THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Simon Ferguson (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 1999-2004) was released by Olimpia Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had three assists in 10 games with Olimpia this season. . . .
F Adam Courchaine (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2001-05) signed a one-year contract with Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga). He was pointless in three games while on a try-out contract Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) earlier this season. Courchaine played for Duisburg in 2007-08, when the club was in the DEL, the top German league.
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Independence is something all journalists crave.
Why?
Because without independence a journalist doesn’t have credibility. And without credibility, a journalist doesn’t have anything.
Which brings us to the case of Rich Hammond.
Hammond used to cover the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings for the Los Angeles Daily News. In time, the Daily News chose not to cover Kings’ road games.
So the Kings ended up hiring Hammond to write for their website.
The Kings provided him with total independence and Hammond, in his three years there, wrote with honesty and integrity. While he was a Kings’ employee, there was no cheerleading and no dirt swept under the carpet.
Hammond left that job the other day. He will be writing about USC basketball and football for the Orange County Register. No, he didn’t want to leave the Kings. But he felt he had no other choice.
You see, Hammond interviewed Kevin Westgarth, a Kings forward who also is the team’s NHLPA representative, and posted the story on the Kings’ website. Someone from the NHL office saw the posting and told the Kings to take it down.
That’s because Hammond, as an employee of the Kings, was an NHL employee and, as such, was not allowed to be in contact with any players during the lockout.
The NHL makes such rules at times like these. While the NHLPA allows its players to talk to anyone during the lockout, the NHL has muzzled all of its owners and employees, allowing only its leaders, Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, to speak.
The bottom line, though, is that Hammond is gone and the Kings and their fans are the poorer for it.
All because the NHL wants to control the message during a lockout that it has forced upon the hockey world.
For more on the Hammond saga, click right here.
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JUST NOTES:
The Red Deer Rebels trimmed two players from their roster on Thursday. F Scott Feser, 17, is off to the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, while D Stephen Hak, 18, is going to the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. . . .
F Dryden Hunt of the Regina Pats, who has been out with a concussion since Sept. 6, has been cleared and could return tonight against the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Hunt was injuried during an exhibition game with Brandon when he hit his head on the ice late in a scrap with F Rene Hunter of the Wheat Kings. . . .
The WHL returns to Sportsnet tonight with the Edmonton Oil Kings playing host to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Hitmen (4-0-2) are one of three teams not to have lost in regulation time and they already own two victories over the defending-champion Oil Kings (5-2-1). . . . The Hitmen beat the Oil Kings 6-5 in overtime on Sunday in Calgary. But Edmonton F T.J. Foster almost stole the show with the first four-goal game in the modern history of the Oil Kings.
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THE 20-YEAR-OLD GAME:
As expected, D Connor Cox wasn’t without a team for long. Placed on waivers by the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday, Cox, 20, was claimed by the Everett Silvertips in the WHL’s draft of available 20-year-olds. . . . The Silvertips then released F Cody Fowlie, who turns 20 on Nov. 5, in order to stay at three 20-year-olds. Fowlie, from Airdrie, Alta., had 40 points, including 14 goals, in 72 games last season. . . . Cox joins F Ryan Harrison and D Landon Oslanski as Everetts 20s. . . . The Silvertips open their East Division swing against the Wheat Kings in Brandon tonight. They will play in Saskatoon on Oct. 20, which will be the sixth and final game of the trip. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have released D John Neibrandt, 20. The Giants had acquired Neibrandt from the Kootenay Ice over the summer for a fifth-round bantam draft pick in 2013. . . . The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Neibrandt, who is from Yorkton, Sask., had one goal and was minus-6 in six games. . . . With Neibrandt gone, D Reid Zalitach, 16, is likely to get more playing time. He has played in just two of the club’s first seven games. Zalitach was a second-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . .
It’s not that long ago that F J.D. Watt was the Vancouver Giants’ leading goal scorer in a Memorial Cup championship season. Today, Watt’s pro career is over — he’s back in school and playing for the SAIT Trojans in Calgary. Scott Mitchell of the Calgary Sun has that story right here, and it’s one every young hockey player should read.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
D Josh Morrissey (@Morrissey_10) of the Prince Albert Raiders, who is from Calgary: “Hard to believe but for once there is more snow at home than in PA . . . Must be because the Raids are so HOT! #wehavefun.”
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TWEET OF THE DAY II:
D Brandon Underwood (@BUND3RWOOD) of the Red Deer Rebels: “Finally settled into my new billets. Only took 50 days before I could unpack my bags. Hope the Nuge left some skill in his old room!??”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11), released last week by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), signed a one-year contract with Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga). He was pointless in six games with Liberec.
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In the past, I have written here about the relationship between the Tri-City Americans and Jessi Smith, a young superfan who has had more than her share of medical problems brought on by Down Syndrome. Along the way, these problems claimed her sight.
And through it all she has had an amazing relationship with Tri-City players. Oh, she also is a member of the Tri-City Hockey Booster Club.
Here is the latest, from teacher Dawn Johnson:
“As you may remember, I've written you for the last few years about Adam Hughesman and Kruise Reddick mini-putting with blindfolds to mimic Jessi's first attempt after losing her sight.
“Then last year, I was touched by Kruise texting Justin Feser to ensure that Jessi had a partner since Kruise had graduated, and Adam was at an NHL camp. Justin asked Mitch Topping to join him, and the two made sure that Jessi had a wonderful day.”
Which bring us to this year, Dawn writes.
“The dates of the event are picked with about a month's notice, and Jessi and her family were disappointed that they wouldn't be able to attend as they had scheduled their vacation at that time (it was held on Sept. 9). That just wasn't good enough for Justin and Mitch, so last weekend Justin and Mitch played a second time — four weeks later the two players went to Golf Universe and met Jessi there to ensure she was able to play a round with ‘her hockey boys.’
“I definitely think that Justin and Mitch deserve to be recognized for going above and beyond!”
This is a terrific story, one that just keeps on giving.
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D Seth Jones, who at this point is looked at as potentially one of the first two selections in the NHL’s 2013 draft, is doing just fine in the early going of his first season with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . “It has been pretty good,” Jones told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post after a 3-2 OT loss to the host Regina Pats on Tuesday. . . . At that point, Jones had two assists in eight games. . . . “My numbers aren’t really showing how good I think I’m playing right now,” Jones added. “I think I’m playing very solid. I’m moving the puck pretty well. I think my time with the puck has been exceptional. I obviously expected it to be a little tougher than what I came from. Now I’m really starting to get a feel for the level and the skillset in this league. Hopefully, I can produce a little bit more for my team but I think I’m playing pretty well right now.” . . . Jones had a goal and an assist in a 4-0 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon last night.
Harder’s complete story is right here.
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First, they assigned him; then they signed him.
The AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs assigned D Antoine Corbin, 20, to the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday morning. Later in the day, the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate announced that it had signed Corbin to a one-year AHL contract.
Corbin had been in Hamilton’s training camp on a free-agent tryout.
The Raiders had acquired Corbin from the Kelowna Rockets on Nov. 18, 2010, for a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
In 118 regular-season games with the Raiders, Corbin had 52 points, including 20 goals.
The Raiders are left with three 20-year-olds — D Davis Vandane, who was acquired last week from the Spokane Chiefs, F Anthony Bardaro, who came over from Spokane last season, and G Luke Siemens, an offseason acquisition from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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The Saskatoon Blades have placed D Connor Cox on waivers in order to get down to three 20-year-olds. Cox led Saskatoon defencemen in assists (38) and plus-minus (plus-26) last season. This season, he had three assists in seven games. . . . The Blades got Cox from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Nov. 11, 2010, for a second-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In 219 regular-season WHL games, Cox has 86 points. . . . The move leaves Saskatoon with F Adam Kambeitz, F Josh Nicholls and F Brenden Walker as its 20s. . . . The Blades also brought back D Kyle Schmidt, 19, who was in training camp with Saskatoon before being assigned to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars.
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The Kelowna Rockets have dealt F Austin Ferguson, 17, to the Red Deer Rebels for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Ferguson, from Abbotsford, B.C., has four points in 58 career regular-season games. He was a 10th-round pick by Kelowna in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . Ferguson had been one of 15 forwards on Kelowna’s roster. . . .
The legendary Bob Ridley (@BobRidley_CHAT) let his twitterverse know yesterday that the Medicine Hat Tigers continue to be without F Jayden Hart “due to an unspecified illness. Will be examined by specialists this week.” . . .
As mentioned here previously, G Tyler Fuhr of the Vancouver Giants is from Sherwood Park, Alta., but he isn’t related to Grant Fuhr, the former Edmonton Oilers goaltender. It seems, however, that the two have met. Earlier this summer, the younger Fuhr was headed to Palm Springs, Calif., to visit grandparents when he spotted Fuhr, the elder, in an airport. "I went over,” Tyler tells Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, “and said, ‘Hi,' and told him, 'My name is Tyler Fuhr and I'm a goalie, too.’ He laughed. I thought it was pretty cool."
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WEDNESDAY’S STUFF:
G Mac Carruth earned the shutout as the visiting Portland Winterhawks beat the Saskatoon Blades, 4-0. . . . Carruth, 20, made his first start of the season for Portland since returning from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. . . . G Cam Lanigan, 20, was scratched by Portland for a second straight game. . . . Carruth stopped 26 shots, including just one in the third period, in recording his fifth career shutout. . . . The Blades now have lost four in a row and been outscored 23-5 in the process. They are 0-4-0 at home. . . . Portland F Preston Kopeck scored his first two WHL goals 25 seconds apart to break a scoreless tie early in the second period. . . . Winterhawks D Seth Jones scored his first WHL goal. . . . Portland plays the red-hot Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday. . . . The Blades head out on the road for three in three nights. They’ll play Friday in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice, Saturday in Lethbridge and Sunday in Medicine Hat. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers ran their record to 6-0-1 with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers, leading 1-0 after one, took control in the second period, outshooting the Royals 17-0 and outscoring them 2-0. . . . D Sam Grist, acquired by Kamloops from the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday, wasn’t in the Blazers’ lineup. He is expected to play Friday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen (concussion), who hasn’t played since Sept. 22, also is expected in the lineup for that one. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings were excellent on the penalty kill as they doubled the host Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-2. . . . Edmonton successfully killed eight of nine Medicine Hat power plays, including four 5-on-3s. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit made 34 saves, showing that he is closer to regaining last season’s form. . . . D Keegan Lowe (foot) returned to Edmonton’s lineup after missing four games. . . .

F Mitch Holmberg scored twice to help the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-4 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . Holmberg leads the WHL with nine goals and has scored in each of his club’s six games. Last season, he had 27 goals in 66 games. . . . Kelowna’s Myles Bell, a defenceman who is playing on a forward line, had three assists. With 14 points, he shares the WHL scoring lead with Kamloops F JC Lipon. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke made his eighth straight start. . . . Kelowna F Carter Rigby (shoulder) left the game in the first period. . . . Spokane (5-1-0) has won three in a row. The Chiefs are in Kamloops on Friday. . . .

The Prince George Cougars were credited with only two assists as they scored a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . F Brett Roulston broke a 3-3 tie at 17:20 of the second period with his first WHL goal, an unassisted effort. . . . Kootenay D Joey Leach tied it at 2:49 of the third with his second goal of the game. . . . F Jari Erricson got the winner, unassisted, at 10:39. . . . The Cougars successfully killed off a major penalty to F Zach Pochiro for checking from behind shortly after Erricson’s goal. . . . The Ice held a 39-17 edge in shots. . . . The Cougars now are 5-1-1 as they head for Lethbridge and a Friday date with the Hurricanes.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Jeff Hubic, Kootenay
F Zach Pochiro, Prince George (major)
F Henrik Nyberg, Kelowna

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
D Griffin Reinhart (@GriffinReinharrt) of the Edmonton Oil Kings sometimes calls for questions from his Twitter followers. He was doing that yesterday afternoon.
“@RKENNY93: @GriffinReinhart who do you like more Sam or Max? Neither . I like my dog mojo the most.”
And a question from Sam Reinhart (@SamsonReinhart): “@GriffinReinhart I have a quick question for you. Are you this rude in person or am I mistaken by your tone over the screen?”
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For today’s good read, check out this piece right here by Bonnie D. Ford of espn.com.
She pretty much lays bare the myth of Lance Armstrong.


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JUST NOTES:
The Tri-City Americans have signed F Parker Bowles, 16. A list player since March 2011, Bowles has 60 points, including 29 goals, with the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who play out of Kelowna. He is the B.C. major midget league’s leading sniper and is second in points. . . .
For the second time in recent days, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders have reached into a WHL team’s front office for a hiring. The Swift Current Broncos announced Wednesday that Jordan Wall, the club’s assistant general manager, business operations, will be joining the CFL team in corporate partnerships. Wall has been with the Broncos for five seasons after starting as the director of marketing. He joins the Roughriders on March 26. The Broncos already are searching for a replacement. . . . A few days ago, the Regina Pats announced that they were losing Dan Plaster, who is their radio voice and also works with their website and community relations, to the Roughriders.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, the Blades scored the last two goals of a shootout and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 4-3. . . . F Brad Hoban gave Swift Current a 1-0 lead in the circus, only to have F Josh Nicholls and F Brent Benson reply for the Blades. . . . Swift Current took a 2-0 lead in the first period and then needed a goal from F Levi Bews at 18:27 of the third period to take it to OT. . . . Saskatoon D Connor Cox ended a 41-game drought with his second goal of the season. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky gave the Blades a 3-2 lead with his 29th, at 8:56 of the second. . . . Swift Current G Austin Smith, making his first start in 28 games, stopped 41 shots. . . . D Ross Hnidy, a sixth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Blades. He plays with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. . . . Hnidy’s services were needed because the Blades have three defencemen out with injuries — Matthew Pufahl (broken ankle), Duncan Siemens (concussion) and Tommy Stipancik (concussion). Siemens, it seems, might be out for three weeks. . . . The Blades moved into a tie with the Calgary Hitmen for fourth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Broncos now are 11 points behind the eighth-place Brandon Wheat Kings. Swift Current plays in Brandon on Friday. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Quinton Howden’s three goals helped the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Howden, who scored once in each period, filled his hat with an empty-netter at 19:40 of the third. . . . Howden also had an assist. . . . F Cam Braes, the former Hurricanes captain who was traded to the Warriors in January, had two assists. . . . Lethbridge F Brody Sutter scored twice, giving him 24. . . . F Adam Henry drew three assists for Lethbridge. . . . The Warriors had D Kirk Johnson, 16, make his WHL debut. He plays for the midget AAA Red Deer Optimist Rebels. . . . Moose Jaw continues to hold a five-point lead over the Saskatoon Blades atop the East Division. . . . In an interview with play-by-play man James Gallo, Warriors D Morgan Rielly said he is two or three weeks away from returning to Moose Jaw. He would continue his rehabilitation from knee surgery there. Rielly, who will be an early selection in the 2012 NHL draft, hasn’t played since Nov. 6. . . .

In Regina, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Pats, 3-2. . . . Brandon got two goals from F Michael Ferland, giving him 30, sandwiched around one by F Kevin Sundher, who has 25. . . . Ferland’s second goal broke a 2-2 tie at 15:57 of the third period. . . . According to the online scoresheet, Brandon F Jason Swyripa and Regina D Kyle Burroughs each received instigator penalties for a fight late in the first period. . . . Brandon F Dominick Favreau returned after a six-game absence with a shoulder injury, but left late in the first period after being hit by Burroughs. . . . The Wheat Kings have won two in a row for the first time since Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 when they beat the Vancouver Giants 5-4 and Red Deer Rebels 4-2 in Brandon. . . . Wheat Kings G Corbin Boes stopped 35 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings hold down the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot and they now hold a four-point lead over Red Deer. . . . Brandon is three points behind the seventh-place Pats and the teams will meet five more times this season. . . .
In Red Deer, G Deven Dubyk stopped 17 shots to help the Rebels to a 4-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . That was Dubyk’s first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . D Alex Petrovic scored twice, giving him seven. His first goal came 10 seconds into the game. . . . F Joel Hamilton had a goal and two assists. . . . The Rebels, who have been hammered by injuries, dressed only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. . . .

In Calgary, F Tyler Maxwell and F T.J. Foster each had three goals to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 9-5 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Maxwell has 32 goals, while Foster is up to 22. . . . The Oil Kings scored five times in the second period. . . . Edmonton D Martin Gernat had two assists and was plus-4. . . . Calgary fell behind 3-1 in the second period then came back to tie it on F Jimmy Bubnick’s 25th at 10:57 of the second. . . . Maxwell then scored twice 2:21 apart and the Oil Kings were off to the races. . . . The Hitmen have won 15 of their 19 games. . . . The victory allowed the Oil Kings to move into second place in the overall standings, two points behind the Kamloops Blazers and two ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . .

In Kamloops, F Brendan Ranford scored twice in the third period to spark the Blazers to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Ranford, who has 31 goals, scored on a breakaway at 7:07 of the third period to give his side a 3-1 victory. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully scored his eighth goal at 1:11 of the second period. It was his third straight game with a goal; it also was his fifth game-winner of the season. . . . Kamloops F Chase Schaber scored his 20th goal, giving the Blazers six 20-goal scorers. . . . The Blazers remain atop the Western Conference and now are four points ahead of the Americans. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer appeared to suffer a left groin injury in the third period, while F Tyson Dallman left in the first period with a left leg injury. . . . The Americans have lost eight of their last 13 games. . . .

In Kelowna, G Calvin Pickard stopped 32 shots for the shutout as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Rockets, 2-0. . . . It was Pickard’s fourth shutout this season — a single-season career high — and the 11th of his career. . . . The Thunderbirds got third-period PP goals from F Seth Swenson, at 0:33, and F Colin Jacobs, at 8:55. . . . Seattle was 2-3 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-5. . . . F Brett Bulmer was back in Kelowna’s lineup after missing two weekend games with the flu, but the Rockets are without D Mitchell Chapman, F Filip Vasko, F Spencer Main and F Jessey Astles, all injured. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had two assists. . . . The Thunderbirds moved into a tie with the Victoria Royals for eighth place in the Western Conference. Seattle has two more victories and three games in hand on Victoria. . . .

In Victoria, F Ryan Harrison scored twice, including the winner, as the Everett Silvertips beat the Royals, 3-2. . . . Harrison broke a 2-2 tie with his 16th goal at 11:37 of the third period. . . . He also had the winner Tuesday in Everett’s 3-2 victory in Victoria. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 29 shots. . . . Everett F Ryan Chynoweth returned from a one-game absence with an injury to score his second goal. . . . F Jamie Crooks scored his 30th goal of the season for Victoria. . . . D Brodie Clowes made his WHL debut with the Royals. Clowes was a fifth-round selection by the Chilliwack Bruins in the 2010 bantam draft. He plays with the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys. . . . The victory allowed Everett to close to within three points of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tyler Hansen, Kamloops.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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OK. Who's your goaltender — Devan Dubnyk or Miikka Kiprusoff?  Ritch Winter, the player agent, takes a look at the burgeoning field of goaltender analytics and what it could mean right here. This is great stuff and shows that, yes, hockey statistics have at least started to travel down the road to Sabermetrics.
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Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle has a hilarious tale right here of something that happened one night when he and his wife attended a sporting banquet. It’s a quick read and involves asparagus and a football coach.
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Plenty has been written on the ongoing battle between the NCAA and the CHL. And, lord knows, plenty more will be written before things cool down. But if you click right here you will find a piece written by Chris Peters that does a terrific job of explaining the present-day situation. This is perhaps the most even-handed piece I have seen on this situation in the last while.
Peters is a freelancer who once worked in public relations with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail has a piece in today’s paper on Ken Hitchcock and how he has had to adapt with the times. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this piece is Hitchcock’s description of how fast the game is today.
“We tried to still play possession hockey after the lockout, and now it’s race-a-rrific hockey,” Hitchcock says. “Bang it up the ice, chip it in, fore-check like hell, bang it down the ice.”
That column is right here.


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