1. Dr. Ann McKee doesn't particularly like it, but she has become the pubic face of the ongoing research into brain injuries in sports.
Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News takes an intriguing look right here at Dr. McKee, who admits that, through it all, she remains a fan of the Green Bay Packers.
"You live in conflict," McKee said. "I have a little easier time watching the NFL than college or high school. I used to go to the high school games and now I have trouble with it. The NFL players get big rewards from it. I feel at least the NFL has made big changes to help their safety. And they're adults -- they can make good decisions."
McKee also points out that her work has nothing to do with trying to destroy football or any other sport.
"This isn't about football, this is about people," McKee told Solomon. "This is a story about people who played sports and had a really bad outcome. I don't ever think in my head 'bad football.' It's more, 'Listen to what's happening and let's try to change this.' "
She also told Solomon: "I love sports, OK? But I think we really need to take it on ourselves to not be so crazy about sports, not to risk someone's future just because we think they might be the next star."
She is correct.

2. The fallout from Jumbogate continued Friday.
Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province, who posted a lewd comment made by Thornton following a game-day skate on Thursday, doesn’t seem to be getting much support, unless it's from friends and co-workers.
Kevin Allen of USA Today said on Sportsnet that he had spoken with "many" sports reporters and there wasn't much, if any, support for Botchford's decision. "It's almost universal that no one would have reported it," Allen said.
Allen, a highly respected hockey writer who will be presented with the Lester Patrick Award for outstanding service to hockey in the United States on Dec. 2, admitted that he was "just  stunned" by Botchford's decision.
"That happens all the time . . . guys make comments, they interject their thoughts in the middle of interviews, it's usually humour-based," Allen said. "We all hear it. We all ignore it. It's kind of an implied off the record."
Allen said he wouldn't even have considered using the comment, adding that had he chosen to he would have been fired within 20 minutes.
"To me," Allen added, "the reporter, I would say, went rogue. He went outside of what I would say is acceptable practice."
A number of years ago I was the president of the Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association and we were working to get the WHL to allow us access to dressing rooms. 0ne day, I met  with media relations, public relations and marketing officials in a Vancouver hotel, and attempted to state our case as to why newspaper reporters needed that access.
At the end of the day, the team reps were fearful of exactly what happened with Botchford and Thornton, and the teams were even more concerned because reporters who cover major junior hockey are dealing mostly with teenagers. Those teenagers, the school of thought was, might easily say something without realizing the consequences.
In the end, the issue of dressing room access was left up to individual teams, although the WHL does have rules about player availability. In Kamloops, for example, I haven't set foot in the Blazers dressing room in a number of years.
And now there are rumblings that NHL players may ask for time limits when reporters are on their turf.
Aaron Ward, a former NHLer who now is a studio analyst with TSN, posted three tweets on Friday morning. Here they are, having been combined:
"Bottom line on SJ lockeroom quote. Having been on both sides, this is a media/player relationship-killer. Sets it back now bc players could believe they have lost established comfort level with media on what is in fact NEWS. Told by players they may ask to put reporters back on the clock and when availability is up, they will be asked to leave. Not good for a game we are all still trying to grow."
And then there is Jack Todd, a columnist whose work appears in the Montreal Gazette. Todd tweeted: "Thanks to the moron who made Joe Thornton’s comments public, we may never get a good quote out of a hockey locker room again."

3. Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail writes that fighting in hockey has to go. As he points out, the designated fighters aren't needed to police a game that already has police, as in on-ice officials, to do just that. That column is right here.

4. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen has an interesting story right here that explores the link between Major League Baseball's playoffs and the 2009 World Baseball Challenge, the terrific baseball tournament whose home is in Prince George. This is neat stuff.

5. Sheldon Kennedy, who continues to do such terrific work, took his message about child abuse and how to deal with it to Penn State this week. There is more right here.

6. Donald E. Miller Jr. is a dead man. How does he know that? A judge told him so. Yes, Miller was in front of a judge this week. That judge told Miller that, as far as the law is concerned, he is deceased. Check out the story right here.




F Devin Oakes, who was released by the Kamloops Blazers earlier this week, has joined the BCHL's Merritt Centennials. Oakes, 18, is from Prince Rupert, B.C. He was pointless in two games with the Blazers this season. . . .
D Jesse Forsberg, who was dealt by the Seattle Thunderbirds to Moose Jaw this week, didn't play for the Warriors in Brandon on Friday night. According to James Gallo of the Warriors, Forsberg has a hip-pointer. . . . Prior to that game in Brandon, Andy Neal of Shaw TV tweeted: "Last Friday's W for Brandon was Kelly McCrimmon's 334th career victory behind the bench, moves past Willie Desjardins for 18th most all-time." . . . The Wheat Kings won 3-2 in a shootout last night. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock was back after a one-game injury-related absence. . . . Moose Jaw F Todd Fiddler was a healthy scratch. . . . The host Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds went to OT for the seventh time in the last 12 meetings between the teams last night. Seattle won this one, 4-3. . . .
F Boston Leier is loving life in Regina. He scored three times last night — it was the 20-year-old's first WHL hat trick — as the Pats dropped the Vancouver Giants 5-4 in OT. Leier, who was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers on Oct. 2, has five goals and an assist in his last two games. . . . The Giants have lost seven in a row. According to Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post, the Giants are without five injured forwards. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels may have lost F Vukie Mpofu to injury in the third period of a 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders last night. According to Red Deer Advocate sports editor Greg Meachem, Mpofu left "after being taken into the boards by the Raiders’ Mackenze Stewart, and didn’t return." Stewart was hit with a boarding major and game misconduct and may be looking at a suspension.

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.

Ully ready to be go-to guy with Blazers

Cole Ully of the Dallas Stars moves the puck up ice during a game against
the Detroit Red Wings in Traverse City, Mich.
(Photo by Wes Heatherington)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports EditorLike Facebook, Twitter and Barack Obama, Cole Ully’s time is now.
Ully, 18, is preparing for his third WHL season with the Kamloops Blazers and he has, indeed, shown great improvement during his time here.
NHL scouts noticed, too, because UIly, who is from Calgary, was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2013 draft. As a result, he already has had two tastes of the pro game, one at a development camp in Frisco, Texas, in July, and last week with the Dallas team at the annual prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
“The guys are bigger there and that makes a difference,” the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Ully said after practice at Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday. “The skill margin between guys is a lot smaller . . . everyone can play so it comes down to compete more.”
Ully’s two appearances with the Stars also has shown him one other thing.
“It’s a lot different when guys are playing for jobs and their (livelihood) and some have families . . . it’s different than playing for yourself,” he said.
As Ully added, he has learned “what it takes to be there.”
Just like he has learned over time what it takes to play in the WHL.
A second-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft, Ully had 20 points in 55 games as a freshman (2011-12) and then more than doubled that to 50 points, including 22 goals, in 62 games last season.
Having had that taste of the high life, he’s now looking for more.
“Expectations are high but I’m happy with where I am now and looking to really improve on last season,” he said. “Expectations from others and myself are a lot higher.”
Blazers head coach Dave Hunchak agreed.
“He’s an offensive player and we are going to expect him to produce this season,” Hunchak said. “He has tremendous skill and great vision. He’s a drafted guy and we expect him to produce.
“It’s his time now.”
Having played in the shadows for much of the last two seasons, Ully can expect more playing time in all situations this season.
“His role is going to be expanded even more now,” Hunchak said. “He’s a guy we’re going to rely on to put the puck in the net for us.
“He’ll also play both special teams. He’s an intelligent player . . . he can play on the power play, he can kill penalties.”
All of which is music to Ully’s ears.
“It feels good,” he said. “It’s what every player wants . . . the trust from your teammates and coaches that you can do it and that you’re a guy they need every night.
“It’s different for me this season, being a top guy.”
JUST NOTES: Kamloops (1-3) concludes its exhibition season in Prince George against the Cougars (4-0) on Saturday. . . . The Blazers open the regular season against the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Sept. 20. . . . F Matt Needham was on the ice yesterday but didn’t take part in battle drills as the Blazers practised at Interior Savings Centre. He’s day-to-day with what Hunchak called a “burner” but should play in the season-opener. . . . The WHL has suspended Blazers F Devin Oakes for three games after he took a checking-to-the-head penalty in Friday’s 4-0 loss to the visiting Rockets. He will be eligible to return for the second game of the regular season. . . .
F Jermaine Loewen, a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, has signed with the Blazers. Loewen, from Arborg, Man., had 55 points in 31 games with the bantam AAA Interlake Lightning last season. . . . G Liam McLeod of Kamloops, who was released by the Blazers on Aug. 28, has seized he backup role with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. McLeod, 17, is backing up Jayson Argue, 20, who was acquired prior to last season from the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders where he was a finalist for the CJHL player-of-the-year award in 2011-12. . . .
Prince George has acquired D Peter Kosterman, 20, from the Calgary Hitmen for a fourth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft and a sixth-rounder in 2015. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Kosterman, who is from Calgary, was the 19th overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft. He has played 234 regular-season games with the Hitmen. He his heading into his fifth WHL season.

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.

Could lawsuit be a game-changer?

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Garry Nunn (Vancouver, Edmonton, 2007-10) signed a one-year contract with Valpellice (Italy, Serie A). He had 17 goals and 32 assists in 65 games with the Alaska Aces (ECHL) last season.
———
A former Bishop’s University defensive end has launched a lawsuit, alleging “team coaches . . . kept him in the game when he was already dizzy from a hit,” reports Steve Lambert of The Canadian Press. . . . Kevin Kwasny of Winnipeg ended up in hospital on Sept. 10, 2011, in critical condition with bleeding on the brain. . . . Lambert’s complete story is right here.
And right here is another take on the same story from cbc.ca
———
Andrew Bucholtz of Yahoo! Sports writes right here that the lawsuit filed by Kevin Kwasny may be a game-changer for football in Canada.
I would go one step further and suggest that coaches in all sports should be following this situation, and that this lawsuit, no matter how it turns out, may be the one thing that catches the attention of coaches and has them paying attention, if they aren't already, to the issue of putting injured players back into a game. At the end of the day, this really could be a game-changer for sports in Canada.
———
The Red Deer Rebels have released D Spencer Morse, 18, getting their roster down to 29. . . . Morse, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder from Winnipeg, was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Aug. 20. in exchange for a 10th-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft.
———

The WHL’s Dept. of Discipline has handed out its first two suspensions of the new season. . . . F Pavel Padakin of the Calgary Hitmen drew a three-game suspension for a match penalty he took in a game against the Red Deer Rebels on Friday. . . . Kamloops Blazers F Devin Oakes also will sit for three games, this for a headshot on Kelowna Rockets F Rourke Chartier on Friday. . . . Padakin and Oakes each will miss two exhibition games and one regular-season game.
———



From Chris Dilks (@ChrisDilks): “Bemidji HS junior forward Mike Sauer will play for Tri-City (WHL) this year. 30 points last year for BHS. Huge loss for the Jacks.”


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 MacBETH REPORT:
F Taggart Desmet (Calgary, 2000-01) signed a one-year contract extension with Meran/Merano (Italy, Serie A2). He had 23 goals and 45 assists in 41 games for Meran/Merano this season. Desmet led the league in assists, finished fifth in goals, and finished fourth in scoring.
———
JUST NOTES:
F Devin Oakes, 17, and F Deven Sideroff, 15, have joined the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Oakes, a list player from Prince Rupert, B.C., had 21 points in 32 games with the junior B Kamloops Storm before being injured. He will stay with the Blazers through the end of their season. . . . Sideroff, from Summerland, B.C., plays for the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton and will return there after the weekend. He has 55 points in 49 games. . . .

The Everett Silvertips have added three 15-year-olds, all selections in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . D Kevin Davis, a first-round selection, played for the major midget Kamloops-based Thompson Blazers, while F Matt Fonteyne, a third-round selection, was with the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Oil Kings, and D Noah Juulsen, who was taken in the fourth round, played with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds in the B.C. major midget league. Davis was signed to a WHL deal earlier this season and has played five games with Everett. The signings of Fonteyne and Juulsen were announced yesterday. . . . Fonteyne, from Wetaskiwin, Alta., had 34 points in 34 regular-season games with the Oil Kings. . . . Juulsen, from Abbotsford, B.C., had 25 points in 35 games. . . . As an aside, F Val Fonteyne, who played in the NHL from 1959-72 and also played in the WHA, is from Wetaskiwin. Feel free to drop a note to gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca if you know that Val and Matt are related.
----
With the start of the WHL playoffs only 10 days away, the Victoria Royals have placed G Patrik Polivka (undisclosed) on the injury list. Polivka last played on March 5 when he started and went 40 minutes in a 6-0 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops. Polivka stopped 17 of 22 shots in that one before being replaced by Coleman Vollrath to start the third period.
Since then, Vollrath has gone the distance in five straight games — a 4-3 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on March 6, a 5-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants on Friday, a 3-1 loss in Vancouver on Saturday, a 5-2 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Sunday, and a 4-1 loss to those same Winterhawks last night in Victoria.
The Royals have brought in G Michael Herringer, a ninth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft, to back up Vollrath. Herringer, who was on the bench last night, had been with the junior B Victoria Cougars.
Meanwhile, the Royals continue to be without veteran Russian F Alex Gogolev, who is their leading scorer.
Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times Colonist reports today that “sources say (Gogolev) is about to undergo surgery and is done for the season. The team would not confirm that.”
The Royals are to open the first round of playoffs in Kamloops on March 22.
———
The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
———
TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice wrapped up the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot with a 3-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . While the Ice qualified for the playoffs for a 15th straight season, the Hurricanes will miss for the fourth straight season. . . . The Ice scored the game’s last three goals, with F Jaedon Descheneau tying the game, with his 28th goal, at 13:26 of the first and F Brock Montgomery, with his 31st, breaking the tie at 2:33 of the second. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart later scored his 32nd goal. . . . The Ice had lost its previous three games. . . . Kootenay is eighth, three points behind the seventh-place Medicine Hat Tigers. The Ice has three games remaining. . . .

In Edmonton, F Shane McColgan scored the only goal of the circus as the Saskatoon Blades got past the Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . The Oil Kings led this one 2-0 at 10:44 of the second period. . . . F Brenden Walker got the Blades on the board, with his 32nd goal, at 4:13 of the third, and McColgan tied it with his 19th at 8:31. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 39 shots. . . . Edmonton had won six straight. . . . F Dylan Wruck had a goal, his 22nd, and an assist for Edmonton, while D David Musil drew two assists. . . . The Oil Kings lead the Eastern Conference, with 104 points, 12 more than the Blades, who top the East Division. . . .

In Victoria, the Portland Winterhawks tied a WHL record with their 28th road victory of the season as they beat the Royals, 4-1. . . . Portland shares the record with the Calgary Hitmen (1999-2000) and Saskatoon Blades (2008-09). Portland has one road game remaining; it is to play the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Saturday. . . . The Winterhawks, with three games to play, are two points shy of the franchise record for points in one season (113) set in 1980-81. . . . Portland swept the four-game season series from Victoria. . . . F Ty Rattie scored a goal, his 45th, and added an assist for Portland. . . . Rattie and linemates Brendan Leipsic and Nic Petan each has 45 goals, as does Saskatoon's Josh Nicholls, and that leads the WHL. . . .Leipsic, who got his 45th goal last night, leads the WHL with 115 points, while Petan has 112 and Rattie 104. . . . The Winterhawks make a goaltending change halfway through the third period with reports indicating that starter Mac Carruth may have left with an injury. . . .

In Moose Jaw, G Justin Paulic stopped 31 shots to help the Warriors to a 5-0 victory over the Regina Pats. . . .  The shutout was the first of Paulic’s career. . . . D Morgan Rielly had three assists for Moose Jaw. . . . Rielly, the fifth overall selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2012 NHL draft, is expected to join the AHL’s Toronto Marlies once the Warriors’ season ends on the weekend. . . . Moose Jaw F Ben Duperreault scored his first WHL goal in his third game. . . . Moose Jaw F Jordan Messier sat out the second of a three-game suspension. I erroneously wrote here yesterday that he was done for the season. He had served one game by the time the WHL announced the suspension, so actually will be eligible to return for the Warriors’ final game. . . .

At Kent, Wash., F Luke Lockhart had a goal and two assists as the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent) dumped the Tri-City Americans, 8-3. . . . The victory put the Thunderbirds into the playoffs for the first time after a three-year absence. . . . Seattle will clash with either the Portland Winterhawks or Kelowna Rockets in the first round. . . . Lockhart opened the scoring with his 24th goal, on a PP, just 1:18 into the game, then broke a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal at 8:39. . . . He’s got 25 goals this season. . . . F Connor Honey, F Seth Swenson and F Roberts Lipsbergs each added a goal and two assists for Seattle. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh stopped 28 shots to get his first WHL victory. . . . G Austin Smith, who played for the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, backed up Mumaugh with G Brandon Glover serving Game 1 of a two-game suspension. Smith got into 20 games with the Swift Current Broncos last season. . . .

In Calgary, F Cody Sylvester had a goal, his 39th, and two assists as the Hitmen doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . Sylvester’s shorthanded goal at 15:50 of the second period gave Calgary a 4-2 lead. . . . F Victor Rask scored his 14th goal and added two assists for Calgary. . . . Medicine Hat got a goal and two assists from F Hunter Shinkaruk. The Calgary native has 35 goals. . . . F Logan McVeigh added two goals, giving him 18, and an assist for the Tigers. . . . Medicine Hat F Boston Leier was unsuccessful on a third-period penalty shot on Calgary G Chris Driedger, who stopped 31 shots. . . . The Tigers changed goaltenders at 13:06 of the second period, removing starter Cam Lanigan with an undisclosed injury and sending in Marek Langhamer. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s first five goals and then hung on for 6-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Mike Aviani gave the Chiefs a 5-0 lead at 1:50 of the third period. He’s got 30 goals. . . . The Cougars then scored four times in a span of 7:44 to get to within a goal. . . . Spokane F Alessio Bertaggia got an empty-netter at 18:07. . . . The Cougars got two goals from D Dan Gibb, giving him five, while F Colin Jacobs had three assists and F Zach Pochiro scored his 14th goal and added two helpers. . . . Spokane F Markson Bechtold scored his first WHL goal in his fourth game. . . . The Chiefs are fourth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Tri-City Americans. Each has three games remaining and will play each other twice more. . . . The Cougars are four points out of the playoffs with three games remaining.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Harrison Harper, Lethbridge
F Jack Rodewald, Regina

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Jordan Fransoo, Victoria

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.

Blazers make big move

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
The Kamloops Blazers traded away part of their future for some veteran leadership on Thursday.
The Blazers acquired defenceman Joel Edmundson, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors, along with a fourth-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. Kamloops gave up defenceman Tyler Bell, 18, forward Jayden Halbgewachs, 15, and a first-round pick in 2015.
Edmundson was to fly into Kamloops last night and is expected to play tonight, 7 o’clock, against the Prince George Cougars at Interior Savings Centre.
“He’s a veteran guy, a drafted player,” said Blazers head coach Guy Charron. “We’ve added more experience at the back end.”
At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, Edmundson will bring size to a Blazers’ defence corps that already includes 19-year-olds Tyler Hansen, who goes 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, and the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Sam Grist.
Edmundson is in his third WHL season, and has picked up eight points, six of them assists, and 70 penalty minutes in 29 games. Last season, he played in 56 games, scoring four goals, assisting on 19 others and earning 91 penalty minutes.
After his first season, 2010-11, the St. Louis Blues selected the Brandon native in the second round, 46th overall, of the NHL draft.
And while he isn’t known for his offensive side, Edmundson stands to see some time on the power play, according to Charron.
“He’s got a great shot,” Charron said. “Right now, we’ve experimented with everyone at the top end of the power play, so I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity.”
The trade shows that the Blazers are all-in this season. Kamloops is 22-7-3 and tied for first in the 22-team WHL with the Portland Winterhawks, who hold four games in hand.
But Kamloops gave up a lot to get Edmundson, who, if he signs with the Blues, likely wouldn’t return next season.
Bell, a Regina native, was in his second season with the Blazers, and was taking on a bigger role all the time. Through 29 games, he had a goal and three assists, to go along with 36 penalty minutes. As a rookie in 2011-12, Bell had 12 points, 11 of them assists, and was plus-19 in 54 games.
On top of Bell, Kamloops basically gave up two first-round picks, with Halbgewachs, a native of Emerald Park, Sask., having been its first-round pick, 19th overall, in May’s draft. Halbgewachs is in his first season with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians, and has eight goals and six assists in 19 games.
“Through our evaluation, we feel we have good, young prospects,” Charron said. “But getting a chance to get a veteran player like (Edmundson) will only make us better.”
The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium will run Dec. 16-26.
———
Forwards Charles Inglis and Chase Souto sat out Thursday’s practice as they recover from a bug that is going through the Kamloops dressing room.
“We’ve got quite a few guys who are sick,” Charron said. “No use being here to spread the germs.”
The coach said he wasn’t sure if either would be available tonight, but seemed optimistic.
“Usually the guys who have been sick have had a 24- or 48-hour thing,” Charron said. “We’re hopeful they’re ready to go (tonight).”
To help fill out the roster, the Blazers had Devin Oakes, a list forward who plays for the junior B Kamloops Storm, at practice. He will be back with the Storm for its game against the host Princeton Posse tonight.
———
Cougars head coach Dean Clark announced that former NHLer Todd Harkins will serve as an assistant coach for a few weeks after Christmas.
Harkins, who coached the Vancouver Northwest Giants to the 2011 B.C. Major Midget League title, will replace Jason Becker temporarily. Becker, the head coach of Team Pacific, will be in Quebec for the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which ends Jan. 4.
Harkins, whose 10-year NHL career included stops with the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers, will start his tenure with the Cougars on Dec. 28, when they play the Royals in Victoria.
Harkins’ son, Jansen, was selected in the first round, second overall, by the Cougars in May’s bantam draft. He currently plays for Vancouver Northwest, with which he has 30 points in 17 games.
———
Ryan Hanes, a former Blazers forward, will be making his second appearance in Kamloops with the Cougars, and will be sporting an ‘A’ on his jersey.
Hanes, a 20-year-old Kamloops native, was named an assistant captain Wednesday, after Cougars captain Brock Hirsche retired due to shoulder programs. Hirsche was replaced as captain by defenceman Daniel Gibb, with Hanes taking on the vacant assistant-captain role.
Hanes, who scored in the Cougars’ 5-4 shootout loss in Kamloops on Nov. 17, has four goals in eight games with Prince George.
He started the season with the Blazers, but got caught up in the 20-year-old numbers game and was released. He spent a stretch with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals, before the Cougars picked him up last month.


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 MacBETH REPORT:
F Dale Hunt (Prince George, Everett, 2005-10) was released by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). . . .
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) signed a two-week tryout contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had three goals and one assist in 18 games for Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL) and five goals and five assists in 15 games for Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) last season. . . .
F Mikhail Fisenko (Vancouver, Calgary, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had eight goals and 32 assists in 64 games for the Hitmen last season.
———
While a funeral mass for the late Brad McCrimmon will be held Saturday in Farmington, Mich., there also will be a memorial service held in Saskatoon. It is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 25, at Knox United Church, 838 Spadina Crescent East.
The service is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., with a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Cavalier Saskatoon Hotel, 612 Spadina Crescent East.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Emanuel Viveiros (Prince Albert, 1982-86) is the new head coach of Austrian national team. He has signed a three-year contract. . . . Viveiros, 45, played in Europe for 17 years, 13 of them in Austria. . . . An Austrian citizen, he has spent two years as an assistant coach under Bill Gilligan, whom he is sucdeeding. Viveiros will continue as head coach of Klagenfurt. . . . Viveiros has two hockey-playing sons — Landan, 17, played on Austria’s U-18 team last season; Layne, 16, just transferred from Klagenfurt to the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rob Daum, who has coached with the Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes, signed on as an assistant coach. . . . Daum, a long-time coach at the U of Alberta, also has coached in the AHL and NHL. He is in his first season as head coach of Black Wings Linz, an Austrian club team.
———
The Winterhawks are more than pleased with Layne Viveiros, a defenceman who was a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He was born in Edmonton.
“He turned out to be way better than we thought he would be,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune. “Very smart, puck-moving defenseman. Good intelligence and hockey sense.”
———
JUST NOTES: There is word out of the Tacoma area that there is interest in seeing whether it’s viable to have NHL and/or NBA franchises in the city. King 5 News has reported that Tacoma city council will cough up $100,000 for a study to see what the cost would be to renovate the Tacoma Dome and to gauge public support. Tacoma, of course, once was home to the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Saskatoon Blades are down to two goaltenders after assigning Adam Todd, 17, to the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. That leaves the Blades with veteran Adam Morrison, 20, and Russian freshman Andrey Makarov, 18, who was picked up in the 2011 CHL import draft. . . . The Blades are down to 25 players, including six defenceman and 17 forwards. Of that number, seven are at NHL camps. . . . The Kamloops Blazers have assigned F Devin Oakes, 16, to the Pursuit of Excellence midget AAA prep team in Kelowna. Oakes, a list player, had 24 points in 41 games with the PoE midget AAA team last season.
F Mark Stone, 19, and D Jordan Fransoo, 18, of the Brandon Wheat Kings have made the move to the Ottawa Senators’ main camp after playing for the rookie team in a tournament in Oshawa, Ont. . . . F Ryan Johansen and F Oliver Gabriel, teammates with the Portland Winterhawks, each had a goal Wednesday as the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie team dropped a 4-3 OT decision to the St. Louis Blues in the Traverse City, Mich., tournament. . . . Johansen put up six points, including three goals, and was plus-7 in the tournament, while Gabriel had four points, two of them goals, and was plus-4. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have assigned F Ryan Bloom, 18, to the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. Acquired from the Kootenay Ice in the deal for F Cody Eakin in January, Bloom had two points in 29 games split between the Broncos and Ice last season. The Broncos also signed F Jordan Wittman, the 46th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, and assigned F Denis Bosc, the 121st selection in the 2010 draft, to the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. Bosc has signed with the Broncos. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have claimed G Deven Dubyk, 20, off waivers from the Medicine Hat Tigers. After being dropped by the Tigers last week, Dubyk joined the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, who are the host team for the 2012 RBC Cup. An 11th-round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2006 bantam draft, Dubyk actually got into 35 games with the Warriors in 2008-09. He was 7-15-1, 4.57, .866. Last season, he went 11-5, 2.89, .908 while backing up Tyler Bunz in Medicine Hat. . . . The Warriors also have two other goaltenders — Brandon Stone, 18, and Spencer Tremblay, 17. Should Dubyk join them, they also will have five 20-year-olds, the others being F Brett Lyon, F Jesse Paradis, F Sebastian Svendsen and D Collin Bowman. . . . The deadline for WHL teams to get down to a maximum of three 20-year-olds is Oct. 13. . . .
F Parker Stanfield, who completed his junior eligibility last season with the Everett Silvertips, has signed with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Stanfield, who is from Anaheim Hills, Calif., had 34 points in 64 games last season, the first four games and four points with the Prince George Cougars, the rest in Everett. He played three seasons (2007-11) with Prince George. . . . According to the Fredericton Daily Gleaner, F Taylor Procyshen (Tri-City, 2004-09) won’t be back with the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds “due to concussion-related issues.” The Varsity Reds are the reigning champions in Canadian university hockey. . . . F Jeff Topilko, who had 54 points in 66 games as a 20-year-old with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2006-07, has signed with the ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers. After graduating from the Wheat Kings, Topilko went on to attend NAIT in Edmonton. . . .
Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review reports that the Chiefs still have four freshman forwards in camp and one of them is Liam Stewart, the 17-year-old son of actress Rachel Hunter and rocker Rod Stewart. . . . F Travis Ewanyk of the Edmonton Oil Kings didn’t make the trip to Penticton with the Edmonton Oilers’ rookie team. And now we know why. Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal tells Corey Graham, the radio voice of the Oil Kings who also does TEAM 1260’s Sports Night Live, that Ewanyk “may have to have surgery and if he does he may be lost to us for a 4-to-5 month range, depending on rehab." It has been speculated that Ewanyk has a shoulder injury. Ewanyk was a third-round pick by the Oilers in the NHL’s 2011 draft. . . . F Spencer Edwards, who spent the last two seasons with the Moose Jaw Warrors, has signed with the Central league’s Allen Americans. He will start the season by going to training camp with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Edwards had 66 points with the Warriors last season when he won the Canadian Hockey League’s humanitarian-of-the-year award.
———
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has written a piece on Vancouver Giants assistant coach Glen Hanlon.
Pap asked Hanlon about the biggest difference between professional and junior players and here is the response:
“Passing skills. I mean, they can stand still and make a pass but being able to receive a pass and give a pass at full speed, the completion rate through your whole group, top to bottom, is not as high as a team of professionals. The skating speed of the players is actually not that much different, it’s the ability to make and receive a pass.”
Pap’s complete story is right here.
———
The mask of former WHL goaltender Josh Harding (Regina, Brandon, 2001-04) will remember the late Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Pavol Demitra, all former teammates. For a look, click right here.
———
Sean Gordon of The Globe and Mail has a piece right here that includes Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty’s thoughts on the ongoing headshot/concussion debate in hockey.
———
Today’s good read – and it’s a great one – comes from Chris Jones (again), who wrote a piece on hockey enforcers for the website Grantland. Jones chatted with Stu Grimson, who was known as The Grim Reaper during his playing days. You don’t want to miss this one right here.

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

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) was released from his tryout contract by Eisbären Berlin. He was pointless in six exhibition games for Eisbären during the tryout. . . .
F Justin Taylor (Red Deer, 2003-04) signed a two-month tryout contract with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 10 goals and 19 assists in 51 games with the Idaho Steelheads and Ontario Reign (both ECHL) last season.
———
On a day when Peter Chiarelli, the general manager of the Boston Bruins, said forward Marc Savard’s career may be over because of post-concussion syndrome, the OHL announced that all of its players will wear soft cap shoulder and elbow pads this season.
According to the OHL, its board of governors is adamant that stiffer penalties will be handed out to repeat offenders when it comes to checks to the head.
This all is most admirable and a definite step forward in the drive to cut down on concussions — and it is a move the WHL announced it was making on June 15.
However, as one Twitterer tweeted: “What about fists to the face/head? Where's that crackdown?”
———
The Kootenay Ice will have eight players off its roster attending NHL camps. That includes six drafted players — D Brayden McNabb and G Nathan Lieuwen (Buffalo), F Drew Czerwonka (Edmonton), F Cody Eakin (Washington), and F Max Reinhart and D Joey Leach (Calgary). As well, D James Martin (Calgary) and F Joe Antilla (San Jose) have accepted training camp invitations. . . . The Ice, the WHL’s reigning champion, opened training camp on Wednesday. Their annual Blue-White game ends camp on Sunday at noon.
———
D Ben Fanelli is returning to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers after not playing at all last season. The Rangers will hold a news conference today with Fanelli in attendance. Fanelli, 18, hasn’t played since Oct. 31, 2009, when he suffered a fractured skull and various facial fractures after being hit from behind by D Mike Lambas of the Erie Otters.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports has a good look at what Fanelli has been through — and the good things he has accomplished of late — right here.
———
JUST NOTES: The Tri-City Americans have signed D Clint Filbrandt, 16, who was a 10th-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Hehad 29 points and 86 penalty minutes with the CNHA Blazers of the Alberta Minor Midget league last season. Filbrandt attended the Americans’ rookie camp and now is in main camp. “Clint had an excellent rookie camp and continued his strong play into main camp,” Americans GM Bob Tory said in a news release. “He will participate in both the Everett and Tri-City tournaments and then return home to Calgary to play this season with his AAA Midget club.” . . . The Prince George Cougars have signed D Marc McNulty of Medicine Hat. The 6-foot-5, 181-pounder was a 10th-round bantam draft pick in 2010. He played last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Alberta Midget league. “He might be the most improved player in our entire camp,” Wade Klippenstein, the Cougars’ assistant general manager, said in a news release. “Initially, he was a 10th-round draft-pick. If the bantam draft was held again tomorrow, I guarantee you he wouldn’t be a 10th round pick.” McNulty will be in the Cougars’ lineup for games in St. Albert, Alta., this weekend. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Devin Oakes, 16, and D Tyler Bell, 17, both of whom are listed players. Oakes, from Prince Rupert, B.C., played last season for the midget AAA Pursuit of Excellence prep team in Kelowna, putting up 24 points, including 10 goals, in 41 games. Bell, who is from Regina, is another listed player. Bell has played two seasons with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He had 22 points, including five goals, and 58 penalty minutes in 44 games last season. . . . G Jamie Tucker, who played last season with the Prince Albert Raiders, has cleared WHL waivers and will play this season with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. Tucker, now 20, is from Victoria. . . .
TSN made it official on Wednesday. Dennis Beyak, a former radio voice of the Flin Flon Bombers, Saskatoon Blades, Victoria Cougars and Seattle Thunderbirds, will call the play of Winnipeg Jets games on TSN Jets and on Sports Radio 1290 in Winnipeg. . . . Beyak also did a turn as GM of the Tri-City Americans and the Thunderbirds. . . . Brian Munz, a former radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders on CKBI, will call Jets games on Sports Radio 1290 when Beyak is providing the TV call. . . . Shane Hnidy (Swift Current, Prince Albert, 1991-96) has retired from playing and joined the Jets broadcast crew as an analyst. . . . The Victoria Royals drew a crowd of 1,756 fans to their intrasquad game Wednesday night at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed Dusty Imoo as their goaltending coach. Imoo played in the WHL (New Westminster, Lethbridge, Regina, 1987-91) before moving on to play in the IHL, ECHL and Japan for a total of 15 seasons. He also played for Japan in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. Imoo takes over from Paul Fricker in Seattle. . . .
The Victoria Times Colonist is reporting that owner Len Barrie is expected to name himself head coach of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies on Friday. Barrie stepped behind the bench late last season, with then-head coach coach Vic Gervais stepping down to assistant coach, a position he continues to hold.
———
Here’s a note from a story written by Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News:
“Though the Tigers don't release their training camp rosters publicly, they did cut a dozen or so players between Monday and Tuesday night and had 46 players between the two teams that played Tuesday. Most of the cuts were 15- and 16-year-olds.”
The Tigers don’t release their training camp rosters publicly? And the WHL office allows this to happen?
Hey, WHL, this is 2011. Isn’t it time all of your teams started to treat their fans with the respect that most businesses give to paying customers?
The Tigers don’t release their training camp rosters publicly? Do they have something to hide? You wouldn’t suppose one of your teams would have an undrafted European practising with it, do you? Nah, that would never happen.
———
F Trevor Moore, whose WHL rights are held by the Tri-City Americans, has committed to attend Denver U and play for the Pioneers beginning with the 2013-14 season. The 5-foot-6, 165-pound Moore will play this season for former WHL player/coach Drew Schoneck with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. The Storm selected Moore with the eighth overall pick in the USHL’s 2011 futures draft. Moore, who was listed by the Americans, is from Thousand Oaks, Calif. He had 41 points in 35 games with the L.A. Selects last season.
———
Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star has a call for action following Wednesday’s startling death of former WHLer/NHLer Wade Belak. That piece is right here.
———
F Matt Kassian hopes to crack the lineup of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild this season. He is an enforcer who played with the Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers. He also is highly intelligent and great conversationalist. And, despite recent happenings, he isn’t about to change his game, nor does he feel there is a need to. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has that story right here.
———
Today’s good read comes from Tim Panaccio of csnphilly.com. He writes about former WHLer Todd Fedoruk and the demons he battles on a daily basis. Fedoruk, an NHL enforcer, didn’t play at all last season as he worked to regain his health. He will attend the Vancouver Canucks’ camp as a free agent. Panaccio’s story is right here.

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

Blazers trim roster to 29

Following their intrasquad game on Tuesday night, the Kamloops Blazers trimmed 17 players from their roster.
D MacKenzie Ferner (Vernon, B.C.), F Mitch Friesen (Surrey, B.C.), F Brayden Gelsinger (Regina), F Eric Krienke (Calgary), G Braden Krogfoss (Cloverdale, B.C.), G Scott Lapp (Surrey, B.C.), F Matt McLeod (Saskatoon), F Kyler Nachtigall (Calgary), F Tre Potskin (Prince George) and F Evan Tordiff (Fort Smith, N.W.T.) are expected to play for midget AAA teams this season.
D Tyson Harvey (Nanaimo, B.C.) and F Diego Cuglietta (Kamloops) will play for the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International junior league, with F Jared Marchi (Kimberley, B.C.) joining his hometown Dynamiters, who play in the KIJHL.
D Braden Pears (Duncan, B.C.), D Ryan Rehill (Edmonton), F Cam Rowat (Souris, Man.) and G Troy Trombley (Sherwood Park, Alta.) will be joining junior A teams.
With those players having been assigned, the Blazers’ roster is down to 29 players — 16 forwards, 10 defencemen and three goaltenders.
It is fair to say that there haven’t been any surprises in the Blazers’ camp, which wrapped up with the intrasquad game.
The three goaltenders still standing are Cam Lanigan, 19, who has played in 90 regular-season WHL games with the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Blazers but who has a lot to prove after a horrible finish to last season; G Cole Cheveldave, the AJHL’s rookie of the year with the Drumheller Dragons last season; and, Taran Kozun, who starred with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos. Cheveldave is 18; Kozun is 17.
The Blazers will open the exhibition season on Friday against the visiting Victoria Royals. The six exhibition games will determine the pecking order for the goaltenders come the regular-season opener on Sept. 24 when the Prince George Cougars come calling.
One of the remaining 10 defencemen, Jordan Thomson, is the only 15-year-old still on the roster. The fourth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, he will be heading home to Wawanesa, Man., sometime during the long weekend.
The Blazers are carrying six veteran defencemen, with three rookies looking for spots — Tyler Bell of Regina and Landon Cross of Regina both are 17, while Josh Connolly of Prince George is 16. Connolly is the younger brother of Prince George Cougars star Brett Connolly.
The Blazers will have two defencemen — Josh Caron (Minnesota) and Austin Madaisky (Columbus) — going to pro camp, so they may carry Bell, Cross and Connolly for a while.
Of the 16 remaining forwards, 10 are veterans, while Matt Needham (13 games) and Aspen Sterzer (10) got a taste of the WHL with the Blazers last season.
Swiss F Tim Bozon, Dallas Calvin of Trail, B.C., Devin Oakes of Prince Rupert, B.C., and Cole Ully of Calgary are the other newcomers still on the roster.
Needham (elbow) and veteran F Jordan DePape (hip flexor) didn’t play in the intrasquad game, while veteran F J.C. Lipon left in the third period with an injury to his left leg.

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