I have known Glen Erickson for a long time. We first met in the late 1980s when I was the sports editor at the Regina Leader-Post and he was running a hotel in Saskatoon.
Years later, I ended up in Kamloops and Glen wound up in Kelowna where he has worked in the golf industry and written about junior hockey. He is a familiar face in the arenas and on the golf courses in this part of the world. And he has never forgotten Saskatchewan, where he has been known to play the odd round of golf when he visits.
I hadn’t seen Glen since the last hockey season when he was hale and hearty.
So imagine my shock on Tuesday when I discovered that Glen has been diagnosed with cancer, all of which began with a lump on his neck.
Anyway . . . he has started radiation and chemo treatments and is documenting it all on a blog titled It’s A Mental Game.
Meanwhile, in Regina, Shelley Lowes continues to take on the big C with the courage of a champion.
She, too, is documenting the battle and, yes, I am a regular visitor to her blog.
Shelley is the wife of Bob Lowes, a former WHLer player and coach who now scouts for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.
Shelley’s blog is titled We can . . . with love!
And she is proving that, yes, we can. In her most-recent posting, on Tuesday morning, Shelley writes: “WAAAAAHOOO!! 11 of 12 is today! The light is getting brighter!”
You are able to find both blogs over there on the right. Please stop and visit them both and keep Shelley, Glen and their families in your thoughts.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Mike Bayrack (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Prince George, 1995-99) signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). He had 29 goals and 37 assists in 47 games with the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite) last season. . . .
F Ty Morris (Swift Current, Vancouver, Red Deer, 2003-05) was released by the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) after his try-out contract had expired. He had one goal in two games during his try-out. Last season, Morris, who holds dual German-Canadian citizenship, had five goals and 24 assists in 31 games with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). . . .
D Michal Rozsival (Swift Current, 1996-98) signed a lockout contract with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal and 12 assists in 54 games with the Phoenix Coyotes last season. Rozsival signed a one-year, $2-million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on Sept. 11.
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One year after revealing a loss of $197,226 for the 2010-11 season, the community-owned Swift Current Broncos announced Tuesday night that they are showing a profit of $4,238 on the 2011-12 season.
If there any doubts in your mind about how hard organizations like the Broncos, who play in the smallest market in all of the CHL, have to work in order to survive, consider that the hockey operation lost $964,064.
According to a news release from the Broncos, “Additional revenues from drafted NHL players, the World Junior Hockey Championship and increases in Corporate Sponsorship, Corporate Suites and Fundraising provided enough monetary support.”
For 2010-11, the hockey operation’s deficit was $882,587. I can’t find the story at the moment, but I believe the hockey operation’s deficit was more than $800,000 for 2009-10, as well. This really does show just how hard the good folks of Swift Current work to keep their Broncos.
Here’s more from Tuesday night’s news release:
“Income from ticket sales and per game attendance was slightly greater than the previous year with average attendance at 2,204 (up from 2,136 the previous year). Fundraising events continued to grow this past season as revenue from these events increased from $42,865 to $77,063 this past year. Concession and souvenir sales stayed relatively the same from the previous year. The club also announced that they recorded 797 hours of community service last year (up from recent years).”
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The NHL has cut a deal with the CHL under which players could be recalled from major junior teams should the NHL lockout come to an end.
These would be players who aren’t in their 20-year-old season. These players, all of whom have been drafted, could be recalled and go through training camp with their NHL teams. They then would have to stay with the NHL teams or be returned to their junior teams, as per present regulations.
Bob McKenzie of TSN reported Tuesday that WHL players on that list include D Mathew Dumba, Red Deer Rebels (Minnesota Wild); D Ryan Murray, Everett Silvertips (Columbus Blue Jackets); D David Musil, Vancouver Giants (Edmonton Oilers); D Derrick Pouliot, Portland Winterhawks (Pittsburgh Penguins); F Ty Rattie, Portland (St. Louis Blues); D Morgan Rielly, Moose Jaw Warriors (Toronto Maple Leafs); D Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton Oil Kings (New York Islanders); and F Matej Stransky, Saskatoon Blades (Dallas Stars).
The NHL and CHL will monitor the situation as the lockout continues. Should it run into January, you can bet there will be adjustments made.
Don’t forget that Calgary Hitmen F Victor Rask, 19, is eligible to play in the AHL because the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him out of Sweden.
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The Regina Pats have traded D Brandon Underwood, 20, to the Red Deer Rebels for a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Underwood began his career with the Kamloops Blazers, who traded him to Regina prior to last season. He had 13 points and 76 penalty minutes in 54 games with Regina last season. A broken foot from a blocked shot resulted in his missing a chunk of games. . . . In 205 regular-season games, the native of San Marcos, Calif., has 30 points, five of them goals, and 349 penalty minutes. . . . The move leaves Red Deer with four 20-year-olds — Underwood and forwards Turner Elson, who is under contract to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, Charles Inglis and Adam Kambeitz. . . . Regina, meanwhile, also has four on its roster — G Matt Hewitt, D Colton Jobke, F Andrew Rieder and F Lane Scheidl. Jobke, however, is going to camp with the AHL’s Houston Aeros, so his future is up in the air, while Rieder continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. . . . The Rebels are scheduled to visit Regina on Oct. 5.
“It’s unfortunate we have to make decisions based on the kid’s age,” Regina general manager Chad Lang told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “This one was even a little more difficult in the fact that I truly believe the acquisitions of him and Jobke early in the season were huge contributing factors to our success. They really played a significant role in changing the culture of our dressing room and the dynamics of our hockey club. It’s always hard to have to part with those guys. For what (Underwood) has done for our organization it’s almost a bit of reward to find him a spot and ensure he can play out his 20-year-old year in the WHL.”
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Charles Inglis (@CharlesInglis) of the Red Deer Rebels: “Tweeter feed just got littered with suspensions from the whl, I guess open ice hits arnt apart of the game anymore.”
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JUST NOTES:
The Regina Pats will be without head coach Pat Conacher as they play three games over the next four nights. Conacher has left the team to tend to an undisclosed family matter. Assistant coaches Malcolm Cameron and Josh Dixon will handle the coaching duties. . . . The Pats visit the Swift Current Broncos tonight, the Kootenay Ice on Friday and the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday. . . .

Barclay Parneta

The Tri-City Americans have extended the contract of Barclay Parneta, their prospect development coach and head scout, through 2014-15. Parneta has been with the Americans since August 2010. Before that, he spent seven seasons as an NHL scout, with the St. Louis Blues and Phoenix Coyotes. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades have assigned F Drake Bodie, 17, to an unnamed team. Brodie, from Thompson, Man., played in four exhibition games and one regular-season game before the move. He was a seventh-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . The Blades now are carrying 23 players, including seven defencemen and 14 forwards. . . .
F Jayce Hawryluk, 16, has been medically cleared and was back taking part in a full practice with the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday. He suffered a concussin the Wheat Kings’ intrasquad game. . . . Brandon F Geordie Maguire isn’t expected to play tonight against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. He has the dreaded lower-body injury. . . .
Two players who lost out in the 20-year-old game have, as expected, surfaced in the junior A ranks. F Christian Magnus, who was dropped by the Swift Current Broncos, is with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires, while F Taylor Makin, released by the Vancouver Giants, has joined the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. . . .
D Dylan Kuczek, who had two points in 33 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings last season, has joined the MJHL’s Portage Terriers. Kuczek, 18, is from Winnipeg.
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THE COACHING GAME:
With a new season about to start, the U of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers have announced a coaching change, with Kurt Kleinendorst replacing Chris Luongo. . . . The school didn’t give a reason for Luongo’s departure, other than to say that he resigned. . . . Kleinendorst spent the last two seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. . . . Luongo was the head coach for the last two seasons, going 6-53-3. . . . UAH is the lone independent in U.S. college hockey.
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Might the OHL’s Brantford Battalion be on the move, perhaps to North Bay? Dave Pollard of the Toronto Sun thinks so and his reasoning is right here.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Mike Card (Kelowna, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had four goals and 18 assists in 46 games with Alleghe (Italy, Serie A) last season. Card is scheduled to arrive in Tingsryd on Sunday and is expected to play in Tingsryd's exhibition game on Wednesday against Troja/Ljungby.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers shuffled the deck a bit on Friday, with head coach Shaun Clouston also assuming the general manager’s duties and former GM Brad McEwen dropping down to assistant GM.
McEwen had been the Tigers’ GM since July 16, 2010. He took over from Willie Desjardins, who had been the GM and head coach before moving to the NHL’s Dallas Stars as associate coach. Desjardins now is head coach of the AHL’s Texas Stars.
Before moving up to GM, McEwen had been the Tigers’ director of scouting for three years.
McEwen, 51, and his family live at Round Lake, in Saskatchewan’s Qu’Appelle Valley. Their home suffered flood damage in the spring of 2011 and I am told that it bothered McEwen that he had to leave for training camp before everything was looked after. That, combined with having children in school, helped McEwen decide that he wasn’t going to relocate to Medicine Hat and that perhaps a change was needed.
He also loves scouting more than anything else.
“Honestly, that is what I enjoy doing,” McEwen told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News. “For me, I knew what I had to do.
“Personally and family-wise, you go and streamline your job (and) you have a little more ability and a little more flexibility. It works much better for me personally and my family.
“I think it is going to be real good.”
Clouston, 44, is preparing for his 10th season with the Tigers. An assistant coach under Desjardins, Clouston took over as head coach upon Desjardins’ departure.
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Well, that takes care of that!
The Michigan Daily has published a clarification involving its story of June 28 in which it claimed that D Jacob Trouba wouldn’t play for the U of Michigan Wolverines, choosing instead to join the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. The OHL team, according to a Daily source, had offered Trouba $200,000 to change his mind.
The Rangers later filed a lawsuit against the paper and writer Matt Slovin.
With the clarification and the Daily’s having removed the original story from its website, the Rangers had dropped their lawsuit.
That clarification is right here.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports has more on that story right here. Her story includes news that the Rangers continue to proceed with part of their lawsuit. That would be the part against the Daily’s source, named in the statement of claim as John Doe.
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If you haven’t already, visit Small Thoughts at Large over there on the right. Alan Caldwell has put up his annual mileage chart that shows how far each of the WHL teams will travel this season.
He also has a team-by-team look at the 20-year-old situations across the league.
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The Prince George Cougars have released F Greg Fraser, 20, who was a 15th-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft. From Nanaimo, B.C., Fraser played 252 regular-season games with the Cougars, picking up 73 points, including 46 goals. . . . Fraser has decided to get on with his education. . . . His departure leaves the Cougars with four 20s on their roster — D Dallas Ehrhardt, F Campbell Elynuik, D Dan Gibb and F Brock Hirsche. . . . Meanwhile, F Brad Morrison, the seventh overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft, has moved back to Prince George and is expected to play for the major midget Cariboo Cougars this season. Morrison played last season with the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, putting up 141 points, including 83 goals.
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D Dylan Kuczek, 18, has told the Brandon Wheat Kings that he won’t be returning. Kuczek, from Winnipeg, was a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. He had two points and 27 penalty minutes in 33 games before a shoulder injury ended his season . . . . What happened? . . . “He just wanted to move on and do other things,” Brandon owner/GM Kelly McCrimmon told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “He had a tough time with injuries and just decided that he wanted to pursue other interests.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes are down to four 20-year-olds with the news that D Tyler Kizuik won’t be returning; instead, he is off to the U of Lethbridge where he will play for the Pronghorns. Kizuik was acquired by the Hurricanes early in 2010-11 from the Saskatoon Blades. He also played with the Prince George Cougars. Last season, he had four goals and 43 penalty minutes in 58 games with the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge’s roster now features F Nick Buonassisi, F Graham Hood, D Daniel Johnston and G Ty Rimmer as the 20s.
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Pour yourself a cup of coffee and make sure there’s more at hand. Because right here is today’s good read and it’s terrific.
Jane Leavy, who is a terrific writer, profiles Dr. Ann McKee, the woman who would save football. This piece is from grantland.com and it is amazing.
Leavy, by the way, is the author of two great baseball books — Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy and The Last Boy, Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood. If you haven’t already read them, you should.

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N-H-L L-O-C-K-O-U-T!
That is just in case anyone asks if you know how to spell lockout.
Because it is coming and it’s coming in a big hurry.
The Detroit Red Wings’ annual eight-team prospects tournament that is held in Traverse City, Mich., was cancelled on Thursday. Every year, dozens of junior-aged prospects played for rookie teams in the tournament. But not this year.
The Traverse City wing-ding . . . the five-team Penticton Young Guns tournament that had become a fixture over the last few years . . . a handful of NHL exhbition games in Europe . . . have I missed anything on the list of cancellations.
For what it’s worth, I’m not expecting to see NHL teams in action at all in 2012-13. The gulf between the NHL and NHLPA right now is best described as an abyss. In the end, all you have to do is follow the money, and the biggest stumbling block is going to involve revenue sharing, something the richest franchises don’t even want mentioned.
How bizarre is all of this? Consider that Ed Snider is a big wheel in the NHL. He is the chairman of Comcast Spectacor, a company that owns, among other things, the Philadelphia Flyers and Comcast SportsNet. The first offer made by Snider and the owners to the players called for cap length of five years on player contracts. The Flyers — Snider’s Flyers — signed forward Wayne Simmonds to a new contract this week that is six years in length.
You figure it out!
One other thing . . . the NHLPA has never been led by someone like Donald Fehr. The NHL and its team owners are about to find out what baseball learned a long time ago – Fehr is the real deal.
There won’t be any capitulating by the players this time around.
Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, has never been one to capitulate.
So, hockey fans, get ready to take another one you know where.
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F Brad Hoban, who played 325 games with the Swift Current Broncos, has decided to attend the U of British Columbia (UBC) and play for the Thunderbirds. Hoban put up 176 points, including 69 goals, while with Swift Current. Last season, in 69 games, he had a 53 points, 21 of them goals.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings added some toughness on the back end and firmed up their 20-year-old situation, at least for now, by acquiring D Tyler Yaworski from the Prince Albert Raiders on Thursday. . . . Brandon sent a fifth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft the other way. . . . Yaworski, who has three WHL seasons under his belt, had 23 points and 188 penalty minutes in 71 games last season. . . . Brandon’s other 20s are D Ryley Miller and F Dominick Favreau. . . . The Raiders, meanwhile, are down to three 20-year-olds — F Anthony Bardaro and D Antoine Corbin, along with G Luke Siemens, who was acquired earlier from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Wheat Kings also revealed that D Dylan Kuczek, an 18-year-old Winnipegger, “has informed the club that he will not be returning.” Kuczek, a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, had two points and 27 penalty minutes in 33 games last season.
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The Everett Silvertips have added D Landon Oslanski, 20, to their roster after claiming him on waivers from the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Oslanski was selected by the Spokane Chiefs in the third round of the 2007 bantam draft. He played one game with the Chiefs before being dealt to Lethbridge as part of the swap that moved F Kyle Beach to Spokane.
In 207 career games, Oslanski has 70 points, including 16 goals, and 239 penalty minutes.
The addition of Oslanski leaves Everett with five 20s on its roster, the others being G Brandon Anderson, who has signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals and could open the season in their organization, and forwards J.T. Barnett, Cody Fowlie and Ryan Harrison. Anderson’s rights were acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings last month.
The Hurricanes’ roster still includes five 20-year-olds — D Daniel Johnston, D Tyler Kizuik, F Graham Hood, F Nick Buonassisi and G Ty Rimmer, the latter having been acquired from the Tri-City Americans in May.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports here that G Andrey Makarov of the Saskatoon Blades “has accepted an invitation to the Buffalo Sabres’ training camp next month.” The move was confirmed by Jay Grossman, Makarov’s agent. . . . Makarov, one of Russia’s top junior-aged goaltenders, was selected in the NHL’s 2012 draft, despite being ranked seventh among draft-eligible goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting. . . . After the draft, Makarov, 19, was in the Florida Panthers’ development camp.
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F Ryan Hanes, a 20-year-old who was placed on waivers by the Kamloops Blazers, hadn't heard from any team or teams as of Thursday evening. "Hopefully, I can go somewhere and play," he wrote in a text last night. . . . With the Blazers a week from training camp, Hanes found himself fifth on the Blazers' 20-year-old depth chart. Assuming he cleared WHL waivers, Hanes now is a free agent.
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David Robinson, who played two-plus seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?), is getting into the coaching game. After spending last season at the U of Calgary, Robinson is returning to his hometown of Vernon and will work as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Vipers. After leaving the Bruins, Robinson finished the 2009-10 season with the Vipers and captained the team the following season.
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And, finally, a tip of the cap in the direction of the Danbury Whalers of the Federal Hockey League. The Whalers have made a key signing in the person of Dan Barletta. There aren’t a whole lot of hockey teams who employ organists, but the Whalers now are one of them. There’s more right here.


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Down the stretch they come . . .

It is fair to say that the WHL is into the stretch run. Every team but one, the Tri-City Americans, has played at least 50 games. And there are some awfully interesting playoff races on the go.
It would seem safe to say that things are going to get awfully heated between now and March 20, the final night of the regular season.
There are 10 games scheduled for tonight and there are some interesting matchups.
The Regina Pats, for example, are in Brandon to play the Wheat Kings. The Pats are 11^th in the 12-team Eastern Conference, three points behind the Wheat Kings, who hold down the last playoff spot.
The Seattle Thunderbirds visit the Silvertips in Everett, knowing that they need to stop their nine-game losing streak if they are to make the playoffs. The Thunderbirds are 10^th in the 10-team Western Conference, two points out of a playoff spot and six points behind Everett, which has won four in a row.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are in Prince Albert to meet the Raiders, with both teams tied for ninth in the East, one point behind Brandon and two behind the seventh-place Swift Current Broncos, who have lost seven in a row and are at home to the fourth-place Medicine Hat Tigers.
And the Spokane Chiefs are in Kennewick, Wash., where they will meet the Americans. The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, but are just three points behind the Portland Winterhawks and just one ahead of Tri-City. The Americans hold two games in hand on the Chiefs and four on the Winterhawks.
Meanwhile, the Chilliwack Bruins will cross the Coquihalla to Kamloops where they will tangle with the Blazers, showcasing again what is turning into a nasty, nasty rivalry.
In fact, Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progess reports that the coaches -- Kamloops head coach Guy Charron and Chilliwack head coach Marc Habscheid -- seem to be embroiled in something of a war of words.
It seems that Charron had a few things to say on Radio NL’s postgame show after his club scored a 5-1 victory in Chilliwack on Saturday in a game that featured some late scraps and a biting allegation.
Habscheid, ordinarily a man of few words, wasn’t reserved in firing back.
Each team is 2-7-1 in its last 10 games, so perhaps frustrations are starting to boil over on the ice and behind the benches.
The teams meet tonight in Kamloops and again Saturday in Chilliwack.
For your reading enjoyment, check out Welsh’s piece right here.
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These are not good times in the camp of the Swift Current Broncos. Jordan Wall, the team’s director of business operations, tells Chris Jaster of the Prairie Post that falling attendance figures have put the organization in a tough financial position. That story is right here.
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Unless some local investors come forward between now and March 4, the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats will be on their way to Whitecourt, Alta. Carl Carter of the Lloydminster Meridian Booster has the story right here.
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Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald takes a look at F Jimmy Bubnick of the Calgary Hitmen, including his latest facial cut. This one took about 20 stitches to close and, yes, there’s a photo. It’s all right here.
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D Luca Sbisa (Lethbridge, Portland, 2007-10) is beginning to carve out what he hopes is a long NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks. Mark Whicker of the Orange Country Register checks in with him right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Brandon Wheat Kings have recalled D Dylan Kuczek, 16, from the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. He was a second-round selection by the Wheat Kings in the 2009 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 205-pounder has 18 points and 69 penalty minutes in 30 games with the Thrashers. . . . The Wheat Kings are short of defencemen, having lost Brodie Melnychuk to a broken leg and Spencer Galbraith to a one-game suspension for a charging major incurred in Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Regina Pats tonight. . . . F James Henry (knee) hasn’t played for the Vancouver Giants since being injured on Dec. 27 in a 4-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers. The Giants, having won seven of their last eight games, meet the Hitmen in Calgary tonight and they hope to have Henry back in the lineup. . . .
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Here’s how Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports began his report on the firing of a QMJHL coach this week: “This actually happened: Tuesday, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens took the team picture with Richard Martel in it; and by Wednesday, he was out of the picture.”
Click!