Nolan to Giants? . . . Amateur athletes or employees? . . . Lowry to Sharks?

F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) signed a one-year contract with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, DEL), he had one goal in 39 games. . . .
F Justin Maylan (Moose Jaw, Prince George, Prince Albert, 2007-12) signed a one-year contract with Val Pusteria Brunico (Italy, Serie A). This season, with Gherdëina (Italy, Serie A), he had 14 goals and a team-high 37 assists in 33 games.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reported Tuesday that the Vancouver Giants have talked with Ted Nolan about their vacant head-coaching position. Nolan, of course, is a veteran coach with plenty of major junior experience, having coached in the OHL and QMJHL. This season, he was the head coach of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, who let him go at season’s end. . . . Nolan and his wife, Sandra, have been in Vancouver and toured the Giants’ facility in Ladner. However, Nolan will exercise all of his professional options before he would return to junior and he has been upfront about that. . . . Still, if you were on Twitter yesterday, you would have been led to believe that Nolan and the Giants were in contract negotiations. . . . That might happen, but if it does it won’t be for a while.
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I was reaching for a dictionary on Tuesday morning, as I tried to come to grips with Washington state’s new law that says WHL players on that state’s four WHL teams are amateur athletes and not employees. . . . My reaching was interrupted when I spotted a piece written by Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. . . . He explains it all right here.
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Ken Campbell of The Hockey News also spoke with Jerry Dias, the president of Unifor, which is Canada’s largest public sector trade union. Unifor continues to work towards organizing major junior hockey players in Canada. . . . Dias said the Washington bill is “ridiculous” and added that the effort to unionize major junior hockey players is continuing. . . . “I don’t know how the person who cleans the toilets in the arena is an employee,” Dias told Campbell, “the coaches are employees, the person who sells the popcorn, the person who cleans the ice . . . everybody is an employee except for the person who makes the profits.” . . . That story is right here.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet posted his weekly 30 Thoughts on Tuesday morning. As always, it is highly readable, and it is right here. As he points out, hockey fans shouldn’t discount Dave Lowry as the next head coach of the San Jose Sharks. At present, Lowry is the head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Royals.
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Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday, May 22: Kelowna vs. Quebec, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 23: Rimouski vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 24: Quebec vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Monday, May 25: Rimouski vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 26: Oshawa vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 27: Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 28: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 29: Semifina, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 31: Championship game, TBA
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FUN FACT: New @EdmontonOilers HC, Todd McLellan, is a former Blade! He played centre from 1983-1987. #alwaysablade pic.twitter.com/hc0osvvEZG

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) May 19, 2015

THE COACHING GAME:

The NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs announced Tuesday that Gord Dineen, the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, won’t be back. He apparently has been offered the position of associate coach. . . . As well, the Marlies dumped associate coach Derek King and have offered assistant coach Ben Simon a spot elsewhere in the organization. . . . Dineen was an assistant coach with the Marlies for five seasons before taking over as head coach on July 15. After a 39-28-9 regular season, they lost a best-of-five first-round series to the Grand Rapids Griffins, 3-2. . . . There is speculation that Sheldon Keefe, the OHL’s coach of the year with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, will sign on as the Marlies’ head coach.
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The OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs have rounded out their coaching staff with the hiring of Troy Smith (associate coach), Ron Wilson (assistant coach) and Mike Parson (goaltending coach). They will work with GM/head coach George Burnett. . . . As well, Barclay Branch was named assistant GM and director of player personnel. . . . Branch spent the previous 10 seasons in the same role with the Belleville Bulls. . . . Smith was the Kitchener Rangers’ head coach for the past two seasons, after spending seven seasons as an assistant coach. . . . Wilson, a former NHL player, is a veteran of the coaching game, with extensive AHL experience. . . . Barton has worked as a goaltending coach with the Guelph Storm. This season, he was a goaltending consultant with the U of Guelph, Canisius College and the GOJHL’s Elmira Sugar Kings.
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The Sioux Falls Stampede recently won the Clark Cup as USHL playoff champions. Still, ownership has decided not to renew the contract of head coach Cary Eades, who is a former U of North Dakota assistant. . . . Chris Murphy of the Fargo Forum reported Tuesday that Eades will be named head coach of the USHL’s Fargo Force this morning. . . . According to Murphy, “Sioux Falls television station KSFY reported Eades’ contract was not renewed with the Stampede due to differences with ownership.” . . . Eades spent three seasons in Sioux Falls.
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The BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks need an athletic therapist, with Tyrol Deeg having resigned citing family concerns. If you’re interested, send your resume to coach@sasilverbacks.com. . . .
The NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Lindsay Hofford to work in their scouting department with his primary responsibility being the OHL. . . . He had been working as the scouting director for the OHL’s London Knights. Mark Hunter, a co-owner of the Knights, is Toronto’s director of player personnel. . . . Hofford did a stint as the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ head coach, running the bench for 112 games over three seasons (2003-06). . . .
Trevor Linden, the president of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, will be in Prince George for a news conference this morning. The Canucks are expected to announce that they will hold their 2015 training camp at the CN Centre in Prince George.
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Andersen, first Danish goalie to play for Ducks. Goldberg, first goalie to eat a danish while playing for Ducks. pic.twitter.com/gZXjSQIwHb

— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) May 20, 2015

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Two Giants facing charges

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) has signed for the rest of this season with Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL).
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Vancouver radio station CKNW reported Friday night that two veteran players with the Vancouver Giants — F Jackson Houck and D Brett Kulak — are facing criminal charges stemming from an Aug. 18 house party in Delta. B.C. According to CKNW, the players, who continue to play with the Giants, have already made three court appearances. . . . Kulak leads the Giants in points (20), while Houck has a team-high eight goals. . . . The Giants, who were idle last night, are at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight. . . . The CKNW report is right here.
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On Wednesday night, F Brandon Baddock of the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings left Victoria Royals D Keegan Kanzig woozy and wobbly following a late second-period fight. (Kanzig was scratched from Victoria's game with the host Seattle Thunderbirds last night.)
Which got me to wondering what the numbers are looking like, so I scurried over to hockeyfights.com and checked things out.
According to hockeyfights.com, in 2011-12, there were 790 fights during the WHL's regular season.
In 2012-13, there were 666 fights during the WHL's regular season, a decrease of 15.7 per cent.
This season, through Friday's action, there have been 206 fights in 217 games, leaving the WHL on a 752-fight pace. If that plays out, it would be a 12.9 per cent increase over last season.
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Brent Sapergia, who played with the Saskatoon Blades and Medicine Hat Tigers (1979-81), got caught up in a drug ring and found himself in a New York court room last month. . . . The New York Post story is right here. . . . And right here is a story from the Winnipeg Free Press.
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A fourth former NFL player has demonstrated signs of CTE. Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mark Duper confirmed it to CBS Sports on Friday. That story is right here.
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Elliotte Friedman's weekly column — 30 Thoughts — is right here. At the end of it, he writes:
"Here are the eight NHL teams to watch for my Nov. 1 stat, ie. if you're four points out of the playoffs after games on that date, you are in a brutal spot to make it. The teams: Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia and Winnipeg (five points back), Calgary (7), Florida (8), Buffalo and Edmonton (11). Some of you think the new format will change things. We'll all find out together."
I don't know if Friedman's theory applies to the WHL and its 72-game regular season, but if it does only the Kamloops Blazers, Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes were at least four points out of the playoffs after Friday's games. The Blazers were four points out in the Western Conference; the Warriors were four points back in the Eastern Conference, with the Hurricanes 13 off the pace.
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The Vancouver Giants won't have D Dalton Thrower, their captain, in the lineup tonight when they play host to the Prince George Cougars. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province:
"The Giants aren't saying what's wrong with the Montreal Canadiens prospect, but Thrower took a blindside hit to the head from Edmonton Oil Kings winger Mitch Moroz behind the Vancouver net on the first shift of the third period in Tuesday's 3-0 home side defeat at the Coliseum.
"Thrower stayed down for a time, but went to the bench without assistance and remained in the game. He later challenged Moroz to a fight. Moroz declined and Thrower was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
"Moroz didn't get a penalty for the check.
"Thrower did suffer a concussion last season while with the Saskatoon Blades, the result of a fight in practice in early November. He ended up missing 11 games."
Ewen's story is right here.
Meanwhile, the WHL injury list shows Vancouver F Rob Trzonkowski as being out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. However, the team's stats page has an 'x' beside his name, indicating that he no longer is with the team. Trzonkowski, 19, had one point, a goal, in three games.
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The Regina Pats have dealt G Teagan Sacher, 19, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Sacher, from Winnipeg, played 26 games with the Pats last season (8-13-2, 3.87, .883), but was limited to two games this season because of injury. Sacher left the Pats on Oct. 15  with the team stating that he was going to "pursue academic interests at the University of Winnipeg." . . . Sacher is to join the Hurricanes before they play in Brandon on Monday. . . . The Hurricanes have two goaltenders on their roster -- Corbin Boes, 20, and Christopher Tai, who turns 18 on Dec. 1. They also are working to trade D Ryan Pilon, 17, who has left the team and is at home awaiting a deal.
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FRIDAY:
In Moose Jaw, F Nate Burns had a goal and two assists as the Saskatoon Blades opened a 4-0 lead and hung on to beat the Warriors, 4-3. . . . The Warriors are 0-5-3 on home ice since beating the Vancouver Giants 2-1 on Oct. 5. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback had two assists as he ran his point streak to 13 games. The Russian freshman has 11 goals and 10 assists over that stretch. . . . Saskatoon D David Nemecek was bleeding and went to the dressing room after a third-period scrap with Moose Jaw D Jesse Forsberg. . . .

In Brandon, F Jake DeBrusk enjoyed a four-point second period to help the Swift Current Broncos dump the Wheat Kings, 6-3. . . . A freshman, DeBrusk went into the game with six points in 20 games. . . . Swift Current has won six in a row, while Brandon has dropped two straight, both at home. . . . The Broncos erased a 2-1 first-period deficit with five straight goals, four of them in the second period. . . . Swift Current D Jordan Harris, 17, scored his first WHL goal in his 38th game. He played 17 games with the Prince George Cougars last season. The Cougars selected the Prince Albert native with the 10th pick of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . With G Curtis Honey hurt, Brandon G Jordan Papirny made his fourth consecutive start. Honey was on the bench, though. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Patrik Bartosak stopped 19 shots to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 3-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Bartosak has one shut out this season and seven in his career. . . . It was School Spirit Night, and attendance was 2,908. . . . The Rebels snapped a three-game losing skid. They are 2-3-0 on a six-game road swing that ends tonight in Lethbridge. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Mitch Holmberg became the WHL's first 20-goal scorer this season as he led the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Holmberg scored three times, giving him 22 goals, and added an assist. He leads the WHL in goals and points (49). . . . Holmberg's first goal tied the game 2-2 and his second gave his side a 3-2 lead. It stood up as the winner, giving him a league-high six GWG this season. . . . There were three fights in the game's first eight minutes. . . . The Hurricanes now have lost eight straight. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Cole Sanford scored twice and added an assist to lead the Tigers to a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Sanford has 12 goals in 18 games this season. He had two goals in 53 games last season. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox, who chipped a front tooth in his previous game and posted a 'Sorry, Mom' photo on Twitter, had three assists. . . . Raiders F Shane Danyluk drew a cross-checking major and game misconduct for a hit on Sanford late in the third period. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game's last five goals and beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . The Cougars led 2-0 late in the second period and took a 2-1 edge into the third. . . . Kelowna held a 51-28 shot advantage, including 19-5 in the second period. . . . F Todd Fiddler, 20, played his first game with the Cougars after being acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . .

In Everett, G Daniel Cotton stopped 14 shots for the shutout as the Silvertips beat the Tri-City Americans, 2-0. . . . Everett held a 35-14 edge in shots. . . . Cotton has two shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . He is the go-to guy in Everett as Austin Lotz rehabs an ankle injury. . . . The second intermission was extended by about 45 minutes when a pink breast cancer awareness logo came through the ice and got caught by a Zamboni. . . . The Americans were missing F Ty Comrie, F Marcus Messier, F Philip Tot and F Taylor Vickerman. . . . Tri-City, which had won six of seven, has been blanked twice this season, both times by Everett. . . .

In Kamloops, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored four times in 4:20 early in the second period en route to a 5-0 victory over the Blazers. . . . Edmonton G Tyler Santos posted his first WHL victory and shutout in his third start. . . . Tristan Jarry, the Oil Kings' No. 1 goaltender, has posted two straight shutouts. Overall, the Oil Kings are riding a shutout streak of 228 minutes 10 seconds. . . . The Oil Kings have won four in a row and seven of eight. . . . Edmonton F Brandon Ralph, from Fort McMurray, Alta., scored twice, his first two WHL goals coming in his seventh game. . . . Santos, a 19-year-old from Edmonton, finished with 33 saves, including turning aside freshman F Eric Krienke on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Santos also has stopped Kootenay F Sam Reinhart on a penalty shot this season. . . .

In Kent, Wash, G Coleman Vollrath stopped 43 shots to spark the Victoria Royals to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . At one point in the second period, Seattle held a 20-5 edge in shots and was trailing 2-0. . . . F Tyler Soy, the eighth overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, had a goal, his fourth, and two assists for the Royals. . . . D Shea Theodore scored all three Seattle goals.
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From Hecklers Row (@Hecklers_Row): "half way threw the first and the chiefs coach has already yelled at us, love it @WHLHurricanes @Jordancjoc @CanesCast"
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From ESPN's John Buccigross (@Buccigross): "University of Minnesota women's hockey team (11-0-0, 9-0-0 WCHA) recorded its 60th-straight victory with a 4-1 win over St. Cloud State"
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From Iain MacIntyre (@imacVanSun) of the Vancouver Sun: "Once asked Alex Edler how he treats himself at dinner out. 'Maybe have french fries instead of a baked potato.' Look out, LA!"

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Howitzer or cannon?

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) has been released by the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He was pointless in 13 games with the Tigers and had two assists in three games while on loan to Kaufbeuren (Germany, DEL2). . . .
G Tyler Plante (Brandon, 2003-07) has signed for the rest of the season with Lørenskog (Norway, GET-Ligaen). Last season, in five games with Colorado (ECHL), Plante had a 4.09 GAA and .879 save percentage. In nine games with Asiago (Italy, Serie A), he was 2.29 and .911. . . .
D David Hoda (Chilliwack, 2007-08) has been released by Polonia Bytom (Poland, Ekstraliga) by mutual agreement. He had two goals and two assists in 14 games. . . .
F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) has signed a tryout contract with Polonia Bytom (Poland, Ekstraliga). The length of the tryout isn't known. Last season, in the Czech Republic 1. Liga, he had five points, three of them goals, in 15 games with Berounsti Medvedi and four points, including three goals, in 21 games with Sumperk.
F Konstantin Panov (Kamloops, 1998-2001) cleared KHL waivers and was assigned by Traktor Chelyabinsk to Chelmet Chelyabinsk (Vysshaya Liga). This season, Panov had five points, including one goal, in 18 games with Traktor. Last season, with Traktor, he had 25 points, 10 of them goals, in 45 games.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Vancouver Giants D Dalton Thrower, the team captain, won't play Saturday against the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . Ewen tweets that Thrower didn't skate Thursday after taking a "hit to head Tuesday from Edmonton's Mitch Moroz early in third. He did finish game, though." . . . Ewen has more right here.
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"He has got an absolute howitzer from the blue line," Garry Galley of Hockey Night in Canada said early in the first period of Thursday's night's game between the visiting Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators. Galley was referring to D P.K. Subban of the Habs, who had just fired a shot from one point. The late Danny Gallivan may have called it a cannonading drive.
Mark Lee, a play-by-play voice on HNIC, also is a frequent user of howitzer in trying to describe what one assumes is a cannonading drive.
But if you look up howitzer in a dictionary, or even Wikipedia, you find out something completely different. Here is the start of the definition of howitzer from Wikipedia:
"A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent."
I would suggest that oldtimers might remember Montreal/Quebec Nordiques D J.C. Tremblay launching what might be called howitzers from the neutral zone. Somehow, though, I don't think Subban was lobbing shots from the offensive blue line last night.
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With G Mackenzie Skapski out with an undisclosed injury, the Kootenay Ice is going to use three different backup goaltenders, including two from the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, over its next three games. . . . Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has the details right here.
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THURSDAY:
In Brandon, the Saskatoon Blades scored three second-period goals and beat the Wheat  Kings, 3-1. . . . F Brett Stovin scored the game's first two goals, getting his third and fourth of the season at 5:2 and 7:58. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherbak ran his point streak to 12 games with a second-period assist. . . . This was Brandon's first home game since Oct. 19. The Wheat Kings had gone 2-4 on a swing on which they won their last two games. . . . The Blades halted a four-game losing streak. . . . Attendance was announced as 2,926. . . . With G Curtis Honey injured, the Wheat Kings had Tyson Verhelst on the bench backing up Jordan Papirny. Verhelst, from Brandon was a third-round pick by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . F Peter Quenneville, 19, who left Quinnipiac to join the Wheat Kings, scored Brandon's goal in his first WHL game.
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From Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) of the Edmonton Journal: "Devan Dubnyk at 6'5" looking at 6'7" Ben Bishop. "I'm a rarity. He's an anomaly."



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Warriors' Jackson retires, cites post-concussion syndrome

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) has been assigned on loan by the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) to Kaufbeuren (Germany, DEL2). He had two assists in 40 games with Straubing and one goal and three assists in nine games on loan to Regensburg (Germany, Oberliga) last season. . . .
F Trent Whitfield (Spokane, 1993-98) signed a one-year contract with Bolzano (Italy, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had six goals and six assists in 48 games for the Providence Bruins (AHL). Whitfield was captain of the Bruins last season. . . .
F Tomas Polak (Red Deer, 2007-09) had his tryout contract with Landshut (Germany, DEL2) terminated due to injury. Polak suffered a broken wrist in his second exhibition game with Landshut on Monday. The injury will force him out of action for two to three months. Last season, Polak had one goal in one game with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga), three assists in 11 games on loan to Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), and two assists in 27 games on loan to Berounsti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1. Liga).
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After 168 regular-season games over four WHL seasons, D Reid Jackson has retired.
“With the number of concussions I've had over my WHL career, my family and I decided it was time to stop,” he told me Thursday night in a lengthy conversation via Facebook.
“I haven't been able to work out at full capacity since last October and my memory isn't as good as it used to be.”

REID JACKSON

Under normal circumstances, Jackson, who is from Weyburn, Sask., and whose father, Les, is the assistant GM of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, would be preparing for his 20-year-old season.
However, Reid is suffering from post-concussion syndrome.
Asked how many concussions he incurred during his WHL career, Jackson replied: “I would say anywhere between five and eight in my four seasons.”
Jackson began his WHL career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, playing 50 games in 2009-10. Early in the 2011-12 season, he was dealt to the Prince George Cougars. On May 3, 2012, the Cougars traded him to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
He played only 12 games with Moose Jaw, shutting it down after an Oct. 24 game against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Jackson said he has tried working in construction but had some “episodes” and now has decided to go to school.
“I did have episodes where I would have to stop and take a break from being light-headed or dizzy,” he said, adding that he “just recently took a few weeks off to recover and decided to get out of a physical labour career and go to school.”
Jackson also had issues with depression, something “my doctor and I believe has stemmed from the injuries.”
While he fights this latest battle, Jackson said he keeps in contact with his agent, Jason Taylor, and that he regularly hears from the Warriors.
The Warriors, he said, call to “see how things are going” and suggesting that if he ever needs anything to let them know.
Interestingly, Jackson and Brent Benson, another WHLer who has had to quit hockey due to post-concussion syndrome, are the best of friends.
“We have been since childhood,” Jackson noted.
As Jackson attempts to resume something of a ‘normal’ lifestyle, he said that he is able to watch TV and to read without experiencing any issues.
“Living an every day lifestyle is pretty normal,” he said, “but there isn't any chance of any more contact sports.”
Jackson was a defenceman who played a gritty game. Now having been forced into retirement, he said one of the keys to dealing with brain injuries rests with players who have been injured.
“I don't think they can be avoided,” he said. “I think the players with concussions need to be more honest with their symptoms so the chances of them getting another are less and they won't suffer the long-term effects.
“I think hockey should stay as a rough sport. I think they just need to teach kids to protect themselves at a young age, rather than punish kids for playing the game the way it is meant to be played.”
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Wade Klippenstein has signed on as the Brandon Wheat Kings’ new director of scouting. He takes over from Al Macpherson, who stepped down as director of player personnel earlier this summer after being with the club since 1986. . . . Klippenstein, 43, was born in Boissevain, which is about six slapshots south of Brandon, and raised in Dauphin, which is that far north of Brandon. He spent the last six seasons with the Prince George Cougars. For the last four seasons, he was assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Klippenstein left the Cougars just before the 2013 bantam draft; neither he nor the Cougars have explained the obvious falling out. . . . Klippenstein also is the head scout for Team Pacific, which will play in the U-17 World Hockey Challenge.
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F Tanner Eberle of the Moose Jaw Warriors will go to camp with the Montreal Canadiens’ prospects, Sept. 5-9. “I was pretty excited,” the undrafted Eberle, 19, told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’ve kind of stuck in the shadows until I got my chance and hopefully I can break out. Getting to go to a camp is a big deal for me and that’s something I’ve wanted to do since I got to the WHL.” . . . Eberle had 36 points in 65 games last season.
Gourlie reports that two other Warriors — D Morgan Rielly (Toronto) and D Travis Brown (Chicago) — also will go to NHL camps.
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Greg Meachem, the sports editor at the Red Deer Advocate, reports that the Red Deer Rebels will have players going to NHL camps — D Mathew Dumba, Minnesota; G Patrik Bartosak, Los Angeles; F Rhyse Dieno, Minnesota; D Kayle Doetzel, Nashville, and F Lukas Sutter, Winnipeg. . . . Dumba, Bartosak and Sutter are NHL draft picks, while Dieno and Doetzel are free-agent invitees.
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F Logan Nelson, 20, of the Victoria Royals will play for the Buffalo Sabres’ prospects in the annual tournament at Traverse City, Mich., Sept. 5-9. Nelson was a fifth-round selection by the Sabres in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . Royals F Ben Walker, 20, also will play in that tournament. He is a free-agent invitee to the Minnesota Wild’s camp. . . . Victoria D Keegan Kanzig, a third-round pick by Calgary in the 2013 draft, will play for the Flames at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, B.C., Sept. 5-9. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Time Colonist also reports that F Steven Hodges was to attend the Florida Panthers’ prospects camp but that he may have to sit this one out because “of an injury that might require minor surgery.” He was a third-round selection by Florida in 2012.
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F Eetu Selanne, 15, will be in camp with the Calgary Hitmen rookies today. Yes, he is Teemu’s son. Eetu was born in Coto de Caza, Calif. . . . F Brayden Cuthbert, 19, who last played in the WHL in 2010-11, is in camp with the Saskatoon Blades. Cuthbert played 39 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2010-11 before his season was ended by a brain injury. He last played on Jan. 22, 2011. Cuthbert didn’t play in 2011-12, and spent last season with the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. . . . G Spencer Tremblay, 19, who got into one game with the Red Deer Rebels last season after playing 20 for the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2011-12, is in camp with the Saskatoon Blades, as is F Daniel Wray, 18, who had one assist in 31 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season. . . .
F Daniel Nachbaur, the son of Spokane Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur, is in camp with the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials. Daniel will turn 18 on Sept. 30. . . . The Centennials opened the BCHL preseason last night with a 2-1 victory over the visiting Salmon Arm SilverBacks. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that F Taylor Vickerman, 17, hasn’t reported to the Vancouver Giants “and scuttlebutt around the league is that the sophomore left winger would prefer a trade closer to his Kennewick, Wash., home.”
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Richard Sandomir of The New York Times has an interesting piece right here.
He writes: “ESPN on Thursday ended its official association with ‘Frontline,’ the public television public affairs series, on a two-part documentary about concussions in the N.F.L. that is scheduled to be televised in October. After 15 months on the venture, ESPN chose to strip its name, logo and credit from the films, ‘League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis.’ ”
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And now for some really good news. . . .
The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to announce today that the legendary Vin Scully will be back calling the play in 2014. Scully, 85, will be calling baseball for a 65th season in 2014.
The Los Angeles Times has more right here.


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I’ve been at this a long time. In fact, I can’t remember the last day when I didn’t post something here.
So I’m taking the weekend off.
Back early next week.
While I’m away, if you haven’t already, pay a visit to two blogs, both of which you will find over there on the right.
Ladies first . . .
We can . . . with love! is the work of Shelley Lowes, who has been fighting cancer and, not unlike the late Howard Cosell, has given us the blow-by-blow. Down goes cancer! Down goes cancer!
It’s A Mental Game is penned by Glen Erickson, a golfer and hockey writer who also is taking on the Big C. He, too, is allowing us to tag along.
Both blogs are more than worth your time.
Not to be overly dramatic, but you should read the latest offerings from Shelley and Glen, and then see if you feel the same way about the NHL lockout.
Seriously. Who cares? They’re negotiating. It’ll be over when it’s over. Wake me then.
In the meantime, I’m with Shelley and Glen. Hopefully, the bandwagon continues to fill up.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) signed a two-year contract extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). The extension runs through the end of the 2014-2015 season. Keil has no points in five games with the Tigers this season and has one assist in one game on loan to Regensburg (Germany, Oberliga) this season.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned G Dawson MacAuley, 18, to the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. . . . MacAuley is the odd-man out after the Tigers acquired G Cam Lanigan, 20, from the Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday. . . . MacAuley was 1-3 with a 3.84 GAA and a .881 save percentage. . . . The Tigers, who are in Edmonton Saturday, now have Lanigan and Czech freshman Marek Langhamer has their goaltenders.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have added David Anning, 27, to their coaching staff. Anning, who had been working as assistant GM/assistant head coach with the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons, will join the Wheat Kings on Sunday as they continue a seven-game road trip. He will work alongside head coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk, fellow assistant coach Darren Ritchie and goaltender coach Brent Zelenewich. . . . Anning was the GM/head coach of the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints before moving to Steinbach. He also spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings and has worked with various Hockey Canada programs.
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The Regina Pats have acquired F Colten Mayor, 19, and D Stephen Hak, 18, from the Red Deer Rebels for two 2015 bantam draft picks -- a fourth-rounder and a conditional sixth-rounder. . . . Mayor has three goals in 11 games this season with the Rebels after putting up 38 points in 52 games last season. He has played 168 WHL games so adds some experience to the Regina lineup. . . . Hak had six points in 55 games last season, but had been assigned to the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons this season. . . . Mayor and Hak were expected to arrive in Regina Thursday night. The Pats are at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight.
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The Swift Current Broncos and Saskatoon Blades have swapped a pair of 19-year-old skaters. F Brent Benson, who is from Weyburn, Sask., is joining the Broncos in exchange for D Graeme Craig, who is from Red Deer. . . . Benson sat out Saskatoon’s 2-1 OT victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans on Wednesday night with what the team said was the flu. He had three assists in 11 games with the Blades this season. Last season, he had 37 points in 72 games. He was the sixth overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Craig had one assist in 11 games with the Broncos this season, after putting up 10 points in 56 games last season. The 64th overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft brings some size to Saskatoon’s back end, at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. . . . Interestingly, the Blades play in Swift Current tonight and both players are expected to play for their new clubs. . . . Having added a defenceman, the Blades assigned D Nelson Nogier, 16, to the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. Nogier, the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier, was a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft.
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The Calgary Hitmen promoted assistant coach Brent Kisio to associate coach. . . . Kisio is in his sixth season with the Hitmen. He joined them in August 2007 as video/assistant coach after spending four seasons at the U of Nebraska-Omaha and graduating with a degree in criminology.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed G Nik Amundrud, who was a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. Amundrud, who turns 15 on Saturday, is from Melfort, Sask. He practised with the Silvertips on Thursday in Saskatoon. He is 2-1, 3.33, .872 in three appearances with the midget AAA Tisdale Trojans this season.
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Former NHLer Mike Busniuk is the interim head coach of the CIS Lakehead Thunderwolves (3-1-0) after Joel Scherban was dismissed on Thursday. Scherban was in his fourth season as the university team’s head coach. The 60-year-old Busniuk, who is from Thunder Bay, which is home to Lakehead U, spent two seasons as an assistant coach on Scherban’s staff. . . . Leith Dunick of tbnewswatch.com reported that “Scherban was let go for what team officials deemed internal issues, problems neither management nor the players would speak when pressed after the news broke.”
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If you like the loser point, this one’s for you.
Robert Tychowski of the Edmonton Sun points out that the Oil Kings “managed just one win in their last five games, but still salvaged five of 10 points in that span thanks (?) to three of those losses coming in overtime or the shootout.”
So if you’re Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal perhaps you are telling your players that things aren’t going so well because you’ve lost four of five.
But if you play for the Oil Kings you reply that you’re still point points in your jeans.
By the way, after Thursday’s game, 15 of the WHL’s 22 teams have a winning percentage of .500 or better.
The Oil Kings, who have lost six of 10 games (5-3-3), are at .591.
Go figure!
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THURSDAY’S STUFF:
G Jordon Cooke, making his 10th start in 11 games, posted the shutout as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Cooke stopped 32 shots for his second shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . Kelowna F Colton Sissons scored the game’s first goal, on a penalty shot, at 12:37 of the first period. . . . The Rockets were shorthanded at the time. . . . Prince George G Mac Engel, in his first start since being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs, stopped 23 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,781. . . . One of the big stories early in this WHL season may be the attendance in Kelowna, considering that franchise automatically drew at least 6,000 fans per game for the longest time. . . . The Cougars now head for Spokane and a Friday date with the Chiefs, who are in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In Victoria, F Alex Gogolev scored twice against his former team as the Royals dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 3-1. . . . Gogolev, who has five goals, scored his second goal into an empty net. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges scored his club’s other goal as he returned from an eight-game absence due to injury. He hadn’t played since Sept. 28. . . . F Zack Jones, whom the Hitmen acquired for Gogolev, scored for Calgary. . . . Victoria was 0-for-5 on the PP, while Calgary didn’t receive even one opportunity with the man advantage.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Marc McNulty, Prince George
F Colton Heffley, Kelowna
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“The Minnesota Department of Health has begun tracking concussions at 42 high schools in an attempt to gauge how the injuries affect students,” writes Alejandra Matos of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Within the first seven weeks, 373 students were diagnosed as having had a concussion. Leslie Seymour, an epidemiologist with the Health Department, said tracking the injuries in fall sports, such as football and volleyball, is only the beginning.”
The complete story is right here.
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The best story I saw yesterday is right here. It has nothing to do with hockey; in fact, it has nothing to do with sports. It's a love story involving a big bull elk and a cow. Seriously! Give it a read; it just might make your day.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From TC sports desk (@tc_vicsports): “60 minutes & not a single PP for @WHLHitmen who suffered a similar fate just 8 months ago in Victoria in a 5-3 win #WHL #strangebuttrue”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Sundsvall (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had two goals and eight assists in 13 games with the Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) this season. . . .
F Brett McLean (Tacoma/Kelowna, Brandon, 1994-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Lugano (Switzerland, NL A). He had seven goals and 14 assists in 36 games for the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) . McLean also played for Canada at this season's Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, where he had one goal in three games. . . .
F Ladislav Kohn (Brandon, Swift Current, 1993-95) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland, NL A). He had five goals and 14 assists in 37 games for Trinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season. . . .
D Justin Kurtz (Brandon, 1993-97) was released by Linz (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had six assists in 33 games for Linz this season. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 1996-2001) was released by the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 10 goals and 17 assists in 38 games for the Capitals this season. . . .
F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) signed a one-year contract extension with the Straubing Tigers, (Germany, DEL). He has one goal and five assists in 32 games for Straubing and one goal and one assist in two games on loan to Regensburg (Germany, Oberliga) this season. Keil also played for the German national team at the Division 1 world junior championship in December. He had two goals and five assists in five games. . . .
F Rhett Gordon (Regina, 1992-96) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). He had one goal and four assists in t0 games with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL) this season.
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In the BCHL on Sunday, the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 25 games with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings. The Vees broke a 1-1 tie with two third-period goals. . . . The Vees next play Wednesday when they visit the Merritt Centennials.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Chase Clayton scored twice to help the Hitmen to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Clayton scored the game’s first two goals, one shorthanded and the other on the PP. He has 10 goals this season. . . . D Mathew Dumba got the Rebels to within one 40 seconds into the third, but F Jimmy Bubnick answered, with his 21st, less than six minutes later. . . . Bubnick has 21 goals. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 41 shots. . . . Calgary has won 10 of its last 11 games. . . . The Hitmen are seventh in the Eastern Conference, one point out of sixth and just three out of third. . . . The Rebels are ninth, four points out of eighth. . . .

In Vancouver, F Marek Tvrdon’s third-period goal stood up as the winner as the Giants beat the Seattle Thunderbird, 3-2. . . . Tvrdon’s 18th goal, on the PP, came at 10:47 of the third and gave the home side a 3-1 lead. . . . Seattle F Chance Lund got his second of the game and 12th of the season, on the PP, at 17:12. . . . The Giants outshot the visitors 14-0 in the first period. . . . The victory lifted Vancouver to within four points of the third-place Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference. . . . Seattle is seventh, a point ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . Tvrdon is riding an eight-game point streak during which time he has 14 points. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard made 42 saves, and the last one gave him the WHL record for most career saves. He now has stopped 9,659 pucks, one more than the previous record that was held by Danny Lorenz (Seattle, 1986-90). . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee, a 15-year-old from Cranbrook, stopped 24 shots for his second victory in three nights. . . . The Giants continue to be without F Brendan Gallagher (shoulder), F Dalton Sward (shoulder), D David Musil (wrist) and G Adam Morrison (concussion). The Giants are headed into Alberta for three games, and Gallagher, Morrison and Musil apparently are to make the trip. . . . Pickard has appeared in 217 regular-season games, averaging 32 saves per 60 minutes. . . . Last night, Pickard also set a franchise record for most career minutes played by a goaltender (12,639). That is five minutes more than Lorenz played for Seattle. . . . Pickard is third in the WHL record book, behind Kurtis Mucha (13,708) and Kyle Moir (12,774). Mucha played for Portland and Kamloops (2005-10) and Moir played for Swift Current (2002-07). . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs completed a doubleheader sweep of Portland, beating the Winterhawks, 6-1. . . . Spokane, which is 8-1-1 in its last 10, had won 5-2 at home on Saturday night. . . . F Mitch Holmberg, with two goals and an assist, and F Mike Aviani, with two goals, led the Spokane offence. Holmberg has 19 goals; Aviani has nine. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first five goals. . . . Chiefs F Dominik Uher continued his impressive play with three assists. . . . Spokane F Darren Kramer had two assists for the second straight game. He also got tossed for his part in a late second-period dustup. . . . The Chiefs took 61 of the game’s 114 penalty minutes. . . . Spokane won three games on the weekend, all over the two teams ahead of it in the U.S. Division. The Chiefs began the weekend with a victory over the host Tri-City Americans on Friday. . . . The Chiefs remain fifth in the Western Conference, three points behind Vancouver and 11 ahead of the Kelowna Rockets.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
It comes courtesy of KingMaxymus23 (aka Tyler Maxwell of the Edmonton Oil Kings: “Why do I try to do so many things in between the time I start a microwave to the time it goes off?”
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Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times offers up his take on the situation involving F Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins, who continues his recovery from post-concussion syndrome.
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Your good read today comes from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Matty’s Hockey World is right here.
 
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