F Fredrik Pettersson (Calgary, 2005-07) exercised his KHL opt-out clause and has left Frölunda Gothenburg (Sweden, Elitserien) after completing just one year of a four-year contract. He now has signed a contract with Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine, KHL). No terms were announced. Pettersson had 16 goals and 24 assists in 54 games as an alternate captain for Frölunda this season. The head coach of Donbass is former Portland assistant coach Julius Supler.
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Hearty congratulations to old friend Roy MacGregor, who was named Friday as this year’s winner of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award. It is a Hockey Hall of Fame honour that is selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
MacGregor is a prolific writer, who now is with The Globe and Mail. A veteran of the newspaper game, he also has written a number of books, hockey-related and otherwise, as well as a highly successful series of childrens books — The Screech Owls.
The surprise with this award is that he hadn’t won the award a whole lot earlier than this.
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Also on Friday, veteran hockey writer Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette announced his retirement. Fisher has written about the NHL for 57 years, beginning with the infamous Richard riots in 1955.
Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette writes about Fisher right here.
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James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail writes right here about the Toronto Marlies trying to move forward after losing an AHL playoff game Thursday on a goal that should have been disallowed.
That piece is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Adam Deadmarsh (Portland, 1991-95) had to end his NHL playing career because of concussion-related problems. Now he has left his assistant-coaching job with the Colorado Avalanche for the same reason. Deadmarsh was 28 when he retired as a player; he’s now 37. . . . His wife, Christa, sent this message to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post: “Adam was hurt (concussion issues) this season and decided that health/family and safety are his priority … Adam enjoyed coaching, but this was the right decision … We are back in Idaho and will love being close to our family again:) Hello Idaho friends … we are home:)” . . .
Mike Heilka of the Dallas Morning News reports here that the Dallas Stars “are speaking with Willie Desjardins about taking the head-coaching job with the Texas Stars.” Desjardins, the former GM and head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, has one year left on his contract with Dallas. He is the associate coach to head coach Glen Gulutzan. . . .
The OHL’s Kitchener Rangers have hired Mike McKenzie as an assistant coach. Yes, he is a son of Bob McKenzie, TSN’s crack hockey analyst. Mike, 26, played four seasons of NCAA hockey at St. Lawrence U — he twice was on the NCAA all-academic team — before turning pro and playing with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers and Albany River Rats and the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. He retired after playing last season with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. . . . In Kitchener, he will work alongside GM/head coach Steve Spott. . . .
Craig Hartsburg, a former head coach of the Everett Silvertips, has been dismissed as associate coach by the NHL’s Calgary Flames. He left the Silvertips prior to this season to work with the Flames and then-head coach Brent Sutter. . . . When the Flames dumped Sutter, they also got rid of assistant coach Dave Lowry, a former head coach of the Calgary Hitmen. . . .
Former NHL coach Paul Maurice has signed on as head coach of the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Maurice began this season as head coach of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, only to be fired 25 games into it. . . . Former NHL G Tom Barrasso has signed on as Maurice’s assistant coach. . . .
Two WHL assistant coaches — Dwayne Gylywoychuk of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Malcolm Cameron of the Regina Pats — have been named to the coaching staff of Team West that will represent Manitoba and Saskatchewan at the U17 World Hockey Challenge. That tournament is to beging in Drummondville and Victoriaville, Que., on Dec. 29. . . . Don MacGillivray, the head coach of the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues for four years, is Team West’s head coach for a second consecutive year. . . .
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As you no doubt are aware, the Oklahoma City Thunder has advanced to the NBA final. (BTW, it’s final, not finals, and I don't care what David Stern thinks. It’s one series so it’s singular. OK?)
You also should be aware that the Thunder began life as the Seattle SuperSonics.
So . . . how are the sporting fans of Seattle feeling?
Let’s just say they aren’t enjoying this one bit.
Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times pretty much sums it up with his Friday column right here.
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