1. The Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops is getting a new scoreboard that includes a four-sided videoboard with screens larger than the clock that now hangs in the facility. The new toy, from OES Scoreboads, apparently will be similar to the one in use at the Mile One Centre in St. John’s, N.L. . . . For a look at what the new clock looks like, click right here.
2. D Davis Vandane, who played out his junior eligibility with the Prince Albert Raiders last season, has rediscovered his love for lacrosse. Unfortunately, a sprained right ankle suffered in a game while playing for the Yorkton Bulldogs has him on crutches. Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW has more right here.
3. D Derek Ryckman, a veteran of five WHL seasons, has committed to attend the U of P.E.I. in Charlottetown and play for the Panthers. Ryckman, a native of Red Deer, played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Tri-City Americans and Medicine Hat Tigers. He completed his junior eligibility with the Tigers this season, putting up sven points in 65 games.
4. The two WHL home games in the Subway Super Series will be played in Red Deer on Nov. 27 and Lethbridge on Nov. 28. . . . The series, which features a Russian team against major junior league all-star teams, is scheduled to open in Gatineau, Que., on Nov. 18, with a second game in Sherbrooke, Que., on Nov. 20. The OHL games are to be played in Oshawa on Nov. 21 and Sudbury on Nov. 25. . . . All six games will be televised by Sportsnet.
5. Cliff Mapes, who has been in the Regina Pats’ front office since the summer of 2005, has been promoted to vice-president of business operations. He had been the director of marketing/corporate sales for eight seasons. Among other things, he also has represented the East Division on the WHL’s marketing executives board. . . . Before joining the Pats, Mapes worked in the advertising department at the Regina Leader-Post, where he spent ample time hanging out in the sports department picking up pointers. LOL!
6. Scott Hoyer is back with the Kelowna Rockets as their athletic therapist. Hoyer was with the Rockets from 2000-06, a stint during which they made three straight trips to the Memorial Cup, winning it all as the host team in 2004. Since then, he has worked with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and two hockey academies, the Pursuit of Excellence and Okanagan Hockey Academy. . . . Hoyer takes over from Jeff Thorburn, who has moved on to UBC-Okanagan.
7. No one does a better job of keeping track of goings-on in any one hockey league than Brian Wiebe. His blog, Brian’s Banter, is where you want to go to find out what’s going on in the BCHL, especially in the area of player moves. There’s a link to Brian’s Banter over there on the right. Check it out.
8. There was an interesting baseball game in Seattle on Wednesday, with the Mariners dropping a 7-5 decision to the Chicago White Sox in 16 innings. . . . The teams were scoreless going into the 14th inning. . . . The ChiSox took a 5-0 lead in the top of 14. . . . The Mariners scored once and then tied it on a grand slam by Kyle Seager. (Hawk Harrelson, the White Sox’ homerish play-by-play man, apparently greeted Seager’s dinger with 40 seconds of silence, which no doubt left a lot of listeners hoping for more.) . . . David Schoenfield of ESPN.com has more on this game right here.
9. The NBA final starts tonight. Who you got? My son has the Miami Heat in seven; I went with the San Antonio Spurs in six. Has Tim Duncan ever been better? He'll have to continue to play this well. I'm also thinking the Heat having had to go seven games to shake the Indiana Pacers may catch up with LeBron and Co.
10. Yes, Jaromir Jagr should have been penalized for hooking on the play that led to the Boston Bruins’ winning goal in the second OT period last night. But, as we know, a hook isn’t always a hook in the NHL.
11. Tonight, it’s the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the Los Angeles Kings. Chicago holds a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference final. . . . I don’t know who will win the game, but the score will be 2-1 for someone (or 3-1 with an empty-netter).
12. The Blackhawks will be without D Duncan Keith, who drew a one-game suspension for the axe-like attack to the face of Kings F Jeff Carter in Game 3. The more times I see the replay, the more I believe five games would have been more appropriate. That was a nasty and brutal one-handed slash to Carter’s face.
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