Team exec: Mental health awareness 'needs to be bigger deal' in CHL

F Collin Valcourt (Spokane, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2010-14) has signed a tryout contract with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Saskatoon and Prince Albert, he put up 72 points, 28 of them goals, in 71 games. He was pointless in one game with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL). The Hradec Králové head coach is Peter Draisaitl, the father of Valcourt's Prince Albert teammate Leon Draisaitl. . . .
Patrik Sylvegård, the general manager of Malmö (Sweden, Allsvenskan), has told the Malmö newspaper Sydsvenskan that F Kenndal McArdle (Moose Jaw, Vancouver, 2002-09) has retired from hockey. McArdle signed a new contract, one year plus an option year, in June with Malmö. Last season, with Vasteras (Sweden, Allsvenskan), he had 11 goals and 13 assists in 45 games.
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In less than a year, at least three young hockey players, two of them WHL bantam draft selections, have taken their own lives.
And one high-ranking team official says it’s time for the CHL to do more.
“Mental health needs to be a bigger deal,” he told Taking Note on Thursday evening.
Pointing out the work done by TSN’s Michael Landsberg, the host of Off the Record, and Canadian cyclist/speed skater Clara Hughes to “help de-stigmatize” mental illness, the team executive said he “believes the CHL needs to do more in light of these tragic cases popping up across the country.“
“I have seen first-hand how easy it is to hide away and not want to bother anyone with it,” he added, “and also how easy it is to get help if someone they trust and respect can see the signs.”
At the same time, he admitted: “Yes, it’s an easy problem to ignore.”
But, regardless of what happens at the CHL level, he doesn’t plan on ignoring it.
“In light of the recent string of tragedies,“ he said, “we plan on stepping up our mental health awareness options to our players at training camp, and showing them it is not a point of weakness but a point of bravery to seek counsel if it is needed."
With these most-recent deaths it would seem the time has come to do more than whatever already is being done.
It is doubtful we will ever know what drives a young person to take such a drastic step; obviously, this isn’t a simple issue that can be broken down to one thing.
But it seems to have become a much more frequent occurrence in hockey circles, and perhaps it’s time it was discussed more openly. Perhaps it’s time for a national dialogue on the subject.
One mother who is heavily involved in hockey and who has seen her family impacted by mental illness told me this week that she will write Tom Renney, the new president and CEO of Hockey Canada, in an attempt to get that organization more involved in educating its coaches.
A recent situation involving her son “was a debacle,” she said. “Not saying his coach wasn’t a nice person, just uneducated and inexperienced.”
Perhaps she should also write to David Branch, the president of the CHL, and Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, and Bruce Hamilton, the owner of the Kelowna Rockets who also is the chairman of the board of governors.
There was a time when the media shied away from reporting on suicides; in fact, the subject was all but taboo.
As Steve Ladurantaye, then with The Globe and Mail, reported in December 2011, that thinking began to change, at least in part, in 2009 when Gerry Nott, the editor-in-chief of the Ottawa Citizen, assigned reporters to write stories on two teenagers who had killed themselves in a rural Ontario community.
Nott explained his decision this way:
“With such a significant number of deaths in terms of young people, if this were anything but suicide, we'd write about it incessantly. If there were a preponderance of deaths related to mountain bikes, we'd write stories about it daily, and I take the position that suicide is no different than that. Unless it's on the table respectfully, it's not going to be addressed by the mental-health system or any of the oversight agencies.”
Ladurantaye reported:
“The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that suicide has accounted for 2 per cent of annual deaths in Canada since the late 1970s and the group most at risk is the 15-to-19-year-old population.
“Although rates of adolescent suicide in Canada have declined since the early 1980s, it remains the second-leading cause of death among teenagers, after car accidents. In 2007, the most recent year with available data, 218 people 10 to 19 years old committed suicide.”
There are professionals who are concerned with what they call contagion, which in effect is copying someone else.
While I am most aware of that situation, I am more inclined to agree with Nott. If we don’t have a dialogue about this problem, how will we ever come to grips with it. There has to be a way that we can get young people to understand that ending it all isn’t the answer, that even with the speed bumps we encounter, life still is the most precious thing we have.
Ladurantaye’s story from 2011 is right here.
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Dan Hamhuis, who owns a piece of the Prince George Cougars, was back home in Smithers, B.C., this week. In fact, he appeared at City Council on Thursday. It’s a day the Vancouver Canucks defenceman won’t forget as councillors voted to name a section of First Avenue after him. It’ll be known as Dan Hamhuis Way. Kendra Wong of the Smithers Interior News has more right here.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Ethan O’Rourke, a Penticton, B.C., native who was a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Last season, at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, he had 35 points, 18 of them goals, in 58 games. . . . O’Rourke’s father Steve is a former WHLer (Tri-City, Moose Jaw, 1991-94), who now is an assistant coach with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Cougars have signed three of their 2014 draft picks, with F Justin Almeida of Kitimat, B.C., and D Max Martin of Winnipeg having signed earlier. Almeida was the fifth overall selection; Martin was taken with the 27th pick.
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Joey Perricone, a goaltender who played five seasons (2003-08) with the Moose Jaw Warriors, has gotten into the coaching game. On Thursday, he was named the goaltending coach with the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. . . . Perricone, 27, played four seasons with the St. Francis Xavier U X-Men, who play out of Antigonish, N.S. . . . With the Huskies, he will work alongside GM/head coach Gilles Bouchard.
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F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen, who had off-season shoulder surgery, is back on skates, but he has yet to be cleared for contact. He’s skating and shooting in Vancouver these days and tells Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province right here that he hopes to be back playing for the Hitmen in early October. Virtanen will attend the Canadian national junior team’s summer camp in Montreal and Sherbrooke next week. He’ll skate but won’t take part in contact drills.
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Former NHLer Jeff O’Neill started an interesting string of comments with this tweet:

Do hockey skates seriously cost 850.00 ?
— Jeff O'Neill (@odognine2) August 1, 2014

If you track down O’Neill’s timeline on Twitter, check out the comments.
The cost of playing minor hockey is becoming a hot-button issue.
On Tuesday, Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post did an interview with Montreal Canadiens star P.K. Subban that included this exchange:
Fitz-Gerald: How much of a threat do you think the cost of playing hockey is to the future of the game in Canada?
Subban: (jumps in quickly) Huge threat. Huge threat, because you’re missing a big part of the population, in terms of being able to afford to play the sport. So what does that mean? That means you’re missing out on talent for the game, you’re missing out on potential interest for the game, you’re missing out on growth for thew game. You’re missing out on a lot of things. When you look at soccer, it’s the most popular sport in the world. Why? Because everybody can play it . . . so everybody feels welcome.
(That complete interview is right here.)
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WaPo Letter to the Editor of the day pic.twitter.com/L3NnApPKc3
— Kevin Reiss (@kevin_reiss) July 31, 2014

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Ownership transfers cleared; former Chiefs coach wins in KHL

As expected, the WHL’s board of governors approved the transfer of ownership of the Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats on Wednesday in Calgary.
Long-time owner Rick Brodsky has sold the Cougars to EDGEPRO Sports and Entertainment Ltd. The new ownership group is led by Prince George businessman Greg Pocock and also includes Raymond Fortier, Ernest Ouellet and John Pateman, along with NHL defencemen Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of whom are former Cougars players.
Later, Hartley Miller at hqprincegeorge.com reported that Pocock had confirmed that general manager Dallas Thompson wouldn’t be retained, while head coach Mark Holick, with two years left on his contract, will return for a second full season. Thompson and Todd Harkins, the Cougars’ director of player personnel, will handle the team’s bantam draft moves today.
Brodsky purchased the franchise in 1992, when it was the Victoria Cougars, and moved it north for the 1994-95 season.
Meanwhile, Diane and Russ Parker have sold the Pats to Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group Ltd. The Parkers owned the Pats for 19 seasons. QCSEC is headed up by Anthony Marquart, and also includes Jason Drummond, Todd Lumbard, and Gavin and Shaun Semple.
Marquart will be the Pats’ governor, a role previously filled by Chad Lang, the senior vice-president and general manager, while Lumbard, a former Brandon Wheat Kings and Pats goaltender, will be the president.
The Pats’ new owners aren’t anticipating any changes within the front office or coaching staff.
“We want to keep everyone in our organization in the same role,” Lumbard told Greg Harder of The Leader-Post. “We have some of our own ideas that we want to implement of course, but the plan is to go in and work together with the group we have, try to improve, give them as much support as we can, engage the community and rely on some of our ownership group to utilize their resources in the community.
“We want to put every resource we can into building this hockey team into the best on-ice product we can and also really work hard on the game experience for our fans and make the arena a fun place to be.”
Harder also reported, as he did earlier, that the Pats’ new owners are negotiating with former captain Mike Sillinger, who is likely to join the organization in hockey operations. He presently is with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as director of player development.
While the WHL’s board of governors has approved both transfers, neither sale has closed. Both deals should be officially done nearer to the end of this month.
The Pats’ new owners will meet the media in Regina on Monday. The Cougars’ new owners have scheduled a news conference for May 13 at the CN Centre in Prince George.
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1. Rick Williams, who played in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and Victoria Cougars, is losing his fight with dementia. His father, Clarence, calls it a struggle “worse than death.” . . . Rick Williams is 60 years of age. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.

2. The WHL held its awards luncheon in Calgary on Wednesday. A list of award winners can be found on the WHL’s website (whl.ca). . . . The bantam draft is to be held today. For coverage, visit Alan Caldwell’s blog -- Small Thoughts At Large. There is a link over there on the right.

3. What does it say that Mike Johnston, the general manager, head coach and chief architect of the Portland Winterhawks, has never been saluted as the WHL’s coach of the year or executive of the year? The Winterhawks are into the WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a fourth straight season, all of them under Johnston.

4. What does it say that Derek Laxdal, the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, has yet to be named coach of the year? The Oil Kings are into the championship final for a third straight season. (Bob Green, the Oil Kings’ former GM, was named executive of the year for 2011-12 and 2012-13.)

5. John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal has written a solid column on Mike Johnston, who doesn’t keep any secrets when asked about Portland’s success. That piece is right here.

6. Mike Pelino, who worked as an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs for two seasons (1998-2000), is celebrating a Gagarin Cup championship today. Pelino is an assistant coach under Mike Keenan with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. They won the KHL title on Wednesday, beating Lev Prague 7-4 in Game 7 of the championship series. . . . There is more right here.

7. On Sunday, TSN wasn’t able to free up room on either of its channels to show an NHL playoff game from start to finish. Last night, to make up for Sunday, TSN had the Minnesota at Colorado game on both of its channels at the same time.

8. Was Twitter amazing last night, or what? Three Game 7s in the Stanley Cup race and then Rob Ford’s world went bananas. . . . If you live in Toronto, you have to vote for Ford again because those of us who don’t live there want to see this soap opera through to its conclusion. How does it end?

9. I really don’t know what We The North means, but, with apologies to the Vancouver Canucks . . . We Are All Raptors.

10. Late last night, TSN’s Farhan Lalji tweeted that the Canucks will fired head coach John Tortorella today. That being the case, I would suggest Todd McLellan would be a good fit there.

11. Looking for a good read? Click right here and read all about Bill Simmons of ESPN/Grantland. It’s a piece from Rolling Stone that was written by Rob Tannenbaum.

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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs have signed Kyle Adams as associate coach. He will work alongside head coach Jason Tatarnic. . . . Adams has spent the last five seasons on the coaching staff of the junior A Woodstock Slammers in Ontario. He spent three of those seasons as an associate coach on Tatarnic’s staff.

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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Taylor Roseveare (@PoTaylourHead), who was a ticket executive with the Saskatoon Blades: “Want to thank the @bladeshockey for an amazing 3 years. What a ride # newdirection #standuporganization”
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From Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC): “It was a very painful day at CBC. All the best to a lot of talented people...this was not about your performance, which was always elite.”

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Ownership transfers on tap today

F Lukáš Zeliska (Prince Albert, 2006-07) has signed a one-year extension with Bordeaux (France, Division 1). This season, he had 38 points, including 13 goals, in 26 games. . . .
G Eetu Laurikainen (Swift Current, 2012-14) has signed  a one-year-plus-option deal with the Espoo Blues (Finland, Liiga). This season with the Broncos, he was 2.90 and .914 in 54 games.
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The WHL’s board of governors will meet today in Calgary and is expected to sign off on the transfer of two franchises -- the Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats -- to new ownership groups.
In both instances, the franchises being sold have been under the guidance of long-time owners, the Cougars by Rick Brodsky and the Pats by Diane and Russ Parker, and are being sold to groups, each of which appears to have at least five or six members.
In Prince George, I am told the local businessman Greg Pocock, the front man for the group, is in for 35 per cent, while NHL defencemen Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of whom are ex-Cougars, each will own 15 per cent. As yet unnamed partners will share the remaining 35 per cent, with one in for 20 per cent and two others each at 7.5 per cent. The Prince George Citizen has reported that “sources close to the deal say it is worth $7 million.”
In Regina, no one has yet said anything about who will own how much of the Pats. The Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group is led by Anthony Marquart and includes four other Regina-based businessmen in Todd Lumbard, who is a former Brandon Wheat Kings and Pats goaltender, Jason Drummond, and Gavin and Shaun Semple. The Regina Leader-Post has reported that “the price tag is believed to be in the neighbourhood of $7.5 million.”
Earlier this season, Jack, Bob and Debbie Brodsky, Rick’s siblings, sold the Saskatoon Blades to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner and his son, Colin. The Saskatoon StarPhoenix has reported that “a source close to the negotiations said the transaction is worth around $9 million.”
If the board of governors approves both transfers today, as it almost certainly will do, it will mean six of the WHL’s 22 teams will have changed hands since the summer of 2007.
None of them has had near the success of the Portland Winterhawks, who were purchased by Calgary-based businessman Bill Gallacher during the summer of 2008.
Prior to Gallacher stepping in, the Winterhawks were worse than abysmal -- they won 17 games in 2006-07 and 11 in 2007-08. The franchise was often thought to have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel.
In Lethbridge, where the Hurricanes have hit fallen upon hard times and haven‘t appeared in the playoffs since the spring of 2009, WHL commissioner Ron Robison admitted Monday that such challenges aren’t “isolated to Lethbridge.”
He told City Council that there have been times when he “was concerned” whether certain franchises were “going to make it or not.”
One of those franchises, he said, was Portland.
“The Portland one was a great example,” Robison told councillors. “It is privately owned. To the credit of the current ownership . . . (he) had to go in and invest heavily in order to turn that franchise around. Now it is arguably a model franchise within our league.”
It is interesting that Portland, which is into the WHL’s championship final for a fourth straight season, has had great success under Gallacher’s ownership, but no other franchise has tried to follow the plan that got the Winterhawks’ rolling.
While it was common knowledge late in the summer of 2008 that Gallacher was in the process of purchasing the franchise, the sale didn’t close until Oct. 23, well after the season had started. In the meantime, Gallacher, who is believed to have paid Cdn$7.5 million for the franchise, put together new business, management and coaching teams, that included president Doug Piper and general manager/head coach Mike Johnston.
When the deal closed, the new people moved in and the rest is history.
The Winterhawks went 19-48-5 in 2008-09, but followed that up with seasons in which they won 44, 50, 49, 57 and 54 games. Today, they are the WHL’s defending champions.
The Kamloops Blazers had gone from being community-owned to private ownership during the summer of 2007, a year before Portland changed hands. But the new owners in Kamloops chose to maintain the status quo.
So did the Victoria Royals, who were the Chilliwack Bruins until being sold during the summer of 2011.
After the sale, Kamloops struggled through four mediocre seasons before enjoying back-to-back 47-victory seasons and a trip to last season’s Western Conference final. However, the Blazers just completed the worst season in franchise history.
The Royals weren’t good in their first season in Victoria, but then underwent major changes, with Cam Hope coming on board as general manager and Dave Lowry as head coach. They won 35 games in 2012-13 and just completed a season in which they won 48 games and enjoyed the franchise’s first 100-point season.
The Blades’ new owners, meanwhile, maintained the status quo, then brought out the brooms after a 16-victory season. The Priestners have yet to hire a general manager or a coaching staff.
In Regina, no one has indicated what might happen with general manager Chad Lang or the coaching staff, although Marquart, the only one of the group who has spoken with the media, hasn’t even hinted at change.
In Prince George, Pocock hasn’t given any indication what might happen, but there is ample speculation that general manager Dallas Thompson won’t be back. No one from Pocock’s group is believed to have spoken with head coach Mark Holick or assistant coach Jason Becker.
“These things can get turned around but it (doesn’t) happen overnight. It was a process,” Robison told Lethbridge’s City Council. “The plan is the key. We’ve taken the success models, if you will, from other franchises and addressed that with the Hurricanes and have asked them to follow a very similar model to ultimately achieve the kind of success you’re looking for.”
It would seem that owners could do worse than follow the plan used by the model franchise that the Winterhawks have become.
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In his appearance before City Council in Lethbridge, WHL commissioner Ron Robison indicated that the process by which the WHL selects host cities for the Memorial Cup tournament may be in for a change.
This occurred after Robison was asked by Councillor Joe Mauro about the chances of Lethbridge ever being selected to play host to a Memorial Cup tournament.
Mauro pointed out that the city has “spent a whole pile of money” on the Enmax Centre.
“Our dream and our goal is to host the Memorial Cup,” Mauro said. “What I’m hearing out there is that we’ll never do it . . . the Memorial Cup will go to a privately-owned team before it’ll ever go to a community-owned team.
“Realistically, do we have a chance of hosting a MC in the near future?”
Robison’s reply:
“Maybe I can tell you a little bit more after our June (annual) meeting because we have some recommendations in front of our board of governors at that time which I think are going to change the course of our selection process for the Memorial Cup.
“I’m a believer that every community that meets the criteria that we have for hosting events of this magnitude should get that opportunity to host the event.
“Quite frankly, my view of it is that it is driven by the quality of the hockey program. It comes back to the hockey program because in order to generate excitement in the community you need a quality team. In the particular case of hosting the Memorial Cup, you need a team that is a championship-calibre team, first and foremost.
“Secondly, then you have to look at why have we gone to certain locations in recent years and why has the World Junior Championship moved to major markets like Toronto and Montreal? It’s because of economics, no question, and it’s because of provincial governments, quite frankly, stepping in and providing significant financial support for those events.
“If I have my way, it’s going to be a hockey-driven decision next time . . . not just the largest venue or the best economic offer that we have on the table.”
Robison pointed out that the Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in Alberta “for more than 40 years.”
“It’s too long in my opinion,” he said. “It’s something that is on our agenda for discussion.”
The Memorial Cup was last held in Alberta in 1974 when the Regina Pats won it in the Calgary Corral. The Red Deer Rebels were thought to be a favourite to play host to the 2013 tournament, but it ended up going to Saskatoon.
The WHL next will play host to the Memorial Cup in 2016. The Vancouver Giants, who were the host team in 2007, have indicated that they are building towards the 2015-16 season and are expected enter a bid.
The Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in a U.S. Division city since 1998 when it was in Spokane.
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1. The WHL bantam draft is scheduled for Thursday in Calgary. As usual, you won’t be able to read about it on this blog. Instead, you will want to spend the day with Alan Caldwell, over at Small Thoughts At Large. He assures me that he is ready with all the statistics and info you might want.

2. If you haven’t seen this right here, it’s worth a read. Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News reported on his blog that the Golden State Warriors had a plan to boycott Tuesday night’s NBA playoff game if commissioner Adam Silver had gone soft on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

3. I was told on Tuesday that Tyler Kuntz is soon to be named the new head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds men’s hockey team. Kuntz, who is from Regina, just completed his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Thunderbirds. . . . A defenceman during his playing days, Kuntz played five seasons at UBC. . . . He will succeed Milan Dragicevic, who was fired in March after 12 seasons as the team’s head coach.

4. For the first time in QMJHL history, both semifinal series went seven games, and both were decided last night. . . . The Val-d’Or Foreurs went into Halifax, where they had won the first two games, and beat the Mooseheads, the defending Memorial Cup champions, 3-2. Val-d’Or trailed 2-1 after the first period and won it with two second-period scores. F Maxime Presseault broke a 2-2 tie with his first goal at 13:59, while G Antoine Bibeau, who was acquired from the Charlottetown Islanders for a first-round draft pick (along with two other picks) in December, stopped 39 shots. . . . Meanwhile, in Baie-Comeau, the Drakkar rode two first-period goals to a 2-1 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Aramada, 2-1. . . . The final will open Friday in Val-d’Or. . . . Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has more on the two QMJHL games right here.

5. F Mike Baird of the North Bay Battalion has been hit with a 20-game suspension by the OHL for physical abuse of an official during a playoff game on April 10. . . . Baird, in his first OHL season, missed six games while under indefinite suspension and won’t play in the OHL final which opens Thursday with the Battalion in Guelph to play the Storm. . . . Baird, who turned 17 on March 25, had one assist and 27 penalty minutes in 28 regular-season games.

6. The NHL playoffs will feature three Game 7s tonight. I’m thinking there will be a lot of unanswered phone calls in homes across North American tonight and a lot of wives going shopping.

7. I’m thinking my friend Brad Hornung will be in front of a TV set tonight, because there isn’t a bigger hockey fan anywhere. It’s hard to believe that more than 27 years have passed us by since he was left a quadriplegic after an unfortunate incident during a WHL game in Regina. . . . The one thing that wasn’t damaged that evening was his spirit. . . . You owe it to yourself to read this story right here, by Austin M. Davis of the Regina Leader-Post.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Neate Sager (@neatebuzzthenet) of Yahoo! Sports: “Population of the cities of 6 teams left in #WHL, #OHL and #LHJMQ playoffs: 1.16 million; 600,000; 141,000; 64,000; 33,265; 28,789.”
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One more from Sager: “Both #LHJMQ cities could fit inside North Bay, those 3 fit inside Guelph; those 4 fit inside Portland & all 5 could fit inside Edmonton.”

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It's Winterhawks and Oil Kings . . . again!

1. The more things change, the more they stay the same. That is the case in the WHL where the Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks will meet for a third straight spring with the Ed Chynoweth Cup on the line. . . . Only once before in WHL history have the same two teams met in three straight WHL championship finals. The Edmonton Oil Kings and Flin Flon Bombers did it from 1969-71. . . . The Bombers won the best-of-seven final 4-2 to cap the 1968-69 season, the third in league history. . . . The next season, Flin Flon swept the series, 4-0. . . . In the spring of 1971, the Oil Kings won 4-1 with one game tied. . . . Interestingly, the original Edmonton Oil Kings franchise now is the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The new Oil Kings entered the WHL as an expansion franchise for the 2007-08 season.

2. The Oil Kings and Winterhawks will open Saturday in Portland, with all games to be televised by Shaw. . . . Two years ago, the Oil Kings won in seven games. Last spring, the Winterhawks won it in six games. . . . This time, then, the final will last five games. . . . In the only meeting between the teams this season, host Edmonton won 5-4 in a shootout on Dec. 6.

3. You have to think Seattle Thunderbirds F Mathew Barzal will never again cough up the puck when he is the last man back in his zone. That’s what happened Saturday in Finland and the resulting goal by F David Kase gave Czech Republic a 4-3 OT victory over Canada in a semifinal game at the IIHF U-18 world championship. Canada had trailed 3-0 before coming back to force OT. . . . Barzal had a goal and an assist during the game, but chances are that he won't remember either of them. . . . Finland and the U.S. will meet today for the gold medal. Canada will play Sweden for bronze at 5 a.m. Pacific time.

4. In the QMJHL, the Halifax Mooseheads got an OT goal from F Maxime Fortier and beat the visiting Val-d'Or Foreurs 4-3 on Saturday night. . . . The game wasn’t without controversy. After the game, Willy Palov of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald tweeted a quote from Val-d’Or head coach Mario Durocher: “The guys are really pissed because we think it was a hand pass.” . . . The Mooseheads lead the best-of-three conference final 3-2 with Game 6 at Val-d’Or on Monday. . . . The Foreurs once led this series, 2-0. . . . Halifax F Jonathan Drouin had a 13-game point streak ended. He leads the QMJHL playoff scoring race with 37 points in 14 games. Going back to the regular-season, Drouin had been riding a 26-game point streak. He had scored 74 points in those 26 games.

5. If you’re like me, you cringe every time you see Boston Bruins F Milan Lucic go into that chest-thumping routine.

6. Right-hander Brandon Morrow of the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t allow even one hit to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Unfortunately for Blue Jays fans, he walked eight. Oh, and he only lasted 2 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays, who led 3-0 early, ended up losing, 7-6, for their fourth straight loss.

7. How long before we file the Blue Jays with the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners?

8. Donald Sterling, who owns the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, would appear to be a serial racist. His latest faux pas has lots of folks, including those on TNT’s NBA panel, screaming for disciplinary action from the league. Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated has more right here. . . . While the likes of Earvin (Magic) Johnson, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant spoke out against Sterling, Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan, through a team spokesman, declined to comment.
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According to the Prince George Citizen, Andy Beesley, the city’s associate director of recreation and cultural services, is joining the Prince George Cougars as the WHL team’s business manager. Beesley has handed in his resignation, effective Friday. . . . Beesley has some hockey history with Prince George businessman Greg Pocock, who heads up a group that is in the process of purchasing the franchise from Rick Brodsky. . . . The Citizen’s story is right here. . . . There is speculation that former Cougars head coach Ed Dempsey will work with the new ownership group as an advisor. Dempsey spent two seasons (1995-97) as head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, before moving on to the Cougars. He was their head coach for six full seasons before being fired on Oct. 6, 2003. . . . Vancouver Canucks D Dan Hamhuis, who is part of the new ownership group, played four seasons for Dempsey with the Cougars. D Eric Brewer of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who also is part of the Cougars ownership group, played one season under Dempsey.
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Lake Superior State has signed Damon Whitten as the head coach of its hockey team, the Lakers. He replaces Jim Roque, who was fired in March. . . . Whitten has been an assistant coach for the last four years, working under head coaches Jamie Russell and then Mel Pearson at Michigan Tech. . . . The Lakers finished ninth in the WCHA this season and didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton wins, 4-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat 1 at Edmonton 3 (5,763)
Tuesday: Edmonton 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,189)
Wednesday: Edmonton 4 at Medicine Hat 1 (3,832)
Saturday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 4 (8,408)
INJURIES
Edmonton: None.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Portland wins, 4-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland 5 at Kelowna 3 (6,341)
Tuesday: Kelowna 3 at Portland 4 (OT) (9,259)
Wednesday: Kelowna 1 at Portland 5 (9,744)
Friday: Portland 7 at Kelowna 3 (6,331)
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(all games televised by Shaw)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday, May 4: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday, May 6: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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SATURDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, F Brett Pollock broke a 3-3 tie late in the third period and the Oil Kings went on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-3. . . . The Oil won the Eastern Conference final, 4-1, and advanced to their third straight WHL championship final, each of them against the Portland Winterhawks. . . . This year’s final will open Saturday in Portland, with all games televised by Shaw. . . . Pollock scored twice in the game, giving him 10 goals in these playoffs, and also had an assist. . . . His second goal, the winner, came at 14:22 of the third period. . . . Pollock had seven points in the series, including five goals, three of which were winners. . . . “It was tough to see out there because his cape was flapping around on the ice,” Edmonton F Curtis Lazar said of Pollock in a story posted on the team’s website. Lazar was named the series’ MVP. “He’s had a great playoffs for us, and just to see the strides he’s taken this season – it’s awesome.” . . . The Tigers led twice, first when F Jacob Doty got his first goal at 8:49 of the first period. That was the first time in the series that Medicine Hat scored first. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda tied it with his sixth goal, on a PP, at 4:18 of the second. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford put his guys out front again, with his 10th goal, at 10:03 of the second. . . . The Oil Kings then scored twice, with Pollock finding the range at 14:03 and F Mads Eller getting his second goal of these playoffs, shorthanded, at 17:14. . . . Sanford pulled the Tigers even again at 1:57 of the third, setting the stage for Pollock’s winner. . . . Lazar, who drew an assist on the winner, was named the series’ MVP. He had six points, including four goals, in the five games. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 16 shots. He wasn’t nearly as busy as Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer who was outstanding, with 48 saves. . . . The Oil Kings were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-3. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox, who had 23 points in 17 playoff games, was scratched after suffering an undisclosed injury in Game 4. . . . The Tigers moved F Miles Koules into Cox’s spot alongside Curtis Valk and Sanford. . . . Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson and Lazar each finished with one assist, leaving them tied for the franchise record for most career playoff points. Samuelsson has 48 points, including 17 goals, in 53 games; Lazar, who has 25 goals, has played in 60 games. . . . Edmonton D Blake Orban had one assist as he played for the first time since March 8. . . . The 50/50 winner went home with $27,744, assuming it was claimed.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “.828 - Over the past 3 years, the @EdmOilKings and @pdxwinterhawks are a combined 72-15 in the first 3 playoff rounds.”
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From Seattle Thunderbirds G Danny Mumaugh (@DannyMumaugh): “Don't worry, I still love you, @Barzal_97”


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Cougars sale completed, papers signed

The Prince George Cougars have been sold.
A source familiar with the situation told me this morning that Rick Brodsky, who had owned the WHL franchise since purchasing the Victoria Cougars in 1992, and a local group finalized the sale agreement on Wednesday night.
According to the source, an agreement was signed and “the league can now begin its due diligence.”
The Prince George group is headed up by local businessman Greg Pocock and includes NHL defencemen Eric Brewer of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dan Hamhuis of the Vancouver Canucks, both of whom played for the Cougars.
The Cougars have been in Prince George since 1994.

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Ducks take bite out of Canucks

By DICKSON LIONG
Special to Taking Note

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks’ hopes of making the NHL playoffs continue to fade.
For most of the season, Vancouver has struggled to score goals. But ever since a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on March 23, Vancouver’s offence had started to show some life.
Vancouver forward Zack Kassian, who has had difficulties providing consistent offence since donning a Canucks' sweater, finished with four assists while playing on a line with David Booth and Brad Richardson that night.
“You know what, I know that everyone is going to focus on the four points that he gets,” John Tortorella, the Canucks' head coach, said. “But, for me, there were some other things.
“I thought that there were times that he dumped the puck at the right time, instead of trying to make something happen.
“I thought he changed up, and you guys might think it's small things but those are the things that we're looking for. He changed up at the right time, and you can see the concentration in his game. You see it, and want to see it more.”
The Canucks then headed out on a two-game road trip that had them visit Colorado and Minnesota. Vancouver defeated the Wild 5-2, but lost 3-2 in overtime against the Avalanche.
The 22-year-old Kassian continued to click on a line with Richardson and Booth, as they continued to appear on the scoresheet on the road trip, combining for six points, including two goals from Kassian.
As well, Canucks' sniper Daniel Sedin scored his first goal in 24 games, as he got one against the Wild.
“It was probably my worst game out of (those 24 games), but I was able to tip one in,” he said. “It's nice, but hopefully it can get me going, and in the right direction.”
But, quite frankly, all of that doesn't matter.
Vancouver is desperate for anything that will lead to victories if it wants even a slight chance of making the playoffs. The Canucks, who have 79 points in the Western Conference, and are the No. 10 seed.
Anaheim, Calif., the home of Disneyland, is considered by many to the happiest place of Earth. It also is the home of the Ducks, who have been one of the best teams in the league this season.
As a result, many of the their opponents haven't left the city with smiles on their faces. That’s the way it was for the Canucks on Jan. 14 when they lost 9-1, leaving the Ducks with a Ducks a 20-0-2 record when playing in their home arena, the Honda Center.
“It's never a great feeling to be on the wrong side of a 9-1 game,” said Canucks' defenceman Dan Hamhuis, who finished with a minus-1 on the night. “We played a pretty solid first period, and played in a way that gave us a chance to win. Their power play (was really good) and the game kind of got away from us from there.”
Vancouver wasn't scheduled to play the Ducks at the Honda Center on Saturday night; the game was at Rogers Arena. However, the Canucks needed to find a way to get on the winning side as they were winless in each of the three times they had faced Anaheim this season.
“It's a must win,” Kassian said prior to the game. “We feel we played well on the road but with the situation we're in, we still have a hill to climb and this is a must-win game. We don't want to look to far down. We need to win this one tonight and it's against a very good team, but we feel that the way we have been playing, we can beat these guys.”
Kassian finished with an assist, extending his point streak to four games. But the goal on which he assisted, which came from Richardson at 11:12 of the first period, was the only one the Canucks were able to put up as they dropped a 6-1 decision.
“It's definitely frustrating right now,” Kassian explained. “There's no ifs, ands or buts about it, we're on the outside looking in and to lose a game like this tonight, it's very frustrating. But we have to be professionals and go about our business. Like I said earlier, like I said 100 times in the past week, we're competitors and we want to play for each other. That's what we're going to do.”
And so Vancouver doesn't move anywhere in the standings. It remains on the outside looking in, continuing to battle Phoenix and Dallas for the final playoff spot. The Coyotes and Stars are Nos. 8 and 9 in the Western Conference, with have 84 and 83 points, respectively.
Like the Canucks, Dallas and Phoenix played on Saturday. The Stars defeated the St. Louis Blues, but the Coyotes lost to Minnesota. Both teams have games in hand on Vancouver.
“We try to look for some help but I don't know if we really deserve it, to be honest,” Richardson confessed. “It sucks to be in a position where you have to rely on teams to lose, and we're not winning all our games. So, you know, what do you expect? We'll see what happens.”
Time is clearly starting to run out, with the Canucks having only six games left in the season.
“Every loss now is tough,” Sedin said. “We need wins, we need points. Yeah, it's tough, but we have to stay positive and keep going. That's all we can do.”
NOTES: Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa (leg) took the team's morning skate and dressed against the Ducks. . . . Canucks' D Andrew Alberts (concussion) skated, but is likely done for the season. . . . Vancouver F Henrik Sedin remains day-to-day. . . . Vancouver G Eddie Lack made his 16th consecutive start. . . . Canucks' head coach John Tortorella confirmed that the team has re-assigned D Frank Corrado to the AHL's Utica Comets. . . . Vancouver took Sunday off, then will return to practice on Monday as it prepares to play host to the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

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Cougars sold? Not yet

The WHL’s Prince George Cougars haven’t been sold . . . in principle or in anything else.
As of late Wednesday night, as in minutes before the clock struck the bewitching hour, the Cougars were still under the ownership of Rick Brodsky.
Brodsky, who has owned the franchise since 1994 when he purchased the Victoria Cougars and moved the franchise to Prince George, has been negotiating with a group headed by Prince George businessman Greg Pocock.
That group also is believed to include NHL defenceman Eric Brewer of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dan Hamhuis of the Vancouver Canucks, both of whom played with the Cougars.
The sale was believed close to completion late last week, but I am told that negotiations have stalled and no progress has been made since some time last week.
The Cougars, who didn’t qualify for the playoffs, played their final regular-season game on Saturday. They averaged a WHL-low 1,693 fans per game, a decrease of 147 from the previous season.

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Cougars deal could be close

The WHL without anyone from the Brodsky family involved at the ownership level? Yes, it appears the time has come.
The Brodsky family has owned at least part of a WHL franchise since 1976 when Nate Brodsky, the family patriarch, along with Jackie McLeod and Joe Reich purchased the Saskatoon Blades from Jim Piggott.
On Dec. 1, 1980, Brodsky bought out his partners and took complete control of the franchise.
Sons Bob, Jack and Rick and daughter Debbie later became involved at the ownership level, before Rick left to purchase the Victoria Cougars, a franchise that he later moved to Prince George.
With Rick gone, Jack became the face of the Blades’ ownership, something that lasted until earlier this season when the Blades were sold to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner.
And now Rick is in the process of selling the Cougars, likely to local interests including NHLers Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of them former Prince George players.
“The Prince George Cougars have been sold to local businessman Greg Pocock and a group of investors that includes NHL players and former Cougars Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, say several sources close to the team,”
That’s how Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen began a story that appears in Monday’s newspaper.
“Pocock is the owner of Prince George Hydromechanical, an industrial cleaning services contractor, and is co-owner of Forest Power Sports, a Prince George-based recreational vehicle dealership,” the story continues. “The local sources, who requested anonymity, say the team was purchased for close to $7 million, while longtime owner Rick Brodsky had been asking for $8 million. With a tentative deal now in place, it still has to receive approval from the WHL head office and be passed by the league's board of directors.”
Clarke’s complete story is right here.
As I understand it, a sale has yet to be completed. I was told earlier today that nothing has been signed, nor has any money changed hands, but that serious talks are ongoing.
If a sale does get completed, it would bring to an end Rick Brodsky’s up-and-down relationship with the hockey fans of Prince George. Presumably, local ownership would keep the team in Prince George because should it ever leave you have to believe that the WHL wouldn’t be in any rush to return. Why not? The reasons are strictly geographic . . . teams aren’t at all enthralled with the bus ride to P.G., either from Kamloops or Edmonton.
Meanwhile, Clarke also had this in his story: “The Cougars have been the subject of rumours they would be moved to Nanaimo or Winnipeg. But Nanaimo lacks a WHL-sized arena, and now it appears Winnipeg will be the home of the Kootenay Ice next season.”
That presumably would mean that True North Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, would be involved at the ownership level.
Jim Toth of CJOB in Winnipeg, who once worked in Cranbrook, tweeted Monday morning: “Just got word from #TNSE regarding this article of speculative move of #WHL franchise to WPG. is ‘100% False again’ ”
Toth later tweeted: “Confirmed with Kootenay Ice same as #TNSE regarding Prince George article. Told same as in October, no truth to this story out of PG.”
When I contacted Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s owner, president and general manager for comment, all he said was: “Where do they come up with stuff like that?”
While the Cougars’ future in Prince George has been the centre of speculation and rumours for a few years now, that all seems likely to end in the next while. However, the same can’t be said for Lethbridge, where it seems the fun is just beginning.For example, there also was another unsourced and unattributed rumour floating around this morning. That one had the Hurricanes being sold to True North and relocating to Winnipeg, with the Ice then moving to Lethbridge.
Chynoweth’s response to that one: “Seriously? . . . You should laugh at that one.”
Later in the day, Paul Kingsmith, the sports director at Global-TV in Lethbridge, tweeted: “Wichers says team is not for sale, #WHL has not taken financial control and he expects the @WHLHurricanes to be here next season.”
Wichers is Brian Wichers, who is a member of the Hurricanes’ board of directors.

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