Three former WHLers have committed to attend the U of Manitoba in Winnipeg and play for the Bisons. . . . F Paul Ciarelli, a native of Winnipeg, played the last four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Aaron Lewadniuk, who is from Carman, Man., played two seasons (2008-10) with the Wheat Kings, before playing the last two seasons in the ECHL. . . . D Brock Sutherland, who is from Brandon, spent this season with the Calgary Hitmen. He also played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Tri-City Americans.
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Adam Proteau of The Hockey News looks at the menace that is shot-blocking and where the Stanley Cups playoff are headed. It’s right here and it isn’t pretty.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jim McKenzie (Moose Jaw, Victoria, 1985-89) has agreed to a two-year contract extension as head coach of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. The deal carries through 2013-14. . . . McKenzie, 42, took over as head coach from the fired Kevin Patrick on Jan. 13 and went 8-19-6 as the Lumberjacks completed their second season in the USHL. . . .
Cary Eades is the new GM and head coach of the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. Eades took the job a week after the U of North Dakota chose not to renew his contract as associate head coach. With the Stampede, he replaces Kevin Hartzell, who was dropped by a new ownership group after seven seasons with the organization.
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THE WHL FINAL:
The Edmonton Oil Kings and the Winterhawks meet tonight in Portland in Game 6. The Oil Kings lead the series 3-2 and can end it with a victory. A Portland victory sends the series back to Edmonton for Game 7 on Sunday. Yes, on Sunday!
The Oil Kings, Portland F Sven Baertschi told Kris Anderson of the Portland Tribune, “know that we're a little better than them. And we know that, too. We got enough skill and enough talent, and we have players who work hard enough to make sure we win those games.”
Anderson’s complete story is right here.
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Here is the schedule for the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (7,466)
Friday, May 4: Portland 5 at Edmonton 1 (10,720)
Sunday, May 6: Edmonton 3 at Portland 4 (10,947)
Tuesday, May 8: Edmonton 4 at Portland 3 (OT) (10,947)
Thursday, May 10: Portland 3 at Edmonton 4 (11,077)
Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.

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Yesterday, you will recall, I mentioned that there were 32,262 fans in attendance at three hockey games on B.C.’s Lower Mainland on Friday night.
Just to recap, that was 18,890 at an NHL game in Vancouver, 7,044 at an AHL game in Abbotsford and 6,328 at a WHL playoff game in Vancouver.
An emailer has suggested that the total be added to, what with there having been 1,018 fans at a BCHL playoff game in Surrey at the same time.
So make the total 33,280.
Another emailer writes:
“The better bet for a (WHL) team to relocate would be to place a team in Langley . . . great facility and no sour aftertaste . . . too early for the Dub to go back to the ‘Wack. Just a thought . . .”
The 5,500-seat Langley Event Centre is home to the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen.
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Justice never sleeps.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, has hit F Darren Kramer, the captain of the Spokane Chiefs, with a one-game suspension for shenanigans at the end of Game 5 in Vancouver on Friday night.
The Chiefs won the game, 5-1.
Kramer was given a roughing minor at 18:02 of the third period. At 20:00, he was penalized for roughing and for leaving the penalty box.
He won’t play tonight in Spokane as the teams meet in Game 6. The Chiefs hold a 3-2 lead.
Should Vancouver win, Game 7 will be played Wednesday in Vancouver.
The Tri-City Americans, who have to be hoping for a seventh game, await the winner of the series.
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A Saturday night with nary a WHL game.
What are we to do?
Well, there was ch-ch-ching moment in the QMJHL, where Gilles Courteau, the commissioner, is certain to add to the league’s coffers after some comments made by Leo-Guy Morrissette, the owner of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
There was a time when the Morrissette brothers ruled the QMJHL, or at least tried to, but now Leo-Guy is the only one left. It’s nice that he helps out the media at times by reverting to the old days when owners, GMs and coaches weren’t afraid to speak their minds, even if they were putting feet in mouth at the same time.
In this instance, Morrissette is alleging that some owners are spending too much money, making it impossible for others to compete.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports wraps up this story right here.
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Here’s a good ready, nay, a great read for you. It’s been 50 years since Emile Griffith pummelled Benny (The Kid) Paret to death in a boxing match on live television. Dan Klores looks back right here in a story from the pages of The New York Times. It's amazing how some of the best of sports writing involves boxing or horse racing.
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Some interesting numbers from Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Kootenay Ice.
On his blog (jeffhollick.blogspot.com), he points out that the Ice, the WHL’s defending champion, was 19-5-3 on Nov. 30 and was riding a six-game winning streak.
After which the roof fell in.
From that point through the end of the regular season, the Ice was 17-21-7 and never put together more than back-to-back victories.
Of course, the Ice then was swept from the playoffs by the Edmonton Oil Kings, which means Kootenay won only 17 of its final 49 games.
Hollick also points out that the Ice lost 25 games in which it led or was tied in the third period.
It’s apparent that, as things started to slide, the Ice became a very fragile team, something one might think wouldn’t happen to a team that was coming off a championship season.
But it just goes to show the difference between success and failure at this level can be a very fine line, indeed.
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ON THE MOVE:
G Kent Simpson of the Everett Silvertips has signed an ATO with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Simpson, 20, was a second-round selection by Chicago in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . F Shane McColgan of the Kelowna Rockets will be joining the Connecticut Whale, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers. He was a fifth-round selection by the Rangers in the 2011 NHL draft. . . . If was a no-brainer, but it seems that F Troy Bourke of the Prince George Cougars has been the first player selected to play for Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic, April 12-22. . . . Two graduating members of the Calgary Hitmen have pretty much decided to go to school, F Jimmy Bubnick to the U of Saskatchewan, which is in his hometown of Saskatoon, and D Brock Sutherland to the U of Manitoba. Sutherland is from Brandon. . . .
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IN THE PROS:
G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds came on in relief and stopped all eight shots he saw as his Lake Erie Monsters dropped a 4-0 decison to the host Texas Stars in an AHL game last night. Pickard came on with 16:59 left in the third period. D Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades also played for the Monsters. He was minus-1 with one shot on goal and a tripping minor. . . . G Damien Ketlo, who finished up with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, stopped 44 shots as the visiting Colorado Eagles beat the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-3 in an ECHL shootout. Ketlo also stymied four Las Vegas shooters in the circus.
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And, finally, for all the hockey fans out there, right here is Jim Matheson’s Hockey World from the pages of the Edmonton Journal.


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You will have read here yesterday about Portland having received a bantam draft pick, or picks, from the Everett Silvertips as compensation for having signed Garry Davidson, the Winterhawks’ director of player personnel, as general manager.
I was told that the WHL allows only draft picks to be exchanged in the compensation package.
But I have been reminded of a situation that took place late in 2005 involving the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice.
On Nov. 9, 2005, the Hurricanes dealt F Curtis Billsten, 19, to Kootenay for F Laine Allen, 19, and a conditional third-round bantam draft pick.
According to the Cranbrook Daily Townsman, “The acquisition of Billsten came one day after Roy Stasiuk, former head scout of the Ice, took the general manager position in Lethbridge. (Ice general manager Jeff) Chynoweth said the trade was part of compensation for Stasiuk's move.”
Allen, who was playing for the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons, never did play for Lethbridge.
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JUST NOTES:
I wrote something here the other day that I would like to perhaps clarify.
In a nightly roundup of Tuesday’s games, I happened to write this: “Brandon F Mark Stone was awarded a late assist sometime after Saturday’s 6-2 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. So he went into last night’s game with a WHL-leading 102 points, not 101.” . . . I just want to emphasize that there was nothing untoward in Stone being given the assist. When scoring changes such as this are requested, the team sends in a video clip to the WHL office to make its point. . . . This isn’t like back in the day when there would be rumours about players getting assists when they hadn’t even been on the ice.
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F Michael Ferland of the Brandon Wheat Kings, the CHL’s reigning player of the week, practised Thursday. He left in the first period of a 5-4 shootout loss to the visiting Kootenay Ice on Tuesday with a suspected head injury. . . . Ferland has career highs in goals (40), assists (43) and points (83). . . . “I feel great,” Ferland told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun after practice. “I wasn’t feeling too good in Tuesday’s game . . . but I feel 100 per cent and ready to go this weekend.” . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight and the Regina Pats on Saturday. . . . Brandon, after a whole lot of inconsistent play, is 7-1-1 in its last nine and just might be getting things together in time for playoffs.
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A note from James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun:
“A few weeks ago, new Keystone Centre general manager Neil Thomson stated he was confident they could come to terms on a new lease with the Wheat Kings by the end of the month. However, the Sun has learned that negotiations have essentially ground to a halt, with both sides far apart on a new agreement to replace the current 15-year deal that expires at the end of this season.
“At risk is the future of the club in Brandon, a proud 45-year tradition, priceless positive publicity and economic spinoffs for the city, not to mention well over half a million dollars in annual revenue that the financially-strapped Keystone Centre simply can’t afford to lose.”
Brandon without the Wheat Kings? Yikes!
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F Henrik Samuelsson of the Edmonton Oil Kings has played 18 games since coming over from Sweden after the Christmas respite. He now has drawn two games in suspensions from two separate incidents. The latest — a kneeing major in a 6-4 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday — drew a one-game suspension. That followed a one-game sentence for a charging major in a game at Calgary on Jan. 15.
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D Brandon Davidson of the Regina Pats expects to be back in the lineup tonight against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. Davidson had played in 162 straight games before sitting out a 2-1 victory over the visiting Kootenay Ice on Wednesday with a sore neck. . . . Davidson was hit by Kootenay D Jeff Hubic during a 4-2 Regina victory in Cranbrook on Saturday. Hubic was suspended for one game. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Davidson had last missed a game on Dec. 31, 2009, during his freshman season.
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F Brett Connolly, who has been playing about six minutes a game in recent times, played 13:03 last night as the Tampa Bay Lightning lost 4-3 to the Jets in Winnipeg. . . . He played 19 shifts. . . . He saw 10:56 of ice at even strength and 2:07 on the PP. . . . NHL teams have until the NHL trade deadline, which arrives on Monday, to return players to their major junior teams. The Tri-City Americans hold Connolly’s WHL rights.
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In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 35 games as they scored three times in the third period and beat the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters, 4-2. . . . The Vees next play on Saturday when they are in Merritt for a date with the Centennials. . . . The Vees lead the Interior Conference, at 47-3-0-2, with the Centennials second at 29-17-2-5. . . . Uhh, that would be wins, losses, ties and OT losses.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From D Eric Walker of the Swift Current Broncos, who were on their way to Brandon where they meet the Wheat Kings tonight:
“Personally I'm glad we're not watching movies on the bus. Gives us all a chance to look around and take in the Saskatchewan scenery.”
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Close behind was this tweet from D Brock Sutherland of the Calgary Hitmen:
“If goalies cared about stoppin pucks as much as they did their masks, I wouldn’t be scoring on them all the time.”
Sutherland has, uhh, nine goals in 243 regular-season games. But he’s on a tear, having recorded the first three-point game of his career as the Hitmen beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 5-3 on Wednesday. Whoops! A check of the online scoresheet shows that one of his two assists disappeared and he was left with just two points.
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The family of former Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NFL. He died on Feb. 17, 2011, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to The Associated Press story:
“The lawsuit accuses the NFL of negligently causing the brain damage that led Duerson to take his own life at the age of 50 by not warning him of the negative effects of concussions. Attorney Thomas Demetrio, who is representing Duerson's family, said the NFL should have been a leader in educating current and former players about head injuries.”
The complete AP story is right here.


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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Here is one from a reader of the blog . . .
Dear Commissioner Gordon: Why is it that as I sit in Portland, Oregon USA and look at the website of the Portland Winterhawks, the first two ads I see are for ‘Canada's Best Selling and Most Durable Diesel Pickup Truck’? Aside from the fact that they have the wrong country listed (from my perspective), I would think the team doesn't like this, the sponsor doesn't like this and the fan doesn't like this.
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Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, was good enough to answer a couple of questions regarding his organization having lost Garry Davidson, its director of player personnel, to the Everett Silvertips earlier this month.
Davidson, who had been with the Winterhawks since the ownership change took place in 2008, replaced the fired Doug Soetaert as Everett’s general manager.
Johnston confirmed that the Winterhawks were compensated by the Silvertips, but he added that the compensation “is confidential.”
The Winterhawks will have received a bantam draft pick or picks as the WHL doesn’t allow anything else to be used as compensation in these situations.
One supposes we will have to wait until the draft before finding out what it was that Portland received.
I also asked Johnston via email why the Winterhawks would allow Davidson to join another team, and a division rival at that, before the draft?
Johnston replied:
“We decided to let Garry go at this time to allow him the opportunity to be a GM in the league. He has worked very hard to help us rebuild things in Portland.
“Garry was the first person I hired and I felt I owed him the chance to run his own program. I also felt confident that our rankings for this year’s draft were in order and our area scouts had a good handle on where their guys fit in.”
With Davidson in Everett, Johnston said that Matt Bardsley, the Winterhawks’ director of hockey operations, will lead the Winterhawks into the draft. Bardsley also will attend the upcoming provincial camps.
Portland’s plan, according to Johnston, is to “hire a full time director of player personnel later in May.”
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JUST NOTES:
D Morgan Rielly of the Moose Jaw Warriors was back on the ice Wednesday, although he won’t play until perhaps early April. Rielly, who will be an early first-round selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft, had knee surgery on Dec. 1 after being injury Nov. 6. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that Rielly “spent most of Wednesday’s practice sitting on the bench, but would go for brief skates between drills where he showed his puck skills haven’t picked up any rust. He had a brace on his injured knee and was clearly lacking his usual explosive speed.” . . . According to Gourlie, “Rielly will return to Vancouver on March 28 where he will meet with his surgeon and some of the people who were part of his rehabilitation.” . . . “I don’t know what they’re going to say,” Rielly told Gourlie. “They might say ‘you have to wait another eight months’ or they might say I’m ready to go.”
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In Kamloops on Wednesday night, the Blazers were leading Victoria 4-3 when Royals F Robin Soudek took an instigating minor for starting a scrap with D Tyler Bell. . . . Why is it that seemingly every time a player levels another player with a really good check, there is a fight? In this instance, Bell had hit F Steven Hodges with a tremendous check that was completely legal. . . . Never mind that his team was down a goal. Never mind that Kamloops already had scored three PP goals. Never mind that the Royals are hanging on to a playoff spot by the narrowest of margins. None of that mattered as Soudek went right after Bell, even though Hodges wasn’t injured. . . . The Blazers scored 11 seconds after Soudek was penalized and this one was over for all intents and purposes. . . . So often now we seem to see this kind of a play, be it in the NHL or at the major junior level. And you have to ask why? When did a good, hard bodycheck become the impetus for a fight?
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In the QMJHL, D Connor Rogers of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles had been hit with a 10-game suspension after a kneeing incident on Saturday. Rogers will be eligible to return for Cape Breton’s final regular-season game, on March 17. . . . Rimouski Oceanic F Jean-François Plante was injured on the play but it’s not yet known how long he will be out.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, D Macoy Erkamps broke a 2-2 tie at 6:48 of the third period and the Lethbridge Hurricanes went on to beat the Blades, 3-2. . . . Lethbridge F Nick Buonassisi had tied the score 2-2 at 5:01. . . . Buonassisi has 15 goals; Erkamps has two. . . . F Ryan Olsen scored both Saskatoon goals, giving him 10. . . . Saskatoon F Jesse Paradis played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo stopped 41 shots, three more than Saskatoon’s Andrey Makarov. . . . The Hurricanes are 19 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games left. . . . The Blades are sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Kootenay Ice and a point up on the Regina Pats. . . .

In Regina, the Pats scored the game’s first two goals and hung on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . F Jordan Weal scored his 35th, shorthanded, at 5:15 of the second and F Lane Scheidl got his 25th on a PP at 8:06 of the third. . . . Weal drew an assist on Scheidl’s goal. . . . The Ice got close when F Brock Montgomery got his 19th at 18:52 of the third. . . . That goal kept Regina G Matt Hewitt from his fifth shutout of the season, something that would have tied a franchise single-season record. . . . Warren Fisher has held that record since 1967-68. . . . Hewitt finished with 31 saves, eight more than the Ice’s Nathan Lieuwen. . . . The Pats had beaten the Ice 4-2 in Cranbrook on Saturday. . . . Regina was without D Brandon Davidson, thanks to an undisclosed injury. Before the game, he tweeted: “Tough to sit out tonight but better safe than sorry.” . . . Ice D Jeff Hubic served a one-game suspension for a hit that injured Davidson on Saturday night. Hubic was back in the Ice’s lineup last night. . . . Regina had D Colby Williams of the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians in the lineup. . . . The Pats are seventh in the Eastern Conference but now are just a point behind the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Ice fell a point behind the Calgary Hitmen who won and moved past Kootenay. . . .

In Swift Current, F Mark McNeill and F Anthony Bardaro scored in the circus and the Prince Albert Raiders beat the Broncos, 3-2. . . . F Levi Bews matched McNeill’s goal, but Bardaro scored and the Broncos couldn’t equalize. . . . Bardaro had forced OT with his 27th goal at 19:50 of the third period. . . . The Broncos now are 15 points out of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining. . . . The Raiders have been eliminated from the playoff hunt. They are 26 points back with 12 games remaining. . . .

In Calgary, D Brock Sutherland had a goal and two assists to lead the Hitmen to a 5-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Sutherland scored his second goal of the season to give the Hitmen a 4-1 lead at 19:02 of the second. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick got his 28th, and the 101st of his career, into an empty net. . . . F Riley Sheen scored his first WHL goal for Medicine Hat. It came in his 40th game, 36 of which he has played this season. . . . The Tigers continue to be without G Tyler Bunz, D Kale Kessy and F Hunter Shinkaruk, all of whom are injured. Medicine Hat dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . The Hitmen won their fourth in a row and now are just two points behind the third-place Tigers in the Eastern Conference. Calgary holds a game in hand. . . .

In Edmonton, G Jordon Cooke turned aside 43 shots to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 6-4 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . F Carter Rigby and F Cody Chikie both scored twice for the Rockets. Rigby has 19 goals; Chikie has 15. . . . Edmonton F Kristians Pelss scored his 21st goal, shorthanded, at 11:17 of the first period. . . . Chikie broke the tie at 6:48 of the second, with Rigby scoring at 8:55 on the PP and Chikie again on the PP at 10:32 for a 4-1 lead. . . . Pelss, with his 22nd, and F Michael St. Croix, with this 39th, got Edmonton to within one before the second ended. . . . F Brett Bulmer, with his 26th, and Rigby gave Kelowna a 6-3 lead in the third. . . . Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal yanked his starting goaltender for the third straight game. This time, starter Tristan Jarry gave way to Laurent Brossoit with the visitors leading 3-1. . . . “I feel like Mike Keenan,” Laxdal told Dave (Crash) Cameron of the Edmonton Sun. . . . Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson took a kneeing major and game misconduct. That is his second major penalty in just over a month. He served a one-game suspension for a charging major he incurred on Jan. 15 in Calgary. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored the game’s last four goals, three of them via the PP, as they beat the Victoria Royals, 6-3. . . . F Tim Bozon scored twice, giving him 30 goals, and D Bronson Maschmeyer added two, giving him a dozen. . . . The victory allowed the Blazers to move back to the top of the WHL’s overall standings, one point ahead of the Portland Winterhawks, who had leap-frogged the Blazers with an 8-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Tuesday. . . . The Blazers were able to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. . . . The Royals were leading 3-2 when Maschmeyer scored on the PP at 18:37 of the second period. . . . Bozon’s 30th, at 1:37 of the third, also came on the PP, as did Maschmeyer’s second goal, at 6:20. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber returned from a one-game absence with a leg injury. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan left this one at 4:19 of the second period after the Royals scored to go ahead 3-2. Lanigan was caught in traffic at the net and appeared to suffer an injury to his upper right leg. He was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure but head coach Guy Charron said he would be OK. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford ran his point streak to 11 games with an assist. He has 18 points over that span. . . . The Blazers now have three 30-goal men, with Ranford and F Colin Smith, who had three assists, there, too.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Lane Scheidl, Regina.
D Damon Severson, Kelowna.
D Jesse Zgraggen, Victoria.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE NIGHT:
From F Brody Sutter, the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, following a 3-2 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon: “Happy bus back to LethVegas after possibly the stupidest one game trip of my career. #7hourhappybus.”
Yes, the Hurricanes made a one-game trip to Saskatoon.
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For today’s good read, we turn to Harvey Araton of The New York Times, who writes about the relationship between the late Gary Carter and the team he managed at Palm Beach Atlantic University. That piece is right here.


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Mr. Commissioner, do you really think it is appropriate for the WHL to have a Facebook page on which fans are permitted to unceremoniously rip players by name?
(Example: What a joke . . . Gotta bench (player name) . . . Worst defenceman ever in the whl. Who else tries too go thru 2 (other team’s) players in front your own net. Do us a favor (player name). Retire now before you screw up our chances of making the playoffs.)
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JUST NOTES:
I meant to mention this yesterday in report on the Edmonton Oil Kings’ 9-5 victory over the host Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary D Brock Sutherland scored his first goal of this season, in his 53rd game. He played two games with the Tri-City American and 51 with the Hitmen. . . . He now has eight goals in 237 career games. . . . As he tweeted: “Me, Chris Phillips, and Scotty Gomez all just takin' a casual year off before we decide we're due to score! #iamwhatiam #worldjs” . . . Sutherland had last scored on Feb. 19 as the Americans lost 6-2 to the visiting Spokane Chiefs.
Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that F Dominick Favreau of the Brandon Wheat Kings didn’t practise Thursday. Favreau came back from a shoulder injury to play in a 3-2 victory over the host Regina Pats on Wednesday, but left in the first period after absorbing a check. . . . Brandon is at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight. . . .
The Wheat Kings will honour two players prior to tonight’s game. D Brodie Melnychuk, 20, became the eighth player in franchise history to play 300 regular-season games in a Wheat Kings uniform last weekend. The others? Randy Ponte (300), Ryan Craig (302), Dale McMullin (309), Aaron Goldade (310), Tim Konsorada (311), Lance Monych (319) and current assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk (323). . . . As well, the Brandon Sun will present F Mark Stone with the prestigious 2011 H.L. Krug Crawford Memorial Medal. It goes annually to a sportsperson of the year in southwestern Manitoba. . . . Stone is the 13th player from the Wheat Kings organization to be so honoured, joining Brayden Schenn, Mark Derlago, Eric Fehr, Jordin Tootoo, Cory Cyrenne, Marty Murray, Trevor Kidd, Ray Ferraro, Glen Hanlon, Ron Chipperfield and Juha Widing. As well, Kelly McCrimmon, Dunc McCallum, Jack Brockest and Jake Milford, all members of Brandon’s front office, were recipients of the medal. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen have lost three of four after winning 14 of 15. The Hitmen are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight and Kootenay Ice on Sunday before heading into the B.C. Division and games in Victoria, Kelowna and Kamloops. . . . The Hitmen, who won 9-3 in Victoria on Jan. 3, will have a travel day between the games in Victoria and Kelowna. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have signed F Carter Popoff, 16, who was placed on their protected list in October. Popoff, from Richmond, B.C., has 52 points in 35 games with the junior B Richmond Sockeyes. . . .
F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants needs one goal to tie F Adam Courchaine’s franchise career record of 126. Gallagher needs 10 points to equal Courchaine’s franchise record of 273 and is 17 assists short of D Jonathon Blum’s franchise record 155. . . . The Giants are at home to Everett tonight.
Alistair McInnis of the Prince George Free Press reports that the Cougars may get some of their injured plays back for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . G Drew Owsley, F Alex Forsberg, F Jarrett Fontaine and F Caleb Belter should all be back in action. However, D Dan Gibb is questionable, while D Reid Jackson and D Shane Pilling won’t play. As well, F Brock Hirsche and F John Odgers both have shoulder injuries that may have ended their seasons. . . .
The Everett Silvertips are 7-9-1 since D Ryan Murray returned from the World Junior Championship. . . . The Silvertips now are three points out of a playoff spot. They go home-and-home with the Vancouver Giants tonight and Saturday. They are north tonight and south on Saturday. . . . Of the Royals’ next 13 games, six will be against Prince George and Everett. The Royals will spend next weekend in Prince George. . . .
Medicine Hat Tigers F Emerson Etem has 49 goals in his first 48 games this season. He also takes a 16-game point streak into a game against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders tonight. He has 21 goals and seven assists in those 16 games. . . .
A tip of the cap to Andy Neal, the former radio voice of the Prince George Cougars who now works with the Victoria Cougars, for some of the info and stats here today. . . . Check out his latest Neal’s Notes right here. Lots of good stuff in this package. . . .
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F Ryan Johansen, who could still be playing with the Portland Winterhawks, was a healthy scratch for a fourth straight game last night. He plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team with the NHL’s poorest record. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch blogged about Johansen’s situation on Thursday. That is right here.
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In an open letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Ralph Nader (yes, that Ralph Nader) has called for an end to fighting.
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Just when you thought you have heard/seen everything, you gain access to a YouTube video from an Ontario junor A game that goes to a shootout. But one goaltender gets tossed and the first shooter gets to take four shots. It’s all right here, and you can decide for which team the play-by-play guy is cheering.
Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has more on this debacle right here.
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Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has a piece right here on Jesse Pearson. His career was cut short by concussion-related problems and he now is an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings.


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The Tri-City Americans dealt defenceman Brock Sutherland
to the Calgary Hitmen on Thursday.
(Photo courtesy John Allen Photography)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) was released from his tryout with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A). He had one assist in four games during his tryout. Sindel returned to action last week after missing two weeks with a broken jaw.
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Peter Mansbridge of CBC-TV has spent some time with researchers, including Dr. Ann McKee, who have studied and are studying the brains of deceased athletes.
Mansbridge’s report appeared on CBC’s The National on Wednesday; if you missed it, it’s right here.
The report is especially interesting when Dr. McKee discusses the brain of former Buffalo Sabres sniper Richard Martin. Dr. McKee examined Martin’s brain — he died of a heart attack in March — and found chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Interestingly, unlike Reggie Fleming and Bob Probert, in whose brains CTE also was found, Martin wasn’t a fighter.
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The Tri-City Americans are down to three 20-year-olds after trading D Brock Sutherland to the Calgary Hitmen for F Nathan MacMaster, 19. . . . That leaves the Americans with F Adam Hughesman, F Brendan Shinnimin and F Mason Wilgosh as their three 20-year-olds. The Americans also hold the rights to D Matt MacKenzie, 20, who signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday and is with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. . . . MacMaster, a second-round pick by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2007 bantam draft, has 49 points and 115 penalty minutes in 190 career regular-season games. The Warriors dealt him to the Hitmen last season. . . . Sutherland has 40 points and 155 penalty minutes in 186 regular-season games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes andthe Americans. . . . The Calgary roster now includes five 20-year-olds — F Jimmy Bubnick, F Kenton Miller, D Ben Wilson, G Mike Snider and Sutherland. Wilson is with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters on a tryout deal.
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JUST NOTES: The Buffalo Sabres signed two more 20-year-olds to three-year contracts on Thursday. F Riley Boychuk of the Portland Winterhawks was a seventh-round pick in the 2010 NHL draft, while F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders was in camp on a free-agent tryout. Both players are with the AHL’s Rochester Americans at present. . . . The Vancouver Giants have assigned G Brendan Jensen, 18, to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. The move came after the Giants acquired G Adam Morrison, 20, from the Saskatoon Blades earlier in the week. . . .
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Earlier this week, I offered up a review of a book written by Don Dietrich, a former defenceman with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
I was remiss in not mentioning that Dietrich spent part of last weekend in Winnipeg, where he was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame . . . not as a player, but as a builder.
Here, from the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame newsletter, is Dietrich’s bio:
“Don Dietrich of Deloraine, a former defenseman and captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings, soaked up a lot of knowledge as a player in the AHL, NHL, East Coast League, with Team Canada and in Germany and Switzerland. He has passed on this knowledge as an assistant coach in Switzerland and, after returning home, as a coach with the Southwest Cougar midgets, the SWHL Deloraine Royals and as a scout for the Spokane Chiefs. Dietrich has been an active member of Canada’s national coach mentorship program, doing ‘one-on-one’ mentoring, as well as clinics. Despite personal health problems, he was instrumental in developing the Breakfast Club where young players have come out twice a week to practise their skill development.”
Hockey in our countries needs more Don Dietrichs. And if you missed it scroll further down on this blog and read all about his book. Then get on the Internet and order one. You won't be sorry.
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Jon Rosen, the former radio voice and PR guru of the Everett Silvertips, is in his first season with Fox Sports West and is in Europe covering the Los Angeles Kings. They open the NHL season in Stockholm today (Friday).
Earlier this week, Rosen blogged from a game in Hamburg and provides a pretty good feel for what it was like in the stands.
That piece is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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