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The day’s most important hockey-related story appeared at Yahoo! Sports.
“For years I lived a life full of lies,” writes Brock McGillis, a former goaltender who played for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. “Growing up in a culture of hockey — minor hockey, the Ontario Hockey League, university hockey, and semi-pro in Europe — I felt I would never be accepted.
“For years I lived a life of denial, because I am gay.
“Hockey has always been very homophobic. I can’t count the amount of times I heard phrases like: That’s gay or what a homo in the dressing room over the course of my hockey career. Words like fag, p---y, and b---h are part of the daily banter. Those words are used to belittle players, to weaken and feminize them, because hockey is hyper-masculine, meant for the manliest of men.”
Why did he feel he had to write what he did?
“Cliches like ‘Boys being boys’ and ‘Locker room talk’ were never valid defences – this is why I’m telling my story,” he explains. “I’m telling my story to start a dialogue. If you are gay, lesbian or trans and playing hockey, know that you are not alone. Know that you are not the only one.
“Know that I am here for you, the way Brendan Burke was there for me, because it gives me an immense sense of pride carrying on his legacy by saying: ‘I can’t wait until the day that you’re out like I am.’ ” His story is right here.
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G Evan Sarthou, 19, is expected to return to the Tri-City Americans’ lineup this weekend for the first time this season. From Black Diamond, Wash., Sarthou is into his fourth WHL season. He suffered an undisclosed season while with the U.S.’s national junior team during the summer and hasn’t played in a game since then. Last season, he got into 60 games with Tri-City, going 26-28-2, 3.46, .888. . . . The Americans are at home to the Portland Winterhawks tonight (Friday) and then visit the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday. Sarthou is expected to start in Spokane. . . . His return will leave the Americans with three goaltenders on their roster, the others being Rylan Parenteau, 20, who was acquired last month from the Prince Albert Raiders, and freshman Beck Warm, 17. . . . The Americans are expected to keep three goaltenders for a while, if only because Sarthou still may be invited to Team USA’s selection camp.
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The WHL’s office handed out three suspensions on Thursday, two of them to members of the Prince George Cougars. . . . D Sam Ruopp of the Cougars drew a TBD suspension after being involved in what the WHL calls a “one-man fight” in a 6-4 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday night. F Kody McDonald of the Cougars also drew a TBD suspension after he took a slashing major and game misconduct against the Tigers. . . . Meanwhile, F Leif Mattson of the Kelowna Rockets will sit for four games after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct during a 5-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday night. Mattson hit D Shaun Dosanjh, who didn’t dress for a 2-1 OT loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday and may not play this weekend. The Blazers are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight (Friday) and then visit Dosanjh’s previous team, the Prince George Cougars, on Saturday.
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The Spokane Chiefs have dropped D Trent Huitema, 18, from their roster. Huitema, from Chilliwack, B.C., has been on the Chiefs’ protected list for three years and will stay there. He had one goal in six games with Spokane this season. Huitema is expected to end up playing in the BCHL.
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The Saskatoon Blades have released F Chasetan Braid, 19, who was pointless in eight games. He is expected to join the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. Braid also has played for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
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The Kamloops Blazers have brought in F Brodi Stuart, 16, for the weekend. According to a news release, Stuart is to practice with the Blazers “and may suit up for the weekend.” . . . Stuart, from Langley, B.C., has 10 points, including five goals, in eight games with the major midget Fraser Valley Thunderbirds. . . . He was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 WHL bantam draft.
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The SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves, who fired general manager/head coach Shawn Martin on Oct. 23, continued their reorganization on Thursday. No, they haven’t yet hired a new GM/head coach; assistant coach Eric Bell is the acting head coach. Rather, they have fired head scout Sean Phaneuf. They also added Patrick Lacelle as assistant general manager and head scout. Lacelle had been scouting for the Ice Wolves in eastern Canada and the U.S.
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It’s Friday. It’s been a trying week. You need a good laugh. Right? . . . That being the case, you should click right here. Christopher Spata of the Tampa Bay Times tracked down Florida Man — actually, 11 of them — and asked one question: Clinton or Trump? . . . Florida Man? As Spata writes: “Florida Man has made some bad decisions. He has punched swans in Orlando, woken up in garbage trucks in Tampa and called 911 from St. Augustine to brag about his muscles.” . . . It’s all right here and it’s hilarious.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Seattle at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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.
In Moose Jaw, the Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 6-4 victory over the Warriors. . . . Calgary F Pavel Padakin had two goals and an assist, while F Jake Virtanen scored twice. Padakin has 24 goals; Virtanen has 38. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart ran his point streak to 11 games with three assists. . . . With the victory, the Hitmen clinched a playoff spot for the 16th time in their 19-year history. . . . D Jaynen Rissling, Calgary’s captain, was back after serving a two-game suspension. . . . F Colton McCarthy scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him four, while F Brayden Point got his 27th goal and added two assists. . . . Ice G Mack Shields started his sixth straight game -- he‘s 6-0-0. G Chris Driedger, who missed three games with a team-issued suspension, was on the bench for a second straight game. He hasn’t played since beat the Giants 5-0 in Vancouver on Feb. 7. . . . The Hitmen (40-15-6) are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings have the tiebreaker with more victories (42-40) and have three games in hand. . . . The Warriors (15-35-9) have lost three in a row. . . .
In Brandon, the Victoria Royals scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 5-3. . . . The Royals have won seven straight games now; they also have won nine straight on the road, including the first three stops on this five-game East Division swing. On top of that, they have at least a point in 14 straight games. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost seven in a row. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock opened the scoring with his 18th goal at 4:42 of the first. . . . Victoria F Logan Nelson got his 20th 16 seconds later and F Tyler Soy, with his 12th, gave the Royals their first lead at 8:50. . . . F Steven Hodges, with his 19th, and F Austin Carroll, with his 31st, added Victoria goals before the period ended. . . . Hodges also had two assists, while D Brett Cote had two helpers, too. . . . The Royals held a 49-26 edge in shots. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka went the distance in his second straight start after not playing since Jan. 31. . . . The Wheat Kings dressed only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Brandon was without D Colten Waltz, who is sitting out a suspension. . . . Brandon also was without the Quenneville brothers, Paul and John, and F Jayce Hawryluk, all with injuries. D Rene Hunter and F Rihards Bukarts were back, though. . . . Victoria, 24-3-3 since Dec. 12, is third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, who almost certainly will be the second seed because they are comfortably atop the U.S. Division. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-25-8) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Logan McVeigh broke a 2-2 tie at 16:41 of the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Blades, 4-2. . . . McVeigh has 10 goals this season. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored the game’s first two goals as the Pats grabbed the lead early in the second period. . . . The Blades tied it early in the third on goals by D Ayrton Nikkel, his fifth, and F Chase Clayton, his 10th. . . . Klimchuk completed his hat trick, getting his 23rd goal into an empty net at 19:55 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Blades honoured Les Lazaruk, their longtime radio voice, for having worked his 1,500th game on the weekend. . . . The Blades, who were the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, were eliminated from the playoff race; this will be the first time since 2008 that they aren’t in the postseason. After the game, WHL Facts (@WHLFacts)t weeted: “2 - This will be the 2nd straight season that a Memorial Cup host missed the playoffs the following season (Shawinigan).” . . . Regina went 8-0-0 against Saskatoon this season. . . . The Pats (32-22-6) are 5-0-1 in their last six and lead the East Division by four ponts over Swift Current. . . . The Blades (16-40-5) are 11th in the Eastern Conference. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart had a goal and three assists to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Reinhart ran his point streak to 18 games. . . . F Curtis Valk of the Tigers had his point streak snapped at 18 games. . . . Reinhart has 32 goals. He also has 88 points in 48 games, three more than he totalled in 72 games last season. . . . In Reinhart’s 18-game tear, he has a five-point game, a four-point outing and seven three-pointers. He has multiple points in 12 of those games. He has 26 points in nine February games. . . . The Ice ended this game with two empty-netters, one from Reinhart and the other from Tim Bozon, who got his 29th. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau had a goal, his 38th, and two assists. . . . The Tigers led this one 2-1 with five minutes left in the third period. . . . Ice F Luke Philp tied it, getting his 26th goal at 15:51. Descheneau broke the tie at 17:37. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 40 shots. . . . The Ice (34-22-4) has won three in a row; it’s fifth in the conference, three points behind Medicine Hat (36-21-3). Each team has 12 games remaining. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Jackson Houck drew three assists to help the Vancouver Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Giants opened a three-game Alberta swing by getting goals from five players. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson scored his 25th goal and added an assist, while F Dominik Volek had two assists. . . . The Giants outshot the Hurricanes, 48-29. . . . Vancouver (29-23-10) is sixth in the Western Conference, five points behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Hurricanes (12-45-5) have the WHL’s poorest record. They have lost four straight. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings unleased a 54-shot attack as they beat the Rebels 4-1. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored his 33rd goal, while F Henrik Samuellson notched No. 29. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart was back on the ice after missing three games with the flu. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 14 shots. . . . The Oil Kings (42-14-2) are tied with Calgary atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. Edmonton owns the tiebreaker by virtue of more victories (42-40). . . . Red Deer (28-29-4) is tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Rebels, 1-8-1 in their last 10, have lost three in a row. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored three first-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets outshot the visitors 51-16, including 20-5 and 19-5 in each of the first periods. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell scored his 39th goal. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke lost his shutout bid when Tri-City F Rodney Southam scored his third goal at 18:42 of the third period. . . . Kelowna (47-8-4) leads the overall standings by seven points over Portland. . . . The Americans (27-27-6) are eighth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. Tri-City holds three games in hand. . . .
In Spokane, F Shane Danyluk scored two second-period goals to spark the Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Danyluk, who turned 20 on Jan. 19, is from Salmon Arm, B.C. He was playing in his 236th regular-season game and has 23 goals. This was his third career two-goal game. . . . Raiders G Cole Cheveldave stopped 36 shots. . . . D Dakota Conroy also had two goals for the visitors, his second, No. 24 this season, into an empty net at 17:29 of the third. . . . Raiders F Chance Braid had two assists. . . . The Raiders (28-28-4) moved into a tie with Red Deer for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Chiefs (34-21-5) are a comfortable fifth in the Western Conference.
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