Showing posts with label Ed Willes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed Willes. Show all posts

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Kamloops mourns loss of legend . . . Blades hold off Pats . . . Halbgewachs continues tear

ANDY CLOVECHOK
Andy Clovechok, who was Mr. Hockey in Kamloops, died on Saturday night at the age of 93.
In his latter years, Clovechok was part of induction ceremonies held by the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in Red Deer, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver, the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame and the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame in Red Deer. Back in the day, he was a dynamite player with the Edmonton Flyers, who won the 1948 Allan Cup, and the Vancouver Canucks when they won the 1945-46 Pacific Coast Hockey League championship.
Clovechok won the PCHL scoring title that season, with 103 points, including 56 goals.
His name also is on a Blazers Legend banner that hangs from the rafters in the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. He served for 24 years on the Blazers’ board of directors when the franchise was owned and operated by the non-profit Kamloops Blazers Sports Society.
Clovechok and his lovely wife, Molly, were married for more than 69 years.
If you click right here you will find a story I wrote on Clovechok as he was about to be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame with the Canucks.
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D Jason Fram, who played five seasons (2011-16) with the Spokane Chiefs, has chosen to end his professional career and return to school. From Delta, B.C., Fram, 21, will attend the U of Alberta and play for the Golden Bears when the Christmas break is over. . . . In 308 regular-season games with Spokane, he had 187 points, including 155 assists. He was an eighth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . This season, he was pointless in two games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and had two goals in six games with the ECHL’s Allen Americans.
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Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province has a column right here that explains how consumers are getting hosed in the world of new media. The sad thing is that he is hammering the nail right on the head, but it won’t matter. . . . How else to explain the fact that the folks at Rogers, who are mentioned here by Willes, assign Cassie Campbell-Pascall to provide analysis on a Saturday night NHL game involving Calgary when she is married to one of the Flames’ assistant general managers? It seems that neither optics nor perception matter to the pooh-bahs these days.  
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If you’ve got a comment, some information you would like to pass along, or if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to the cause, please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Edmonton, the Kamloops Blazers opened a six-game tour of the Central Division with a 3-2 victory
DYLAN FERGUSON
over the Oil Kings. . . . F Collin Shirley, the team captain, led Kamloops with two goals, giving him 13 this season. . . . F Erik Miller, who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 3:24 of the first period. . . . Shirley upped the lead to 2-0 at 1:56 of the second period, on a PP. . . . Edmonton F Nick Bowman scored his first goal, at 13:38, and it was the Teddy Bear Goal. . . . Shirley added insurance at 18:41 of the second. . . . F Colton Kehler (8) scored 56 seconds into the third period to get the Oil Kings to within a goal. . . . Kamloops F Garrett Pilon drew three assists. . . . With G Connor Ingram in the Canadian junior team’s selection camp, the Blazers have turned to Dylan Ferguson. He made 36 saves to record the victory. . . . The Oil Kings got 34 stops from Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 1-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-5. . . . The Blazers (18-12-1) have won four in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Oil Kings (14-15-2) have lost two straight. They hold down one of the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card playoff spots. . . . Kamloops lost F Matt Revel with an undisclosed injury in this one. . . . Announced attendance: 18,102.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Jake Kryski and F Calvin Thurkauf each had two goals and two assists to help the
CALVIN THURKAUF
Kelowna Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Thurkauf, who has 15 goals, scored twice in the first period as the visitors took a 3-0 lead. . . . Kelowna F Rod Southam (8) scored a shorthanded goal between Thurkauf’s goals. . . . Ice D Troy Murray scored the Teddy Bear Goal at 1:51 of the second period. . . . Kelowna F Leif Mattson (2) got that one back at 3:37 for a 4-1 lead. . . . Ice F Vince Loschiavo (10) made it 4-2 at 4:15, but Kelowna scored the next three goals, with F Kole Lind getting No. 17 and Kryski scoring twice. He’s got nine. . . . F Max Patterson, the son of former NHLer Ed Patterson, completed the scoring with his third goal, on a PP, at 10:37 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Brodan Salmond stopped 15 shots. . . . Kootenay starter Payton Lee allowed five goals on 17 shots through two periods. Jakob Walter came on in relief and stopped six of eight shots in the third period. . . . The Rockets got two assists from F Tomas Soustal, while Southam added one to his goal. . . . Ice F Zak Zborosky had two assists. . . . Kootenay was 2-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-5. . . . The Rockets (19-11-1) are 6-0-1 in their last seven games. They are second in the B.C. Division, seven points behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Ice (6-19-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,739.
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At Medicine Hat, F Chad Butcher and F Mason Shaw each had two goals and an assist as the Tigers dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 7-4. . . . Medicine Hat took control of this one with four first-period goals. . . . F Max Gerlach (20) scored the Teddy Bear Goal, on a PP, at 5:26. Butcher got No. 13 at 6:21. F Ryan Chyzowski (4) followed at 9:58. Shaw got his seventh at 16:09. . . . Calgary F Andrew Fyten (3) cut into the lead at 1:22 of the second period, but the Tigers scored twice before the period ended. F John Dahlstrom (16) struck at 3:57 and Butcher got his 14th at 18:30. . . . The Hitmen made things interesting with three third-period goals, to get to within 6-4. F Justyn Gurney (1) scored at 2:33, followed by F Jakob Stukel (8) at 9:37 and F Matteo Gennaro (10) at 12:05. . . . Shaw finished it with an empty-netter at 19:50. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko, F Ryan Jevne and D David Quenneville each had two assists for the Tigers. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 34 shots in earning his WHL-leading 20th victory. . . . The Hitmen got 33 stops from Cody Porter. . . . The Tigers were 1-6 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-2. . . . Medicine Hat (22-10-1) snapped a five-game losing streak. The lead the Central Division by seven points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Calgary (11-15-2) had won its previous three games and is six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,629.
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At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs, the WHL’s leading sniper, scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Warriors a 5-4 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Halbgewachs scored his 25th goal and
JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS
added two assists in regulation time. . . . F Carson Miller’s first goal put the Raiders out front at 7:46 of the first period. . . . The Warriors then scored three in a row. . . . D Josh Thrower got the Teddy Bear Goal, his second, at 12:13. . . . F Noah Gregor (16) put the Warriors out front 42 seconds into the second period. . . . F Tanner Jeannot’s ninth goal put Moose Jaw ahead 3-1 at 1:13. . . . The Raiders tied it on second-period goals from F Spencer Moe (2), at 7:22, and F Cavin Leth (7), at 16:24. . . . Halbgewachs gave the Warriors a 4-3 lead with his 25th goal, at 1:11 of the third period. He’s got goals in eight straight games. . . . Moe forced OT with his second goal of the game at 12:03. . . . Jeannot also had an assist. . . . Moe added an assist to his brace of goals, while D Zack Hayes drew two helpers for the Raiders. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 37 shots for the victory, five more than Prince Albert’s Nic Sanders. . . . The Raiders were 0-2 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-4. . . . The Warriors (18-6-5) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They are second in the East Division, seven points behind the Regina Pats . . . The Raiders (6-23-2) have lost four in a row (0-3-1) and are 16 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Warriors dressed only 16 skaters. D Matt Sozanski (shoulder) and F Brett Howden (Team Canada selection camp) were among the scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 3,305.
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At Portland, F Skyler McKenzie scored three goals, including the Teddy Bear Goal, as the Winterhawks
SKYLER McKENZIE
beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-2. . . . McKenzie, who has 20 goals, opened the scoring with the Teddy Bear Goal at 2:31 of the first period. . . . The Silvertips then took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Patrick Bajkov (16), at 5:35 of the first period, and F Matt Fonteyne (7), on a PP, 30 seconds into the second period. . . . F Dominic Zwerger had two assists for Everett. . . . Portland F Keegan Iverson (13) tied the score at 6:20 of the second period and F Joachim Blichfeld (11) broke the deadlock at 8:17. . . . McKenzie, who also had an assist, completed his hat trick with a shorthanded goal, at 16:54 of the second, and a PP goal 50 seconds into the third. . . . According to Todd Vrooman, the Winterhawks’ radio voice, the last Portland player to score three times, including the Teddy Bear Goal, in the same game was F Joe Balej. He did it on Dec. 11, 1999, in a 5-4 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . McKenzie has 20 goals and 20 assists in 32 games this season. He went into this season with 12 goals and 29 assists in 138 regular-season games. . . . Iverson added three assists to his goal, while Blichfeld had one. . . . Portland G Cole Kehler made 39 saves, while Everett’s Mario Petit blocked 33. . . . Everett was without G Carter Hart and D Noah Juulsen, both of whom are at the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. . . . The Silvertips were 1-3 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 1-6. . . . The Winterhawks had lost nine straight games to Everett. . . . Portland (18-13-1) has won three in a row; it is 10-1-1 in its last 12 games. It is third in the U.S. Division, four points out of second. . . . Everett (21-4-5) had been 6-0-1 in its previous seven games. It leads the U.S. Division by six points over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Announced attendance: 10,095.
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At Prince George, D Brendan Guhle broke a 4-4 tie at 19:48 of the third period and the Cougars went on
BRENDAN GUHLE
to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-4. . . . Guhle, in his first game since returning from playing three games with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, had two goals. He has seven goals this season, five of them in five games with the Cougars since he was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Josh Curtis (4) and F Josh Maser (1) gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead with goals at 11:27 and 11:39 of the second period. . . . Seattle F Sami Moilanen got one of those back at 11:39, but Guhle scored his first goal at 14:15 for a 3-1 edge. . . . Moilanen, who has 10 goals, came right back, at 14:42. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison’s 13th goal gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead at 15:18. . . . The visitors tied it on goals from F Scott Eansor 915), at 7:49 of the third period, and F Keegan Kolesar (3), at 18:36. . . . Curtis, who also had an assist, added an empty-netter at 19:56. . . . F Jansen Harkins had two assists for Prince George. . . . Eansor had two assists for Seattle and Moilanen had one. . . . The Cougars got 37 saves from G Nick McBride, while Rylan Toth stopped 24 for Seattle. . . . Prince George was 0-4 on the PP; Seattle was 0-6. . . . The Cougars (22-8-2) had lost 3-2 to Seattle on Friday night. Prince George is two points out of top spot in the overall standings. . . . The Thunderbirds now are 16-11-3. They are in possession of a wild-card playoff spot and are just two points out of third place in the U.S. Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,775.
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At Red Deer, F Brandon Hagel scored twice and F Michael Spacek had a goal and two assists to help the
BRANDON HAGEL
Rebels to a 6-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first three and last three goals. . . . Hagel now has 16 goals, as does Spacek. . . . The Rebels grabbed a 3-0 first-period lead on goals from F Evan Polei (13), Hagel and Spacek. . . . Brandon F Caiden Daley scored his first goal, on a PP, at 17:10 of the first period, but Red Deer D Jared Freadrich scored his third goal just 1:23 later. . . . Hagel scored his second goal, on a PP, in the second period. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Cutler scored his first goal at 15:07 of the third period. . . . The Rebels got two assists from each of D Colton Bobyk, F Austin Pratt and F Adam Musil, while Freadrich added one to his goal. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 22 shots for Red Deer, four fewer than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny. . . . The Rebels were 2-8 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-8. . . . Red Deer (16-12-5) is 3-0-1 in its last four games. The Rebels are third in the Central Division, one point behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Wheat Kings (13-14-4) are 0-5-1 in their last six games. They went 1-6-1 on the road trip that ended last night, but remain in possession of a wild-card playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,471.
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At Regina, F Jesse Shynkaruk scored 35 seconds into OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 2-1 victory
LOGAN FLODELL
over the Pats. . . . It was the first time this season that the Pats were held to fewer than two goals. . . . Shynkaruk has 10 goals this season. . . . F Robbie Holmes scored his first goal of the season to give Regina a 1-0 lead at 1:32 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon tied it on F Gage Ramsay’s fourth goal, at 17:44 of the second period. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks had his point streak snapped at 22 games. He put up 48 points, including 34 assists, in those 22 games. . . . Holmes has three career WHL goals, all against the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Logan Flodell, who is from Regina, was sharp in making 39 saves. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 29 shots for the Pats. . . . The Pats were 0-2 on the PP; the Blades were 0-4. . . . D Chase Harrison (concussion), F Sam Steel and F Austin Wagner were among Regina’s scratches. The latter two are in the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. . . . The Blades improved to 12-18-2. They now are four points away from a playoff spot. . . . Regina (21-2-6) has points in eight straight (5-0-3). The loser point allowed the Pats to stay atop the overall standings, one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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At Swift Current, D Brennan Menell scored 43 seconds into OT to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 5-4
BRENNAN MENELL
victory over the Broncos. . . . Menell has five goals this season. . . . The Hurricanes led the one 4-1 early in the third period, only to have the Broncos force extra time. . . . F Jordy Bellerive (12), who also had an assist, gave the Hurricanes a 1-1 lead at 1:32 of the first period. His 12 goals came in 30 games. Last season, he finished with 11 in 65 games. . . . The Broncos tied it on F Ryan Graham’s ninth goal, just 26 seconds later. . . . The Hurricanes scored the next three goals, with F Tanner Nagel getting No. 5 at 10:57, F Colton Kroeker notching his fourth at 17:38 and F Brett Davis getting his first at 7:43 of the second. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi (7) got the comeback started 30 seconds into the third period. . . . D Colby Sissons cut the deficit to one with his fourth goal, at 11:10. . . . F Lane Pederson (14) tied it at 13:42. . . . The Broncos got two assists from D Max Lajoie, with Graham and Heponiemi each getting one. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist earned the victory with 38 saves, 12 more than Taz Burman of the Broncos. . . . Swift Current was 1-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-3. . . . The Hurricanes (17-11-4) have points in 11 straight (10-0-1) and are second in the Central Division. . . . The Broncos (15-10-7) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are third in the East Division, four points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Announced attendance: 1,828.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Tyler Sandhu scored the game’s first and last goals and added two assists to l
TYLER SANDHU
ead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Sandhu, who has eight goals, scored the Teddy Bear Goal just 36 seconds into the first period. . . . F Morgan Geekie upped the lead to 2-0 at 6:34. . . . The Royals tied it as F Matt Phillips scored his 23rd goal, on a penalty shot, at 16:50 of the first, and F Regan Nagy got his 10th, at 2:57 of the second period. . . . Geekie broke the tie with his 16th goal, on a PP, at 8:05. . . . Royals F Jack Walker (14), who also had an assist, tied it 3-3 just 21 seconds into the third period. . . . Sandhu scored the game-winner on a PP at 2:24 of the third. . . . The Americans got two assists from each of F Vladislav Lukin and D Juuso Valimaki. . . . The Americans got 29 stops from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . At the other end, Griffen Outhouse stopped 30 shots. . . . Tri-City was 3-5 on the PP; the Royals were 0-4. . . . The Americans (19-11-3) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. They are second in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Royals (16-14-3) were 2-0-1 in their previous three games. They hold down a wild-card spot, but are just two points behind third-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,096.
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At Langley, B.C., F Hudson Elynuik broke a 2-2 tie at 18:54 of the second period and the Spokane Chiefs
HUDSON ELYNUIK
sent on to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Taylor Ross (4) and D Tysen Helgesen (3) gave Spokane a 2-0 lead with goals at 15:24 of the first period and 4:09 of the second. . . . The Giants tied the score with two second-period PP goals, as F Johnny Wesley (6) scored at 8:50 and D Dylan Plouffe (3) counted at 17:14. . . . Elynuik got his 12th goal on a PP. . . . F Eli Zummack (2) added insurance at 9:26 and F Kailer Yamamoto, who also had an assist, got his 19th goal at 15:21. . . . Helgesen’s third goal came in his 30th game this season. He started the season with four goals in 119 regular-season games. . . . Spokane F Keanu Yamamoto drew an assist on Elynuik’s goal and now has the WHL’s longest active point streak — 11 games. . . . F Tyler Benson had two assists for the Giants. . . . F Ondrej Najman had two assists for Spokane, while Ross added one. . . . G Jayden Sittler stopped 31 shots for the Chiefs. . . . G Ryan Kubic turned aside 21 shots at the other end. . . . Vancouver was 2-7 on the PP; Spokane was 1-3. . . . The Chiefs (13-11-6) are 2-0-1 in their last three games and now are just three points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Giants (11-18-3) have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and are 10 points off the playoff pace. . . . Announced attendance: 2,972.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kamloops at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Everett, 4 p.m.
Kelowna at Lethbridge, 6 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 4:05 p.m.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.
Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:04 PM
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Monday, June 8, 2015

Hunt takes over in P.A. . . . Marlies get a head coach . . . Leafs' offer to McCrimmon has deadline



The Prince Albert Raiders introduced Curtis Hunt as the 10th general manager in franchise history on Monday. Hunt, 48, takes over from Bruno Campese, who had been with the Raiders for eight seasons.
Hunt signed a four-year contract, which puts him in the same time frame as head coach Marc Habscheid and associate coach Dave Manson.
Hunt, a defenceman, played three seasons with the Raiders, starting in 1984-85 when the team won the Memorial Cup. He also coached for seven seasons in the WHL, with the Moose Jaw Warriors (2002-04) and Regina Pats (2004-08, 2009-10).
A native of North Battleford, Sask., he also spent a season (2008-09) in the pro ranks, with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators.
Hunt spent 2014-15 as the general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.
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A history of Raiders’ general managers:
Alf Poulin (1971-72)
Terry Simpson (1972-1986; 1989-90)
Rick Wilson (1986-88)
Brad Tippett (1988-89)
Dale Engel (1990-94)
Bob Robson (1994-95)
Rick Vallette (1995-2001)
Donn Clark (2001-08)
Bruno Campese (2008-15)
Curtis Hunt (2015- )
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On most Mondays, the Vancouver Province includes a column from Ed Willes that deals with a handful of items.
This week, part of that column dealt with this (the complete column is right here):
In the run-up to the Women’s World Cup, TSN aired a polished hour-long feature on the Canadian team entitled Rise.
It was a revealing portrait of a group of athletes who’ve played their careers in virtual anonymity. It was also first-rate story-telling, establishing the characters who’ll take centre stage in our country for the next month.
So what’s wrong with that? Nothing, unless you’ve grown tired of the two cable giants in this country, TSN and Sportsnet, turning their air time into an ongoing promotion for their properties. TSN is the rights-holder for the Women’s World Cup and, suddenly, they’re all in for the women. Now, ask yourself how many hour-long features they aired on the women’s team before this year?
While we’re on the subject, when was the last time they offered any innovative, self-produced programming to their audience that didn’t involve one of their properties?
It’s the same story at Sportsnet. They force feed the Blue Jays on the country, not because of an insatiable demand to watch a terminally mediocre baseball team, but because Rogers owns the team.
TSN and Sportsnet were granted sports-broadcasting licences by the CRTC but, in reality, they were granted licences to print money. The game is rigged in their favour to an illogical extent. But there’s been little payback to this country in terms of original programming.
They’re also in the process of driving CBC Sports out of business, and that should be a concern.
The Corp. is/was a lot of things but, at its best, it promoted sound journalistic principles and attempted to offer its audience something beyond another panel discussion or top-10 list.
In the end, the audience gets the kind of programming it deserves, and if they’re happy with things as they stand, there’s not much more to say. You’d just like to believe the public expects more from companies that have been given so much.
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THE COACHING GAME:

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Sheldon Keefe, the OHL and CHL coach of the year, has signed on as head coach of the AHL’s Toronto AHLMarlies. Keefe, 34, spent the past three seasons with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. . . . The announcement was made by Kyle Dubas, an assistant general manager with the Maple Leafs. Dubas joined the Leafs a year ago, after being the Greyhounds’ general manager. . . . This season, the Greyhounds had the OHL’s best record -- 54-12-2, for 110 points. . . . Before moving to the Soo, Keefe was the GM and head coach of the junior A Pembroke Lumber Kings, where he won five straight CCHL titles. The Lumber Kings won the RBC Cup in 2011. . . . Keefe was to have spent part of this summer as an assistant coach with Hockey Canada’s under-18 team. The head coach of that team is Kelly McCrimmon, the owner/GM/head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who is pondering an offer to join the Maple Leafs’ front office.
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The BCHL’s Langley Rivermen have promoted assistant coach Kurt Astle to assistant general manager and associate head coach. Astle has spent the past three season’s as the team’s director of player personnel and assistant coach. . . . He works alongside GM/head coach Bobby Henderson.
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Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings on CKLQ, reported Monday that the Toronto Maple Leafs offer to Wheat Kings owner/GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon has a June 11 deadline with it. . . . Here’s a note from the Brandon Sun: “McCrimmon has not returned calls from the Sun over the last week.” . . . Check out our latest poll over their on the right and vote for who you think will coach the Wheat Kings in 2015-16. . . .
F Jeremy Leipsic, the 18-year-old brother of former Portland Winterhawks F Brendan Leipsic, will play for the BCHL’s Powell River Kings in 2015-16. Jeremy, 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, had 84 points, including 20 goals, with the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild this season. His goal is to go the NCAA route.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:30 PM
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Thursday, May 21, 2015

Whatever happened to Kimbi Daniels? . . . McCrimmon in the NHL? Why not? . . . Oil Kings sign forward


The fun starts in Quebec City today as the Memorial Cup opens with the WHL-champion Kelowna Rockets meeting the host Quebec Remparts.
With that in mind, Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province revisits the 1989 tournament with a focus on Kimbi Daniels, who played in that event and had a seemingly bright hockey future. Daniels and the Swift Current Broncos won that tournament in Saskatoon.
Now the Rockets are hoping to win it. Lorne Frey, their assistant GM, was an assistant coach with the Broncos; Dan Lambert, the Rockets’ head coach, was an offensive force as a defenceman.
That piece is right here.
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Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday: Kelowna vs. Quebec, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Rimouski vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday: Quebec vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Monday: Rimouski vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday: Oshawa vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 29: Semifinal, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 31: Championship game, TBA
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The Toronto Maple Leafs — yes, they introduced Mike Babcock as their latest head coach on Thursday — have added Jim Paliafito as their director of player evaluation. He had been the general manager of the NHLOHL’s Saginaw Spirit.
The Leafs’ front office also includes Mark Hunter, who had been the general manager of the London Knights, and Kyle Dubas, the former GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
All of this prompted Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press to write:
“The Leafs have Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas just below president Brendan Shanahan on the hockey management side. If they add a third in a vice-president or assistant GM role, Kelly McCrimmon and his unparalleled knowledge of the Western Hockey League is a first and last call kind of guy.
“McCrimmon is owner, GM and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings and is as sharp a hockey mind as one will come across. McCrimmon has an MBA and has successfully operated the Wheat Kings since 1992. He knows players, he knows business and he knows hockey. He’s a first-rate person. The Leafs, or any NHL club for that matter, would be lucky to have him.”
Lawless is correct, of course, and you might wonder why no NHL team has yet made such a call. Perhaps it’s because the GM making that call would have to have supreme confidence in his own abilities and be capable of continuing his life without feeling McCrimmon was after his job.
Sometimes that just doesn’t happen. Or have you never wondered how it is that the late Ed Chynoweth never was given the opportunity to run an NHL team?
The complete Lawless piece is right here. He also makes a good point about NHL coaches and salary disclosure.
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BCHLThe BCHL’s Penticton Vees have done a lot of winning under Fred Harbinson, their GM and head coach. Don’t think for a moment that no one has noticed. As Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province writes right here, Harbinson appears to be on the radar of the U of Wisconsin Badgers and the Vancouver Giants.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes have extended the contract of head coach Martin Bernard through the 2016-17 season. His contract was to expire after next season.
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Dan Muse is the new head coach of the USHL’s Chicago Steel. Muse had been an assistant coach at Yale U for six seasons. . . . The Steel also announced that Larry Robbins has purchased majority interest in the franchise. According to a news release, Robbins is“a Chicagoland native, professional investor and hockey enthusiast.”
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The MJHL’s Neepawa Natives have signed Jim Fuyarchuk as their new head coach. Most recently he worked as head coach of the U-18 Miskolci Jegesmedvek club in Hungary. . . . Prior to that, he worked four seasons with the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines. He also has been head coach of the now-defunct Brandon U Bobcats and spent five seasons in the Super League in Great Britain. . . . Fuyarchuk replaces Dwight Kirkup, who had been head coach for the previous two seasons.
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The fourth annual Bauer BCHL Showcase is scheduled for Sept. 24-27 at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack. According to a news release, “An extra day has been added to this year's Showcase in order to allow all games to be played on Prospera Centre's main ice surface.” . . . Matchups will be announced after the BCHL’s annual general meeting, June 4-6. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Colton Kehler, who was a seventh-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. Kehler, from Port Coquitlam, B.C., will turn 18 on June 27. . . . This season, the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder had two goals in nine games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals and nine goals and seven assists in 41 games with the Langley Rivermen. . . . He was a prolific scorer in major midget, scoring 41 times in 40 games for the Vancouver-North East Chiefs in 2012-13. . . . Kehler had committed to Clarkson before changing his mind and signing with the Oil Kings. . . .
If you have been wondering, the annual Young Guns preseason NHL tournament will be held in Penticton, Sept. 11-14. The Vancouver Canucks will again play host to the tournament that also will feature prospects from the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. . . . The Oilers’ lineup is likely to include F Connor McDavid. . . . Tickets go on sale July 10. . . . There’s more right here, including a schedule.
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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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:47 PM
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Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Great news from Ewen . . . Babcock: Road hockey by candlelight? . . . Canucks going to P.G.










F Waltteri Hopponen (Everett, 2013-14) signed a two-year-plus-option contract with HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, Liiga). This season, with the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL), he had two goals and eight assists in 28 games; in 31 games with the Lincoln Stars (USHL), he had four goals and 14 assists. . . .
F Riley Holzapfel (Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Karlskrona (Sweden, SHL). This season, with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL), he had seven goals and six assists in 49 games. Karlskrona won promotion to SHL from Allsvenskan this season.

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The really big news on Wednesday — yes, even bigger than Mike Babcock or David Letterman — came from long-time friend Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province.
It arrived via email:
“Today marks my four-year anniversary of being discharged from GF Strong. I also saw the cancer doctors this morning and I'm now officially four and a half years cancer free.
“I believe that the support Carol-Ann and I have received has been instrumental in what's been achieved to date. Thanks again.
“As a reminder, if you're free on Aug. 5, we're throwing a Ride To Conquer Cancer fundraiser at the Earls on Fir Street. There's a silent auction, plus we get a portion from some drinks and appetizers that night.”
It just doesn’t get any better than that.
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NHLF Tyler Johnson of the Tampa Bay Lightning is the hot story, to date, of these NHL playoffs. Johnson was a free-agent signing by the Lightning after a terrific career with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. Johnson stands 5-foot-8 and has had to overcome that throughout his career. It’s why no NHL team signed him until after his 20-year-old season. Al Murray, the Lightning’s head scout, had a lot to do with that, and Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more on that right here.
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Meanwhile, Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province talked with Spokane Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz and, yes, the subject was Tampa Bay Lightning F Tyler Johnson. . . . That piece is right here.
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We just witnessed two more days of social media at its best.
You might recall that on Tuesday, free-agent head coach Mike Babcock wasn’t going to Toronto, was NHLnegotiating with Buffalo, and perhaps was talking with San Jose, but almost certainly was going to stay in Detroit. Oh, and St. Louis might be interested.
So what happens?
Of course, he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. (The news conference is scheduled for today, which means another day of Twitter exploding.)
This is great news for hockey fans who have long wondered just how much impact a coach can have on a team.
The Leafs have been, well, the Leafs for a long time now. It is going to be interesting to see how much of an impact Babcock has on them. After all, instead of dealing with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, he now has Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Instead of Niklas Kronwall, he’s got Dion Phaneuf.
You have to think that the Leafs will hold the course with their rebuild, meaning there won’t be any huge free-agent signings in an attempt to speed up the process.
If they are going to contend for the Stanley Cup, they need to find a top-end goaltender and a minute-eating defenceman who will quarterback the PP. Perhaps Morgan Rielly will become capable of filling the latter role, but is there a big-time goaltender on the roster?
Anyway . . . Babcock, who once was fired by the Moose Jaw Warriors, now is by far the highest-paid coach in the NHL. His eight-year deal with Toronto averages out at $6.25 million per season. That is quite a bit more than the man who is No. 2 on the list. Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks is paid $2.75 million per season. . . . Babcock spent two seasons (1991-93) in Moose Jaw, going 33-36-3 and 27-42-3. He was dumped after that second season and replaced by Al Tuer, who now is a pro scout for the Florida Panthers. . . . Babcock had been in Detroit for 10 seasons. The only active NHL head coaches who have been in position for more than four seasons are Claude Julien (Boston), Quenneville, Dave Tippett (Arizona) and Jack Capuano (New York Islanders). . . . Julien just completed his eighth season with the Bruins, while Quenneville is in his eighth season with the Blackhawks. Tippett has been the Coyotes’ head coach through seven seasons. Capuano has been the Islanders’ head coach since Nov. 15, 2010. . . . BTW, Babcock spent some of his childhood in Leaf Rapids, Man., which is a couple of slapshots from my hometown of Lynn Lake. Babcock has told stories of Leaf Rapids not having street lights so he and his friends put candles in the snowbanks in order to play road hockey at night. I don’t know about that, but I do know that my first skate every fall was on Eden Lake, which is right by Leaf Rapids. That first ice of the year on Eden Lake was the best I ever skated on.
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Here is the Memorial Cup schedule (all games on Sportsnet; all times Eastern):
Friday, May 22: Kelowna vs. Quebec, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 23: Rimouski vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 24: Quebec vs. Oshawa, 4:30 p.m.
Monday, May 25: Rimouski vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 26: Oshawa vs. Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 27: Quebec vs. Rimouski, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 28: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 29: Semifina, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 31: Championship game, TBA
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In the AHL, the host Utica Comets beat the Oklahoma City Barons 1-0 on Wednesday night in Game 7 of a AHLsecond-round series. . . . The Comets are affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks, the Barons with the Edmonton Oilers. . . . F Alexandre Grenier won it with his fourth goal at 7:11 of the third period. Here’s hoping he gets free Slurpees for life! . . . Utica G Jakob Markstrom stopped 35 shots. . . . Attendance was 3,835. . . . The Comets, under head coach Travis Green, will meet the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Western Conference final. Green, the former Portland Winterhawks assistant GM and assistant coach, is seen as one of the best young coaches in the game. . . . Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill may be the next head coach of the parent Detroit Red Wings. . . . That series, with a 2-3-2 format, opens with games in Utica on Sunday and Monday. . . . The Eastern Conference final features the Manchester Monarchs, under former Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mike Stothers, against the Hartford Wolf Pack of head coach Ken Gernander. The Monarchs are hooked up with the Los Angeles Kings; the Wolf Pack with the New York Rangers. That series opens tonight in Manchester.
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Admit it. There are nights when you lay awake and wonder: What are Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 10 best movies?
Well, Rolling Stone has the list and it’s right here.
Did you know that a studio originally had O.J. Simpson tabbed as the Terminator, and not Arnold? That’s what it says in this story. . . . Check it out, and sleep well.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Jamie Kompon, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, will coach at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge later this year. Kompon has been named head coach of one of three Canadian teams that will play in the tournament, a host city and dates for which have yet to be announced. . . . Kompon will be head coach of Canada White. . . . Former Kootenay Ice coach Kris Knoblauch, now the head coach of the OHL’s Erie Otters, will be the head coach of Canada Red, with Marco Pietroniro, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar, running Canada Black. . . . Kompon’s assistant coaches will be Jamie Heward, who is an assistant with the Swift Current Broncos, and Serge Lajoie, the head coach of the Edmonton-based NAIT Ooks. . . . Wade Klippenstein, the Brandon Wheat Kings’ director of scouting, will be involved in team selection as he is Hockey Canada’s western regional scout.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed D Tyler Strath, who was a third-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The 6-foot-2, 160-pound Strath, who is from Carseland, Alta., had 23 points, four of them goals, in 31 games with the bantam AAA Rocky Mountain Raiders this season. . . .


NHLThe Vancouver Canucks and Prince George Cougars announced Wednesday that the NHL team will hold its training camp at the CN Centre in Prince George, Sept. 18-20. . . . Medicals will take place Sept. 17 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, with on-ice work starting in Prince George on Sept. 18. . . . Canucks president Trevor Linden said in a news release that the team is “committed to holding future training camps in communities throughout B.C.” . . . Canucks D Dan Hamhuis is a part-owner of the Cougars.
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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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:37 PM
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