THE MacBETH REPORT:
Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL) announced the signings of F Jakub Klepis (Portland, 2001-02) and F Marcel Hossa (Portland, 1998-2001). . . . Klepis signed a one-year-plus-option contract and Hossa got a one-year contract. . . . Hossa had 14 goals and 17 assists in 54 games with Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL) and Dinamo Riga (Belarus, KHL), while Klepis had seven goals and seven assists in 44 games with Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL) and Dynamo Moscow (Russia, KHL). . . . Klepis scored the game-winner for Dynamo with just under eight minutes left in the third period in Game 7 of the KHL final, a 1-0 victory over Avangard Omsk. Avangard had a three games to one lead in the series but couldn't close the deal.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Roman Vopat (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 1994-96) now is the co-general manager and head coach of the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, who play in the Kootenay International league. . . . Rick Allen had been the interim general manager but stepped aside after the season ended. . . . Last season was Vopat’s first as head coach. He and assistant coach Jordan Foreman will share the GM’s duties. . . . In Vopat’s first season as head coach, the Dynamiters went 36-14-1 before losing a second-round series to the Fernie Ghostriders in seven games. . . .
Steve Spott, the GM and head coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, has been named head coach of Canada’s national junior team. . . . His assistant coaches will be Mario Duhamel (QMJHL-Drummondville Voltigeurs), Don Nachbaur (WHL-Spokane Chiefs) and André Tourigny (QMJHL-Rouyn-Noranda Huskies). . . . The 2013 World Junior Championship is scheduled for Ufa, Russia, Dec. 26 through Jan. 6. . . .
The Central league’s Missouri Mavericks have extended head coach Scott Hillman’s contract through 2013-14. In three seasons under Hillman, the Mavericks have a 107-71-18 regular-season record.
———
JUST NOTES:
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reported Friday that the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed D Austin Madaisky of the Kamloops Blazers to a three-year contract. Madaisky was a fifth-round selection in the 2010 amateur draft. . . . Madaisky, who turned 20 in January, had 50 points, including 13 goals, in 70 games, then added seven assists in nine playoff games. . . . He is eligible to return to the Blazers for another season, but is expected to at least open the season in the Columbus organization, perhaps with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons. . . .
The Brandon Sun is reporting that “the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Keystone Centre are expected to announce that a new lease agreement has been reached at a scheduled news conference on Wednesday morning.” . . . They have been operating under a five-year extension to a 10-year deal that was agreed to in 1997. It expires on May 31.
———
I kind of liked this from the end of a column by Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun:
After his New York Rangers came up three shot blocks short and lost 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, seething coach John Tortorella uttered a total of 39 words in response to six questions over 72 seconds — an average of 6.5 words per answer.
Every profession has miserable, rude people. What's mystifying is how Tortorella gets away with his boorishness in a league that sells entertainment and relies on its connection to fans for survival. Maybe someone should ask why he has such contempt for them. Tortorella's answer would probably be two words.
The complete column is right here.
———
Ted Johnson, a former middle linebacker with the New England Patriots, is the latest retired athlete to speak out about concussions.
Johnson retired in 2005. He spoke Friday during a conference on pediatric concussions at Boston Children’s Hospital.
He had some horribly interesting comments.
“It’s a shame-based issue,” he said of concussions and post-concussion syndrome. “You can’t see into the brain. . . . It makes you feel like less of a man.”
He also talked about feeling pressured by head coach Bill Belichick to get back into action after being concussed.
“I was put in a position where I felt compelled to play against doctors’ orders, so I did,” Johnson told the conference, although he later said, according to The Associated Press, “that he held no grudge against Belichick, the Patriots or the NFL.”
Johnson also pointed out something that is terribly important in the way athletes look at concussions today.
There are more than 1,000 former players now involved in concussion-related lawsuits against the NFL. Some present-day players have said that those players knew what they were getting into when they agreed to play in the NFL.
However, Johnson pointed out, while that may be true today, it wasn’t true a few years ago which goes to show how far concussion-related research has come.
The Associated Press story on Johnson is right here.
———
The Victoria Royals, it seems, are thinking about bidding on the 2016 or 2019 Memorial Cup tournament. “We will not be satisfied until we host the Memorial Cup in Victoria,” Royals president Dave Dakers told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist. “It would be a great event for the city.” . . . Dakers is the the president of sports and entertainment for RG Properties, which owns the Royals. RG Properties also manages the Royals’ home arena, the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. . . . Dheensaw also had another gem as he pointed out that should the Royals make the playoffs next spring, they may have to move some home games to Bear Mountain Arena. That’s because the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre will be home to the 2013 Ford world men's curling championship. While the Memorial Centre seats 7,006, Bear Mountain holds 2,300 fans. It is home to the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.
———
Earlier in the week, The MacBeth Report broke the news here that F David Volek, who just completed his freshman season with the Regina Pats, had signed a junior contract with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, J20 SuperElit).
Volek, 18, had 32 points with the Pats and it was expected that he would return for another season.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post provided the Pats’ view of this situation right here.
The Färjestad news release was headlined J20: FBK Strengthens from Czech Republic.
The first three paragraphs of that release:
“Färjestad's J20 is strengthened for next season with a Czech national team member. Dominik Volek, most recently with the Regina Pats in the Canadian junior league, joins the club's J20 team. ‘From the reports we received, he is a very interesting two-way player with great potential,’ says Färjestad's Youth and Junior Manager Peter Johansson.
“Volek comes from the Canadian junior league where he played for the Regina Pats. His father, David, is a multiple Czech national team member who also played six seasons for the New York Islanders.
“Volek is one of three new forwards in the J20 squad.”
Of course, a lot can happen between now and late August, but that sounds pretty definitive.
Volek’s agent is his uncle, Ales, whose agency is called Alvo Sports Management. According to the agency website, Ales was a scout for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators from 1999-2002. Jiri Hudler Sr. is the head of player development for the agency.
Ales also is the agent for Roman Cervenka, who just signed with the Calgary Flames.
And here’s another connection for you — The MacBeth Report points out that the man in charge of running FBK from top to bottom, who just reorganized the FBK coaching and management staff for their junior programs, is former Flames F Håkan Loob. 

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.

The saga of the Chilliwack Bruins — a chronology

What follows is something of a chronology of events leading up to the announcement of the sale and relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins, mostly gleaned from the work of Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times and Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress.
Cast of characters, in order of appearance:
Ron Robison: WHL commissioner.
Moray Keith: Minority owner of Chilliwack Bruins and co-owner of Chilliwack Development Group (CDG), which manages Prospera
Centre.
Jim Bond: Minority owner of Chilliwack Bruins and co-owner of Chilliwack Development Group (CDG), which manages Prospera
Centre.
Darryl Porter: One of the Bruins’ three majority owners; he was the franchise’s governor.
Dave Dakers: President of RG Properties’ sports and entertainment division. RG Properties manages Prospera Place in Kelowna and the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria; it also owns the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. RG Properties bought the Bruins.
Brian Burke: President and general manager of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs; one of the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners.
Glen Sather: President and general manager of the NHL’s New York Rangers; one of the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners.
Jim Mullin: Manager of the sports department at CKNW, an AM radio station in Vancouver. He was fired by CKNW on April 20 and tweeted that his dismissal had "everything to do with" his reporting of the sale of the Bruins.
Glen Ringdal: A consultant who works with Moray Keith and Jim Bond.
———
2001: “Our interest in Victoria began in 2001 (and) intensified with the (2005) opening of the new facility (Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre).” — WHL commissioner Ron Robison, on The Hawk 89.5, April 20, 2011.
———
2009: “In 2009, Robison told the league’s board of governors that the WHL might try and move the next team up for sale to Victoria.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
———
February 2009: “February of 2009, as part of its strategic plan, the Western Hockey League Board of Governors made a decision to actively pursue securing a WHL franchise for the Victoria market. At that time, the WHL Board of Governors were advised that should a franchise become available for sale, the WHL may elect to relocate the club to Victoria. Although expanding the league beyond 22 teams was not ruled out, the WHL Board of Governors preference was to relocate an existing team. Further expansion was not considered a viable alternative due to the demand it would place on the talent pool of players and the ability for WHL Clubs to remain competitive at the national level.” — WHL press release, April 20, 2011.
———
November 2010: “Keith told the Times that Bond came away (from a Jan. 13 conference call) not thinking that a decision had been made and that no vote was taken. He also said CDG had a standing offer to buy the club dating back to November 2010. Porter said that he knew of no such offer and that there was no ambiguity as to CDG's willingness to sell.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
———
December 2010: Darryl Porter asks Chilliwack city council for $175,000 per year to prop up sagging revenues. The request is turned down.
———
Early January 2011: In early January, Keith says that Bruins president Darryl Porter met with Robison during the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. According to Keith, “Robison told (Porter) point blank that if they wanted to sell, they had to sell to Victoria.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
———
January 2011: “Dave Dakers, president of RG Properties sports and entertainment division, said the genesis of the deal was when he met Darryl Porter on a ferry in January.” — Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist, April 20, 2011.
———
Jan. 13, 2011: “Burke and Porter talked about a Jan. 13 conference call in which Jim Bond allegedly gave his and Keith’s approval to the pursuit of a sale, at the same time locking the group into exclusive negotiating rights with Victoria. . . . Keith wasn’t involved in that meeting, but he got a play-by-play from Bond. . . . ‘Burkie talked and he was the only guy that talked, and it was presented as a fait d’accompli that this was done,’ Keith said. ‘Jim is adamant that he didn’t concur in a unanimous way that it should be sold. Porter, Burke and Sather agreed to sell the team. That’s 75 per cent and that’s not unanimous.’ ” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 20, 2011.
———
March 4, 2011: Western Hockey League commission Ron Robison says Chilliwack remains a viable market for major junior hockey. And with rumours flying about the possible sale of the Chilliwack Bruins, Robison told the Chilliwack Times . . . that the league office hasn't received any notice that a sale is imminent. Robison said "there is tremendous interest in purchasing franchises around the league . . . but right now there's been nothing filed with us to indicate that there's been anything material occurring." — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, March 4, 2011.
———
March 4, 2011: Asked if the league stresses keeping teams in their current markets, Robison said "absolutely." He continued: "It's clearly our desire to keep them where they are. From time to time we have to review relocation but that's been very rare. There hasn't been a relocation in our league for many, many years." — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, March 4, 2011.
———
March 4, 2011: When asked by the Progress whether the team would be playing in Chilliwack in 2011-12, the answer wasn't exactly a resounding yes. “I would be very surprised if the Western Hockey League isn't playing hockey in Chilliwack,” Porter replied. — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, March 4, 2011.
———
March 4, 2011: Asked whether the Bruins would be playing in Chilliwack in 2011-12, (Robison) offered this. “It is certainly our intent and we haven’t considered anything different at this point.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 21, 2011.
———
March 4, 2011: Asked about the league’s strong desire to get into Victoria, (Robison) offered this. “We are very interested in that possibility, and it’s just been a case of whether we can accommodate that. At this point, we’re not in a position to do that.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 21, 2011.
———
March 2011: “In March, Porter told the Times that the owners were weighing ‘multiple offers.’ The owners were, however, negotiating with only one other partner. On (April 20) he apologized for the misleading statements, saying that he was trying to respect a confidentiality agreement and that there was still a possibility that the team wouldn’t be sold to RG Properties. ‘I still had some belief that we would be enticing other offers,’ he said.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
———
March 15, 2011: The Chilliwack Progress reports that Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who “has ties to the area,” is interested in helping keep the Bruins in Chilliwack. "Justin has expressed his interest in being involved with us as an investor in hockey based in Chilliwack," Keith said in an e-mail to the Chilliwack Progress. "We would be honoured to have him involved. It is all predicated obviously in our successfully securing the team.” — Chilliwack Progress, March 15, 2011.
———
March 15, 2011: The Chilliwack Progress reports that “a news article this morning said there is pressure on Burke, Sather and Porter to accept a bid that would land the team in Victoria. That would fly in the face of commments WHL commisioner Ron Robison made in a Chilliwack Progress interview last week.” . . . “The league's position on ownership is always to look for local ownership,” he said. “That is always a priority. We have to make sure we have the right type of ownership, but if there is local interest, that is something we would want to explore.” — Chilliwack Progress, March 15, 2011.
———
March 17, 2011: “On March 17, the WHL Board of Governors granted conditional approval for the sale of the Chilliwack WHL franchise and final agreements were then signed.” — WHL news release, April 21, 2011.
———
March 31, 2011: “Darryl Porter not confirming sale of Chilliwack Bruins at 5:50pm. Says it's not done. Says no sale agreement signed despite speculation.” — Randy Merkley, the radio voice of the Bruins, via Twitter.
———
April 5, 2011: The WHL issues a news release saying it has granted conditional approval to the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins. The news release doesn’t identify a buyer.
———
April 4, 2011: Burke, in a letter through his lawyers to Jim Mullin earlier in the week, claimed that the WHL had “promised” a franchise to Graham Lee, the chief executive officer and president of RG Properties. . . . Burke also wrote that it was “. . . the WHL’s and Mr. Lee’s desire to have an established team in Victoria rather than an expansion team. This will not leave Chilliwack without a WHL team. The WHL is in the process of negotiating the movement of another WHL team to Chilliwack.”
———
April 11, 2011: “Keith cited an April 11 phone conversation between his right-hand man Glen Ringdal and Porter where Porter fingered Robison and the WHL executive as the masterminds behind the Chilliwack-to-Victoria plot.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 20.
———
April 18, 2011: The WHL announces that a news conference will be held April 20 in Victoria.
———
April 19, 2011: The deal between RG Properties and the Bruins owners closes.
———
April 20: 2011: The WHL announces the Bruins will be relocated to Victoria.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Brian Burke weighs in on Victoria

Brian Burke obviously has too much time on his hands.
The man who runs the Toronto Maple Leafs has found time to write a letter to Jim Mullin, the sports director at radio station CKNW in Vancouver.
Actually, the letter came from Burke via his lawyers.
The letter has to do with Burke being unhappy over some comments Mullin made about Burke “seeking vengeance on the Canucks.”
More interesting than that, at least for WHL fans, are a couple of Burke comments pertaining to the impending move of the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria.
If you came late to this story, Burke owns 25 per cent of the Bruins. He, Glen Sather and Darryl Porter, each of whom owns 25 per cent, have a deal to sell the franchise, but not to minority owners Moray Keith and Jim Bond, who own the other 25 per cent.
Rather, they will sell to Graham Lee’s RG Properties, which holds the management contract for the Save-On Food Memorial Centre in Victoria, the home of the ECHL’s Salmon Kings.
In his letter to Mullin, who has been on top of this story from the get-go, Burke writes:
“Graham Lee has been promised a WHL franchise in that city.”
Unfortunately, Burke doesn’t explain why Lee “has been promised” a team for Victoria. Of course, Dave Dakers, who is president of RG Properties sports and entertainment and also operates their ECHL franchise, is tight -- they are fishing pals -- with Bruce Hamilton, the president of the Kelowna Rockets and the chairman of the WHL’s board of governors. Maybe that has something to do with it.
Remember, too, that the City of Victoria, which owns the arena there, has told RG Properties that it will extend its management contract through 2046 if it is able to land a WHL franchise. That contract now is to expire in 2036.
But wait . . . there’s more.
Later, Burke writes that it was “. . . the WHL’s and Mr. Lee’s desire to have an established team in Victoria rather than an expansion team. This will not leave Chilliwack without a WHL team. The WHL is in the process of negotiating the movement of another WHL team to Chilliwack.”
So let’s really upset the apple cart, why don’t we?
Not only do fans of the Bruins have reason to be up in arms, but now fans in Prince George, Cranbrook, Swift Current, Lethbridge, Prince Albert and anywhere else where people might be feeling at all paranoid about the future of their WHL franchise are dragged into the fray.
What this letter from Burke does do is erase all doubt, if there was any remaining, about the fate of the Bruins. While no one in any official capacity with the league or the Bruins or RG Properties has been up front and transparent about any of this -- hey, there may have been tickets to sell to a Game 6 in Chilliwack between the Bruins and Spokane Chiefs -- Burke at least has come clean about part of this mess.
Now if only someone would explain why a franchise that was in its fifth year of existence and was showing signs of becoming competitive for the first time is being sold and moved on down the road.
And, by the way, is there a guarantee somewhere that says the WHL in Victoria will be a rip-roaring success? What if the team struggles for the better part of five years, as have the Bruins?
Mullin’s complete report is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter