It's hard to say goodbye . . . Chase leaves Hitmen . . . Iron Commissioner drops hammer

Goaltender Austin Lotz of the Everett Silvertips played Wednesday's
game with a heavy heart following the death of Cole Hamblin
earlier in the day. After the game, Lotz tweeted a picture of the game
puck along with: "If I had a good enough arm I'd toss this up to you.
That one was for you. Thanks to everyone for the love and support."
(Photo: Chris Mast / mastimages.com)

G Daniel Spence (Calgary, 2004-09) has been released by Asplöven Haparanda (Sweden, Allsvenskan) by mutual agreement. In three games, he has a 3.39 GAA and .866 save percentage. . . .
F Jaroslav Svoboda (Kootenay, 1998-2000) has signed for the rest of this season with Martin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had been on a one-month contract with Red Ice Martigny (Switzerland, NL B) that expired Oct. 3. In five games with Red Ice, he had a goal and two assists. . . .
F Jakub Šindel (Brandon, 2004-05) has been released by Kaltern/Caldaro (Italy, Serie A). He had eight points, including three goals, in 14 games.
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A SAD FAREWELL:

A few short months ago, Cole Hamblin was preparing to begin a new chapter in his life.
After a junior career that included stints with the Spokane Chiefs and Regina Pats, he was going to attend the U of Guelph and play hockey for the Gryphons.
It didn’t happen.
Hamblin died Wednesday morning at the age of 21.
A native of Ste. Adolphe, Man., Hamblin began experiencing lower pack pain and weight loss during the summer. He was found to have mucoepidermoid carcinoma; it was in Stage 4 when it was discovered.
Hamblin had been in hospital since Sept. 22 when he died.
Shortly after his death, his family posted an update to the GoFundMe page:
“For those who have not yet heard Cole passed away this morning with his family by his side. He will be greatly missed by everyone who had the chance to know him! He touched so many lives and for that we are all greatful for. All remaining donations that have not been used will be generously donated to Cancer Care! The family is in awe with the support received from everyone and is truly grateful for everything. Our continuous thoughts are with Cole and The Hamblins. We love you all!”
I never had occasion to meet Hamblin, but I am wishing that I had. Judging from the number of people who posted messages of condolences on Twitter, this young man touched a lot of lives in a positive fashion.
Hopefully that will in time provide his family with some solace.

Heartbroken by the news of Cole Hamblin's passing. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. RIP big fella. ❤️❤️
— Brendan Leipsic (@28LEIP) November 5, 2014

Deepest condolences to the Hamblin family. Heaven gained a great guy. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet you. Rest in peace, Cole.
— Seth Swenson (@SethSwenson) November 5, 2014

Thoughts and prayers are with the Hamblin family today. Cole was one of the biggest, nicest, funniest players I ever got to play wit#RipCH18
— Joel Edmundson (@JEdmundson3) November 5, 2014

Prayers go out to the Hamblin family, friends, and teammates. Forever grateful for meeting you. RIP Cole.❤️ pic.twitter.com/pJoYVebBIU
— Laury Jones (@lauryjones) November 6, 2014

Heaven took you way too soon. You will forever be in my prayers. Love you Cole and may you rest in peace. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Lz2kMpdem6
— Brady Brassart (@BradyBrassart) November 6, 2014

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F Greg Chase has joined the parade of players to have walked out on WHL teams this season.
Chase, 19, didn’t play in Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon. He was a healthy scratch from that one. On Wednesday, the Hitmen said it was “related to on-ice discipline.”
Prior to Wednesday’s game in Prince Albert, the Hitmen revealed, via Twitter, that Chase “has since requested a trade and has returned home.”
This season, in 15 games, Chase had 15 points, including two goals. On the Hitmen, only F Chase Lang, with 17, and F Adam Tambellini, with 16, had more points than Chase.
Interestingly, Chase is one of the forwards on the roster of the WHL team that is to play in the Subway Super Series.
A native of Sherwood Park, Alta., Chase was a seventh-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 2013 draft. That came after a season in which he had 49 points, including 17 goals, in 69 games. Last season, Chase scored 35 times and finished with 85 points, in 70 games.
From all reports, Chase had a tremendous training camp with the Oilers in September and they responded by signing him to a three-year entry-level contract.
In 219 regular-season WHL games, all with Calgary, he has 177 points, including 60 goals.
The Hitmen selected him with the 22nd overall in the 2010 bantam draft.
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the situation has confirmed to Taking Note that D Reid Zalitach, 18, has left the Moose Jaw Warriors. He becomes at least the fourth player to leave the Warriors since the season began.
Zalitach and D Taylor Green, 19, were roommates in Moose Jaw. Green left the Warriors on Oct. 29.
When Green departed, Moose Jaw general manager Alan Millar told the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that “it was a decision he felt was in his best interest to move on from the game at this time and pursue other options, in particular, his education.”
A source has told Taking Note that Green’s departure didn’t have anything to do with wanting to get on with his education and everything to do with not seeing eye-to-eye with head coach Tim Hunter.
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You had to think that David Branch, the commissioner of the OHL, would get it right. On Wednesday, the Iron Commissioner suspended two players for 15 games each for “recent social networking activity.” . . . Chris Peters of cbssports.com has more right here.---
The Everett Silvertips are in Vancouver to play the Giants on Friday night. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province writes right here about the relationship between the head coaches -- Kevin Constantine of the Silvertips and Troy Ward of the Giants.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province also reports that F Luca Leone, 18, who was released this week by the Swift Current Broncos, is taking his career to Italy. Leone has an Italian passport so won’t be classified as an import when he joins the Milan-based Milano Rossoblu, a team that plays in Serie A. . . . Leone had six points, two of them goals, in 33 games with the Giants last season. This season, he was pointless in seven games with the Broncos.
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Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports Canada does up a weekly set of CHL rankings that he has dubbed the Buzzing The Net Dynamic Dozen. If you aren’t aware of them, check out the latest rankings right here. Hint: Teams from the WHL occupy the top two slots and three of the top six. . . . It’s worth looking at the paragraph that follows the rankings to see just what goes into the compilation.
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F Dryden Hunt of the Regina Pats missed most of 2012-13 thanks to a pair of concussions. So you know how badly he feels now that he’s sitting out a two-game suspension for having been involved in a hit that left Saskatoon Blades D Adam Henry with a concussion. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has that story right here.
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Earlier in the week came word of a mother who had been ordered by a B.C. court not to contact various hockey coaches and officials on behalf of her sons. Today comes word of a minor hockey coach in North Delta, B.C., who was “fired for posting Nazi propaganda to his Facebook page,” according to this story right here by Tom Zytaruk of Surrey Now. . . . Obviously, there is a reason why it’s called the Left Coast.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, F Connor Rankin had a goal and two assists as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Raiders, 4-2. . . . Rankin has two goals this season. . . . Calgary F Radel Fazleev snapped a 2-2 tie with his seventh goal at 13:07 of the third period. He also had an assist. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini added the insurance, with his 11th goal at 17:21. . . . F Craig Leverton scored twice for the Raiders (8-10-0), giving him 11. . . . F Jordy Stallard added his first WHL goal for the Hitmen. . . . The Raiders welcomed back F Reid Gardiner after a five-game absence with a broken nose and a bad facial cut. . . . Hitmen G Evan Johnson stopped 36 shots, five more than Nick McBride of the Raiders. . . . Calgary (9-8-1) has won two in a row. . . .

In Everett, F Nikita Scherbak struck for three goals to lead the Silvertips to a 6-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Scherbak gave Everett (11-1-3) a 4-2 lead with a PP goal at 8:25 of the second period. He completed his first WHL hat trick with the game’s last two goals, the final one into an empty net. . . . Scherbak has 10 goals and 10 assists in 12 games. . . . F Conner Bleackley had two goals for the Rebels. He’s got five. . . . F Tyler Sandhu, acquired by Red Deer from Everett early in the season, scored his fourth goal to get his side to within one, at 3-2, at 3:21 of the second. . . . If you’re keeping track, Everett took two minor penalties, one fewer than Red Deer (8-8-2). . . . The Rebels had been 5-0-1 in their past six games. . . . After the first period, Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald tweeted: “Last night Red Deer and Seattle combined for 52 penalty minutes in 1st period. Tonight Everett and Red Deer combined for ZERO.” . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., G Eric Comrie turned aside 25 shots as his Tri-City Americans beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 1-0. . . . Comrie has one shutout this season and 10 in his career. . . . F Beau McCue scored the game’s only goal, his sixth, on a PP at 6:40 of the third period. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 20 shots. . . . F Richard Nejezchleb, acquired Tuesday from the Brandon Wheat Kings, drew the primary assist on McCue’s goal. . . . Edmonton (9-7-2) lost five times on its trip through the U.S. Division. . . . The Americans (10-9-0) have won their last two starts. . . .

In Kelowna, F Nick Merkley, the WHL’s scoring leader, had a goal and two assists to help the Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Merkley has 30 points, including a league-leading 24 assists, in 17 games. . . . F Rourke Chartier and D Madison Bowey also had a goal and two assists each for the Rockets (15-1-1). Chartier has a WHL-leading 15 goals, while Bowey has seven. Bowey leads all defencemen in points (25). . . . The Royals (9-8-2) took 65 of the game’s 128 penalty minutes, 68 of which came in the last two minutes of the third period.
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The Swift Current Broncos will finish the 2015-16 regular season on the road and if they qualify for the playoffs they will open on the road. That’s because the 2016 Ford World women’s curling championship will be played in the Credit Union i-plex, March 19-27. . . . The Broncos have experience in this situation because the 2010 championship also was held in Swift Current. . . .
The Ottawa Senators revealed on Wednesday that F Curtis Lazar, 19, is staying with the NHL team. Lazar, who was the 17th overall selection in the 2013 NHL draft, has two assists in nine games. Ottawa’s only other option with Lazar is to return him to the Edmonton Oil Kings, with whom he has played the past three seasons. . . .
At least two WHL players will be on the Russian team’s roster when the Subway Super Series opens in Saskatoon on Monday. D Ivan Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Kootenay Ice D Rinat Valiev officially have been added to the Russian team. Game 2 of the six-game series will be played in Brandon on Nov. 11, before the Russian team heads east for two games with the OHL and two with a QMJHL select team. . . . On Wednesday evening, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted: “Russian Super Series roster hasn't been released, but I've been told former Saskatoon Blade Nikita Scherbak will be playing vs. the WHL.” . . .
Rogers Sportsnet begins its CHL telecast schedule on Monday with the Super Series game in Saskatoon. Once again, the broadcast team features RJ Broadhead calling the play, with analysis by Sam Cosentino. The host of the show will be Rob Faulds. . . . The complete telecast schedule was released on Wednesday and is right here.
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Please tell me I'm not the first to notice this Joe Maddon and Harry Caray #cubs #chicago @CJNitkowski #holycow pic.twitter.com/9ZFkWlXgyc
— David Aardsma (@TheDA53) November 5, 2014

Raiders make coaching change . . . Ex-player hits WHL with lawsuit . . . Reinhart on way back to Ice

The Prince Albert Raiders made the first coaching change of the WHL season on Friday morning when management pulled the plug on head coach Cory Clouston.
Clouston signed on with the Raiders on June 1, 2013. He was in the second-year of a two-year deal, with the club holding an option on a third season.
The Raiders were 41-41-5 under Clouston. They made the playoffs last season, going 35-32-5 and then winning a sudden-death play-in game over the Red Deer Rebels. Prince Albert then was swept from a first-round series by the Edmonton Oil Kings, who went on to win the Memorial Cup.
General manager Bruno Campese, who also is in the final year of his contract, announced that associate coach Dave Manson would step in as interim head coach.
Manson was in control Friday night as the Raiders won 6-3 over the Warriors in Moose Jaw. That improved Prince Albert’s record to 7-9-0. (It was an interesting day for the Manson family, as Dave’s son, Josh, made his NHL debut last night, playing 12:30 with Anaheim as the Ducks beat the Stars 2-1 in OT in Dallas.)
The Raiders are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight, then don’t play until Wednesday when they meet the visiting Calgary Hitmen.
The Raiders were beaten 5-2 by the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Wednesday night. That was the Raiders’ last game under Clouston, who also has been a WHL head coach with the Kootenay Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings.
Prince Albert’s players were informed of the decision Friday morning in Moose Jaw.
Campese told paNOW that a special meeting of the community-owned team’s board of directors was held Thursday night and a decision was made then to fire Clouston.
"It’s never easy, but it was something that the organization thought, moving forward was in the best interest of the hockey team," Campese told paNOW. "People can speculate all they want, but it was something that . . . I think has been discussed at a board level for . . . a few days, but the actual decision was made (Thursday) night."
The Raiders are expected to hire a new head coach in the next few days, perhaps even on the weekend.
The Raiders’ news release had hardly landed on the Internet when speculation began. In this day of social media, it doesn’t take much to start rumours.
First, I heard that the Raiders had asked the Regina Pats for permission to speak with assistant coach David Struch, who spent last season as the head coach of the Blades.
Then it was Lorne Molleken’s turn. Speculation had Molleken, the Blades’ general manager last season and a long-time WHL coach, taking over as the Raiders’ head coach for the remainder of this season.
Next up was Malcolm Cameron, who was fired as Regina’s head coach during the summer, shortly after new owners took over the Pats. Cameron now is coaching at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.
No, Dan Bylsma’s name wasn’t mentioned. At least, not yet.
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After dropping a 5-2 decision to the Pats in Regina on Friday night, the Saskatoon Blades revealed that two players had suffered suspected concussions.
According to a story on the Blades’ website, “Alex Henry left in the second period after being on the receiving end of a headshot by Dryden Hunt, while Nik Amundrud was forced from the game early in the third after a run-in with Braden Christoffer, who collided with the netminder at full speed on a foiled breakaway attempt.
“Both players are suspected to have concussions.”
Henry is a 20-year-old defenceman, while Amundrud is a 17-year-old goaltender.
The Blades, who are to visit the Prince Albert Raiders tonight, recalled G Trevor Martin, 18, from the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires and D Nolan Reid, 16, from the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos.
Martin has a 0.74 GAA and a .977 save percentage with Melville.
Saskatoon also is without F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) and D Ryan Coghlan (shoulder).
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There were five games played in the WHL on Friday night, which also happened to be Hallowe’en.
Only one of the games, Saskatoon at Regina, drew more than 3,000 fans, with attendance there announced at 3,072.
In Moose Jaw, 2,943 fans showed up to watch the Warriors and Prince Albert Raiders. There were 2,351 fans in Lethbridge where the Hurricanes played the Brandon Wheat Kings.
In Swift Current, 1,911 fans saw the Broncos play the Calgary Hitmen.
And, in Cranbrook, only 1,901 fans were in the house as the Kootenay Ice played host to the Red Deer Rebels. After the game, Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, tweeted that the attendance “was the smallest in team history.”
It will be interesting to see how many games are on the WHL schedule on Oct. 31, 2015, which will fall on a Saturday.
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The Spokane Chiefs will hold a Chiefs Care auction at the main entrance of Spokane Arena tonight, with proceeds directly benefiting former D Cole Hamblin in his fight against cancer.
Hamblin played for the Chiefs from 2010-12. He is battling Stage 4 mucoepidermoid carcinoma. He learned of his condition after experiencing severe back pain and weight loss as he prepared for this season at the U of Guelph. Hamblin has been hospitalized since Sept. 22.
“As an organization, it is important for us to support Cole and help his family through this,“ Tim Speltz, the Chiefs’ general manager, said in a news release. “We have had a number of fans ask how they can help, and (we) feel this auction as well as providing everyone with the online fundraiser information are the best ways to provide people the avenues to support the Hamblin family. Cole is a strong person who is facing his challenges head on and we have him in our thoughts through his recovery."
Included in the auction are a variety of items, including but not limited to:
* Cole Hamblin game-worn Chiefs jersey;
* Tyler Johnson game-worn signed Memorial Cup Chiefs jersey;
* Wayne Gretzky game-worn signed Chiefs jersey;
* 2013-14 Chiefs Breast Cancer Awareness theme jersey (blank, game style);
* 2013-14 Chiefs military theme jersey (blank, game style);
* George Brett signed baseball bat;
* Kyle Beach signed 50th goal stick;
* Mitch Holmberg signed stick & puck;
* Mitch Holmberg and Pat Falloon signed pucks (No. 1 and 2 career goals scored in franchise history);
* Disney On Ice suite (eight tickets);
* 2013-14 team-signed Mike Aviani game-worn helmet;
* Framed Tyler Johnson Tampa Bay Lightning photo; and,
* Photos donated by team photographer Gary Peterson.
The Chiefs, who are at home to the Red Deer Rebels tonight, also are encouraging fans to visit the gofundme campaign online. It was created in order to allow donations to be made to benefit Hamblin. The gofundme campaign is available at: http://www.gofundme.com/fhl9jk
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Lukas Walter, who played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans (2011-13), has his name on lawsuits totalling $110 million that have been filed against the WHL and the QMJHL.
Walter, a 21-year-old from Langley, B.C., played last season with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, picking up one assist and 141 penalty minutes in 53 games.
According to Rick Westhead of TSN:
“In his $50-million case against the QMJHL, Walter alleges that the league's teams conspired to rewrite standard player contracts last year to avoid paying players the legal minimum wage.
“In a second, $60-million case filed in Calgary against the WHL, Walter alleged that the work visa the Tri-City Americans secured for him to play for them is proof he had an employer-employee relationship with the team, and should be paid at least minimum wage.”
Westhead’s complete story is right here.
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Meanwhile, the Toronto Star’s Robert Cribb reports:
“Junior hockey player employment records, league contracts, U.S. immigration documents and two new class-action lawsuits in Quebec and Alberta imply — or explicitly state — that Canadian Hockey League clubs treat some of their players as employees, despite contrary public statements by league officials, an ongoing Star investigation has found.
“Six leading employment and tax lawyers interviewed by the Star say the 60-team CHL faces an uphill battle trying to defend against class-action lawsuits alleging its players are employees deserving of minimum wage and benefits.”
Cribb’s complete story is right here.
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The Kootenay Ice received some good news on Friday when the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres chose to send back F Sam Reinhart, the No. 2 overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft. Reinhart, who turns 19 on Nov. 6, had one assist in nine games with the Sabres. . . . Reinhart didn’t play last night, as the Ice dropped a 6-3 decision to the visiting Red Deer Rebels, and isn’t expected to be in the Ice’s lineup tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. That being the case he likely would make his debut on Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Last season, he had 105 points, including 36 goals, in 60 games with the Ice. . . . You can bet, too, that Reinhart will be part of the Canadian team at the World Junior Championship. . . . "I told Sam, you're my top pick. I was cheering for him,” Buffalo GM Terry Murray said. “But it's about doing what's best for him and us," he said. "The issue wasn't skating, or hockey sense, for me it was strength."
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With Reinhart on his way back to the Ice, Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province wonders whether the Vancouver Giants should try and make a blockbuster deal with Kootenay.
Ewen’s piece is right here.
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FRIDAY'S GAMES:

In Lethbridge, F Rihards Bukarts scored a PP goal at 1:41 of OT to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 5-4 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge F Jamal Watson had forced extra time with his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, at 16:54 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings had sat Bukarts, a Latvian who is their leading scorer, for two games in order to get in Russian F Richard Nejezchleb. Last night, they flipped it, playing Bukarts, 19, and sitting Nejezchleb, 20. . . . D Ivan Provorov, 17, is their other import. He had a goal, his eighth, and two assists last night. He drew the primary assist on the winner. . . . The Wheat Kings, who dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum, were without D Ryan Pilon, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Wednesday’s 5-2 victory over the Giants in Vancouver. . . . Lethbridge G Zac Robidoux stopped 31 shots. Brandon F Tyler Coulter wasn’t able to beat him on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 23 shots in his third career start. . . . Lethbridge lost F Ryley Lindgren in the first period. He left with an undisclosed injury after being involved in a collision with Provorov. . . . The Wheat Kings are 5-1-0 on a seven-game road trip that concludes tonight in Medicine Hat against the Tigers. The Wheat Kings, who now lead the overall standings, go into the game at 13-3-1, while the Tigers, who didn’t play last night, are 11-2-1. This will be Brandon’s seventh game in 11 nights. . . .

In Regina, F Patrick D’Amico scored twice to help the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Pats, who have won their last nine meetings with the Blades, scored the game’s first four goals, with D’Amico, who has eight goals, getting the first one, on a PP, and the fourth, while shorthanded. . . . The Blades had F Alex Forsberg back in the lineup after he missed two games with an undisclosed injury. He scored his seventh goal of the season on a second-period PP. . . . D Colby Williams and F Morgan Klimchuk each had two assists for Regina. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 27 of 31 shots before leaving the game following a goal-mouth collision at 11:02 of the second period. Alex Moodie came on in relief and was 7-for-7. . . . In an interesting pre-game note, Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, pointed out that Saskatoon is 7-6-0 in Halloween games. The only time the Blades played the Pats on Oct. 31 was in 1967. The host Pats won, 9-3. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Red Deer Rebels built a 4-0 lead and then withstood a brief Kootenay comeback before beating the Ice, 7-3. . . . F Scott Feser, who had a goal and two assists, gave the Rebels a 4-0 lead with a shorthanded score at 2:17 of the second period. . . . The Ice got to within one, at 4-3, on F Vince Loschiavo’s second goal of the season at 9:44 of the third. . . . However, Red Deer F Meyer Nell got his second of the game, and sixth of the season, just 15 seconds later. . . . Red Deer D Brett Cote drew four assists. . . . The Rebels now have won four straight, while the Ice has lost seven in a row. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Prince Albert Raiders scored four second-period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw, which has lost five straight, opened a 2-0 lead on two goals by F Tanner Eberle, at 7:15 and 7:56 of the first period. He’s got eight. . . . The Raiders scored the next five goals, two of them by F Craig Leverton, who also has eight. . . . D Sawyer Lange gave the visitors their first lead, with his second goal of the season, at 10:07 of the second period. . . . Raiders D Josh Morrissey scored his fourth goal and was plus-4. . . . The Raiders had fired head coach Cory Clouston earlier in the day, so this was interim head coach Dave Manson’s first victory. . . .

In Swift Current, G Landon Bow stopped 30 shots to lead the Broncos to a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Bow had a league-leading four shutouts this season and five in his career. The franchise record for shutouts in a season is six and is shared by Ian Gordon (1993-94), Bryce Wandler (1999-2000) and Mark Friesen (2010-11). . . . F Carter Rigby opened the scoring, with his ninth, at 18:14 of the first period. . . . F Colby Cave added a PP score in the second period and F Jake DeBrusk added an empty-netter at 19:09 of the third. Cave has three; DeBrusk 10. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 13 shots as his mates had a 30-16 edge.
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OHL coach gets $7500 fine for saying "f you" to a reporter, 10x what Steve Konowalchuk got for saying WHL refs are "f-ing atrocious."
— Scott Sepich (@SSepich) October 31, 2014

We're going to Red Deer in 2016! . . . Hamblin family needs our help

F Spencer Machacek (Vancouver, 2005-08) has signed a one-year contract with Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). Last season, with the Springfield Falcons (AHL), he had nine goals and 10 assists in 34 games, and added 10 goals and four assists in 22 games with the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins (AHL). . . . Augsburg hopes to have Machacek in the lineup for Friday's game against the Straubing Tigers. . . .
F Vitali Karamnov (Everett, 2007-08) has been recalled by Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL) from its farm club, Yermak Angarsk (Russia, Visshaya Liga). Karamnov had two assists in five games with Angarsk. He hasn’t played a league game with Novosibirsk this season. Last season, with Novosibirsk, had had one assist in 49 games.
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MEMORIAL CUP REPORT:

The WHL’s board of governors awarded the 2016 Memorial Cup, the 98th edition of the tournament, to Red Deer on Wednesday afternoon, meaning the Rebels will be the host team.
Originally, three teams -- the Rebels, Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals -- expressed an interest in playing host to the tournament. The Royals later pulled out, leaving the Rebels and Giants to make presentations to the board of governors.
The two-day meeting in Calgary ended with Wednesday’s vote in favour of the Rebels, who won the 2001 tournament in Regina.
The 2016 tournament is scheduled for May 19-29 at the Enmax Centrium.
The 2015 tournament is scheduled for Quebec City, May 21-31.
Ron Toigo, the Giants’ majority owner, said after the announcement that he would like to partner with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and bid on the 2019 World Junior Championship.
That being the case, look for the Royals to take a serious run at being the host team for the 2019 Memorial Cup.
Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, reports on Wednesday’s decision right here.
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province covers the story from the Giants’ angle right here.
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The Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in Alberta since 1974 when it was decided in the Calgary Corral.
The hockey world was a bit different back then.
What follows is an excerpt from the 1974 chapter of a history of the Memorial Cup that I wrote a few years ago. These few paragraphs deal with Regina Pats head coach Bob Turner, who chose to take some heat off his team . . .
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He did so by pointing fingers at a recent phenomenon -- the player agent.
"I made it specific when we came here that I didn't want any of the players talking to agents,” Turner told Dale Eisler of the Regina Leader-Post. "All the players told me that they wouldn't get involved with them, but today I had to kick two of them out of one of the agent's rooms.
"If I catch any more of our players talking to lawyers or agents, then they won't play in the national final. I don't care who they are. And if (general manager Del) Wilson won't back me up, I'll resign. He will, though.”
The dilemma, as Turner saw it, was this: "How can you make kids think about hockey when they're thinking about thousands of dollars?”
Two people singled out by Turner were Alan Eagleson and Norm Kaplan.
"Alan Eagleson was sitting right in my room,” Turner said, "and he promised me that he wouldn't bother the players. ‘I've got more class than that' was what he told me. And Norm Kaplan promised the same thing, too.
“Well, I caught two players in Eagleson's room and Kaplan talked to two others behind my back.”
It was, indeed, a new era in junior hockey.
"(Agents) aren't worrying about the kids,” Turner said. "All they want is their eight per cent. That's what Kaplan got for signing Sobchuk last year. What did the team get? Nothing. I'm sick and tired of that.”
Turner concluded: "Agents are tops on my (bleep) list. They are parasites.”
For the complete story on the 1974 Memorial Cup, click right here.
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Fighting in hockey took another punch in the face on Wednesday night, this time from former NHL D Mike Milbury, who once waded into the stands and beat a fan with a shoe. With a number of enforcers having lost their NHL jobs in the last few days, Milbury said: "I think it’s telling me that it’s time to get rid of fighting. It’s telling me that it’s over. As much as I like a good scrap in my day, too many issues here involving concussions. Too many problems. The teams are going away from it. Let’s grow up and get rid of it.” . . . Puck Daddy has more right here.
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F Adam Brooks' second goal of the game, at 18:08 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie and gave the host Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice on Wednesday night. F Jaedon Descheneau scored three times and added an assist for the Ice, which was outshot, 47-31. Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . As I write this, Greg Harder’s game story for the Regina Leader-Post isn’t yet on the newspaper’s website. But it will show up right here at some point in time and you will want to read it if only to read Regina head coach John Paddock’s comments on the game’s three stars. . . .
In Prince George, F Jari Erricson had two goals and two assists as the Cougars dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-2. The Cougars also got a goal and two assists from F Chase Witala and three assists from F Jansen Harkins. F Kody McDonald, who is from Lethbridge, scored his first WHL goal for the Cougars. He was a second-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. McDonald was pointless in nine games with the Cougars last season. . . . Lethbridge F Tyler Wong was back in the lineup after serving a three-game WHL suspension.
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Doug Paisley is the new president of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, taking over from Brian McNaughton, who had been president for 10 of the previous 11 years. Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald has more right here.
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Gregg Sutch, who writes periodically for Yahoo! Sports Canada, is a former major junior player and it turns out he was involved in the OHL's decision to former a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association. Details on that move were revealed earlier this week. Sutch writes right here about how important the OHL-CMHA partnership will be to players in that league.
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Former WHLer Cole Hamblin (Spokane, Regina, 2010-13) has been in hospital since Sept. 22. He has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and he and his family need our help. . . . There is more right here. ---
One of the must-reads as the hockey season hits high gear is Boy On Ice: The Live And Death Of Derek Boogaard, written by John Branch, an award-winning writer with The New York Times. Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post sat down for a chat with Branch, and the results are right here.
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Here’s your good read for this morning. It’s the latest edition of 30 Thoughts from Elliotte Friedman and it’s right here. Enjoy!
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Cory Cameron, the Kootenay Ice’s athletic therapist, worked his 500th WHL regular-season game last night in Regina. Gotta wonder how many ankles he’s taped. . . . F Jaden Anderson, a 10th-round selection by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2013 bantam draft, has committed to Lake Superior State University. Anderson, from Aurora, Colo., is playing in the Omaha AAA program. . . . The ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers have extended the contract of head coach Clark Donatelli through 2016-17.

The Vancouver Giants, with room for one 20-year-old player, have acquired F Kale Kessy from the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Giants gave up a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Kessy is serving a 12-game suspension for a headshot on Lethbridge Hurricanes D Ryan Pilon on Sept. 22. He has six games remaining and will be eligible to play for the Giants on Oct. 30 when they are in, yes, Lethbridge. . . . Kessy, a fourth-round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2011 NHL draft, has been with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. However, he was told Thursday night that he would be returning to the WHL. . . . Last season, he had 16 points and 151 penalty minutes in 49 games. He had two goals in two games when he was suspended this season. . . . In 195 regular-season games, Kessy has 71 points and 422 penalty minutes.
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The Regina Pats have assigned D Cole Hamblin, 19, to an unspecified junior A team. Hamblin, 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, had two points in eight games with the Pats this season. He played last season with the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers. He also has six points in 19 games with the Spokane Chiefs over the last two seasons.
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F Zach Pochiro of the Prince George Cougars has been suspended for three games for a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct incurred on Wednesday night in a 5-4 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . Pochiro sat out Friday’s 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge.
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Remember Joey Hishon? He was playing for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack at the 2011 Memorial Cup when he took a headshot from Kootenay Ice D Brayden MacNabb. Hishon, a first-round selection by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2010 NHL draft, has yet to return to action. Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post has more right here.
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The Vancouver, Wash., Vipers, who play in the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NORPAC), had four hometown brothers on their roster until making a trade the other day. Now they have but one.
The Vipers dealt Joe Bordak, 19, Avik Bordak, 18, and Elijah Bordak, 17, to the Medford-based Southern Oregon Spartans of the Western States Hockey League. Daniel Bordak, at 20 the oldest of the brothers, remains with the Vipers. . . . Head coach Keith Bemis of the Vipers told the Vancouver Columbian that the Bordaks were traded because they couldn’t afford the US$5,500 per player registration fee. According to the newspaper, “Benis said Southern Oregon had sponsorship money to assist the Bordaks with the cost of playing.” . . . The Columbian also reported that “Bemis said the Vipers will receive between three and five players from Southern Oregon, with most expected to arrive next week.”
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FRIDAY’S STUFF:
G Jackson Whistle earned his second WHL victory — his first since Jan. 10 — as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Royals 4-1 in Victoria. . . . Whistle, who is from West Kelowna, was acquired from the Vancouver Giants last month. His only other victory came on Jan. 10 when the Giants beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Last night, Whistle stopped 20 shots. . . .

The Red Deer Rebels snapped a 12-game home-ice losing streak against Medicine Hat by beating the Tigers, 2-1. . . . According to Greg Meachem, the sports editor at the Red Deer Advocate, the Tigers hadn’t lost in Red Deer since October 2009. . . . Red Deer G Bolton Pouliot stopped 32 shots. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak was scratched for undisclosed disclipinary reasons. The Rebels had Grant Naherniak, from the Red Deer midget ranks, backing up Pouliot. . . . F Turner Elson broke a 1-1 tie at 16:16 of the second period when his centring pass during a PP bounced in off a Medicine Hat player. . . . Red Deer takes a three-game winning streak into a game tonight in Calgary. . . .

F JC Lipon scored three times in a 5:39 span in the first period and the Kamloops Blazers went on to a 5-1 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Lipon also had an assist, giving him a WHL-leading 18 points. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 36 shots, including 18 in the second period. . . . The Blazers left shortly after the game for a five-game swing into the Central Division. Kamloops (7-0-1) will open the trip Sunday afternoon in Calgary against the Hitmen (5-0-2). These are the only WHL teams not to have lost in regulation time this season. . . .

The Calgary Hitmen improved to 5-0-2 with a 5-4 shootout victory over the host Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Calgary is 3-0-0 against Edmonton (5-2-2) already this season. . . . The Hitmen won at home, 6-5 in OT, on Sunday. . . . “I didn’t mind the effort,” Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal told Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal. “I thought we played hard for 60 minutes and, obviously, a shootout is what it is.” . . . Calgary F Greg Chase, who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., scored the shootout winner. . . . Edmonton’s PP, which features five forwards, was 3-for-3 and now is 9-for-14 in its last four games. . . . With the Hitmen having won all three games with the Oil Kings and with two of them going to extra time, here’s another quote from Laxdal, who told Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun: “We’ve only got two points out of a possible six, and they’ve got six.” . . . That’s what the loser point does for you. Out of a possible six points, the teams split eight of them. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds scored six times on 21 shots in a 6-4 victory over the Giants in Vancouver. . . . F Brendan Rouse may have scored three times for the Thunderbirds. (The online scoresheet has him with three goals; a post-game news release from the Thunderbirds has him with two goals and an assist, with that other goal going to F Luke Lockhart.) . . . The Giants have lost six of eight games. . . . F Marek Tvrdon, a 31-goal man last season, scored his first goal of the season for the Giants. . . .

F Coda Gordon scored a PP goal in OT to give the Swift Current Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . The goal was Gordon's second of the game. . . . The Broncos, who finished 3-for-6 on the PP, started OT on the PP and then got another PP later in OT. . . . The Broncos have played nine games this season, with five of them going into extra time. . . . Regina F Chandler Stephenson tied the score 2-2 with 6:19 left in the third period. . . . Regina F Dryden Hunt (concussion) returned after missing the season’s first nine games. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders had their seven-game winning streak come to an end as they lost 5-2 to the visiting Portland Winterhawks. . . . Portland took control late in the second period when D Derrick Pouliot and F Taylor Leier broke a 1-1 tie with goals 1:33 apart. . . . Portland, which held a 40-28 edge in shots, has outshot its opponent in each of its games this season. . . . The Winterhawks wrap up their six-game East Division swing tonight in Swift Current. . . . F Dakota Conroy scored one of the Raiders’ goals. He has four goals in seven games since being acquired from the Victoria Royals. . . . The Raiders meet the Warriors in Moose Jaw tonight, then play nine of their next 10 at home. . . .

The Everett Silvertips, down 2-0 just 12 minutes into the first period, bounced back to beat the host Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2 in overtime. . . . D Landon Oslanski, 20, scored on a slapshot from the point at 1:17 of extra time. . . . Everett F Trent Lofthouse forced OT with his second goal of the season at 14:33 of the third. . . . Everett G Daniel Cotton recorded his first WHL victory. He spent most of two seasons backing up Calvin Pickard with the Seattle Thunderbirds before being dealt to the Silvertips on Sunday. Cotton was 0-8-0 with Seattle last season. . . . Cotton also earned an assist on the game-winner last night. . . . Everett had lost its last three games. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville scored his first WHL goal in the first period and got his first WHL stitches in the third, courtesy of a puck to the face. . . . The Silvertips play in Regina tonight, meaning Everett D Ryan Murray, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 NHL draft, gets to play in front of family and friends for the first time since Dec. 7, 2010. Murray is from White City, which is located on the eastern outskirts of Regina. . . .

F Sam Mckechnie’s goal late in the third period broke a 2-2 draw and gave the host Lethbridge Hurricanes a 3-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Lethbridge G Ty Rimmer stopped 27 shots. . . . F Russell Maxwell had two PP goals for Lethbridge. . . . Prince George F Colin Jacobs had an assist to run his point streak to eight games. . . . Prince George lost F Caleb Belter to an interference major and game misconduct late in the first period. . . .

F Brock Montgomery had two goals and a helper to help the Kootenay Ice to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades. . . . Montgomery’s second goal, at 16:24 of the third, broke a 3-3 tie. . . . Montgomery has seven goals in as many games. . . . Saskatoon F Shane McColgan had tied the game at 15:16 with his first goal of the season. . . . F Sam Reinhart added a goal and an assist for the Ice, who had lost three in a row. . . . F Josh Nicholls had two goals and an assist for the Blades, who have lost five in a row. . . . The Blades are in Lethbridge tonight.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Josh Winquist, Everett
F Tim Bozon, Kamloops
D Tyler Stahl, Victoria
F Logan Nelson, Victoria
D Mitchell Wheaton, Kelowna

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Dan Gibb, Prince George
D Tyler Stahl, Victoria
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Seattle Thunderbirds G Brandon Glover (@BGlover31): “Nice win in front of my family tonight in Vancouver. #feelsgood On a side note: who was serving drinks to the shot clock guys tonight?”
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TWEET OF THE DAY II:
Rob Henderson (@HendoRob) of the Brandon Sun, getting ready to cover a game between the Wheat Kings and the visiting Everett Silvertips last night: “Either the TC Americans are here for a look before tomorrow’s game or it’s staff appreciation night at Tip Top. Pretty sure it’s the former.”
The Americans open their six-game East Division tour in Brandon tonight.

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.

If you’re a regular around here, you are familiar with our friend Jessi,
who is a huge fan of the Tri-City Americans. Jessi was bowling with
the Americans the other day, and here she is with Adam Hughesman (left)
and Mitch Topping. Spies indicate that Jessi won the day!

 THE MacBETH REPORT: D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) signed a contract for the rest of the season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia, KHL) after being released by Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL). He was pointless in 12 games with Salavat Yulaev this season. He did report to Salavat Yulaev's farm team, Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), after clearing KHL waivers. Tverdovsky was pointless in two games with Toros before gaining his release. . . .
To make room on their roster, Metallurg traded D Renat Mamashev (Moose Jaw, 2000-01) to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL) for an undisclosed 2012 KHL draft pick. Mamashev had two goals and four assists in 16 games with Metallurg this season, his first with the club after spending the past two seasons with Neftekhimik. . . .
F Stefan Meyer (Medicine Hat, 2000-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, Elitserien). He had no points in six games this season with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL). . . .
F Shayne Toporowski (Prince Albert, 1991-95) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) after a successful tryout. He has four goals and four assists in 11 games with Villach this season.
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On a night in March 2005, a motorist pulled into a gas station in Maple Ridge, B.C., put $12 in gas into his vehicle, and attempted to flee without paying.
Gas station attendant Grant DePatie tried to stop the gas and dash. He was struck by the car and dragged to his death.
In the province of B.C., you now have to abide by Grant’s Law — pay for your gas before pumping.
Over the last three days, The New York Times has carried a three-part series, written by John Branch, detailing the life and hockey career of the late Derek Boogaard.
This series is, in a word, devastating.
In Part 3, Branch reveals that Dr. Ann McKee, a renowned neuropathologist who has examined the brains of numerous athletes, examined Boogaard’s brain and discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Boogaard’s family was informed during an October conference call.
Boogaard, who died at 28, was in a more advanced state of CTE than was Bob Probert, who died at 45.
“To see this amount? That’s a ‘wow’ moment,” McKee said as she pointed to magnified images of Boogaard’s brain tissue. “This is all going bad.”
She is right. This is all going bad.
The NHL, however, doesn’t see things that way.
Branch writes:
The NHL is not convinced that there is a link between hockey and CTE.
“There isn’t a lot of data, and the experts who we talked to, who consult with us, think that it’s way premature to be drawing any conclusions at this point,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Because we’re not sure that any, based on the data we have available, is valid.”
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Junior hockey operators need to take a long, hard look at what’s going on here. The evidence is starting to mount that CTE is caused by repeated blows to the head. There also is evidence that once it’s there, it’s there — it only grows.
The brain of a young hockey player gets jostled around enough just playing the game. Who knows what damage is done by repeated punches to the head in a fight? Who knows what damage is done if a player is involved in a dozen or more fights in a season?
Perhaps it’s time for a league like the WHL to take the bull by the horns and ban fighting. Get it out of the game. Write a rule that bans it.
Call it Derek’s Rule.
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Part 3 of the NYT series is right here. It is devastating. Give it a look and take advantage of the various sidebars and videos available.
And, when you’re done, convince yourself again that adults should be sending teenagers out to fight on ice.
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Late Monday night, more than 600 comments had been posted at the end of Part 3 of the NYT series.
Here’s one of them:
“Congrats to the Times for this excellent series. This is a sport that is in denial, much like the cigarette industry was for so long about the hazards of smoking. Clearly a league that does not care about its players. This is little better than the gladiators of old.
“This is a problem that cannot be ignored; players are getting bigger, faster and more powerful and I guess more players will have to end up in a stupor or die before anything is done about it.”
And then there was this one:
“Let me get this straight: adults purposely place a 16 year old kid in an adult environment (Junior A level for-profit hockey) and coerce him (you fight or you are cut from the team) to be violent and expose him to trauma and this is not called child abuse?
“What we now know about children exposed to chronic emotional and physical trauma is that they typically develop a biologically based hyper-vigilant fight/flight system and maladaptive coping mechanisms such as emotional numbing through alcohol and drug use.
“The old men who run hockey need to wake up to the realities of brain science and stop grooming adolescent boys as hockey gladiators.
“I played hockey in the Canadian juniors back in the 70's and was keenly aware that it was always the frustrated and angry adults most interested in living out their rage, blood lust, and impotence through the violence of the kids on the ice.
“Sadly, too many of these adults are still running the game today. Yea Don Cherry, I'm talking about you. When was the last time you dropped the gloves and were able to put 'em up?”
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Meanwhile . . .
If you click right here, it will take you to a three-minute video clip of the Winterhawks’ Wedding from Fox 12 Oregon. There is entertaining stuff here, including video of the bride waiting and her reaction when the Teddy Bear goal is scored.
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THE COACHING GAME: Stan Drulia has resigned as head coach of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers and move up to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals as an assistant under new head coach Ian Herbers. All of that came about because Kirk Muller, the Admirals’ head coach, moved up to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes as their head coach last week. Clark Donatelli, an assistant coach with Drulia, was named the Nailers’ interim head coach.
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JUST NOTES: The NHL’s Calgary Flames have recalled G Leland Irving (Everett, 2004-08) after putting Henrik Karlsson (knee) on the injured list. Karlsson was injured Saturday in a 5-1 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver. Irving, a first-round selection by the Flames in the NHL’s 2006 draft, has yet to play in the NHL. He has been with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. Dan Kinvig of the Abbotsford News reports that Irving, who played Sunday afternoon in a 3-1 victory over the host Chicago Wolves, and some teammates were watching the NHL game in a Chicago restaurant when Karlsson went down. “Ten minutes later," Kinvig reported, “Irving's cell phone rang. It was Heat head coach Troy Ward, informing him he was being recalled by the Flames.” . . . On Monday, Irving, 23, told Kinvig: "It was pretty exciting, and the guys were excited for me. It was very cool to share it with your teammates – the guys that helped you get there. It just means that much more when I've had to wait a while and work hard to even get a chance (in the NHL)." . . . This season, with the Heat, Irving is 15-7-0, 2.30, .914. . . .
The Prince Albert Raiders have added F Joey Santucci, 17, to their roster through Dec. 16. Santucci has 18 points and 48 penalty minutes in 21 games with the junior B Grandview Steelers of the Pacific International junior league. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have assigned D Cole Hamblin, 18, to the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelrs. he had one assist in seven games this season with the Chiefs. The Chiefs are left with a 23-man roster, including two goaltendes and eight defencemen. . . .
F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the lone WHL player on the preliminary roster for the U.S. national junor team. The roster was announced Monday. . . . The roster is 29 players deep and will be cut to 22 after a camp that is to open in Camrose Alta., on Dec. 17. . . .
The Calgary Flames have signed F Michael Ferland of the Brandon Wheat Kings to a three-year NHL contract. He was a fifth-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft. Ferland, 19, has 42 points, including 17 goals, in 29 games this season. He is to report to the Canadian junior team’s selection camp in Calgaryon Saturday. . . .
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City council in Gatineau, Que., has voted to build a 4,000-seat multi-purpose facility that will replace Robert Guertin Arena, the home of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. It looks like the cost will be between $50 million and $53 million.
Darren Desaulniers of the Ottawa Citizen has more right here.
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In St. Catharines, Ont., city council has voted to build a multi-purpose facility with 4,500 to 5,300 seats for a maximum of $50 million. Bill and Denise Burke, who own the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, say they will sign a 20-year lease.
Marlene Bergsma of the St. Catharines Standard has more right here.
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In Medicine Hat, city council . . . ahh, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel presents a day in the life of D Victor Bartley (Kamloops, Regina, 2004-09) right here.
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