the Giants were 53-4-2-0 when holding the opposition to three or less. In the playoffs, the Giants are 7-2. . . . Spokane has held the Giants to three or fewer in all but one game, a 4-1 loss in Game 2. When the Giants were held to three or fewer in the regular season, they were 11-9-2-1. So far in the playoffs, they are 4-3 in that situation. . . .The Giants and Chiefs have played 451 minutes of hockey in the series, or the equivalent of seven and a half games.
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The Chiefs, meanwhile, are headed into their ninth Game 7 appearance in franchise history. That includes one series (1985-86) that went nine games. . . . Spokane has a 5-3 record in series that have gone seven or nine games. . . . Most recently, the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans 4-1 in Kennewick, Wash., in Game 7 of the Western Conference final a year ago. . . . There are 12 players on Spokane’s roster who played in that game. . . . Spokane D Trevor Glass will be playing in the fourth Game 7 of his WHL career. Glass, who turned 21 on Jan. 22, is 3-0 in such games, although two of them came while he was with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
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If you want to get your morning laugh, chug on over to Regan Bartel’s blog and check out the debate that raged after his posting on Sunday. It is headlined: Rockets in final four. The last time I checked, there were more than 50 comments. Atta boy, Regan. Way to stir it up!
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D Colby Robak of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the Boston Pizza WHL player of the week. He had seven points, four of them goals, and was plus-6 in two games last week. The Wheat Kings won both games and swept the Medicine Hat Tigers from a second-round playoff series. . . . G Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs is the WHL’s nominee as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week. He was 3-1-0-0 with a 1.27 GAA and .956 save percentage.
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Here’s Tri-City Americans G Chet Pickard, in conversation with Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier:
“As the season went on, I thought Kelowna was definitely the best team in the league. They made a couple of good deals at the deadline, and acquiring (Mikael) Backlund at the same time was a big deal, too.
“They play such a good system and they have a lot of guys who play good roles. You look at (Mitchell) Callahan and (Curt) Gogol, those guys ran the crap out of us every game. They have guys for every role on that team: Big guys, strong guys, lots of guys who can put the puck in the net.
“And if you look at their back-end, they have (Tyler) Myers and (Tyson) Barrie and (Tysen) Dowzak and (Collin) Bowman. They have a very complete team."
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The Phoenix Coyotes have signed F Justin Bernhardt to an entry-level NHL contract. Bernhardt, a free agent, played as a 20-year-old with the Prince Albert Raiders this season, completing his fifth WHL season. He was fifth in the WHL points derby, with 92 in 72 games. Bernhardt, who is from Yorkton, Sask., was never selected in the NHL draft.
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The Allan Cup tournament began Monday in Steinbach, Man., and there are a whole lot of former WHLers — including Theo Fleury — chasing the Canadian senior hockey championship. You can follow the tournament right here.
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