Day 6 . . . it's over!

DAY 6 AT THE 2010 MASTERCARD MEMORIAL CUP . . .

No game Thursday, so I’m taking a day off.
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Whenever I have a few minutes, I pick up a dandy book that arrived on my desk a few weeks ago.
The book is titled: The Regina Pats — Junior Hockey’s Royal Franchise.
It was written by Darrell Davis, who used to be on the sports department staff at the Regina Leader-Post, and superfan Ron (Scoreboard) Johnston.
Davis has a long history with the Pats, as his late father, Lorne, played for the team and later coached it. Johnston, meanwhile, is the statistical expert on everything Pats.
The two of them have come up with what just may be the best historical volume on one junior hockey team that I have seen.
It is hard cover, fairly big (not coffee table-type big), printed on high-quality paper, 272 pages and a must-have for hockey fans.
There are so many anecdotes and interesting stories here that it is guaranteed to keep you interested.
Clark Gillies, Bob Turner, Dennis Sobchuk, Ed Staniowski, Bill Hicke, Fran Huck, Del Wilson, Doug Sauter, Jamie Heward, Mike Sillinger and on and on and on . . .
I will try to write more on this book once I get the whole thing read. In the meantime, if you can find a copy, grab it. It was published by The Leader-Post Carrier Foundation Inc., and designed, printed and produced by Centax Books, a division of Print West Communications Ltd. If you are interested in a copy and can’t find one, call Print West in Regina at 306-525-2304, or drop an email to centax@printwest.com.
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JUST NOTES: Peter Loubardias, who is handling Sportsnet’s play-by-play, got his start as the news director at radio statioin CJSL in Estevan, Sask., in 1984. He spent four seasons as the radio voice of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins. . . . Sam Cosentino, who rides shotgun with Loubardias, was a bat boy with the Toronto Blue Jays while in high school. . . . G Torrie Jung, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Edmonton Oil Kings this season, will attend the U of B.C. and play for the Thunderbirds. Jung played four seasons in the WHL, with his career starting with the Kelowna Rockets.
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When the Brandon Wheat Kings lined up for player introductions prior to Friday’s tournament opener, they had three goaltenders dressed. Their two regulars, Andrew Hayes and Jacob DeSerres, were there, and they were joined by Liam Liston, the 57th pick in the 2008 bantam draft. What a thrill that must have been for Liston, who joined the Wheat Kings late in their WHL season. Now he is among the goaltenders selected to the fifth annual Program of Excellence goaltending camp, held by Hockey Canada and the CHL, in Calgary, June 17-20. Liston is one of five under-18 goaltenders selected. He is from St. Albert, Alta., and we can only hope his nickname is Sonny. . . . Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent) and Kent Simpson of the Everett Silvertips will be at the over-18 camp.
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The Nelson Leafs of the Kootenay International junior league have hired Chris Shaw as their new head coach. Shaw, 29, replaces Simon Wheeldon as the junior B team’s head coach. Wheeldon resigned after this season. Shaw has been working at the Okanagan Hockey School and was an assistant coach with the KIJHL’s Penticton Lakers. There were 19 applicants for the position. . . . Under Wheeldon, the Leafs lost to Troy Mick’s Revelstoke Grizzlies in this season’s KIJHL final. The Grizzlies went on to win the Keystone Cup as Western Canadian champs.
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The Edmonton Journal is reporting that Derek Laxdal, the director of hockey operations and head coach of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, is the leading candidate to become the second head coach in the history of the Edmonton Oil Kings. They are looking to replace Steve Pleau, who was fired after this season. . . . Laxdal is a former WHL player (Portland, Brandon, New Westminster, 1982-86). Laxdal is in his fifth season with the Steelheads, with whom he is signed through 2011-12. . . . Idaho presently trails the Cincinnati Cyclones 2-1 in the ECHL final for the Kelly Cup. Game 4 is Thursday in Cincinnati. . . . The Journal also reports that former Prince Albert Raiders D Todd Nelson, who lost his job as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers when head coach John Anderson was dumped, also is in the running with the Oil Kings. . . . The Journal also has Steve Hamilton, who has resigned as the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints, in the running, too. . . . Meanwhile, over at Coming Down the Pipe! (the link is there on the left), Dean Millard, who is at the Memorial Cup, reports that the Oil Kings’ have shortlisted five candidates. Millard lists only three of those candidates — Hamilton, U of Alberta Golden Bears head coach Eric Thurston and Montreal Canadiens assistant coach Perry Pearn.
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From where I sit, Hamilton might be a really good fit with the Kootenay Ice, which is looking to replace head coach Mark Holick. He is off to join the Anaheim Ducks’ organization as head coach of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
Holick joined the Ice from Spruce Grove, which is exactly where Hamilton has been.
Holick was one of three head coaches this season who moved into the WHL from the junior A ranks, with Dave Hunchak (Moose Jaw Warriors) and Bruno Campese (Prince Albert Raiders) the others.
Jeff Chynoweth, the owner/GM in Kootenay, has shown he will go that route, and he may well do it again.
Just don’t be looking for Chynoweth to fill the vacancy in the near future. In fact, don’t be surprised if Aug. 1 arrives and the Ice is still without a coach.
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D Josh Morrissey of Calgary has signed with the Prince Albert Raiders, who took him in the first round, sixth overall, of the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft. Morrissey captained the bantam AAA Calgary Royals Gold this season and was the top scorer among defencemen, with 49 points, in the Alberta Major Bantam league. He had 108 penalty minutes. He was named the South Division’s top defenceman.
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The Edmonton Oilers have moved their AHL affiliate to Oklahoma City and the team will be known as the Barons. The name was chosen from more than 20,000 submissions (3,000 individual names). They will play out of the newly renovated Dox Convention Centre. . . . The franchised played as the Springfield Falcons this season. . . . The Barons don’t yet have a coaching staff in place.
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There were a few former WHLers in the signing news on Wednesday. . . . The St. Louis Blues re-signed F Adam Cracknell, 24, who had 38 points in 76 games with the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen. He played for the Kootenay Ice (2002-05). . . . D Deryk Engelland (Moose Jaw, 1998-2003) has signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played this season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but got into six games and had two assists with the NHL Penguins. He had 11 points and 121 penalty minutes in 71 games with the Baby Penguins. . . . F Ryan Keller (Saskatoon, 2001-05) has signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators. He had 68 points, including 34 goals, in 72 gams with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators.
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The Sioux Falls Stampede used a sixth-round pick in the USHL draft on Wednesday to take D Tyler Vanscourt of Corona, Calif. He played 29 games with the Kootenay Ice in 2008-09 after being a seventh-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft.
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The Central league has announced that the Amarillo Gorillas won’t take part in the 2010-11 season. The Gorillas had been part of the league since 2002. Players under contract to Amarillo for next season immediately became free agents. . . . Former WHLer Brian Pellerin, a former Portland Winterhawks assistant coach who played for the Prince Albert Raiders (1987-91), was the head coach in Amarillo.