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One of these days, Kelly McCrimmon, the owner of the Brandon Wheat Kings, will get around to announcing a new general manager. That is expected to be Grant Armstrong, the Victoria Royals’ assistant GM, player personnel. . . . McCrimmon, who has signed on assistant GM with the NHL’s Las Vegas franchise, had been the Wheat Kings’ GM since 1989. The GM in Brandon prior to McCrimmon? Bill Shinske.
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In Spokane, Tim Speltz is leaving his post as GM to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as the NHL team’s head western scout. Speltz had been the Chiefs’ GM since 1990. The last Spokane GM before Speltz took over? Vic Fitzgerald, who owned the Chiefs before selling the franchise to Bobby Brett.
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With training camps about to open, it would seem that all of the post-Memorial Cup speculation involving Brent Sutter’s future as the head coach of the Red Deer Rebels was nothing but hot air. Thankfully.
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Let’s be honest. The star of the Rio Olympics was the Tongan flag bearer in the opening and closing ceremonies. . . . BTW, I realized the Olympics were over when I scanned the TV listings on Sunday evening and the World Poker Tour was on four of the Rogers Sportsnet channels.
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The Portland Timbers were in Seattle on Sunday evening for an MLS game with the Sounders. At one point, a Portland player went down, perhaps injured. According to a tweet from Paige Cornwell (@pgcornwell), Seattle fans chanted: “Let him die! Let him die!” . . . That’s like something out of a Monty Python skit, isn’t it? . . . We will hope that kind of stuff doesn’t reach the rivalry between Portland and Seattle WHL fans.
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The Medicine Hat News reported last week that Tigers F Matt Bradley suffered a separated shoulder in the first period of his first game at the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp in July. Bradley, 19, who had 23 goals and 28 assists with the Tigers last season, hasn’t yet been cleared for contact so may miss the start of training camp. Remind me again why these players need to be in camps during the summer months?
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Yes, it’s time for the WHL to get out in front of things by attaching an automatic game misconduct to a fighting major, so long as an opponent didn’t get an instigating minor. It’s the right thing to do if, that is, player safety really is paramount.
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Is there a bigger tire fire in the sporting world these days than the Saskatchewan Roughriders? They were 3-15 a year ago; today, their offence is bad, their defence is worse — for starters, they can’t pressure the QB because the secondary can’t cover — and they are taking their 1-7 record into Edmonton for a Friday date with the high-flying Eskimos.
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On Aug. 7, Drew Wilson, the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, completed the Frank Dunn Triathlon at Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park. On Aug. 14, he completed a 100-kilometre bike ride in Saskatoon. On Aug. 21, he completed Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour de Victoria, which covered 140 km. . . . Any question as to which WHL play-by-play guy is most ready for the grind of another season?
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D Ben Carroll, who played the past three seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, will attend the U of Alberta and play this season for the Golden Bears. From Sherwood Park, Alta., he played out his junior eligibility last season. . . . There also is speculation that the Golden Bears will get D Ryan Rehill (Kamloops Blazers), F Luke Philp (Kootenay Ice, Red Deer Rebels), F Tyson Baillie (Kelowna Rockets) and D Jason Fram (Spokane Chiefs) if they aren’t able to earn pro contracts at NHL camps. The latter four also played in the WHL as 20-year-olds last season. . . . That would be some kind of recruiting class should Alberta add those four to its roster.
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My wife, Dorothy, is to be one of the co-honourees — along with her friend Margaret Thompson — of the 2016 Kamloops Kidney Walk. Each year, the walk salutes someone who has worked to shine a light on kidney transplants and organ donorship. Dorothy, who had a kidney transplant almost three years ago, will take part in her third straight Kidney Walk on Sept. 25. If you would like to sponsor her, please click right here.
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To all my WHL friends. Travel safe to camp. Enjoy the experience. Good luck to you all. #scoutsfraternity #greatestsportintheworld— Moults (@Moults_23) August 21, 2016
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