Tim Tisdale (left) and Darrin McKechnie took part in a pregame ceremony
in Regina on Friday night to commemorate the 25th anniversary of a bus
crash in which four members of the Swift Current Broncos - Trent Kresse,
Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff - were killed. Tisdale was on
that Broncos team, while McKechnie played for the 1986-87 Pats.
(Photos courtesy Regina Pats)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Robby Sandrock (Spokane, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Kelowna, 1994-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) after his release by mutual agreement by Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had two goals and three assists in nine games for Medvescak this season. . . .
F Marcel Hossa (Portland, 1998-2001) was released by Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL). He had six goals and 11 assists in 35 games for Spartak this season.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have launched @TbirdsGameday – it’s right here. . . . According to Ian Henry, the director of media and public relations, “The idea is to separate our live game updates from other news and info we put out via Twitter. We are using Twitter a lot and there could be some fans who want to get just news and info from us but don’t want us jamming up their Twitter feed on game nights with a bunch of updates. This way those that want lots of updates and want to communicate with the team on game night have a separate Twitter to do this.”
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WHL TRADE TRACKER (since Dec. 27):Trades made: 3
Players: 9
Draft picks: 3
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Lukas Sutter scored three times as his Blades skated past the Prince Albert Raiders, 9-4. . . . Sutter, who has 14 goals, also had an assist and finished plus-5. . . . Saskatoon F Michael Burns had one assist and was plus-6. He wasn‘t able to beat Prince Albert G Cole Holowenko on a second-period penalty shot. . . . D Dalton Thrower had a goal and two assists in the first period as the Blades assumed a 4-1 lead. He finished with two goals, giving him six, and three helpers. . . . Saskatoon G Alex Moodie, in his first start, stopped 34 shots. . . . The Raiders had won five in a row. . . . Prince Albert F Kellan Tochkin was given a boarding major and game misconduct at 3:52 of the third period. . . .

In Brandon, F Michael St. Croix had two goals and an assist as the Edmonton Oil Kings dumped the Wheat Kings, 7-1. . . . F Dylan Wruck added a goal and two assists. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 41 shots. . . . St. Croix has 22 goals. . . . Brandon G Brandon Anderson, making his sixth straight start, left after two periods. Curtis Honey, 17, made his WHL debut with 10 saves on 12 shots. . . . Edmonton has won 14 of its last 16 games. . . . Congratulations to Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings on 880 CKLQ. He was honoured before the game for having called 1,300 regular-season games. He has been the voice of the Wheat Kings since 1993 and, including playoffs and Memorial Cup games, has called 1,533 games. Luebke is the longest-serving play-by-play man in Wheat Kings’ history. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal had a goal and three assists to lead the Pats to a 4-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The game was played on the 25^th anniversary of the bus crash in which four Broncos players were killed. On Dec. 30, 1986, the Broncos were headed for Regina and a date with the Pats when their bus left the highway just east of Swift Current. . . . Weal has 58 points, including 21 goals, in 38 games. This was his 250^th regular-season game. He has 327 career points, including 115 goals. . . . Freshman F Coda Gordon scord his 16^th goal for the Broncos. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 31 shots. . . .

In Cranbrook, D Brendan Kichton scored in the sixth round of a shootout to give the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . Spokane F Liam Stewart forced OT with his fourth goal, on the PP, at 7:02 of the third period. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 40 shots, two more than the Ice’s Mackenzie Skapski. . . . F Todd Fiddler, acquired Thursday from the Prince Albert Raiders, had a goal for the Chiefs. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Tigers won their fifth straight game, beating the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 29 shots in improving to 21-8-4, 2.43, .925. He will be a candidate as the conference’s player of the year. . . . Lethbridge GM/head coach Rich Preston got tossed with 4:52 left in the third period so will be making a Happy New Year donation to the WHL office next week. . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk gave his club a 3-1 lead just 10 seconds after Preston exited. . . . Lethbridge D Adam Henry got it to 3-2 at 17:56 but Bunz closed the door after that. . . .

In Kamloops, F Calder Brooks had a goal and two assists to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-3 victory over the Blazers. . . . Brooks has three goals this season. . . . The Hitmen erased a 1-0 Kamloops lead with five straight goals, three of them in the first period. . . . Kamloops D Austin Madaisky scored the game’s first goal; he has goals in four straight games. . . . The Blazers had won six in a row at home. . . . G Cam Lanigan was in goal for Kamloops, his first start since Dec. 2. He was gone after one period, though, having given up three goals on 10 shots. . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen, the first overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, got his first WHL goal to erase the Blazers’ 1-0 lead. . . . Kamloops D Jordan Thomson scored his first WHL goal in his third game. The fourth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, Thomson will be returning to midget AAA after a New Year’s Day game against the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . .

In Portland, F Ty Rattie had three goals and an assist to move into the WHL scoring lead as the Winterhawks snuck past the Victoria Royals, 7-6. . . . Portland beat visiting Victoria 6-3 on Wednesday night. . . . Portland has won 11 in a row at home. . . . Rattie has had three hat tricks this season. He now leads the WHL in goals (36) and points (67). . . . After playing to a 2-2 first-period draw, the teams combined for seven second-period goals, with Victoria emerging with a 6-5 lead on F Jamie Crooks’ third goal of the game and 20^th of the season. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic tied it at 4:41 of the third on the PP and D Derrick Pouliot got the winner at 6:14. . . . Leipsic had two goals and two assists for Portland. His first goal, at 7:12 of the second, was the 11,000^th in franchise history. . . . Portland F Brad Ross came up short on a late-second period penalty shot. The Winterhawks are 0-7 on penalty shots this season. . . . Ross did have three assists and now has a seven-game point streak going. . . . Victoria G Keith Hamilton stopped 47 shots, while Portland’s Mac Carruth turned aside 33. . . . Attendance was 8,836, giving Portland three straight home crowds of more than 8,000. . . .
In Vancouver, D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen scored his first WHL goal and it was the winner as the Giants beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-1. . . . Vannieuwenhuizen was playing in his 104^th career game. . . . After the teams played through a scoreless first period, the Giants scored four second-period goals to take a 4-1 lead. . . . Vannieuwenhuizen also had an assist and was plus-3. . . . The Giants are 5-3-0 with assistant coach Glen Hanlon at the controls while head coach Don Hay is with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard stopped 40 shots as his Seattle Thunderbirds blanked the Moose Jaw Warriors, 2-0, for their third straight victory. . . . The Warriors had won four in a row; they also had beaten Seattle in each of their last five meetings. . . . Pickard has three shutouts this season – and 10 in his career – and they haven’t been easy. He has stopped 43, 37 and 40 shots in them. . . . F Tyler Alos scored his second goal of the season at 18:46 of the second period, with F Burke Gallimore gettings his 16^th, via the PP, at 1:37 of the third. . . . The game was the first of Moose Jaw’s U.S. Division swing. The Warriors meet the Everett Silvertips tonight.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Chance Braid, Prince Albert.
D Tyler Yaworski, Prince Albert.
F Brendan Hurley, Kootenay.
F Daulton Siwak, Prince George.
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In LaSalle, Ont., G Tristan Jarry (Edmonton) stopped 34 shots as Team Pacific beat the Czech Republic 4-0 to go to 2-0 at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay) scored twice and leads the tournament with four. . . . F Curtis Lazar (Edmonton) and D Kyle Burroughs (Regina) also scored. . . . F Greg Chase (Calgary) had two assists. . . . Team Pacific plays Russia this afternoon in LaSalle. . . . Team West, which didn’t play Friday, will play the Czechs in Tecumseh, Ont., tonight. . . .
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Tim Tisdale, a former member of the Swift Current Broncos, took part in a ceremonial faceoff prior to last night’s game in Regina. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post talked with Tisdale and that story is right here.
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The legendary Ernie (Punch) McLean is in the news these days.
Here is the first paragraph of Darah Hansen’s story from the Vancouver Sun:
“An 84-year-old widow is suing a British Columbia Hockey Hall of Famer, alleging she gave him thousands of dollars in gold and silver and he won't give it back.”
Hansen’s complete story is right here.
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Tony Hand, who gave the WHL a whirl back in the day, has been named head coach of the Great Britain national team. That story is right here. Hand had eight points in three games with the Victoria Cougars in 1986-87 before choosing to return home.
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Damien Cox of the Toronto Star weighs in on the impact of speed on the NHL’s concussion problem. That piece is right here.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Sudden Death: Book to be published in September

It was 25 years ago today when the Swift Current Broncos boarded their bus and headed to Regina for a scheduled game against the Pats. It was to be the Broncos’ first game following the 1986-87 Christmas break. This also was their first season back in Swift Current, having moved from Lethbridge over the summer.
The Broncos’ bus, of course, never made it to Regina on that stormy evening in 1986. It crashed just east of Swift Current and four players – Scott Kruger, Trent Kresse, Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff – were killed.
Tonight, the Broncos are again scheduled to play in Regina and the Pats will honour the memories of Kruger, Kresse, Mantyka and Ruff in a small pregame ceremony.
Tim Tisdale, who was in his first season with the Broncos in 1986-87 and who lives and works in Swift Current, will be on hand to take part in a ceremonial faceoff. Tisdale played with the Broncos through the 1989 Memorial Cup, in which he scored the OT goal in a 4-3 championship-game victory over the host Saskatoon Blades. He later went on to a coaching career that included a two-season stint with the Pats.
The pregame ceremony, which is to begin at 7 p.m., also will include Darren McKechnie, who was a 19-year-old forward with the Pats in 1987-88.
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Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post flashes back 25 years right here.
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More than two years ago, two people – Leesa Culp and Bob Wilkie – approached me about a project on which they were working.
They had prepared a short manuscript about the crash of the Swift Current Broncos’ bus that they were wanting to turn into a book.
At the time of the accident, Culp was in a big rig that had slowed down to allow the Broncos’ bus to pull onto the Trans-Canada Highway at Swift Current. Wilkie was a defenceman in his first season with the Broncos, who had acquired him from the Calgary Wranglers earlier in the season.
Culp and Wilkie both felt there was a story to be told.
More than two years later, the manuscript has been worked and reworked, interviews have been conducted, and out of it all has come a book.
Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos is to be published by Dundurn Press in September.
This is the story of the Broncos, primarily from Dec. 30, 1986, through the end of the 1989 Memorial Cup.
There is more right here from Robert Koopmans of the Kamloops Daily News.
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You already are able to pre-order this book from Amazon and from McNally Robinson.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Roman Tomanek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) was released by Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had eight goals and four assists in 23 games for Banska Bystrica this season. Tomanek started the season with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga), going pointless in seven games. . . .
D Aris Brimanis (Brandon, 1992-93) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Hannover Indians (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had six goals and 13 assists in 52 games with the Hannover Scorpions (Germany, DEL) last season.
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If you enjoy your time here, why not make a donation to help the cause. It's simple . . . just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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WHL TRADE TRACKER (trades made since Dec. 27):
Trades: 3
Players: 9
Draft picks: 3
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The Prince George Cougars dealt F Charles Inglis, 19, to the Red Deer Rebels for F Daulton Siwak and a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
Inglis had been sent home by the Cougars following a game on Dec. 2 in Kamloops. From what I understand, he was found in violation of a team rule that, while by itself may not have been considered a big deal, was the last straw.
Inglis, selected fourth overall by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2007 bantam draft, has a lot of talent but hasn’t been able to harness it off the ice. He put up 60 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games with the Cougars last season and had 16 points, nine of them goals, in 16 games when he was sent home this season. He has twice attended NHL camps, first with the Phoenix Coyotes and then with the San Jose Sharks.
Siwak, from Olds, Alta., had seven points, including five gaols, in 18 games. He was in his third season with the Rebels.
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The Saskatoon Blades have traded D Devan Fafard, 17, and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft to the Red Deer Rebels for D Matthew Pufahl, 18, and F Locke Muller, 18.
Fafard, an eighth-round pick by Saskatoon in the 2009 bantam draft, has two assists and 38 penalty minutes in 23 games. He is from Carlyle, Sask.
Pufahl, who is from Saskatoon, has four points in 30 games. He was a fourth-round pick by Red Deer in the 2008 bantam draft.
Muller, from St. Paul, Alta., has six points in 33 games.
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JUST NOTES:
F Tyrel Seaman of the Brandon Wheat Kings played Wednesday in a 3-2 OT victory over the visiting Regina Pats. It was his first appearance after missing nine games with a concussion. Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings, reports that Seaman didn’t practice Thursday. “It appears there may have been a whiplash affect on Seaman after he was on the back end of a domino collision involving defenceman Ryley Miller and Regina forward Jordan Weal,” Luebke reported. . . . It wasn’t known Thursday whether Seaman would be able to play tonight against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen boarded their bus in Prince George on Thursday at 10 a.m., and headed south to Kamloops where they are to play the Blazers tonight.
Unfortunately, there was a serious accident on the highway and the Hitmen, along with a whole lot of other people, spent a good part of their day just sitting. The Hitmen arrived at Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops just after 7:30 p.m., what normally is about a six-hour drive turned into almost a 10-hour day.
The Cougars, who beat the Hitmen 3-1 on Wednesday, avoided the accident – they actually left after the game and headed for Vancouver, where they are to play the Giants tonight.
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It would appear that Portland Winterhawks F Sven Bartschi, who is playing for Switzerland at the World Junior Chamionship, has a concussion and is out indefinitely. Bartschi was injured when he took a hit in a 4-3 shootout loss to Sweden on Wednesday.
Swiss head coach Manuele Celio has said that he doesn’t expect Bartschi to play today against Latvia and that he isn’t sure when he might play again.
“He got a hit in the (neutral) zone,” Celio told reporters. “He wasn’t prepared for it. He didn’t feel really good after the hit. So now the doctors try to check on him, look at what’s going on in neck, head; could be like a concussion now.”
Bartschi, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, has already put up an amazing 54 points, including 42 assists, in 25 games with the Winterhawks. . . .
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A couple of former prominent WHLer signed PTO deals on Thursday. . . . The AHL’s Abbotsford Heat signed F Judd Blackwater, who spent three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs (2005-08). He has 37 points in 31 games with the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wrangers. . . . Meanwhile, the Toronto Marlies have signed D Ray Macias, who played for the Kamloops Blazers (2003-07). The smooth-skating Macias has eight points in 19 games with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. . . .
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The Vancouver Giants have lost D Luke Fenske (hand). He was injured in a 3-1 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops on Wednesday night.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Anthony Bardaro drew two assists in his first game with the Raiders as they beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Raiders now have won five in a row to close within six points of a playoff spot. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first two goals before the first period was five minutes old. D Duncan Siemens got the first one, his fifth of the season. That matches his career high. He has five goals in 36 games this season; he had five in 72 last season. . . . The Raiders held their annual Toque Toss (fans throw toques, scarves and mitts) and D Matt Waseylenko, playing in his second WHL game, got the goal. . . . The Raiders took 60 of 106 penalty minutes. . . . Saskatoon has lost five in a row. . . .
In Red Deer, F Tyson Ness had two goals and an assist to lead the Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Ness has 11 goals on the season. . . . His 16 points in 35 games are two more than he had in 68 games last season when he had seven goals and seven assists. . . . Both Ice goals came via the PP. . . . D Devan Fafard and F Charles Inglis, both acquired earlier in the day, were in Red Deer’s lineup. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 31 shots. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and two assists to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Shinkaruk, 17, has 51 points, including 31 goals, in 38 games. Last season, he finished with 42 points, 14 of them goals, in 63 games. . . . The Hurricanes took 58 of 74 penalty minutes. The Tigers, who have won four straight, were assessed two fighting majors and three minors. . . . The Tigers were 2-9 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-3. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin had three goals and an assist and was plus-4 as his Tri-City Americans beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-1, for their ninth straight victory. . . . Shinnimin broke open a 1-1 game with back-to-back shorthanded goals at 4:05 and 8:07 of the second period. . . . He added his third goal at 5:11 of the third, giving him a natural hat trick. . . . He has 20 goals now, thanks to his first regular-season three-goal game. This was his 231^st game. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 33 shots. . . .
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In Tecumseh, Ont., F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay) scored twice as Team Pacific scored a 5-2 victory over Team West in the opening game for both teams at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Macoy Erkamps (Lethbridge), Morgan Klimchuk (Regina) and Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), the latter into an empty net, also scored for the winners. . . . Nick Zajac (Saskatoon) and Remi Laurencelle replied for Team West. . . . Laurencelle plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. He was an eighth-round pick by Lethbridge in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft. . . . Eric Comrie (Tri-City) was in goal for Team Pacific and saw only 14 shots. . . . There were 34 WHL players suited up for the game. . . . G Austin Lotz (Everett) stopped 34 shots for Team West.
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EXTRAS:Greg Wyshynski, over at the Puck Daddy blog, takes a look at the NHL and concussions, and at what the NHL is doing, and perhaps should do, to cut down on them. That piece is right here.
And, yes, there is a lot of talk among hockey people, even at the midget AAA and junior levels, about a need to slow down the game.
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Puck Daddy also has more on the Don Cherry Piano Desk right here. He talks to the guy who came up with the idea and posted it on YouTube.

The Spokane Chiefs and Prince Albert Raiders got the annual post-Christmas feeding frenzy started on Wednesday morning. Yes, the Jan. 10 trade deadline is fast approaching.
Obviously unhappy with their goaltending, the Chiefs dealt F Anthony Bardaro, 19, who was their leading scorer, G Luke Lee-Knight, 18, and a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick to the Raiders for G Eric Williams, 18, and F Todd Fiddler, 18.
(The fifth-round pick had been acquired from the Raiders in September when the Chiefs sent D Tyler Vanscourt to Prince Albert for Lee-Knight.)“Quite simply we needed to strengthen our goaltending,” Spokane GM Tim Speltz told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “And we needed to change the team. There wasn’t any question about that.”
Williams, a fourth-round round pick in the 2008 bantam draft from Langley, B.C., was the key to this deal going through. He is 8-15-3, 3.86, .884 this season, his second with the Raiders. Last season, he went 17-17-2, 3.71, .898.
Fiddler, a third-round pick of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2008, had 38 points, including 23 goals, as a freshman last season. This season, Fiddler, who is from Meadow Lake, Sask., has 10 points, including four goals, in 35 games. However, he has only three points in his last 17 games.
Bardaro, from Delta, B.C., led the Chiefs in goals (18) and points (37), having played in 29 games. He is in his third full WHL season. Bardaro was scratched just prior to the Chiefs’ 4-1 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna on Tuesday night, indicating that the deal may have been done at that point.
“We’re trading a proven scorer in Anthony, but not a guy we were having success with as a proven scorer,” Speltz told Rimmer. “We felt needed to change things. (Fiddler) hasn’t gotten off the mark. We’re hoping the change will help him.”
Lee-Knight, a Calgarian, is 2-0-2, 2.91, .868 in nine games. He was dealt to the Chiefs on Sept. 15 for Vanscourt.
The Chiefs are trying to get back in the chase in the Western Conference. They have games in hand on the four teams ahead of them but are eight points behind the fourth-place Portland Winterhawks. Spokane, a team that has to work hard to score, needs better goaltending than it has been getting. Mac Engel has been the starter and two of his numbers – 2.83, 14-11-3 – aren’t bad. But his save percentage (.884) isn’t what it needs to be.
The Chiefs are a better defensive team than the Raiders, so Spokane’s management must feel that Williams will have better numbers there.
The Raiders, who have been getting some solid work from G Cole Holowenko, obviously felt they could give up some goaltending in order to add even more offence.
Still, Prince Albert, which has won four straight, is tied for 11^th in the 12-team Eastern Conference, eight points out of the last playoff spot.
The Raiders, who have won four in a row, are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight; the Chiefs meet the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook on Friday.
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After the deal was announced, Williams tweeted:
“Would like to thank
@PARaidersHockey for a great experience and all the fans for their support! Going to miss #hockeytownnorth”
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You may have noticed that D Tanner Mort was back in the Spokane lineup on Tuesday night in Kelowna. Having requested a trade, he hadn’t played since Dec. 2. However, the two parties ironed out their differences over the Christmas break and the 18-year-old from Post Falls, Idaho, has rejoined the team.
Unfortunately, he suffered a shoulder injury in the third period on Tuesday and is out indefinitey.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have added D Matt Waseylenko, 18, to their roster. In fact, he played his first game Tuesday as the Raiders scored a 3-2 shootout victory over the Broncos in Swift Current.
Waseylenko had been with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, putting up five assists and 23 penalty minutes in 27 games. A native of St. Albert, Alta., he was a fifth-round selection by the Raiders in he 2008 bantam draft.
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At the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, Team Pacific scored a 4-1 tuneup victory over Sweden on Wednesday. Assistant manager David Michaud reports that TP goals came from Jaedon Descheneau (Kootenay), Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), Torrin White (Moose Jaw) and Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert). White also had an assist. . . . G Eric Comrie (Tri-City) stopped 16 of 17 shots in the first half, with Tristan Jarry (Edmonton) coming on to stop all 24 shots he faced. . . . Each team was 1-5 on the PP.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, D Ryley Miller scored at 1:23 of OT to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . It was the third goal of Miller’s career. . . . He has three goals in 33 games this season, after not scoring in the first 136 games of his career. . . . Regina F Lane Scheidl had forced OT when he scored with 4:09 left in the third. . . . F Brendan Walker had given Brandon a 2-0 lead with his 14^th and 15^th goals, both in the first period and both on the PP. . . . Scheidl scored both Regina goals, giving him 13. . . . Walker also assist on Miller’s winner. . . . F Michael Ferland had three assists for Brandon. . . . F Tyrel Seaman (concussion) was back in Brandon’s lineup for the first time since Nov. 25. . . .
In Everett, F Luke Lockhart scored the only shootout goal as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Everett is 1-7 in shootouts, including a 2-1 loss to Seattle in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday. . . . Everett trailed 3-1 in the second period before F Ryan Harrison scored twice, getting his ninth at 12:58 of the second and tying it with a shorthanded score at 15:00 of the third. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard, who stopped 32 shots, moved into eighth place on the WHL’s career list for minutes played. He passed Ed Staniowski (Regina, 1971-75). Pickard has played 12,095 minutes, with Evan Lindsay (Tri-City, Prince Albert, 1995-2000) next at 12,131, followed by Steve Passmore (Tri-City, Victoria, Kamloops, 1988-94) at 12,149. . . . D Cason Machacek of Seattle scored his first goal in 24 games this season. It was the fifth of his 219-game career. . . . The Thunderbirds are without F Brandon Troock (wrist), who was injured in the second period of Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout victory over the visiting Silvertips. . . . Seattle also is without D Kyle Verdino, who didn’t play in the third period of a 5-1 loss to the host Tri-City Americans on Dec. 17 and apparently may have a concussion. . . . With Troock out, F Connor Sanvido got back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch in four of the previous five games. He had one assist. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Sam Fioretti’s shootout goal gave the Warriors a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . F Brett Lyon’s 11^th goal of the season gave the Warriors a 3-2 lead at 17:00 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Maxwell got his 20^th at 17:40 to force extra time. . . . F Michael St. Croix also got his 20^th for the Oil Kings, his coming on a second-period PP. . . . F Justin Kirsch (wrist) was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup for the first time since Nov. 25. He had one assist and a shootout goal after missing 10 games. . . . Maxwell also scored in the shootout. . . . The Warriors left after the game for a trip into the U.S. Division. . . . Moose Jaw F Carter Hansen was named Team West’s captain at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . The teams were missing a combined nine players between the World Junior Championship and the WHC. . . .
In Kamloops, D Bronson Maschmeyer broke a 1-1 tie at 18:48 of the second period and the Blazers went on to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Maschmeyer, 20, began his WHL career with the Giants before being dealt to the Blazers. It was his fourth goal of the season. . . . The Giants had won three in a row, including a 4-3 shootout victory over visiting Kamloops on Tuesday. . . . The Blazers have points in five straight (3-0-2). . . . The Blazers now hold a five-point lead over the Giants atop the B.C. Division. Kamloops is one point behind Western Conference-leading Tri-City, with the Americans holding three games in hand. . . .
In Prince George, F John Odgers, playing his first WHL game, scored the winner as the Cougars got past the Calgary Hitmen, 3-1. . . . Odgers, who plays for the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers, broke a 1-1 tie at 17:52 of the second period. He is the son of former WHL/NHL player Jeff Odgers, who now scouts for the Cougars. . . . Prince George F Austin Daae also scored his first WHL goal. It came in his 23^rd game of this season. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley stopped 37 shots. . . . The Cougars dressed 15 skaters, three under the maximum. They are without F Brock Hirsche (undisclosed, finished for this season), D Shane Pilling (injured), D Reid Jackson (injured), F Chase Witala, F Jordan Tkatch, F Alex Forsberg, D Martin Marincin and F Jarrett Fontaine. . . . Marincin is with Slovakia at the World Junior Championship; Witala, Tkatch, Forsberg and Fontaine are at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks unloaded 54 shots as they beat the Victoria Royals, 6-3. . . . Victoria G Keith Hamilton, who was acquired from Portland in the offseason, stopped 48 shots. . . . The Winterhawks have won 10 in a row at home. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow had a goal and two helpers. . . . Portland F Brad Ross scored twice, giving him a six-game goal streak. He has 24 goals this season. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie was unsuccessful on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi, who is at the World Junior Championship, suffered an apparent upper body injury on Tuesday as his Swiss side dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to Sweden. . . . Victoria D Tyler Stahl, out with a concussion since Oct. 1, had hoped to return after Christmas. But he apparently has suffered a setback and remains out indefinitely.
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Stu Hackel at SI.com takes a look at the month that was with the NHL and concussions. Warning: It isn’t pretty.
“Last week on TSN,” Hackel writes, “veteran commentator Dave Hodge called the NHL’s ongoing concussion problem the most critical issue facing the league in its history. He’s not overstating things. The challenge is curbing this problem without excessively tampering with two of the sport’s essential characteristics that make it so appealing — speed and physicality.”
Hackel’s complete report is right here.
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Early in his piece, Hackel refers to Dustin Fink, who runs The Concussion Blog. With concussions having become THE story in hockey, I have added a link to this blog over there on the right.
This blog is sure to provide some important reading.
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The 50-50 payout at the Canada-Czech Republic game in Edmonton last night was $84,642. It was won by Mike Futa, a scout with the Los Angeles Kings.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Stone (Brandon, 2001-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL) after his release by mutual agreement by TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga) earlier in the day. He had six goals and four assists in 25 games for TPS this season.
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Former WHL player Tyson Sievert died in a single-vehicle accident near Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask., on Tuesday at around 2:45 a.m. RCMP found Sievert dead at the scene when they responded. Sievert, 25, was from Earl Grey, Sask. A forward, he played for the Moose Jaw Warriors, Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats (2004-06), totalling 11 goals and 16 assists in 114 regular-season games. He also incurred 166 penalty minutes. . . . He played for the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs as a 20-year-old and then went on to play one season with the U of Regina Cougars.
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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With a number of WHL players taking part in Christmas tournaments, teams are adding all kinds of younger players to their rosters.
For starters, F Jake Virtanen, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, will make his debut with the Calgary Hitmen tonight against the Cougars in Prince George.
Virtanen, who is from Abbotsford, B.C., has 33 points in 24 games with the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins this season. . . .
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With G Eric Comrie at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, the Tri-City Americans have brought in G Brett Teskey, 18, from the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings to back kup Ty Rimmer. . . .
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The Regina Pats have recalled F Nils Moser, 18, from the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles . . . Regina is without F Morgan Klimchuk and D Kyle Burroughs, both of whom are with Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Regina also is without D Brandon Underwood (ankle) and F Chandler Stephenson (knee). . . . D Tyler Borstmayer, who had been with the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings, also remains with the Pats. . . .
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The Kootenay Ice has brought in D Tanner Faith, 16, from the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, and F Luke Philp, 16, from the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles. Both are expected to stay for the next five games. . . . Faith has eight points in 21 games with the Hounds. . . . Philp has 33 points in 30 games with Canmore. . . .
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The Moose Jaw Warriors will take a third goaltender on the road with them as they head into the U.S. Division. Justin Paulic, a 16-year-old from the midget AAA Norman Northstars, will join fellow goaltenders Luke Siemens and Spencer Tremblay as he gets a taste of life in the WHL. . . . The Warriors also have added F Brandon Potomak, 16, and F Wheaton King, 19, just to give them 12 forwards for their road swing. . . . F Quinton Howden is with Canada at the World Junior Championship, while F Carter Hansen (Team West) and F Torrin White (Team Pacific) are at the WHC. . . . Potomak has 28 points in 22 games with the junior B Aldergrove Kodiaks. . . . King, who played 38 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings last season, has 30 points in 35 games with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. King was in camp with the Medicine Hat Tigers prior to this season. . . .
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As something of a Christmas present, the WHL is providing free webcasts of its games through Thursday night. . . . With all of the absent players, perhaps the WHL teams should be slashing ticket prices or add an extra week to the Christmas break. . . .
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The WHL trade freeze that began before Christmas went away at midnight Tuesday. So it’s open season between now and Jan. 10. . . .
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G Curtis Honey, who left the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs and has joined the Brandon Wheat Kings, and F Connor Honey, who left the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers for the Seattle Thunderbirds, are twin brothers. . . . The 17-year-olds are from Edmonton. . . .
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F Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings has been named captain of Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge that is being held in the Windsor area. . . . The alternates are D Macoy Erkamps of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and F Tyson Baillie of the Kelowna Rockets.
Team Pacific arrived in Windsor on Monday, about 9:30 p.m. ET following a four-hour bus ride from Toronto. They had a 6:15 a.m. wakeup call — that’s 3:15 PT. They were on the ice at 9 a.m. ET, or 6 a.m. PT. . . . Team Pacific will play an exhibition game against Sweden this afternoon. . . .
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The Moose Jaw Warriors claimed F Charles Wells, 20, on waivers from the Portland Winterhawks before Christmas. However, the Warriors said Tuesday that Wells has decided not to return to the WHL. “He’s a great kid,” Alan Millar, the Warriors’ director of hockey operations, told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “The conversation was very good. He’s just looking at other options at the CIS level and utilizing his WHL scholarship. I think under other circumstances he would have loved to have been a Moose Jaw Warriors, but his heart wasn’t in playing in the league right now.” . . . With that, the Warriors remain with two 20-year-olds on their roster, so have room to add one.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, the Edmonton Oil Kings became the first Eastern Conference team to reach the 50-point plateau as they whipped the Blades, 7-2. . . . Edmonton forwards Klarc Wilson, Michael St. Croix and Tyler Maxwell each had a goal and two assists. . . . St. Croix’s PP goal at 1:30 of the second period gave the visitors a 4-0 lead. . . . Maxwell has 22 points in 12 games with the Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 43 shots in winning for the 21st time this season, a franchise single-season record. The previous record had been held by Torrie Jung (2008-09). . . . Saskatoon G Alex Moodie made his WHL debut as he came on in relief of Adam Todd, who gave up six goals on 26 shots over two periods. Moodie was beaten once on nine shots. . . . The Blades had F Brent Benson back from injury — he hadn’t played since Nov. 30 — but F Matej Stransky sat this one out. . . . Injured Blades F Josh Nicholls (knee) joined the coaches behind the bench. . . . G Brendan Jensen, 18, whose rights belong to the Vancouver Giants was on the Oil Kings’ bench. Jensen is backing up Laurent Brossoit with Tristan Jarry away at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. Jensen has been playing for the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . The Oil Kings also had D Ryan Aasman and F Braeden Johnson, 19, in the lineup to help fill some vacancies. . . . Aasman 19, was a first-round selection by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2007 bantam draft. He also has played for Seattle, Swift Current and Medicine Hat. Aasman now is with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . Johnson has 47 points in 37 games with the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Jonas Knutsen, fresh off a stint with Norway’s national junior team, scored in the sixth round of the shootout to give the Prince Albert Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Broncos. . . . The Raiders nursed a 2-0 lead into the third period only to have the Broncos tie it on goals by F Graham Black, at 1:51, and F Brad Hoban, at 18:12. . . . Prince Albert G Cole Holowenko stopped 40 shots, 20 more than Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde. . . . The Raiders have won four in a row. . . . The Broncos had F Jordan Wittman, 15, from the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires, and F Zac Mackay, 16, also from the Legionnaires, in the lineup. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry had surgery on Tuesday to repair a fractured wrist. Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, reports that Lowry will be in a cast for two months and may miss the remainder of this season. . . . Lowry, one of the WHL’s top power forwards, had 37 points and 90 penalty minutes in 36 games. He also was plus-4 on a team that came out of the break having surrendered 31 more goals than it had scored. . . .
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In Red Deer, G Tyler Bunz stopped 36 shots to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 2-0 victory over the Rebels. . .. Bunz has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . He also won his 20th game (20-8-2). He has won at least 20 in each of his last three seasons and has 96 regular-season victories in his career. . . . The Tigers were 2-for-6 on the PP, with D Matthew Konan and D Patrik Parkkonen getting the goals. . . .
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In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice got 17 saves from Mackenzie Skapski and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . F Brock Montgomery broke a 1-1 tie at 2:16 of the second period and the Ice went on to build a 4-1 lead. . . . The Hurricanes were able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum, and that included F Harper Harrison, 17, who was brought in from the junior B Airdrie Thunder. . . . Harrison was a ninth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The teams combined for 90 penalty minutes, 48 to the Ice. But Lethbridge was only 1-for-9 on the PP. . . .
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In Vancouver, Russian F Alex Kuvaev paid dividends in his first game with the Giants, scoring in regulation and getting the shootout winner in a 4-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Kuvaev, 18, played last season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes; he had 24 points in 58 games. He chose to start this season in Russia. . . . The Giants, who have won three in a row and four of six with Glen Hanlon running the bench, held 2-0 and 3-2 leads before F Dylan Willick tied it at 17:41 of the third. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison stopped 35 shots, three more than Kamloops’ Cole Cheveldave. . . . Kamloops has lost its last two games 4-3 in shootouts. It closed out the pre-Christmas schedule with a loss to the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . . Vancouver F Nathan Burns scored the game’s first goal. He had missed 15 games with an ankle injury. . . . The Giants were missing seven players between injuries and Christmas tournaments. They have added F Brodyn Nielsen, 17, from the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack, and F Logan Harland, 16, from the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs, to their roster. . . . The Blazers added D Jordan Thomson, the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft, to their roster. Thomson made his WHL debut by playing on a forward line. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Kamloops. . . .
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In Kelowna, the Spokane Chiefs scored two PP goals and went on to dump the Rockets, 4-1. . . . F Mitch Holmberg and F Marek Kalus scored PP goals to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead by 14:18 of the second. . . . Holmberg finished with two goals, giving him 12, and an assist. . . . D Myles Bell was back in Kelowna’s lineup after not playing since Nov. 12. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., F Colin Jacobs scored in the shootout to give the host Seattle Thunderbirds a 2-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Jacobs, Seattle’s first shooter, was the only one of six shooters to score in the shootout. . . . Everett is 1-6 in shootouts this season. . . . The seven shootouts is a WHL high. . . . They play again tonight in Everett.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon.
D Neil Manning, Vancouver.
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If you haven’t seen Don Cherry’s Piano Desk, you are in for a real treat . . . not to mention a real chuckle. Check it out right here.
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If you click right here, you will find an interesting letter to the editor that appeared on the Vancouver Sun’s website on Tuesday. It is from a mother who took her eight-year-old daughter to the Vancouver Giants’ Teddy Bear toss game.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) signed a contract with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had three goals and four assists in nine games with the Elmira Jackals (ECHL) and one goal and two assists in five games with the Binghamton Senators (AHL) this season. The contract is for the rest of the season but there is an opt-out clause which can be exercised during the next two weeks.
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For a taste of some hockey Christmas spirit, head on over to Joe Pelletiers’s Greatest Hockey Legends — the link is over there on the right — and check out some of his recent postings. . . . You will especially enjoy the posting “Merry Christmas from the Montreal Canadiens” — even if you’re not a fan of the Habs.
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F Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos is scheduled to have surgery this morning to repair a fractured wrist. It isn’t yet known how long he will be out. “We don’t know all the details yet so I’m not sure how it will affect our thinking towards the deadline,” Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM/head coach, told me in a text message on Monday afternoon.
Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos on The Eagle 94.1 FM, tweeted: “Apparently Lowry got hurt in Game 4 of the season but tests were not conclusive until now. It's amazing Lowry played this well (point per game, PP, PK, big hits, fighting, made super series) all with a fractured wrist. A huge loss!”
Mullin had some spare time on his hands Monday — LOL! He was stuck in an airport due to travel delays — and was able to post some thoughts on the Lowry injury and what it means to the Broncos.
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The Everett Silvertips have brought back G Andy Desautels, 17, to ride shotgun with Kent Simpson while Austin Lotz is with Team West at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in the Windsor area. Desautels, who was with the Silvertips for a while last season, has been with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers, going 9-4-1, 3.35, .903. Everett selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 bantam draft. . . The Silvertips meet the host Seattle Thunderbirds tonight in Kent, Wash.
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There was an interesting debate taking place on the Portland Winterhawks forum at OregonLive.com on Monday night.
It seems the Winterhawks are promoting themselves in a TV commercial that has caused some controversy.
While I haven't seen it, according to one Portland fan, “The commercial featured footage of Hawks players delivering hard hits/checks or clearly getting the better of a foe in a fight.
“The ‘tag line’ . . . at the end of the commercial was ‘Season's Beatings from the Winterhawks’.”
Seriously! Season’s Beatings.
At a time of year when police forces and support groups all say there is an increase in domestic abuse, we have a WHL team wishing folks “Season’s Beatings.”
Now that is an interesting marketing strategy.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have brought in F Tim McGauley, 16, from the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds. The Wheat Kings have three players away with F Mark Stone (Canada) and F Alessio Bertaggia (Switzerland) at the World Junior Championship and D Ayrton Nikkel at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . McGauley was a first-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2010 bantam draft. Brandon acquired his rights in the Brayden Schenn deal that was made prior to the last trade deadline. . . . McGauley has 35 points, including 22 goals, in 25 games with the Hounds. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Regina Pats on Wednesday.
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D Jordan Thomson, 15, is expected to make his WHL debut with the Kamloops Blazers tonight against the Giants in Vancouver. Thomson, the fourth overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, will stay with the Blazers through Jan. 2. They play four games between tonight and New Year’s Day. . . . Thomson has 15 points, including 12 assists, in 20 games with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who play out of Souris, Man.
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With G Andrey Makarov (Russia) at the World Junior Championship, the Saskatoon Blades will go with Adam Todd, who has gotten into only six games to this point, and Alex Moodie, 16, who has been brought in from the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. . . . Todd is 1-2-1, 5.15, .852. . . . Moodie was a fifth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He is 15-0-1, 1.87 with the Wild. . . . The Blades are at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight, then go home-and-home with the Prince Albert Raiders.

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Blazers resume schedule in Vancouver

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
When you are in the situation in which the Kamloops Blazers find themselves, every game is important.
Of course, that also was the case last season when the Blazers found themselves in the chase just to make the WHL playoffs, a race they ultimately would lose as they collapsed in the stretch run.
As this season heads into its second half, the Blazers find themselves at the other end of the spectrum. They are atop the B.C. Division and in the hunt for top spot in the 10-team Western Conference.
As they resume play today after an eight-night Christmas break, they know that home-ice advantage in the playoffs is at stake. They also know that, because they are a scintillating 24-9-2, they won’t be catching anyone by surprise. (Last season, the Blazers finished 29-37-6, meaning they already are within reach of that victory total.)
With a .714 winning percentage, the Blazers trail only the Tri-City Americans (27-7-0, .794), who lead the Western Conference by four points. Of the WHL’s 22 teams, the Americans (54) and Blazers (50) are the only ones with at least 50 points.
The Blazers, who last played Dec. 17 when they dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the host Moose Jaw Warriors, reconvened in Vancouver and practised there last night. They are to meet the Vancouver Giants (22-12-2) tonight. The Giants trail them by four points, with the teams to meet again Wednesday, 7 p.m., at Interior Savings Centre.
The Blazers, who finished the pre-Christmas schedule by playing six games in eight nights — they went 3-2-1 — in the East Division, will pick up the schedule by playing four games over six nights.
The Calgary Hitmen are here Friday, 7 p.m., with the Prince George Cougars following them in for a New Year’s Day engagement. Game time will be 6 p.m.
Tonight, the Blazers will be without three regulars — right-winger Jordan DePape continues to recover from shoulder surgery and hopes to return in March; defenceman Marek Hrbas is with the Czech Republic team at the World Junior Championship; and, centre Matt Needham is playing for Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in the Windsor area.
As well, winger Ryan Hanes is questionable with what the teams is calling an “upper body” injury.
The Giants, meanwhile, are missing head coach Don Hay, who is the head coach of the Canadian entry at the WJC. In his absence, assistant coach Glen Hanlon is running the bench.
Also missing from the Giants are five players. Forwards Brendan Gallagher (Canada) and Marek Tvrdon (Slovakia) are at the WJC, as is defenceman David Musil (Czech Republic). Forwards Anthony Ast and Jackson Houck are with Needham on Team Pacific.
On top of that, Vancouver forwards Nathan Burns (ankle), Scott Cooke (mono) and Kiefer McNaughton (jaw) aren’t expected to play tonight or Wednesday.
As of last night, there was no word on Giants’ recalls.
The Blazers also return with the spectre of the Jan. 10 trade deadline hanging over them. Having dealt defenceman Josh Caron to the Everett Silvertips on Nov. 29, Kamloops has room for a 20-year-old and is believed to be looking for a forward, preferably a right winger who could skate alongside Brendan Ranford and Chase Schaber. That spot normally is occupied by DePape.
As well, the Blazers have added Jordan Thomson, 15, to their roster for the next few days, a move that leaves them with eight defencemen. Thomson, the fourth overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, has 15 points, including 12 assists, with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who play out of Souris, Man.
JUST NOTES: Needham and Team Pacific are to meet Sweden in an exhibition game Wednesday in Tecumseh, Ont., thenn start tournament play Thursday against Team West, also in Tecumseh. . . . Kamloops hasn’t played at home since Dec. 7 when it whipped the Everett Silvertips, 6-1. . . . The Blazers have won five straight at home. . . . G Cole Cheveldave, who is expected to start for the Blazers tonight, has opened 15 of the club’s last 16 games. . . . Ranford leads Kamloops in assists (23) and points (41), while F Colin Smith is tops in goals (19). . . . The Blazers (12-4-2) and Americans (13-5-0) have the best road winning percentage (.722).

When Calgary and host Vancouver lined up for the opening faceoff Friday night, the Flames had Tom Kostopoulos at left wing, opposite the Canucks’ Dale Weise.
When the puck was dropped, Kostopoulos, ignoring the puck, skated right past a bemused-looking Weise and started fighting with Vancouver defenceman Kevin Bieksa.
The game was three seconds old and both players were given fighting majors.
And the purpose of that was what? Who knows? Although rumour has it that Kostopoulos had bested Bieksa in a fight last season, so boys being boys and all that, one supposes.
As I watched that silliness unfold, I couldn’t help but think about a book that I was reading at the time — Fighting The Good Fight: Why On-Ice Violence is Killing Hockey.
Written by Adam Proteau, a columnist for The Hockey News, this is a devastating and depressing look at the state of our beloved game, mostly at the NHL level.
Make no mistake about the fact that Proteau loves the game; if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have wasted his energy chronicling the mess in which the NHL finds itself.
Time after time, Proteau makes the case that the NHL has to change its game, that it has to get rid of headshots and that the premeditated fighting has to go.
He accepts the fact that there always will be fighting in hockey, but he makes a terrific case for getting rid of the planned and egregious fights.
He makes the case that players have to stop “finishing their checks” and get back to the days when the whole idea of a bodycheck was to separate an opponent from the puck.
He deals with the subject of equipment that is designed to deliver blows rather than protect the wearer. Yes, he writes, the time has come to change shoulder and elbow pads.
And if the NHL can get headed in the right direction, Proteau argues, hockey below that level will fall into lockstep and all will be well. He wonders, however, if “hockey’s gatekeepers” will “implement real change in their own way . . . or sit back idly and vainly and proudly until a lawsuit and/or government legislation give them no choice but to do so.”
As former NHL general manager Craig Button, who now is an analyst with TSN, points out: “You cannot lead from the bottom up. You lead from the top down, and the NHL has to be the leader in this.”
In Chapter 10 (The Unoriginal 10), Proteau, with all the subtlety of a high-stick to the head, dissects the 10 most common arguments for keeping fighting in the game. As he points out, “I’ve heard the same claptrap so often I have no problem formulating my response to those charges before they’ve been fully made.”
He then proceeds to do just that.
At the same time, Proteau is practically beside himself because of the NHL’s inaction.
“As the world saw during the obstruction crackdown that followed the 2004-05 lockout season,” he writes, “hockey is as organic as any garden, and can be shaped and landscaped like any green space. Thus far, though, hockey’s garden has been allowed to grow wild and unsightly.
“By weeding out these invasive strands of violence, by giving the game back to those who play it best, by setting out a distinct direction for the garden’s care from this point forward, the game is guaranteed to be more presentable.”
Perhaps the most distressing part of the book is near the end, where Proteau allows hockey people like Mathieu Schneider, Murray Costello, David Branch, Ian Laperriere and David Perron to have their say in their own words.
Here’s Perron: “It’s supposed to be the best league in the world, so you’re supposed to have the best players and the best rules in the world. I want the game to be played in the best possible way.”
More Perron: “Maybe I’m different from other people, but to me, the basics of the game are the speed, the skill and the physicality — but it all has to be applied the right way.”
No, David, you’re not alone.
However, as Proteau points out time and again, the gatekeepers don’t seem to see things quite this way.
Button, however, thinks it’s only a matter of time before they come around.
He says the end game is a game with no fighting, meaning fighters will be ejected. On top of that, “We’re going to have a game where there’s no headshots allowed. Zero tolerance there.”
“So,” Button continues, “if we know what’s the end game, what the hell are we waiting for?”
What indeed?
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When you head out on your post-Christmas shopping tour, you really should give Fighting The Good Fight strong consideration. Proteau offers up a lot of food for thought. The book, from John Wiley & Sons, is soft cover and has a cover price of Cdn$26.95 or US$21.95.


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By now you may have heard of the 11-car accident earlier this month in Shimonoseki, Japan. It resulted in more than $1 million in damage to eight Ferraris, two Mercedes and one Lamborghini. “It was,” noted Janice Hough, the Left Coast Sports Babe, “one of the most expensive wrecks of the year. Following perhaps only Kim Kardashian’s wedding.” . . . From Albuquerque, N.M., comes the news that D’Andrea Davis, the manager of the cheerleading squad at St. Pius High School, has been arrested. It seems there is concern about some missing money. Here’s Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: “You know how that goes: “Two bits, four bits, six bits . . . 18,000 dollars.” . . .
Scott Hanson, in the Seattle Times: “Didn’t get to see Tuesday’s bowl game. The wife wasn’t buying that Florida International vs. Marshall in the Beef O’Brady Bowl was must-watch TV. And I’m not liking my chances for the Belk Bowl and GoDaddy.com Bowl either.” . . . Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Sam Hurd says (through his attorney) that he never sold drugs to Bears teammates or other NFL players — ‘out of respect.’ It’s great to see a man sacrifice financial gain to stand by his principles.” . . . Remember John Rocker, the wacky reliever? Turns out he isn’t all that proud of having taken steroids during his career. As he told NYbaseballDigest.com: “I wish the 37-year-old John Rocker could go back and punch 23-year-old John Rocker in the face.” . . .
Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun: “The remarkable (Chris) Pronger can be sour at his best, when he’s playing 30 minutes a game and dominating. Imagine just how sour he will be not playing the rest of the season.” . . . Headline at Fark.com: ‘Tebowing’ makes a late fourth-quarter drive to become 2011 Word of the Year. . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Doctors clear Colt McCoy to receive more concussions. . . . One more from SportsPickle.com: $55 million federal investigation successfully forces Barry Bonds to watch TV at home for 30 days. . . .
In an interview with a Christian radio station, Albert Pujols’ wife, Deidre, said, “It’s just like God to put us on a team called the Angels.” To which Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal asked: “So who put the players on the New Jersey Devils?” . . . Here’s Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, after hearing Deidre’s claim: “God’s a great financial planner.” . . . Notre Dame is scheduled to play Navy in a college football game in Dublin, Ireland, next season. Bob Molinaro of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot writes: “Guess who’s the home team?” . . .
Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times: “The Protester has been named Time magazine’s 2011 Person of the Year. First runner-up: The Person Stuck In Traffic Due to the Otherwise Admirable Actions of The Protester.” . . . One more from Judd: “Maple Leaf Nation was being called ‘irresponsible’ and ‘reckless’ for pulling out of the Kyoto international climate treaty. Canada was hogging every parking space at the Bellingham Costco and not immediately available for comment.” . . . The TRU WolfPack men’s and women’s soccer teams will be back in the BCCAA for at least one more season, despite years of rumours that they will move into the CIS. If that move is to happen in the near future, I am told it could come about in February, but would be too late for the 2012 season. . . .
Len Berman, from over at thatssports.com, chimes in on happenings in Montreal: “Two groups are planning a January protest in Montreal because Canadiens coach Randy Cunneyworth doesn’t speak French, the primary language of Quebec. How times have changed. Nobody knew what Casey Stengel was saying either and nobody picketed Yankee Stadium.” . . . It was Howie Long, an NFL analyst on Fox-TV, who said this about NFL players and one section of social media: “I don’t know if there’s an Imodium A-D for Twitter, but some players have Twitter-rrhea.” . . .
Defenceman Ladislav Smid of the Edmonton Oilers played in the best league in his native Czech Republic rather than come over here and play junior. “I was playing in the elite league at home and felt I would get more experience playing there . . . plus the money was good,” said Smid, adding that he made “$4,000 to $5,000 a month.” . . . Upon hearing that, teammate Eric Belanger chimed in: “I made $31.47 a week when I played junior in Quebec. That didn’t even pay for gas for the car.” . . .
Forward Devin Gannon, 20, of Kamloop is burning it up with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. He goes into the Christmas break with 45 points, including 29 assists, in 31 games. On Dec. 11, he put up six points, three of them goals, in an 8-5 victory over the Langley Rivermen. Last season, Gannon finished with 52 points in 56 games with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. . . . It was like an early Christmas present when I read in this newspaper on Thursday that George Leach is getting ready to release a new CD. Timing couldn’t be better. My copy of Just Where I’m At is about worn out. . . .
A note from reader Joyce Gibbins after last week’s column: “I am astounded that baseball is setting a dress code for the media when the on-field players look so sloppy. They are stepping on their pant legs because they are too long. I am assuming that is because the cost to hem them is not part of their contracts. And let’s not get into the baggy pants and shirts. Time to set a dress code for players and leave the media to police itself.” . . . Couldn’t agree more. . . . A tweet from New England Patriots receiver Chad Ochocinco: “Sad morning for my daughter . . . it seems her Hamster died this morning, little (so-and-so) fell asleep at the wheel.” . . . Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: “I’m hearing this year Santa Claus’s kids are going to send a letter to Albert Pujols.”
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. . . . Thanks for being here. . . . Have a good one, stay safe, and we’ll see you in 2012.

Mondays with Murray . . . on Christmas Day!

OK. It’s Christmas Day. The gifts have been opened. The wrapping and bows have been picked up. Mom has decided which used bows and bags she wants to keep.
And now you need a break.
So . . . pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy Jim Murray’s classic column from Christmas 1995.

December 24, 1995

Jim Murray

He'd Rather Get Fruitcake

   Stop me if you've heard this, but are you as tired as I am of the upbeat Christmas letters, the look-at-us, hurray-for-our-side family chronicles you get this time of year?
   You know what I mean.  The ones that start out something like this:
   "Well, it's been a banner year for the Mulligans. Christin finally had our first grandchild, a bouncing baby girl, 9 pounds 7 ounces, who'll probably grow up to be our first woman President.
   "John has taken over the Federal Reserve System. Paula is still working on a cancer cure at Johns Hopkins and we expect a breakthrough any day now. A Nobel Prize, perhaps?
   "Dad and I are enjoying our retirement. He has produced a new hybrid rose for our garden that is hailed by horticulturists everywhere.
   "I am still busy with my charity work, saving the whales, protecting the spotted butterflies, supporting a Hottentot village in the South Pacific and still have time to combat illiteracy in our universities and lobby for outlawing the death penalty but legalizing abortion. Dad thinks I take on too much but I was on Howard Stern twice last year and am taking dead aim on Oprah Winfrey.
   "Phil got his PhD in optical engineering and is working on the telescope with which they hope to bring in Heaven by the end of the century. Rita is in the Peace Corps some place where they can only get a message out by bottle but finds her life fulfilling and thinks the dysentery is only temporary. Harriet is still into archeology and they have found the lost city of an Aztec sun god of the second century BC, but she can't find her car keys.
   "So, all in all, it's been a joy and we look forward to more of the same in 1996 and hope you all are enjoying the happiness and success that has been our fortunate lot this year."
   Well, when I read those, I have this irresistible urge to pen the kind of letter I dream of receiving:
   "Well, it's been a good year on balance for the Mulligans. Clarence got out of prison in time for Christmas and the good news is, he likes his parole officer.
   "Hilda got another divorce, her ninth, and she has moved back home with her 11 kids. We don't know where her ex-husband is.  Neither do the police. He's two years behind in child support to Hilda and 10 years behind to his other five wives.
   "Paul has stopped sucking his thumb. We're proud of him. He's only 16.
   "Carl is doing better. He's happy to say he cleared $30,000 last year begging from cars at the corner of Crescent Heights and Santa Monica Boulevard. He is buying a new Mercedes. He loves it when they yell at him, 'Get a life!'
   "Frank lost his job at the factory. They're downsizing. Particularly with guys like Frank who they said was late 47 times last year, didn't show up at all on 20 other days and got caught making book in the company cafeteria.
   "Tom goes around burning flags. He's not unpatriotic. He says it's a good way to meet girls.
   "Alice's movie career is progressing nicely. She got to wear clothes in her last flick — a garter belt. She also got a speaking part — all moans. It's not Shakespeare but it's a start.
   "Jonathan flunked out of another college. The dean explained, 'Jonathan missed the question "What year was the War of 1812?" but he only missed by 2.' We tell him if he had a good jump shot, he could miss it by a century and still graduate cum laude."
   Face it. Wouldn't a letter like that be a welcome relief? So, have a great New Year. Just don't tell us about it, eh?

*Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times.

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247
   May your 2012 be all you hope for. Please remember the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation in your charitable giving and keep on the look out for big things to come in the New Year for us!

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Sebastian Svendsen (Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, 2009-12) signed a contract for the rest of this season with
Copenhagen Hockey (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had two goals and two assists in 11 games with the Warriors this season.
———
David Steele at AOL FanHouse has a solid piece right here on the NFL and the crisis it appears to be facing with concussion-related lawsuits.
———
Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail looks at the World Junior Championship and the economics of it all. Yes, it’s BIG! That piece is right here.
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Christmas officially has arrived. How do I know that? Because the viewings of two important Christmas movies — National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story — have been completed.
And if you're wondering whatever happened to that lamp from A Christmas Story, well, the next time you're watching PTI keep an eye on the background. . . . As I watched Christmas Vacation, I couldn't help wondering where Randy Quaid and his wife are celebrating Christmas.
Good night and have a merry one. Here's hoping your turkey isn't dry and don't forget to check your tree for squirrels!

From my home to yours, Merry Christmas . . . and safe travels if you are on the road.

In keeping with the Christmas spirit, we bring you a story from Regina that involves a Santa who, uhh, was in a state of, uhh, intoxication on Friday morning. Is that called having too much Christms spirit? That story is right here.
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Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail has a few words of warning for those fans who might become too invested in the Canadian team at the World Junior Championship. That piece is right here.
While the WJC is on, don’t forget about the Spengler Cup.
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F Brayden Cuthbert, out with a concussion since Jan. 22, wants nothing more than go get back into the Moose Jaw Warriors’ lineup. But he knows he has some work to do to get back to that level of play. So Cuthbert, a 17-year-old from Brandon, has joined the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings for the rest of this season.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have added G Curtis Honey, a 17-year-old from Edmonton, to their roster. Honey had been with the AJHL’s Bonneyville Pontiacs. He will back up Brandon Anderson, 19, while Corbin Boes, 18, recovers from a broken hand. . . . Honey was added to Brandon’s protected list after he helped the Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Athletics to the Mac’s tournament title in Calgary, stopping 39 shots in a 3-2 championship-game victory over the Saskatoon Contacts. . . . In Bonneyville, Honey was 12-4-1, 2.41, .919.
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Tyler Kula of the QMI Agency has more on D Tanner Ferguson of the junior B Lambton Shores Predators, who suffered horrible facial injuries in a game last week. F Justin Thomas of the Strathroy Rockets has been suspended indefinitely by the Ontario Hockey Association, while Ferguson has undergone facial reconstruction surgery.
Kula’s story is right here, with video of the check.
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And here is another video story on former Portland Winterhawks player/coach Brent Peterson, who underwent deep brain stimulation in an attempt to help him cope with Parkinsons Disease.
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Here is today’s good read; enjoy it with your morning coffee. It’s Jim Matheson’s Christmas Eve Hockey World, from the pages of the Edmonton Journal. Enjoy!
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There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and have a Merry Christmas.

Some of Charron's memories . . .

Guy Charron, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers,
has some great memories of his professional career.
(Photo by Christopher Mast / mastimages.com)

(Hockey cards courtesy Joe Pelletier / Greatest Hockey Legends)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor 

Guy Charron’s hockey résumé reads like a well-thumbed travel diary . . . Montreal, Detroit, Kansas City, Washington, Switzerland, New Haven, Calgary, New York, Landshut, Grand Rapids, Anaheim, Hull, San Antonio, Florida . . . Kamloops.
And that doesn’t include all the stops he made while on the coaching staff of Canada’s national junior and senior men’s teams.
When someone in the hockey business has made as many stops as Charron has, it stands to reason that he has come to know some characters.
Players like the late Steve Durbano.
Mention Durbano’s name to Charron and his first response is: “Oh, my gawd.”
That is followed by laughter.

Midway in the 1975-76 season, Eddie Bush, who had never coached in the NHL, replaced Sid Abel as the Kansas City Scouts’ head coach. Abel had gone 0-3-0 after taking over from Bep Guidolin, who was 11-30-4. Bush would finish up at 1-23-8.
You’re right. This wasn’t a very good team.
Bush loved to use pylons in practices. He would put sticks across them and the players would have to pass pucks under or over the sticks, depending upon his whim. Perhaps he thought opposing teams were using midgets on defence. Who knows?
Anyway, Charron recalls one night when Durbano, who collected penalty minutes like some people collect coupons, got an early ejection.
“He gets kicked out and he grabs every pylon in the hallway and throws every pylon on the ice,” Charron said. So why was Durbano so excited?
“Toupee,” Charron says. “He got into a fight. The guy hit him pretty hard and the toupee flipped up.”
Wait. There’s more.
Durbano’s wife, Lisa, worked as a masseuse. When Durbano, who also had a dog that he really, really liked, was on the road, Lisa would call his hotel room on a regular basis.
“She ended up hanging the Doberman because he didn’t return the phone call one night,” Charron says.
Following the 1975-76 season, the Scouts, who finished on a 27-game winless streak, headed to Japan on a four-game tour with the Washington Capitals.
Durbano, it seems, was one of those people who was habitually late. Charron, as team captain, took it upon himself to try and keep Durbano on point while in Japan.
“I’d go and get Durby and (his wife) would show up at the door half-dressed . . . oh, my gawd,” a laughing Charron says.
“They were,” he concludes, “a unique couple.”
By the way, the Scouts lost their first three games on that tour, to run the winless streak to an even 30. Charron and his teammates can say, however, that they won their last game, as they closed out the trip with a victory.
That would be the Scouts’ final game. After two seasons in Kansas City, the team relocated to Denver — remember the Colorado Rockies?

When the next season arrived, Charron was with the Capitals. Colorado general manager Ray Miron, Charron said, didn’t “have a high opinion” of him and goaltender Denis Herron. So the two were traded to Washington for forward Nelson Pyatt, which is how Charron missed out on playing for Don Cherry, who coached the Rockies.
Tom McVie, one of hockey’s great storytellers, was Washington’s head coach. He had watched Charron in Japan and liked what he saw. The roster included the likes of Garnet (Ace) Bailey and Bryan (Bugsy) Watson.
Watson was one of the NHL’s great pests. When he was with the Detroit Red Wings, his specialty was playing ‘Me and My Shadow’ with Chicago Blackhawks star Bobby Hull.
“I had played against (Watson) when I was with Kansas City and he was in Detroit,” Charron says. “They had Dennis Polonich, Dan Maloney, Watson. They knew the type of player I was so they made life very miserable for me.”
In Washington, of course, Watson and Charron were teammates. That meant Charron got to watch Watson work up close.
“We were playing the Canadiens one day and we were up 3-0,” Charron recalls. “He ran (Guy) Lafleur. That was the end of it. We lost the game, 6-3.
“But that was the way Bryan was. We could easily have cruised to a win without disturbing anything. But he ran Lafleur and that was it.”
At the same time, though, Watson and his wife, Lindy, got Charron involved with Special Olympics and charities.
“Off the ice, he wasn’t what he was as a player,” Charron says. “He was caring. He was involved with charities. He was a quality, super type of individual.
“But when he played, he played the way he felt he needed to play and he would do those things, (and you would wonder), like, ‘Bryan, why are you doing this? You just created a monster.’ ”
In 1976-77, Charron put up 82 points in 80 games with a Washington team that finished 24-42-14. Charron’s linemates were Bailey and Bobby Sirois. It’s safe to say that Bailey had as much impact on Charron as anyone.
“We were a good fit,” Charron says, wondering if Bailey had a soft spot for him “maybe more to protect me . . . I don’t know.”
“Ace was different,” Charron continues. “He was a special individual. He was good for me. He could abuse his body . . . the next day you would put him through hell and he lived through it. He was an unbelieveable individual.”
And then came Sept. 11, 2001.

Charron was in Anaheim, preparing for his second training camp with the Mighty Ducks. He had finished 2000-01 as the interim head coach, having replaced the fired Craig Hartsburg. Now Charron was an assistant coach under Bryan Murray.
Charron, who says he isn’t much of a TV watcher, happened to turn on the TV that morning.
“I saw this plane crashing . . . I see this happening and just thought it was something rare . . . and then hearing what had happened, and him wanting to leave for Boston .. . it touched me,” Charron said.
Ace Bailey, his good friend and former linemate, was on United Airlines flight 175 that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. Bailey, the Los Angeles Kings’ director of pro scouting, was on his way west from his home in Lynnfield, Mass., for training camp.
“It goes to show you . . . you’re here on earth for something and you don’t have control,” Charron says. “When He’s going to decide, it’s your time.”
Charron played 734 NHL games over 12 seasons, totalling 530 points, including 221 goals. But he had the misfortune of playing for some mediocre teams, so mediocre, in fact, that not one of his teams qualified for postseason play.
What makes that somewhat ironic is that as a junior, Charron played for the Montreal Junior Canadiens. In 1968-69, he was the fifth-leading scorer on what may have been the greatest junior team of all time.
The Junior Canadiens won the 1969 Memorial Cup, sweeping the Regina Pats in the best-of-seven final.
The Montreal roster included the likes of Gilbert Perreault, Rejean Houle, Marc Tardif, Jocelyn Guevremont, Bobby Lalonde, Richard Martin, Andre (Moose) Dupont . . .
The Baby Habs played out of the Montreal Forum and Charron recalls games regularly being sold out.
Later, while with Hockey Canada, Charron ended up at a dinner table that included Sam Pollock, the legendary general manager of the NHL’s Canadiens.
“He said that was probably one of the best junior teams that was ever put together, from his time and what he had experienced,” Charron recalls. “Hearing those comments from Sam Pollock meant something to me.”
So . . . just how good was Perreault?
“Oh my goodness!” Charron enthuses. “People would say, ‘Gilbert, you could be the leading scorer in the NHL.’ You know what his comment was? ‘I don’t want to do it because if I do it they’ll expect that of me every year.’ ”
Before moving up to the Baby Habs, Charron played in his hometown of Verdun, and he remembers watching a defenceman named Bobby Orr. He feels Perreault was comparable.
“I would go to Oshawa and watch Bobby Orr at 16,” Charron says. “Gilbert Perreault, to me, was just an unbelievable forward. You wanted to see this guy play. That’s how good he was.”

Two other forwards on that Montreal team, Houle and Tardif, were pretty good, too. Houle led the team with 108 points, while Perreault put up 97 and Tardif 72. Houle finished with 53 goals; people forget he could score, because when he played for the NHL’s Canadiens he was a superb checking forward.
“Gilbert could dominate the game. Rejean was explosive, he had speed,” Charron says. “But if you had to choose a player to make a difference in a game, I think Perreault was that player. Because of his strength, his size, his speed . . . he had it all. It was all packaged up in one person.”
Charron thinks Houle became a better defensive forward in order to stick with the Canadiens.
“Rejean was a good player,” Charron continues. “He was explosive. He skated well. He went to areas where you have to go to score goals.
“He recognized he had to be checker, as I was when I first broke in with (Montreal’s system),” Charron continues.
That thinking ended during Charron’s first year as a pro when he scored 37 times for the AHL’s Montreal Voyageurs.
(It was in his rookie season with the Voyageurs when Charron roomed with Peter Mahovlich, a legendary free spirit who would go on to have a pretty good NHL career. “He was easy going and a good teammate. He looked after the younger guys,” Charron says, before chuckling and adding: “But I couldn’t follow him on his outside activities. I was too young and he was a veteran.”)
“I had a lot of opportunities and goals went in,” Charron says. “I scored 37 goals my first season of pro hockey and people thought I was a goal scorer now.”
Charron would approach that goal total only twice more, scoring 36 and 38 goals with Washington in the 1976-77 and ’77-78 seasons. When healthy — he had a history of knee problems — he was a consistent point producer, at one point having four straight seasons of at least 70 points, one with Kansas City and three with Washington, during a stretch in which he missed only two games.
But the playoffs just weren’t meant to be.
Not that long ago, Charron held the NHL record for most regular-season games played (734) without appearing in the playoffs. That record was torched by Olli Jokinen, who played in 827 regular-season games before he got into the playoffs with the 2008-09 Calgary Flames.
“Looking back,” Charron says now, “I would have given up a lot more to play a lesser role on a good team.”