CHL releases financial figures ... SPHL team in bus crash ... Phillips burns Oil Kings again

Possible CHL & its law firm take a different view re publicizing KPMG report, but here’s what judge’s Jan. 5 confidentiality order says: pic.twitter.com/muyO5aYhl1

— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) January 20, 2017

While one WHL team had pre-tax net income of $9,074,157 from 2012 through 2016, another lost $6,278,354 from 2012 through 2015.

The figures are part of a summary of financial information prepared by KPMG and dated Dec. 22, 2016, as ordered by a Calgary judge last year. 

The Canadian Hockey League, the OHL and WHL are facing a potential class-action lawsuit in which more than 370 former and present major junior players are asking to be paid minimum wage and such things as holiday pay and overtime.

Teams were ordered by a Calgary judge to compile and submit financial information, including tax statements, from 2011 through 2016. Twenty WHL teams prepared the information through 2016, while two — the Portland Winterhawks and Prince George Cougars — filed through 2015. All of this was audited by KPMG, which also prepared affidavits for the court.

Teams in the report aren’t identified; rather, they are numbered 1 through 22.

Team 8 averaged a net pre-tax income of $1,814,831 for the five years, while Team 18 lost an average of $1,569,589 in the first four of those years.

According to a five-year summary, the WHL had 11 teams show a profit over that period, with the other 11 losing money.

Team 8 was far and away the most profitable of the teams, with Team 15 next in line, showing an average net income of $509,593 for the five years, boosted by a net income of $1,238,831 in 2016.

The report shows just how volatile the major junior market can be. For example, Team 11 claimed a net loss of $807,627 in 2013, a net income of $193,133 for 2014 and $849,128 for 2015. In 2016, that figure was $349,318. Meanwhile, Team 13 followed four straight profitable years with a loss of $890 for 2016.

Five of the 22 teams showed a profit in each of the five years, while three others lost money each year.

While Team 8 showed a seven-figure profit in four of the five years, only one other team had such a single-year profit. Team 15 showed a net income of $1,238,831 for 2016. 

The report shows that the WHL had five-year total revenues of $375,718,507, with operating expenses of $347,047,705, meaning that its five-year operating profit was $1,670,802.

Factoring in other income and expenses, defined by KPMG as “income and expenses resulting from transactions that are outside of regular operations,” the WHL as an entity showed a pre-tax loss of $1,065,792 over the period in question.

There are enough figures in all of this to choke a horse, but of interest . . . 

In 2012, each WHL team received $76,400 — a total of $1,680,800 — from the World Junior Championship that was held in Calgary and Edmonton.

In 2013, each WHL team received $148,913 — a total of $3,276,088 — from the Memorial Cup that was held in Saskatoon.

In 2015, each of the 22 teams got $43,043 — a total of $946,946 — from the WJC that was held in Montreal and Toronto.

In 2016, each team got $118,477 — a total of $2,606,494 — from the Memorial Cup that was held in Red Deer.

The report also shows that WHL teams have paid out $9,675,219 in education money over the five years, an annual average of $1,935,044. That includes $2,195,925 in 2016.

Interestingly, all of this information was turned over to the court after which TSN’s Rick Westhead reported that “the CHL has asked a judge to seal those records, which will be used to establish the profitability of the teams and major junior leagues.” The CHL issued a news release Thursday night that included all of the information.

That news release is right here.

It is believed that the parties are to appear in court in Calgary on Jan. 24.

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Special thanks to our @PWHBC who made the trip up to Prince George to support the boys! [cred: @PGCougars] pic.twitter.com/PG8xE48xpX

— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) January 19, 2017

The Portland Winterhawks Booster Club is rolling this week with 43 members riding a bus as it follows the team on a four-game B.C. Division swing. Club members had a great time in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, will be in Kamloops for a game tonight and in Kelowna on Saturday night. . . . Included on the trip is ‘Rowdy’ Ardyce Moore, who, according to Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen, “considers herself the troublemaker of the bunch.” Ardyce is 91 years of age and has been attending games since the Winterhawks relocated from Edmonton in 1976. . . . Clarke’s story is right here.

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The City of Nanaimo is expected to hold a referendum on March 11 that will involve the potential building of an events centre that will include a hockey arena. Before then, however, there are a lot of questions to be answered, including: Exactly what will be the referendum question?

Kendall Hanson of CHEK News has more right here.

Meanwhile, the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers are wondering what might be in their future. “We’re in a precarious situation,” David LeNeveu, who owns a piece o the franchise and is its president and governor, told Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times Colonist. “Obviously, if a WHL team comes to Nanaimo, that could displace the Clippers. There’s been no decision made on that side. We’ve been working with the league to protect the league and protect ourselves and everyone involved, but there’s not much to say until March 11 happens. Everything is up in the air until that vote goes one way or another.”

That story is right here.

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G Brandon Jaeger of the SPHL’s Columbus Cottonmouths was in hospital being treated for what is believed to be a broken leg on Thursday night after the team bus rolled as it made its way to Peoria, Ill., for a Friday night game. . . . Jaeger, 26, is from Champlin, Minn., who played two seasons with the Wenatchee Wild when that franchise was in the NAHL. He is in his second season with the Cottonmouths. . . . Originally, all 24 people on board the bus were taken to hospital. That included Jerome Bechard, the general manager and head coach. Bechard, from Regina, played four seasons (1986-90) with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Allan Dawlford of Smiths Station, Ala., the 74-year-old bus driver, also remains in hospital in fair condition. He is to be charged with failure to reduce speed in order to avoid a crash. . . . The Columbus roster includes at least two former WHLers — D Spencer Galbraith (Brandon, Lethbridge, Calgary, 2010-14) and D Petr Senkerik (Kootenay, Prince George, 2009-10). . . . David Eminian of the Peoria Journal Store has more right here.

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THURSDAY’S GAME:

At Edmonton, F Matt Phillips scored three times and F Tyler Soy had four assists as the Victoria Royals

MATT PHILLIPS

doubled the Oil Kings, 6-3. . . . Phillips, who has 32 goals, put up his fourth career hat trick. Three of those, including two this season, have come against Edmonton. . . . D Will Warm (7) gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 8:41 of the first period. . . . Phillips tied it, on a PP, at 12:16. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky scored his 13th goal, on a PP, at 15:07 to give the home side a 2-1 edge. . . . Victoria tied it when F Jack Walker scored No. 22, on a PP, at 16:48. . . . Edmonton went in front again at 1:57 of the second period when F Artyom Baltruk scored his second goal of the season. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (8) pulled the Royals back into a tie, with a shorthanded score, at 5:38. . . . Phillips broke the tie at 17:33. . . . F Jared Dmytriw added insurance with his ninth goal, at 6:42 of the third period, and Phillips completed his hat trick at 15:07. . . . Soy drew the primary assist on each of Phillips’ goals and also set up Reddekopp’s shorthanded goal. . . . Victoria D Marsel Ibragimov had two assists, with Walker and Reddekopp adding one each. . . . Fix-Wolansky also had an assist. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 18 shots for the Royals, while Edmonton’s Patrick Dea blocked 36. . . . Victoria was 2-8 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-4. . . . The Royals (25-18-4) have won three in a row. They hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and are two points behind the third-place Kelowna Rockets in the B.C. Division. . . . The Oil Kings (18-23-4) have lost six straight and are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,389.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Victoria at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.

Portland at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Prince Albert at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Regina, 7 p.m.

Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Kootenay vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.

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Those wacky Kamloops Blazers are at it again.
Yes, they are back in The Globe and Mail, for the second time since the calendar turned to January.
This time it has to do with the political fiasco that came to light Tuesday involving B.C. Liberal Party leadership candidate Kevin Falcon’s campaign.
For more, check out The Globe and Mail’s story right here.
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And if you want more on the Blazers and their political aspirations, you will want to check out this column by Mel Rothenburger, the editor of the Kamloops Daily News.
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The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers selected D Martin Marincin in the second round of the 2010 draft. Now he is with the Prince George Cougars and the NHL club likes the progress he has made. Mario Annicchiarico of the Edmonton Journal has that story right here.
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D Landon Cross, 16, is to join the Kamloops Blazers today and will spend the next 10 days with them.
The Blazers are down to five defencemen, with long-term injuries to Austin Madaisky (neck) and Brandon Underwood (knee).
Cross, who plays for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings, was a third-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft. He was pointless and minus-2 in a six-game stint with the Blazers after Christmas.
In 38 games with the Wheat Kings, he has 24 points.
Meanwhile, the Blazers said Wednesday that captain Chase Schaber has experienced a setback as he recovers from leg injuries. He will be re-evaluated in 10 days and there is no set timetable for his return.
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There is a story in The New York Times — yes, that New York Times! — on the recruiting war going on between the NCAA and the CHL. Written by Andrew Podnieks, who has produced numerous hockey-related books, the story is pretty straight-forward.
But it is quite evident that this battle is going to heat up in the next few years.
That story is right here.
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Stan Wilson, the pride of Melfort, Sask., worked his 1,500th NHL game on Wednesday night in Dallas.
Stan Wilson? Who is he, you ask?
He is the Phoenix Coyotes’ head equipment manager, a position he has filled for 15 of his 21 seasons with the Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets.
At one time, Wilson worked with the Prince Albert Raiders. In fact, he was with them when they won the 1985 Memorial Cup. He also has worked with Team Canada as it won gold medals at the 2003 and 2007 World championships.
The Coyotes won last night’s game, 3-2 in overtime.
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Veteran offensive lineman Gene Makowsky, one of the most popular of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, has been added to the list of guests for Rider Night, which is set for Saturday at the Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. The Broncos, who play host to Cody Eakin and the Kootenay Ice that night, will wear special Roughriders jerseys in that game. Slotback Chris Getzlaf, defensive end Brent Hawkins and defensive tackle Marcus (Chunky) Adams also will be in the house. . . . Following its meetings in Las Vegas earlier this week, the WHL’s board of governors announced that it has signed commissioner Ron Robison to a five-year contract extenstion that runs through 2015-16. Robison is in his 11th season as commissioner. . .  . D Keaton Thompson of Devils Lake, N.D., will be joining the USHL’s Fargo Force. Ryan Clark, at the blog Slightly Chilled, reports that Thompson will join the Force once his high school season is done. Thompson, 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds, was selected by the Calgary Hitmen in the eighth round of the 2010 bantam draft. He has 29 points in 18 games with Devils Lake High School. . . . Guy Carbonneau didn’t win his QMJHL coaching debut Wednesday, as his visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens dropped a 5-2 decision to the Val-d’or Foreurs. Carbonneau was named Chicoutimi’s head coach on Monday. . . .
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Justin Maylan scored once and added four assists as the Raiders bounced the Swift Current Broncos, 6-1. . . . The Raiders opened up a 6-0 lead before F Justin Dowling got his 18th for the Broncos at 19:48 of the second period. . . . F Jonathan Parker had a goal, his 35th, and three assists for Prince Albert, which got two goals from F Igor Revenko, who has 18. . . . G Eric Williams stopped 42 shots for the Raiders, who had Brenden Fiebelkorn backing up. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Starter Jamie Tucker is out for a couple of weeks with a cut to his right thumb. . . . Attendance was 2,031. . . . Swift Current has dropped nine of 10. . . . The Raiders moved into a tie for seventh with the Broncos in the Eastern Conference. They are one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings and two up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Brayden Schenn’s PP goal in overtime gave the Blades a 6-5 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Blades have won nine in a row. . . . Moose Jaw has lost four straight, all on the road. . . . The Warriors trailed 5-3 in the third period when F Spencer Edwards got his second of the game and 23rd of the season at 6:10 and F Quinton Howden got his third of the night and 31st of the season at 17:48 on a PP. . . . F Dylan Hood, playing on a line with Howden and Edwards, drew five assists for Moose Jaw but was off for hooking when the winner was scored. . . . Schenn finished with two goals, giving him nine, and two assists. . . . Linemate Jake Trask had a goal, his 19th, and two helpers. He is riding a five-game goal streak. . . . Saskatoon was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Warriors were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,768. . . . Edwards, the Warriors’ captain, was back after sitting out eight games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Warriors were without D Dylan McIlrath (knee), F Antonin Honejsek (ankle) and F Brayden Cuthbert (concussion). . . . Lorne Molleken, the GM/head coach of the Blades, wasn’t happy that the WHL assigned a single referee (Devin Klein) to work this game, not after he missed a two-handed slash involving Moose Jaw F Cody Beach on Saskatoon D Teigan Zahn. “(Beach) could’ve hurt Zahn seriously in the third period,” Molleken told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. “Any time you two-hand somebody from behind like that, it’s uncalled for and it just shows what Beach is all about. When you have two teams that compete as hard as these two and you have access to two (referees), I don’t think you put Klein in a very fair position.” . . . The Blades, who are the first team to clinch a playoff spot, lead the Eastern Conference by seventh points over the Red Deer Rebels and still have two games in hand. . . . The Warriors are firmly entrenched in fifth spot. . . .
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In Lethbridge, F Philip Tot had a goal and two assists as the Hurricanes skated to a 6-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Hurricanes, who had lost six in a row, opened up a 2-0 first-period lead and never looked back. . . . Tot, a 17-year-old from Calgary, now has 20 points in 48 games. He had 10 points in 56 games last season as a freshman. . . . Regina was 1-for-6 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 2,865. . . . Lethbridge D Cason Machacek returned from a five-game suspension, but the Hurricanes are still without injured F Austin Fyten (elbow) . . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had a 10-game point streak snapped. . . . The Hurricanes, 10th in the Eastern Conference, moved two points ahead of the Pats, who now are four points out of a playoff spot. They also have three teams to crawl over before getting to that last spot. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . Medicine Hat won its fourth straight game. . . . F Kale Kessy set up two goals for the Tigers, who got 41 saves from G Tyler Bunz, who posted his 69th career victory. He is tied with Kelly Hrudey for fifth on Medicine’s all-time list of goaltending victories. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem had one assist to run his point streak to 14 games. . . . According to Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News, Tigers F Tyler Pitlick didn’t return after the first period. “Pitlick has been bothered by a nagging groin injury,” Steinke tweeted during the game. . . . F Wilson Dumais scored his first goal this season for the Cougars. He had one goal in 12 games last season. This was his 45th game this season. . . . Prince George G James Priestner, who was playing in his 100th WHL game and celebrating his 20th birthday, stopped 16 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers moved past the idle Kootenay Ice and into third place in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Blazers scored three goals in the game’s first 4:23 and went on to a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Jordan DePape, a right winger who took a handful of shifts on defence for the short-staffed Blazers, set up three goals. . . . Kamloops F Dalibor Bortnak scored twice, giving him nine, and had an assist. . . . Kamloops F JC Lipon scored his second goal, ending a 42-game drought. . . . Kamloops D Josh Caron scored his first goal of the season. He has two career goals in 96 games. . . . Blazers G Jeff Bosch stopped 32 shots in posting his 20th victory. . . . Attendance was 3,754. . . . The Blades are eighth in the Western Conference, now three points ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins and four up on the last-place Thunderbirds. . . .
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In Spokane, the Portland Winterhawks exploded for five goals in a span of 1:59 late in the first period and went on to beat the Chiefs, 10-5. . . . The WHL record for fastest five goals is 76 seconds. It is held by the Saskatoon Blades of 1982-83. . . . F Brad Ross scored three times for Portland, giving him 20, while F Ryan Johansen scored his 27th goal and added four assists. . . . Portland F Craig Cunningham had two goals and an assist, and was plus-4. . . . F Tyler Johnson scored twice for the Chiefs to become the WHL’s first 40-goal scorer this season. He has 41. He also has 88 points and is tied atop the WHL scoring derby with Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . It was the first time since November 2002 that Portland’s offence hit double digits in one game. . . . The Winterhawks, who have won four straight and 10 of 11, beat the visiting Tri-City Americans 8-2 on Saturday, meaning Portland has scored 18 goals in its last two games against U.S. Division challengers. . . . Attendance was 4,519. . . . The Winterhawks now hold a seven-point lead over Spokane and eight over the Americans. The Chiefs hold two games in hand on Portland, while the Americans have played five fewer games than the Winterhawks.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Lethbridge F Neil Tarnasky

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Surely, this isn’t what the Canadian Hockey League had in mind when it entered into an agreement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that involved random drug testing of its athletes.

Surely, the CHL was looking for something more than what has been dropped in its lap.

In the last couple of weeks, the CCES has announced positive tests for three CHL players, each of whom was suspended for eight games, which is the penalty for a first-time offender.

SPENCER ASUCHAK

No matter the crime. No matter the intent. Test positive and you’re gone for eight games. A press release is issued and you are branded for life. You are a cheat . . . a user of stimulants . . . a user of PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs) . . . a Ben Johnson on skates. Googler you name and you’ll come up positive.

And that is really, really too bad.

Each of the three players tested positive for the same thing, a stimulant known as methylhexaneamine. Each, it seems, ingested it in the same fashion, through a supplement purchased over the counter. Of this there doesn’t seem to be any doubt.

In the case of forward Spencer Asuchak of the Prince George Cougars, whose suspension was announced Monday, he purchases his supplements in his hometown of Kamloops.

Asuchak, a 19-year-old forward, told the Prince George Citizen that he used Jack3d over the summer and Razor 8 in December. According to Jason Peters of the Citizen, Asuchak “mixed them with water prior to workout sessions to give himself an energy boost.“

Asuchak told Peters that he is “pretty upset.”
“I’ll get through it,” Asuchak said. “It happens -- you make mistakes and learn from them.”
Asuchak has 24 points, including 15 goals, in 42 games with the Cougars this season. He will be eligible to play again on Feb. 8 when the Cougars are scheduled to meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton.
But, sheesh, there are MISTAKES and then there are mistakes. And this was a molehill of a mistake.
Asuchak is a bit of a fitness/workout guy. He takes great pride in his workouts and his physique. Yes, he has heard the whispers, that he must be on something steroidish. But when he was selected for testing on Dec. 17 he wasn’t at all concerned. Why not? Because he knew that the four or five different pre-workout supplements he was using were fine. They all had checked out against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances.
Unfortunately, the WADA list that Asuchak was using was issued on Jan. 1, 2009. What he didn’t know was that methylhexaneamine didn’t appear on the WADA list until Jan. 1, 2010.
But, earlier this month, WADA again changed the status of methylhexaneamine. WADA issues an updated list on Jan. 1 of each year. The 2011 list has methylhexaneamine moved from its non-specified list, where it first appeared on Jan. 1, 2010, to its specified list.
This explanation appears on WADA’s website:
"During the course of 2010, the anti-doping community noticed evidence that (methylhexaneamine) had reappeared in a number of nutritional supplements and was therefore subject to potential inadvertent use by athletes.
"While athletes are responsible for everything they use under the strict liability principle applied in the fight against doping, international experts forming the agency's scientific committees took this reality into account to reclassify methylhexaneamine into the 'specified stimulants' category of the 2011 list.
"Generally speaking, 'specified substances' are substances that are more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation.
"If the athlete can prove that he or she did not intend to enhance performance by using them to the satisfaction of the results management authority, the sanction under the world anti-doping code can go from a two-year ban to a warning."
There already have been instances of athletes receiving lighter sentences after testing positive for methylhexaneamine. For example, positives tests during the Commonwealth Games last year resulted in 11 athletes being disciplined, but all of those suspensions since have been overturned.
As well, there are a couple of South African rugby players in the process of appealing bans. That story is right here.
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In the meantime, Asuchak didn’t even know what methylhexaneamine was or what its use is. Rather, I’m told, he was using supplements for creatine, caffeine, beta alinine and arginine -- creatine for building muscle, arginine for the pump, and caffeine for the energy.
Asuchak knew what was coming when he heard on Jan. 14 that two OHL players -- Alexander Aleardi of the Plymouth Whalers and Ryan O’Connor of the Saginaw Spirit -- had tested positive after using Jack3d and had been suspended. Asuchak knew immediately that his test would be positive.
(As it turned out, the teams were given advance notice. Aleardi, for example, served his entire suspension prior to it even being announced. Observers were under the impression that he was out with the dreaded upper body injury. When Asuchak’s suspension was announced Monday, he already had served three games because the Cougars had been informed of the positive test on Wednesday.)
It used to be caffeine. I remember covering the Regina Pats when one of their players would make half-a-dozen pregame visits to the scout/media room for coffee. He would drink at least six cups before going out for the pregame warmup. Then came the Sudafed era.
And now we’re into PEDs. Hey, I’m all for drug testing for PEDs. And I’m all for athletes being responsible for what goes into their bodies, and all of that stuff. But these are junior hockey players we’re talking about here. Yes, WHL teams work constantly to educate their players on PEDs and supplements and all of that, but there has to be some kind of warning system in place.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner and CHL vice-president, is quoted thusly: “In reviewing this matter, we are completely satisfied that the player used a supplement which had been purchased over the counter at a retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a prohibited stimulant under our national CHL Anti-Doping Policy.”
In a Jan. 14 statement announcing that the two OHL players had tested positive, CHL president David Branch, who also is the OHL commissioner, was quoted as saying: “We are completely satisfied that the players used a supplement which they had purchased over the counter at a local retail outlet and had no knowledge that it contained a stimulant.”
Never mind that both statements are virtually the same. It is most evident that there was no intent to cheat. There was no intent to gain a competitive advantage. These would appear to be clear-cut cases of inadvertent use.
That being the case, it behooves the adults who are responsible to change this policy before more damage is done. It is time to consider the intent in these situations and to turn potential eight-game suspensions into warnings.

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
With two OHL players having been suspended for eight games each after testing positive for methylhexaneamine, trainer Colin Robinson says players with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers have been told more than once to be careful with so-called energy drinks and other supplements.
“It’s a huge concern, for sure,” Robinson said Saturday afternoon before his club entertained the Portland Winterhawks at Interior Savings Centre.
Robinson, who has worked in the WHL since 1995, added that he constantly works on educating the players about these things.
“The players are made very aware that these energy drinks are not safe and not recommended,” he explained. “We don’t supply them to the players. If the players get them they get them on their own, knowing that the responsibility is theirs.”
The CHL, which oversees the OHL, QMJHL and WHL, entered into an agreement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport during 2006-07. The CCEC handles testing for the three leagues.
When the CHL cut its deal with CCES, it immediately agreed to live by the World Anti-Doping Association’s list of banned drugs. Methylhexaneamine was added to the WADA list in 2010.
Following the news Friday that Alex Aleardi, a forward with the Plymouth Whalers, and Ryan O’Connor, a defenceman with the Saginaw Spirit, had drawn eight-game suspensions, the WHL sent an alert via email to each of its 22 teams.
It is generally agreed that Aleardi and O’Connor, who were tested in November, made an honest mistake, purchasing an over-the-counter product named Jack3d, while not aware of what it contained.
The Blazers were in Kennewick, Wash., and Robinson convened a brief meeting prior their game against the Tri-City Americans.
“The players,” he said, “were made aware that this had happened. I wanted to make sure, again, that they understand the consequences.”
Robinson said the “first thing out of their mouths” was that the OHL players “just bought it over the counter.”
Robinson said he told the players: “You all know when you take the test — they have to do an online test every year — it says you’re responsible. You bought it, you put it in your body . . . that makes it your responsibility.”
The Portland Winterhawks were in Kelowna for a game with the Rockets when the email went out from the WHL office.
As soon as he saw it, Rich Campbell, the Winterhawks’ athletic therapist and strength/conditioning coach, said he “walked right back and talked to players. I asked if they were familiar with the specific product and let them know that it was illegal.”
Campbell said this “is very important to us because players hear about these supplements through other athletes and a lot of times there’s stuff in there that we don’t know is in there.
“I’m familiar with (methylhexaneamine). It’s in a lot of those pump-you-up supplements. The trick is to educate the guys and let them know what’s legal and what isn’t legal as far as the substances.”
Campbell said players sometimes approach him with supplement-related questions, and he also monitors the situation.
“Mostly I just look in the (dressing room) and see what’s there,” he said.
Robinson said that with the Blazers, Dev Mitra, the strength and conditioning coach, “handles all the supplement and protein powders and that.”
Robinson added: “We make sure it’s all sanctioned. If it doesn have NSC on it -- which means it’s gone through the testing -- then we don’t recommend or ask the guys to take that type of powder. Anything they’re on they let us know beforehand and Dev and I check over the WADA list to make sure it’s all good.”
The Blazers have been visited twice this season, once in Portland and again in Prince George. In each instance, one player was tested and, as Robinson said, “Both times it’s been good.”
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It turns out that methylhexaneamine raised its ugly head in baseball a few months ago.
Mike Lemaire of Baseball America reported in August:
“Prior to July 28, no players had violated minor league baseball’s drug program by testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine.
“Little more than two weeks later, eight minor leaguers from four levels of the minors had tested positive for the drug and received 50-game suspensions. A pre-workout supplement that baseball recently banned contained stimulants that proved to be the culprit.” gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Russians shoot out lights at ISC

Linesman Ryan Dawson works to keep the peace
between Team Russia's Maxim Berezin and
Brandon Herrod of Team WHL.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell/Kamloops Daily News)

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
The Subway Super Series certainly lived up to its billing Wednesday night.
The Russian Selects beat Team WHL 7-6 in a shootout in front of 5,456 boisterous fans at Interior Savings Centre. The game was the fifth in the six-game Super Series, which will conclude tonight in Prince George.
The Russians lead the series 3-2, and hold a 9-6 lead in points. The series gives three points for a regulation victory, two for a shootout victory and one for a shootout loss.
This game had pretty much everything — talented teams, a spirited comeback and playoff intensity. The last time the Super Series stopped in Kamloops, on Nov. 30, 2006, it was anything but super, with the WHL winning 8-1.
Last night’s game was a beauty.
“It was a strange game . . .” said Team WHL head coach Ryan Huska, “There were lots of ups and downs, and at the end of the night, we would have hoped to come out on the winning side.”
Team WHL appeared to have this game in control two different times — it held a three-goal lead 6:31 into the first period, and again midway through the third period.
But the visitors, playing their fifth game in five cities since coming to Canada on Nov. 8, wouldn’t give up, and finally tied the game 6-6 with 7:52 remaining in the third period.
Once the game got into a shootout, the Russians dominated, scoring on three of their four chances. Jordan Weal had the lone shootout goal for the WHL.
“They never gave up,” said Blazers defenceman Austin Madaisky. “It seemed like when we got up, we took our foot off the gas pedal. It came back to bite us.”
Team WHL couldn’t have drawn up a better start . . . or a worse finish.
Carter Ashton of the Regina Pats fired a bullet into the top corner 2:16 into the game, and Moose Jaw Warriors forward Quinton Howden made it 2-0 1:20 later.
Stefan Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades made it 3-0 on a power play at 6:31 of the first period, and the local fans must have been thinking back to that 8-1 shellacking in 2006.
But Russia had other plans, with Daniil Sobchenko and Artemiy Panarin cutting the lead to 3-2 before the end of the period,
Prince Albert Raiders forward Brandon Herrod made it 4-2 midway through the second period, but Russia’s Anton Burdasov cut the lead 41 seconds into the third period.
Regina’s Weal and Saskatoon’s Curtis Hamilton scored power-play goals 54 seconds apart to make it 6-3, and the WHL appeared poised to cruise to an easy victory. But the Russians scored three times in a span of 2:42 — the goals came from Sergey Kalinin, Maxim Kitsyn and Artem Voronin — to stun the capacity crowd.
“We got that three-goal lead and maybe we let back a little,” said Tri-City Americans forward Brendan Shinnimin, who had two assists in the loss. “We knew we had to skate with them because we knew they were going to push.
“They didn’t stop. It’s disappointing. You don’t want to represent your team and your league like that.”
Madaisky was one of three Blazers to participate in the game — forwards Brendan Ranford and Chase Schaber also took part, although none registered a point. Ranford was WHL’s final shooter in the shootout, but his deke was stopped by Russia goaltender Emil Garipov.
Madaisky, who was solid in the loss, was impressed by the fans, if not the game’sfinal result. The Blazers have yet to draw 5,000 fans to a home game this season.
“This was the most exciting crowd I’ve ever played in front of at the ISC,” said the 18-year-old Surrey native. “It would be great if we could get that every night, but it was nice to get it while it lasted.”
JUST NOTES: Blazers head coach Guy Charron served as an assistant under Huska. Charron won’t make the trip to Prince George, and Cougars head coach Dean Clark will serve under Huska. . . . Calgary head coach Mike Williamson also served as an assistant coach on Wednesday, and will do so again tonight. . . . Both teams were 3-for-6 on the power play. . . . Everett Silvertips goaltender Kent Simpson made 27 saves in the loss. . . . Russia started with Dmitry Shikin in goal, but he was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots. Garipov came in and stopped 40 shots. . . . Seattle Thunderbirds G Calvin Pickard will start in goal for Team WHL tonight. . . . Tk’emlups Indian Band Chief Shane Gottfriedson and former Blazers captain Ajay Baines were honourary captains for the game. . . . The Russians’ victory improves their record to 2-13 against the WHL and 9-38 against the CHL.
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

CHL chat

A note from Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports informs that this week's CHL Chatravaganza goes today (Thurdsay) at 4 ET/1 PT. "We have much to discuss, especially news of a Nino Niederreiter nature," he writes. . . . You are able to check it out right here.