The Everett Silvertips are expected to introduce Garry Davidson as their new general manager at a news conference this afternoon.
Davidson has been the director of player personnel with the Portland Winter Hawks since Bill Gallacher purchased the franchise and hired Mike Johnston as general manager and head coach.
Davidson, who is from Souris, Man., will replace Doug Soetaert, who was fired on Feb. 2. Davidson becomes the second GM in the franchise’s history.
According to a release by Silvertips yesterday, “Silvertips and Consolidated Sports Holdings President Gary Gelinas will be on hand to make the announcement . . .”
The Silvertips are owned by Bill Yuill; Gelinas is the president and governor.
Davidson and Gelinas both have long histories in the BCHL.
Davidson last was involved with the Salmon Arm SilverBacks, where he was owner, GM and head coach. He also spent time BCHL franchises in Nanaimo, Penticton, Trail and Victoria.
Gelinas was involved in the ownership of the Nanaimo Clippers, Langley Hornets and Westside Warriors.
Davidson reportedly was at the Silvertips’ practice on Tuesday.
With the exception of one season when he worked with a Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate in Omaha, Soetaert had been the Silvertips general manager since before the team began play in the fall of 2003.
The Silvertips are 15-32-9 and one point out of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. They are 3-2-0 since Feb. 2.
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JUST NOTES:
F Joel Hamilton of the Red Deer Rebels has been in hospital since Saturday night after he was injured in an 8-5 loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. He won’t play hockey again for a while but is making progress after being found to have two broken vertebrae. On Tuesday afternoon, Hamilton tweeted: “Walked and even accomplished a few stairs today. Should be out of here tomorrow! #progress” . . .
Remember Raider, the puppy rescued not that long ago from freezing cold by Shane Danyluk, Josh Morrissey and Carson Perreaux of the Prince Albert Raiders? Well, CKOM in Saskatoon reports that a couple from North Vancouver has adopted Raider. The puppy is to be flown to Vancouver today. . . .
The WHL announced Tuesday that Ben Wiebe, who served governor for the Swift Current Broncos for 17 years, will receive the WHL Governors Award. This award is given annually to, according to the WHL, “an individual who, through his outstanding services as a builder of the league has made a contribution to the growth and development of the WHL.” . . . Wiebe was part of the group that brought the Broncos back from Lethbridge in time for the 1986-87 season. He served on the team’s board of directdors for eight seasons and then was elected chairman and governor. He served as chairman for eight seasons, starting in 1994, and as the team’s governor for 17 years. . . .
F John McFarland, the first player selected in the OHL’s 2008 draft, appears to have had his season ended by a shoulder surgery. McFarland, who was acquired by the Ottawa 67’s at the trade deadline in January, will undergo surgery this week and could take as much as four months to recover. He was a second-round selection by the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL draft. He had nine points, including four goals, in 12 games since Ottawa got him from the Saginaw Spirit. . . .
The BCHL has announced the creation of two awards to honour referees and linesmen for their contributions to the game. The awards will be named after Kelly Sutherland and Brad Lazarowich, with one going to the top referee and the other to the top linesman. Sutherland, who now is an NHL referee, and Lazarowich, an NHL linesman, both worked in the BCHL. They also worked in the WHL. . . . Each of the award winners will receive $500, with $250 of that going to a charity of their choice. . . .
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Cranbrook, D Eric Roy scored with 3.2 seconds left in the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 4-3 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . Roy’s eighth goal of the season was unassisted. . . . Ice F Jesse Ismond had tied the game with his 15th goal on a PP at 17:39. . . . Kootenay jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Wheat Kings scored three straight goal. . . . Brandon F Brenden Walker had three assists. . . . Wheat Kings F Mark Stone had a goal, his 37th, and an assist and took the lead in the WHL scoring race, with 92 points. . . . He is two points ahead of F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats. . . . Brandon, which holds down eighth place in the Eastern Conference, moved six points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Ice remains fourth in the conference, a point ahead of the Saskatoon Blades. . . .

In Kamloops, F Matt Needham scored off a rebound at 19:01 of the third period as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . The Oil Kings had been 30-0-2 when leading after two periods. . . . The game matched the Blazers, who lead the Western Conference and the overall standings, against the Oil Kings, the top team in the Eastern Conference. When it was over, the Blazers held a five-point lead over the Oil Kings. . . . In the Western Conference, Kamloops is seven points ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . . Edmonton took a 2-0 lead on goals by F Kristians Pelss, his 20th, in the first period and F Jordan Peddle, his ninth, in the second. . . . Kamloops got a PP goal from F Brandon Herrod, his 22nd, at 3:12 of the third. . . . D Austin Madaisky tied it with his 12th goal just 1:44 after that. . . . Needham won it off a Madaisky rebound. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan beat his former club for the second time this season. This time, he made 24 saves, 11 fewer than Edmonton’s Laurent Brossoit. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Edmonton wasn’t given even one PP opportunity. . . . Edmonton, which plays the Rockets in Kelowna tonight, leads the Eastern Conference by five points over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Colin Jacobs and F Connor Honey had shootout goals to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Rockets erased a 3-1 deficit to force overtime. . . . F Zach Franko got it to 3-2 at 5:50 of the second period. . . . D Myles Bell forced OT when he beat G Calvin Pickard on a penalty shot at 19:07 of the third period. It was his 12th goal this season. . . . The penalty shot was awarded after it was ruled that Seattle had intentionally knocked its net off the moorings. . . . Seattle now has sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Victoria Royals and three up on the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Rockets are headed to a sixth-place finish. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., shootout goals by F Brendan Gallagher and F Cain Franson gave the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Brendan Gallagher scored three times for Vancouver, giving him the franchise record with 129 career goals. He went into the game tied with Adam Courchaine for the club record. . . . Gallagher, who has five hat tricks this season, has 34 goals this season. . . . His third goal, at 17:29 of the third, gave the Giants a 4-3 victory. . . . Tri-City tied it on D Zach Yuen’s ninth goal at 18:41 on a PP. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 29 shots. Franson wasn’t able to beat Comrie on a penalty shot at 5:47 of the third period. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two goals, giving him 36, and an assist for the Americans. . . . Vancouver lost F Anthony Ast with a charging major and game misconduct at 9:21 of the third period. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning played in his 296th career game, breaking Craig Cunningham’s franchise career record. . . . The Giants moved into a fourth-place tie with the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Conference. . . . The Americans now are two points ahead of the second-place Portland Winterhawks in the U.S. Division. . . . The Americans were playing their first game in a stretch that has them going four times in five nights. . . . They are in Portland tonight, in Kent, Wash., on Friday and at home to Spokane on Saturday. . . . The Giants, meanwhile, are playing five games in six nights. They are in Spokane tonight, at home to Edmonton on Friday, in Everett on Saturday and at home to Red Deer on Sunday. . . . Yikes!
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Paul Ciarelli, Brandon.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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Dave Bidini is a Canadian musician of some renown. He also is a terrific writer. If you haven’t already, make sure you read his book Tropic of Hockey as it is outstanding. In Tuesday’s National Post, Bidini writes of Trent Frayne, one of his literary heroes, who died on the weekend. This is short and well-written. Frayne would have appreciated that. It is right here.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) was released by mutual agreement by Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL). He had one assist in 15 games this season with Poprad. . . .
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) was released by the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had six assists in 14 games for the Wild Wings this season. . . .
After the first day of his tryout, F Lynn Loyns (Spokane, 1997-2001) has signed a contract  with the DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL) for the rest of this  season. Loyns had one goal and one assist in nine games with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) this season. Last season, he had six goals and 11 assists in 21 games for Val Pusteria (Italy, Serie A). . . .
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) has rejoined Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) after being released last week by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal in 20 games for Liberec this season. Last season, Hay had five goals and 10 assists in 52 games for Mlada Boleslav. The contract is for the remainder of this season. . . .
Joining Hay in Mlada Boleslav is F Andrej Podkonicky (Portland,  1996-98). Podkonicky was assigned on loan to Mlada Boleslav for the rest of the season by Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had three goals and three assists in 16 games with Brno this season. Podkonicky was with Liberec last season, getting nine goals and 19 assists in 52 games for the club. . . .
F Patrik Valcak (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 2003-04) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga) after his release by Trinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had no points in eight games with Trinec this season. Valcak had four goals and 15 assists in 23 games for Olofström (Sweden, Division 1) last season.
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Reports on Wednesday night — the first of which I think came from Mark Stepneski of ESPNDallas.com — indicate that the NHL’s board of governors has approved Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, as the new owner of the Dallas Stars.
The board, which isn’t scheduled to meet until early next month, apparently held a fax vote and Gaglardi’s ownership was approved.
Next up is a hearing in bankruptcy court in Delaware on Friday morning. The sale of the franchise is expected to be granted approval there.
That being the case, the Stars are expected to hold a news conference on Monday at which Gaglardi will be introduced as the owner.
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Remember the song Needles and Pins, by The Searchers. If it isn’t already, you have to wonder if it is a favourite song of F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Jim Riley, who covers the Thunderbirds on a freelance basis for the Seattle Times, has written an interesting piece on Troock and how acupuncture is helping him overcome a problem with headaches. It is especially interesting when you realize that Troock was thought to have been suffering with post-concussion syndrome. It turned out to be a neck problem that, as Seattle athletic therapist Phil Varney told Riley, “was mimicking concussion symptoms.”
That story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: Congratulations to head coach Mike Williamson of the Calgary Hitmen, who got his 300th coaching victory Sunday. Williamson, in his third season with the Hitmen, also was head coach of the Portland Winterhawks; in fact, his first 219 regular-season victories came with Portland. Hitmen team captain Cody Sylvester presented Williamson with the game puck from No. 300 on Wednesday. Williamson is the 19th coach in the WHL history to get to 300. . . . The Prince George Cougars released F Tayler Thompson, 18, on Monday. Thompson had four points in 16 games. He also was minus-15. . . . The Tri-City Americans were working for Habitat for Humanity on Wednesday. Check out the photos right here. . . .
F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. Gallagher, 19, was a fifth-round selection by Montreal in the 2010 NHL draft. Gallagher has 31 points, including 18 goals, in 18 games with the Giants this season. . . . The Everett Silvertips have signed F Carson Stadnyk, 16, to a WHL contract. Stadnyk, from Saskatoon, was an eight-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. He is playing with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts and has 27 points, including 15 goals, in 16 games. . . .
The NBA has cancelled games through Dec. 15, so the Portland Winterhawks have moved a Dec. 2 game against the Everett Silvertips to the Rose Garden. Game time will be 7 p.m. . . . Everett has assigned F Michael Bell, 16, to a BCHL team yet to be determined. He was pointless in 10 games with Everett. . . .
After a long run, Ben Wiebe has stepped aside as governor for the Swift Current Broncos. Wiebe will remain on the board of directors — he has had a chair there since the Broncos returned from Lethbridge in time for the 1986-87 season. He had been the governor for 17 years. Al Stewart is the club’s new governor, with GM/head coach Mark Lamb the alternate governor. Stewart has experience as alternate governor and chairman of the Broncos’ board. As well, Liam Choo-Foo is the new chairman of the board, with Kyle McIntyre the secretary. . . .
G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers was struck in the head by an errant clearance as he was on the WHL’s bench during a 5-2 victory over the Russians in the Subway Super Series game in Regina on Wednesday night. He left the bench almost immediately and was taken to hospital for tests. There was no news as of late last night. Bunz is scheduled to start tonight Super Series finale in Moose Jaw. . . . However, Bunz did Tweet a note: “Congrats to the boys for the series clinching win! sorry I couldnt cheer you on! Big game by @cpickard1! Your the maaan.” . . .
David La Vaque of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has reported that F Ben Walker, the captain of the high school Edina Hornets, is leaving to sign with the Victoria Royals. The Hornets are coached by former NHL D Curt Giles, who confirmed the move. According to La Vaque: “Walker contributed to the Hornets' Class 2A state title run in 2010. As a junior last season he scored 18 goals and added 14 assists. Known for his speed, the 5-foot-10, 174-pound Walker scored 14 goals and added 13 assists playing 24 games for Team Southwest of the Elite League this fall.” Giles and Marc Habscheid, the Royals’ GM/head coach, were teammates on the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars in the late 1980s.
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SIT DOWN BOYS:
The WHL has suspended F Jesse Mychan for 10 games after he picked up a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct for a hit on D Jesse Forsberg of the the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday. The WHL’s reasons for suspension included Mychan leaving his feet to deliver the hit, Forsberg being injured on the play (he is shown as being out week to week) and that it is Mychan’s third suspension this season. . . . F Charles Inglis of the Cougars drew a one-game suspension for the charging major he picked up for a hit on Everett F Josh Birkholz, who is out day-to-day. . . .
The OHL has issued two more lengthy suspensions, along with one for which it is getting some heat. F Dean Pawlaczyk of the Saginaw Spirit drew a 15-game sentence for a checking-to-the-head major assessed in a game against the Plymouth Whalers on Nov. 6. . . . F Alex O’Neil of the Brampton Battalion got a 10-game suspension for a checking-to-the-head major against the Niagara IceDogs on Nov. 11. . . . F Ryan Rupert of the London Knights got five games for a slashing major he incurred against the Soo Greyhounds on Nov. 11. A lot of observers expected Rupert to draw far more than five games for his violent slash at an opposing player, especially after it resulted in a post-game melee. When all was said and done, the OHL has suspended eight players, including Rupert, for a total of 19 games.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Theo Fleury, who was in Lloydminster for a fund-raising game:
“Standing outside BP's and some kid asks Ron Duguay if he's Bon Jovi. Best thing I've heard in a longtime. That's funny.”

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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