One WHL team wants to host 2018 Memorial Cup . . . Silvertips sign two imports

Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Tuesday that the Regina Pats “will inform the WHL office later this week of their intention to bid for the Canadian Hockey League’s showcase event, which celebrates its 100^th anniversary in 2018.”

The CHL has gone away from its regular rotation to allow teams from all three major junior leagues to bid on being the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament. The Pats are the oldest junior team in the world — they will celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017-18.

“It’s an opportunity we couldn’t turn away from,” Anthony Marquart, one of the Pats’ owners, told Harder.

The Pats are named after the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

“We’re the world’s oldest major-junior hockey franchise and intuitively it makes sense that we host the Memorial Cup that year, especially when the Memorial Cup was named after those brave soldiers that fought and died for our country in World War I.”

(No, the Memorial Cup isn’t named in honour of MasterCard; it just seems that way sometimes. But that’s a story for another day.)

Once the Pats inform the WHL of their interest, it will mean two bidders have come forward, the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s being the other. The OHL’s Oshawa Generals also have expressed an interest. Teams have until Sept. 1 to declare their interest, with each of the three leagues to submit a maximum of two bids to the CHL by Nov. 15.

The CHL has said that it will release a shortlist by Nov. 30, with the host city to be announced early in February.

The Pats last were the host team in 2001 when they added temporary seats to what was then the Agridome, bringing capacity to around 7,000. The arena now is known as the Brandt Centre and has 6,200 seats. Obviously, temporary seating would have to be added again. That would be just one of the improvements that would have to be made to the 40-year-old facility should the Pats’ bid be successful.

Hey, with ice-making technology being what it is today, perhaps they could play the 2018 tournament in Regina’s new football stadium. It will seat 33,000 for football but is to be expandable to 40,000 for special events.

Hey, why not?

Harder’s complete story is right here.

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The Everett Silvertips have signed their two 2016 CHL import draft selections — Finnish F Eetu Tuulola and Slovakian F Mario Mucka. . . . Tuulola, 18, was a sixth-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 2016 draft. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder took part in the Flames’ development camp last month. Last season, he had nine goals and five assists in 29 games with HPK’s U-20 team in the SM-liiga. He also played for the Finnish team that won the IIHF U-18 World championship in April in Grand Forks, N.D. . . . Mucka, who will turn 18 on Nov. 10, played for the U-18 Nitra team last season, putting up 20 goals and 24 assists in 30 games. . . . Last season, Everett used Russian F Jan Khomenko and Austrian F Dario Winkler as its import, but neither will be returning for another go-round.

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Former WHL G Drew Owsley (Tri-City, Prince George, 2008-12) has signed with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. Owsley, 25, played the past four seasons with the X-Men at St. Francis Xavier U in Antigonish, N.S. Last season, he was 16-8-0, 2.54, .914, helping the X-Men to the CIS final.

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The Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, are no more. The franchise announced Tuesday that it has changed its name to the Cleveland Monsters. . . . "This brand refresh has been in the works for several seasons and we are thrilled to make the Cleveland Monsters a reality at long last," Mike Ostrowski, the Monsters’ SVP/COO of franchise operations, explained on the team's website. "In the wake of the Monsters' Calder Cup Championship and the Cavs' NBA title, and heading into the Monsters' 10th anniversary season, we feel now is the perfect time for our organization to honor our great city and proudly become in title what this team has always been in spirit, the Cleveland Monsters." . . . Of course, that also means new-look uniforms which, no doubt, will be on sale soon if they aren’t already.

The #CLEMonsters will wear these NEW sweaters in the 2016-17 season! pic.twitter.com/2yjCMOvN2W

— Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) August 9, 2016

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USA Hockey has named the 2016 inductees to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame — U.S. Olympian and former NHL F Craig Janney, Bill Belisle, who coached for 41 seasons at Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, and the 1996 U.S. World Cup of Hockey championship team. . . . The U.S. beat Canada, 2-1, in the best-of-three final, after Canada posted a 4-3 OT victory in Game 1. . . . The Team USA roster included F Steve Konowalchuk, who then was with the Washington Capitals and now is the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Konowalchuk also played two seasons (1990-92) with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Two other ex-WHLers played for Team USA -- F Adam Deadmarsh (Portland, 1991-95) and F Mike Modano (Prince Albert, 1986-89). . . . A date and place for the induction ceremony have yet to be announced.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Shawn Belle has moved to the Edmonton-based NAIT Ooks as an assistant coach, alongside head coach Tim Fragle. Belle had been an assistant coach with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders, while also instructing at Edmonton’s Vimy Ridge Academy. . . . Belle, 31, played in the WHL (Regina Pats, Tri-City Americans, 2000-05) before going on to a pro career that ended after the 2014-15 season. He played the last four seasons in Europe. . . . Fragle is about to begin his first season at NAIT after spending seven seasons as Sherwood Park’s head coach. NAIT won the ACAC championship last season under head coach Mike Gabinet, who now is an associate coach at the U of Nebraska/Omaha.

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Out with the old and in with the new... #ChangeIsGood pic.twitter.com/cv2JMgShg7

— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) August 9, 2016

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Whoa! Check out that third sweater . . . Warriors talking mental health awareness . . . Raiders add veteran forward

F Martin Filo (Moose Jaw, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga). Filo had been released last week by Unia Oświęcim (Poland, Ekstraliga) without playing a game.
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I don’t get too excited over the third sweaters that are trotted out on a regular basis by sporting teams in this day and age. The novelty has long since worn off.
But every once in a while one comes along that catches my eye and makes me say: Whoa!
The Prince Albert Raiders have come up with just such a sweater, one that they trot out on Nov. 7 against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, which is only fitting. Seattle is the only WHL city that also is home to a Major League Baseball team, and Conexus Baseball Night will definitely have a baseball theme.
Thus the baseball-themed sweaters.
The Raiders will wear these sweaters and they will be auctioned off live right after the game. Proceeds will go to the Raiders education fund.
A special guest in the person of former MLB pitcher Jack Morris will be on hand, too.
According to a Raiders news release: “The entire night will revolve around baseball! We will be playing some baseball themed music, having special promotions, hot dogs will be on sale in the concessions and we encourage fans to wear their baseball jerseys!”
Morris will be in Prince Albert as he is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner on Nov. 8 in the Art Hauser Centre.
BTW, the Victoria Royals will get into the third sweater act tonight as they open a Friday-Saturday doubleheader against the visiting Vancouver Giants. Just a hunch, but I’m thinking black might figure in the Royals’ new-look colour scheme.
The Royals, who are opening a five-game homestand, are coming off a six-game road trip that produced four victories. Earlier this season, the Giants twice beat the Royals, 3-1 and 5-3, in Vancouver.
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A tip of the hat to the Moose Jaw Warriors for the work involving mental health awareness that the organization is doing. Donna Boyer, the Moose Jaw branch director with the Canadian Mental Health Association, held a three-hour presentation for the Warriors on Tuesday, dealing at length with the safeTALK program. In attendance were players, billet families and the team’s staff. Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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What the Moose Jaw Warriors are doing is terribly important as we work hard to increase mental health awareness in all corners of our society. . . . “I think, first and foremost, we just wanted them to understand that they can talk,” Alan Millar, the Warriors’ general manager, told Brickman. “There are people within the organization and people outside the organization that if for any reason they are overwhelmed or not feeling right or anything that there are people to talk to. I think the education is about eliminating that stigma that you hide from it.” . . . While the OHL has partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association on a program called Talk Today, the WHL appears to be content to allow individual teams to address the situation. In Prince George, the Cougars are working with Dr. Saul Miller, a long-time performance consultant and mental coach. He is in daily contact with Cougars head coach Mark Holick and deals individually with players. If Holick feels a player is acting out of character, he is quick to inform Dr. Miller, who has a PhD in clinical psychology. He is available to players on a 24/7 basis and the emphasis is definitely not on game performance.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have added veteran F Marcus Messier, 20, to their roster. Messier’s arrival gives the Raiders three 20-year-olds as he fills the spot that opened up when F Dakota Conroy left the team and was placed on the suspended list. . . . Messier, from Canmore, Alta., also has played with the Tri-City Americans and Spokane Chiefs. He played two games with the Chiefs this season before getting caught up in the 20-year-old game and being released. In 229 regular-season games, he has 67 points, including 26 goals. Messier was a second-round selection by the Americans in the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft.
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The Kootenay Ice is struggling to score goals; in fact, they are the second lowest-scoring team in the WHL. So they really are looking forward to the return of F Tim Bozon, something that is supposed to happen tonight against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more right here.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman, who covers the WHL and the Saskatoon Blades for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, takes a look right here at the fallout from the class-action lawsuit that was filed against the CHL on Oct. 17. “Combine the unexpected news with rumblings of a players’ union that re-emerged this summer,” he writes, “and there appears to be at least some appetite for systematic change.” However, as he points out, people need to be careful what they wish for.
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The Regina Pats are averaging 3,642 fans through six home games. The franchise’s new owners would like to see more bums in the seats, but they aren’t about to push the panic button. "We have a long-term plan. It's early. We're still learning ourselves,” Anthony Marquart, the president of Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, tells Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post right here. "(But) we're committed to doing our best to put the best product on the ice and improve the game-day experience. Over time I'm confident we'll have more people coming to the games."
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Chico Resch, one of hockey’s good guys, will be honoured tonight by the New Jersey Devils. Resch, who was born in Moose Jaw, was a long-time member of the Devils’ broadcast crew before retiring after last season. There was a time back in the day when he had a stint as the head coach of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. . . . Rich Chere of nj.com has more right here.
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Elliotte Friedman starts his weekly 30 Thoughts with a look at the value of young NHL defencemen. These days, it seems, a team can’t win a Stanley Cup without one. Friedman’s piece is right here.
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In case you missed it, the Toronto Blue Jays have raised the price of most of their season-ticket packages. The announcement was made on Thursday. Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star has that story right here. Two questions: 1. When will the price increases end, and I mean the cost of everything, from utilities to fruits and veggies to event tickets; and, 2. Rogers, which owns the Blue Jays, wouldn’t be using money from the Blue Jays to fund the 12-year NHL package, would it?
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Two of the highest-scoring teams in the WHL meet up tonight in Kamloops as the Blazers (8-5-1) entertain the Brandon Wheat Kings (9-2-1). The Blazers have scored 51 goals in 14 games, including seven in their last outing, a 7-2 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants on Wednesday night. The Wheat Kings, who opened this road trip with a 7-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars on Wednesday, have scored 66 goals, including 25 in their last three games. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully leads the WHL scoring race, with 22 points, including nine goals. Brandon F Rihards Bukarts has 20 points, seven of them goals, in 12 games. . . . Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings, tweeted yesterday that F John Quenneville, who has missed six games with an undisclosed injury, is back practising without any restrictions. . . . Join me on Twitter tonight if you want to follow along. . . .

An interesting tidbit from Neal’s Notes. Andy Neal, who works WHL games for Shaw-TV, was in Swift Current this week and chatted with Portland Winterhawks assistant coach Kyle Gustafson.
Neal writes that Gustafson “paid quite the compliment to (Brandon Wheat Kings D Kyle) Clague . . . saying he might be the best 16-year-old defenceman he’s ever seen. Remember, this comes from a coach who just had Derrick Pouliot to work with the last four years and was pretty impressive in his rookie year, too.”
Keep in mind, too, that Gustafson is into his 11th season on the Winterhawks’ coaching staff. . . .

Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Silvertips F Dawson Leedahl has “damage to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee and likely will need surgery which will sideline him for four to six months.” Leedahl, 18, was injured Saturday as the Silvertips bet the host Spokane Chierfs, 3-2, in overtime. . . .

F Dillon Dube of the Kelowna Rockets won’t be taking part in the U-17 World Hockey Challenge next month in Sarnia, Ont. Warren Henderson of the Kelowna Capital News reports that Dube suffered an undisclosed injury on Saturday during a 5-2 loss to the host Tri-City Americans. According to Henderson, Dube will be out for up to six weeks. He missed the start of the season with another injury and has only played in two games. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades have won five of their last six games and they’ll entertain the Lethbridge Hurricanes tonight. Saskatoon’s power-play is 6-for-11 over its last four games, three of which have been victories. . . . Saskatoon D Ryan Coghlan injured a shoulder during a fight on Wednesday night and won’t play tonight. . . .

Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reported via Twitter on Thursday that Giants F Jakob Stukel (hand) “got some skating in on the side at the end” of the team’s practice. Stukel “avoided pucks,” according to Ewen, who added: “Still seems ways away.” . . .

The Regina Pats got their roster down to 23 on Thursday by releasing F Rylee Zimmer, 17, from their roster. He will join the MJHL’s WayWayseecappo Wolverines. Zimmer, from Russell, Man., had one goal in four games this season. He was pointless in 44 games last season. He was a fifth-round selection by the Pats in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The Pats’ roster now includes 14 forwards and six defencemen, along with three goaltenders.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Billy McGuigan is back with the Maritime Hockey League’s Summerside Western Capitals. McGuigan has signed on as their head coach, replacing Tom Schurman who was fired earlier in the week. McGuigan was the Capitals’ head coach for two seasons before spending last season as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Regina Pats.

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The lawsuit facing the CHL is an absolute joke. So tired of kids and parents whining about not getting paid. Best years of your life.
— Brett Breitkreuz (@Bkreuz29) October 23, 2014

Stoll buys lunch; Hunt back in coaching game

D Tomáš Kudělka (Lethbridge, 2005-2007) signed 1 yr.plus option contract w/ Pelicans Lahti (Finland, Liiga). (1/2)2/2) Kudělka last season w/ Vitkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga) 47 GP, 1+10.
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1. The long weekend arrived in Kamloops on Thursday at 12:52 p.m. . . . Dorothy and I were at the intersection where the Yellowhead Highway meets Halston. There is a Husky gas station there. As we sat at a red light waiting to turn on to Halston, Dorothy said: “Look. The Husky has two gas prices.” Sure enough. One sign read: $1.32.9. The other read: $1.38.9. . . . “Oh look,” Dorothy said. “The other one is changing.” . . . Hello, Victoria Day long weekend! And, hello, gas at $1.38.9 a litre! But, hey, you knew it was coming. Right? After all, big oil has become as predictable as Christmas in December.

2. Who is Anthony Marquart? Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post answers that question right here, as he writes about the man who heads up the group that has purchased the Regina Pats.

3. If you are wondering about the men who purchased the Prince George Cougars, Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen will introduce you to them right here.

4. The Saskatoon Blades are in search of a general manager and head coach, and Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the process is about to go into the interview stage. That story is right here.

5. A reader of this blog noticed that D Nolan Kneen, who signed with the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday, played 69 games with the bantam AAA North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks this season. “As a bantam. No time to practise, I guess,” the reader writes. “Fourteen- and 15-year-olds playing 69 games. Holy Hannah! So the Dub has a 72-game sked to get players ‘ready for the NHL’ and bantams are now playing nearly the same amount, I presume, to get them ready for the Dub. Pretty soon, Initiation A players will have 70-game sked to get them ready for Initiation B, etc., etc.” . . . A check of the pre-draft numbers at Small Thoughts at Large shows that Kneen played at least 84 games, what with appearances at the St. Albert tournament, the Western Canadian championship and the U16 B.C. Cup. He turned 15 on March 22.

6. On May 13. 1989, the Swift Current Broncos beat the host Saskatoon Blades 4-3 in overtime to win the Memorial Cup. The championship team’s roster included seven players who had been involved in a bus accident on Dec. 30, 1986, in which four teammates were killed. . . . F Tim Tisdale scored the OT goal in that game. Also on the ice for the GWG were were G Trevor Kruger, D Darren Kruger, D Bob Wilkie, F Kyle Reeves and F Brian Sakic. . . . Brad Brown has chatted with all six players and his report, strictly through the eyes of those who were there, is right here. . . . If you want to read more about how high the mountain was that those Broncos climbed, you may want to take a look at the book Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos.

7. A tip of the hat to F Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings. Stoll was born in Melville, Sask., but played most of his minor hockey in Yorkton where he helped the bantam AAA Terriers win the 1997 Western Canadian championship. The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers are in Vernon, B.C., this week, playing in the RBC Cup for the national junior A championship. . . . On Wednesday, Stoll paid for the Terriers’ pregame meal.
On Thursday morning, the Terriers (@Terriers_SJHL) tweeted: “Terriers thank @jarretstoll for his kind gesture yesterday for the boys. Congrats on the win last night Stolly, getter done in Anaheim tmw.”
To which Stoll, who spent four seasons (1998-2002) with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice, responded: “@Terriers_SJHL you’re welcome guys!! Good day for both of us....keep it going! #RBCcup #BecauseitstheCup”

8. By now, you will be aware of what went on with Boston Bruins F Milan Lucic in the handshake line after he and his teammates were eliminated by the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette has a piece right here in which he points out Lucic wasn’t really being Boston Strong.

9. The championship game at the 2014 Memorial Cup tournament is to be played Sunday, May 25, in London, Ont. When the schedule was announced, a starting time had yet to be determined. That isn’t the case now. The game, according to the tournament’s website, will start at noon Eastern, which is 9 a.m. Pacific.

10. Ian Douglas has been named the fulltime radio voice of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Douglas, whose career includes time as the play-by-play man with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters and the junior B Kamloops Storm and Chase Chiefs, stepped in last season when the Silverbacks found themselves without a radio voice.
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Willie Desjardins, the head coach of the AHL’s Texas Stars, has been added to the roster of speakers for the 2014 Hockey Coaches Conference. Desjardins, a former GM and head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, will cover offensive zone play in his presentation. . . . Texas is involved in the AHL playoffs, his Stars and the defending-champion Griffins tied 2-2 in a second-round series that continues tonight in Grand Rapids. . . . The Coaches Conference is scheduled for July 18 and 19 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. For more info, click right here or click on the ad at the top of this page.
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The RBC Cup semifinals in Vernon are scheduled for Saturday. In the first game, the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers will meet the host Vipers, with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings playing the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians in the second game. The first game starts at 2 p.m. Pacific, with the second game at 6 p.m. Unless there is OT in the opener, of course. . . . Dauphin was 3-1 in the round-robin portion of the tournament; the other three qualifiers each was 2-2. . . . The OJHL’s Toronto Lakeshore Patriots went 1-3 and were eliminated.
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D Mathew Berry-Lamontagna, 20, has committed to attending Simon Fraser University and playing for the men’s hockey team there. Berry-Lamontagna (Prince Albert, 2010-12) played this season in the BCHL, splitting it with the Coquitlam Express and Cowichan Valley Capitals. From Vancouver, he had 19 points, six of them goals, in 52 BCHL games this season. . . . He is the first member of SFU’s 2014-15 recruiting class.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Dawson Holt of Saskatoon. He was the eighth overall selection in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. He had 73 points, 35 of them goals, in 26 games with the bantam AA Saskatoon Generals.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Mario Pouliot is the new head coach of the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Pouliot spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He also has QMJHL head-coaching experience with the Baie-Comeau Drakker (2010-12). . . . He replaces Ron Choules with the Titan. Choules stepped in for Danny Smith when the latter was fired in January. . . . The Titan finished 22-40-6 this season then were swept in a first-round series with the Val-d’Or Foreurs.
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Curtis Hunt is the new general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. He replaces Gord Thibodeau, who was fired when this season ended and now is on the staff of the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. Thibodeau had been with the Oil Barons for 12 seasons. . . . Hunt spent two seasons (2002-04) as head coach of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and six as head coach of the Regina Pats (2004-08, 2009-11). . . . Hunt was an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators (2008-09) and also worked as the head coach of their AHL affiliate the Binghamton Senators that same season. . . . He has won two gold medals as an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior team (2007, 2008) and has been on the coaching staff with Canada’s national sledge hockey team, helping it to, among other medals. bronze at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games.
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or vs. London, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Guelph vs. Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Sunday: London vs. Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Monday: Guelph vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 23: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 24: No game scheduled.
Sunday, May 25: Final, noon.
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 From Jim Parker (@winstarparker): “Expect Oshawa #Generals asst. & former #OHL Windsor #Spitfires captain Paul McFarland to be named Kingston #Frontenacs head coach (Tuesday).”
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From John Duncan (@DuncanOHL): “@winstarparker @vishal_hussain Rumour in Kgn is that Kgn native and former NHLer Jay McKee will be announced on Tues as new FrontHead Coach.”


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Ownership transfers cleared; former Chiefs coach wins in KHL

As expected, the WHL’s board of governors approved the transfer of ownership of the Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats on Wednesday in Calgary.
Long-time owner Rick Brodsky has sold the Cougars to EDGEPRO Sports and Entertainment Ltd. The new ownership group is led by Prince George businessman Greg Pocock and also includes Raymond Fortier, Ernest Ouellet and John Pateman, along with NHL defencemen Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of whom are former Cougars players.
Later, Hartley Miller at hqprincegeorge.com reported that Pocock had confirmed that general manager Dallas Thompson wouldn’t be retained, while head coach Mark Holick, with two years left on his contract, will return for a second full season. Thompson and Todd Harkins, the Cougars’ director of player personnel, will handle the team’s bantam draft moves today.
Brodsky purchased the franchise in 1992, when it was the Victoria Cougars, and moved it north for the 1994-95 season.
Meanwhile, Diane and Russ Parker have sold the Pats to Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group Ltd. The Parkers owned the Pats for 19 seasons. QCSEC is headed up by Anthony Marquart, and also includes Jason Drummond, Todd Lumbard, and Gavin and Shaun Semple.
Marquart will be the Pats’ governor, a role previously filled by Chad Lang, the senior vice-president and general manager, while Lumbard, a former Brandon Wheat Kings and Pats goaltender, will be the president.
The Pats’ new owners aren’t anticipating any changes within the front office or coaching staff.
“We want to keep everyone in our organization in the same role,” Lumbard told Greg Harder of The Leader-Post. “We have some of our own ideas that we want to implement of course, but the plan is to go in and work together with the group we have, try to improve, give them as much support as we can, engage the community and rely on some of our ownership group to utilize their resources in the community.
“We want to put every resource we can into building this hockey team into the best on-ice product we can and also really work hard on the game experience for our fans and make the arena a fun place to be.”
Harder also reported, as he did earlier, that the Pats’ new owners are negotiating with former captain Mike Sillinger, who is likely to join the organization in hockey operations. He presently is with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as director of player development.
While the WHL’s board of governors has approved both transfers, neither sale has closed. Both deals should be officially done nearer to the end of this month.
The Pats’ new owners will meet the media in Regina on Monday. The Cougars’ new owners have scheduled a news conference for May 13 at the CN Centre in Prince George.
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1. Rick Williams, who played in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and Victoria Cougars, is losing his fight with dementia. His father, Clarence, calls it a struggle “worse than death.” . . . Rick Williams is 60 years of age. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.

2. The WHL held its awards luncheon in Calgary on Wednesday. A list of award winners can be found on the WHL’s website (whl.ca). . . . The bantam draft is to be held today. For coverage, visit Alan Caldwell’s blog -- Small Thoughts At Large. There is a link over there on the right.

3. What does it say that Mike Johnston, the general manager, head coach and chief architect of the Portland Winterhawks, has never been saluted as the WHL’s coach of the year or executive of the year? The Winterhawks are into the WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a fourth straight season, all of them under Johnston.

4. What does it say that Derek Laxdal, the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, has yet to be named coach of the year? The Oil Kings are into the championship final for a third straight season. (Bob Green, the Oil Kings’ former GM, was named executive of the year for 2011-12 and 2012-13.)

5. John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal has written a solid column on Mike Johnston, who doesn’t keep any secrets when asked about Portland’s success. That piece is right here.

6. Mike Pelino, who worked as an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs for two seasons (1998-2000), is celebrating a Gagarin Cup championship today. Pelino is an assistant coach under Mike Keenan with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. They won the KHL title on Wednesday, beating Lev Prague 7-4 in Game 7 of the championship series. . . . There is more right here.

7. On Sunday, TSN wasn’t able to free up room on either of its channels to show an NHL playoff game from start to finish. Last night, to make up for Sunday, TSN had the Minnesota at Colorado game on both of its channels at the same time.

8. Was Twitter amazing last night, or what? Three Game 7s in the Stanley Cup race and then Rob Ford’s world went bananas. . . . If you live in Toronto, you have to vote for Ford again because those of us who don’t live there want to see this soap opera through to its conclusion. How does it end?

9. I really don’t know what We The North means, but, with apologies to the Vancouver Canucks . . . We Are All Raptors.

10. Late last night, TSN’s Farhan Lalji tweeted that the Canucks will fired head coach John Tortorella today. That being the case, I would suggest Todd McLellan would be a good fit there.

11. Looking for a good read? Click right here and read all about Bill Simmons of ESPN/Grantland. It’s a piece from Rolling Stone that was written by Rob Tannenbaum.

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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs have signed Kyle Adams as associate coach. He will work alongside head coach Jason Tatarnic. . . . Adams has spent the last five seasons on the coaching staff of the junior A Woodstock Slammers in Ontario. He spent three of those seasons as an associate coach on Tatarnic’s staff.

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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Taylor Roseveare (@PoTaylourHead), who was a ticket executive with the Saskatoon Blades: “Want to thank the @bladeshockey for an amazing 3 years. What a ride # newdirection #standuporganization”
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From Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC): “It was a very painful day at CBC. All the best to a lot of talented people...this was not about your performance, which was always elite.”

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Ownership transfers on tap today

F Lukáš Zeliska (Prince Albert, 2006-07) has signed a one-year extension with Bordeaux (France, Division 1). This season, he had 38 points, including 13 goals, in 26 games. . . .
G Eetu Laurikainen (Swift Current, 2012-14) has signed  a one-year-plus-option deal with the Espoo Blues (Finland, Liiga). This season with the Broncos, he was 2.90 and .914 in 54 games.
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The WHL’s board of governors will meet today in Calgary and is expected to sign off on the transfer of two franchises -- the Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats -- to new ownership groups.
In both instances, the franchises being sold have been under the guidance of long-time owners, the Cougars by Rick Brodsky and the Pats by Diane and Russ Parker, and are being sold to groups, each of which appears to have at least five or six members.
In Prince George, I am told the local businessman Greg Pocock, the front man for the group, is in for 35 per cent, while NHL defencemen Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of whom are ex-Cougars, each will own 15 per cent. As yet unnamed partners will share the remaining 35 per cent, with one in for 20 per cent and two others each at 7.5 per cent. The Prince George Citizen has reported that “sources close to the deal say it is worth $7 million.”
In Regina, no one has yet said anything about who will own how much of the Pats. The Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group is led by Anthony Marquart and includes four other Regina-based businessmen in Todd Lumbard, who is a former Brandon Wheat Kings and Pats goaltender, Jason Drummond, and Gavin and Shaun Semple. The Regina Leader-Post has reported that “the price tag is believed to be in the neighbourhood of $7.5 million.”
Earlier this season, Jack, Bob and Debbie Brodsky, Rick’s siblings, sold the Saskatoon Blades to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner and his son, Colin. The Saskatoon StarPhoenix has reported that “a source close to the negotiations said the transaction is worth around $9 million.”
If the board of governors approves both transfers today, as it almost certainly will do, it will mean six of the WHL’s 22 teams will have changed hands since the summer of 2007.
None of them has had near the success of the Portland Winterhawks, who were purchased by Calgary-based businessman Bill Gallacher during the summer of 2008.
Prior to Gallacher stepping in, the Winterhawks were worse than abysmal -- they won 17 games in 2006-07 and 11 in 2007-08. The franchise was often thought to have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel.
In Lethbridge, where the Hurricanes have hit fallen upon hard times and haven‘t appeared in the playoffs since the spring of 2009, WHL commissioner Ron Robison admitted Monday that such challenges aren’t “isolated to Lethbridge.”
He told City Council that there have been times when he “was concerned” whether certain franchises were “going to make it or not.”
One of those franchises, he said, was Portland.
“The Portland one was a great example,” Robison told councillors. “It is privately owned. To the credit of the current ownership . . . (he) had to go in and invest heavily in order to turn that franchise around. Now it is arguably a model franchise within our league.”
It is interesting that Portland, which is into the WHL’s championship final for a fourth straight season, has had great success under Gallacher’s ownership, but no other franchise has tried to follow the plan that got the Winterhawks’ rolling.
While it was common knowledge late in the summer of 2008 that Gallacher was in the process of purchasing the franchise, the sale didn’t close until Oct. 23, well after the season had started. In the meantime, Gallacher, who is believed to have paid Cdn$7.5 million for the franchise, put together new business, management and coaching teams, that included president Doug Piper and general manager/head coach Mike Johnston.
When the deal closed, the new people moved in and the rest is history.
The Winterhawks went 19-48-5 in 2008-09, but followed that up with seasons in which they won 44, 50, 49, 57 and 54 games. Today, they are the WHL’s defending champions.
The Kamloops Blazers had gone from being community-owned to private ownership during the summer of 2007, a year before Portland changed hands. But the new owners in Kamloops chose to maintain the status quo.
So did the Victoria Royals, who were the Chilliwack Bruins until being sold during the summer of 2011.
After the sale, Kamloops struggled through four mediocre seasons before enjoying back-to-back 47-victory seasons and a trip to last season’s Western Conference final. However, the Blazers just completed the worst season in franchise history.
The Royals weren’t good in their first season in Victoria, but then underwent major changes, with Cam Hope coming on board as general manager and Dave Lowry as head coach. They won 35 games in 2012-13 and just completed a season in which they won 48 games and enjoyed the franchise’s first 100-point season.
The Blades’ new owners, meanwhile, maintained the status quo, then brought out the brooms after a 16-victory season. The Priestners have yet to hire a general manager or a coaching staff.
In Regina, no one has indicated what might happen with general manager Chad Lang or the coaching staff, although Marquart, the only one of the group who has spoken with the media, hasn’t even hinted at change.
In Prince George, Pocock hasn’t given any indication what might happen, but there is ample speculation that general manager Dallas Thompson won’t be back. No one from Pocock’s group is believed to have spoken with head coach Mark Holick or assistant coach Jason Becker.
“These things can get turned around but it (doesn’t) happen overnight. It was a process,” Robison told Lethbridge’s City Council. “The plan is the key. We’ve taken the success models, if you will, from other franchises and addressed that with the Hurricanes and have asked them to follow a very similar model to ultimately achieve the kind of success you’re looking for.”
It would seem that owners could do worse than follow the plan used by the model franchise that the Winterhawks have become.
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In his appearance before City Council in Lethbridge, WHL commissioner Ron Robison indicated that the process by which the WHL selects host cities for the Memorial Cup tournament may be in for a change.
This occurred after Robison was asked by Councillor Joe Mauro about the chances of Lethbridge ever being selected to play host to a Memorial Cup tournament.
Mauro pointed out that the city has “spent a whole pile of money” on the Enmax Centre.
“Our dream and our goal is to host the Memorial Cup,” Mauro said. “What I’m hearing out there is that we’ll never do it . . . the Memorial Cup will go to a privately-owned team before it’ll ever go to a community-owned team.
“Realistically, do we have a chance of hosting a MC in the near future?”
Robison’s reply:
“Maybe I can tell you a little bit more after our June (annual) meeting because we have some recommendations in front of our board of governors at that time which I think are going to change the course of our selection process for the Memorial Cup.
“I’m a believer that every community that meets the criteria that we have for hosting events of this magnitude should get that opportunity to host the event.
“Quite frankly, my view of it is that it is driven by the quality of the hockey program. It comes back to the hockey program because in order to generate excitement in the community you need a quality team. In the particular case of hosting the Memorial Cup, you need a team that is a championship-calibre team, first and foremost.
“Secondly, then you have to look at why have we gone to certain locations in recent years and why has the World Junior Championship moved to major markets like Toronto and Montreal? It’s because of economics, no question, and it’s because of provincial governments, quite frankly, stepping in and providing significant financial support for those events.
“If I have my way, it’s going to be a hockey-driven decision next time . . . not just the largest venue or the best economic offer that we have on the table.”
Robison pointed out that the Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in Alberta “for more than 40 years.”
“It’s too long in my opinion,” he said. “It’s something that is on our agenda for discussion.”
The Memorial Cup was last held in Alberta in 1974 when the Regina Pats won it in the Calgary Corral. The Red Deer Rebels were thought to be a favourite to play host to the 2013 tournament, but it ended up going to Saskatoon.
The WHL next will play host to the Memorial Cup in 2016. The Vancouver Giants, who were the host team in 2007, have indicated that they are building towards the 2015-16 season and are expected enter a bid.
The Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in a U.S. Division city since 1998 when it was in Spokane.
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1. The WHL bantam draft is scheduled for Thursday in Calgary. As usual, you won’t be able to read about it on this blog. Instead, you will want to spend the day with Alan Caldwell, over at Small Thoughts At Large. He assures me that he is ready with all the statistics and info you might want.

2. If you haven’t seen this right here, it’s worth a read. Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News reported on his blog that the Golden State Warriors had a plan to boycott Tuesday night’s NBA playoff game if commissioner Adam Silver had gone soft on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

3. I was told on Tuesday that Tyler Kuntz is soon to be named the new head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds men’s hockey team. Kuntz, who is from Regina, just completed his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Thunderbirds. . . . A defenceman during his playing days, Kuntz played five seasons at UBC. . . . He will succeed Milan Dragicevic, who was fired in March after 12 seasons as the team’s head coach.

4. For the first time in QMJHL history, both semifinal series went seven games, and both were decided last night. . . . The Val-d’Or Foreurs went into Halifax, where they had won the first two games, and beat the Mooseheads, the defending Memorial Cup champions, 3-2. Val-d’Or trailed 2-1 after the first period and won it with two second-period scores. F Maxime Presseault broke a 2-2 tie with his first goal at 13:59, while G Antoine Bibeau, who was acquired from the Charlottetown Islanders for a first-round draft pick (along with two other picks) in December, stopped 39 shots. . . . Meanwhile, in Baie-Comeau, the Drakkar rode two first-period goals to a 2-1 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Aramada, 2-1. . . . The final will open Friday in Val-d’Or. . . . Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has more on the two QMJHL games right here.

5. F Mike Baird of the North Bay Battalion has been hit with a 20-game suspension by the OHL for physical abuse of an official during a playoff game on April 10. . . . Baird, in his first OHL season, missed six games while under indefinite suspension and won’t play in the OHL final which opens Thursday with the Battalion in Guelph to play the Storm. . . . Baird, who turned 17 on March 25, had one assist and 27 penalty minutes in 28 regular-season games.

6. The NHL playoffs will feature three Game 7s tonight. I’m thinking there will be a lot of unanswered phone calls in homes across North American tonight and a lot of wives going shopping.

7. I’m thinking my friend Brad Hornung will be in front of a TV set tonight, because there isn’t a bigger hockey fan anywhere. It’s hard to believe that more than 27 years have passed us by since he was left a quadriplegic after an unfortunate incident during a WHL game in Regina. . . . The one thing that wasn’t damaged that evening was his spirit. . . . You owe it to yourself to read this story right here, by Austin M. Davis of the Regina Leader-Post.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Neate Sager (@neatebuzzthenet) of Yahoo! Sports: “Population of the cities of 6 teams left in #WHL, #OHL and #LHJMQ playoffs: 1.16 million; 600,000; 141,000; 64,000; 33,265; 28,789.”
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One more from Sager: “Both #LHJMQ cities could fit inside North Bay, those 3 fit inside Guelph; those 4 fit inside Portland & all 5 could fit inside Edmonton.”

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Conference finals resume Friday night

D Brett Festerling (Tri-City, Vancouver, 2001-07) signed a four-year contract with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL), where he joins twin brother Garrett. This season with Nuremberg (Germany, DEL), Brett had 11 points, including two goals, in 31 games. The Festerlings hold dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
F Daine Todd (Medicine Hat, 2003-08) has signed a two-year contract with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, KHL). This season, with Portland (AHL), he had 32 points, four of them goals, in 54 games. . . .
F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 1995-2000) has signed a one-year extension with the Guildford Flames (England, Premier). Huppe missed most of this season due to injury, but did have seven points, including four goals, in eight games with the Flames.
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Queen City Sports & Entertainment has confirmed the names of its partners as it works through the process of purchasing the Regina Pats from Diane and Russ Parker of Calgary.
Anthony Marquart, who heads up QCSE, is joined by former WHL goaltender Todd Lumbard, Jason Drummond of DGC Entertainment Inc., and Shaun and Gavin Semple of Brandt Entertainment Inc., all of Regina. (Gavin and Shaun Semple are father and son, respectively. Jack Semple, a Canadian guitar player of note, is another son.)
According to a QCSE news release, “Marquart also said that in the coming weeks they will be sitting down with all Pats management, coaches, and employees to discuss their needs, their ideas, their goals, and their career aspirations. Once they’ve done that, they’ll be rolling out a business plan that will chart a course for a successful future for all of the Pats stakeholders – especially the fans.”
The WHL’s board of governors is expected to approve the sale on April 30 in Calgary.
(If you are at all curious about the Semple family, you may want to give this right here a read. It’s from the Prairie Policy Centre and details the growth of the Brandt brand.)
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1. If you watched Canada beat Switzerland 3-2 in a quarterfinal game at the IIHF U-18 world championship on Thursday, you saw a prime example of how puck possession is most times more important than playing dump and chase. . . . Canadian D Travis Sanheim of the Calgary Hitmen mishandled a pass at the Swiss blueline and had to retreat into the neutral zone. He got control of the puck, with his head up, then stepped up and then around a Swiss defenceman to create 2-on-1 with F Travis Konecny, who took the pass, deked to the backhand and got the winner. . . . I’m thinking Sanheim’s draft standing, at least with a few NHL teams, jumped a few spots on that one play alone. He was at No. 53 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s last rankings.

2. I’m still trying to get my mind around the fact that New York Yankees starter Michael Pineda drew a 10-game suspension for using pine tar, while F Matt Cooke of the Minnesota Wild got seven games for a knee-on-knee collision that took an opponent out for what is expected to be four to six weeks.

3. What makes the Pineda suspension even more confusing is that virtually every baseball person who has spoken about this admits that most pitchers use pine tar, or another foreign substance, to help their grip on the baseball, especially in cooler weather.

4. What makes the Pineda suspension even more confusing than that . . . hitters say they don’t mind pitchers using pine tar to improve their grip, something that gives them better control. No pine tar might mean more hit batters and who wants that?

5. The adage “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’ ” used to belong to NASCAR. These days, it apparently belongs to Major League Baseball.

6. Rick Reilly, once of Sports Illustrated, now of ESPN.com, has written a column that is full of some truths that he has discovered over time. Of course, they all are true, including: “The best sports book ever written was Ball Four. Everything else has just been an attempt to copy it.” . . . That column is right here.

7. It was in the third period when TSN’s Gord Miller, calling the Boston at Detroit Stanley Cup game, said it was “Hudson Bay rules” and you knew right then that the Red Wings were done. Detroit GM Ken Holland and head coach Mike Babcock need to admit that the Red Wings won’t win anything unless they find another Bob Probert or Joey Kocur to ride shotgun and create room for the skaters.

8. Detroit F Henrik Zetterberg returned to action for the first time since a back injury took him out of the Sochi Olympics. Can we just give him the Grizzly Adams Award for best beard in the playoffs?

9. If the Portland Winterhawks and Edmonton Oil Kings both win their next games, it will set up the third straight WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup between these two teams. . . . It also will be Portland’s fourth straight trip to the final. . . . Portland is in Kelowna tonight with a 3-1 lead on the Rockets; the Oil Kings are at home on Saturday and hold a 3-1 edge on the Medicine Hat Tigers.

10. Team Canada beat Switzerland 3-2 in a quarterfinal game at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Finland on Thursday. Canada will meet the Czechs in a Saturday semifinal game. The game starts at 9 a.m. Pacific time and will be shown on TSN. The other semifinal features Sweden and the U.S. It starts at 5 a.m. Pacific.
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F Dyson Stevenson, who played out his junior eligibility with the Regina Pats this season, has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Stevenson had 76 points, including 38 goals, in 68 games with the Pats this season. In 252 career regular-season games with Regina, he had 168 points, including 75 goals.
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The OHL’s Owen Sound Attack has signed general manager Dale DeGray, head coach Greg Ireland, assistant coach Drew Bannister and athletic therapist Andy Brown to contract extensions. . . . DeGray now is signed through 2016-17, which will be his 10th season as GM. . . . Ireland, who has been head coach for three seasons, is signed through 2015-16. . . . Bannister has been with the Attack for two seasons. . . . Brown, who has been with the Attack since 2005-06, is signed through 2016-17.
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After playing three seasons (2010-13) with the Edmonton Oil Kings, F Stephane Legault didn’t play hockey in 2013-14, choosing not to play his 20-year-old season. Instead, he attended NAIT in Edmonton. . . . Now, Legault, who had 105 points in 172 regular-season games with the Oil Kings, has committed to attend the U of Alberta and play for the CIS-champion Golden Bears in the fall. Legault, who turned 21 on March 3, is from Edmonton.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton leads, 3-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat 1 at Edmonton 3 (5,763)
Tuesday: Edmonton 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,189)
Wednesday: Edmonton 4 at Medicine Hat 1 (3,832)
Saturday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Portland leads, 3-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland 5 at Kelowna 3 (6,341)
Tuesday: Kelowna 3 at Portland 4 (OT) (9,259)
Wednesday: Kelowna 1 at Portland 5 (9,744)
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday: Kelowna at Portland, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.

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