The Exorcist . . . WHL style!

An anonymous exorcist performs a ceremony at centre ice
in the ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge on Monday after rubbing down
a hockey stick with some of the tools of the trade.
(Photos from Lethbridge Hurricanes' Facebook page)

Who knew that the WHL allowed exorcisms?
Well, that’s exactly what took place at the arena in Lethbridge on Monday, which just happened to be Halloween.
And, hey, why not? After all, the Hurricanes have lost 13 straight games.
“This being Halloween, and the team mired in an unlucky 13-game winless streak,” the Hurricanes explained on their Facebook page, “a local Hurricanes fan requested permission to ‘exorcize’ whatever mystical or unworldly elements that may be holding back the Canes from posting a much-needed victory.”
The fan asked to remain anonymous — gee, I wonder why? — and received permission to perform “a centre-ice ritual that is meant to . . . ward off unwanted metaphysical influences.”
“The players are working very hard every day,” said Jim Bradley, the team’s business manager, “and the bounces seemingly are not going our way. If in some small way we can influence the outcome of the upcoming games, we owe it to the season-ticket holders, fans and sponsors. They have all been very supportive of the team in this tough October stretch, and we owe it to them to leave no stone unturned.”
And so it was that the exorcism was performed at centre ice. According to the team’s Facebook page, “The ceremony included ancient spiritual gestures, ritualistic chants followed by a sacrifice at centre ice and then a quick lunch.”
So . . . who is next up for the Hurricanes?
As luck would have it, they are at home Wednesday night to the Everett Silvertips.
Linda Blair (aka Regan) could not be reached for comment, so we went to Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports to see what he thought.
“Hey, it can't hurt,” he wrote over at Buzzing The Net. “And what else would you expect from a team with a goalie who is named Damien?”

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

The St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 World Series on Friday, beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7.
That followed on the heels of Thursday’s dramatic victory in Game 6 that arrived on David Freese’s walk-off home run.
That homer provided a flashback to Kirby Puckett's series-changing homer 20 years earlier. Joe Buck called Freese’s home run, as his father, Jack, had called Puckett’s blast, with the words, "We will see you tomorrow night." 
Check out this video of of both home runs with the video switched.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1987, SPORTS
Copyright 1987/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

A Teddy Bear Who Knocks Stuffing Out of Ball

   MINNEAPOLIS — I like Kirby Puckett. For the same reasons I like Babe Ruth, Santa Claus. For the same reasons you like Yogi Berra, the Easter Bunny, Gene Kelly movies or even the smell of bacon frying on a frosty morning.
   He makes you feel good. He's chubby, cheerful. Comfortable. Like a favorite uncle.
   Kids want to climb on his knee. Fans adore him. Baseball needs him. They wish they had 30 like him.
   He looks as if he's enjoying himself. Too many ballplayers today act as if they're having a day at the lathe. Center field is a mine shaft.
   Kirby comes to the park like a kid going to a fishing hole. Life is a Christmas tree. They should make him a ride at Disneyland. A float in a Rose Parade.
   He acts as if he can't wait to wake up in the morning and get to the ballpark.
   The great ones have this attitude. The Ruths, the Pete Roses. Roy Campanella was like this. "You got to have a lot of little boy in you to play baseball," he once told a writer.
   Kirby Puckett has this quality. He's all man but you get the idea there's a 12-year-old locked in there some place. He smiles a lot. He's available. He loves baseball enough so that an hour of his time for television or the print media seems a small enough price to him to keep the carousel going. Kirby likes people as much as they like him. It's not endemic in baseball.
   It's not unreasonable to say Puckett is the soul of the Minnesota Twins. He probably won't get enough votes to get the MVP award, but maybe he should. The numbers are there but the fact is, if you took him out of the Minnesota Twins lineup, it would be like removing the battery of a Cadillac. It would still look good but it wouldn't be going anywhere.
   Putting Kirby Puckett in the Metrodome is like putting Dempsey in a 12-foot ring. Someone's going to get hurt.
   He looks fat but so did Ruth. The marshmallow exterior is filled with solid muscle. There's 30 home runs a year underneath that uniform. Kirby likes to eat but unlike Ruth he doesn't sneak hot dogs in his glove on the way to the outfield.
   The St. Louis Cardinals don't have anybody like Kirby Puckett. They have all these guys who are like 6-furlong sprinters trying to steal a mile race.
   The funny thing is, Kirby Puckett didn't set out to be Kirby Puckett. That is, if you said in his early career he played like Ruth, you might have meant his sister. Kirby thought he was going to be Rod Carew. Pete Rose. A line-drive hitter. A spray hitter. In his first major league game, he got four hits. In his first season in the big leagues, he got no home runs. In his second, he got four.
   He looked more like a St. Louis Cardinal than a New York Yankee. Or a Minnesota Twin. He even stole 41 bases in two years.
   That game is wasted in the Metrodome. Stealing bases in the Metrodome is like saving pennies in a gold rush, bailing out a flood with a spoon.
   Babe Ruth brought in big-inning baseball a half-century ago. The kind of game where you play for seven runs an inning instead of two a game.
   When Puckett let his hands slide all the way down to the end of the bat and began to grunt when he swung, pitchers began to hate to see this little round tub of power step in.
   He went from pesky to dangerous. He missed a lot of pitches this new way — but when you get two-to-four bases a hit, a strikeout is an acceptable pay-out. He swung a lot, he also hit a lot. His average actually improved. A lot of people overlooked the fact a homer is also a hit. In the Homerdome, a ball that may be a routine fly out elsewhere finds the seats. The big swing is the way to go.
   Not that Kirby was one of those hit-it-a-mile or miss-it-a-mile. Kirby went from four home runs to 31 home runs, but he also went from 199 hits to 223. He went from .288 to .328 to .332 this year. Kirby has 59 home runs in two years and 629 hits in three years.
   St. Louis Cardinals treat Kirby Puckett as if he's ticking. The pitchers nibble, they don't challenge him. In this ballpark which looks like the world's biggest hamburger bun they know that one mistake to Kirby can disappear in the Teflon.
   In the only building in Minnesota where you need earmuffs indoors, the decibel level goes through the roof when Kirby comes to bat. The ultimate form of adoration, single-name identification is Kirby's and outfielders back up and infielders pace the tartan when the chant "Kir-bee!" goes up.
   They've got lots of dangerous hitters on the Minnesota Twins but they're batting .259 (Tom Brunansky), .257 (Gary Gaetti) or .285 (Kent Hrbek). Kirby Puckett is batting .332. He's not only dangerous, he's consistent. He has driven in 195 runs in two years and scored 215.
   The St. Louis Cardinals hoped to put the base back in baseball Sunday night, to take the seats out of the game, give this war back to the foot soldier.
   But, in the fourth inning of a game that was still up for grabs, one out and no one on, the Cardinal pitcher offered a high outside fast ball to Kirby Puckett. Only the fleet St. Louis outfield held the hard right-center drive from going to the wall.
   But, that hit ignited a six-run inning and a seven-run lead.
   In the seventh inning with the Cardinals making noises like guys scenting a comeback, three straight hits scored their second run but the third hitter, Tony Pena, made a mistake: he hit the ball to center field where Puckett was.
   The runner on second, Jose Oquendo, made an even bigger mistake: he tried to take third on the hit.
   Kirby Puckett threw him out by seven feet. The rally was through and so were the Cardinals.
   American League teams know better. Kirby is not so cuddly with the ball in his hands. He has led the league in outfield assists (in 1984) and led the majors in putouts (465) and total chances (492) in 1985. He is, as a writer once said of Carl Furillo "armed and dangerous."
   The Cardinals may not find him so cute if they lose this thing in four straight. It's a little bit like being eaten by a Teddy bear.

*Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247

Blazers are kings of WHL's hill

Logan McVeigh (12) of the Kamloops Blazers tries to control a bouncing
puck while Kelowna Rockets defenceman Cole Martin keeps close tabs
on his opponent during WHL action in Kelowna on Saturday night.
(Photo by Gary Nylander/The Daily Courier)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

As October takes its final breaths before turning into November, the Kamloops Blazers, who didn’t even make the WHL playoffs last season, boast the league’s top winning percentage.
Yes, indeed . . . the Blazers are 14 games (19.4 per cent) into their 72-game season and they are the kings of the WHL’s hill, thanks to their .786 winning percentage. Kamloops is tied with the Tri-City Americans (11-5-0, .688) atop the Western Conference and leads the B.C. Division by three points over the Victoria Royals (9-7-1, .559). Only the defending-champion Kootenay Ice (11-3-2), with 24, have more points than the Blazers (11-3-0).
Although 14 of the WHL’s 22 teams have winning percentages above .500 — it’s the WHL’s new math — only the Blazers, Ice (.750) and Spokane Chiefs (8-3-1, .708) are above .700.
The Blazers won their fourth straight game Saturday, going into Kelowna and beating the Rockets 4-3, which gave Kamloops a weekend sweep over the guys from the Little Apple. Kamloops had won 5-2 at home on Friday, and now is 3-0-0 against the Rockets this season.
On Saturday, the Blazers had to come back from a 2-0 second-period deficit in this one and they did just that, scoring four straight goals.
“The thing behind our team right now is that we are finding ways to win,” Blazers head coach Guy Charron said. “It’s different than what it was in the past — we would find ways to lose.”
Charron said the key on Saturday was that “we stuck by the plan.”
“Our message,” he continued, “was basically, ‘Guys, we’re playing well. Just keep pushing their defence. . . . It may not be a short-term success, but long term they will get tired.’ ”
The Rockets scratched sophomore Myles Bell (undisclosed) prior to the game, leaving them with five defencemen.
After defenceman Madison Bowey and centre Shane McColgan gave the Rockets that 2-0 lead, forward Ryan Hanes, with his first goal in 28 games, got the visitors on the board at 6:35, with Dylan Willick equalizing at 15:34.
Willick broke the 2-2 tie at 14:44 of the third period — he scored twice in both weekend games, giving him nine goals, all in his last 10 games.
Kamloops left-winger Brendan Ranford, with his ninth goal, upped the Kamloops lead to 4-2 at 18:26 of the third period, before Rockets defenceman Damon Severson completed the scoring at 19:35.
“Because we stayed with the plan,” Charron said, “we were able to score two late goals.”
Kamloops goaltender Cam Lanigan stopped 20 shots, 11 fewer than Kelowna’s Adam Brown.
Charron really liked what he saw from his club as it won in a decidedly unfriendly environment and in front of 6,063 fans.
“To their credit,” Charron said of his charges, “they worked their buns off.”
He also said it was great to see the 19-year-old Hanes, the only Kamloops native on the roster, finally cash in a scoring chance.
“He was right in the crease, battling away for rebounds,” Charron said. “He got a loose puck and found a way to score. It’s good for him. He’s a trouper — totally devoted to the team.”
The Rockets (5-9-1-0) now are seventh in the conference, 11 points behind the Blazers.
“I saw us not quit, which was good,” Rockets head coach Ryan Huska told the Kelowna Daily Courier. “But we’re not going to use (injuries) as an excuse. We have to continue to push and fight to improve. If we keep working and not backing off from what we’re asking the players to do, things will change for us, and that’s what we have to believe in.”
JUST NOTES: The Blazers scratched F Matt Needham, F Chase Souto, D Landon Cross and F Jordan DePape (shoulder). . . . Speaking of Needham, Charron said: “His game hasn’t been up to where it can be.” . . . The Rockets were without five injured players. . . . The Blazers are at home Wednesday to the Portland Winterhawks, who are nearing the end of a 17-day, nine-game jaunt. They lost 4-1 to the Ice in Cranbrook on Saturday and arrived in Kamloops late yesterday afternoon. Portland went 2-3-1 in the Central Division. . . . G Liam McLeod of Kamloops stopped 32 shots Sunday to help B.C. to a 5-4 victory over Saskatchewan in the third-place game at the WHL’s U-16 Challenge Cup in Moose Jaw. McLeod, a ninth-round selection of the Blazers in the 2011 bantam draft, was selected as B.C.’s player of the game. The B.C. roster also included D Joe Hicketts, F Ryan Gropp, F Carson Bolduc and F Chad Butcher, all of Kamloops. Alberta beat Manitoba 10-4 in the tournament final.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City City Americans
and Spokane Chiefs goaltender Mac Engel get up close
and personal on Saturday night.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

If you haven’t already, please go on over to loveforlokomotiv.com and make a donation.
As it reads on that website:
“On Sept 7, 2011, 44 lives were lost in the worst tragedy in professional hockey history. A plane carrying crew members, hockey personnel, coaches and players of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team went down, breaking the hearts of their loved ones near and far.
“In a united effort to show support for the grieving families, hockey wives and girlfriends from around the world have created this website in hopes to raise money for their dear friends.”
Please visit the website and make a donation. You also are able to get memory bracelets there.
Don’t wait. Do it now.
Please and thanks.
———
Former Kamloops Blazers head coach Ken Hitchcock could be back as head coach of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets as early as Monday.
The Columbus Dispatch’s hockey blog — Puck-Rakers Blog — reported early this morning that team president Mike Priest has talked with Hitchcock, who was fired as head coach by the Blue Jackets but still is under contract to the team. He would replace Scott Arniel.
The complete report is right here.
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In Brandon, F Mark Stone scored his 11th goal of the season to help the Wheat Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Stone, who now is tied for second in the WHL’s scoring race, is riding a season-opening 15-game point streak. He has 31 points, one behind Victoria Royals F Kevin Sundher. . . . Stone also is on a five-game goal-scoring streak. . . . Edmonton D Mark Pysyk was a late scratch. That allowed D Cody Corbett, who was signed out of the Minnesota high school ranks earlier in the week, to make his WHL debut. . . . Corbett was pointless but did finish plus-1. . . . It was the Wheat Kings’ 1,500th regular-season WHL victory. . . .

In Calgary, F Trevor Cheek’s fourth goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie and the Hitmen went on to a 3-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Cheek’s goal, a shorthanded effort, came at 19:33 of the second period. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson, who turned aside 52 shots Friday in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Rebels in Red Deer, made 39 saves, 16 of them in the first period. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Erik Benoit and F Max Reinhart each scored twice as the Kootenay Ice dumped the Portland Winterhawks 4-1 in a rematch of last season’s championship final. . . . The Ice, which hsa won four in row now, won that series in five games. . . . Reinhart broke a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal at 17:58 of the second period. He later added his eighth goal of the season, into an empty net. . . . Benoit has five goals. . . . Obviously, the rivalry built up in last season’s final is still alive, witness the Ice taking 39 of 68 penalty minutes. All told, referee Sean Raphael whistled 27 infractions. . . . Attendance was 2,751. . . . The Winterhawks went 2-3-1 on their Central Division swing. They will play the Blazers in Kamloops on Wednesday, then go into Kelowna for a Friday-Saturday double-dip with the Rockets. . . .

In Lethbridge, G Patrik Bartosak stopped 29 shots to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 5-0 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Bartosak, an 18-year-old Czech freshman, is 9-3-0, 1.81, .941. . . . This was his first shutout. . . . D Matt Dumba had two PP goals, giving him five snipes this season. . . . The Hurricanes now have lost 13 in a row after opening 2-0-1. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Regina Pats, 3-2. . . . It was the Pats’ first visit to Mosaic Place and the joint was sold out (4,513). . . . Regina held 1-0 and 2-1 first-period leads. . . . F Quinton Howden tied it at 19:04 of the second period and F Brett Lyon won it on the PP at 2:02 of the third. . . . Lyon, 20, has seven goals in 15 games. He went into this season with eight goals in 158 career regular-season games. . . . Each team took five minor penalties. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Saskatoon Blades ruined Steve Young’s debut as the Raiders’ head coach, as they posted a 4-3 victory. . . . Young was promoted from assistant GM/associate coach to head coach on Friday. He replaced Bruno Campese as head coach; Campese stays on as GM. . . . The Blades, trailing 1-0 midway in the first period, responded with three straight goals. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask returned after being out since Oct. 5 with an injury. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 31 shots as his club was outshot 34-18. . . .

At Medicine Hat, G Tyler Bunz stopped 30 shots and F Emerson Etem became the WHL’s first 20-goal man as the Tigers dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 5-0. . . . Etem scored three goals, giving him 21, and added an assist. He has 31 points in 15 games, one point of the WHL scoring lead. . . . Etem scored the game’s first three goals. . . . Bunz recorded his second shutout this season and the seventh of his career as he picked up his 10th victory of the season. . . . F Trevor Cox, the great grandson of the legendary Cyclone Taylor, scored his second career goal. He had picked up his first goal one night earlier as the Tigers lost 3-2 in Swift Current. . . . Emotions got heated in the Gas City, too. As Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos tweeted: “We nearly had a goalie fight there... Jon Groenheyde took down Kale Kessy and eventually called out Tyler Bunz... but no deal.” . . .

In Prince George, F Alex Forsberg scored a PP goal at 16:16 of the third period to give the Cougars a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . G Drew Owsley of the Cougars stopped 28 shots as his side was outshot 29-18. . . . The Cougars had lost their previous eight games. . . . The Giants, who had won four straight, had beaten the host Cougars 4-2 one night earlier and 6-2 on Tuesday in Vancouver. . . .

In Kelowna, F Dylan Willick scored twice for the second time in two nights as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Rockets, 4-3. . . . Willick has nine goals, all coming over his last 10 games. . . . He scored twice Friday as the Blazers beat the visiting Rockets, 5-2. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford’s ninth goal, at 18:26 of the third, gave his side a 4-2 lead and proved the winner. . . . The Blazers, who didn’t make the playoffs last season, are 11-3-0 and have won four in a row. They boast the WHL’s top winning percentage (.786) and are tied with the Tri-City Americans (11-5-0) atop the Western Conference. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin broke a 1-1 tie at 12:59 of the third period and the Tri-City Americans went on to a 3-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Shinnimin, who took a misconduct at 14:42 of the first period, also scored the game’s first goal. . . . F Adam Hughesman drew assists on both of Shinnimin’s goals. . . . F Justin Feser iced it with an empty-netter. . . . Spokane F Blake Gal, who scored his club’s goal, was ejected with a boarding major at 19:33 of the first period. . . . The Americans lead the 12-game season series, 2-1. . . .

In Victoria, F Kevin Sundher enjoyed a five-point night in leading the Royals to a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Sundher scored four times and added an assist to move into the WHL scoring lead. He has 32 points, one more than Brandon F Mark Stone and Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem. . . . Sundher, who has 11 goals, had 23 points over his last 11 games. That includes two four-point outings and the five-pointer. . . . His career high going into this season was four points. He did that once last season. . . . One of the WHL’s most under-appreciated players, Sundher, 19, has 209 points in 232 career regular-season games. . . . Victoria F Robin Soudek had a goal and four helpers. He had played 201 regular-season games and had never had more than three points in a game.
———
Brent Peterson, a former Portland Winterhawks player and coach, continues his scrap with Parkinson’s diseason. Peterson told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal that he wants a better quality of life so will undergo surgery in December as doctors at Vanderbilt University in Nashville implant a neurostimulator in his brain.
Matheson’s complete story on Peterson is right here. Peterson hasn’t lost his sense of humour and there are a couple of good anecdotes here.
———
The hazing story involving the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives isn’t going away any time soon. It has legs, as they say. Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press has a terrific piece on the whole mess right here. . . . And there were reports late Saturday that the Natives have traded at least three players.
———
Every hockey parent should read The Lost Dream, a book written by Toronto Sun sports columnist Steve Simmons. The book’s subtitle is The Story of Mike Danton, David Frost, and a Broken Canadian Family. . . . This book tells an ugly, ugly story, one with which you may be familiar as Danton — he was Mike Jefferson before changing his name. . . . There are so many angles to this story that it is impossible to list them all there. . . . Just read the book if you get the opportunity. . . . My only real quibble is with the book’s title. It should be: The Lost Family.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

A Thursday night tweet from former NFL star Warren Sapp: “Congratulations Ron Washington & The Texas Rangers World Champions!” . . . That was before the St. Louis Cardinals came back from the dead. . . . Then there was this tweet from Bill Simmons of ESPN (aka The Sports Guy): “I love Ron Washington but I’ve waived Mark Lowe from my AL Keeper team 3 times over the years. This will not end well.” . . . Washington’s biggest problem was that he couldn’t bring in Nolan Ryan from the front row to pitch the 10th inning of Game 6. . . . This World Series proves why baseball is the greatest sport of them all. . . . If the late Ben Hatskin and Wild Bill Hunter, two of the WHL’s founding fathers, were in charge, the World Series would have become a best-of-nine sometime Thursday evening. . . .
In a column late last week, Mike Boone of the Montreal Gazette tried to make the point that Leafs versus Habs has lost some of its spice. “Is diminished Leaf-loathing symptomatic of something?” he asked. “Perhaps, in my case, the serenity and acceptance that come with age? Or the first hint of a dementia that will lead to liking UFC, country music and Ben Mulroney?” . . . Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “When Lindsay Lohan showed up at the morgue for her community service the other day — did she spot her career there?” . . .
A new California law requires vehicle booster seats for children until they are 4-foot-9 or eight years of age, whichever comes first. As the Left Coast Sports Babe noted: “Good thing about that ‘whichever comes first,’ or kids like Doug Flutie would be in boosters through high school.” . . . Defenceman Joe Hicketts made his WHL debut with the Victoria Royals a week ago as they put up a 3-2 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. Hicketts, who is from Kamloops, was named grinder of the game by his teammates. . . . Hicketts and pal Ryan Gropp are in Moose Jaw this weekend playing for Team B.C. at the WHL’s U-16 Challenge Cup. . . .
Of course, visors should be mandatory at every level of hockey. The best suggestion I’ve seen so far is that if an NHLer chooses not to wear a visor, he shouldn’t be allowed to wear a cup, either. . . . Hmmm . . . I wonder what side of the visor debate Don Cherry will take? . . . Vancouver police chief Jim Chu suggested a couple of weeks ago that there soon were to be arrests involving those Stanley Cup rioters. To which Richmond-based blogger T.C. Chong responded: “The city wants to get all these rioters processed and back on the streets before the Grey Cup game.” . . . Ian Hamilton, in the Regina Leader-Post: “The Vancouver Canucks’ slogan for the season is ‘The Heart of a Canuck.’ That narrowly edged out: ‘Come to a Canucks game. You’ll have a riot.’ ” . . . Here’s blogger R.J. Currie of sportsdeke.com after San Francisco right-hander Tim Lincecum’s former landlord sued him for US$350,000, claiming damage and theft from an apartment: “At least Lincecum didn’t try to smoke the joint.” . . . One more from Currie: “Kim Kardashian reportedly went bowling in New York dressed in skin-tight leather pants and a see-through top with an exposed lace bra. Male bowlers in attendance had a hard time keeping their mind out of the gutter.” . . .
If you’re a Kamloops hockey fan, you can’t be happy. The Red Deer Rebels will be here Nov. 11 and Feb. 17, but they won’t have centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with them. The first pick in the NHL’s 2011 bantam draft will spend the season with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . Former Kamloops Storm head coach Bryant Perrier is the head coach of the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives, who are embroiled in a really ugly hazing-related kerfuffle. Perrier, a man who loves words, has chosen not to comment. However, he was quoted: “The league’s done the investigation, the people have been interviewed, the players have been interviewed, everything’s been done. They did an investigation. You want to do a second investigation? This isn’t the O.J. Simpson trial.” . . . Well, now it seems some players have changed their stories. So, Mr. Perrier, there will be a second investigation. You’re right, this isn’t the O.J. Simpson trial. . . .
Let’s close with a couple from Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “The Orioles are erecting a statue of Brooks Robinson, throwing. Memo to sculptor: Robinson was called the Human Vacuum Cleaner, not the Human Rifle or the Human Howitzer.” . . . And one more from Ostler: “The NBA lockout reminds us that basketball is the best sport. It’s the only major sport that millionaire pro players play for free in their spare time. You never see major-league baseball players or NFL players running around looking for pickup games.”

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, follow him at twitter.com/gdrinnan, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.

A touch of hockey history in a WHL game

TREVOR COX

There was a little bit of hockey history involved in a game in Swift Current on Friday night.
Trevor Cox, a 16-year-old forward from Surrey, B.C., scored his first WHL goal for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Cox, playing his seventh game of the season, scored at 12:46 of the first period, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead in a game they would lose, 3-2.
Cox, who wasn’t selected in the 2010 bantam draft, was added to the Tigers’ list and made the team in training camp prior to this season. He was the leading scorer with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League last season. They play out of Langley, Surrey and Cloverdale on the Lower Mainland. In fact, Trevor’s twin brother, Matt, is playing with the Hawks this season.
And now for the history part of this . . .
The Cox boys are great grandsons of the late, great Fred (Cyclone) Taylor, who played for, among other teams, the Vancouver Millionaires, who won the 1915 Stanley Cup. Yes, the Millionaires are the only Vancouver team to have won the Stanley Cup. Taylor scored six of the Millionaires’ 26 goals as they swept the visiting Ottawa Senators — 6-2, 8-3 and 12-3 — in the 1915 final.
Taylor, considered one of the greatest players of hockey’s early days, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947. He died on June 9, 1979.
The Cox boys also are nephews of Mark Taylor, who played three games for the Kamloops Chiefs in 1975-76 and then moved on to the U of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, with whom he won the NCAA’s championship in the spring of 1980.
Taylor later played 209 NHL games, split among the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. He was a sixth-round pick by the Flyers in the NHL’s 1978 draft.
For more on Cyclone Taylor and the Cox brothers, check out this story from Peter Mansbridge of CBC’s The National. It was done last spring during the Vancouver Canucks’ playoff run. (Check out Mark Taylor wearing Cooperall's with the Philadelphia Flyers!)
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JUST NOTES: F Luke Gordon, who had gotten into one game with the Calgary Hitmen, now is with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Gordon, 17, is from Terrace, B.C. . . . The Portland Winterhawks have assigned F Ryley Bennefield to the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. Bennefield, 17, is from Wetaskiwin, Alta. He was pointless in three games with Portland. He was a second-round selection by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2009 bantam draft. Portland acquired Bennefield from Lethbridge in January, in exchange for the rights to D Branden Scheidl, a fourth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings announced Friday that they have signed D Cody Corbett, who won’t turn 18 until Dec. 14. He is from Lakeland, Minn. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Corbett didn’t play last night in Regina. The Oil Kings are in Brandon tonight. . . . Just in case you missed it, the Edmonto Oilers revealed Friday that they will keep F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first pick in the NHL's 2011 draft, rather than return him to the Red Deer Rebels. This, of course, means that the first year of his contract kicks in. The Oilers could still return him to the Rebels at a later date.
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In Brandon, G Cody Beach had two goals and three assists as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Wheat Kings, 8-4. . . . G Brandon Anderson, acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, made his first home start for the Wheat Kings but was gone after surrendering seven goals on 34 shots. . . . F Justin Kirsch, acquired this week by Moose Jaw from Calgary, had two PP goals in his first game with his new squad. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and an assist, running his season-opening point streak to 14 games. . . . Stone leads the WHL with 30 points. . . . The Warriors erased a 1-0 deficit by scoring five goals in a span of 12:39, the key goal being Beach’s PP goal at 19:59 of the first that gave the visitors a 4-1 lead. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath sat out his second game with an undisclosed injury, while D Kendall McFaull missed his fourth game. . . . This was Brandon’s first home game in three weeks, following a road swing that took it into the U.S. Division. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re NHL, junior, whatever, that first game back always seems to be very difficult,” Brandon head coach Cory Clouston told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun, “and credit to Moose Jaw, they came out, played well, they deserved the game. But we know we can be a lot better and it’s just managing the puck and being a lot more sure of the puck.” . . . The Wheat Kings play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight. . . .

In Swift Current, F Taylor Vause broke a 2-2 tie just 17 seconds into the third period and the Broncos hung on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . It was Vause’s 11th goal of the season. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his 100th regular-season goal in his 151st game. It was his WHL-leading 18th goal in 14 games this season. . . . The Broncos, who have won two in a row, and Tigers will play again tonight in Medicine Hat. . . .

In Prince George, F Jordan Martinook enjoyed his first career three-goal game as the Vancouver Giants beat the Cougars 4-2. . . . Martinook, who scored 11 goals in 72 games last season, has nine in 15 outings this season. . . . The Giants, who won for the first time in six road games, have won their last four games. . . . The Cougars have lost eight in a row. . . . Former Cougars head coach Ed Dempsey was among the 1,806 spectators. . . . Vancouver F Jackson Houck will be hearing from the WHL office after taking a major for checking to the head in the second period. . . .

In Lethbridge, Portland D William Wrenn had two assists and was plus-4 as the Winterhawks dropped the Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . Portland is 2-3-0 on its nine-game road trip. . . . The Hurricanes, who opened the season with two victories and a shootout loss, now are 2-12-1, and have lost 12 in a row. . . . Portland F Brad Ross, who is from Lethbridge, had a goal and an assist. . . . The Winterhawks will meet the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook tonight in a rematch of last season’s championship final. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Weal set up two PP goals as the Pats got past the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-1. . . . Weal, with 21 points in 14 games, now has 290 regular-season points in 226 career games. . . .

In Red Deer, the Everett Silvertips came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Rebels 3-2 in a shootout. . . . The shootout went five rounds, Everett’s last three shooters all scoring. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 52 shots through OT. That was one save shy of the Silvertips’ single-game franchise record. He has a .912 save percentage to go along with a 3.42 GAA. . . . Leland Irving holds the Everett record for saves (53) in a game from a February 2008 game in Spokane. . . .

In Victoria, the Seattle Thunderbirds gave up the tying goal at 18:35 of the third period then beat the Royals 4-3 in a shootout. . . . Victoria F Kevin Sundher tied the game 3-3 with G Keith Hamilton on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Seattle scored twice in the four-round shootout. . . . Sundher has 27 points and is tied with Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem for second in the points derby. . . . Victoria took a 2-0 lead in the third periods first two minutes by scoring two shorthanded goals on the same penalty.
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Has the return of the Winnipeg Jets to the Manitoba capital had any impact on the Brandon Wheat Kings? Tim Wharnsby of CBC Sports takes a look right here.
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Four players have left the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives, the team that has become embroiled in a hazing scandal. Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press has that story right here.
It is worth noting that former WHLer Sheldon Kennedy has called the 15-year-old player who was a victim in the hazing. Kennedy gave the player his cell phone numbrer and told him he was available 24 hours if need be.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Shane McColgan and Damon Severson of the Kelowna Rockets have
Dylan Willick of the Kamloops Blazers under wraps here, but Willick
scored twice in a 5-2 Kamloops victory on Friday night.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell / Kamloops Daily News)

 By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor

Guy Charron, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, was like a clown with a painted face on Friday night.
He may have been smiling on the outside, but there was a big frown underneath it all.
Yes, his Blazers had just scored a 5-2 WHL victory over the Kelowna Rockets, before 4,123 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
Yes, the Blazers improved to 10-3-0 and moved into a tie for first place with the idle Tri-City Americans (10-5-0) atop the Western Conference.
And, yes, the Blazers now are nine points ahead of the Rockets as they go into tonight’s rematch in the Little Apple.
But the home boys got into penalty trouble in the third period — they gave the visitors five power-play opportunities — and that meant the head coach was more than a little disgruntled.
“What’s disappointing for me,” Charron said, “is that we’ve been disciplined all season and in the third period we gave up five powers plays. That’s just ridiculous.
“Whether you say they were good calls or bad calls, to me they were undisciplined penalties and that’s not good enough for our hockey club.”
The Blazers have been able to avoid the penalty box for most of this season, but that wasn’t the case in the third period. The power-play time allowed the Rockets, who had been overmatched through 40 minutes, to outshoot their hosts 16-8 in the period — and 37-34 in the game — and only the goaltending of Cole Cheveldave kept the final spread at three.
Cheveldave, a freshman from Calgary, ran his record to 5-0-0 with a solid 32-save effort. This was his first start since giving up four goals and getting the hook in what turned into a 7-4 victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge one week earlier. Cam Lanigan came on in relief and got that victory, then beat the Tigers 2-1 in Medicine Hat the next night.
Cheveldave, Charron said, is “a very competitive young man. He was disappointed in his performance in Lethbridge. That’s why we didn’t want to delay his next game too long. We knew he wanted an opportunity to prove himself and show the kind of goaltender he is. He certainly proved that tonight.”
Dylan Willick led the Blazers with two goals, the last one the team’s sixth shorthanded goal in 13 games, and was a threat all game.
“We had the whole week off . . . we were bouncing off the walls ready to play,” said Willick, who has seven goals, all of them in his last nine games. “When things are going well you just want to get back on that ice. That’s exactly how it was.”
As for the third-period shenanigans, Willick said “it’s a learning process.”
“We’re learning how to hold on to (a lead) . . . but we can’t be giving them opportunities like that,” he added. “At least we’re learning while we’re winning. But we need to learn pretty fast.”
Tim Bozon, Brendan Ranford and Chase Schaber also scored for the Blazers, who led 1-0 and 4-1 at the breaks. Tyrell Goulbourne and Madison Bowey replied for the Rockets, who are missing five regulars to injury. As well, head coach Ryan Huska said that goaltender Jordon Cooke, who replaced Adam Brown 51 seconds into the third period, “is fighting something, too.”
“It’s tough,” Huska said of having to play through injuries. “The frustrating part is I thought we played pretty well tonight. I thought we did a lot of good things.
“We made a mistake on their third goal which I thought kind of deflated us, but we found a way to keep working which is a positive sign for our team.”
Despite the early-season woes — the Rockets are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games — Huska hasn’t lost his sense of humour.
Peter Soberlak, the chairman of TRU’s physical education department, helps out as the Rockets’ sports psychologist. He was in the Kelowna coaches’ room after the game.
So, all things considered, how is Huska doing?
“I’m great,” he said with a laugh. “That’s why (Soberlak’s) in there.”
JUST NOTES: The Blazers were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-for-8. . . . The Blazers scored four shorthanded goals all of last season. . . . The Rockets dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Linesman Kris Hartley of Kamloops celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday. His fellow officials surprised him with a banner, a balloon and some noise before the game. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Willick: Two goals and lots of jump; 2. Cheveldave: Teammates owe him lunch after third-period show; 3. Schaber: Strong defensively and lots of chances. . . . D Jordan Thomson, the Blazers’ first pick in the 2011 bantam draft, had a goal and two assists for Manitoba as it beat Saskatchewan 7-3 at the U-16 Challenge Cup in Moose Jaw yesterday. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders, who have lost four straight games, made a coaching change on Friday evening, removing Bruno Campese from behind the bench and promoting Steve Young, the assistant general manager/associate coach, to head coach. Campese, who has been with the Raiders since June 21, 2007, remains the general manager. The Raiders, who are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight, are 4-11-2 and in 10th spot in the Eastern Conference.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Winds of change blow through P.A.

The Prince Albert Raiders have made the first coaching change of this WHL season.
Bruno Campese, the club’s general manager and head coach, was relieved of his coaching duties on Friday. He was in his fifth season with the team.
Campese will now focus entirely on his GM's duties.
Steve Young, the club’s assistant GM and associate coach, has taken over as head coach. Craig Bedard remains on staff as assistant coach.
“Bruno Campese approached us today about making this change”, Dale McFee, a former Raiders player who now is president of the community-owned team, said in a news release. “It was a move that is not easy to make, but with our play of late it was obvious a change was required. We expect more from the players than their current record.”
Campese, a former WHL goaltender (Portland, Kelowna, 1982-84) had been the Raiders’ head coach since June 21, 2007. The 11th head coach in Raiders’ history, he added the GM’s duties to his portfolio on Jan. 14, 2008, following the dismissal of Donn Clark.
The Raiders didn’t make the playoffs through Campese’s first three seasons. Last season, they wound up eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost a six-game series to the first-place Saskatoon Blades.
This season, they are 4-11-2, good for 10th in the Eastern Conference, five points out of a playoff spot.
Young, a former assistant coach and head coach with the Moose Jaw Warriors, joined the Raiders for the 2008-09 season. He was the Warriors’ head coach when they reached the WHL final, ultimately losing to the Vancouver Giants, in the spring of 2006.
The Raiders, who have lost four in a row, next play Saturday when the Blades come calling.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Giants D Blake Orban will be out for a couple of weeks after suffering an undisclosed injury during Thursday’s practice. The Giants will play tonight and Saturday in Prince George and hope to have D Neil Manning (back) in the lineup again. When healthy, Manning makes the Giants’ PP go from the back end. . . . The Cougars will be without D Martin Marincin, who was hit with a four-game suspension for an intereference major he incurred on Tuesday in Vancouver. He has sat out one game. . . . Vancouver F Anthony Ast was injured on the play and may not play this weekend. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings may have D Brodie Melnychuk, 20, in the lineup tonight for the first time this season. He suffered a broken wrist during training camp and finally has been cleared to return to game action. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. This is the Wheat Kings’ first home game since returning from a lengthy road trip, during which they acquired G Brandon Anderson and F Darian Dziurzynski in deals. . . . The Warriors hope to have D Dylan McIlrath back in their lineup tonight. He practised Thursday after sitting out a Wednesday game with an undisclosed injury. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Swift Current Broncos scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Raiders, 6-3. Prince Albert has lost four straight and has changed goaltenders in midstream in each of the last two. . . . Former WHL D Bruin McDonald has joined the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. McDonald, 19, is attending Douglas College. After playing two seasons (2008-10) with the Prince George Cougars, McDonald started last season with the Spokane Chiefs, then joined the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, before making a five-game stoip with the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have assigned D Tye Hand, 16, to the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. Hand hadn’t gotten into a game with Everett this season. . . . The Pipeline Show is reporting that the Edmonton Oil Kings are about to add D Cody Corbett, a Minnesota high school product, to their roster. There’s more right here.
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The OHL has announced another lengthy suspension, this time to Oshawa Generals F Christian Thomas. He drew a 10-game sentence for a high-sticking match penalty. The video is right here.
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The hazing incident involving the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives has drawn a lot of reaction. That includes this piece by Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press, who spoke with the father of a player who was a victim and who hasn’t yet turned 16.
Meanwhile, Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports writes that if you want to get rid of hazing you are going to have bring in the police. That piece is right here.
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Jess Rubenstein is a blogger who pays particular attention to New York Rangers’ prospects over at The Prospect Park. And, as you will see by reading what follows, he has a bone to pick with the WHL:
“Dylan McIlrath (NYR 2010 1st) was not in the lineup for the Moose Jaw Warriors as they faced off with the Prince Albert Raiders (on Wednesday night). We have a reliable source who tells us that McIlrath is ‘day to day’ due to an upper body injury.
“We do know that McIlrath took an elbow to the head on Saturday in the Warriors game against the Kootenay Ice and he missed practice on Monday. It is sad that the WHL were the ones who were the first to announce their ‘7 point plan’ aimed at reducing injuries but now they will not say whether or not a player has a concussion.
“How are we supposed to know whether or not concussions are truly being reduced when there isn't any actual coverage of when a player has in fact suffered a concussion? We are reduced to gossip and guessing games but more importantly it damages the WHL's credibility since we have no way to verify whether or not a player has suffered a concussion.
“And really do you want New York Rangers fans who are already wondering about the status of Marc Staal and his own concussion issues wondering about a top prospect?
“Whether it is the Rangers or any other league, concussions are now a legit issue that needs to be dealt with in an open and honest manner. How are we supposed to believe anyone claiming concussions are down when you will not tell us when they happen?”
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post checks in with Curtis Hunt, the former Regina Pats’ head coach who, it turns out, is keeping his finger in the coaching game. That piece is right here.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Blazers fighting to earn respect

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers are learning that respect once lost is tougher to replace than one of your front teeth.
Despite their terrific start to this WHL season, no Blazers were selected Thursday to play for the WHL against a touring Russian side in the Subway Super Series on Nov. 16 (Regina) and Nov. 17 (Moose Jaw).
The WHL’s roster for the game in Regina includes 17 players, nine from the Western Conference. The Moose Jaw roster includes 18 players, four of them from the Western Conference.
The WHL players were selected, according to a news release, “by a special committee of WHL general managers, along with Kevin Prendergast, Hockey Canada’s head scout . . . as part of the selection process for the 2012 World Junior Championship.”
A few additions will be made at a later date, so there perhaps will be room for someone like Kamloops defenceman Austin Madaisky, left-winger Brendan Ranford or centre Colin Smith, who leads the club in goals (8) and points (16).
“Last year I was a late invite,” Ranford said after Thursday’s practice at Interior Savings Centre, “and, hopefully, I’ll work hard these next two weeks and I could get added on late. And if I don’t, I’ll still work hard all the time.”
A year ago, when the games were played in Kamloops and Prince George, Madaisky and centre Chase Schaber were named to the WHL roster for the game here. Ranford was a late addition.
“We weren’t nearly as good a team last year and we had three guys in the game,” Madaisky pointed out. “It’s out of our hands at the end of the day . . . none of the guys really worry about it.
“I think the guys who didn’t make it are a little disappointed but right now I think we’re more concerned with what’s going on inside our dressing room. We’ve got a good thing going on in there and, if we keep our focus on that, the season will continue to be a good one for all of us.”
Ranford agreed, saying that the Super Series is “part of the process in going to world juniors. But we’re having a great season and it’s been a lot of fun. We’re playing hard. I’m not really worried about Canada-Russia, I’m just worried about our team here going far.”
When it was suggested to Kamloops head coach Guy Charron that his club being shunned despite its 9-3-0 record might be construed as a lack of respect, he quickly replied: “That’s exactly what it is.”
The Blazers, then, will continue their march to respectability tonight, 7 o’clock, when they meet the Kelowna Rockets at the ISC. The Rockets (5-7-1), coming off a 2-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Wednesday, are seven points behind the B.C. Division-leading Blazers.
“We always know what to expect from Kelowna,” Madaisky said. “They bring a gritty game and they’re quick. We know who their key guys are so we’re going to have to be hard on them.”
The Blazers last played Saturday when they beat the Tigers 2-1 in Medicine Hat.
“That was huge for us, to get that win,” said Madaisky, who has 11 points — six of them on the power play — and is plus-5 in 12 games. “Everybody is finally buying in. We have one game plan and one identity that we are trying to establish for ourselves. We really take pride in that and we are starting to show it consistently, night in and night out.”
The Blazers have been successful when they have played the majority of the time in the other team’s zone, something they will be wanting to do again tonight.
“Get it in deep and go get it,” Madaisky stated. “That’s when we’re playing our best, when we’re cycling in the offensive zone. That’s when our skill takes over.”
A lot of the time it begins with a good first pass coming out of the Kamloops zone.
“That’s one of the strengths of our back end,” Madaisky said. “We’re all able to get the puck and we’re all pretty good at moving it to the forwards. Once we do that, they get it in deep and do their jobs, and it’s fun. It’s fun for everyone.
“Winning is fun.”
JUST NOTES: The Blazers will play in Kelowna on Saturday night. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave puts his unbeaten record (4-0-0) on the line as he gets the start tonight. . . . Don’t be surprised if Charron goes with the same skaters he used in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Tigers in Medicine Hat, meaning D Brady Gaudet, F Logan McVeigh and F Chase Souto are scratched. Souto, who has been nursing a hand injury, has been cleared to play. . . . Kelowna F Colton Sissons was chosen to play for the WHL in the Super Series game in Regina. . . . The Rockets have been without D Jesse Lees (undisclosed), F Jesse Astles (concussion), F Carter Rigby (concussion) and D Kevin Smith (shoulder). As well, F Brett Bulmer remains with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. . . . D Joe Hicketts of Kamloops, whose WHL rights belong to the Victoria Royals, has been named captain of Team B.C. at the U-16 Challenge Cup in Moose Jaw. . . . D Jordan Thomson, the Blazers’ first pick in the 2011 bantam draft, was named captain of the Manitoba team.

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Taking Note on Twitter

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s decision to keep F Brett Connolly on its roster is one that may reverberate through the WHL for more than just this season.
Connolly, 19, was the sixth overall selection in the NHL’s 2010 draft. Steve Yzerman was running his first draft as the Lightning’s general manager, meaning Connolly is his original first-round selection.
The Lightning signed Connolly a while back, but, as a 19-year-old, he either had to play in the NHL or with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
Connolly has had a great start to his NHL career and has been playing on a line with veteran stars Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis.
All of which is great for Connolly and not so great for the Cougars.
It is no secret that the Cougars have struggled, on the ice and at the gate, for the last while. This, however, was going to be the season when things started to turn around.
They acquired Drew Owsley, a front-line goaltender, from the Tri-City Americans over the summer. The Edmonton Oilers returned D Martin Marincin for a second season. Other defenders, like Daniel Gibb and Jesse Forsberg, were coming into their own.
Up front, Troy Bourke was proving to be a brilliant young forward, while the enigmatic Charles Inglis had proven last season that he can score. There are other good, young forwards, like Alex Forsberg  and Chase Witala.
The glue, however, was going to be Connolly. Not every junior hockey team can boast a superstar who is playing in his hometown. It should be instant box office.
That dream, however, is dead. Yzerman told Connolly on Tuesday night that he would be staying in the NHL.
The Cougars have lost seven straight games now. They are struggling to score goals, having been twice blanked 1-0 by the visiting Tri-City Americans on the weekend.
The second game drew an announced crowd of 1,663.
Connolly was going to be at least part of the solution to both of those problems. He would score and would put some fans in the seats.
But that was before Lightning hit the Cougars' outhouse.
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The Calgary Hitmen dealt F Kenton Miller, 20, and F Justin Kirsch, 19, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for D Collin Bowman, 20, F Joey Kornelsen, 18, and a fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
The Hitmen acquired Miller, who is from Redvers, Sask., off waivers from the Spokane Chiefs during the offseason. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the Regina Pats in 2007. He had 28 points in 28 games with the Chiefs last season. This season, he had three goals in 11 games with the Hitmen.
Kirsch had 42 points in 66 games with Calgary last season. He had five points in 10 games this season.
The Warriors have been hit hard by injuries and just came off a road trip during which they lost three games in a row, each by one goal.
The Hitmen are coming off a 7-1 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday.
Bowman, who began his career with the Kelowna Rockets, is the younger brother of former Spokane Chiefs sniper Drayson Bowman, who now is in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
The Hitmen are hoping that Bowman will be the puck-moving defencemen they feel they have been missing. He had 49 points, including 38 assists, with the Warriors last season. He has five points, four of them goals, in seven games this season.
Kornelsen had 37 points in 118 regular-season games with the Warriors. He brings the Hitmen another young forward.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have dealt D Erik Fleming, 19, to the Swift Current Broncos for a 10th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . In 156 games with Seattle over the last three seasons, Fleming, from Calgary, had 15 points and 72 penalty minutes. Fleming has played just one game this season to due an undisclosed injury. . . . He was the 16th overall selection in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . The Thunderbirds also assigned D Austin Frank, 18, to the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. . . . Seattle is in Victoria for a doubleheader with the Royals on Friday and Saturday nights.
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The Swift Current Broncos sent F Dillon Wagner, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks for F Adam Smith, 17, who is with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. . . . The 125th overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft, Wagner was in his fourth season with the Broncos. He had 53 points in 163 regular-season games. . . . This week’s WHL injury report shows Wagner as being out for three weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Wagner joins F Charles Wells and D William Wrenn as Portland’s 20-year-old players. . . . The Broncos are left with F Taylor Vause, F Brad Hoban and G Jon Groenheyde as their three 20s. . . . Smith, selected by Portland with the 178th pick of the 2009 bantam draft, is from Nanaimo. He has one assist and 13 penalty minutes in six games with the Clippers, after finishing with three points and 15 PMs in 30 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals last season. . . . A gritty forward, Smith played two games with the Winterhawks last season, going pointless with five penalty minutes. . . .
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F Connor Redmond, who has had nothing but shoulder problems for a couple of years now, has left the Vancouver Giants and joined the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. Redmond, 19, has seven points and 60 penalty minutes in 51 regular-season games with the Giants over the last two seasons. . . . Redmond was selected 11th overall by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has that story right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned D Kyle Becker, 17, to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. A native of Langley, B.C., he had offseason surgery on a broken scaphoid and has just recently been cleared to return to action. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars have been fined $250 apiece for a line brawl that took place Tuesday in Vancouver. . . . Prince George D Martin Marincin drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for an interference major he incurred in that game.
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers doubled up on the Portland Winterhawks 4-2 last night in front of their 300th straight regular-season sellout (4,006). . . . That news paled beside the announcement that the venerable Bob Ridley, the long-time radio voice of the Tigers, has opened a Twitter account. Seriously! . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored for the Tigers. He has 11 goals and two assists. . . . The Tigers also got a goal from F Emerson Etem. He has a WHL-leading 17 goals, to go with nine helpers. . . . The game featured the Leier cousins — F Boston Leier, 18, skates for the Tigers, while F Taylor Leier, 17, is with the Winterhawks. Both are from Saskatoon. . . . Portland is 1-3 on its 17-day, nine-game trek. . . .
In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry, 16, made his first start and helped the Oil Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Jarry stopped 20 shots. He was a third-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . F Curtis Lazar, the second overall pick in that draft, scored his fourth goal of the season for Edmonton. . . . Oil Kings D Mark Pysyk played his 200th regular-season game. . . . Edmonton has won three in a row. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls had two goals and F Brent Benson had three assists, as the Blades dumped the Regina Pats, 5-3. . . . Saskatoon D Darren Dietz didn’t pick up even one point, but he was plus-4. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs ran their home record to 8-0-0 with a 6-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Chiefs closed out a seven-game homestand by completing the sweep. . . . Victoria G Jared Rathjen made his first WHL star but trailed 2-0 before the game was four minutes old. . . . Spokane held a 33-13 edge in shots. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Quinton Howden had a goal and an assist on the first two shifts of his first game of the season to help the Warriors to a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Howden returned to Moose Jaw from the camp of the NHL’s Florida Panthers with a concussion. . . . D Joel Edmundson, who returned from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues with an ankle injury, also was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup. . . . Moose Jaw was without D Kendall McFaull (hip) and D Dylan McIlrath (undisclosed), while F Sebastian Svendsen (knee) won’t play for another couple of weeks. . . .
In Kelowna, G Adam Brown stopped 28 shots as the Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 2-1. . . . The Cougars have lost seven in a row. . . . The Cougars, already without D Martin Marincin (suspended) and F Brett Connolly (NHL), lost F Troy Bourke just 22 seconds into the game with a boarding major and game misconduct. . . . Prince George did have F Charles Inglis back in the lineup after he completed serving a 10-game suspension. . . .
In Cranbrook, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice scored the game’s first three goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 29 shots. . . . The Ice now is 10-3-2 and has won three in a row.
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CBC News has reported details of the hazing incident involving players on the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. According to CBC, one of the hazed player’s parents says their 15-year-old son “was forced to parade around the dressing room with water bottles tied to his genitals.”
That story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Victory in Medicine Hat will have hockey people taking notice

You can safely bet the house that this has been a long week for the Kamloops Blazers.
At 9-3-0 and leading the WHL’s B.C. Division, you just know that these guys are itching to get back into action. They want to strike while the sticks are hot.
But, after going 2-1-0 on their only foray into Alberta this season and arriving home early Sunday morning, the Blazers don’t get to scratch that itch until Friday when they face the visiting Kelowna Rockets.
The Blazers didn’t even skate Sunday or Monday, but were back on the ice Tuesday for a good, honest practice.
Anyone who has been watching is well aware that, with the season 16.7 per cent over, there would appear to be a remarkable transformation taking place.
After all, this is a team that, one year ago, simply couldn’t.
Couldn’t what?
Couldn’t do anything.
It couldn’t stay out of the penalty box. Couldn’t kill penalties. Couldn’t score goals. Couldn’t keep pucks out of its own net. Couldn’t make the playoffs.
But now, with a head coach, a goaltender coach and 16 players on the roster who were around for last season’s disaster, the Blazers are looking every inch like one of this league’s elite teams.
The Blazers are 9-3-0 and — don’t laugh! — could very easily be 12-0-0.
“You know what? That’s a fair assessment,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron acknowledges.
The Blazers lost their home-opener 1-0 to the Prince George Cougars, whose goaltender stopped 32 shots and whose teammates stopped another 33.
The Blazers blew a 4-1 lead and lost 5-4 to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
Kamloops was beaten 4-2 by the Rebels in Red Deer, a 2-1 lead gone when (a) a puck bounced over defenceman Bronson Maschmeyer’s stick at the Red Deer blue line resulting in a breakaway and the tying goal, and (b) an own goal turned into the winner.
Of course, as someone in the organization pointed out, the Blazers stole a game from the Winterhawks in Portland. The point being that these things have a tendency to even out over time.
Still, the Blazers are 12 games into the season and it is becoming obvious that this isn’t last season’s team. Nor does it appear to be the team of 2009-10.
Who can forget the autumn of 2009 when the Blazers got out to an 8-2-2 start and showed up in the CHL rankings? Those who were paying attention realized the Blazers were doing it with smoke and mirrors, and felt it only was a matter of time before the implosion.
The Blazers beat the host Regina Pats 5-4 in overtime for their eighth victory that season, but then finished the East Division trip with five losses in a row. When they got home, head coach Barry Smith lost his job.
That doesn’t seem likely to happen to this team, although it did show up in the CHL rankings yesterday.
As Charron puts it: “The team has been consistent and played well.”
Following the Blazers’ first 11 games, there may well have been doubters. After all, you could have made the case that the Blazers had taken advantage of some teams that were tired, banged up or had players in the NHL.
But when the Blazers went into Medicine Hat on Saturday and scored a 2-1 victory over the Tigers, who had won six straight games, well, you can bet people sat up and took notice.
“What’s exciting for all of us is knowing we can go into a building lke Medicine Hat, that is tough to play in,” Charron says, “and come up with a great effort. That is encouraging for everybody.”
What is really encouraging is that the players on this team appear to have learned the value of playing the game deep in the other team’s zone.
When the Blazers are able to get the puck behind the icing line in the other team’s zone and play the game below the faceoff dots, they have proven to be lethal. That is something they weren’t able to do last season with any consistency. Then, for whatever reason, the players seemed to think they all were wizards with the puck, something that led to far too many turnovers, far too many scoring chances against and many of the team’s problems.
This season, the light bulb appears to have come on — whether it was because of the arrival of associate coach Dave Hunchak, who came here having spent seven seasons coaching in this league so obviously knows his way around the bench, or whether it’s the fact the veteran players are a year older and, one assumes, that much more mature.
How much more mature?
Some players have reached the conclusion that individual points — goals and assists — aren’t as important as winning. It has dawned on them that individual success follows in lockstep with team success.
Meanwhile, Hunchak’s role in all of this cannot be overstated. Charron had been away from junior hockey for a long, long time when he signed here in November 2009, and he readily admits the adjustment has been far more challenging than he could have imagined. Hunchak signed on as associate coach over the summer, bringing to the organization his experience in dealing with junior-aged players.
Charron, to his credit, has been most receptive to everything Hunchak brought with him. The result is evident in the standings.
What all of this means, of course, is that the Blazers have gone from being the hunter to the hunted.
No longer will they be able to sneak up on teams. No longer are they going to be able to catch teams by surprise. No longer will opposing teams be taking them for granted.
Through all of this, the Blazers are learning that the game of hockey is a lot more fun when you’re the eagle and not the prey.

(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, gdrinnan.blogspot.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan.)

F Brett Connolly will be staying in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning. General manager Steve Yzerman gave Connolly the news after a 4-3 victory over the host Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
That was Connolly’s ninth NHL game of the season. His contract kicks in once he dresses for a 10th game. Had the Lightning decided not to keep the sixth overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, he would have had to be returned to the Prince George Cougars.
Connolly, playing on a line with veterans Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis, made a key play on Tampa Bay’s first goal last night as it came back from a 2-0 deficit. He got in strong on the forecheck, separating a defender from the puck. St. Louis then centred to Lecavalier, who scored to spark the comeback.
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Meanwhile, F Ryan Johansen, who has to play with the Columbus Blue Jackets or return to the Portland Winterhawks, had a goal and an assist last night in a 4-1 victory over the visiting Detroit Red Wings.
Johansen was the fourth overall selection in the 2010 NHL draft.
He has played five games, totalling a goal and two assists, with those points all coming in his last two games.
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F Jason Trott scored twice as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Hitmen 7-1 in Calgary on Tuesday night. Trott now has four goals in 14 games this season, after scoring twice in 32 outings last season. . . . Trott also had an assist last night — he got that with eight seconds left to play — and then completed the Gordie Howe hat trick by getting into a scrap four seconds later. . . .
F Cain Franson set up four goals as the host Vancouver Giants beat the Prince George Cougars 6-2. The teams, who will play a doubleheader in Prince George this weekend, combined for 182 minutes in penalties, 98 of those going to Vancouver. All told, referee Sean Raphael handed out 12 fighting majors and seven game misconducts. Vancouver has won three in a row. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun was at the game. His report is right here. . . . The Cougars, who have lost six straight, meet the Rockets in Kelowna tonight. The Rockets have lost eight of nine. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., referee Trevor Hanson wasn’t quite as busy, handing out five minors as the Victoria Royals got past the Tri-City Americans, 5-4. The Royals, who got 41 saves from G Keith Hamilton, were 2-for-3 on the PP. Tri-City G Eric Comrie, coming off two shutouts, was lifted seven minutes into the second period after giving up four goals on 13 shots . . .
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JUST NOTES: The WHL handed out three suspensions on Tuesday. Vancouver Giants D Blake Orban got four games for an interference major he incurred for a hit on Kelowna Rockets F Carter Rigby in Kelowna on Oct. 20. Orban has served three games. . . . D Kyle Verdino of the Seattle Thunderbirds got two games under supplemental discipline for an incident in a game at Everett on Oct. 21. . . . Kelowna F Filip Vasko got one game for a boarding major and game misconduct against the visiting Victoria Royals on Oct. 22. . . . Meanwhile, the OHL hit F Zack McQueen of the Windsor Spitfires with a 10-game sentence for a check to the head. A video explanation of that suspension is available on the OHL’s web site. . . . G Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans has been named the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He posted two 1-0 shutouts over the Cougars in Prince George on the weekend.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Shayne Toporowski (Prince Albert, 1991-95) signed a tryout contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 16 goals and 17 assists in 58 games for Tappara Tampere (Finland, SM-Liiga) last season. . . .
F Pat Iannone (Kootenay, Try-City, Regina, 1999-2003) signed a one-year contract with Pontebba (Italy, Serie A). He had 11 goals and 26 assists in 38 games for Valpellice (Italy, Serie A) last season.
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It is quite possible that Alberta fans will never get to watch Everett Silvertips D Ryan Murray in the comfort of their favourite team’s arena. The Silvertips open an Alberta swing against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday, but Murray didn’t make the trip. He’s at home nursing a sprained ankle that could keep him sidelined for up to five weeks.
As Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports:
“This isn't the first time Murray has had to stay behind while his teammates headed to Alberta. Two years ago, Murray suffered a broken thumb just before the team departed to visit the Central Division, home of all five of the WHL's Alberta-based teams. He was left behind then, too. Given that Everett only goes to Alberta every other year, it seems unlikely the 18-year-old Murray will ever play a WHL game in Alberta as a Silvertip.”
Murray is projected as an early first-round selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft and might very well be playing in The Show a year from now.
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The Portland Winterhawks have been without F Sven Bartschi for the start of their monster 17-day, nine-game road trip. After the team bus arrived in Edmonton, he hopped a plane and flew back to Portland to get what is believed to be a hip injury examined. He already has missed the trek’s first two games and won’t play tonight against the Hitmen in Calgary. But he was to rejoin the Winterhawks on Monday night and it could be that the Flames’ medical staff will take a look at him, too. The Flames selected him in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2011 NHL draft and he sparkled in their training camp. Bartschi, 18, is a Swiss sophomore. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have added free-agent F Taylor Makin, 19, to their roster. Makin, from Blairmore, Alta., played one game with the Cougars this season before being released. He had 14 points and 43 penalty minutes in 48 games with the Cougars last season, and 17 points and 82 Pms in 70 games in 2009-10. . . . The Giants are at home to the Cougars tonight; the teams play a weekend doubleheade in Prince George. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning (back), who hasn’t played since late September, may get back into the lineup on Friday in Prince George. . . .
The Medicine Hat Tigers have dealt F Kellan Tochkin, 20, to the Prince Albert Raiders for D James Bettauer, 20, and a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Tochkin, who has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, had eight assists in 10 games with the Tigers this season, and had just returned to their lineup after suffering a concussion on Oct.10. He has 214 points in 227 regular-season games, most of that with the Everett Silvertips, who dealt him to Medicine Hat last season. . . . Bettauer had nine points, including five goals, in 15 games with the Raiders this season. He has 39 points in 153 career games. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos have assigned D Bobby Zinkan, 16, to the midget AAA Calgary Northstars. A fourth-round pick by the Broncos in the 2010 bantam draft, the Calgary native had gotten into just one game with the Broncos. . . .
 F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, three of them goals, in three games last week. . . . Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. Comrie, 16, put up back-to-back 1-0 shutouts as the Americans swept the Cougars in Prince George on the weekend. . . .
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald fills us in on the Warriors’ injury situation. . . . The Warriors are at home to the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night. . . . D Dylan McIlrath didn’t practice Monday. He took an elbow to the head in a Saturday game, but head coach Mike Stothers told Gourlie that McIlrath was having a “maintenance day” and that he also had a touch of the flu. . . . D Kendall McFaull (lower body) didn’t finish Monday’s practice. He has missed two games. . . . D Joel Edmundson (ankle) may play Wednesday for the first time this season. He was injured in camp with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. . . . F Quinton Howden (concussion) is day-to-day, while F Sebastian Svendsen (knee) remains sidelined.
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An interesting note in the weekly blog from Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman:
“Anaheim/Phoenix played Sunday night with only one referee, as Steve Kozari's eyes swelled up due to an allergic reaction. (Ugh, sounds gross. Get well, Steve.) As a result, Brad Watson did the game alone. Apparently, the players loved it.”
Friedman’s complete blog entry is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees has just hit
his third homer of Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, this
one off Los Angeles Dodgers knuckleballer
Charlie Hough.

 It took someone 34 years to repeat the feat of hitting three home runs in a single World Series game, previously accomplished by only Babe Ruth (1927) and Reggie Jackson (1977).
Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals did it Saturday night in Game 3 against the Texas Rangers.
So . . . let's take a walk down memory lane to Jim Murray's Oct. 19, 1977 column titled "Reggie Renames House Ruth Built.”
Enjoy . . . and thanks for your continued support of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.

October 19, 1977, SPORTS
Copyright 1977/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

Reggie Renames House Ruth Built

   NEW YORK — Excuse me while I wipe up the bloodstains and carry off the wounded. The Dodgers forgot to circle the wagons.
   Listen! You don't go into the woods with a bear. You don't go into a fog with Jack the Ripper. You don't get in a car with Al Capone. You don't get on a ship with Morgan the Pirate. You don't go into shark-infested waters with a nosebleed. You don't wander into Little Big Horn with General Custer.
   And you don't come into Yankee Stadium needing a win to stay alive in a World Series. Not unless you have a note pinned to you telling them where to send the remains. If any.
   They told us these weren't the real Yankees. I mean, not like the genuine article of years gone past, the Murderers' Row Yankees, the Bronx Bombers. These were just a bunch of pussycats dressed up in gorilla constumes.
   These were Yankees who had "take" signs in the playbook. These were Yankees who talked of "beating you with the glove." These were "hit-and-run Yankees," not the old kind who just stood there and hit balls into the stratosphere and played "hit and walk" baseball.

**********

That's what they told us. That's what the scouting report said.
   They said these Yankees weren't even speaking to each other. You wondered why they dared show up.
   Years ago, oldtimers remembered, on the1927 Yankees the right fielder in World Series used to stand there and hit back-to-back home runs out of the park. Why, he hit three in one game in World Series twice!
   Well, the 1977 Yankees' right fielder has just hit home runs on his last four consecutive official at-bats. And he became only the second player in history to hit three home runs in a game.
   He became the first player in history to hit five home runs in a single series.
   You have the feeling the Dodgers pitchers are longing to see Babe Ruth step in there.He might be a welcome relief.
   "If I played in New York, they'd name a candy bar after me," boasted Reggie Jackson before the season started. They may name an entire chocolate factory after him now.
   Once again these were the Yanks who had your back to the wall when you were ahead only 2-0. Once again they were head-hunters. If they were fighters they'd never go to the body. Once again, they're a bunch of guys who go for the railroad yards in bombing runs or shell Paris with railroad guns.
   These are the Yankees who let you store up runs like a squirrel putting nuts in his cheek. When you get the all neatly piled up, the Yankees come along and pile up more with two swings of a bat.

**********

   These Yanks are store-bought. They're not homemade like a proper ball club should be, stitched at home with tender, loving care. George Steinbrenner just went out and ordered them like a new car. Expense was no object. It didn't matter. With George, it was either a question of buying a ball club — or buying Rhode Island.
   There's an old familiar smell in the Yankee locker room — fermenting grapes. The wine of victory spreads across the floor, the waterfall of success. Where Ruth or Gehrig once dribbled champagne across their chins, Reggie Jackson does now.
   The reporters are 10-deep around Jackson's locker in this House That Ruth Built.  It is Jackson's Yankees now. "Mr. October." The most dangerous World Series hitter since Ruth used to call his shots.
   No one has ever seen more devastating home runs than Reggie Jackson ripped out of Yankee Stadium Tuesday night. Two were on so-so fastballs but the third was a knuckler down and away. "He hit a helluva pitch," Da Manager Tom Lasorda confessed later, still in some shock.
   The pitchers' union is not ready to strike its colors. The pitcher who threw it, Charlie Hough, recalls it as a knuckler that didn't knuckle.
   One of the homers was a line drive that would have crossed state lines and gone through the side of a battleship on its way to the seats. The other two were booming Jack Nicklaus-type tee shots, high and far, the kind that pitchers wake up screaming in the middle of the night over.
   Reggie was, for him, composed as the forest of microphones was thrust under his chin and the photographers called for one more shot of a tilted champagne bottle.
   How often had Ruth struck this pose for the midnight tabloids? Mantle?
   The home run is to the Yankees what the Raphaels are to the Vatican and the pyramids to the Pharaohs — symbols of glory and tradition.
   How many National League teams have been bludgeoned in this hallowed stadium by mighty multiple home runs? You see a Dizzy Dean struggling manfully to hold down the floodgates of homers in 1938, a Wee Willie Sherdel, a Carl Hubbell, a Charlie Root in 1932. And now a Hooton, Sosa and Hough.
   The star-of-the-day, the new Sultan of Swat in Yankee Stadium, was managing to sound more like a one-man HEW bureau. "What am I going to do?" Reggie Jackson answered slowly. "First, I'm going to go out and have a few drinks and put some of this money back in circulation. Then I'm' going to share my World Series money with the city of New York which did so much for me, go to Phoenix where I live and to Oakland where I came from." What did he feel on becoming the first man to hit four home runs in a row in World Series. "Jubilation, relief, pride and some justification," added Reggie.
   This was a team that was supposed to self-destruct before your very eyes about the seventh inning of every game. They weren't supposed to be real Yankees that they made movies about.
   From what anyone could see in the wreckage of the Dodger planes, the only difference between the 1927 Yankees and the 1977 Yankees is a few million dollars in salaries.
   The 1927 Yankees is the yardstick against which baseball historians measure all subsequent teams. Oldtimers' eyes mist over when they say, "You should have seen that bunch!"
   Today's bubblegum collectors can take the offensive, too. "Baby, you should have seen the 1977 Yankees, the Jackson Yankees. Four at-bats in a row. Reggie hit home runs-on four swings. Reggie hit the first pitch on all four of them. Match that around the Ruth Yankees."
   Reggie gets unlimited champagne, a new Thunderbird and a page all his own in the record books and a free trip to Cooperstown. But the Yankees get a new mythology. This stadium will be the House That Reggie Built. He goes to join Ruth's call shot, Mantle's tape measures. It's his Series. It will be remembered as The-Year-That-Reggie-Jackson — the year that Reggie Jackson hit five home runs, the last four his last four times up. No one will remember anything else about it 20 years from now. The 1977 World Series is Reggie Jackson's. Everything that went on before he stepped to center stage was a prologue. It was an opera that all led to the appearance of the star. When the scene was set and the overture over, Reggie gave 'em goose bumps.
   It was one of sports' great moments, the kind of thing that will make 500,000 people who weren't, say "I was there." The homers will get longer, higher, farther in the retelling. But nobody has to embellish the frequency.
   We're no likely to see their like again.
   But then, they said that about Ruth, too, didn't they?

Reprinted with the permission of the Los Angeles Times.

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation | P.O. Box 995 | La Quinta | CA | 92247