Wheat Kings complete coaching staff . . . Anning youngest head man in WHL

Kelly McCrimmon, the owner of the defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings, has started filling holes created by his decision to leave the WHL team for the NHL’s expansion Las Vegas franchise.

The Brandon Wheat Kings' coaching staff: David Anning
(left), Don MacGillivray, Aaron Rome and Tyler Plante.
(Photo: Brandon Wheat Kings)

McCrimmon also was the Wheat Kings’ general manager and head coach when he decided to join Las Vegas as its assistant general manager.

On Thursday, McCrimmon, who remains owner and governor, didn’t name a general manager — Grant Armstrong, assistant general manager and director of player personnel with the Victoria Royals is believed to be the favourite — but he did fill out the coaching staff.

David Anning is the Wheat Kings’ new head coach, moving up from assistant coach, a position he filled for the past four seasons. At 30, he is the youngest head coach in the WHL, two years younger than Luke Pierce and three younger than Brent Kisio of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Anning, from Winnipeg, did two turns as head coach last season, going 9-3-1 while McCrimmon was attending meetings in Calgary and also serving as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship.

Joining Anning as assistant coaches are Don MacGillivray, a veteran coach who has been the general

manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues for the past seven seasons, and Aaron Rome, a former WHL all-star defenceman who recently retired after a lengthy pro career.

MacGillivray, 51, also from Winnipeg, has coached in the WHL, having spent two seasons (1996-98) with the Prince Albert Raiders. The bulk of his career, however, has been spent in the MJHL, where he is a four-time coach of the year, although he also was the head coach of the U of Manitoba Bisons for three seasons (2006-09).

Rome, 32, is from Nesbitt, Man., a small farming community just south of Brandon. He played in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades, Kootenay Ice, Swift Current Broncos and Moose Jaw Warriors (1999-2004). Rome went on to a pro career that included 226 games in the NHL. Rome’s career was ended by injury and the Dallas Morning News has reported that he is suing an insurance company and the NHL for compensation.

The Wheat Kings also announced that Darren Ritchie, 42, who had been the team’s second assistant coach, now is the director of scouting. Ritchie played four seasons (1991-95) with the Wheat Kings. He had been on the coaching staff for nine seasons. Ritchie, from Minnedosa, Man., replaces Wade Klippenstein, who left the Wheat Kings to join the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche as a western scout.

Also joining the Wheat Kings is Tyler Plante, who will work as goaltending coach. Plante, from Brandon, played three seasons (2004-07) with the Wheat Kings and was the WHL’s rookie of the year in 2004-05. He retired after spending the past three seasons in Europe. As goaltending coach, he takes over from Matt Cockell, now the vice-president of corporate sponsorships for True North Sports and Entertainment in Winnipeg.

The Wheat Kings also have hired Chris Trivieri, 27, as their athletic therapist. He takes over from Josh Guenther, who left after three seasons in Brandon and now is with the Red Deer Rebels. Trivieri, from Welland, Ont., has worked with the junior A Oakville Blades, the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs and the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

The Wheat Kings also revealed the Czech D Daniel Bukac, 17, who was selected in the CHL’s 2016 import draft, will be on hand when training camp opens on Aug. 30. He had 15 points, including three goals, in 38 games with the U-18 Chomutov team last season.

Swedish D Linus Nassen, Brandon’s other 2016 selection, isn’t expected to report. A third-round selection by the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s 2016 draft, Nassen, 18, is expected to play with with Lulea’s U-20 and SHL teams this season.

The Wheat Kings also have Russian D Ivan Provorov, 19, on their roster. The WHL’s top defenceman in 2015-16, he will either play for the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers or the Wheat Kings this season. 

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Who is next head coach of Wheat Kings? . . . Regina Pats mourn death of a friend

1. Were I a betting man, I would put a bob or two on David Anning as the next head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings. An assistant coach in Brandon for four seasons, Anning ran the bench when Kelly McCrimmon was with Team Canada at the 2016 World Junior Championship.

2. The Kamloops Blazers are going to need a third goaltender at the ready because Connor Ingram is firmly in the picture with Canada’s national junior team. He made two appearances with Canada at a summer camp in Plymouth, Mich. He stopped all 11 shots he faced in the first half of a 2-1 OT loss to Finland on Wednesday. On Saturday, he started against the U.S., and gave up three goals in a 5-1 loss. But he played a whole lot better than that — and he looked good doing it — as the U.S. dominated the Canadians. At one point in the first part of the second period, the Americans had 16 straight shots.

3. BTW, Canada went 0-3 in Plymouth. It scored one goal in each of its games. It was 0-for-12 on the PP. Hey, I’m just sayin’ . . .

4. I didn’t watch a lot of hockey from Plymouth, but the one thing I took away from what I did see is that Team USA is big and strong and fast up front. Team Canada, for one, will be young on the back end and is going to have to find a way to deal with those American forwards.

5. The sooner the Frog Lake Indian Band gets a shovel in the ground for its project near Lloydminster, Alta., the better for all concerned.

6. Why am I excited for the start of another WHL season? The No. 1 reason is a chance to watch Victoria Royals forward Matt Phillips in his sophomore season. He may be the most exciting player to come into the WHL since Theo Fleury.

7. When the Brandon Wheat Kings name a head coach, it will mean that seven WHL teams will have turned over that position since the end of last season. I don’t know what it means but only one of those teams — the Saskatoon Blades — promoted an assistant coach to the head job. If the Wheat Kings go with David Anning that would make two.

8. Will this be the last season for the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook? That may depend on the Frog Lake people and that shovel.

9. Does John Paddock have two seasons left as the head coach of the Regina Pats? If the Pats were to be named the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, it would be perfect for him to guide them through that season and then turn the reins over to Dave Struch and focus on being the general manager.

10. Weren’t the Olympics easier to watch on TV when everything was on one channel?

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Gary Renner, a long-time off-ice official with the Regina Pats, has died. He passed away Friday in Regina at the age of 70. One of hockey’s good guys, Renner worked in the penalty box at Pats’ games for a long time. . . . A memorial service is scheduled for Wednesday. . . . There is more information right here. . . . The Pats honoured Renner as a ‘Builder’ on March 12, 2014. He had been a volunteer with them for 44 years.

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The Victoria HarbourCats set a West Coast League record on Sunday as they beat the visiting Yakima Valley Pippins, 11-4, for their 40th victory of the season. The victory, on the final day of the regular season, broke the record for most victories in a season that had been held by the 2011 Wenatchee AppleSox. . . . Jim Swanson, a former sports editor at the Prince George Citizen who covered the Cougars and the WHL for a number of years, is Victoria’s managing partner and runs baseball operations. . . . The HarbourCats finished with a 40-14 record. . . . The game drew 2,506 fans to Royal Athletic Park, allowing the HarbourCats to set a WCL single-season attendance record of 60,466. . . . Victoria opens a best-of-three first-round playoff series against the Bellingham Bells on Tuesday. Games 2 and 3, if needed, are scheduled for Victoria on Wednesday and Thursday.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Just another day in @dtkamloops #Kamloops pic.twitter.com/7mCwAjE0EA

— Green Megs and Spam (@PirateMeghan) August 7, 2016

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Report: Leafs make offer to McCrimmon . . . Tigers sign two D-men . . . Raiders newser today

Most Sundays, the Toronto Sun contains a column of odds and ends that is written by Steve Simmons. The one that appeared yesterday included this:
“Leafs have an offer on the table with Kelly McCrimmon, owner, general manager and coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings. When (Leafs president Brendan) Shanahan was hiring Mark Hunter, he kept asking people who are the best talent evaluators in the business: Hunter’s name always came up, right along with McCrimmon. The question with McCrimmon: Whether he wants to walk away from junior hockey empire for an NHL gig?”
There has been enough smoke involving the Maple Leafs and McCrimmon over the past few days that there obviously is something going on here.
There was a time, and not that long ago, when McCrimmon would have jumped at an opportunity such as this. That was then; this is now.
The difference now is that he has put together a team that reached the WHL final this season, a team that is poised for a dominant WHL season in 2015-16, and you can bet that the decision facing McCrimmon is much tougher than it would have been.
One thing is for certain — he wouldn’t consider leaving unless he knew he was leaving the Wheat Kings in good hands. That isn’t a problem off the ice, where his front-office staff, led by Rick Dillabough and Lyn Shannon, is second to none.
But should he leave, who would be the head coach. Assistant coach Darren Ritchie has been on staff for seven seasons, the last three in a full-time position. David Anning has been an assistant coach in Brandon for three seasons.
Should McCrimmon leave, does he promote Ritchie to head coach and bring in another assistant? If that were to happen, who would be the general manager? Or, would McCrimmon hire a general manager/head coach?
Of course, all of this is speculation. At the end of the day, it could be that McCrimmon simply decides to stay put. If he does that, however, he will do it while wondering if the NHL ship will ever come his way again. He’s 54 now, so that is a valid question.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers looked after some signings on Sunday. No, it didn’t have anything to do with a lease for the Canalta Centre. . . . Rather, the Tigers signed two selections, both defencemen, from the 2015 WHL bantam draft. . . . Layne Matechuk was taken with the 39th selection after putting up 38 points in 31 games with the bantam AA Humboldt Broncos. . . . Cole Clayton was taken six picks later. He had 30 points in 33 games with the bantam AAA Rocky Mountain Raiders.
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First, it was FIFA. Then, it was Hope Solo. Both dealt black eyes to soccer. Richard Deitsch, who writes about the media for si.com, takes a look right here at how Fox Sports handled what went on Sunday involving Solo, the goalkeeper for the U.S. national women’s soccer team.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia News is reporting that the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers have interviewed Kris Knoblauch, the head coach of the OHL’s Erie Otters. Apparently, the Flyers are looking for a head coach for their AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. . . . Knoblauch played in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels, Edmonton/Kootenay Ice and Lethbridge Hurricanes (1996-99) and has coached with the Prince Albert Raiders and the Ice. . . . Seravalli reports that Knoblauch also has spoken with two or three other NHL teams who have openings with their AHL affiliates. . . . Servalli’s report is right here.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have scheduled a news conference for this morning at which they are expected to introduce Curtis Hunt as their new general manager. Hunt resigned Friday as general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Hunt is a former Raiders defenceman who was a freshman on the team that won the 1985 Memorial Cup.
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The Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars will be the host team for the 2017 Telus Cup tournament, at which the national midget AAA championship is decided. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen has more right here.
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In the AHL, F Nic Dowd scored at 5:36 of OT to give the host Manchester Monarchs a 2-1 victory over the Utica Comets in the Calder Cup final. . . . The Monarchs lead the series 2-0 as the teams head to Utica for Game 3 on Wednesday. . . . Manchester won the opener 3-2 in OT on Saturday. . . . Last night, F Zach O’Brien gave the Monarchs a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 19:05 of the first period. . . . F Nicklas Jensen pulled the Comets even at 1:12 of the second. . . . Attendance was 6,078. . . . Dowd also had an assist on O’Brien’s goal. . . . The Monarchs are affiliated with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings; the Comets with the Vancouver Canucks.
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In the ECHL, F Vincent Arsenault’s goal at 8:49 of the second OT gave the visiting Allen Americans a 3-2 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays in Game 4 of the Kelly Cup final. . . . The series is 2-2 with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday in the North Charleston Coliseum. . . . F Dyson Stevenson, who played with the Regina Pats (2010-14), had a goal and an assist as the Americans took a 2-0 lead with goals 29 seconds part in the first period. . . . South Carolina F Caleb Herbert forced OT with a goal at 11:49 of the second period. . . . Attendance was 7,058.
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I say this every year, but the OHL and WHL are really missing out by doing their drafts online. The Q crushes it with the show they put on.

— Willy Palov (@WillyPalov) June 6, 2015

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Coaching change in Brandon

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Brent Raedeke (Edmonton, 2007-10) signed a two-year contract with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). He had three goals and six assists in 38 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) and one goal in two games with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL) last season. According to the Iserlohn press release announcing the signing, Raedeke has dual German-Canadian citizenship so he does not count against the Roosters’ import limit of 10 non-EU players.
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The move that most hockey observers thought would take place a year ago occurred on Wednesday.
Kelly McCrimmon, the owner/general manager of the Brandon Wheat Kings, announced that he is going back behind the team’s bench as head coach.
A year ago, having fired Cory Clouston, many people expected McCrimmon to return to coaching. Instead, he promoted assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk to head coach.
On Wednesday, McCrimmon fired Gylywoychuk and announced that he will be returning to coaching.
Gylywoychuk, who had been on the team’s coaching staff for 10 years but spent just one season as head coach, had one year left on a two-year contract. He also holds the franchise’s career games played record (323 games), having spent five seasons there as a defenceman.
McCrimmon offered him another spot in the organization, but Gylywochuk has chosen to leave the Wheat Kings as he hopes to continue coaching.
The Wheat Kings, under Gylywoychuk, missed the playoffs last season, going 24-40-8.
“After lengthy consideration I decided that this was a necessary change,” McCrimmon said in a statement. “Sometimes in this business you have to make hard decisions on good people and this was one of those times.”
McCrimmon is 294-177-35 as head coach since replacing Mike Kelly in March 2004. McCrimmon hired Cory Clouston as head coach for 2011-12, but fired him after the season and named Gylywoychuk the new head coach on July 19, 2012.
McCrimmon has a 330-260-42 record as the Wheat Kings’ head coach. He is the second-winningest head coach in franchise history, behind only Bob Lowes, who won 370 games during a nine-season stretch (1992-2001).
Darren Ritchie and David Anning will return as assistant coaches. Ritchie is preparing for his seventh season with Brandon, while Anning is going into his second season. Brent Zelenewich is back for a second season as goaltending coach, with Jim Frederickson returning for his 11th season as strength and conditioning coach.
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A game of Monopoly without jail. . . . Playing a game of Monopoly in as little as 30 minutes. . . . Say it ain’t so, Joe. Say it ain’t so. . . . But it is so. . . . Surely this is a sign of the apocalypse. . . . Check it out right here.
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It was just the other day when you were asking yourself: Gee, what ever happened to Craig Butz? . . . Well, for starters he now is Dr. Butz. . . . The Tampa Bay Times reports that Butz, 48, is the new principal of Pepin Academies in Tampa, a charter school for children with learning-related disabilities. . . . Butz played two playoff games with the Portland Winterhawks in 1981-82, then played a season and a bit with the Kelowna Wings before going back to Portland for 54 games and playoffs to end the 1983-84 season. He then went to the U of Saskatchewan and played for the Huskies. . . . Phil Morgan of the Times has more right here and this really is a neat story.
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“Madison Square Garden, home to the Knicks, the Rangers, the Ice Capades, the circus and the ‘Fight of the Century’ between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971, received an eviction notice of sorts on Wednesday,” writes Charles V. Bagli of The New York Times. . . . Seriously, New York City Council has voted 47-1 to give MSG 10 years to move from its present location. . . . Bagli’s story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Sudbury Wolves have hired David Matsos as their associate coach. They signed him to a three-year deal. . . . Matsos had spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Windsor Spitfires. . . . Windsor has moved Jerrod Smith from video coach to assistant coach to replace Matsos. Smith also got a contract extension taking him through 2015-16. . . . Interestingly, Matsos and Bob Boughner, the Spitfires’ president and head coach, are brothers-in-law.
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The OHL’s Sarnia Sting has added Andy Delmore to its coaching staff. . . . Delmore will work alongside head coach Trevor Letowski. The two once were teammates with the Sting. Delmore, 36, played last season in Austria and Italy but has decided to retire. . . . Sarnia also has hired Dave Rook as its goaltending coach. . . . The Sting will hire one more assistant coach before the season opens.
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The QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders have hired Connor Cameron as an assistant coach, with Paul Drew coming on board as a goaltending consultant. . . . Cameron, the son of Ottawa Senators assistant coach Dave Cameron, has been an assistant with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for the past two seasons. . . . Cameron and Drew will work with head coach Gordie Dwyer and assistant coach Luke Beck.

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I’ve been at this a long time. In fact, I can’t remember the last day when I didn’t post something here.
So I’m taking the weekend off.
Back early next week.
While I’m away, if you haven’t already, pay a visit to two blogs, both of which you will find over there on the right.
Ladies first . . .
We can . . . with love! is the work of Shelley Lowes, who has been fighting cancer and, not unlike the late Howard Cosell, has given us the blow-by-blow. Down goes cancer! Down goes cancer!
It’s A Mental Game is penned by Glen Erickson, a golfer and hockey writer who also is taking on the Big C. He, too, is allowing us to tag along.
Both blogs are more than worth your time.
Not to be overly dramatic, but you should read the latest offerings from Shelley and Glen, and then see if you feel the same way about the NHL lockout.
Seriously. Who cares? They’re negotiating. It’ll be over when it’s over. Wake me then.
In the meantime, I’m with Shelley and Glen. Hopefully, the bandwagon continues to fill up.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) signed a two-year contract extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). The extension runs through the end of the 2014-2015 season. Keil has no points in five games with the Tigers this season and has one assist in one game on loan to Regensburg (Germany, Oberliga) this season.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned G Dawson MacAuley, 18, to the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. . . . MacAuley is the odd-man out after the Tigers acquired G Cam Lanigan, 20, from the Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday. . . . MacAuley was 1-3 with a 3.84 GAA and a .881 save percentage. . . . The Tigers, who are in Edmonton Saturday, now have Lanigan and Czech freshman Marek Langhamer has their goaltenders.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have added David Anning, 27, to their coaching staff. Anning, who had been working as assistant GM/assistant head coach with the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons, will join the Wheat Kings on Sunday as they continue a seven-game road trip. He will work alongside head coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk, fellow assistant coach Darren Ritchie and goaltender coach Brent Zelenewich. . . . Anning was the GM/head coach of the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints before moving to Steinbach. He also spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings and has worked with various Hockey Canada programs.
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The Regina Pats have acquired F Colten Mayor, 19, and D Stephen Hak, 18, from the Red Deer Rebels for two 2015 bantam draft picks -- a fourth-rounder and a conditional sixth-rounder. . . . Mayor has three goals in 11 games this season with the Rebels after putting up 38 points in 52 games last season. He has played 168 WHL games so adds some experience to the Regina lineup. . . . Hak had six points in 55 games last season, but had been assigned to the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons this season. . . . Mayor and Hak were expected to arrive in Regina Thursday night. The Pats are at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight.
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The Swift Current Broncos and Saskatoon Blades have swapped a pair of 19-year-old skaters. F Brent Benson, who is from Weyburn, Sask., is joining the Broncos in exchange for D Graeme Craig, who is from Red Deer. . . . Benson sat out Saskatoon’s 2-1 OT victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans on Wednesday night with what the team said was the flu. He had three assists in 11 games with the Blades this season. Last season, he had 37 points in 72 games. He was the sixth overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Craig had one assist in 11 games with the Broncos this season, after putting up 10 points in 56 games last season. The 64th overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft brings some size to Saskatoon’s back end, at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. . . . Interestingly, the Blades play in Swift Current tonight and both players are expected to play for their new clubs. . . . Having added a defenceman, the Blades assigned D Nelson Nogier, 16, to the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. Nogier, the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier, was a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft.
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The Calgary Hitmen promoted assistant coach Brent Kisio to associate coach. . . . Kisio is in his sixth season with the Hitmen. He joined them in August 2007 as video/assistant coach after spending four seasons at the U of Nebraska-Omaha and graduating with a degree in criminology.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed G Nik Amundrud, who was a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. Amundrud, who turns 15 on Saturday, is from Melfort, Sask. He practised with the Silvertips on Thursday in Saskatoon. He is 2-1, 3.33, .872 in three appearances with the midget AAA Tisdale Trojans this season.
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Former NHLer Mike Busniuk is the interim head coach of the CIS Lakehead Thunderwolves (3-1-0) after Joel Scherban was dismissed on Thursday. Scherban was in his fourth season as the university team’s head coach. The 60-year-old Busniuk, who is from Thunder Bay, which is home to Lakehead U, spent two seasons as an assistant coach on Scherban’s staff. . . . Leith Dunick of tbnewswatch.com reported that “Scherban was let go for what team officials deemed internal issues, problems neither management nor the players would speak when pressed after the news broke.”
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If you like the loser point, this one’s for you.
Robert Tychowski of the Edmonton Sun points out that the Oil Kings “managed just one win in their last five games, but still salvaged five of 10 points in that span thanks (?) to three of those losses coming in overtime or the shootout.”
So if you’re Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal perhaps you are telling your players that things aren’t going so well because you’ve lost four of five.
But if you play for the Oil Kings you reply that you’re still point points in your jeans.
By the way, after Thursday’s game, 15 of the WHL’s 22 teams have a winning percentage of .500 or better.
The Oil Kings, who have lost six of 10 games (5-3-3), are at .591.
Go figure!
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THURSDAY’S STUFF:
G Jordon Cooke, making his 10th start in 11 games, posted the shutout as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Cooke stopped 32 shots for his second shutout this season and the second of his career. . . . Kelowna F Colton Sissons scored the game’s first goal, on a penalty shot, at 12:37 of the first period. . . . The Rockets were shorthanded at the time. . . . Prince George G Mac Engel, in his first start since being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs, stopped 23 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,781. . . . One of the big stories early in this WHL season may be the attendance in Kelowna, considering that franchise automatically drew at least 6,000 fans per game for the longest time. . . . The Cougars now head for Spokane and a Friday date with the Chiefs, who are in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In Victoria, F Alex Gogolev scored twice against his former team as the Royals dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 3-1. . . . Gogolev, who has five goals, scored his second goal into an empty net. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges scored his club’s other goal as he returned from an eight-game absence due to injury. He hadn’t played since Sept. 28. . . . F Zack Jones, whom the Hitmen acquired for Gogolev, scored for Calgary. . . . Victoria was 0-for-5 on the PP, while Calgary didn’t receive even one opportunity with the man advantage.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Marc McNulty, Prince George
F Colton Heffley, Kelowna
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“The Minnesota Department of Health has begun tracking concussions at 42 high schools in an attempt to gauge how the injuries affect students,” writes Alejandra Matos of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Within the first seven weeks, 373 students were diagnosed as having had a concussion. Leslie Seymour, an epidemiologist with the Health Department, said tracking the injuries in fall sports, such as football and volleyball, is only the beginning.”
The complete story is right here.
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The best story I saw yesterday is right here. It has nothing to do with hockey; in fact, it has nothing to do with sports. It's a love story involving a big bull elk and a cow. Seriously! Give it a read; it just might make your day.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From TC sports desk (@tc_vicsports): “60 minutes & not a single PP for @WHLHitmen who suffered a similar fate just 8 months ago in Victoria in a 5-3 win #WHL #strangebuttrue”

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Buddy Bodman, who coached the ill-fated Spokane Flyers of the WHL for 26 games in 1980-81, died Wednesday morning at his home in Spokane. He was 75. . . . Bodman was best known in the Spokane area for his career as a player – he played for the senior Spokane Flyers, Comets and Jets. Aside from his stint as the WHL Flyers’ head coach – they were 4-21-1 under him – he coached the senior Jets and junor B Braves, Flames and Rockets. . . . Bodman resigned as the Flyers’ coach and the team went through two more coaches (Tom Gauthier, 3-8-0, and Wayne Coxworth, 10-25-0) before season’s end. The following season, the Flyers started 3-22-1 under Ron Harris before folding. . . . Bodman was a native of Saskatoon. He and his wife, Judy, had five children.
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Chris Hartsburg, an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips, has been added to the coaching staff of the U.S. team that will play at the U-17 Five Nations tournament in Czech Republic next week. Hartsburg will be the team’’s video co-ordinator. Barry Smith, the former Kamloops Blazers head coach who will coach in Tilburg, Netherlands, this season, is Team USA’s head coach. . . . The Five Nations tournament runs Aug. 7-11 in Chomutov, Kadan and Klasterec, Czech Republic. Team USA, which flew to Europe on Wednesday, will play an exhibition game against Czech Republic on Sunday before opening tournament play Wednesday against Germany. . . .
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The MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons have signed David Anning as assistant general manager and assistant coach. Anning had been the GM/head coach of the Winnipeg Saints. However, he lost that position when the franchise was sold and relocated to Virden, with the Oil Capitals hiring Troy Leslie as GM/head coach. . . . In Steinbach, Anning will work alongside GM/head coach Paul Dyck.
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The MJHL’s Winkler Flyers have signed Blaine Neufeld as their goaltending coach. Neufeld played for the Flyers and was an all-star in 2004-05. In 2006-07, he was part of the Memorial Cup-champion Vancouver Giants. Neufeld also played in the WHL (2004-07) with the Medicine Hat Tigers and Saskatoon Blades. . . . Neufeld also is an assistant coach with the midget AAA Pembina Valley Hawks, who play out of Morden, Man.
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The New York Islanders have signed D Griffin Reinhart, who was the 20th overall selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft. Reinhart has 61 points in 105 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings over the last two seasons. . . . He had 36 points in 58 games last season as the Oil Kings won the WHL championship. . . . He is the son of former NHL D Paul Reinhart. . . . Griffin has two brothers who also play in the WHL. Max, a 20-year-old forward who has played four seasons with the Kootenay Ice, has signed with the NHL’s Calgary Flames and finished last season with their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. . . . Sam, who turns 17 on Nov. 6, also plays in Kootenay. He is projected as an early pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . .
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A Thursday evening tweet from F Henrik Samuelsson of the Edmonton Oil Kings: “I would like to thank @Griffin Reinhart in advance for all the things he is going to buy me now that he’s a show guy #congrats.”

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