KABOOM! Dynamiters into final with Storm . . . Bast seeing results . . . Religion in the dressing room

With apologies to Blackie Sherrod, we’re scattershooting:

1. The NHL is almost certain to use some form of 3-on-3 play in overtime next season. So you know that the WHL will follow suit. That might mean OT could last seven minutes if a goal isn’t scored.

2. The Cyclone Taylor Cup, the B.C. junior B championship tournament that is being held in Mission this weekend, gives three points for a regulation-time victory, two for an overtime victory and one for an OT loss. If a game goes into a second OT, they go to 3-on-3 and a minor penalty results in a penalty shot. Hmmmm . . .

3. If you watched any NHL on the weekend, you likely noticed that the on-ice officials are in playoff mode. Yes, they are letting the players decide things, and you can decide if that’s a good thing.

4. It’s kind of late in the season, but the Vancouver Canucks are going to need help in the faceoff circles if they are to get through the first round of the playoffs. Henrik Sedin and Linden Vey are liabilities in that area of the game, and having two centres in that boat in the playoffs will be too much to overcome.

5. It will be really interesting to watch things in Medicine Hat next season. The Tigers will move from the 4,006-seat Arena to the 7,000-seat Regional Event Centre, meaning the demand for tickets will change. How will the Tigers handle that?

6. The Kamloops Blazers underwent an ownership change after the 2006-07 season. In the eight seasons before then, the Blazers were 282-234-13, with 37 ties. In the eight seasons since then, the Blazers are 252-274-45. The Blazers missed the playoffs this season and last, the first time in franchise history that they have been on the outside looking in for consecutive seasons. . . . Under community ownership, the Blazers made the playoffs in seven of those eight seasons, losing out in the first round each time. Under private ownership, the Blazers have been in the playoffs in five of eight seasons — losing in the first round three times, the second round once and the conference final once.

7. In the last eight seasons, the Kelowna Rockets, who are the gold standard in B.C., are 356-177-43. In six of those eight seasons, the Rockets have reached at least the second round of the playoffs. . . . The Portland Winterhawks, over that same time span, are 327-217-32. Keep in mind that in the first two of those eight seasons, they won a total of 30 games. In the playoffs, the Winterhawks have made six straight appearances, getting to four straight WHL finals and winning once.

8. Those numbers really show how far a franchise has to go to get back to the top level once it falls off the pace.

9. If you are like me, you saw the announcement Saturday afternoon about Doug Ford joining the Hockey Hall of Fame board of directors and you thought it was still April 1.

10. When Ford is through with the HHoF, he’ll be taking over as the NHL commissioner.

11. If you are one who complains about the officiating in the WHL, I hope you saw the mess that was the Wisconsin-Kentucky basketball game on Saturday night.

12. Isn’t it interesting that Shaw TV didn’t show one game out of Cranbrook in the first round of the WHL playoffs, while showing all four games out of Calgary? Might that have had something to do with concern over attendance in Cranbrook? . . . The Hitmen and Ice will play Game 7 tonight in Calgary and, yes, it’s on Shaw. . . . BTW, there isn’t any word on Shaw’s plans for the second round but were I betting man I might put a few bob on the Kelowna-Victoria series seeing some TV time.
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The Kootenay Ice are in Calgary to meet the Hitmen tonight in the first Game 7 of these WHL playoffs. A year ago, the Ice upset the Hitmen in six games. . . . Laurence Heinen of the Calgary Herald sets the stage right here.
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The move to resurrect the Kamloops-Thompson Rivers University hockey program continues to move forward. Trevor Bast, who is heading up the project, had some positive news on Sunday, after I wrote about it right here: “As a result of your article, I received an email from an individual who offered to put up 10K if another 10K is raised first. It appears momentum is growing.” . . . If you are interested in getting involved, don’t forget that the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League has told Bast that he is looking at a May 3 deadline. . . . You are able to email him at trevorbast@gmail.com.
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KABOOM! The Kimberley Dynamiters will play for the Cyclone Taylor Cup this afternoon against the Campbell River Storm. The Nitros reached the final with a 5-4 double OT victory over the North Vancouver Wolf Pack on Sunday afternoon; the Storm beat the host Misson Outlaws 3-2 last night. . . . The winning goal came six seconds into the second extra period, with the teams playing 3-on-3. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . The winner of the Cyclone Taylor Cup advances to the Keystone Cup, the Western Canadian junior B championship, which this season will be held in Cold Lake, Alta., with the Cold Lake Ice as the host team. Former WHL G Bolton Pouliot (Red Deer, Kamloops, Portland, 2010-15) is on the Ice’s roster. Pouliot, 20, signed with the Ice on Feb. 10 and joined the team in time for it to win its fifth straight North East Alberta Junior B League championship. He played all six games of the final, going 4-2, 2.79, .925.
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The Kelowna Rockets will meet the Victoria Royals in the second round of the WHL playoffs. That series will open Friday in Kelowna. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Couriers previews that series right here. Just don’t be looking for any update on injured players. After all, this is the playoffs.
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Now that the Red Deer Rebels have been eliminated from the playoffs, D Colton Bobyk will have knee surgery. Bobyk “gave us everything he could,” GM/head coach Brent Sutter told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate, “but unfortunately he’s been playing injured the whole year. Now he’ll get done what needs to get done and hopefully he’ll come back and be at the level he wants to be at and where we need him to be at next season.” . . . Bobyk, who turned 19 on March 16, is expected to be ready for training camp in August. A native of Rimbey, Alta., he was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs earlier this season. The Chiefs selected him in the 10th round of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Meachem’s season-ending story is right here.
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Here’s Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe: “While spirituality is on display in other professional sports — with pitchers’ fingers pointing skyward, tattooed crosses adorning NBA arms, words of divine praise in postgame sideline interviews — that’s not the case in hockey. In the NHL, religion is mostly omitted from the conversation, God left unsaid.” . . . Religion, like mental health, is rarely talked about in the macho world of hockey, and that really is too bad because the time has come when both should be in the conversation. . . . Benjamin’s story is right here.
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Major League Baseball has a problem — the offence stinks. Here’s Tyler Kepner in The New York Times: “The numbers are staggering. Last season, major league teams scored roughly 5,000 fewer runs, and hit roughly 1,500 fewer homers, than they did in 2000 — statistically, the height of the steroid era. The average team scored 4.07 runs per game last season, down from 5.14 in 2000. And pitchers pumped in about 6,000 more strikeouts last season than they did in 2000.” . . . What to do about it? Kepner examines the issue right here.
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Apparently @pdxwinterhawks @SeattleTbirds @chiefshockey @whlsilvertips need not finish their respective series… pic.twitter.com/89N4WrtnsH
— Terry Massey (@TerryMassey) April 5, 2015

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Rebels drop an import . . . Wardley gets five . . . More on McDavid

F Alessio Bertaggia (Brandon, Spokane, 2011-13) was traded with Calle Andersson by Zug to Lugano (both Switzerland, NL A) for Dominik Schlumpf and Sandro Zangger. This season, with Zug, Bertaggia had one assist in 18 games. He grew up in Lugano and played his minor hockey there.
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THE RIGHT HAND:

It being almost that time of the year, I spent a few hours wandering the hallways of the Orchard Park Mall in Kelowna on Wednesday afternoon. Yes, Christmas carols were in the air, Remembrance Day having been over for -- what? -- 12 hours or so.
You may find it hard to believe, but not once did I hear Connor McDavid's name spoken, not even under someone's breath. Mind you, I didn't stroll into Jersey City.
The OHL's Erie Otters revealed Wednesday that McDavid has a broken bone in his right hand that could keep him out of action for six weeks, give or take a few days. That would seem to indicate that he won't be available for the Canadian junior team's selection camp that will precede the 2015 World Junior Championship that is scheduled to open on Dec. 26 in Toronto and Montreal.
Still, unless McDavid is a slow healer, you can bet Hockey Canada will keep a roster spot open for him.
McDavid, of course, was injured on Tuesday night when he inadvertently punched the boards or glass during a fight, the first of his OHL career that involved actual fisticuffs. He is a scorer, not a fighter and now has proved it.
It should come as no surprise that the debate -- to fight, or not to fight -- has raged on since word of McDavid's decision to fight lit up the world of social media.
But, really, there is no debate. To fight or not to fight is no longer the question. Fighting is on the way out of the game hockey; there can be no doubting that.
The fourth-line enforcer has all but disappeared from the NHL and is a thing of the past in major junior hockey. I can't think of coach at the junior level and above who, given his druthers, doesn't want to play a four-line game.
And there isn't a coach out there who wants his best player to be fighting for fear of the same thing happening that happened to McDavid. An injury like that to such a player could be the difference between making the playoffs and going golfing for some teams. It could be the difference between coaching and having to find a real job for some men.
As TSN's Craig Button, a former NHL general manager, writes right here, "McDavid should not be fighting, ever."
"The argument that he is standing up for himself doesn't hold when you consider the impact he has in the game," Button writes. "That impact is lost when he isn't available whether it is for five minutes or for weeks if he suffers an injury."
If McDavid isn't able to play for Canada in the WJC, the impact of his hand meeting the wall could be incalculable.
After all, as Button points out, Team Canada may be without Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, Jonathan Drouin, Anthony Duclair, Bo Horvat, Curtis Lazar and Nate McKinnon, all of whom are eligible but with NHL teams. Add McDavid to that list and the news could be devastating for Team Canada.
However, there still is time for McDavid to recover and, with all the various forms of therapy available, you have to think the chances are good that he'll be there for the opening faceoff come Boxing Day.
You can bet that McDavid's absence will be noted tonight when Sportsnet televises Game 3 of the Super Series, this one from Peterborough, Ont. It was be noted again Friday when Sportsnet shows a game that features the McDavid-less Otters agains the Niagara IceDogs.
Meanwhile, the fighting debate will rage on.
Unfortunately, many of those who take part in that debate are missing the point. The disappearance of fighting from hockey hasn't anything to do with an anti-fighting stance taken by writers who never played the game.
Rather, it is disappearing because neurologists and others who are researching brain injuries have discovered the painful toll that athletes (and others) who have suffered such injuries can end up paying, some of them immediately and others later in life. It is disappearing because lawyers are filing lawsuits and more are surely to come.
I dare you to read Tough Guy, the biography of the late Bob Probert, or Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard, by John Branch of The New York Times, and then make the argument that there is room in the game for fighting.
Without fighting, the onus will be on the leagues and their referees to make sure that the rules are enforced, especially when it comes to the superstar players. You don't see the best players in the NBA getting mugged on a nightly basis, if for no other reason than it realizes which players are its meal tickets.
BTW, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had two fights this season. Two!
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The Red Deer Rebels have added D Austin Shmoorkoff, 17, to their roster. Shmoorkoff, from Edmonton, had been with the AJHL's Calgary Canucks, joining them after a sting with the Okotoks Oilers. In 10 AJHL games, he had four assists and 33 penalty minutes. . . . Last season, he played with the midget AAA Edmonton-Canadian Athletic Club, and also got into six games with the Rebels. . . . Shmoorkoff fills a roster spot created when the Rebels waived Latvian D Hugo Jansons, 17, who was Red Deer's first pick in the CHL's 2014 import draft. Jansons suffered an undisclosed injury early in the season and never did get into a game with the Rebels. He may end up playing in the USHL. . . . “It’s a situation where he came in and had a real tough camp,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels' owner, general manager and head coach, told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “To be quite honest, we were certainly expecting more after listening to his agent and other people (scouts) over there. That’s just the way it works sometimes, that there’s a misconception regarding the level of play in the CHL."---
D Evan Wardley of the Seattle Thunderbirds now has been suspended six times for a total of 21 games over the past two-plus seasons. . . . His latest suspension was handed down Wednesday, this one for five games after he took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct during a game against the host Saskatoon Blades on Saturday. . . . On that night, he was playing in his fourth game since serving a seven-game suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in an Oct. 11 game in Portland. . . . Last season, he drew a four-game sentence for a charging major against Portland on Nov. 1 and a two-game suspension for a boarding major against Kamloops on Dec. 31. . . . In 2012-13, he sat out one game after picking up his third game misconduct on Jan. 5 against Spokane and two games after collecting his fourth game misconduct of the season against Everett on March 9.
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Having played two games for Team WHL against a Russian side in the Subway Super Series, F Greg Chase has returned home to await a trade. The Calgary Hitmen are working to do just that. Whether that happens, or when it happens, apparently won't have anything to do with Chase's Team Canada fortunes. "We had Greg at our summer camp and I've got a real good feeling for Greg watching him play a lot with the Hitmen," Hockey Canada head scout Ryan Jankowski old Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. "I'm comfortable knowing what I know right now." . . . Chase was a healthy scratch from a game in Saskatoon on Nov. 3. He left the Hitmen and now is awaiting a trade. . . . He didn't hurt his cause with two solid performances with team WHL. . . .
G Bolton Pouliot, 20, who has had stints with the Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks already this season, now is with the AJHL's Calgary Canucks. Pouliot, who is from Calgary, was released by the Winterhawks last week. . . .
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province hits the nail squarely on its head right here, as he writes that young hockey players, like G Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans, are being asked to play far too much hockey.
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WEDNESDAY'S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, the Regina Pats erased a 1-0 deficit with eight straight goals, six of them in the second period, as they beat the Raiders, 8-3. . . . F Pavel Padakin led the Pats with two goals, giving him five, and two assists. . . . Pats F Austin Wagner added his fifth goal and two assists. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 41 shots. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored his fifth goal to give his side a 2-1 lead at 15:49 of the first period. The goal came while the Pats were shorthanded; it was the only special teams goal in the game. . . . The Raiders have lost three in a row. . . .

In Moose Jaw, G Justin Paulic turned aside 31 shots to lead the Warriors to a 6-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . With G Zach Sawchenko out with an undisclosd injury, Paulic was backed up by Brody Wilms, an eighth-round pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft. Wilms, from Coquitlam, B.C., plays at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. . . . Paulic, 19, went 12-29-8 last season with Moose Jaw, but Sawchenko grabbed the starting job this season. As a result, Paulic won his first game of the season last night and now is 1-4-1. . . . After Seattle scored the game's first goal, the Warriors took control with four goals in a row. . . . D Tyler Brown was back in Moose Jaw's lineup after sitting out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Thunderbirds were without F Mathew Barzal, who has been on crutches due to an undisclosed injury. I didn't see the game on Shaw-TV last night, but there were reports that the telecast crew reporting Barzal could be out for two months. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here.

In Vancouver, F Carter Popoff scored twice in 36 seconds and the Giants went on to a 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Popoff's goals, at 15:04 and 15:40 of the second period, gave the Giants a 3-0 lead. He's got 10 goals. . . . Vancouver F Johnny Wesley, added to the lineup from the BCHL's Surrey Eagles, scored 10 seconds into the first period. . . . Interestingly, each of Vancouver's goals included just one assist. . . . Among Tri-City's scratches was F Richard Nejezchelb. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter stopped 19 shots, 18 fewer than Tri-City's Evan Sarthou.
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I fought two times last week and nobody said anything.
— Conner Bleackley (@Bleacks9) November 12, 2014

Did Blazers give away goaltender? . . . Another Sutter in the NHL (that's nine!)

The Kamloops Blazers sent (gave?) G Bolton Pouliot, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks on Thursday.
Neither team made mention in news releases of anything going to the Blazers in the exchange. Pouliot wasn’t made available to the WHL’s other teams in Wednesday’s 20-year-old waiver draft, where the claiming fee was $1,000.
It would seem, then, that Kamloops gave Pouliot to Portland for very little, if anything, appearing only to want to clear a spot for an incoming 20-year-old player.
Pouliot, who was acquired by Kamloops from the Red Deer Rebels last season, went 12-32-2 with the Blazers. The Rebels got a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft for Pouliot.
Unless there is another deal in the works, the Blazers will go on with two young goaltenders with little in the way of WHL experience.
Cole Kehler, who turns 17 on Dec. 17, went the distance in a 6-4 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night. With Ingram on the bench, Pouliot was a healthy scratch.
In four appearances this season, Kehler, who is from Altona, Man., is 2-1-1/2.99/.906. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
Kehler spent most of last season at Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C., but did get into 11 games with Kamloops, going 1-4-0/5.16/.857.
Connor Ingram, a 17-year-old from Imperial, Sask., has gotten into two games and is 0-1-0/4.40/.884. Ingram, a non-drafted list player, spent last season with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos and helped them win the TELUS Cup. He made 60 saves in the championship game, as the Mintos beat the Grenadiers de Chateauguay, 4-3, in triple OT in Moose Jaw.
Moving Pouliot leaves Kamloops with two 20-year-olds -- F Mike Winther and D Brady Gaudet -- on its active roster, so chances are there will be a roster addition made soon. The Blazers also hold the rights to 20-year-old F Chase Souto, but he is at home in California dealing with post-concussion syndrome and his career may well be over.
The Blazers (6-4-1) meet the Giants in Vancouver tonight.
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The Winterhawks, who open an East Division swing in Moose Jaw tonight, have been riding Brendan Burke, 19, who is in his fourth season in Portland. . . . In seven games this season, Burke is 1-4-2/4.35/.865. Last season, he finished 34-10-4/2,75/.911. . . . Backup Adin Hill, an 18-year-old from Calgary, has gotten into four games, going 0-2-0/4.08/.899. . . . Pouliot’s arrival leaves the Winterhawks with three 20-year-olds as he joins F Miles Koules and D Josh Hanson. . . . Pouliot, from Calgary, is a cousin to former Portland D Derrick Pouliot. In 91 career regular-season games, Bolton is 20-49-6/3.56/.895.
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As a rule, I don’t pay much attention to the naming of rosters for events like the Top Prospects Game or the Subway Super Series.
Why not? Mostly because it’s not worth getting all worked up about these things because those charged with picking these teams can’t win.
A WHL team will play a touring Russian side in Saskatoon on Nov. 10 and in Brandon on Nov. 11. The WHL chose to name most of its roster yesterday -- two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 10 forwards -- but added the provisions that the roster “is subject to change” and “two additional players will be added.”
Not included in those 10 forwards are Cole Sanford of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Cole Ully of the Kamloops Blazers, both of whom are worthy of being on this roster.
On the morning that the roster was revealed, Sanford, a 19-year-old from Vernon, B.C., was leading the WHL in points, with 19 in nine games.
Ully, a 19-year-old from Calgary, has to be the WHL’s most under-rated and unknown player. He has 16 points, including eight goals, in 11 games.
Of the 10 forwards selected, three are injured -- Morgan Klimchuk of the Regina Pats, John Quenneville of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen. Klimchuk (wrist) and Virtanen (shoulder) have yet to play this season.
Virtanen, taken sixth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 NHL draft, was cleared for contact yesterday; the Hitmen hope to have him back in their lineup on Oct. 24 when they are scheduled to meet the host Kootenay Ice.
And let’s not forget about F Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice, who is getting fourth-line ice time with the Buffalo Sabres, and F Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who remains with the Ottawa Senators. It appears that Reinhart may well end up back in Cranbrook. Lazar, meanwhile, is having a positive impact Ottawa so may be there for the long term.
If either of them is returned to the WHL, you can bet room will be found for them on the Super Series team.
But when players like Sanford and Ully are on the outside looking in when something like this comes along, it makes one wonder if it isn’t time for the WHL to go back to holding an annual all-star game, with the Eastern Conference facing the Western Conference.
It could rotate among the home arenas of the five American franchises. After all, the U.S. Division teams don’t seem to be eligible to play host to the Super Series games, the Top Prospects Game or the Memorial Cup.
So why not give them something of a carrot, and reward some players at the same time?
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Dave Lowry of the Victoria Royals, the reigning WHL coach of the year, has been named head coach of the WHL team in the Super Series.
Lowry, in his third season with the Royals, also will be an assistant coach on the Canadian junior team that will play in the 2015 World Junior Championship.
Kelly McCrimmon, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, will work as Lowry’s assistant during the two Super Series games.
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The Vancouver Giants got down to two goaltenders on Thursday when they released Ryan Kubic, 16, who will join the NAHL’s Brookings Blizzard. . . . Kubic, from St. Andrews, Man., got into one game with the Giants. He was a second-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . The move leaves the Giants with Payton Lee, 18, and Cody Porter, 17, as their goaltenders.
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Junior hockey lost a team this week. The Fort Vancouver Vipers, who played in the pay-to-play Northern Pacific Junior Hockey League, closed their doors on Tuesday. The Vipers had lost 77 straight games and were running out of players when the end came. . . . Paul Danzer of The Columbian has the story right here.
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Ernie Rucks, who played on the Penticton Vees when they won the 1955 World championship, has died. Rucks was 84 when he died in Redmond, Ore., on Oct. 2. There now are only five surviving members of that Penticton team. Ivan McLelland, the goaltender on that Vees team, has a tribute right here. . . . The Bend, Ore., bulletin has an obituary right here.
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Tim Speltz, the general manager of the Spokane Chiefs, has clarified one thing about that incident from a week ago that involved some of the team’s scratched players making inappropriate comments during the national anthem prior to a game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . As Chris Derrick wrote in the Spokane Spokesman-Review, Speltz said “the players were shouting encouragement to teammates at an inappropriate time, but he said it was inaccurate that the words were aimed at the (anthem) singer.” . . .
Two KHL teams made coaching changes on Thursday. Amur Khabarovsk dumped Yuri Leonov and Vitali Karamnova and replaced them with Jukka Rautakorpi, a former head coach at Tappara in Finland, and Alexander Barkov . . . As well, Neftekhimik, with a 4-11 record, fired head coach Kari Heikkila. Rafik Yakubov, the general manager, is the new head coach. . . .
F Colton McCarthy, 18, has left the Prince Albert Raiders and returned to his home in Salmon Arm, B.C. He was pointless in eight games with the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert had acquired him from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He had 17 points, eight of them goals, in 102 games over two seasons with the Warriors. . . .
Mark Divver, who covers hockey at the Providence, R.I., Journal, tweeted Thursday: “'97 C Auston Matthews of NTDP tells me he's 50/50 on college vs. WHL. Says he's talking to BC, BU, Denver, Michigan.” . . . The 17-year-old Matthews, from Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-round pick by the Everett Silvertips in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . He is considered a top-end talent and a potential early selection in the NHL‘s 2016 draft. Last season, he split 64 games between the U.S. National Team Development Program in the USHL (20 games), the U.S. U17 team (24) and the U.S. U18 team (20). In all, he had 70 points, including 34 goals. . . .
F Brody Sutter, 23, is the ninth member of the Sutter family to play in the NHL. Brody (Saskatoon, Lethbridge, 2008-12) made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. He played 5:50 in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Rangers in New York. Brody is the son of Duane Sutter, who scored twice in his first NHL game with the New York Islanders on Nov. 30, 1979.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that F Ryan Graham, 18, is expected to play his first game of this regular season tonight against the visiting Red Deer Rebels. Graham, who had a strong finish to last season, has been out with mononucleosis. . . . Saskatoon F Brett Stovin, the team captain, is scheduled to play his 200th regular-season game tonight.

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Well technically the fans wanted Pouliot in Portland, so there you go. Can't make everyone happy. I still want Reid Gow!
— Fake Jamie Kompon (@FakeJKompon) October 16, 2014

Blazers dealing with injuries

By MARK HUNTER

Daily News Sports Reporter

Having avoided the bug for much of the WHL season, the Kamloops Blazers find themselves dealing with a few injuries.
Forward Aspen Sterzer, who sat out Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna, missed practice Monday and Tuesday with what the team is calling a “lower body” injury. He was on the sidelines alongside goaltender Bolton Pouliot, who injured his right hand in practice last week and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Pouliot definitely won’t be suiting up this weekend when the Blazers take on the Kootenay Ice on Friday and the Everett Silvertips on Saturday, both at Interior Savings Centre. Sterzer’s status is up in the air.
“It’s day to day. We’ll see where he’s at,” Blazers head coach Dave Hunchak said after practice Tuesday. “It’s hard to say at this point. (Athletic trainer Colin Robinson) makes the decision as to who can go and who can’t, and he decided that Aspen needed the extra day (Tuesday).”
Cole Ully, who leads the Blazers with 28 points in 26 games, wore a yellow “no contact” jersey at Tuesday’s practice, but Hunchak said it was “precautionary” and Ully should be fine for the weekend.
The Blazers have played 28 games this season, nearly half of the regular season, but really haven’t had to deal with many injuries. Heading into last weekend, Kamloops had only lost four man-games due to injury, all in one-game stretches.
But things have become more challenging lately, with Jordan Thomson leaving the team for personal reasons last month, tightening the Blazers’ defensive ranks to six, and Sterzer and Pouliot missing games on the weekend.
“I think (Robinson) has done a tremendous job with keeping our guys healthy,” Hunchak said. “There’s no question we’ve had our bumps and bruises, but he’s done a great job of keeping the guys going. To the guys’ credit, they’ve worked through some things.
“To have a full lineup for the most part has been a luxury.”
Sterzer, 19, is having a career season, with 20 points, 12 of them goals, through 27 games. He also is plus-2, the second best rating on the Blazers.
The Blazers have two extra forwards, so there are warm bodies to replace Sterzer, if he remains out of the lineup. The Blazers don’t have such a luxury with goalies, so they called in Cole Kehler of Altona, Man., to replace Pouliot.
Kehler, who turns 16 on Dec. 17, is to remain with the team until Pouliot’s return — expected after Christmas — before heading back to Penticton’s Okanagan Hockey Academy.
Taran Kozun has been excellent in two starts since Pouliot’s injury, despite the losses. Even then, Hunchak said after Friday’s 3-2 home loss that Kehler wouldn’t be around simply as a backup, and that he could expect to earn some playing time. That might happen as soon as the weekend.
“We’ll look at that closer to the weekend,” Hunchak said Tuesday. “There’s the potential for (a start) and we want him to be ready at all times.”
JUST NOTES: Friday’s and Saturday’s games are scheduled for 7 p.m. . . . Saturday’s game will be the annual teddy bear toss. . . . Kamloops has lost 10 straight games and now is 6-18-4 and last in the Western Conference. . . . Kootenay (15-12-2) lost 3-0 to the host Victoria Royals last night and now is sixth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Silvertips lost 6-3 to the visiting Portland Winterhawks last night. Everett (20-5-4) fell to second in the Western Conference.

mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

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Some comeback by Raiders!

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Ian White (Swift Current, 2000-04) signed for the rest of this season with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A). Last season, he had four points, including two goals, in 25 games with the Detroit Red Wings (NHL). . . .


F Konstantin Pushkarev (Calgary, 2004-05) was reassigned to Nomad Astana (Kazakhstan, Kazakh Vysshaya Liga) by Barys Astana (KHL). This season, with Barys, he had one assist in two games. Earlier with Nomad, he had three points, including one goal, in 13 games.
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Connie Broden, the only person in history to have won a world hockey championship and a Stanley Cup title in the same season, has died. He left us a week ago at the age of 81. . . . As Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette notes, Broden “played just six regular-season games with the Canadiens, three in 1955-56 and three more in 1957-58. Broden appeared in seven more playoff games, six in 1956-57, one more the following season. . . . a player’s stats are not inscribed with his name on the Stanley Cup, where Connell Broden is twice engraved on the genuine trophy, Connie Broden appearing twice on the replica.” . . . Broden was so much more than a hockey player, though. He later became Quebec’s brewmaster for Molson’s, a company with which he spent 32 years. He ended up as the president of Molson’s Alberta. . . . Later, he scouted for the Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. . . . Stubbs’ complete story is right here.
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G Bolton Pouliot, 19, of the Kamloops Blazers suffered an injury to his right hand in practice on Thursday afternoon and, according to the team, “is expected to be out . . . until after the Christmas break.” . . . As a result, the Blazers have brought in G Cole Kehler, 15, from the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. Kehler, who turns 16 on Dec. 17, is from Altona, Man. He was a sixth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is 12-1-0, 2.22 with OHA’s midget prep team. . . . Kehler is expected to stay with the Blazers until Pouliot returns. . . . If Kehler stays with the Blazers through December, he will be on their roster during their East Division swing that takes them up to the Christmas break.
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The Victoria Royals have signed F Keith Anderson, 16, who is from Hermiston, Ore., and is playing for the Compete Hockey Academy in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League. The 6-foot-4, 208-pounder has 23 points, including 13 goals, in 13 games. He was selected by the Royals in the sixth round of the 2012 bantam draft. Anderson played last season with the Arizona Bobcats, a Tier 1 U16 team that won the state championship. . . . One of the Black Friday’s related headlines that I saw yesterday went like this — The Worst of Black Friday: Guns, Knives and Brawls. . . . Gee, do you think Black Friday has jumped the shark? . . . G Curtis Honey of the Brandon Wheat Kings has returned to practice and should be back in the lineup soon. He has been out for almost a month. Once he returns, Brandon will have three goaltenders on its roster, the other two being Jordan Papirny, who has been the starter in Honey’s absence, and Christopher Tai, who was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier this month. . . . After Friday’s games, 17 of the WHL’s 22 teams were sporting at least a .500 winning percentage. . . . Is it time to quit with the anthems before sporting events? Just asking. . . .
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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS:
In Spokane, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored three times to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 6-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Bjorkstrand has 21 goals. . . . It was Portland’s fifth straight victory over Spokane this season. Overall, the Winterhawks have taken 13 in a row from Spokane. . . . F Paul Bittner had three assists for Portland. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL in goals (30) and points (64), had his third three-goal game this season. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had two assists, giving him a WHL-leading 40. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Brandon Wheat Kings erased a 2-0 deficit with five straight second-period goals and went to an 8-4 victory over the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw, down 5-2 late in the second, got to within 5-4, only to have Brandon score the game’s last three goals. . . . F John Quenneville had two goals and three assists for Brandon, while F Jayce Hawryluk added two goals and two assists. . . . Hawryluk has 18 points in 12 games this month, including three four-point outings. . . . Brandon was 4-for-8 on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Eberle departed at 18:33 of the second with a headshot major. . . . F Scott Cooke, who had been out all season with a broken bone in his right leg, played his first game for the Warriors. He was acquired earlier this month from the Vancouver Giants. . . .

In Regina, the Prince Albert Raiders gave up the game’s first five goals — they trailed 5-0 as late as 7:00 of the second period — before beating the Pats, 7-6 in OT. . . . The Raiders trailed 6-2 going into the third period. F Leon Draisaitl tied the score at 13:21 and won it at 1:37 of OT while on a PP. . . . He’s got 13 goals this season. . . . D Josh Morrissey scored his 12th goal and added three assists for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone, who went into the game with one goal in 66 games, scored twice. . . . F Boston Leier scored twice for Regina, giving him 17. . . . Regina G Dawson MacAuley stopped 46 shots. . . . Prior to the game, Phil Andrews, the radio voice of the Pats, tweeted: “No Morgan Klimchuk for the Pats tonight. Left halfway through the 3rd (Thursday) night in Super Series. No confirmation on if it's an injury.” . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Victoria Royals scored the game’s first three goals, all via the PP, and went on to beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . Victoria, which has won five in a row, was 3-for-4 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-4. . . . F Logan Nelson drew two assists for Victoria, which got 33 saves from G Patrik Polivka, who now has been the first star in five straight games. . . . F Axel Blomqvist scored his first goal in three games since the Royals acquired him from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He’s got four points in those three games. . . . The Americans had F Taylor Vickerman, who is from Kennewick, in their lineup for the first time since he suffered an undisclosed injury on Sept. 24 in a game against the host Portland Winterhawks. He ended up missing 25 games. . . . The Americans are without D Mitch Topping (broken arm) and D Wil Tomchuk (broken wrist, surgery next week). . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald reports that Tomchuk and Topping aren’t expected back before at least late January. . . . The Royals were without head coach Dave Lowry, who was in Vancouver to attend his daughter Sarah’s graduation from UBC. She now has a master’s in kinesiology. . . . In Lowry’s absence, veteran assistant coach Enio Sacilotto was in charge. . . . Lowry is expected back in time to work the bench tonight in Kent, Wash., against the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Royals (18-10-1) are one point behind the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets (18-3-2), who hold six games in hand. . . .

In Swift Current, G Chris Driedger turned aside 37 shots to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . F Brady Brassart broke a 1-1 tie with his ninth goal of the season, on the PP, at 10:18 of the third. . . . D Stephen Shmoorkoff, acquired by the Broncos from the Edmonton Oil Kings on Thursday, didn’t play. The Broncos also were without F Graham Black and F Coda Gordon, their two leading scorers. . . . Broncos F Dakota Odgers, 17, played his first game after being out all season with a shoulder injury. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Edmonton Oil Kings held a 45-16 edge in shots and scored the last two goals to beat the Hurricanes, 2-1. . . . F Mitch Moroz tied the score at 13:47 of the third and F Curtis Lazar won it at 16:02. . . . Moroz has 17 goals; Lazar has 16. . . . F Riley Sheen had given Lethbridge a 1-0 lead with a PP goal, his fifth, at 11:14 of the third. . . . Lethbridge G Corbin Boes stopped 43 shots. . . . D Aaron Irving had two assists for Edmonton. The 17-year-old freshman from Edmonton has 20 points, including 15 helpers, in 25 games. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Wyatt Johnson’s fourth goal of the season, at 11:51 of the second, gave the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 37 shots. He stopped Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox on a second-period penalty shot. . . . F Curtis Valk scored for Medicine Hat at 10:54 of the first. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser, playing his first game this season, tied it at 18:13 with his second goal in 41 regular-season games. . . .

In Kamloops, F Tyson Baillie broke a 2-2 tie at 17:20 of the third period as the Kelowna Rockets got past the Blazers, 3-2. . . . Kamloops D Josh Connolly had tied the game 2-2 on the PP at 10:04 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 37 shots, four more than Taran Kozun of the Blazers. . . . F Cole Ully had two assists for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers have lost nine in a row as they to Kelowna for the rematch tonight. . . . The Rockets (18-3-2) are 9-1-0 in their last 10. . . .

In Prince George, the Cougars scored twice in the shootout and beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-5. . . . Prince George F Chase Witala scored two third-period goals, the second one, his 18th, forging a 5-5 tie at 18:19. . . . Alex Forsberg and Witala scored for the home side in the shootout, while only F Cain Franson scored for Vancouver. . . . F Dalton Sward scored three times for Vancouver in what was his 200th game. He’s got six goals this season. . . . The Giants have points in eight straight (4-0-4). . . . D Peter Kosterman had three assists for Prince George. It was his second multi-assist game in 263 regular-season games. . . . Kosterman went into the night with three assists in 29 games this season. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 46 shots. He was forced into action when Brett Zarowny, who was to start, was injured in the warmup. . . . The Cougars also were without F Troy Bourke (WHL suspension) and the injured — D Joseph Carvalho (broken jaw), F Jari Erricson (concussion), D Raymond Grewal (ankle), D Tate Olson (concussion), F Zach Pochiro (concussion) and F David Soltes (knee). . . . Late Friday night, Cheryl Kustra (@CherylCkustra) tweeted: “Well . . . Congratulations and Good Luck to Matt Kustra. Just got a phone call that he’s called up to Prince George Cougars. Proud momma.” G Matt Kustra, from Yorkton, Sask., was an eighth-round pick by the Cougars in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Kustra has been playing for the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos out of Wilcox, Sask. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds scored three times in each of the last two periods and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 6-2. . . . It was Saskatoon’s first game of a U.S. Division swing. . . . F Alex Delnov, fresh off playing for Russia in the Subway Super Series, had two goals, giving him 12, and three assists for Seattle. . . . Delnov played for Russia on Wednesday, but was scratched on Thursday. . . . F Ryan Gropp added a goal, his third, and two assists for Seattle. He’s got six points in 14 games since leaving the BCHL’s Penticton Vees and joining Seattle. . . . The Thunderbirds were 3-for-5 on the PP.

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Someone's interested in buying Pats

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Cam Barker (Medicine Hat, 2001-06) has signed for the rest of the season with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). Last season, Barker had two assists in 14 games with the Vancouver Canucks (NHL) and eight points, three of them goals, with the Texas Stars (AHL).
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The morning dawned damp and dreary in Vancouver yesterday. And it only got worse when the first email to arrive notified me of the death of Bob Hughes, a former sports editor/columnist at the Regina Leader-Post.
He was the sports editor who hired me — I had been in my second stint at the Brandon Sun — in the spring of 1983. He later promoted me to assistant sports editor, and when he moved into the managing editor's office in 1988 he asked me to succeed him as sports editor.
That's when I found out how hard it is to replace a legend.
Hughes was one of the last of the lead sports columnists who also was a newspaper's sports editor. For a lot of his career as THE columnist and THE voice in Regina, the beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders couldn't get out of their own way, as they stumbled from one season to the next. For all of that time, Hughes' columns were must-reads as his thinly veiled sarcasm skewered the footballers, the coaches and the management like so many shish kebabs.
When he became the managing editor, it marked the end of an era as the decision was made to separate the roles of columnist and sports editor.
Still, almost everywhere I went, people would ask me why I was so soft on the Roughriders, never mind that I wasn't the columnist. And, really, it wasn't that the new columnist, Nick Miliokas, was soft on anyone; it was that Bob Hughes' column no longer was there to be enjoyed by a reader with his/her morning coffee.
I always will remember Hughes for always being there for me. When I was the assistant sports editor, he worked during the day and I worked at night. I frequently would drop by during the day to chat, more to find out what was going on with the Roughriders and to learn how he wanted to handle it.
But when he moved up and I moved into the chair behind what had been his desk, he left me alone. Rarely, if ever, did he venture to my little corner of the office. But his door always was open. That is something that I have never forgotten.
He also was the push behind a sports department that at one time included a staff of 12 and was responsible for putting out a tremendous sports section. It was because of Hughes that we often covered a Roughriders home game with the sports editor, four writers and two photographers. The message from him as he left sports was that when it's the only show in town, you can't over-cover it. When it's the only show in town, you make it your show -- let the readers know where to turn if they want the best coverage.
What else do I remember about Bob Hughes? Well, he was the most impeccable dresser I have ever encountered. I can't ever remember seeing him when he didn't look as though he had stepped out of an ad in GQ.
I remember his sense of humour and a laugh that had more than a bit of a cackle in it.
I remember one day when he and I took his oldest son and my son to a home/auto show that was in some of the buildings on the exhibition grounds. On display was one of those expensive cars, a Lamborghini perhaps, with two short-skirted gals standing guard alongside a velvet rail. With Hughes chatting up one of the girls, the boys got under the rail and into the car. They were -- VROOM! VROOM! -- having the time of their lives and Hughes thought it was hilarious. He did manage to extricate both boys between laughs.
That is what I will remember about Bob Hughes. That and Chaos by the Creek.
For more on Hughes, right here is a story that appeared on The Leader-Post's website.
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And one more makes three . . .
D Ryan Pilon, the third overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, is at home awaiting a trade after leaving the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Pilon, from Duck Lake, Sask., turned 17 on Oct. 10 and was going to be a cornerstone of the rebuild that the Hurricanes' braintrust is working on.
This season, Pilon has seven points, three of them goals, in 17 games. Last season, as a freshman, he had 28 points, including five goals, in 57 games.
Pilon played for the gold medal-winning U-18 Canadian team at the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament and was Team West's captain at the last U17 World Hockey Challenge.
Pilon is the third player to leave the Hurricanes in recent days. F Jaemen Yakubowski and F Sam Mckechnie, both 19, were traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds after asking for trades.
The Hurricanes are 2-13-3 and already are 11 points out of a playoff spot in the 12-team Eastern Conference.
Will the last one out, please turn out the lights in the dressing room.
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Tweet from Brody Sutter (@Sutts19): "Time for a change in Lethbridge, community ownership is clearly not working. With local investors interested, why wouldn't you #SellTheCanes."
The son of former WHLer Duane Sutter, Brody played three-plus seasons with the Hurricanes. He now is with the AHL's Charlotte Hurricanes. In recent times, at least two of his uncles, Rich and Ron Sutter, have expressed interest in purchasing the Hurricanes.
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F Peter Quenneville, 19, has left the Quinnipiac University Bobcats to join his brother, John, 17, with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Another brother, David, was selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers with the 10th overall selection of the 2013 bantam draft. . . . They are from Edmonton. . . . The Wheat Kings acquired Peter's rights from the Prince George Cougars for a third-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. The Cougars had selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. . . . Peter was a seventh-round selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL's 2013 NHL draft. . . . Peter had four assists in five games with the Bobcats. He played last season with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints, putting up 70 points, including 33 goals, in 63 games. He also played two seasons with the AJHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders and was the league's MVP in 2011-12. . . . The Wheat Kings, now with two 19-year-old forwards on the roster, are at home to the Saskatoon Blades on Thursday. . . . Quinnipiac is based in Hamden, Conn.
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Tweet from John Quenneville (@jaquinder88): "One of the best days of my life. Reunited with the big bro @Triple_P_Pete #deadly"
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The Regina Pats haven't been sold. Yet. . . . "Our situation is," Russ Parker, who owns the WHL franchise with his wife Diane, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post, "if somebody comes along and the deal makes sense, then it's something we'd probably consider. I've heard this last week that a deal was done. We're talking to someone but that's all it is. I'm not divulging anyone's names or anything. All I'm saying is there's interest in our team and leave it at that." . . . Harder's story is right here.
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OK. Where does it end? The ECHL's Bakersfield Condors have unveiled the sweaters they will wear in a game on Sunday, which just happens to be the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Check out the wardrobe right here.
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A fan writes with questions for WHL commissioner Ron Robison, who will meet with about 100 season-ticket holders in Kelowna on Thursday:
1. What is the league trying to hide when designating an injury as 'upper' or 'lower' body without reporting the issue? In reporting details of injuries, are you afraid insurance rates will rise significantly as a result of the true scope of the injuries sustained?
2. Doesn't the use of developmental referees in a developmental league exacerbate the issue of injuries when a raw referee who can't quite see the game as clearly as a veteran official could, may miss countless calls away from the puck (be it head shot, stickwork, boarding) and the resulting infraction ends up as a retaliation call?
3. Why doesn't the WHL allow teams to replay penalty calls on their in-house screens for the fans to get a better look at the quality of officiating?
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There wasn't anything on the WHL website last night, but there are reports that D Evan Wardley of the Seattle Thunderbirds has drawn a four-game suspension after taking a charging major in a game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Friday. He already has served one game. . . . There also wasn't anything on the WHL website about a suspension to Everett Silvertips F Dawson Leedahl. But he apparently got two games for a checking-from-behind major against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday. He has missed one game, so will be eligible to return after sitting out a game against the visiting Kamloops Blazers tonight.
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TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin came on in relief and stopped 30 shots to help the Kootenay Ice to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski left with an undisclosed injury after one period and eight saves. . . . The Ice erased a 1-0 second-period Calgary lead with three third-period goals. . . . F Jon Martin scored the Ice's last two goals. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau notched his 14th goal of the season for Kootenay. . . . Attendance was announced at 1,958, and that's the second straight home game that the Ice played before fewer than 2,000 fans. . . .

In Kamloops, G Bolton Pouliot stopped 36 shots to lead the Blazers to a 4-1 victory over his former team, the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Pouliot, 19, was dealt to the Blazers earlier this season, for a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Red Deer plans on riding Patrik Bartosak, so GM/owner Brent Sutter dealt Pouliot to give him an opportunity to play. . . . F Cole Ully had a goal, his eighth, and two assists for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers (6-10-2) have points in their last three games (2-0-1). . . .

In Vancouver, G Tristan Jarry turned aside 37 shots as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Giants, 3-0. . . . Jarry has two shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . This was Edmonton's first victory in six visits to the Pacific Coliseum. . . . Edmonton D Cody Corbett, who missed seven games with an injury, scored his eighth goal of the season in his 11th game. That is tops among WHL defencemen and also is a career high. He scored six goals in 54 game two seasons ago and had seven in 71 games last season. . . . Corbett also had an assist. . . . The Oil Kings are 4-1-0 in their last five games, all on the road. They'll play the next three on the road, too.
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From Victoria Cougars (@victoriacougars): "I wonder if this Marty the Marmot 'attack' is a staged publicity stunt by the Victoria Royals. Only 3500 fans last Friday is disturbingly low."
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From Tommy Carson (@tommycarson): "Front page of Times Colonist 'Police Probe Assault on Royals Mascot'. Page 2, story of scout leader sexually assaulting boys. #bizzaroworld"

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Some thoughts from the big smoke . . .

Some thoughts, as I sit and contemplate the meaning of life from a hotel deep in the heart of the city where we are all Canucks. . . .

1. From what I have seen, Vancouver doesn't have a vehicular traffic or a bicycle problem; it has a predestrian problem. Having been ensconced in the downtown area for more than two weeks now, I find it amazing how pedestrians simply ignore the 'don't walk' signals and proceed with impunity into crosswalks regardless of whether a driver is attempting to make a right-hand turn. The miracle is that more pedestrians don't lose battles in the middle of the crosswalks.

2. And we won't even get into the danger caused by pedestrians walking and doing whatever it is they are doing with their phones.

3. The Edmonton Eskimos' handling of brain-injured quarterback Mike Reilly is evidence of everything that is wrong with the way a lot of sporting organizations look upon this kind of injury. The Edmonton Oil Kings have as much chance of winning the Grey Cup as the Eskimos do, so why would the footballers rush Reilly back into action and start him Saturday against the visiting Montreal Alouettes? (BTW, how did the once-proud Eskimos get here from there?)

4. You're wondering: How did I spend Saturday morning?Actually, I walked down to Coal Harbour and did some yacht shopping. No, I didn't find one that fits our budget.

5. I'm thinking there might be room for a few more Starbucks outlets in downtown Vancouver. NOT!

6. Those people who are saying it's going to take a death on the ice for the NHL to get fighting out of its game need to do a Google search for Don Sanderson. No matter how you look at the issue of fighting in hockey, you have to admit that it is completely illogical to penalize a player for checking to the head and then allow him to beat that same opponent senseless in a fight.

7. If it comes down to Brian Burke versus Putin and his pals, who you got? After reading this piece by The Globe and Mail's Gary Mason, I've got Burke.

8. Mark Hunter, who is covering the Kamloops Blazers in my absence, has written a nifty piece about goaltender Bolton Pouliot and forward Aspen Sterzer, who one day will be brothers-in-law. It's right here.

9. I'll tell you what . . . Friday was a tough, tough day. Only four baseball games on TV. Cam Moon, I thought of you on more than one occasion.

10. I'm thinking Calgary Hitmen forward Pavel Padakin, who was Pavlo Padakin last season, needs to go back to his former name. He already is serving his second suspension of this season. He drew three games for a match penalty a month ago, and now is to be suspended for a boarding major.

11. The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs played to a 4-4 tie on Saturday night. Sorry, I went back to baseball after watching Toronto's Mason Raymond prove once again that it's gimmick time after overtime in the NHL. . . . I wonder what Ron Hextall or Billy Smith would have done to a player pulling a two-bit spin-o-rama in gimmick time?

12. And what a terrific baseball game it was as the Oakland A's snuck past the Detroit Tigers 1-0 with a run in the bottom of nine. For the first time in MLB history, the starters of a playoff game -- in this instance, Detroit's Justin Verlander and Oakland's Sonny Gray -- each struck out at least nine and didn't allow a run.

13. Here's Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun: "Leo Cahill, who has moved from Sarnia to Atlanta, won’t make his way to Toronto later this month to be inducted in the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. His health prevents him from travelling. He still isn’t in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and may never be, which remains a great injustice." . . . Whenever Simmons reminds us that Cahill isn't in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, I am flabbergasted.

14. Thanks to Sportsnet for bringing us Milos Raonic and Juan Martin del Potro in the men's final of the Japan Open final. Watching that was a fine way to end Saturday and bring in Sunday.

15. The defending-champion Portland Winterhawks visited the Kelowna Rockets for a weekend doubleheader with the games, won 6-2 and 6-3 by the home side, drawing 5,003 and 5,010 fans. There was a time not that long ago when each of those games would have attracted more than 6,000 fans. This is a good Rockets side, so it will be interesting to see if attendance holds at 5,000 as the season progresses, or whether it increases.  

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