Change in Raiders' office . . . Attempt to save team is over . . . Montador had CTE

BOOK REVIEW:

Remember when hockey cards were the thing?
It really wasn’t that long ago, like in the 1990s and for a while after the turn of the century.
But the real feeding frenzy was in the 1990s. In fact, while I was the Regina Leader-Post’s sports editor, I came to know one person who paid off his mortgage

through hockey cards. He built up a supply — at one time, he had more than one million cards in his basement — and spent many weekends a year at card shows in southern and central Saskatchewan.
For most collectors, though, it isn’t about paying off a mortgage. Early on in He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures, author Jon Waldman quotes Hersh Borenstein, president of the Toronto-based memorabilia company Frozen Pond:
“More than anything it’s the pursuit . . . it’s not about the value.”
You will be aware of that if you have ever been a collector of anything. Yes, it’s about the chase.
In this book, Waldman goes back in time to the beginning of hockey-based collectibles. He also looks at everything from autographs — what to get autographed; what not to get autographed — to game-worn jerseys to programs and tickets and everything in between.
Still, cards are at the heart of hockey collectibles. Early on, Waldman provides a timeline of the history of hockey cards that shows just how crazy the industry was as it built to a peak and then came down the other side.
In chronicling the collectible industry, Waldman also provides something of a history of professional hockey, especially at the NHL level. He offers up a team-by-team look, including expansion and defunct franchises, always pointing out unique collectibles.
Should you give this book a look, it will bring back a million memories. It may even cause you to go on the hunt in your own home. Perhaps you have an H.M. Cowan painted tile or two hanging around somewhere. It could be that you had no idea what they were, other than small paintings of former players like, say, Harry Howell and Tom Johnson. Maybe you will find them, go on the Internet and find out that they are worth more than a few dollars.
But you won’t even attempt to sell them. No. Because it isn’t about the money, is it?
(He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures; ECW Press, 274 pages, soft cover, $19.95)
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F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Riessersee (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A), he had 25 goals and 19 assists in 37 games. He led the team in goals and points while it won the Italian championship. . . .
D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had two goals and 17 assists in 36 games with Aalborg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen) this season. . . .
F Marcin Kolusz (Vancouver, 2003-04) signed a two-year extension with Tychy (Poland, PHL). He had 40 points, including 16 goals, in 42 games this season. His club won the Poland championship. Kolusz captained Poland at the World Championship Division 1A, where he was named to the all-star team and named best player on his team.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.

The Kelowna Rockets get their first chance to win this season’s WHL championship when they meet the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings tonight. The Rockets hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . The Rockets have won their last six games, beating the Portland Winterhawks three straight to close out the Western Conference final and now having opened the league final with three victories. . . . Wondering why the teams didn’t play on back-to-back nights when the series headed to Kelowna? Diana Krall was playing Prospera Place last night.
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Bruce Vance is leaving the Prince Albert Raiders after 14 years with the WHL franchise. Vance, who has been involved in the WHL for 21 years, is leaving the Raiders to work as the City of Prince Albert’s marketing and sponsorship co-ordinator. Vance joined the Raiders as director of marketing, and has been the Raiders’ business manager for the past four years. . . . Michael Scissons will replace Vance as the Raiders’ business manager, effective June 1. Scissons has been with the Saskatoon Blades through 12 seasons, most recently as their vice-president of business operations.
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The attempt at resuscitating the men’s hockey program at Thompson River University in Kamloops is dead. Trevor Bast of Victoria, who had been attempting to revive a program that was discontinued by TRU prior to this season, tells Taking Note that “I have stopped working towards reviving TRU hockey.” . . . With the TRU athletic department having said it no longer was interested in a hockey program, Bast approached the TRU Students’ Union in an attempt to form a link there. However, the TRUSU didn’t get back to him. At the same time, a deadline imposed by the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League went by, so Bast feels he has no choice but to walk away. . . . Don Schulz, the head coach of the WolfPack when the program collapsed, is preparing for his first season as head coach of the Kamloops-based Thompson Blazers, who play in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
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The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, champions of the Kootenay International Junior League, have changed the responsibilities of assistant coach Mike Reid and general manager Dave Smith. . . . Reid will take over as GM/director of player personnel, with Smith move to assistant GM-hockey operations. . . . “We’ve just taken the workload and divided it into two,” team president Chad Koran explained to Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. “It’s a pretty demanding and time-consuming job. We’re just trying to divide it between the two guys and lighten the load for the both of them.” . . . Head coach Jerry Bancks is set for another season, with Reid, Jeff Keiver and Todd White all back on staff, too. . . . Rocca's story is right here.

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Does the NFL really concern itself more with deflated footballs and artificially inflated players? In light of Tom Brady’s suspension and Deflategate, Jere Longman of The New York Times examines the NFL and a history of deceit in sports right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Prince Albert Raiders have re-signed associate coach Dave Manson and assistant coach Kelly Guard. Contract terms weren’t released. They will work under head coach Marc Habscheid, who signed a four-year contract earlier this spring. . . . The Raiders have yet to reveal whether they will retain general manager Bruno Campese, whose contract is soon to expire. . . . Manson, who is from Prince Albert, will be entering his 11th season on the Raiders’ coaching staff. He also is a former Raiders defenceman (1983-86). . . . Guard, who also is from Prince Albert, is preparing for his fourth season with the Raiders. He started as the team’s goaltending coach, then was promoted to assistant coach prior to this season. . . . Both men have been part of Memorial Cup championship teams, Manson with the 1984-85 Raiders and Guard with the 2003-04 Kelowna Rockets.
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Former NHLer Jeremy Roenick, who now is in the broadcast business, said Tuesday that Travis Green, the former Portland Winterhawks assistant GM/assistant coach, should be considered for the head-coaching vacancy with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. . . . "He is a no-nonsense coach and I think a coach that's ready for the National Hockey League and that's waited for a National Hockey League job," Roenick said Tuesday on Comcast SportsNet's Breakfast on Broad. "He turned down an assistant job in Pittsburgh last year because of his craving to be a head coach. If there's a young guy out there that's ready for that jump, I think Travis Green would be that guy.” . . . Green now is the head coach of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. . . . There’s more right here on Roenick and Green. . . . The Comets hold a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Barons in a second-round series with Game 4 tonight in Oklahoma City.
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D Mackenze Stewart of the Prince Albert Raiders has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Stewart, who turns 20 on Aug. 10, is from Calgary. The Canucks selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Stewart had 11 points, five of them goals, with the Raiders this season. . . . The Canucks apparently plan on turning Stewart into a left winger. . . .
The best baseball book you’ve never read? In a piece written for Rolling Stone, Dan Epstein makes a case for Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud. That is the story of former Major League first baseman Joe Pepitone, and it was on bookshelves before Jim Bouton’s Ball Four. The good news is that Joe, You Could Made Us Proud is being reissued. . . . Epstein’s piece is right here.
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“The family of Steve Montador is planning to launch a lawsuit against the NHL in the wake of news the late defenceman suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, widely known as CTE,” writes Rick Westhead of TSN. “The Krembil Neuroscience Centre’s Canadian Sports Concussion Project announced results on Tuesday of autopsies conducted on Montador, former CFL player John Forzani, and an anonymous donor. CTE was detected in the brains of Montador and the anonymous donor, but not Forzani, a former lineman with the Stampeders.” . . . Montador, who was 35 when he died in February. As a hockey player, he had a long history of concussions. . . . Westhead’s piece is right here.
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Hopefully Euro hockey notices that when #TeamCanada wins there is no big goal celebrations or hand slaps down the bench. #RespectOpponents

— Jeff Ulmer (@Ulms44) May 12, 2015

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.

Christian Klein (@christian9klein) tweeted this photo on Wednesday night,
with this note: "Classy move by the folks at #Holstens where the famous
final scene of #TheSopranos was filmed. Reserved tonight
for #TonySoprano and Co. A true #NJ treasure. #HBO."

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Tomas Fojtik (Portland, 2003-04) signed a one-year contract with the Slough Jets (England, Premier). He had six goals and 20 assists in 46 games with the Basingstoke Bison, Telford Tigers, and Swindon Wildcats (all England, Premier) this season.
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Regrets? I’ve had a few.
One of them is that during my career as a sports journalist, Lorne Molleken and I were never in the same city at the same time, at least not for any length of time.
We have known each other since the mid-1970s, but I never had the opportunity to cover any of his teams on a daily basis.
Molleken, who stepped aside as head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday, spent 17 winters as a

LORNE MOLLEKEN
(Steve Hiscock photo)

WHL head coach. He also worked as head coach of the Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors.
However, Molleken’s history with the WHL goes back a whole lot farther than that.
A goaltender, the Regina native played with the Swift Current Broncos in 1972-73 and 1973-74, making the move to Lethbridge with the franchise for the start of the 1974-75 season. However, he found himself in Winnipeg with the Clubs – you can bet Molleken learned a lot about dysfunctional families there – during that season and also played there in 1975-76 before going on to a professional career that took him to such minor league outposts as Philadelphia, Saginaw, Springfield, Binghamton, Indianapolis and Toledo.
The roadmap of his coaching career is that of a man who loves the game. Moose Jaw. Saskatoon. Cape Breton. Hamilton, Chicago. Regina. San Jose. Pittsburgh. Saskatoon.
We are a society that loves to catalogue people, to put them in slots and leave them there. So that means Molleken, who turned 57 on June 11, is an “old school” coach. If you watched any of the TV series On The Edge that chronicled the Blades; 2012-13 season, you witnessed that first hand.
But you also saw the tears when circumstances called on him to inform players they had been traded away, so wouldn’t be part of the host team for the Memorial Cup.
Yes, Molleken is an emotional man.
But the thing I enjoy the most about Molleken is that, unlike so many people in hockey today, he understands the game within the game. He understands the role of the media, that we are a necessary evil so he may as well deal with us. He understands that it isn’t our job to sell tickets for him and his organization. But, at the same time, he knows that if he cultivates relationships in the correct fashion that’s exactly what happens.
Which is why, whenever I would approach him, he had that glint in his eye and a story to tell.
So here’s a story about Molleken.
In that 1974-75 season, he played for the legendary Muzz MacPherson with the Clubs, who played out of the old Winnipeg Arena.
One morning, a bleary-eyed Molleken was on the ice for practice but wasn’t moving too many muscles. He stood in one net looking like a Shooter Tutor before its time.
“Hey, Mooner,” yelled MacPherson, who was stationed at centre ice. “Are you going to at least try to stop some pucks?”
Molleken replied: “Muzz, you see that thing up above you?”
MacPherson, in telling the story in his gravely voice, would say: “Like a fool, I looked up. And there was the clock.”
Molleken, noticing that MacPherson had looked up, offered: “When it starts, I start.”
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If it wasn’t official, it is now. Hockey Canada has jumped the shark with the world junior hockey championship.
Our country’s hockey pooh-bahs, the same ones who came up with the idea of banning European goaltenders from the major junior game, will announce today that Toronto and Montreal will share the 2015 and 2017 world junior tournaments.
Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted yesterday that “MTL will host preliminary round and TOR the medal round in 2015. Then it reverses in 2017 with MTL getting medal round and TOR preliminary.”
Never mind that Toronto and Montreal have been graveyards for major junior hockey. That doesn’t matter. Hockey Canada has morphed into a gigantic business and the world junior championship is its cash cow.
You will recall that Calgary and Edmonton shared the 2012 tournament and the profit was $22 million. The bar, then, has been raised so high that junior hockey cities without NHL arenas have zero chance of seeing this tournament again.
As Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports wrote:
“Who knows how high the revenue target will be for the two tournaments that will be held in the Bell Centre and Air Canada Centre, which are both newer buildings with a greater combined seating capacity than the NHL venues in Calgary and Edmonton. It's just the way it is; it doesn't matter that Montreal and Toronto are so gung-ho about junior hockey during the other 50 weeks of the year that a combined four CHL teams have pulled up stakes from those markets in the past decade — the Brampton Battalion (North Bay), Montreal Juniors (suburban Blainville-Boisbriand), Mississauga IceDogs (St. Catharines) and Montreal Rocket (Charlottetown, P.E.I.).”
Should the 2015 and 2017 tournaments raise the profit bar even higher, perhaps to $30 million, what happens? Do Toronto and Montreal become the permanent host cities whenever the tournament is played in Canada?
Because these days it’s all about the money.
We live in a sporting world with its priorities so far out of whack that it has become painful. Some junior hockey teams in our country, their expenses far exceeding revenues, are going to charge players a few thousand dollars to play. The 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, are going to cost someone US$51 billion.
One of these days, the bubble is going to burst and when that day comes it is going to be noisy.
But when it happens perhaps places like Red Deer will have the opportunity to play host to things like the world junior tournament again.
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James Gandolfini died on Wednesday while vacationing in Italy.
Here’s Alan Sepinwall of hitfix.com writing about Gandolfini as Tony Soprano: “His work on the show made possible Vic Mackey, Al Swearengen, Walter White, Don Draper and every complicated, riveting anti-hero (or worse) who followed him. ‘The Sopranos’ was an enormous hit, and told the business that the old rules need no longer apply.”
That complete piece, and it’s a great read, is right here.
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G Alex Wakaluk, the son of Calgary Hitmen goaltending coach Darcy Wakaluk, has signed to play for the U of Massachusetts Minutemen. Alex, who turns 20 on Aug. 20, played the last two seasons with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. This season, he was named the SJHL’s most valuable player and was a finalist for the junior A goaltender-of-the-year award. He was selected by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the ninth round of the 2008 WHL bantam draft.
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Two former WHLers — F Andrew Rieder and D Tyler Hart — have committed to Dalhouse University in Halifax and will play for the Tigers. . . . Rieder (Regina, 2009-12) has his WHL career derailed by shoulder problems. A Regina native, he then played five games this season with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes but his comeback was halted by more shoulder problems. . . . Hart (Vancouver, Prince Albert, 2010-12) is from Spruce Grove, Alta. He played this season for the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Lorne Molleken, the second-winningest head coach in WHL history, has stepped aside. The Saskatoon Blades announced Wednesday that Molleken will remain as the general manager and alternate governor, with associate coach David Struch taking over as head coach. . . . Curtis Leschyshyn and Jerome Engele will stay on as assistant coaches, and Tim Cheveldave remains as the goaltending coach. . . . "Our organization has full confidence in what David can do with this team going forward,” Molleken said in a news release. “He has been a part of this coaching staff for the past seven years. He's done the necessary work to become a head coach in this league. He's passionate about coaching, the city of Saskatoon and the Blades. We feel that he'll be a great fit as we enter a new and exciting era as an organization.” . . . Struck is a former Blades player (1988-92). . . . Molleken has been a WHL coach for 17 seasons, 13 of them with the Blades. With 603 career victories, he is second only to Ken Hodge (742) on the WHL’s all-time list.

The Prince Albert Raiders have agreed to contract extensions with associate coach Dave Manson and assistant coach Tim Leonard. . . . Manson, a former Raiders defenceman, is in his second stint as an assistant coach, having rejoined the team as an assistant coach for the 2010-11 season. He was named associate coach after that season. . . . Leonard, who spent 10 seasons on the coaching staff of the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, is preparing for his second season with the Raiders. . . . Manson and Leonard now are signed through 2014-15, along with the rest of the club’s hockey operations staff. . . . Dave Leaderhouse of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.

John Goodwin, a former OHL scoring champion, has signed on as an assistant coach with the North Bay Battalion. Goodwin, 51, will work with fellow assistant Ryan Oulahen alongside GM/head coach Stan Butler. . . . Goodwin replaces Jason Ward, who chose not to make the move from Brampton to North Bay. . . . Goodwin has previous OHL coaching experience, with the Oshawa Generals. He was the head coach there for three seasons and also spent two seasons there as an assistant under Butler. . . . Goodwin won the OHL scoring title in 1980-81.
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From Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “2015 and 2017 WJCs to be in Montreal and Toronto. I've heard European teams won't even be allowed to USE goalies.”
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From Mitch Callahan (@emcy1five): “Sorry to the city of Grand Rapids for dropping the ‘F’ bomb on stage with the microphone at city park. Just a little excited”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:

F Stanislav Balan (Portland, 2005-06) has been assigned on loan by Zlin (Czech Republic, Extraliga) to Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for at least the start of next season. Balan had 16 goals and 31 assists in 43 games for Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga) this season. . . .




F Sami Sandell (Brandon, 2004-06) signed a one-year plus option contract with Ilves Tampere (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had three goals and five assists in 40 games with Luleå (Sweden, Elitserien) this season. . . .




D Tomas Slovak (Kelowna, 2001-03) signed a one-year contract extension with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had four goals and seven assists in 27 games with Plzen this season.
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1. Well, if you didn’t have a dog in either hunt that was a wasted evening of TV viewing. The Boston Bruins blew out the host Pittsburgh Penguins and after two games hold a 9-1 edge in goals, while the Miami Heat picked apart the visiting Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of an NBA division final. . . . An evening that began with much promise, when pfffft in a hurry.
2. Beth Bragg of the Anchorage Daily News reports that the U of Alaska-Anchorage is down to six finalists as it searches for a new head coach for its hockey team. Her story is right here, and it includes all six names, which is kind of interesting. . . . Can’t you just see a WHL team allowing its fans to follow along as it searches for a head coach!
3. With the Prince Albert Raiders having hired Cory Clouston as head coach, there now are two WHL teams — the Everett Silvertips and Lethbridge Hurricanes — who still have vacancies in that position.
4. The Hurricanes are the only team in the 22-team league without a head coach and a logo.
5. A few years ago, I got an email from a hockey fan named Bill Motiuk. He had put a lot of thought into hockey’s loser point — in many leagues, including the WHL, a team losing a game in overtime or a shootout receives one point. In brief, Motiuk proposed right here that a winner in regulation time be given three points, with two points going to an OT winner and one to a shootout winner. The loser wouldn’t get anything.
The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. Of course, the powers-that-be have yet to see the light.
Recently, I received another email from Motiuk, this time with “something for hockey fans to throw around in the down time between playoff series.”
And rather than have me explain it, here he is . . .
“How would the game change if a team getting a power play with less than two minutes left in a period had the option of taking the penalty at the time of the call or at the start of the next period?
“Why the option?
“As it stands now, the penalty and subsequent power play are not really for two minutes. For example, it could be a 45-second power play in one period and a one-minute 15-second power play in the next period.
“The amount of time allotted to the power play in each period currently depends on or at what time after the 18 minute-mark the penalty was called. How often is a goal scored at the end of a period on a penalty called at 19:30 of the period? That 30 seconds is probably the easiest bit of time to kill.
“Even if you have the momentum and are pressing on the power play, the clock puts a stop to that even though you have 90 of PP time left. And when the next period begins the faceoff is at centre ice where if you lose the draw another few seconds are lost.
“As it stands now the team taking a penalty with fewer than two minutes to play in a period faces less of a challenge than it would if that same penalty were called with two or more minutes remaining in the period.
“Adopting my suggestion would most likely change a dynamic in coaching. The ability of the coach would become more evident as to his effect on the outcome of a game. Does the coach accept the time of the penalty when called to continue his team’s momentum (if his team has it) or does he go to the dressing room and draw up a plan to exploit any weaknesses he may have observed? As well, when a new period begins, his players will be rested and the ice will be fresh.
“Of course, the other team also will be rested. So does he give the opposing team a chance to re-group?
“The score at the end of the period would be another variable. Heading toward overtime near the end of the third period would also add another dynamic. Does he try to win in regulation time and deny the other team a single point or does he gamble and carry the full two-minute penalty into overtime, in a 4-on-3 situation, which has a high percentage likelihood of a power play goal and the two points?
“If he allows the penalty time to be split over the period and into overtime and the power play comes up dry, the OT becomes a toss-up as to who will win. It could all come down to who can out-coach whom?
“I’m sure a lot of people could come up many more pros and cons for this idea, but I just wanted to throw it out there to see if it raises any thoughts.”
6. I will throw out another suggestion, one that I heard Kamloops Blazers head coach Dave Hunchak mention during one of his radio appearances at the recent Memorial Cup.
If hockey really wants to increase scoring, Hunchak suggested, the nets should be enlarged, but only upwards. If they were six inches higher, putting cross-bars 54 inches off the ice, he continued, goaltenders would have to spend a lot more time standing up.
Make the goaltenders stand up more and they are able to play less butterfly, meaning the bottom of the net would be open for more scoring.
I am quick to admit that I am a traditionalist, but hockey needs more goals. It’s obvious that the equipment worn by goaltenders isn’t going to be downsized a whole lot, if at all.
So, hey, why not raise the cross-bar by six inches?
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THE COACHING GAME:
Cory Clouston is back in the game, this time as head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders. The WHL team announced Monday that it had signed Clouston to a two-year deal, with the team holding an option on a third season. . . . Clouston, a two-time WHL coach of the year while with the Kootenay Ice, is the 13th head coach in Raiders’ history. . . . He left the Ice after 2007-08 and spent a bit more than one season as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, moving up as head coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators with 34 games left in 2008-09. Clouston spent two more seasons with Ottawa before being dropped, and then was head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings for one season, going 39-28-5 in 2011-12. He was fired shortly after the season ended. . . . With the Raiders, Clouston replaces Steve Young. The Raiders announced on April 29 that they wouldn’t pick up the option on Young’s contract. . . . Associate coach Dave Manson and assistant coach Tim Leonard will work alongside Clouston. . . . Perry Bergson of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.


The ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets are expected to name a new head coach today. They are replacing veteran coach Al Sims, who retired after the season. . . . The new coach may well be Gary Graham, a Fort Wayne native who was an assistant under Sims. 


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IT'S OVER! Tri-City Americans defenceman Zach Yuen celebrates the OT
goal that won the first-round series with the Everett Silvertips.
(Photo by Christopher Mast / mastimages.com)

A quick email note from a reader:
“You won’t believe I was reading your blog in Thohoyandou while the monkeys played on the washing line! Bet none of your other fans can claim that!!”
Yes, I went to Wikipedia and looked it up:
“Thohoyandou is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It is the administrative centre of Vhembe District Municipality and Thulamela Local Municipality. It is also known for being the former capital of the bantustan of Venda.”
Thohoyandou means “head of the elephant.”
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Tyler Weiman (Tri-City, 2000-04) signed a two-year contract with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had a 2.33 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 40 games with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL) this season. That was the third-best GAA and the second-best save percentage in the DEL. . . .
D Patrick Baum (Swift Current, 1997-98) signed a one-year contract extension with the Heilbronner Falken (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had four goals and 15 assists in 44 games for Heilbronn this season.
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The relationship between the Everett Silvertips and former general manager Doug Soetaert has turned completely sour.
Soetaert, who was fired on Feb. 2, has filed suit in Snohomish County Superior Court against the Silvertips, claiming the team owes him money as per terms of the agreement when he returned to the team in 2006 after a brief stint in the AHL.
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has the story right here.
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It’s no secret that the WHL, with its teams’ expenses steadily climbing, is always on the lookout for new revenue streams.
The Kootenay Ice has an annual budget of $1.5 million, a figure that president/general manager Jeff Chynoweth has said is the second-lowest in the league. It has been speculated that there are teams with budget approaching three times that figure.
So . . . where to turn for new revenue streams?
Well . . . how about advertising on uniform tops?
According to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “In an attempt to generate more revenue, the NBA is pondering the idea of placing ads on the jerseys of every player from the 30 teams.”
Price reports that “this transition could create approximately $31.18 million in revenue in TV exposure alone.”
While it hardly would be worth that kind of coin to the WHL and its 22 teams, you have to think logos on uniforms could bring in a lot of money.
In the NBA, players and owners, according to Price, like the idea.
You have to think the feeling would be the same in the WHL.
The Kamloops Blazers have at least one advertising patch on their practice jerseys – it belongs to KGHM, a company that wants to open an open-pit mine on the south-western outskirts of Kamloops.
So why not advertising on game uniforms?
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Dan Hodgson, who played with the Prince Albert Raiders (1982-85), had one of the greatest of all WHL careers. Now he’s gearing up to take a turn as a referee. That’s right! He’s donning the stripes. It’s all for a good cause, of course.
Brian Swane of the Edmonton Examiner has that story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Prince Albert Raiders, who missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons, have picked up the option year on the contracts of general manager Bruno Campese, head coach Steve Young and athletic therapist Duane Bartley. . . . As well, Dave Manson, who rejoined the club as an assistant coach during the season, has been promoted to associate coach. . . . Craig Bedard, an assistant coach since 2007-08, didn’t have his contract renewed. . . . The Raiders have added Tim Leonard as an assistant coach. He has been on the coaching staff of the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos for the 10 years, the last seven as head coach. . . . Jeff D'Andrea of panow.com has more right here. . . .
John Grahame, the 37-year-old goaltending coach with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, no longer is with the team. He has signed with the NHL’s New York Islanders and will be with them for the remainder of this NHL season. . . . And goaltending coaches throughout hockey are thinking: “Hmmm! Maybe I’m not done after all.” . . .
Assistant coach Graham Johnson has been promoted to head coach of the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, who fired Regg Simon on Tuesday. The Buccaneers, who have lost six in a row, have seven games remaining and are four points out of a playoff spot. Marty Mjelleli, the Bucs’ Minnesota scout, has come on board as assistant coach. . . . For more on the Simon firing, check out Ryan Clark's blog, Slightly Chilled, over there on the right. . . .
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Two WHL players are on the shelf because of skate cuts.
The Tri-City Americans have lost F Jesse Mychan for the remainder of the season after he suffered a severed Achilles tendon during a 4-0 victory over the Silvertips in Everett on Tuesday night.
Mychan, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, will undergo surgery next week. Fortunately, there wasn’t any nerve or tendon damage, but he is looking at a four-month rehabilitation process.
Meanwhile, F Chase Schaber, the captain of the Kamloops Blazers, was cut by a skate belonging to Victoria Royals F Zane Jones early in the first period of Game 3 on Tuesday night. The Blazers won the game, played in Victoria, 7-5.
Schaber was cut on the back of his left leg. He was taken to hospital and released later that night. He returned to Kamloops on Wednesday where the Blazers’ medical staff is looking after him.
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D Bretton Stamler (Seattle, Edmonton, Swift Current, 2003-2008) has signed with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. Stamler, who is from Edmonton, played four seasons with the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds. Stamler, 24, was a seventh-round selection by the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL’s 2005 draft.
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One of the best things about covering the WHL as a journalist is meeting and chatting with the many scouts who travel the circuit. One of those is Jack Barzee of NHL Central Scouting. Barzee, 71, has announced his retirement after this season. Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com has a terrific read right here.
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PLAYOFF NOTES: F Brett Bulmer of the Kelowna Rockets will be back in the lineup tonight after the WHL set his suspension at one game. He missed Game 3 in Kelowna on Tuesday night. Bulmer was suspended after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Winterhawks D William Wrenn in Game 2 in Portland. Wrenn played Tuesday in Kelowna. . . . The Winterhawks take a 3-0 series lead into Game 4 tonight in Kelowna. . . .
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WEDNESDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)
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In Saskatoon, G Tyler Bunz stopped 32 shots as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Blades 5-0 to sweep the first-round series. . . . Bunz has two career playoff shutouts. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, his fourth straight goal for the Tigers. At that point, he had figured in 11 straight Tigers goals. . . . Etem scored 10 shorthanded goals in the regular season; he has two in this series. . . . Etem later added an assist. He finished the four games with seven goals and five assists. . . . F Curtis Valk scored twice and added an assist for the Tigers, who were 1-6 on the PP. The Blades were 0-2. . . . The Blades will be the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup tournament. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 3-1 deficit with five third-period goals and beat the defending-champion Kootenay Ice, 6-3. . . .  Edmonton leads the series 3-0 with Game 4 in Cranbrook tonight. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart got the third-period comeback rolling with a goal at 1:57. D Keegan Lowe tied the game 3-3 at 8:14, and F Kristians Pelss put Edmonton out front at 12:44. . . . Oil Kings F Curtis Lazar, 16, continued his stellar season with a goal, his third, and two assists. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart was ejected at 13:22 of the third period. He was given a roughing minor and also a game misconduct. . . .

In  Regina, F Brayden Point’s goal at 6:14 of the second OT gave the Moose Jaw Warriors a 5-4 victory over the Pats. . . . The Warriors lead the series 3-1 as the series heads back to Moose Jaw for Game 5 on Friday. . . . Point, who turned 16 on March 12, had one goal in five regular-season games. He has two goals (both winners) and an assist in this series. From Calgary, he was the 14th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Moose Jaw F Eric Arnold forced OT with his second goal, and fourth of the series, on the PP at 15:51 of the third period. . . . The PP came when Regina F Dyson Stevenson was given a clipping major and game misconduct at 12:44 of the third. . . . Regina D Martin Marincin had given Regina a 4-3 lead with goals at 5:48 and 7:20 of the third period. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal, who has 135 regular-season goals, scored his first WHL playoff goal in the second period. . . . The Warriors had F Cody Beach back in their lineup after he served a one-game suspension for a derogatory comment directed at the Regina bench in Game 2. . . . The Pats were without F Andrew Rieder, who reinjured a shoulder in Game 3. . . . A post-game tweet from Warren Woods of Global-TV in Regina: “Brent Parker running hot after that one..gave officials in booth upstairs a blast.” . . .

In Victoria, the Kamloops Blazers scored two second-period goals and beat the Royals 4-1. . . . The Blazers swept the series, the first time the franchise has won a playoff series since 1999. Back then, the Blazers swept the Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference final. The Blazers then lost the WHL final in five games to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Blazers’ head coach was Marc Habscheid, now the general manager and head coach of the Royals. . . . The Blazers outscored the Royals 22-11 in the four games, including 16-3 in second periods. . . . F Dylan Willick scored twice for the Blazers, giving him five goals and at least one in each of the four games. He finished the regular season by going scoreless in six straight. . . . F Brendan Ranford, who led Kamloops with 40 goals, scored his first goal of the season, breaking a 1-1 tie in the second period. . . . The Blazers were without F Chase Schaber, who suffered a skate cut to a leg in Game 3 on Tuesday. He returned to Kamloops on Wednesday. . . .

In Everett, D Zach Yuen’s first goal of the series, at 18:53 of OT, gave the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Tri-City swept the first-round series. . . . The Silvertips erased a 3-0 deficit with three goals in a span of 13:09 in the third period. . . . F Ryan Harrison scored at 6:10, on the PP. D Ryan Murray got a shorthanded goal at 9:10. D Josh Caron scored on the PP at 19:19 with G Kent Simpson out for the extra attacker. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin scored the game’s first goal, running his point streak, including the regular season, to 27 games. . . . Tri-City got a goal, his third, and two helpers from F Mason Wilgosh, while F Adam Hughesman had two assists. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 42 shots, seven more than Simpson. . . . Harrison took a charging major and game misconduct at 8:39 of the third period. He missed Game 3 as he served a one-game suspension for a clipping major he had taken in Game 2. . . . The Silvertips were without F Manraj Hayer, whose suspension was finalized at three games. He was suspended for a Game 1 hit on Drydn Dow, who had his season come to an end with a broken arm. . . . The Americans were without F Patrick Holland. He served a one-game suspension for a clipping major and game misconduct in Game 3. . . .

In Spokane, F Mitch Holmberg scored at 6:43 of OT to give the Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Vancouver on Friday and Game 6 in Spokane on Sunday. . . . Holmberg got his third goal of the series with a wrist shot from between the faceoff spots, right in the slot. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher forced OT with his fourth goal of the series with 31.6 seconds left in the third and G Adam Morrison on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . The Chiefs led 2-0 midway through the second, on goals from F Darren Kramer and F Liam Stewart, the first of the series for both. . . . F Austin Fyten got Vancouver on the board with his second at 9:21 of the third. . . . Fyten also had an assist. . . . The Giants put F Alex Kuvaev back into the lineup, while taking out F Anthony Ast (leg). That move went the other way for Game 3 on Tuesday. . . .
The Chiefs are without D Brenden Kichton, who suffered a broken jaw when he was struck in the face by a puck in Game 1. He has had surgery in Vancouver and is awaiting medical clearance to travel home to Spruce Grove, Alta.
On Wednesday, he tweeted:
“Doesn't feel great...slowly progressing tho. 6 weeks of torture! #looklike500lb #roadtorecovery”
Kichton also tweeted the photo that is included here.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Dylen McKinlay, Kootenay.
F Lyndon Martell, Regina (double minor).
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Cody Beach, Moose Jaw.

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It would seem the Kelowna Rockets can forget about F Zemgus Girgensons, a 17-year-old Latvian whom they selected in the 2011 CHL import draft.
He played last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, is there again this season, and doesn’t sound as though he is the least bit interested in playing in the WHL.
“You know, first of all I don’t see my future in the CHL,” Girgensons told Ryan Clark of the Fargo, N.D., Forum on the weekend. “I talked with other CHL teams that were interested in me. I thought about the Q (the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and the Quebec Remparts, but (Kelowna) drafted me and didn’t say anything to me about it. After that, I felt they disrespected me a little bit. They pushed it a little bit onto my adviser and I don’t think he really liked it.”
For more on this story, check out Clark’s blog Slightly Chilled over there on the right.
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The Prince Albert Raiders assigned F T.J. Constant, 18, to the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. He had a goal and five penalty minutes in 15 games with the Raiders. . . . The Raiders, who made a coaching change on Friday, also have added Dave Manson, who was part of the 1985 Memorial Cup-championship team, to their coaching staff. Manson, who played for the Raiders (1983-86) before going on to a terrific NHL career, lives in Prince Albert where he operates a business. Manson was an assistant coach with the Raiders from 2002-09. . . . He will work alongside head coach Steve Young, who was promoted Friday when Bruno Campese, who remains as general manager, stepped aside. . . . Craig Bedard also is on staff as an assistant coach.
Drew Wilson has more right here on the guy they call Charlie.
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The Minnesota Wild has returned F Brett Bulmer to the Kelowna Rockets. Bulmer had three assists and six penalty minutes in nine games with the NHL team. Bulmer was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. That would have been his 10th game, meaning the first year of his three-year contract would have kicked in.
Bulmer’s return leaves three WHLers — F Nino Niederreiter and F Ryan Johansen of the Portland Winterhawks and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels — in the NHL.
Niederreiter, 19, has yet to play with the New York Islanders because of a groin injury, although he is back skating.
Johansen, 19, is with the Columbus Blue Jackets; in fact, he has played nine games with them, scoring two goals, both game-winners, and drawing two assists. The word out of Columbus on Monday was that there may be an announcement today regarding Johansen’s immediate future.
The Edmonton Oilers said late last week that they will be keeping Nugent-Hopkins, 18, while F Brett Connolly, 19, has stuck with the Tampa Bay Lightning and won't be returning to the Prince George Cougars, at least not for a while.
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THE COACHING GAME: The AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons have fired general manager and head coach Dan Price. The Dragons go into this week at 5-14-2, good for seventh place in the eight-team South Division. . . . On Monday, the Dragons announced that Barry Wolff is the new GM and head coach. Wolff most recently was associate head coach and assistant GM with the BCHL’s Langley Chiefs.
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JUST NOTES: F Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants has drawn a two-game suspension for a penalty he incurred on Friday in Prince George. What was a checking-to-the-head major was turned into a boarding major before he was suspended. He has one game left to serve. . . . F Blake Gal of the Spokane Chiefs will watch for three games after he took a boarding major in a game against the host Tri-City Americans on Saturday. . . . As well, F Austin Carroll of the Victoria Royals got a two-game suspension under supplemental discipline for something he did against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday. . . . F Cody Beach of the Moose Jaw Warriors is the WHL’s player of the week. He had eight points, four of them goals, in three games last week. . . . Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 1.00, .966 last week. . . . Vancouver, with F Matt Bellerive, F Scott Cooke, F Anthony Ast and D Blake Orban all out with undisclosed injuries, has brought in F Logan Harland, 16, from the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs. He had two points in six games with the Pontiacs.
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If you are a fan of hockey movies, there is some good news — nay, great news _ for you. The movie Face-Off is being released on DVD on Nov. 15.
Dave Shoalts of The Globe and Mail has more right here.
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If you are into rankings, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports posts weekly CHL rankings that have some bite to them and make for a good read. Check out this week’s Buzzing The Net rankings right here. If you’re a fan of the Spokane Chiefs, you will love them.
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Take a few minutes out of your day and watch this video. It involves a Vancouver sportscaster who won quite a prize in a lottery draw. The draw was made on a set at the TV station where he works. But he wasn’t there at the time. No, Barry Deley was shopping for groceries when he got the call from a fellow sportscaster. Enjoy!
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has a question, via Twitter:
“With the upper body/lower body injury thing, shouldn't it be a checking to the upper body penalty, rather than a checking to the head?”
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And now for today’s good read . . . we bring you a piece by Jim Diamond at examiner.com. It has to do with former WHL referee Mike Hasenfratz, who will work a Thursday night game between the host Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hasenfratz, who really is one of the good guys, hasn’t been working for a while and Diamond has his story right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
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