Virtanen to sit for a bit . . . Bacon and eggs in Brandon . . . Pats' Lang makes move

MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen has been suspended for three games for a headshot on F Tanner Kaspick of the Brandon Wheat Kings in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Friday. . . . Virtanen sat out Game 2 on Saturday, and he won’t play tonight or Wednesday in Calgary. . . . Brandon leads the series 2-0, so Virtanen needs at least one Calgary victory if he is going to play again this season. . . . Kaspick left the game after neutral zone hit and hasn’t played since. . . . A video of the play is available right here.
The Hitmen also have been without F Connor Rankin and F Chase Lang, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . Virtanen, Rankin and Lang have combined for 34 playoff points, including 18 goals. . . . The Hitmen have scored 55 goals in their 14 playoff games.
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Mark French, the head coach of the Calgary Hitmen, was fined $1,000 after he slammed a stick against the boards — five times, if you’re counting — and then tossed it onto the ice in the third period of a 9-4 loss in Game 1 in Brandon on Friday night. In Brandon, coaches enter and exit the players’ bench by walking on the ice. If you saw video of the incident, French came close to doing a pratfall as he was leaving. . . . “I don’t have much comment on that other than it probably won’t be happening again due to the fact that I almost fell coming off the ice,” French told Laurence Heinen, who covers the Hitmen for the Calgary Herald. “We’ll leave that there.” . . . Heinen’s story is right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have perhaps the best promotional deal in all of the WHL with Smitty’s, a local restaurant. If the Wheat Kings score seven goals in a home game, a game ticket presented within seven days is worth a free Lucky 7 breakfast. You have to purchase a beverage, then you get
two eggs, two strips of bacon or two sausages, and two buttermilk pancakes or toast. . . . This season, the Wheat Kings scored at least seven goals on nine occasions in the regular season. . . . On Monday, a tweet from Smitty’s indicated the results:
Eggs: 1,952.5 dozen.
Bacon: 732.2 pounds.
Sausage: 901 pounds.
Pancakes: 11,715.
Loaves of break: 1,065.
Maple syrup: 73 gallons.
Value: $50,255.07.
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There’s a blog out there titled Hodges Heroes that follows the Portland Winterhawks. There usually is some interesting stuff on there. Check it out to see some interesting numbers on the Winterhawks from Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference final against the Kelowna Rockets. . . . According to his numbers, the Winterhawks were 33-for-52 (63 per cent) on face-offs in Game 1 and 37-for-64 (58 per cent) in Game 2. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo was 20-for-24 in Game 2. . . . You will find it right here.
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The Regina Pats announced Monday that, effective June 1, former general manager Chad Lang will leave his position as senior vice-president to become a senior advisor. . . . According to a news release: “In his new role, Chad will work directly with the owners of the Pats, Regina-based Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group (QCSEG). His extensive knowledge and experience will also be utilized with the team’s business and hockey operations.” . . . In the same release, Lang said: “Having been born and raised in Regina, working with my hometown team has been a dream come true. This new role allows me to continue to remain with the organization, but also gives me the ability to fully explore other business opportunities.” . . . Lang has been with the Pats for five years. He was the GM until the Pats hired John Paddock as senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach prior to this season.
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The Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals played in Regina’s Brandt Centre on Saturday afternoon. Yes, the Globetrotters won, this time 77-75 in OT. “Suitably,” reported Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post, “the game featured the shakiest officiating since, well, the Pats-Brandon Wheat Kings playoff series of 2015.”
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I

n the QMJHL, the host Quebec Remparts beat the Moncton Wildcats 5-1 on Monday to take a 3-0 lead in that semifinal. The Remparts get their first chance to close it out tonight at home. . . . In the other series, the Rimouski Oceanic take a 1-0 lead into tonight’s game against the Foreurs in Val-d’Or. . . .
In the OHL, the Erie Otters hold a 2-1 lead on the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. They’ll play Game 4 tonight in Erie. . . . The Oshawa Generals and North Bay Battalion are 1-1. They are in North Bay for Game 3 tonight.
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It looks like Indians Trevor Bauer came expecting to fight the Royals today. pic.twitter.com/Ig0BnA1BEz
— Ryan Walton (@RyanWaltonMLB) April 27, 2015

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Paddock takes control of Pats . . . Raiders sign defenceman

F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Rubin Tyumen (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). Last season, with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL), he had 41 points, 19 of them goals, in 69 games. He also was pointless in one game with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL).
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Two weeks before opening training camp, the Regina Pats have unveiled their new structure. As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported in Wednesday’s paper, John Paddock, who signed what the team calls a “multi-year contract,” is the new head coach and will have complete control of hockey operations as he also is the senior vice-president of hockey operations. . . . Chad Lang no longer is the general manager; instead, he is senior vice-president. . . . Lang, with one year left on his contract, told Harder: “I want the organization to have success. I want to surround myself with good people and ultimately it’s about the team. I’m born and raised in Regina. I grew up watching this team. It’s a big part of my family, it’s a big part of me. I’ve taken tremendous pride in what we’ve been able to accomplish in the short term that I’ve been here. I take great pride in the tradition of this organization and being a part of it. I’ve enjoyed every minute. That won’t change.” . . . In Thursday’s paper, Harder explains how the hiring process worked and explains how the new structure is supposed to work. . . . Once The Leader-Post updates its site, you’ll find two Harder stories right here.
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Last week, I put up a poll asking when you thought the Pats would announce a new head coach. The eight of you who picked Aug. 5 can take a bow, as you were the closest, missing it by only one day. But it was kind of neat that Oct. 1 was the leading selection. It’s good that some of you have a sense of humour.
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The Kootenay Ice has hired Chris Wahl as its director of sales and public relations. Wahl takes over from Kaytee Wheaton, who left to join Royal LePage East Kootenay Realty. . . . Wahl spent the past three seasons in the BCHL, with the Trail Smoke Eaters (2011-13) and Surrey Eagles (2013-14). According to an Ice news release, Wahl “will be responsible for executing corporate sales agreements as well as building on the club’s foundation of communication strategies, both through traditional and new media.” . . . At the same time, Don MacMillan, who was with the Ice from 1998-2008, has returned as a part-time sales consultant. MacMillan is a bylaws officer with the City of Cranbrook.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have signed D Hunter Warner, who played last season with the USHL’s Fargo Force. Warner, who turns 19 on Sept. 21, had 12 points, two of them goals, and 125 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Force last season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is from Eden Prairie, Minn., and was listed by the Raiders in 2012. . . . Andrew Schopp of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.
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It’s doubtful that any NFL owner, or perhaps any owner in pro sports today, is under as much fire as Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins. Dan McKenna of Deadspin has a great piece right here that is headlined: How Dan Snyder Bought Off The D.C. Media. This is great stuff.
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Well it's official, heading back to school this year #UofC #dinos #newcolors
— cain franson (@frannyy12) August 6, 2014

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Hockey world mourns and mourns

In the past few months, 16 first responders have committed suicide in Canada.
Vince Savoia has founded Heroes are Human, an organization that is working to try and understand just what is happening here.
Savoia has told CBC-TV that he calls this the John Wayne Syndrome -- people who spend their professional lives helping others, but won’t ask for help when they need it themselves.
“It’s seen as a sign of weakness, when in fact it should be seen as a sign of strength,” Savoia told CBC.
Brad Symes is No. 16 on that list. Symes was an Edmonton firefighter who played four seasons (1992-96) as a defenceman with the Portland Winterhawks. A native of Edmonton, he played well enough that he was a third-round selection by his hometown Oilers in the NHL’s 1994 draft.
No doubt the Oilers liked the fact that he put up 73 points in 271 regular-season WHL games, along with 529 penalty minutes. As the numbers indicate, he was a tough, honest player.
Symes never did get to the NHL. According to hockeydb.com, he played three professional seasons totalling 141 games. Of that total, five games were with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs; the rest were split between the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers and New Orleans Brass.
Symes retired and later chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a firefighter. His father, Stan, had been a district fire chief in Edmonton.
Late last month, Brad Symes died. He was 38 when he committed suicide, leaving behind his wife of seven months and two young sons.
His family now is trying to come to grips with what went wrong.
The CBC story is right here.
“Our son was No. 16,” Char Symes, Brad’s mother, told CBC. “How many more do we really want this to happen to?”
“We don’t want to see or hear about No. 17,” said Stan Symes, Brad’s father. "We want it to stop.”
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Friends and family will gather one day later this week in a Western Canadian community to say goodbye to another young hockey player.
He is at least the fourth teenage hockey player from the west to take his own life in less than a year.
The impact this young man had on people is evident by the outpouring of emotion on a Facebook page that was set up as a memorial. As you read, there are questions and no answers, and there is pain, real pain, coupled with bewilderment.
Of course, this isn’t just a hockey problem; it’s a societal situation. And it could be that hockey had absolutely nothing to do with the deaths of these four young men.
Spend a few minutes on the Internet and the numbers become mind-numbing.
“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death, following more vehicle accidents, among teenagers and young adults.”
“Teen suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24.”
“In Canada, suicide accounts for 24 per cent of all deaths among 15-24-year-olds. Boys die by suicide two to three times more often than girls.”
It just goes on and on, and it seems there aren’t any answers.
But the fact remains that the four young men who chose to take their own lives all were in regular contact with people in the hockey community. We simply have to find a way to help young people who find themselves in this predicament.
We have to . . . there is no way around it.
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Here’s Cathy Schave Kemp of the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club on Facebook:
“This is the 2nd young player that the hockey world has lost in the past week. Soooo sad. I wish these boys knew and understood that there is help out there. There's sooo much support and always a shoulder.”
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Here’s Sean Moloney of World Pro Goaltending on Facebook:
“If you're ever feeling like you're alone or no one cares about you, REMEMBER that there are family and friends around you who love and care about you. REMEMBER that there are people out there who can relate to how you feel. REMEMBER that the way you are feeling is only temporary and things WILL get better in time. Don't you dare give up.”
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The Regina Pats are expected to introduce John Paddock today as senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Paddock has signed a long-term contract. . . . According to Harder, ". . . the Pats will unveil a new structure for the business and hockey sides of the organization. Paddock will have autonomy in hockey operations, reporting directly to president/part owner Todd Lumbard. Chad Lang has been asked to remain with the team as senior vice-president while relinquishing the GM title. His responsibilities will be split between the hockey and business sides, also working under Lumbard." . . . With the Pats also looking to add two assistant coaches, Harder also reports that former Saskatoon Blades head coach Dave Struch may be in the mix. . . . On Tuesday, the Pats announced that they have hired Gordon Pritchard, a lawyer, as their director of corporate affairs. He has been working as an assistant GM with the SJHL's Yorkton Terriers. . . . If you visit, www.leaderpost.com later today, you'll find Harder's complete story.
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F Pavel Zacha, the first player selected in the CHL's 2014 import draft, has said he will join the OHL's Sarnia Sting. Zacha, 17, is from Czech Republic. Immediately after he was selected by the Sting, one of his agents, Allan Walsh, blasted the Sting, saying the team had wasted a pick. On Tuesday, Walsh tweeted that "Sarnia has done a great job presenting their exemplary program to Pavel and his family."
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Two former WHLers, both of them from B.C., have said they will attend the U of British Columbia and play for the Thunderbirds. . . . G Eric Williams of Langley played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Spokane Chiefs. He completed his eligibility last season with the Chiefs. . . . F Manraj Hayer of Vancouver spent the past four seasons with the Everett Silvertips.
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The Kelowna Rockets have added Travis Crickard to their coaching staff. Crickard, 27, will be responsible for the goaltenders and also will be the video coach under freshman head coach Dan Lambert. . . . Last season, Crickard was on the coaching staff of the OHL's Ottawa 67's. . . . Crickard replaces Kim Dillabaugh who left after 11 seasons and now is a full-time assistant coach/scout with the Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings.
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Popcorn Bowl 2015 is ours! bring it @WHLGiants ! #newiceage pic.twitter.com/kFcTascGEd
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) August 5, 2014

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Pats appear to have their man

F James Henry (Vancouver, Moose Jaw, 2006-12) has signed a tryout contract with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with the Stockton Thunder (ECHL), he had 36 points, 14 of them goals, in 66 games. . . .
F Martin Podlešák (Tri-City, Lethbridge, 2000-02) has signed a one-year contract with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). Last season, Podlešák, with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga), had seven points, three of them goals, in 23 games. He also had one goal in 23 games with Litoměřice (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). . . .
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) has signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). Last season, with the Tohoku Free Blades Hachinohe (Japan, Asia HL), he had 30 points, including 11 goals, in 42 games. He led the league’s defencemen in goals.
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The Sunday edition of the Vancouver Province included a question-and-answer piece featuring sports columnist Ed Willes and Trevor Linden, the president of the Vancouver Canucks.
The most interesting part of the interview comes at the end.
“You’ve had some interesting things to say about the role of fighting in the game,” Willes says. “Do you think things are changing there?”
Linden responds:
“Fighting is supposed to be there to protect our top players. I’m not sure it has that effect. I think that happened in the ’70s and ’80s, but I think that ended when the game progressed. I don’t speak for every fan, but I think there are a lot of fans out there who don’t understand the staged fight. Within the context of the game it isn’t relevant. Everyone loves playoff hockey and we saw incredible games in these playoffs. It was hard-hitting, fast and intense. And, generally speaking, fighting isn’t part of playoff hockey.
“Some of the best parts of our game are the hitting and clean body contact. The reaction now is to go after that guy. I don’t know what the answer is but we have to look at it. I’m open to having the conversation but I think we have to look at being progressive. I think (Tampa Bay Lightning GM) Steve Yzerman shares the same views. I know it’s not popular with some people.”
Hearing the president of an NHL club, a man who played the game at an extremely high level, talk like that makes me think that fighting in the NHL is one step closer to the precipice. In recent times, more and more NHL teams, like the Canucks and Tampa Bay, have inserted young men, all of them former players, into their front offices and have given them lots of authority.
To hear Linden talk like that makes me think that this conversation is an on-going exchange between the likes of Linden, Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Ron Hextall, Brad Treliving, Brad Pascall and other young guns who populate NHL team front offices these days.
If that’s the case, it can’t be good for fight fans.
The complete interview is right here.
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The Regina Pats have signed John Paddock as their new head coach. Paddock, 60, is believed to have gotten the job ahead of former Saskatoon Blades head coach Dave Struch. . . . Struch now may end up as the general manager and head coach of the Humboldt Broncos. Dean Brockman, their former GM/head coach, now is an assistant coach with the Blades. . . . Paddock, from Oak River, Man., has played in the WHL, with the Brandon Wheat Kings (1972-74), but has never coached junior hockey. He has a 589-438-98 record as an AHL head coach and has been a member of that league’s hall of fame since 2010. Paddock also has NHL coaching experience with the Winnipeg Jets (1991-95) and Ottawa Senators (2007-08). . . . For the past five seasons, Paddock has been in the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization, either as an assistant GM or assistant coach. The Flyers announced on June 18 that he wouldn’t be back with them. . . . With Regina, Paddock replaces Malcolm Cameron, who was fired by the Pats’ new owners on June 22. . . . The Pats, who are scheduled to open training camp on Aug. 21, are the only one of the WHL's 22 teams without a head coach at this point. When they get a coach signed, they will be the 10th WHL team to have done so this off-season.
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In reporting that the Pats and John Paddock are working out the final details of a contract, Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post also writes that “Paddock is expected to hold a dual role with management powers, including hockey operations control. It wasn't immediately clear what that means for the future of senior vice-president/GM Chad Lang, whose responsibilities would be altered under a new hierarchy -- if he elects to stay with the organization.”
Harder wasn’t able to reach Lang for comment. It’s never a positive sign when a hockey executive in Lang’s position can’t be reached for comment at a time like this. It’s worth noting that Lang has a year left on his contract.
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Perhaps it is only fitting that the Regina Pats have been searching for a head coach and two assistants as the legendary Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry prepares to celebrate its centennial. And who better to write about that centennial than the great Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail. His piece is right here and, yes, it's terrific.
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As mentioned here last week, Dale Hughesman, the father of former Tri-City Americans star F Adam Hughesman, died last week after a long battle with cancer. Dale was 51. A celebration of life is scheduled for Thursday, 1 p.m., at the North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Churct as 131 Gateway Road in Winnipeg. A private internment with family will occur at a later date. There is an online guest book at www.glenedenmemorial.ca. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to CancerCare Manitoba or in Dale's name to River East Minor Hockey, 2Nations Female Hockey, Winnipeg Minor Hockey, or Hockey Manitoba. . . . The obituary that appears in today’s Winnipeg Free Press is right here.
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LeBron James isn’t the only NBAer who is coming home. Check this out right here. It’s another NBAer announcing that he’s coming home and, gee, the whole thing just might sound a little bit familiar, but a whole lot funnier.
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Swift current - where life makes sense and everyone has the munchies. Seen at front doors of city hall pic.twitter.com/GkUNxMY23X
— Darryl Russell (@DarrylRussell) August 4, 2014

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Michal Psurny (Medicine Hat, Kootenay, 2005-06) signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). He had 43 goals and 46 assists in 52 games to lead the Phoenix in scoring this season. Psurny was fifth in league scoring and was named to the
Premier League's second all-star team. . . .
F Vitali Karamnov (Everett, 2007-08) signed a two-year contract with Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL). He had two goals and two assists in 37 games with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL) this season. . . .
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had eight goals and eight assists in 33 games for Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) this season.
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"If you are reading this, I am dead." . . . Peter Worthington, one of the greats of Canadian journalism, wrote his own obituary. It’s right here and it’s worth a read.
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There was a shakeup in the office of the Regina Pats on Tuesday as owner Russ Parker announced that his son, Brent, is stepping down as governor and president. . . . General manager Chad Lang, who joined the Pats over the summer of 2010, has had the titles of governor and senior vice-president added to his portfolio. . . . Cliff Mapes remains as vice-president of business operations. . . . Brent Parker had been in the Pats' front office for 18 years, ever since Russ and Diane Parker purchased the franchise in 1995. According to a Pats news release: "(Brent) Parker will assist in the transition with respect to organizational structure over the next few weeks with an anticipated full departure from the organization being early in June."
Why is Parker leaving?
"It has been an accumulation of many, many things," he told a news conference. "The last five years have been the hardest for me personally, from my diagnosis of cancer five years ago to illnesses, accidents and deaths of some of our former players and close friends. That was on top of the daily - and yes I do mean daily - battles that we have with our building partner." The building partner? That would be Evraz Place, which runs the Brandt Centre, the facility the Pats call home."
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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Russ Parker says he and his wife, Diane, aren't yet ready to sell the Regina Pats. However, he admits that the day will come when that will happen. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has that story right here.
When that day does arrive, you have to wonder if the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders might be a potential buyer? Hey, why not? NHL teams already own WHL franchises in Edmonton and Calgary, and one day the Winnipeg Jets' owners are likely to own one, too. So why not have the country's most-popular CFL team involved in the WHL at the ownership level? And just think of the outdoor games they could play host to once the new football stadium has been built.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have re-signed general manager Bruno Campese and Dale Derkatch, the director of player personnel, to new contracts, each one calling for two years plus an option. . . . Campese has been with the Raiders since 2007, first as head coach, then as general manager and head coach, then as general manager. . . . Derkatch, a former WHL star with the Regina Pats, has been with the Raiders through three bantam drafts.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Kody McDonald, the 24th overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft, to a WHL contract. Playing for the bantam AAA team at the Pursuit Of Excellence in Kelowna, he had 124 points, including 45 goals, in 47 games. McDonald, from Lethbridge, is the third player from Turning Point Sports Management’s stable to sign since the draft.
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So much for the Wenatchee Wild moving to the BCHL. The Wild, which has been embroiled in a battle for a new lease in Wenatchee, is on the move, but not to the BCHL. Instead, the NAHL franchise is relocating to Hidalgo, Texas, where it will operate as the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees starting next season. . . . In a news release, team president Bill Stewart said he expects head coach Bliss Littler and his staff to be part of the relocation. . . . The Wild will play out of State Farm Arena, a facility that seats 5,500 for hockey. . . . According to the Wild news release, "A presentation to and final approval by the USA Hockey junior council is expected in June."
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The Vancouver Giants announced Tuesday that Bruce Allen, a well-known manager in the entertainment business, has bought into the ownership group. As well, the Giants announced that they have signed three 2013 bantam draft picks – F Tyler Benson, F Matt Barberis and D Ryley McKinstry. . . . Benson was the first overall pick in the draft after putting up 146 points, including 57 goals, in 33 games with the Alberta Major Bantam League’s Edmonton South Side Athletic Club Southgate Lions. . . . Barberis, from Surrey, B.C., was another first-round pick, taken 20th overall. He had 48 points in 58 games with the Burnaby Winter Club Bruins. . . . McKinstry, from Calgary, was selected with the 23rd pick. He had 36 points in 29 games with the bantam AAA Calgary Bisons. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has more on all of this right here. He also touches on how the Giants aren't interested in having Benson apply for exceptional status, but majority owner Ron Toigo wants to see the five-game rule bumped to 10 games. As things now stand, a 15-year-olds is only allowed to play five games before his club team has its season end.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province starts a dispatch on Bruce Allen joining the Vancouver Giants ownership group with:
Bruce Allen is a minority owner with the Vancouver Giants now. He’s certainly not a silent partner, though.
"I just think there’s been an alienation for a lot of hockey fans from that organization up the street," Allen said at the official announcement Tuesday.
There’s more right here.
It’s interesting that Allen talks about team owners being in the entertainment business and how he feels he can make a difference from that angle. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of the Giants as an entertainment vehicle.
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The Tri-City Americans have dealt D Clint Filbrandt, 18, to the Kootenay Ice for a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. From Calgary, Filbrandt was a 10th-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder had three points and 17 penalty minutes in 31 games as a freshman this season. . . . "With an abundance of defencemen signed for the upcoming season, I wanted to give Clint an opportunity to continue to play in the WHL," Tri-City general manager Bob Tory said in a news release. . . . "With the uncertain future of Tanner Muth and whether he will able to return to our club next year we felt it was important to add another defenceman with WHL experience," Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth said in a news release. "Defencemen are tough to come by at all levels and this trade will give Clint an opportunity to be an everyday player with our club."
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The Augusta RiverHawks of the Southern Professional Hockey League have ceased operations. "We, as an organization, have not received any positive information concerning the replacement of the ice system at the James Brown Arena," the team said in a news released. "A May 12th deadline was communicated to the building manager back at the end of March or the beginning of April. We also have not received any information concerning monetary compensation for the loss of the Arena for the eight games that were to be played in the James Brown Arena in March of this year. We are taking a leave from League play with the approval from the League's governors for one season. Hopefully, something can be done in the greater CSRA to bring hockey back the following year. We will retain our franchise."
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The OHL’s London Knights have been selected as the host team for the 2014 Memorial Cup. The OHL’s selection committee chose London over the Barrie Colts and Windsor Spitfires. . . . The 2014 tournament will run May 16-25 at Budweiser Gardens. . . . The Knights won the Memorial Cup as the host team in 2005. . . . The decision means that the Knights will appear in three straight Memorial Cup tournaments. They lost in the final of the 2012 tournament, will compete in the 2013 affair in Saskatoon and now will be the host team in 2014.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The MJHL's Swan Valley Stampeders have signed Erik Peterson as their new general manager and head coach. Peterson, who is from Dauphin, Man., has spent the past 10 seasons coaching in Denmark. As a player, he won MJHL titles with the Dauphin Kings and Winnipeg South Blues. He replaces Dwayne Kirkup, who left the Stampeders to take over as GM and head coach of the MJHL's Neepawa Natives. . . .
Chad Kletzel is leaving the Kootenay Ice after one season as an assistant coach under head coach Ryan McGill. . . . "With the impending birth of their first child, Chad has decided to return to Lethbridge to resume his teaching career," Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president, governor and general manager, said in a news release.

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The Windsor Spitfires will appeal the disciplinary action taken against them and announced by the OHL on Friday. All they have to do is figure out the details of the appeal process. Jim Parker of the Windsor Star has that story right here.
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PHIL TOT

The Tri-City Americans have acquired F Phil Tot, 19, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a fifth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft and a second-round selection in 2014. . . . Tot, from Calgary, had asked the Hurricanes to move him. He was the 18th overall selection in the 2008 draft. He had 76 points, including 23 goals, and 90 penalty minutes in 175 games with the Hurricanes. Last season, he reached careers highs in games played (61), goals (14), assists (31) and points (45). . . . A late birthday, Tot wasn`t selected in the 2012 NHL draft, although he was at No. 100 in NHL Central Scouting`s final ranking of draft-eligible North American skaters. . . . “With a shortage of quality ’93-born forwards in the league this year, I felt that this was a trade we had to pursue,” said Tri-City GM Bob Tory in a news release. “We graduated a lot of quality forwards from last year’s club and to be able to add a top-six forward to our mix in mid-August is huge for our club.”
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The Regina Pats have extended the contract of general manager Chad Lang through 2013-14. Lang, who is preparing for his third season in the position, took over from longtime GM Brent Parker, who now is the Pats`president. . . . The Pats went 37-27-8 last season.
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F Colton Yellow Horn, 25, has signed with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign. Last season, Yellow Horn put up 55 points in 58 games with the Central league’s Allen Americans. . . . He played 330 regular-season games over five seasons (2003-08) in the WHL, splitting it between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Tri-City Americans.


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The first time I saw Chad Lang, then the general manager of the Moose Jaw Warriors, he was in the press box in the arena in Kamloops. I thought he was one of that night’s scratches from the Moose Jaw lineup. Today, he is the general manager of the Regina Pats. Andrew Matte of the Regina Leader-Post has Lang’s interesting story right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
The Edmonton Oil Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors have advanced to the Eastern Conference final. The Oil Kings go in having won all eight of their playoff games, while the Warriors are 4-1. . . . They’ll begin with games in Edmonton on April 20 and 22. . . .

In Brandon, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 6-0. . . . Edmonton swept the Eastern Conference semifinal, running its playoff record this spring to 8-0. . . . The Oil Kings now have won 19 straight games. . . . The Wheat Kings scratched their top two forwards, Mark Stone and Michael Ferland. Stone has whiplash, while Ferland has a broken finger. Neither finished Game 3 on Tuesday night. . . . With those two out, F Daniel Asham an d F Tim McGauley made their playoff debuts. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 24 shots for his second shutout of these playoffs. . . . Edmonton got two goals from D Martin Gernat, who was celebrating his 19th birthday. . . . Edmonton F T.J. Foster had a goal and two assists. He and Gernat each finished plus-4. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck left the game in the third period with an apparent shoulder injury. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock is expected to heard for Czech Republic where he will play for Canada at the IIHF U-18 world championship. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Brayden Point continued to pen an amazing story as his PP goal in overtime gave the Moose Jaw Warriors a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Tigers won the Eastern Conference semifinal, 4-0. . . . Point, the 14th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, has eight points, including five goals, in nine playoff games. He leads the WHL with three game-winners — two of them in OT — in the playoffs. This one came on the PP at 8:50 of OT. . . . D James Bettauer scored twice in the first period as the Tigers got out front 3-1 with three PP goals. . . . Moose Jaw F Kenton Miller scored on a PP at 3:08 of the second and F Sam Fioretti forced OT when he scored at 15:51 of the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Cam Braes had two assists as he ran his point streak to nine games. . . . The Tigers were 3-6 on the PP; the Warriors went 2-4. . . . Medicine Hat scratched D Alex Theriau, while the Warriors remain without D Morgan Rielly (knee). . . .

In Spokane, the Tri-City Americans scored the game’s first two goals and went on to a 2-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The Americans take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 in Spokane on Friday. . . . Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday in Kennewick, Wash. . . . F Nathan MacMaster scored his first goal at 9:20 of the first period and F Brendan Shinnimin added his fifth at 14:56. . . . Shinnimin, who won the WHL scoring race, has at least one point in each of his last 30 games. . . . Spokane F Steven Kuhn scored at 12:16 of the third period. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 24 shots, three fewer than Spokane’s Eric Williams. . . . The Chiefs won the opener 3-2 in OT; the Americans have won the last two, both 2-1. . . .  The Americans have won their last four games in Spokane. . . . Spokane F Marek Kalus sat out his second straight game. He has an upper-body injury and may not play again in the series. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 5-4. . . . The Winterhawks, who lead the series 3-1, led 4-0 at 10:58 of the first period. . . . Game 5 is to be played in Portland’s Rose Garden on Saturday. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick broke a 4-4 tie with a PP goal at 7:37 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford had a goal and two assists, including a faceoff win that led to Willick’s winner. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie left the game 12 minutes into the first period after taking a heavy hit from Kamloops F J.C. Lipon. He was favouring his back as he left the bench and went to the dressing room. He never did return to the game. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan gave up four goals on eight shots but then stopped the last 23 shots he faced. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth turned aside 29 shots. . . . Kamloops was 2-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . After the game, the Portland coaching staff was contemplating asking the WHL office for supplemental discipline for two checks delivered by Kamloops players. Check my game story elsewhere on this blog for more details.

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