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With the Portland Winterhawks having appeared in the last two WHL championship finals, it’s sometimes hard to remember that it wasn’t that long ago when this team was the laughingstock of major junior hockey.
Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has a piece right here on how the Winterhawks climbed from the outhouse to the penthouse.
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The OHL on Thursday morning approved the sale of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors by Eugene Melnyk to Elliott Kerr, a well-known Mississauga businessman who owns Landmark Sports Group, and partner David Livingston. . . . Melnyk owns the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. . . . The Mississauga franchise will undergo a change of name and colours before all is done. . . . James Boyd, the team’s GM and head coach, will remain in place. . . .
With Kerr purchasing the Majors, he had to divest himself of his ownership share in the OHL’s Guelph Storm. So, yesterday afternoon, the Storm announced that partners Rick Gaetz, Rick Hoyle and John Heeley had bought “the interest in the team previously held” by Kerr and Livingston. At the same time, Guelph head coach Scott Walker, the team announced, “has joined the Storm ownership group.”
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Art Monk, a Hall of Fame receiver, is the lead plaintiff in yet one more lawsuit filed against the NFL and Riddell Inc., the helmet manufacturer, over the issue of head injuries. According to the claim, Moss, who played 14 seasons with the Washington Redskins, has “short-term memory loss, headaches and speech difficulties” from multiple concussions.
The latest lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles and has 63 plaintiffs. The NFL now is facing lawsuits involving more than 2,000 former players.
There is more right here.
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I didn’t see/hear Ron MacLean’s intro for Hockey Night in Canada on Wednesday night (sorry, but if I never hear another of his puns it will be too soon), but I certainly read all about it later. If you’re on the Internet, how could you miss it? Anyway . . . Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star has a terrific piece right here on MacLean’s ramble and more.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The SPHL’s Hunstville Havoc removed the interim from head coach Glenn Detulleo’s title on Thursday. He now is the permanent director of hockey operations and head coach. Detulleo served as interim head coach for the last five games of the regular season and two rounds of playoff games. He had been an active player before retiring on March 8 and moving behind the bench to replace Randy Murphy. Detulleo now has a three-year contract in his hip pocket. . . .
The BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters have signed Randy Buffie as director of scouting and assistant general manager. He had been working as a B.C. regional scout for the Prince George Spruce Kings. . . . The Smoke Eaters also announced that they have hired Brent Demerais and Bill Spring as B.C.-based scouts.
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THE WHL FINAL:
Game 5 . . .
In Edmonton, D Mark Pysyk’s goal with 55.2 seconds left in the third period gave the Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Oil Kings lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Portland on Saturday night. . . . A seventh game, if needed, would be played Sunday in Edmonton. . . . Pysyk, the Oil Kings’ captain, was the franchise’s first bantam draft pick, taken third overall in 2007. . . . Portland F Marcel Noebels scored at 1:45 of the first period to get things rolling. . . . Edmonton F Jordan Peddle tied it at 18:00. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart gave his side its first lead at 4:44 of the second, only to have Portland F Ty Rattie tie it on the PP at 5:27. . . . Rattie’s 19th goal of these playoffs tied Portland’s single-playoff record set by F Dan Woodley in 1987. . . . Peddle, who drew an assist on Reinhart’s goal, then got his second of the game, at 7:20, to give the Oil Kings a 3-2 edge. . . . Peddle, who turned 21 on March 5, is from Elbow, Sask. He was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos early in the season. He finished with 25 points in 70 games, going 10-12–22 in 66 games with the Oil Kings. In 18 games in these playoffs, he has 12 points, including six goals. . . . At 5:07 of the third, Portland F Sven Baertschi scored his 14th goal of the spring to tie the score. . . . Baertschi has seven goals in this series and has scored in six straight games. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 28 shots, three fewer than Portland’s Mac Carruth. . . . Portland was 1-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-3. . . . Attendance was 11,077. . . . Game 6 in Portland already is sold out.———
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal was at the game and writes right here about F Jordan Peddle of the Oil Kings and the playoff run he is on.
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Allow me to remind you once again that if you are on Twitter you should be following @WHLFacts. . . . He tweeted Thursday afternoon: “Tonight, Troy Rutkowski & Joe Morrow will tie Troy Mick for the 2nd most playoff games played in @pdxwinterhawks franchise history (54).”
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In the QMJHL, the Saint John Sea Dogs swept the Rimouski Oceanic from the championship final last night to become the first team, other than the host Shawinigan Cataractes, to qualify for the MasterCard Memorial Cup. The Sea Dogs are defending MC champs.
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John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal writes right here about the Edmonton Oil Kings and attendance at home playoff games. Why, he wonders, haven’t there been 15,000 fans at some games?
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Portland D Troy Rutkowski, who tweeted this on Thursday afternoon: “Thanks to the Sutton for putting us above construction #ruinedmynap #32swingspernail #youshouldbefired”
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Here is the schedule for the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (7,466)Friday, May 4: Portland 5 at Edmonton 1 (10,720)
Sunday, May 6: Edmonton 3 at Portland 4 (10,947)
Tuesday, May 8: Edmonton 4 at Portland 3 (OT) (10,947)
Thursday, May 10: Portland 3 at Edmonton 4 (11,077)
Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.
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Finally, have you heard about the Bikini Hockey League? No. . . . Keith Whitmire has the story right here.
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