Taking Note

1. Less than 48 hours after a game was suspended following an injury to a player during a fight, the USHL commissioner said his league is going to take a hard look at the role fighting plays. . . . “I’m convening a special meeting of our competition committee to see whether we’re being too tolerant of fighting,” USHL commissioner Skip Prince told Will Z. Klein of The New York Times. . . . That story is right here.

2. On Monday, the USHL issued a comprehensive news release covering the fight during which D Dylan Chanter of the Dubuque Fighting Saints was injured. That release is right here.

3. During Sunday night's NFL telecast on NBC, Bob Costas editorialized on the refusal of Washington Redkins' owner Daniel Snyder to change his team's nickname. Right here, Dave Zirin of The Nation offers up his take on what Costas did.

4. When Don Matthews was coaching in the CFL, he was a real hombre, or, at least, he came off like one. He carried himself like a real gunslinger. It was, he says, all an act. Today, Matthews is 74 years of age and a whole lot mellower. Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette has more on The Don right here.

5. The Vancouver Giants are back home with a 1-7-2 record after having lost six straight on an East Division road swing. . . . Here's Steve Ewen in the Vancouver Province: "Part of Vancouver's slow start can be attributed to injuries, and (GM Scott) Bonner says that forwards Dalton Sward (upper body) and Travis McEvoy (upper body) should be back for Friday against Kamloops. Forward Cain Franson (upper body) is day-to-day, winger Scott Cooke (lower body) should start skating on Friday and winger Rob Trzonkowski (upper body) is probably three weeks away." . . . Ewen's complete story is right here.

6. The Kamloops Blazers, who beat the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 7-1 on Monday afternoon, will be at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night before playing in Vancouver on Friday. . . . The Blazers, like the Giants, are off to a rather slow start -- they are 3-7-0. . . . Don't forget that the Blazers' first half will be home heavy as they'll be out of their building for the Tim Hortons Brier in late February and early March.

7. A Monday tweet from Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald: "7-1 for Blazers, Canes start is sadder than that last episode of Glee." . . . The Hurricanes have lost six in a row and are 1-8-1. Purcell also pointed out that this is the team's worst start since at least 1996-97.

8. A Steve Bartman night at Wrigley Field, 10 years after the incident? Doesn't seem that it will happen. Ben Strauss of The New York Times has more right here.

9. There was some really good baseball viewing available over the long weekend, but I'm wondering if Gary Thorne and Rick Sutcliffe ever stop for a breath. Gentlemen, every play is not the final play of Game 7, and there isn't anything wrong with a bit of silence one in a while. Ease up a bit!



The Prince George Cougars and Victoria Royals have played three times this season, and each game has ended in a shutout. The host Royals won 3-0 on Monday. Earlier, the Cougars posted a 2-0 victory, while the Royals also won, 1-0. . . . Victoria F Logan Nelson scored twice on Monday; he's got goals in five straight games and seven snipes on the season. . . . Royals G Patrik Polivka has three shutouts in 10 games; last season, as a freshman, he put up two in 53 games. . . . The Saskatoon Blades are 5-0-1 in their last six games after winning 2-1 over the host Moose Jaw Warriors on Monday. . . . In Regina, the Pats made it four straight victories with a 5-1 triumph over the Brandon Wheat Kings.

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