THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Simon Ferguson (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 18 goals and 33 assists in 40 games for Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga) last season, good for second place in league scoring. . . .
D Jeff May (Prince Albert, Lethbridge, 2002-08) and D Jonathan Harty (Everett, 2004-08) each signed one-year contracts with Angers (France, Ligue Magnus). May had seven goals and 20 assists in 50 games for the Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL), while Harty had seven goals and 20 assists in 26 games with the University of New Brunswick (CIS) and was pointless in three games with the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) last season. Angers is coached by former Everett associate head coach Jay Varady.
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You will be aware that former WHLers like Darryl Sutter, Jarret Stoll, Dwight King and Colin Fraser helped the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup title.
But how about the other ex-WHLers who were involved?
So here’s a tip of the cap to . . .
Ron Hextall (Brandon, 1981-84), the Kings’ assistant GM. He has been with L.A. for six seasons now.
Bill Ranford (New Westminster, 1983-96), the Kings' goaltending coach.
Kim Dillabaugh, the Kelowna Rockets’ goaltending coach who is the Kings’ goaltender development coach.
Darren Granger, who has completed six seasons as the Kings’ equipment manager. He spent five seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Rob Laird (Regina, 1972-74) is the Kings’ senior pro scout. He has been with the Kings for 18 years, the last 16 as a pro scout.
Brent McEwen, a former GM of the Saskatoon Blades, has been the Kings’ Western Canada amateur scout since 2004.
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Craig West, the radio voice of the Tri-City Americans, was crying in his beer on Tuesday.
Actually, he wasn’t; at least, I don’t think he was.
But he did send along a note from the Pacific Northwest Inlander on the closing of the Viking Tavern in Spokane.
The tavern is located across from the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena and was a favourite stop for folks before and after Chiefs games.
There is more right here.
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A memorial service for Bruce McDonald, the Seattle Thunderbirds’ radio analyst who died on June 6, will be held Friday, noon, at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, Wash. The service is open to the public.
A note from a Thunderbirds’ news release:
“A memorial fund has been set up in Bruce’s name. Fans wishing to contribute should make out checks to “Bruce McDonald Memorial Trust Fund” and send them to the Seattle Thunderbirds Offices at 625 James, Kent WA 98032. Fans can also send their donations to: Bruce McDonald Memorial Trust Fund, CPO Box 634, Fall City, WA 98024.”
McDonald, who suffered from cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair, had been diagnosed with leukemia in April. He was 41.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The St. Louis Blues have opted not to pick up the option on the contract of Jared Bednar, the head coach of the Peoria Rivermen, the NHL team’s AHL affiliate. Bednar went 81-63-12 in two seasons with the Rivermen.
Graham Thomas is the new head coach of the University of British Columbia’s varsity women's hockey program. Thomas, from Calgary, takes over from Jen Rawson, who resigned after last season, citing personal reasons. Thomas has been with the women’s team at Syracuse U, as associate coach and recruiting co-ordinator, since 2008-09. . . .
Fran Gow, a veteran of the AJHL wars, has signed a three-year contract to remain as GM/head coach of the Drayton Valley Thunder. Gow is a veteran of 19 years in the AJHL. He has been with the Thunder since 2007. . . . Gow immediately announced that Mike Mueller be staying put as associate coach.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Jakob Stukel to a WHL contract. Stukel, who is from Surrey, was the 37th overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He had 62 points in 20 games with a bantam team in Cloverdale last season. . . . The Giants now have signed three of their 2012 draft picks.
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The BCHL held its annual meeting last weekend in Richmond, B.C. Josh Aldrich of the Nanaimo Daily News reports right here on the goings-on, including a new playoff format and taking rosters from 21 players to 22.
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Craig Forsythe of the Philadelphia Flyers Examiner blog is reporting that D Ricard Blidstrand has signed with VIK Vasteras, a team in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan, the country’s second-highest league. . . . Blidstrand was selected by the Flyers in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL draft but never signed with Philadelphia. Blidstrand played with the Regina Pats in 2010-11. They dealt him to the Prince George Cougars at the January trade deadline last season. . . . Blidstrand turned 20 on April 20, but wasn’t expected back in the WHL as he would have been a two-spotter -- a 20-year-old import.
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For today’s good read, check out this piece by Bob Klapisch, a columnist at northjersey.com. It’s the latest on longtime baseball exec Jim Duquette and his daughter, Lindsey. You may recall that the Duquettes were mentioned here a few days ago, on the eve of surgery during which Jim donated a kidney to his daughter. This is a wonderful, wonderful story.


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Unfortunately, I never had occasion to meet Bruce McDonald.
Fortunately, a lot of people did and they are remembering him today.
McDonald, who was a huge part of the Seattle Thunderbirds and their radio crew, died early Wednesday. The 41-year-old McDonald had been diagnosed with leukemia in April.
The Thunderbirds have posted an obituary right here on their website.
It is obvious from the memories that already are posted there that he had an impact on a lot of lives.
If you have any remembrances, feel free to send an email to Ian Henry of the Thunderbirds at ianh@seattlethunderbirds.com.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Alex Leavitt (Swift Current, Everett, 2003-05) signed a one-year contract with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had eight goals and 24 assists in 57 games for HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
D Joel Kwiatkowski (Tacoma/Kelowna, Prince George, 1994-98) signed a two-year contract with Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A). He had eight goals and 12 assists in 42 games for Bern (Switzerland, NL A) this season.
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The big news Monday involved the Portland Winterhawks, Everett Silvertips and D Seth Jones.
Jones, now 17, was selected by the Silvertips with the 11th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft. Jones is projected as an early first-round pick in the NHL’s 2013 draft. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Jones has been playing in the U.S. National Team Development Program and captained the team that won the IIHF U-18 world championship last week in Czech Republic. He had eight points, including three goals, in six games in the tournament.
However, Jones, who is believed to be choosing between the WHL and the U of North Dakota, has told the Silvertips that he has no interest in playing for them.
“Seth has indicated to us through his family advisor that he has no interest in playing for the Everett Silvertips,” Garry Davidson, Everett’s general manager, said in a news release. “We’re now pursuing other avenues toward receiving some kind of value for this former first-round bantam pick.
“At this point, we feel that this arrangement with Portland is the best way for us to benefit the Silvertips going forward.”
On Monday, the Silvertips dealt Jones’ negotiating rights to the Winterhawks for an undisclosed conditional 2013 bantam draft pick.
Obviously, the Winterhawks have given up something, perhaps a mid-round draft pick, just to speak with Jones during an undisclosed window of time. Should Portland be able to cut a deal with Jones, you can bet there will be more, lots more, compensation involved.
You can also bet that some people will point to the Everett-Portland connection involved in this deal. Davidson, who took over as the Silvertips’ GM on Feb. 15, was brought into the WHL by Johnston as Portland’s director of player personnel, a role he filled for almost four seasons until leaving for Everett to replace the fired Doug Soetaert.
It also is interesting that Bob Tory, the Tri-City Americans’ general manager, was unsuccessful about a month ago in an attempt to acquire a 72-hour negotiating window in order to speak with Jones and his family.
And say what you want about Johnston, but when he identifies a need, he aggressively pursues it. After all, who else would have given up 2012 and 2013 first-round bantam draft picks and a player (F Seth Swenson) to get F Marcel Noebels from the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Jan. 10 trade deadline?
But Johnston had identified a need for a big centreman and Noebels now skates between Sven Baertschi and Ty Rattie on what may be the WHL’s most-explosive forward unit.
Of course, it could be that there won’t be that much difference between a first-round pick originally held by Portland and a second-round selection that had belonged to the Silvertips. As compensation for hiring Davidson, Everett is believed to have surrendered two second-round bantam picks, one in 2012 and the other in 2013.
So, in essence, Johnston gave Seattle two first-round selections, which will be late in that round, and got two second-round picks from Everett that will be in the upper half of that round.
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Mark Visentin, a goaltender with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, stopped 22 shots and scored a goal last night in a 5-2 playoff victory over the host Ottawa 67’s. There’s more right here.
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How many WHL goaltenders have scored goals and who are they? Answer below.
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F Dominik Uher of the Spokane Chiefs has joined the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an ATO. Uher, 19, had 68 points, including 33 goals, in 63 games with the Chiefs. From Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic, Uher was a fifth-round selection by the parent Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL’s 2011 draft.
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JUST NOTES: Portland F Ty Rattie has 27 career playoff goals, one shy of Randy Heath’s franchise record. . . . With 16 goals in these playoffs, Rattie is three away from the franchise single-season record held by Dan Woodley (1987). . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot had four assists in Portland’s 5-4 OT victory over host Tri-City on Saturday night. The last Portland defenceman with four assists in a playoff game? David Babych did it against the Seattle Breakers on March 28, 1980. . . . The NAHL’s Alaska Avalanche, which played out of Palmer, has been sold and will play out of Johnstown, Pa., next season.
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Bruce McDonald, a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds’ radio crew, was diagnosed with leukemia over the weekend.
A note from the Thunderbirds: “Bruce is the second member of the T-Birds family who has been diagnosed with leukemia in the past month. Chris Rumble, assistant coach Darren Rumble’s oldest son, was diagnosed with leukemia about two weeks ago and has since started an aggressive chemotherapy treatment.”
Thom Beuning, the radio voice of the Thunderbirds, passes along this info: “Bruce assists me with the home broadcasts of Thunderbirds games (and has been associated with the team in some way or another. . . fan, statistician, color commentator . . . since he was a youngster, or almost as long as the franchise has been in Seattle).”
If you aren’t aware, Bruce has cerebral palsy, thus gets around in a motorized scooter.
As Beuning writes: “Just keep good thoughts and say a prayer or two for him.”
Feel free to visit the Thunderbirds’ Facebook page right here and send along thoughts, prayers and wishes to Bruce and Chris, who have to know the hockey world is with them.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Brendan Burke, who turned 17 on March 11, is the Portland Winterhawks’ backup goaltender. He also is the son of Phoenix Coyotes goaltending coach Sean Burke. After the Coyotes ousted the Chicago Blackhawks last night, Brendan (@bburke1) tweeted:
“I will be collecting my money for the yotes win tomorrow. cash only, no checks.”
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WHL goaltenders who have scored goals:
Jordan McLaughlin, Prince George Cougars, March 5, 2003.
Jason Clague, Red Deer Rebels, March 28, 1994, vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes (playoffs).
Jeff Calvert, Tacoma Rockets, Dec. 29, 1992, vs. Moose Jaw Warriors, December 29, 1992.
Chris Osgood, Medicine Hat Tigers, Jan. 3, 1991, vs. Swift Current Broncos.
Olaf Kolzig, Tri-City Americans, Nov. 29, 1989, vs. Seattle Thunderbirds.

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