Thursday . . .

The playoffs opened Thursday in Calgary and it was The Jeff Bosch Show.
The Moose Jaw goaltender stopped 46 shots as the Warriors scored a 4-2 victory over the Hitmen.
Moose Jaw is the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed; the Hitmen finished first in the overall standings, 29 points ahead of the Warriors. . . . The Warriors were 3-for-6 on the PP — at one point, they were 3-for-4 — while the Hitmen were 1-for-8. . . . F Jason Bast and F Antonin Honejsek, the latter on the PP, gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead in the first period before D Matt MacKenzie got the Hitmen on the board at 13:52. . . . The Warriors scored the only goals of the second period, both on the PP, with F Thomas Frazee and D Chad Suer getting them. . . . F Brandon Kozun, the WHL scoring champion, scored for Calgary in the third period, on the PP. . . . D Ryan Stanton had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . F Misha Fisenko had two assists for Calgary. . . . G Martin Jones stopped 12 shots for the Hitmen. . . . The Warriors were outshot 18-0 in the third period. . . . The crowd of 7,254 was not enthused with the work of referees Dan Cowley and Ryan Thompson. Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun writes: “The loudest ovation in the third period was for Hitmen mascot Farley the Fox, who had donned a ref's jersey — complete with a white cane — and stumbled blindly down the stairs.” . . . "You have to adjust to the officiating," Calgary head coach Mike Williamson told Fisher. "I didn't think it was a standard we had seen much of this year. It was a bit frustrating. But we have a mature and experienced enough team that we should be able to play through that." . . . Game 2 is Saturday in Calgary.
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There is playoff action on five fronts Friday night, with Swift Current at Brandon, Medicine Hat at Kootenay, Chilliwack at Tri-City, Kamloops at Vancouver, and Kelowna at Everett.
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The Everett Silvertips haven’t yet said which goaltender — Thomas Heemskerk or Kent Simpson — will start in Game 1 against the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday. Everett head coach Craig Hartsburg told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald that the starting goaltender drew his assignment on game day during the regular season, and the coaching staff isn’t about to change things up now. . . . Patterson also reports that Everett F Zack Dailey, 20, is considering attending the U of Calgary or the U of Alberta next season. Dailey is a native of Ferry, Alaska.
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It’s the same story in Brandon where Kelly McCrimmon, the GM/head coach of the Wheat Kings, told the Brandon Sun’s Rob Henderson that he will let his goaltenders — Jacob DeSerres and Andrew Hayes — know his decision game day. The Wheat Kings open at home against the Swift Current Broncos on Friday.
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Every day is a good day, but some are better than others.
And, yes, Thursday was better than most.
That’s because I arrived at my desk, checked my email and discovered that the WHL has chosen to honour three of my favourite people.
Even though it often is easy to be critical of the WHL, it really does get things right on occasion. And this time it really has gotten it right.
For starters, Jann Boss and Graham Tuer will be the 2009-10 recipients of the WHL Distinguished Service Award.
Boss was the pulse of the Portland Winterhawks’ front office from 1976-2007. She oversaw all aspects of the club’s finances and the business operations. Of course, she did a whole lot more than that, witness her nickname — Mama Hawk.
Yes, if you were critical of a player, who were being critical of her and, yes, chances are you would hear about it.
“What a surprise!” Jann told me Thursday night. “I about hit the floor a couple weeks ago when Ron Robison called me to let me know it was coming.”
Tuer is a longtime WHL scout and executive and a volunteer with the Saskatchewan Hockey Association. A former assistant GM with the Regina Pats, he is the father of former WHL head coach/player Al Tuer, who now scouts for the NHL’s Calgary Flames out of Vernon, B.C. Graham Tuer also scouts for the Kelowna Rockets.
He has been involved in hockey for more than 50 yearsd and is one of the great gentlemen of the game, and is know far and wide for his terrific sense of humour.
Tuer lives in Regina. Having lived in Regina for 17 years, I know full well how much Tuer has meant to minor hockey and, especially, to the Saskatchewan midget AAA league.
Meanwhile, the WHL also announced that Ken Hodge, former co-owner, GM and head coach of the Winterhawks, is the 2009-10 recipient of the WHL Governors Award.
The award is presented annually to an individual who, through their outstanding services as a builder of the league and achievements in the game, has contributed to the growth and development of the WHL.
Hodge, the winningest head coach in WHL history, was the Winterhawks’ first head coach and maintained the post from when the franchise relocated from Edmonton in 1976 through 1992-93, when he stepped aside to focus on the GM’s duties.
During his time behind the bench, he coached 1,411 games, recorded 742 regular-season victories and added 101 playoff victories. Those all are WHL records.
He also was head coach the 1982-83 Winterhawks, who became the first U.S.-based team to win the Memorial Cup.
One of the great joys of covering the WHL during Hodge’s working days was to sit and chat with him before games. He always provided great insight and never, ever shied away from answering a question.
Ron Robison, the WHL commmissioner, will be in Portland on Sunday and will honour Boss and Hodge prior to the Winterhawks’ playoff game with the Spokane Chiefs.
Tuer will be saluted at the bantam draft on April 29 in Edmonton.
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The Saskatoon Blades may have D Teigan Zahn, 19, back in their lineup Saturday when they open their first-round series against the visiting Red Deer Rebels. Zahn hasn’t played since breaking his right leg on Jan. 13 in a game against the Calgary Hitmen. Originally, it was thought that Zahn would be out up to five months. . . . Blades D Jyri Niemi (broken finger) missed the last eight regular-season games, but will play Saturday. . . . Saskatoon F Curtis Hamilton (broken collarbone for the second time this season) has received medical clearance to return to practise, as has Zahn. . . . According to Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “(Zahn and Hamilton) are more metallic than they used to be. Surgeons used 10 screws and a plate to stabilize Zahn’s broken leg. Hamilton?s fractured clavicle also was repaired with screws — something doctors didn’t use when he first broke it in November.”
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Somehow I missed this one: Kevin Hasselberg, the director of hockey operations and head coach of the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys, resigned, effective March 12.
He had been with the Grizzlys for 10 years, the last five as director of hockey ops and head coach.
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Trevor Blevins, an assistant coach with the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs, has signed on as general manager and head coach of the Tisdale Trojans, who play in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.
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The Federal Hockey League has another franchise — the Broome County Barons. There’s more right here.
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G Garrett Zemlak, who spent the season with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, was a winner Thursday as he made his pro debut with the ECHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Zemlak, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, stopped 32 shots — and four of five in the shootout — as the Checkers beat the host Reading Royals, 4-3.
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Blogger Woody Wommack reports that the ECHL’s Florida Everblades are expected to announce the signing of D Mitch McColm on Friday. McColm, 20, played out his WHL eligibility with the Regina Pats this season. They acquired him from the Chilliwack Bruins on Jan. 10. McColm also played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Tri-City Americans. . . . The Everblades also got back F Brady Calla (Everett, Moose Jaw, Kamloops, Spokane, 2003-09) from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. He had six points in 33 games with Rochester.