A horse named I’ll Have Another is running for history on Saturday at Belmont Park in New York.
And you are going to watch Saturday’s third race in the Triple Crown after I tell you that there is a WHL angle to this horse.
That angle is named Larry Jones — he goes by the nickname Thumper — and he used to play in the WHL.
According to hockeydb.com, Jones played 58 games in 1977-78, splitting them between the Portland Winter Hawks, Medicine Hat Tigers and New Westminster Bruins. He played 13 games with the Lethbridge Broncos and 12 with the Regina Pats in 1978-79.
In 83 games, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound winger had four goals, seven assists and 212 penalty minutes.
It was while with the Bruins that Jones was involved in one of the most legendary bench-clearing brawls in WHL history. That was Feb. 12, 1978, against the Billings Bighorns.
“In the last game of that season (1977-78), we played Billings and pretty much brawled them up to the point that they had become terrified of us,” Jones told Tom Wolski of the Vancouver Province.
Ernie McLean’s Bruins went on to sweep the Bighorns en route to winning the 1978 Memorial Cup.
Jones’s hockey career was ended by back problems. Ultimately, he found relief from a chirorpactor.
It wasn’t quite this easy, but after finding help for his back, Jones wondered why he couldn’t do the same for horses. So he has done just that.
Most recent stories on him have referred to him as an “equine chiropractor,” although he has told Ryan Goldberg of The New York Times that “I’m not a chiropractor, I’m a positionalist.”
And there have been a lot of recent stories because the native of Stettler, Alta., has done a lot of work with I’ll Have Another, a horse that was ridden by Mario Gutierrez during the Kentucy Derby and the Preakness. (Gutierrez has been a regular jockey at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver.)
There was a time when Jones worked at a now-defunct track in Kamloops and then went on to Exhibition Park in Vancouver.
On Saturday, Jones, now 53, will be at Belmont Park in New York.
And if I’ll Have Another should happen to win, Thumper’s legend — he is know for wearing shorts and cowboy boots — will continue to grow.
For more on Jones, check out Goldberg’s story right here.
———
F Taylor Peters of the Portland Winterhawks can be a deep-thinker, which is why I linked to his blog (Blades of Glory) over there on the right.
In his latest entry, he provides a major junior player’s reaction to the story from The New York Times that detailed the easy access the late Derek Boogaard had to prescription drugs.
Check out Blades of Glory because it’s definitely worth a read.
———
You should also check out Thom Beunig’s blog (In the Corner) that also is linked to over there on the right.
He lost one of his best friends on Wednesday and offers up some heartfelt thoughts and memories.
———
The NHL has a problem. A big problem. It seems that its teams don’t know the direction in which the league is headed. For example, the Detroit Red Wings, with D Nicklas Lidstrom having retired, have a lot of money to spend under the cap. But they don’t know whether to spend it on skill or gritty shot-blockers. Seriously. . . . Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail has an intriguing look at the situation right here.
———
F Dillon Wagner, who played out his eligibility this season, has decided to attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds. Dillon played most of his WHL career with the Swift Current Broncos, but was traded to the Portland Winterhawks this season and then claimed on waivers by the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . He is a veteran of four WHL seasons, recording 66 points in 212 games. . . .
Three ex-WHLers have decided to go to the U of Lethbridge and play for the Pronghorns. G Damien Ketlo, who finished up his WHL career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes this season, has made the commitment. Head coach Greg Gatto immediately named Ketlo his starter, replacing the graduated Scott Bowles. . . . Ketlo played most his four-season career with the Regina Pats, before being dealt to Lethbridge this season. . . . Also agreeing to attend the U of L were D Hayden Rintoul and D Cason Machacek. . . . Rintoul played for the Kootenay Ice, who dealt him to the Victoria Royals prior to this season. He put up 144 points in 260 WHL games, and helped the Ice to the 2010-11 championship. . . . Machacek, who is from Lethbridge, finished up with Seattle, after playing for the Kootenay Ice and Lethbridge. He had 28 points and 536 penalty minutes in 245 WHL games.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal has spoken with Kris Knoblauch, the former head coach of the Kootenay Ice. That piece is right here. . . . Knoblauch, you’ll recall, had his contract terminated by the Ice as he was trying to land the head-coaching job with the U of Alberta Golden Bears. . . . There are some extremely interesting comments from Knoblauch who, among other things, told Daum: “Certainly, there wasn’t a guarantee that the job was mine, but I was under the impression I was a very good candidate. Everything short of the job being guaranteed to me. After this process was over, I’ve heard many names of people being kind of given the same sales pitch of applying.”


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.

JUST NOTES:
F Sven Baertschi was back on the ice when the Portland Winterhawks skated earlier Wednesday. He didn't play in last night's 4-2 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets, though. Baertschi, 19, has 54 points in 25 games with the Winterhawks but hasn’t played for them since Dec. 11 after which he joined the Swiss national junior team for the World Junior Championship. But he suffered a concussion during the tournament and has yet to return to game action. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich reported that Baertschi isn’t likely to play against the visiting Rockets on Friday and that he is listed as “possible” for Saturday and “most likely” will play Monday “if there are no setbacks.” . . . The Winterhawks are to play the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Saturday and are at home to the Tri-City Americans for a Monday afternoon game. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds have added F Dillon Wagner, 20, to their roster after he was dropped Tuesday by the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Wagner began the season with the Swift Current Broncos, who dealt him to Portland. . . . The Winterhawks dropped Wagner after trading for F Cam Reid, 20, who left St. Cloud State to come to the WHL. . . . Wagner had seven points in 17 games with Portland. In 180 career regular-season games, he has 60 points and 193 penalty minutes. . . . F Burke Gallimore and D Cason Machacek are the other 20-year-olds on Seattle’s roster.
———
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, G Alex Moodie turned aside 37 shots as the Saskatoon Blades blanked the Wheat Kings, 3-0. . . . Moodie, 16, is from Winnipeg. He was to have returned earlier in the week to the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild but stayed with the Blades after starter Andrey Makarov was taken out of the lineup with a concussion. . . . F Lukas Sutter’s 16th goal, at 11:50 of the first, stood up as the winner. Sutter, who had four goals in 71 games last season, has 36 points in 41 games. . . . F Kevin Sundher, acquired by Brandon from Victoria on Monday, had his points streak halted at 12 games. . . . Each team was 0-for-6 on the PP. . . .

In Prince Albert, G Matt Hewitt stopped 26 shots as the Pats beat the Prince Albert Raides, 2-0. . . . Hewitt has three shutouts this season. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal got the game’s first goal, his 26th, at 6:47 of the second period. . . . This was Regina’s 24th victory of the season, one more than they put up all of last season when they missed the playoffs. . . . D Martin Marincin, acquired Tuesday from the Prince George Cougars, was in Regina’s lineup. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk was in the lineup. The WHL chose not to suspend Klimchuck who was given a charging major a game misconduct for a hit on Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov. It appeared that Saskatoon D Darren Dietz helped Klimchuk along his way on that particular play. . . .

In Red Deer, F Max Reinhart scored the only shootout goal as the Kootenay Ice edged the Rebels, 2-1. . . . Reinhart was the first shooter of the shootout. . . . D Alex Petrovic scored for Red Deer, his fourth, at 18:14 of the first. . . . Ice F Dylen McKinlay tied it with his eighth at 9:02 of the second. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 34 shots, five more than the Ice’s Nathan Lieuwen. . . .

In Kamloops, D Tyler Hansen’s goal at 17:37 of the third period turned into the winner as the Blazers edged the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . It was Hansen’s first goal of the season and ended a 93-game drought. . . . F Colin Smith scored twice for Kamloops. . . . The Americans had won their last 13 games. They hadn’t been beaten since dropping a 6-2 decision to the Rockets in Kelowna on Nov. 30. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 32 shots in winning his 21st game. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan scored his fourth goal of the season in his first game since coming over in a trade from the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Blazers now are three points behind the Western Conference-leading Americans. They next play each other on Jan. 21 in Kennewick, Wash. . . . This was Kamloops’ 29th victory, which is as many games as it won all of last season when it missed the playoffs. . . . This was a game with zip and pace and speed and great transition games. It didn't have the intensity of a playoff game when emotion has had time to build, but it still was pretty darn good. . . . The Americans spent the night in Kamloops and will travel into Vancouver today for a Friday night date with the Giants. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored two power-play and two while shorthanded in beating the Kelowna Rockets, 4-2. . . . The Winterhawks have won 15 straight home games, one short of the franchise record (1993-94). . . . F Cam Reid, who left St. Cloud State to join the Winterhawks, scored a PP goal at 8:58 of the first period in his first WHL game. . . . F Ty Rattie broke a 1-1 tie with his WHL-leading 38th goal and the Winterhawks got away to a 4-1 lead. . . . Rattie also had two assists and now has a WHL-leading 76 points, six more than F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats. . . . Portland F Brad Ross wasn’t able to beat G Adam Brown on a second-period penalty shot with the Winterhawks leading 4-1. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots in winning his 25th game of the season. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel scored his second goal of the season. He was playing his first game since suffering a shoulder injury on Dec. 30. . . . F Brett Lyon scored his first goal for Kelowna — it was his 12th of the season — since being acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs gave head coach Don Nachbaur his 500th WHL victory as they beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-1. . . . Spokane has won four straight games. . . . D Brenden Kichton led the Chiefs with a goal and two assists. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored once, giving him goals in four straight games. . . . Nachbaur is the sixth coach in WHL history to get to 500 victories. He trails Ken Hodge (742), Ernie McLean (548), Pat Ginnell (518), Lorne Molleken (544) and Don Hay (542). . . . Nachbaur, in his second season with the Chiefs, won 202 games as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds and 229 with the Tri-City Americans. He has 69 victories with Spokane. . . . Jess Brown of the Spokane Spokesman-Review asked Nachbaur about the approaching milestone, and he jokingly replied: “I’d rather have 500 NHL goals as a player.” . . . We should point out that Nachbaur scored 23 goals in 223 NHL regular-season games. He also had 46 assists and 465 penalty minutes.
———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Colin Smith, Kamloops.
———
After the night’s games were done, Adam Hughesman of the Tri-City Americans tweeted: “Congrats to one of the best coaches in @TheWHL Don Nachbaur on win 500. Pretty special company to be apart of that club #WellDeserved”
———
There also was a funny exchange on Twitter between two Moose Jaw Warriors defencemen — Dylan McIlrath and Morgan Rielly. The latter is out after having had knee surgery, but still was rated No. 5 when NHL Central Scouting released its midseason rankings on Wednesday.
McIlrath started it with: “@mriles4 sitting on a couch for 2 months and still ranked 5th ovy #mustbenice”
Rielly replied with: “that was a sympathy ranking and we all no it. But thanks for rubbing it in #10thov #guttless”
———
And then there was this one, from Calgary Hitmen G Chris Driedger: “Took me 40 some games to get my first shutty then @AlexMoodie goes and gets her done in 7. Might he be the next @cpickard1? #whoknows #peg”
Driedger, Moodie and Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds all are from Winnipeg.
———
Scott Sepich, who on occasion writes about the WHL for Yahoo! Sports, has a piece right here in which Mike Johnston, the GM/head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, explains the thought process behind his giving up two first-round bantam draft selections to get F Marcel Nelbels from the Seattle Thunderbirds.


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 Tampa Bay Lightning’s decision to keep F Brett Connolly on its roster is one that may reverberate through the WHL for more than just this season.
Connolly, 19, was the sixth overall selection in the NHL’s 2010 draft. Steve Yzerman was running his first draft as the Lightning’s general manager, meaning Connolly is his original first-round selection.
The Lightning signed Connolly a while back, but, as a 19-year-old, he either had to play in the NHL or with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
Connolly has had a great start to his NHL career and has been playing on a line with veteran stars Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis.
All of which is great for Connolly and not so great for the Cougars.
It is no secret that the Cougars have struggled, on the ice and at the gate, for the last while. This, however, was going to be the season when things started to turn around.
They acquired Drew Owsley, a front-line goaltender, from the Tri-City Americans over the summer. The Edmonton Oilers returned D Martin Marincin for a second season. Other defenders, like Daniel Gibb and Jesse Forsberg, were coming into their own.
Up front, Troy Bourke was proving to be a brilliant young forward, while the enigmatic Charles Inglis had proven last season that he can score. There are other good, young forwards, like Alex Forsberg  and Chase Witala.
The glue, however, was going to be Connolly. Not every junior hockey team can boast a superstar who is playing in his hometown. It should be instant box office.
That dream, however, is dead. Yzerman told Connolly on Tuesday night that he would be staying in the NHL.
The Cougars have lost seven straight games now. They are struggling to score goals, having been twice blanked 1-0 by the visiting Tri-City Americans on the weekend.
The second game drew an announced crowd of 1,663.
Connolly was going to be at least part of the solution to both of those problems. He would score and would put some fans in the seats.
But that was before Lightning hit the Cougars' outhouse.
———
The Calgary Hitmen dealt F Kenton Miller, 20, and F Justin Kirsch, 19, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for D Collin Bowman, 20, F Joey Kornelsen, 18, and a fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
The Hitmen acquired Miller, who is from Redvers, Sask., off waivers from the Spokane Chiefs during the offseason. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the Regina Pats in 2007. He had 28 points in 28 games with the Chiefs last season. This season, he had three goals in 11 games with the Hitmen.
Kirsch had 42 points in 66 games with Calgary last season. He had five points in 10 games this season.
The Warriors have been hit hard by injuries and just came off a road trip during which they lost three games in a row, each by one goal.
The Hitmen are coming off a 7-1 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday.
Bowman, who began his career with the Kelowna Rockets, is the younger brother of former Spokane Chiefs sniper Drayson Bowman, who now is in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
The Hitmen are hoping that Bowman will be the puck-moving defencemen they feel they have been missing. He had 49 points, including 38 assists, with the Warriors last season. He has five points, four of them goals, in seven games this season.
Kornelsen had 37 points in 118 regular-season games with the Warriors. He brings the Hitmen another young forward.
———
The Seattle Thunderbirds have dealt D Erik Fleming, 19, to the Swift Current Broncos for a 10th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . In 156 games with Seattle over the last three seasons, Fleming, from Calgary, had 15 points and 72 penalty minutes. Fleming has played just one game this season to due an undisclosed injury. . . . He was the 16th overall selection in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . The Thunderbirds also assigned D Austin Frank, 18, to the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. . . . Seattle is in Victoria for a doubleheader with the Royals on Friday and Saturday nights.
———
The Swift Current Broncos sent F Dillon Wagner, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks for F Adam Smith, 17, who is with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. . . . The 125th overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft, Wagner was in his fourth season with the Broncos. He had 53 points in 163 regular-season games. . . . This week’s WHL injury report shows Wagner as being out for three weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Wagner joins F Charles Wells and D William Wrenn as Portland’s 20-year-old players. . . . The Broncos are left with F Taylor Vause, F Brad Hoban and G Jon Groenheyde as their three 20s. . . . Smith, selected by Portland with the 178th pick of the 2009 bantam draft, is from Nanaimo. He has one assist and 13 penalty minutes in six games with the Clippers, after finishing with three points and 15 PMs in 30 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals last season. . . . A gritty forward, Smith played two games with the Winterhawks last season, going pointless with five penalty minutes. . . .
———
F Connor Redmond, who has had nothing but shoulder problems for a couple of years now, has left the Vancouver Giants and joined the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. Redmond, 19, has seven points and 60 penalty minutes in 51 regular-season games with the Giants over the last two seasons. . . . Redmond was selected 11th overall by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has that story right here.
———
JUST NOTES: The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned D Kyle Becker, 17, to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. A native of Langley, B.C., he had offseason surgery on a broken scaphoid and has just recently been cleared to return to action. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars have been fined $250 apiece for a line brawl that took place Tuesday in Vancouver. . . . Prince George D Martin Marincin drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for an interference major he incurred in that game.
———
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers doubled up on the Portland Winterhawks 4-2 last night in front of their 300th straight regular-season sellout (4,006). . . . That news paled beside the announcement that the venerable Bob Ridley, the long-time radio voice of the Tigers, has opened a Twitter account. Seriously! . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored for the Tigers. He has 11 goals and two assists. . . . The Tigers also got a goal from F Emerson Etem. He has a WHL-leading 17 goals, to go with nine helpers. . . . The game featured the Leier cousins — F Boston Leier, 18, skates for the Tigers, while F Taylor Leier, 17, is with the Winterhawks. Both are from Saskatoon. . . . Portland is 1-3 on its 17-day, nine-game trek. . . .
In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry, 16, made his first start and helped the Oil Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Jarry stopped 20 shots. He was a third-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . F Curtis Lazar, the second overall pick in that draft, scored his fourth goal of the season for Edmonton. . . . Oil Kings D Mark Pysyk played his 200th regular-season game. . . . Edmonton has won three in a row. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls had two goals and F Brent Benson had three assists, as the Blades dumped the Regina Pats, 5-3. . . . Saskatoon D Darren Dietz didn’t pick up even one point, but he was plus-4. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs ran their home record to 8-0-0 with a 6-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Chiefs closed out a seven-game homestand by completing the sweep. . . . Victoria G Jared Rathjen made his first WHL star but trailed 2-0 before the game was four minutes old. . . . Spokane held a 33-13 edge in shots. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Quinton Howden had a goal and an assist on the first two shifts of his first game of the season to help the Warriors to a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Howden returned to Moose Jaw from the camp of the NHL’s Florida Panthers with a concussion. . . . D Joel Edmundson, who returned from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues with an ankle injury, also was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup. . . . Moose Jaw was without D Kendall McFaull (hip) and D Dylan McIlrath (undisclosed), while F Sebastian Svendsen (knee) won’t play for another couple of weeks. . . .
In Kelowna, G Adam Brown stopped 28 shots as the Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 2-1. . . . The Cougars have lost seven in a row. . . . The Cougars, already without D Martin Marincin (suspended) and F Brett Connolly (NHL), lost F Troy Bourke just 22 seconds into the game with a boarding major and game misconduct. . . . Prince George did have F Charles Inglis back in the lineup after he completed serving a 10-game suspension. . . .
In Cranbrook, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice scored the game’s first three goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 29 shots. . . . The Ice now is 10-3-2 and has won three in a row.
———
CBC News has reported details of the hazing incident involving players on the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. According to CBC, one of the hazed player’s parents says their 15-year-old son “was forced to parade around the dressing room with water bottles tied to his genitals.”
That story is right here.

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