F Spencer Machacek (Vancouver, 2005-08) has signed a one-year contract with Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). Last season, with the Springfield Falcons (AHL), he had nine goals and 10 assists in 34 games, and added 10 goals and four assists in 22 games with the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins (AHL). . . . Augsburg hopes to have Machacek in the lineup for Friday's game against the Straubing Tigers. . . .
F Vitali Karamnov (Everett, 2007-08) has been recalled by Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL) from its farm club, Yermak Angarsk (Russia, Visshaya Liga). Karamnov had two assists in five games with Angarsk. He hasn’t played a league game with Novosibirsk this season. Last season, with Novosibirsk, had had one assist in 49 games.
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MEMORIAL CUP REPORT:
The WHL’s board of governors awarded the 2016 Memorial Cup, the 98th edition of the tournament, to Red Deer on Wednesday afternoon, meaning the Rebels will be the host team.Originally, three teams -- the Rebels, Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals -- expressed an interest in playing host to the tournament. The Royals later pulled out, leaving the Rebels and Giants to make presentations to the board of governors.
The two-day meeting in Calgary ended with Wednesday’s vote in favour of the Rebels, who won the 2001 tournament in Regina.
The 2016 tournament is scheduled for May 19-29 at the Enmax Centrium.
The 2015 tournament is scheduled for Quebec City, May 21-31.Ron Toigo, the Giants’ majority owner, said after the announcement that he would like to partner with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and bid on the 2019 World Junior Championship.
That being the case, look for the Royals to take a serious run at being the host team for the 2019 Memorial Cup.
Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, reports on Wednesday’s decision right here.
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province covers the story from the Giants’ angle right here.
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The Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in Alberta since 1974 when it was decided in the Calgary Corral.
The hockey world was a bit different back then.
What follows is an excerpt from the 1974 chapter of a history of the Memorial Cup that I wrote a few years ago. These few paragraphs deal with Regina Pats head coach Bob Turner, who chose to take some heat off his team . . .
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He did so by pointing fingers at a recent phenomenon -- the player agent.
"I made it specific when we came here that I didn't want any of the players talking to agents,” Turner told Dale Eisler of the Regina Leader-Post. "All the players told me that they wouldn't get involved with them, but today I had to kick two of them out of one of the agent's rooms.
"If I catch any more of our players talking to lawyers or agents, then they won't play in the national final. I don't care who they are. And if (general manager Del) Wilson won't back me up, I'll resign. He will, though.”
The dilemma, as Turner saw it, was this: "How can you make kids think about hockey when they're thinking about thousands of dollars?”
Two people singled out by Turner were Alan Eagleson and Norm Kaplan.
"Alan Eagleson was sitting right in my room,” Turner said, "and he promised me that he wouldn't bother the players. ‘I've got more class than that' was what he told me. And Norm Kaplan promised the same thing, too.
“Well, I caught two players in Eagleson's room and Kaplan talked to two others behind my back.”
It was, indeed, a new era in junior hockey.
"(Agents) aren't worrying about the kids,” Turner said. "All they want is their eight per cent. That's what Kaplan got for signing Sobchuk last year. What did the team get? Nothing. I'm sick and tired of that.”
Turner concluded: "Agents are tops on my (bleep) list. They are parasites.”
For the complete story on the 1974 Memorial Cup, click right here.
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Fighting in hockey took another punch in the face on Wednesday night, this time from former NHL D Mike Milbury, who once waded into the stands and beat a fan with a shoe. With a number of enforcers having lost their NHL jobs in the last few days, Milbury said: "I think it’s telling me that it’s time to get rid of fighting. It’s telling me that it’s over. As much as I like a good scrap in my day, too many issues here involving concussions. Too many problems. The teams are going away from it. Let’s grow up and get rid of it.” . . . Puck Daddy has more right here.
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F Adam Brooks' second goal of the game, at 18:08 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie and gave the host Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice on Wednesday night. F Jaedon Descheneau scored three times and added an assist for the Ice, which was outshot, 47-31. Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . As I write this, Greg Harder’s game story for the Regina Leader-Post isn’t yet on the newspaper’s website. But it will show up right here at some point in time and you will want to read it if only to read Regina head coach John Paddock’s comments on the game’s three stars. . . .
In Prince George, F Jari Erricson had two goals and two assists as the Cougars dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-2. The Cougars also got a goal and two assists from F Chase Witala and three assists from F Jansen Harkins. F Kody McDonald, who is from Lethbridge, scored his first WHL goal for the Cougars. He was a second-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. McDonald was pointless in nine games with the Cougars last season. . . . Lethbridge F Tyler Wong was back in the lineup after serving a three-game WHL suspension.---
Doug Paisley is the new president of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, taking over from Brian McNaughton, who had been president for 10 of the previous 11 years. Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald has more right here.
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Gregg Sutch, who writes periodically for Yahoo! Sports Canada, is a former major junior player and it turns out he was involved in the OHL's decision to former a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association. Details on that move were revealed earlier this week. Sutch writes right here about how important the OHL-CMHA partnership will be to players in that league.---
Former WHLer Cole Hamblin (Spokane, Regina, 2010-13) has been in hospital since Sept. 22. He has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and he and his family need our help. . . . There is more right here. ---
One of the must-reads as the hockey season hits high gear is Boy On Ice: The Live And Death Of Derek Boogaard, written by John Branch, an award-winning writer with The New York Times. Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post sat down for a chat with Branch, and the results are right here.
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Here’s your good read for this morning. It’s the latest edition of 30 Thoughts from Elliotte Friedman and it’s right here. Enjoy!
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Cory Cameron, the Kootenay Ice’s athletic therapist, worked his 500th WHL regular-season game last night in Regina. Gotta wonder how many ankles he’s taped. . . . F Jaden Anderson, a 10th-round selection by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2013 bantam draft, has committed to Lake Superior State University. Anderson, from Aurora, Colo., is playing in the Omaha AAA program. . . . The ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers have extended the contract of head coach Clark Donatelli through 2016-17.
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