Oil Kings fighting a curse? Some WHL coaching rumours . . .

F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) has signed a one-year extension with the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite). Lukacevic started this season with Tohoku Free Blades Hachinohe (Japan, Asia HL), putting up seven points, two of them goals, in 10 games. . . . He signed with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) on Oct. 22 and was pointless in one game. He was claimed on waivers on Oct. 28 by the Reading Royals (ECHL) and scored twice in nine games. He signed with Fife on Dec. 14 and had 44 points, 15 of them goals in 34 games. . . . The Fife head coach is Todd Dutiaume (Brandon, 1991-94), who has been at Fife as a player, player-coach, or coach since 1998-99.
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1. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has seen enough of the present Memorial Cup tournament format that includes a sometimes undeserving host team. It’s time, he writes right here, for the Canadian Hockey League to come up with something different. . . . Campbell doesn’t seem to have a problem with the round-robin format, but I do. It just isn’t right to take teams that, for the most part, have just played and won four best-of-seven series and stick them into a championship that uses a round-robin format. Throw in a host team that perhaps didn’t get out of the first or second round of its league playoffs and you have a recipe for disaster. . . . Unfortunately, the host team format presents the CHL with a license to print money, so we never will see the major junior championship decided in a best-of-seven series. And that’s too bad. . . . (If you are wondering, I would have the champions of two leagues play off to see which one would meet the third league for the Memorial Cup. I would rotate the bye to the final each season.)

2. Bud Selig is to step down as the commissioner of Major League Baseball in January. Yes, there is a move afoot to find a successor. It appears that Selig knows who he wants to take over. But is there agreement among the owners? Michael S. Schmidt of The New York Times has an intriguing story right here.

3. F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen has undergone shoulder surgery to repair damage suffered this season. Virtanen will be sidelined for up to six months. He will attend the NHL combine later this month but won’t be able to take part in any of the fitness tests. . . . Virtanen, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 bantam draft, had 71 points, 45 of them goals, in 71 games this season, his second in the WHL. He will turn 18 on Aug. 17.

4. The Royal Bank of Canada and the Toronto-Dominion Bank showed profits of more than $2 billion for the second straight quarter. . . . RBC was at $2.2 billion; while TD showed up at $2.1 billion. . . . Meanwhile, Canada Post lost $28 million in its first quarter. . . . Dear Canada Post: Perhaps you should go into the banking business.

5. G Dustin Tokarski is the flavour of the day, having backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 OT victory over the host New York Rangers on Thursday night. . . . If you aren’t aware, he was cut by six or seven midget AAA teams in Saskatchewan before the Prince Albert Mintos gave him a chance. Later, two WHL teams dropped him before he caught on with the Spokane Chiefs. . . . In fact, his mother, Darlene, emailed Mike Mazurak, the Mintos’ GM, to see if he needed a goaltender and the rest, including a national midget AAA championship, is history. As Mazurak told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix six years ago: “She sends me that email every year just to remind me.” . . . If you would like to read more about the legend of Dustin Tokarski, which includes Memorial Cup and World Junior titles, the StarPhoenix story, written by Darren Zary, is right here.

6. In 2008, G Dustin Tokarski was part of the Spokane Chiefs team that won the Memorial Cup, beating the host Kitchener Rangers 4-1 in the final. . . . You may recall that it was following that game when the Memorial Cup, as it was being cuddled by Chiefs captain Chris Bruton, broke into two pieces. . . . The WHL hasn’t held the Memorial Cup since that incident. . . . Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun, who wonders if the Oil Kings aren’t up against a curse at this Memorial Cup in London, Ont., has more right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Suddenly, there are more names mentioned for the Vancouver Giants’ head-coaching vacancy than minority owner Michael Buble has songs in his repertoire. . . . News 1130 Sports tweeted early Thursday that Perry Pearn is “very high” on the list. “Coaching search not done,” the tweet read, “but Pearn emerging as leader.” . . . Earlier, News 1130 Sports had tweeted that Pearn, Marc Habscheid and Tim Hunter are “just some of the names who have applied” for the job. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that the Giants “apparently” talked with former Portland Winterhawks head coach Travis Green, who is the head coach of the Utica Comets, the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate. According to Ewen, Green “told them that he wants to stay in the pro ranks.” . . . Ewen also reports that former Saskatoon Blades F Jason Christie, now the head coach with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign, “is said to be on the Giants’ radar,” as is Edmonton Oil Kings’ assistant coach Steve Hamilton. . . . I was told Thursday that the Saskatoon Blades, who are in need of a general manager and head coach, also are wanting to chat with Hamilton, who is kind of busy at the Memorial Cup these days. Hamilton is wrapping up his fourth season as an assistant with the Oil Kings. Of course, should Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal move on after what has been another successful season, perhaps Hamilton would be in line for a promotion. When former GM Bob Green moved to the parent Edmonton Oilers, it was his assistant, Randy Hansch, who moved up, so there is at least some history in the organization of promoting from within.
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Matt Hughes is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Nelson Leafs of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Hughes, who was born in Fort St. John, B.C., and raised in Kamloops, was fired earlier this month after one season as general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. He has previous head-coaching experience in the KIJHL with the Columbia Valley Rockies. . . . Larry Martel, the interim president of the society that operates the Leafs, told the Nelson Daily that “there were 28 very good candidates from all over North America who applied. We interviewed eight the committee felt were the very best.” . . . Hughes takes over from Frank Maida, who resigned in April.
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Jay Wells has joined the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit as an assistant coach. Wells, a veteran of 18 seasons as an NHL defenceman, spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. . . . Wells and Spirit head coach Greg Gilbert played together on the 1993-94 New York Rangers, who won the Stanley Cup. . . . The Spirit, which earlier added former NHLer Phil Myre as its goaltending coach, also announced that associate coach John Kisil is returning.
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Head coach Brad Ralph and the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads have reached agreement on a two-year contract extension that will take him through 2016-17. The 33-year-old Ralph, who also is director of hockey operations, has been with Idaho for two seasons, reaching the playoffs in both. The Steelheads got into the second round this season, after losing out in the Western Conference final a year ago.
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Luke Strand is the new general manager and head coach of the Madison Capitols, who are preparing for their first season in the USHL. . . . Strand spent this season as general manager of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. From 2009-11, he was Sioux City’s head coach. He also has coach in the AHL, as an assistant coach with the Houston Aeros (2007-09) and Abbotsford Heat (2011-13). . . . With the Capitols, he replaces Steve Miller, who resigned last weekend.
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph 6, Val-d’Or 3 (8,796)
Tuesday: Val-d’Or 4, Edmonton 3 (2OT) (8,745)
Wednesday: Guelph 7, London 2 (8,863)
Thursday: No game scheduled.
Friday: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday: Final, 4 p.m.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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 From Vancouver Giants F Cain Franson (@frannyy12): “I asked my dad if he wanted something from the ice cream shop, he replied with ‘do they sell six packs there?’ #carl #whatabeauty #role model”
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From Adam Proteau (@Proteautype) of The Hockey News: “I'm sorry, but if you sit in public just chewing on a cigar, I reserve the right to imagine you talking like The Penguin from Batman.”

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.

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.

Defenceman Willie Mitchell of the Los Angeles Kings doesn’t like the word ‘concussion.’ He prefers ‘brain injury.’ And he has been there on more than one occasion. . . . Right here then is his description, in his own words, of what life is like when you are in the throes of such a brain injury.
Give that a read and then stop and think for a moment about how many hockey players had such injuries this season. And then ask yourself this: Are the people with the power doing all they can to prevent concussions?
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In Norfolk, Va., G Dustin Tokarski (Spokane, 2006-09) stopped 30 shots Saturday night as the Admirals beat the Toronto Marlies, 4-2, in Game 2 of the AHL final for the Calder Cup. . . . The Admirals hold a 2-0 lead with Game 3 in Toronto on Thursday. . . . The winner came from F Brandon Segal (Calgary, 1999-2004). He gave Norfolk a a 3-1 lead at 8:26 of the third period. D Keith Aulie (Brandon, 2005-09) picked started the play that led to Segal’s goal. . . . Aulie finished with two assists. . . . D Radko Gudas (Everett, 2009-10) had a strong outing for Norfolk. . . . F Greg Scott (Seattle, 2005-09) had five shots on goal for the Marlies, while F Colton Orr (Swift Current, Kamloops, Regina, 1998-2003) had three.
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By now you are aware that Johan Santana threw a no-hitter for the New York Mets on Friday night. It was the first no-hitter in Mets’ history, coming in the franchise’s 8,020th game.
For a great read, check out this column by Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post.
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Keith Olbermann — yes, that Keith Olbermann — is a huge baseball fan. And, yes, he has a blog. His take on Santana’s no-hitter is right here. Interestingly, Olbermann was at the game but he had to leave after two innings. It was the second time in his life that he left a no-hitter in the early innings.

Troy Bourke of the Prince George Cougars, here getting tight coverage
from Patrick Holland (41) of the Tri-City Cougars, beat goaltender
Ty Rimmer twice on Tuesday night.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 20 goals and 26 assists in 47 games this season with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga).
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The NHL in Saskatoon? Why not?
Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun spent 10 days in Saskatoon covering the Tim Hortons Brier (aka the Canadian men’s curling championship) and takes an extensive look at Toontown and the NHL right here.
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A note from a WHL fan who lives in Sudbury, Ont.:

JESSE WALLIN

“Is there any precedent in the WHL in giving coach of the year honours to someone whose team never made the playoffs?
“Because I think Jesse Wallin really deserves it.
“I can't think of any coach who's managed to keep his team together with all the injuries he's had to endure.
“The Rebels have won road games in tough buildings on a regular basis with 14 or 15 skaters.
“I don't know if coaches or media vote on this, but it would make a
real statement about the integrity of this league if he got the plaque.”
Can’t argue with that!
And as if to empasize the point, the Rebels, who won’t make the playoffs, went into Medicine Hat and beat the Tigers 4-2 last night.
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F Dylan Wruck of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who suffered a shoulder injury in a 7-4 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels, won’t play until at least the start of playoffs. Head coach Derek Laxdal has told Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal: “He’s doing OK. . . . We’re hoping to have him back for Game 1 of the playoffs, but it’s a wait-and-see approach right now.” . . . The Oil Kings, who will finish atop the Eastern Conference, have three games remaining and are a point behind the Tri-City Americans, who lead the overall standings. Should the Oil Kings win out, they will finish first overall. The Oil Kings are on the road against the Kootenay Ice tonight, the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday and Red Deer on Saturday.
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The Kelowna Rockets expect to have F Colton Sissons, their captain, back in their lineup on Friday night as they open a season-ending home-and-home series with the Vancouver Giants. They’ll play in Vancouver on Friday and in Kelowna on Saturday. . . . Sissons, who has been out with a concussion since Feb. 11, skated with contact on Tuesday. . . . Meanwhile, F Spencer Main, who also has been concussed, has skated, albeit without contact, and will see a doctor this week. Main hasn’t played since Oct. 23. . . . Neither will play tonight against the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that D Mitchell Chapman is likely to miss the Rockets’ last three regular-season games with an undisclosed injury. He should be ready to go when the playoffs open.
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If you think there’s a war going on with Brian Burke, the man who runs the Toronto Maple Leafs, and anyone in the media, well, forget it. It’s nothing. Howard Berger, who has been around the Leafs for a long time, has a piece right here that is all about the way it used to be . . . when Harold Ballard was around.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The QMJHL’s Baie Comeau Drakkar have fired head coach Mario Pouliot. The axe fell with three games left in the regular season and the Drakkar 2-7-1 in its last 10 games and tumbling from ninth to 14th place. Pouliot spent 114 games as the head coach, winning just 37. . . . General manager Steve Ahern has taken over as head coach.
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F Sven Baertschi of the Portland Winterhawks scored his second goal in three games with the NHL’s Calgary Flames last night. He got the game’s second goal in the Flames’ 3-2 victory over the visiting San Jose Sharks. . . . Former Chilliwack Bruins F Roman Horak drew an assist on Baertschi’s goal. . . . Interestingly, the Flames returned F Krys Kolanos to the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat after the game, while keeping Baertschi on emergency recall. Kolanos was a healthy scratch last night. . . . Baertschi played 20 shifts, including two in OT, totaling 14:06. . . . Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald has the details of Baertschi’s latest game right here.
In Tampa Bay, G Dustin Tokarski, a product of the Spokane Chiefs (2006-09), stopped 33 shots as the Lightning beat the Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins, 6-1. That was Tokarski’s first NHL victory. He was named the game’s second star. . . . This was his fifth appearance with Tampa Bay, three of which have come this season. This season, he is 1-1-0, 2.64, .906. . . .
I got a phone call on Tuesday from a fan of the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?), pointing out that I missed D Brandon Manning’s NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers last week. Manning played three games, finishing plus-2. He played 14:59, 14:01 and 13:57 against visiting Florida, in Toronto and in New Jersey, respectively. . . . With D Kimmo Timonen returning from injury and playing in last night’s 3-0 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils, Manning was a healthy scratch. But he took part in the morning skate and is still with the Flyers, at least as of last night.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Matej Stransky had a goal and four assists as the Blades beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 11-5. . . . The game was televised by Shaw and featured a third-period line brawl. . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey tied the game 5-5 on a PP just 37 seconds into the third period. . . . The Blades then scored six straight goals. . . . Stransky, 18, has 77 points, including 37 goals, in 68 games. Last season, he finished with 26 points, 14 of them goals, in 71 games. . . . Saskatoon got two goals from each of F Ryan Olsen, who has 15, Jake Trask, who has 22, and Travis McEvoy, who has six. . . . Prince Albert F Joey Santucci scored his first WHL goal while killing a penalty. Santucci, 17, is from Coquitlam, B.C. He was playing in his eighth game. . . . Saskatoon was 4-6 on the PP. . . . Referees Adam Byblow and Reagan Vetter gave the Raiders 86 of the game’s 165 penalty minutes. Ch-ch-ching! They handed out 85 minutes from a line dance at 14:37 of the third period. . . . Because of injuries, the Blades dressed only four defencemen. . . . The victory lifted the Blades one point ahead of Kootenay and Regina, into fifth in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Medicine Hat, D Alex Petrovic scored twice to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . Petrovic broke a 1-1 tie 39 seconds into the third period with PP goal. . . . F Tyson Ness upped the visitors’ lead to 3-1 with his 20th goal at 10:00. . . . Petrovic has 12 goals. . . . Medicine Hat D James Bettauer scored his 21st goal of the season. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 28 shots. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 31 shots but was unable to pick up his 40th victory of the season. . . . The Tigers had six players out with injuries; the Rebels, who had lost four in a row, scratched nine injured players. . . . Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, watched the game from the press box. “I wanted to take in the game from a little different perspective,” Wallin told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “You kind of remove the emotion a bit when you’re sitting up top, it’s a different point of evaluation.” . . . The Tigers remained third in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Calgary. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Calvin Pickard kicked out 41 shots to lead the host Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Pickard stopped Spokane F Steve Kuhn on a first-period penalty shot with the game still scoreless. . . . F Connor Honey scored twice, giving him eight this season, and F Seth Swenson ran his goal streak to three games with his 10th. Swenson also drew two assists. . . . F Brendan Rouse also had two assists for Seattle. . . . All three Seattle goals came via the PP as it went 3-4 with the man advantage. . . . The Chiefs’ PP was 0-6. . . . A note from @WHLFacts: “It's now been 150 games since someone not named Calvin Pickard has won a @SeattleTbirds game.” . . . The Thunderbirds are ninth in the Western Conference but now are just one point behind the Victoria Royals. Seattle has three games remaining, while Victoria has two to play. . . . The Chiefs are fifth, two points behind Vancouver. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., D Jesse Forsberg scored at 1:02 of OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The goal was Forsberg’s fifth this season. . . . F Troy Bourke scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 18, while F Spencer Asuchak, who began his WHL career with the Americans, had his 16th goal and an assist. . . . Prince George also got two assists from F Caleb Belter. . . . The Cougars erased a 3-1 deficit and took a 4-3 lead on Bourke’s second goal at 12:42 of the second. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman forced OT with his 48th goal at 3:52 of the third. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley stopped 31 shots, 12 more than Tri-City’s Ty Rimmer. . . . Owsley has 98 career victories, 76 of them with the Americans, who dealt him to the Cougars for Rimmer over the summer. . . . Hughesman scored twice, giving him nine goals in his last five games, and added an assist. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin scored his 58th goal and added an assist. The WHL’s leading scorer ran his point streak to 21 games and is the first WHLer to 130 points since F Pavel Brendl put up 134 with the Calgary Hitmen in 1998-99. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland had two assists, meaning he has at least one assist in 18 straight games. . . . Holland also finished minus-4. . . . The Cougars kept their playoff hopes alive. With two games remaining, they are three points behind eighth-place Victoria. . . . The Americans lead the overall standings by one point over Edmonton and are two points ahead of Portland atop the Western Conference. . . . Edmonton has three games left, while Tri-City has two to play. So if the Oil Kings run the table they would finish first overall.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Jesse Forsberg, Prince George.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Medicine Hat (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Calgary (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Victoria (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Everett (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TODAY’S GAMES
Moose Jaw at Brandon
Lethbridge at Calgary
Edmonton at Kootenay
Prince Albert at Regina
Everett at Kelowna
Kamloops at Spokane
Portland at Victoria

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