Monday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Evan Schafer (Prince Albert, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with the Edinburgh Capitals (UK Elite). He had one goal and two assists in 24 games for University of Saskatchewan (CIS) last season.
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A couple of news conferences are scheduled for Tuesday, both at noon MT. . . . One will be in Medicine Hat, where the Tigers will announce that Willie Desjardins, their GM and head coach, is leaving for the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ associate coach, will move up as head coach. . . . In Edmonton, the Oil Kings will announce that someone — I will be shocked if it isn’t Steve Hamilton — has signed on as an assistant coach under new head coach Derek Laxdal. . . . Noon news conferences? Gotta think they’ll be feeding the media hordes at both of them.
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In a swap of 1993-born players, the Moose Jaw Warriors have dealt D Matthew Franczyk to the Swift Current Broncos for F Preston Amundson. . . . Amundson, a seventh-round pick by the Broncos in the 2008 bantam draft, had 47 points and 72 penalty minutes in 34 games with the midget AAA Edmonton CAC Canadians last season. . . . Franczyk was a fifth-round pick by the Warriors in the 2008 bantam draft. He had 25 points in 41 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild last season.
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F Todd Robinson (Portland, 1994-99) has signed with the Central league’s Odessa Jackalopes. This comes after Robinson spent most of his playing career with the IHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. In fact, he led the IHL in scoring each of the last two seasons. He had 112 points in 2008-09 and 109 last season. . . . Robinson, one of the most-prolific scorers in the game’s history, has 1,035 points in 743 minor-league games.
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So much for former Spokane Chiefs head coach Bill Peters ending up in the NHL this season. Well, if he does, it apparently won’t be with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks, who lost associate coach John Torchetti to the Atlanta Thrashers, have hired Mike Kitchen, who had been with the Florida Panthers, as an assistant coach, joining Mike Haviland. Kitchen and Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville coached under Quenneville with the St. Louis Blues (1998-2003) and also played together with the Colorado Rockies and New Jersey Devils (1979-83). . . . Peters has spent the last two seasons as head coach of Chicago’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
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Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that F Dan Iwanski, 20, won’t be back with the Silvertips. He is, according to Patterson, “exploring his educational opportunities.” Iwasnki had 16 points in 43 games last season. . . . His departure leaves the Silvertips with five 20-year-olds on their roster -- F Clayton Cumiskey, D Radko Gudas, D Chris de la Lande, D Curtis Kulchar and G Thomas Heemskerk. . . . However, according to Patterson, Gudas and Heemskerk “are expected to play professionally next season.”
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Now, just to help make your day, you should know that, according to Sports Business Journal, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was paid US$7.2 million for the 2008-09 season, an increase of 1.7 per cent.
And if you think that’s something, how about Bud Selig, who gets $18.35 million to run Major League Baseball?
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And now for one more thing that is completely different. . . . If you have been following The Escape of LeBron, here is the best piece that I’ve read on it to date. It’s by Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone, and it’s right here.
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OK . . . and one more. . . . Just don’t choke on your cereal when you read this one about a prosthetic leg that was set on fire after a guy lost a bet. Seriously.