Wednesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Tim Wedderburn (Prince George, 1998-2002) signed a one-year contract with Braehead Clan (UK Elite). He had three goals and 12 assists in 67 games with Victoria (ECHL) and no points in two games with Lake Erie (AHL) last season. . . .
F Sean Selmser (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, 1991-95) signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (UK Elite). He had 11 goals and 20 assists in 54 games with the Vienna Capitals (Austria Erste Bank Liga) last season. . . .
D Dmitri Yakushin (Edmonton Ice, Regina, 1996-98), D Gennady Razin (Kamloops, 1996-98), F Sergei Varlamov (Swift Current, 1995-98), D Andrei Sryubko (Kamloops, 1994-95) and D Sergei Klimentiev (Medicine Hat, 1993-95) all signed one-year contracts with Budivelnyk Kiev (Ukraine, KHL). The statistics for these players last season: Yakushin had two goals and 18 assists with Gomel (Belarus Extraliga); Razin had a goal and three assists in 40 games with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia KHL); Varlamov had 11 goals and 21 assists in 29 games for Sokol Kiev (Ukraine, plays in Belarus Extraliga) and seven goals and three assists in 23 games for Dynamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL); Sryubko had 10 goals and 12 assists in 47 games for Sokol Kiev; and, Klimentiev had five goals and 21 assists in 48 games for Sokol Kiev.
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The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on Wednesday night, which means congratulations are in order for long-time friend Bruce Franklin and to Darrell May. . . . Franklin, a former head scout for the Swift Current Broncos, has been on the Blackhawks’ scouting staff for a number of years and is a familiar face in WHL arenas. . . . May, the former GM of the Chilliwack Bruins who was fired during the 2008-09 season, is in his first season on Chicago’s scouting staff. . . . Congratulations, too, to Kevin Cheveldayoff, the Blackhawks’ assistant GM. Cheveldayoff is a former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman. . . . And let’s not forget that Bill Peters, the former Spokane Chiefs’ head coach, is the head coach of Chicago’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and that former WHL goaltender Wade Flaherty is the developmental goaltending coach.
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A follower of the Portland Winterhawks emailed with an interesting note after the Chicago victory. He points out that Blackhawks F Marian Hossa has won the Memorial Cup and the Stanley Cup in virtually the same uniform — black pants and a white ’Hawks jersey. . . . Hossa was with the Winterhawks when they won the 1998 Memorial Cup in Spokane. . . . The fan also points out that Hossa wore No. 18 in Portland and wears No. 81 in Chicago. . . . Of course, Hossa suffered a serious knee injury late in the final game of that 1998 Memorial Cup and was pushed out onto the ice surface in a chair for the celebration. Was it then-trainer Innes Mackie doing the pushing?
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The hot rumour as Wednesday became Thursday was that Perry Pearn, the Montreal Canadiens’ assistant coach, had accepted an offer to become the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings. There is no confirmation as of this writing. . . . And one thing confuses me about all of the Pearn speculation. If he wants some head-coaching experience, why can’t he land the job with the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate? Guy Boucher, the head coach in Hamilton this season, is to be introduced Thursday as head coach of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . By the way, Boucher apparently is taking his two Hamilton assistants — Dan Lacroix and Martin Raymond — to Tampa.
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The other hot rumour has Steve Hamilton, who resigned after the season as GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints, having agreed to terms with the Kootenay Ice to replace Mark Holick as head coach. While that may happen, I don’t see it happening just yet. Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and GM, has said he is in no hurry to replace Holick, who signed with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and will coach their new AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
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F Derek Stepan has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s New York Rangers, meaning he is leaving the U of Wisconsin Badgers. Stepan, a second-round pick in the NHL’s 2008 draft, was the Badgers’ leading scorer, with 54 points. He is from Hastings, Minn. . . . The New York Post claimed earlier in the week that Stepan might end up with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. But Stepan’s father has said his son will play for the Rangers or their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed Rob MacLachlan, their director of scouting and player development, to a contract extension. According to a press release, MacLachlan “has signed for two years plus an option year, which will see MacLachlan through to the 2013 season.” . . . He has been with the Warriors for five seasons.
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The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express have acquired the playing rights to D Riley McIntosh, a 20-year-old from Coquitlam who has played with the Kelowna Rockets and Tri-City Americans. McIntosh, who is from Coquitlam, played this season with the Americans. They released him following the season.
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In Cedar Park, Texas, the Hershey Bears got a late PP goal from D John Carlson and beat the Dallas Stars 4-2 to even the AHL final at 2-2. The visiting team has won each of the first four games, and Game 5 is scheduled for Friday in Hershey. . . . Carlson scored his first goal of the playoffs at 17:52 of the third period and the Bears later added an empty-net goal.
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Rylan Ferster has resigned as GM and head coach of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. A release from the club has Ferster staying through the end of the month to assist in the process of hiring a coach. . . . The release adds that “Ferster plans to remain in junior hockey and expects details of his new position to be announced shortly.”
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Get well wishes to Darrell Davis, a longtime friend and co-worker during my time at the Regina Leader-Post. Davis is recovering after suffering a heart attack while playing racquetball on Tuesday. Tests revealed a couple of blocked arteries, so he had a stent inserted Wednesday and another is to be put in place Thursday. . . . Won’t be long and he’ll be home and hale and hearty once again. . . . He is the son of the late Lorne Davis, who played with and coached the Regina Pats, before going on to play in the NHL. Lorne also was a longtime scout with the Edmonton Oilers. Another son, Brad, is a former WHL on-ice official who also scouts for the Oilers.