Day 2 . . . let's get started!

DAY 2 AT THE MASTERCARD MEMORIAL CUP . . .
We begin with a comment from an eager reader, who noted the comment here Friday about wanting to put the car on cruise control for the drive from Strathmore, Alta., to Brandon:
“I would recommend a steering wheel club, which should keep your car straight, as long as the alignment isn't messed up. But make sure you wake up before Belle Plaine, or you and your car might end up inside Chubby's Bar and Grill, which is for sale.”
He was kind enough to provide a link to prove that Chubby’s Bar and Grill is, indeed, for sale.
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When this Memorial Cup began, the Brandon Wheat Kings had been idle since April 23, when they lost Game 5 to the host Calgary Hitmen. That meant that Brandon went 20 days between games before they were whipped 9-3 by the Windsor Spitfires on Friday night. . . . The Hitmen hadn’t played since May 7 when they won Game 5 to finish off the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . The Moncton Wildcats eliminated the Saint John Sea Dogs in Game 6 of the QMJHL final on Monday and flew to Brandon two days later. . . . The Spitfires completed their sweep of the Barrie Colts in the OHL final on May 4. Windsor, which ran its winning streak to nine games by beating Brandon, hadn’t played in nine days. . . . Make of all that whatever you want.
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A lot of buzz Saturday about Brandon GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon’s decision to start Andrew Hayes in goal over Jacob DeSerres.
Both are 19-year-old WHL veterans.
But Hayes had played in only nine games over the previous three and a half months, while, including playoffs, DeSerres had been in 25 game since Feb. 1. DeSerres played 12 off the Wheat Kings’ 15 WHL playoff games.
McCrimmon said after the game that he felt Hayes had a better two weeks of practice leading up to this tournament and that the move to start him also was a gut feeling.
From where I sit, and hindsight is 20-20, McCrimmon made a mistake simply because he may well have taken his team out of whatever comfort zone it was in as the tournament got started. Throwing a changeup by going to Hayes may well have added to the nervous conditions this team must have been feeling, considering that it hadn’t played in 20 days and was appearing in front of a boisterous hometown crowd.
One NHL scout agreed with that, but pointed out that the night likely was a perfect storm in Brandon. A nervous team that hasn’t played in a while goes up against a team that has won eight straight playoff games, is the defending Memorial Cup champion and was eager not to repeat the 0-2 start it had at the 2009 tournament.
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The other major topic of conversation prior to Saturday’s game was the way Windsor F Taylor Hall responded to a heavy check from Brandon D Travis Hamonic just 39 seconds into Friday’s opening period.
The two came together near the end boards in Brandon’s zone. It looked as though Hall knew Hamonic was there and tried to initiate the contact.
If you have seen the brilliant photo taken by veteran Canadian Press shooter Frank Gunn, well, you know the outcome of the hit. Gunn may well have ended up with the CP sports photo of the year, what with Hall kissing the end boards in such a fashion.
But Hall, who likely will be taken first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in next month’s NHL draft, got up off the ice (with some help), didn’t miss a shift, answered every challenge he received from that point on, and scored twice.
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There are two question marks going into Saturday afternoon’s game between the Calgary Hitmen and Moncton Wildcats.
The Wildcats were without F Nicolas Deschamps, who had 96 points in 64 regular-season games, for the six-game victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL final.
He suffered a leg injury and has yet to receive medical clearance to return to the ice. Immediately after the injury, he was on crutches. They have disappeared and he has resumed off-ice workouts, but there is no sign of an imminent return.
Deschamps, who turned 20 on Jan. 6, was acquired from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens during the QMJHL trade period. He had 44 points in 31 games with Chicoutimi and added 52 in 33 games with the Wildcats.
He was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the NHL’s 2008 draft.
And, of course, word has yet to come down concerning Calgary F Brandon Kozun, who was injured in the fifth and final game of the WHL championship series.
Kozun suffered a foot injury when he slid feet-first into the boards early in the second period of the game against the Tri-City Americans.
He was off skates for five days, before taking a 10-minute spin here on Friday. But head coach Mike Williamson sent him off the ice.
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F David Toews, 20, is leaving the U of North Dakota Fighting Sioux and wants to play in the WHL.
Toews, the younger brother of Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, had 15 points in 32 games this season after earning 11 points in 23 games in his freshman season.
His WHL rights are held by the Brandon Wheat Kings.
While the younger Toews, who is from Winnipeg, has declared his intentions, Brandon GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon has chosen not to comment.
Brandon’s roster at this Memorial Cup includes 10 players who are 19 years of age and thus would be eligible to return and vie for one of the three 20-year-old spots. Of those nine, four or five are expected to turn pro.
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Picked up a Regina Leader-Post while zipping through the Queen City earlier in the week. And there, right on the front sports page where he likes to be, was Brent Parker, the former Pats GM who now is looking for a GM, explaining to Greg Harder just what he will be doing as the franchise’s governor and president.
In part, here’s Parker:
“We’re working on a couple of . . . projects, too. We’ve expressed a desire for a long time to have an outdoor game. We’ve got some things in our organization in terms of expansion to our office, adding some sales people and some different things. We’ve asked our staff to think outside the box on how to recreate and re-energize and refresh our game-day experience for our fans . . .”
With Parker having more time and energy to spend on things other than the acquisition of players, watch for him to push hard for an outdoor game to be played in Mosaic Stadium, the home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Let’s not forget, too, that the Pats are heading into the last year of their lease, so there will be some negotiations needed. And, in past years, those negotiations have sometimes become hotter than the fourth of July over the Detroit River.
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Mike Pelino, a former assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs, is the new head coach of the Peterborough Petes. The OHL club introduced Pelino, 50, on Thursday. Pelino is a veteran Hockey Canada coach and was on Team Canada’s staff at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. He spent this season as an assistant coach with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. . . . Pelino replaces Ken McRae, whose contract wasn’t renewed by new GM Dave Reid.
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G Kurtis Mucha, who completed his major junior eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season, remains with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. He was on the bench, backing up Rejean Beauchemin again Friday night as the host Steelheads lost 3-2 to the Cincinnati Cylones. That was the first game of the ECHL final for the Kelly Cup. Beauchemin stopped 19 shots and was beaten for the winner in the last minute of the third period. . . . The Steelheads signed Mucha to an ATO for the second time this season after the AHL’s Texas Stars recalled G Richard Backman. . . . Mucha had joined the Steelheads briefly after the Blazers’ season ended.