McGauley extends streak . . . McKechnie big for Blades . . . Walker fills his hat

D Martin Gründling (Moose Jaw, 2005-07) has signed for the rest of this season with Banská Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, with Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had two goals and 10 assists in 51 games. He was the team captain.
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Steve Montador, a former NHL defenceman who struggled with post-concussion syndrome, was found dead in his home on Sunday morning. His name is on a concussion-related lawsuit that has been filed against the NHL. . . . Rick Westhead of TSN has more right here.
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail has a fond remembrance of Steve Montador right here.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES

B.C. DIVISION: No teams played.
U.S. DIVISION: Seattle lost at home and remains third, three points behind idle Portland.
EAST DIVISION: Brandon won at home to move back to within two points of idle Kelowna, which leads the overall standings. Each team has 15 games remaining. . . . Prince Albert lost on the road and remains eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . Saskatoon won on the road and now has one more victory (17) than it had all of last season.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Kootenay lost at home. The Ice holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot.
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In Brandon, F Duncan Campbell scored twice to lead the Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Campbell has 10 goals this season. . . . He opened the scoring at 3:55 of the first period and made it 4-2 at 17:18 of the third. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk drew three assists for Brandon, while F Tim McGauley had two assists as he ran his point streak to 13 games. . . . McGauley came up short on a second-period penalty shot attempt. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville scored his 17th goal, into an empty net, and added an assist. . . . D Reid Gow scored his first goal since joining the Wheat Kings from the U of Manitoba Bisons after the Christmas break. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 35 shots, seven fewer than Prince Albert’s Rylan Parenteau. . . . Brandon was 0-for-8 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-for-4. . . . Three players were given misconducts at various points for mouth guard infractions. . . . Raiders F Colton Heffley scored his sixth goal of the season in what was his 300th regular-season game. The first 270 of those were with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . F Reid Duke was among Brandon’s scratches. He has an undisclosed injury. The Wheat Kings remain without D Kale Clague, F Jayce Hawryluk, G Alex Moodie and D Ivan Provorov. . . . The Wheat Kings (42-9-6) are 13-0-2 in their last 15 games. . . . The Raiders (23-32-2) had won their previous two games. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Sam McKechnie scored 24 seconds into OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . McKechnie, who now has 20 goals, scored twice in the game. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon forced OT when he scored his third goal of the game, and 25th of the season, with 53.2 seconds left in the third period. . . . McKechnie’s first goal, at 4:24 of the second, gave the Blades a 4-1 lead. . . . Bozon and F Vince Loschiavo, with his fifth, got the Ice to within 4-3 in the second period. . . . F Cameron Hebig had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon D Brycen Martin had one assist to run his point streak to 11 games. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two assists for the Ice. . . . Each team was 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . The game featured two goaltenders who were teammates last season with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. Brock Hamm of the Blades stopped 33 shots. Declan Hobbs, who is expected to go back to the Contacts today, turned aside 25 shots in what was his first WHL start. . . . The Blades were playing their seventh game in 10 days. . . . Saskatoon went 4-0-0 against the Ice this season, outscoring it 19-12 in the process. . . . The Blades (17-36-3) won 16 games all of last season. . . . The Ice (28-27-2) had head coach Ryan McGill back behind the bench. He had missed the previous two games. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Jack Walker scored three times and added an assist to help the Victoria Royals to a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Walker completed his hat trick with an empty-netter at 18:39 of the third period. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll, with his 33rd goal, and Walker, with two, gave the Royals a 3-0 first-period lead. . . . Walker has 15 goals. . . . Carroll also had two assists, as did D Joe Hicketts. He’s got five assists over his last two games. . . . Royals F Tyler Soy scored his 24th goal and added an assist, giving him five points in two games. . . . F Mathew Barzal and D Shea Theodore each had two assists for Seattle. . . . Victoria lost D Ryan Gagnon at 4:15 of the third period when he took a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on F Luke Osterman, who left the game. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 28 shots. . . . Each team was playing its third game in three days. The Royals, who played in three different cities, went 2-1-0. The Thunderbirds, who also played two road games, one of them in Everett, went 1-1-1. . . . The Royals (32-21-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Thunderbirds (29-21-7) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). . . . Headline on Seattle news release after the game: Royals Colonize T-Birds.
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MONDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 2 p.m.
Brandon at Regina 2 p.m.
Prince George at Edmonton, 2 p.m.
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Hockey loses another enforcer: Steve Montador, ex-NHL found dead today, fought 66 times in NHL reg season, about same as Derek Boogaard.
— John Branch (@JohnBranchNYT) February 16, 2015

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.

Dorothy on top of the world . . . Sheldon Kennedy honoured . . . Blazers add two young d-men

Dorothy, aka Wonder Woman, was on
top of the world Friday in Kamloops.

A year ago, Dorothy, my good wife, wasn't strong enough to force down the foot rest on the recliner in which she sits when watching TV.
On Friday, she hiked to the top of Kenna Cartwright Park in Kamloops.
That is why she is known as Wonder Woman in these parts.
To those of you who have followed her story here and have offered support, we were thinking of you on our 50-minute walk. Your support means so much and we won't ever forget it.
From the four of us, including Joanna and Todd, we hope you had a Merry Christmas and a quiet Boxing Day, and that 2015 is full of good cheer.
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F Štěpán Novotný (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) has signed for the rest of this season with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, with Žilina (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 10 goals and five assists in 27 games. He was released by Žilina at his request. . . .
F Juraj Šimek (Brandon, 2006-07) has signed for the rest of this season with TPS Turku (Finland, Liiga). This season, with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A), he had six goals and seven assists in 33 games.
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The word 'hero' often gets tossed around far too easily, like a dime, when it should be used more like a manhole cover. But it is entirely appropriate when referring to Sheldon Kennedy, the former WHL and NHL player who was sexually abused by former Swift Current Broncos general manager and head coach Graham James. On Friday, Kennedy, who now is an advocate for victims of child abuse, was named to the Order of Canada. . . . Kennedy, 45, works tirelessly on behalf of young people. . . . But, as he said, he isn't doing it for awards. “For me," he told The Canadian Press, "I’m not doing this work to win awards for Sheldon Kennedy. I’m doing this work because I understand the damage that this crime has on our kids And it’s killing our kids.” . . . Kennedy would know. He has been down that road. . . . If you haven't already, read his book, Why I Didn't Say Anything. . . . In the meantime, there are a couple of stories on the Order of Canada right here and right here. . . . Yes, Sheldon Kennedy is a true Canadian hero.

From everyone who works with you at the @yycCAC thank you @ShelKenn and congratulations on your Order of Canada! pic.twitter.com/ym9rDPeC2Z
— Sheldon Kennedy CAC (@yycCAC) December 27, 2014

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The Kamloops Blazers will get a look at D Dawson Davidson, 16, and D Conner McDonald, 15, over the next four games. . . . Davidson, a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, is from Moosomin, Sask., and plays for the midget AAA Moose Gaw Generals. He has five goals and nine assists in 26 games. . . . McDonald, from Delta, B.C., was a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He has six goals and six assists in 15 games with the Delta Hockey Academy prep team. . . . Meanwhile, D Nolan Kneen, who played in four games with the Blazers prior to Christmas, is back with the major midget Okanagan Rockets. He was the third overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . The Blazers will have D Patrik Maier in their lineup tonight when they meet the Rockets in Kelowna. He returned to the Blazers after not cracking the lineup of the Slovakian junior team. However, D Michael Fora will miss four games as he plays for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship. . . . Kamloops also should have D Brady Gaudet, 20, back in its lineup tonight. He has missed 18 games with a shoulder injury.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have brought in F Wyatt Bear, 15, who was a fifth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Bear is from Hodgson, Man., and plays for Interlake Lightning of the Manitoba Midget AAA League. In 25 games, he has six goals and eight assists. . . . The Thunderbirds are at home to the Portland Winterhawks tonight.
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Major junior hockey is under fire these days as it faces the possible unionization of its players, as well as at least three lawsuits. Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail takes a look right here at just what's going on. ---
Lou Lamoriello, the long-time general manager of the NHL's New Jersey Devils, fired head coach Pete DeBoer on Friday. Rich Chere of nj.com takes a look right here at what's happening with the Devils. . . . BTW, speculation last night had former Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean as the Devils' next head coach.
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The West Virginia Mountaineers won't have quarterback Clint Trickett in the lineup on ?? when they meet the Texas A&M Aggies in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Monday in Memphis. Trickett, a senior, has retired after suffering five concussions in 14 months. He hid two of those concussions from trainers. . . . There's more right here.
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#OrderofCanada appointments never happen without help. I want to thank the many many people that have helped me and continue to help #THANKS
— Sheldon Kennedy (@ShelKenn) December 26, 2014

Stands are full. Bars are full. TSN ad spots are full. Lots of people making lots of money from WJC, except, of course, the players.
— Ken Campbell (@THNKenCampbell) December 27, 2014

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.

WHL teams monitoring mumps situation . . . Rebels add key d-man from Blades . . . Hitmen are rolling

F Jim O'Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) has been released by Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had two goals and 10 assists in 22 games.
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THE MUMPS SITUATION:

Officials with WHL teams aren’t overly concerned about the mumps, a viral disease that has hit at least 14 NHL players.
The latest NHLers to be diagnosed are Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and forward Derick Brassard of the New York Rangers. Interestingly, the Rangers assigned F Anthony Duclair to Canada’s national junior team on the weekend.
The mumps issue hasn’t been discussed, at least not officially, at the league level inside the WHL. However, teams are watching closely from afar and monitoring the situation.
Bob Tory, the general manager of the Tri-City Americans, told Taking Note on Sunday evening that he isn’t at all concerned “because most younger people have been vaccinated.”
Tory also pointed out that WHL teams already are quite health conscious.
“We have always taken extra care in our room since the last virus scare,” he noted, “and even purchased a hospital-grade ionizer that they use in intensive care. I think a few teams bought them a few years ago.”
Hospitals use ionizers to combat infections.
Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, told Taking Note that his club hasn’t “done anything officially in dealing with the mumps.”
“But, he added, “between our doctors and athletic therapist we are monitoring the situation with all of our players.”
Colin Priestner, the Saskatoon Blades’ managing partner, says his organization has “no concerns.”
“Most outbreaks have been in U.S. markets,” he notes, “and our kids have been vaccinated.”
Bruno Campese, the general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders, spoke with a team doctor on Sunday.
“He wasn’t concerned,” Campese told Taking Note.
Cam Hope, the general manager of the Victoria Royals, admitted that “viral infections of all kinds are always a concern in a team setting, where guys spend so much time in close contact.”
Still, he added, “it is really about being smart and diligent” and the Royals are always on high alert.
“Hygiene is given extremely high importance,” he told Taking Note, “and we require immediate reporting of any symptoms that are cold/flu like -- to make sure we isolate any ill player right away.”
The present outbreak of mumps, he pointed out, “gives us another opportunity to stress these things with the team, and every new case in the NHL is another reminder to them to take the steps they can to minimize the risk.”
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail takes a look at the NHL and its response to the mumps situation right here.
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Two WHL teams going in opposite directions at the moment got together Sunday on a deal that involved three players and two early bantam draft selections.
The Red Deer Rebels, who have been one of the league’s hotter teams of late and are the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup, acquired D Nelson Nogier, 18, and F Austin Adamson, 18, from the Saskatoon Blades, who are in the early days of a complete rebuild.
In exchange, the Blades get F Mason McCarty, 17, a second-round draft pick in 2015 and a first-round selection in 2016.
The Blades now hold four first-round selections, three seconds and four thirds through the 2015 and 2016 bantam drafts. (For more on what teams hold what draft picks, check out Small Thoughts At Large right here.)
The key to the deal from a Red Deer perspective is Nogier, a Saskatoon native who is the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier. Nelson was a fourth-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2014 draft. Nogier, an alternate captain with the Blades, is a responsible defender who can bang bodies. In 128 games with the Blades, he had 18 points, two of them goals.
“He’s a player we’ve had our eyes on for well over a year now, and yet we knew there would be a price,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “Those are the stakes in poker. It takes a first-round and a second-round pick to get a player like that.”
This season, Nogier, who played for the Blades in the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon as a 16-year-old, has a goal and seven assists in 32 games.
Nogier was a fourth-round pick by Saskatoon in the 2011 bantam draft. He was limited to 37 games last season because of a shoulder injury.
Nogier’s addition leaves the Rebels with 10 defencemen on their roster, meaning there could be more activity between Dec. 26 and Jan. 10.
Adamson, from Richmond, B.C., had five goals and five assists in 84 games over two seasons with the Blades. This season, he has three goals and two assists in 31 games. He is an undrafted list player.
McCarty, a fourth-round selection by the Rebels in the 2012 bantam draft, has two assists in nine games this season. From Blackie, Alta., he played last season with the midget AAA UFA Bisons, who play out of Strathmore, Alta. He had 42 points, 22 of them goals, in 32 games.
The Blades, who have lost 10 straight games, are 7-24-3 and know already that they won’t make the playoffs. They play their last game before the Christmas break on Wednesday when they travel to Swift Current to meet the Broncos.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more on the trade right here.
Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate has more right here.
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The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium went into effect at midnight and runs through Dec. 26.
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A BLOG NOTE:

The blog master in these parts is in need of a new computer. If you are a regular in these parts and enjoy this blog, you may want to consider making a donation in order to help make this happen. . . . Thank you, in advance.
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George Burnett won his 600th victory as an OHL head coach on Saturday when the host Belleville Bulls beat the Ottawa 67’s, 4-1. . . . Burnett, in his 19th season as an OHL head coach, is fourth on the league’s all-time list. . . . Burnett trails Brian Kilrea (1,193), the late Bert Templeton (907) and Larry Mavety (658). . . .
In the QMJHL, G Francois Brassard of the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scored a goal Saturday in an 8-5 victory over the Quebec Remparts. . . . Brassard scored the game’s last goal, firing the puck from behind his net off the left-side boards and into the empty goal at the other end. He is the first goaltender in franchise history to score a goal. . . . It came in his first appearance against the team that traded him away during the off-season.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

In Brandon, G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots to lead the Wheat Kings to a 4-0 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Papirny has two shutouts this season and three in his career. . . . F Tim McGauley scored twice, giving him 20 this season. He now is riding an 11-game point streak, with 12 goals and nine assists over that stretch. . . . F John Quenneville scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, on a PP, at 10:15 of the first period. . . . McGauley’s second goal, at 14:43 of the third, was shorthanded. . . . Wheat Kings F Ty Lewis, who is from Brandon, made his WHL debut. A third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, he had been on the shelf with a broken arm. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches were F Jayce Hawryluk and F Jesse Gabrielle, both out with undisclosed injuries. . . . D Nelson Nogier and F Austin Adamson, acquired earlier in the day from the Saskatoon Blades, weren’t in Red Deer’s lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings (24-7-3) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. They lead the East Division by 12 points over the Regina Pats. . . . The Rebels (18-12-4) had a four-game winning streak end. They are third in the Central Division, one point behind Calgary. . . .

In Calgary, the Hitmen ran their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Hitmen scored the game’s first three goals, two of them coming in the second period following a scoreless first. . . . F Beck Malenstyn scored his fifth at 6:13 of the second period and F Layne Bensmiller got his first at 19:28. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini made it 3-0 with his 19th goal at 6:02 of the third. He is on a five-game goal-scoring streak. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube scored his fifth on a PP at 15:46 of the third. . . . D Jake Bean of the Hitmen, a 16-year-old from Calgary, ran his point streak to seven games with an assist. He has 11 of his 12 assists in those seven games. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields, who made 17 saves, drew his fifth assist this season, breaking the franchise record of four that he set last season. . . . D Keegan Kanzig, a healthy scratch the night before, was back in Calgary’s lineup. . . . The Hitmen improved to 19-11-3 and jumped past Red Deer into second place in the Central Division. . . . The Rockets (26-5-3) lead the B.C. Division by 19 points over the Victoria Royals. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Kamloops Blazers broke open a scoreless game with three goals in 46 seconds and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Collin Shirley scored his 10th and 11th goals, at 18:58 and 19:44 of the first period, with F Cole Ully getting No. 16 at 19:30. The first two of those goals came via the PP. . . . Lethbridge F Zane Jones scored twice, giving him 15, as the Hurricanes cut into the lead in the second period. . . . Kamloops D Ryan Rehill got his third goal, at 12:35 of the second, for insurance. . . . Blazers D Josh Connolly had his third straight two-assist game. He’s got 28 points, including 24 assists, in 33 games. . . . Lethbridge D Lenny Hackman was among the Lethbridge scratches. He had played in 174 consecutive games. . . . The game was the first behind the Hurricanes’ bench for new head coach Peter Anholt. . . . The Blazers (13-18-5) snapped a five-game losing skid and moved back into fourth place in the B.C. Division, a point ahead of the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Hurricanes (6-20-5), with one victory in their last 16 games, have lost six in a row. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Evan Weinger broke a 2-2 tie at 11:15 of the second period and the Portland Winterhawks went on to a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Weinger has five goals. . . . Tri-City F Jordan Topping had tied it 2-2 with his second goal at 18:31 of the first. That goal came 43 seconds after F Alex Overhardt had scored his first goal to give Portland the lead. . . . Earlier, the teams shared goals 20 seconds part, F Dominic Turgeon scoring his 11th for Portland and F Beau McCue getting his 13th for the Americans. . . . Portland F Alex Schoenborn gave his side a 4-2 lead with an empty-netter at 18:51 of the third. . . . McCue then got his second of the game at 19:44. . . .  Winterhawks F Chase De Leo had an assist to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie had two assists. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 45 shots, 15 more than Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou. . . . Portland was 0-for-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-1. . . . The Winterhawks (19-14-3) have won two straight and are one point behind the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips, who hold five games in hand. . . . The Americans (17-15-1) have lost two straight and are tied for third with the Spokane Chiefs in the U.S. Division.
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Just one referee tonight - Steve Papp. All 3 other WHL games have 2. Big division showdown here ... @TheWHL needs to do a better job.
— Annie Fowler (@TCHIceQueen) December 15, 2014

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.

Hockey weeps and remembers . . . Oil Kings lose a coach . . . Two WHL draft picks opt for NCAA

In a treasured photo from the Hicketts family album, here's the late Pat Quinn
with brothers, Matt, left, and Joe, after the latter, now a defenceman
with the Victoria Royals, had been named Hockey Now's B.C. minor hockey
player of the year for 2010-11.
(Photo courtesy Lee-Gaye Hicketts)

F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 1995-2000) has been released by the Guildford Flames (England, Premier). He had two goals and an assist in three games.
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What a tough day for hockey!
First came news of the death in Moscow of Soviet/Russian hockey coach Viktor Tikhonov, the man who guided the then-USSR team through the Summit Series in 1972.
Tikhonov, 84, died after a long illness.
That was followed by the news that Pat Quinn, one of the most respected people in all of hockey, had died in Vancouver after an illness. He was 71.
The hockey world also lost Murray Oliver, who died Sunday of a heart attack. Oliver, who lived in Edina, Minn., was 77. Oliver played, and played well, for three of the NHL’s Original Six franchises.
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail remembers Pat Quinn right here.
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Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun has his own thoughts on Pat Quinn right here.
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Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun reminisces about the Big Irishman right here.
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Ken Campbell of The Hockey News was a young reporter with the Toronto Star and his beat was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were coached by Pat Quinn. Campbell remembers that and more right here.
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Most times standing in front of the players’ bench, Viktor Tikhonov coached teams to three Olympic gold medals and eight World championship titles between 1979 and 1992. . . . He also was the Soviet team’s coach during the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. . . . The IIHF’s website has more right here.
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Dmitry Chesnokov, over at Puck Daddy, has a look right here at the life and legacy of Viktor Tikhonov.
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On the ice, Tikhonov’s grandson, Viktor Jr., had two goals and an assist for SKA in a KHL game on Monday. But his SKA side dropped a 5-3 decision to his grandfather’s team, CSKA Moscow. There’s more on the game right here.
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The Minneapolis StarTribune has more on Murray Oliver right here.
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On Monday evening, Dave Hodge of TSN flipped his pencil into the air and tweeted: “Jan. 7, 1980. MIN 7 PHIL 1. Flyers' 35-game unbeaten streak ends. PHIL head coach was Pat Quinn. MIN ass't was Murray Oliver. May both RIP.”
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Have you heard about the 41-year-old Swede who was the only person in the Philadelphia concert hall for a show by Bob Dylan on Sunday afternoon? Check out that story right here.
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Earlier this month, a couple of OHL players were suspended after getting tangled up in a situation on Tinder, one of those social media things. Chris Dilks of sbncollegehockey.com has a story right here that involves NCAA hockey players and Tinder. Privacy on the Internet? Uhh, no!
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The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers fired goaltending coach Frederic Chabot on Monday, replacing him with Dustin Schwartz, who had been the goaltending coach for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Of course, the Oilers own the Oil Kings.
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Dr. Nigel Painter, who is listed in the WHL Guide as the Prince Albert Raiders’ team physician, won’t be practising medicine for at least a year. The College of Physicians and Surgeons has taken away his licence for having sex with a patient. There’s more right here.
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F Colton Kehler, who was a seventh-round pick by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft, has committed to attend Clarkson University and play for the Golden Knights. Kehler, 17, is from Port Coquitlam, B.C. He presently is with the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen.
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F Baron Thompson, a 15-year-old from Lakeville, Minn., has committed to the U of Maine and the Black Bears. A third-round pick of the Victoria Royals in the 2014 bantam draft, he is playing for the Omaha AAA Lancers U16 team this season.
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Thanks everyone for all the prayers and thoughts this weekend. Feeling much better now and hope to be back on the ice soon!
— nikita scherbak (@nikscherbak) November 24, 2014

Bozon, Virtanen back in action . . . Tigers' defence rules . . . Wheaties scoring and scoring some more

D Tomáš Mojžíš (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) has signed a one-year contract with TPS Turku (Finland, Liiga). He played for TPS in 2011-12. This season, with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had a goal and an assist in six games. Last season, with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL), he had five goals and eight assists in 50 games.
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Should the Edmonton Oilers keep C Leon Draisaitl, 18, or should the NHL team return him to the Prince Albert Raiders? Mark Spector of Sportsnet offers up his opinion right here. . . . Spector offered his opinon before a Friday night game in which Draisaitl scored his first NHL game as he Oilers beat the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 6-3.
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail takes a look right here at the Alberta coaching tree and how idea sharing is such a big part of the way the men on that tree approach the game. He also points out how it all started with Clare Drake, a legend who somehow isn’t yet in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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FRIDAY'S REPORT:

In Red Deer, F Wyatt Johnson scored twice to help the Rebels to a 6-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Johnson, who has five goals, broke a 2-2 tie at 12:12 of the second period and made it 4-2 at 16:54. . . . F Grayson Pawlenchuk scored once and set up two others for Red Deer, which was 2-for-2 on the PP. . . . F Conner Bleackley drew three assists for the Rebels. . . . F Jari Erricson scored his ninth goal of the season for the Cougars. . . . F Tyler Sandhu, acquired by Red Deer from the Everett Silvertips earlier in the week, had a goal and an assist in his first game with the Rebels. . . .

In Cranbrook, defenceman-turned-forward Kenton Helgesen and F Greg Chase each scored twice as the Calgary Hitmen rattled the Kootenay Ice, 9-2. . . . Calgary held period leads of 2-0 and 5-1 as it outshot its hosts, 42-21. . . . The Hitmen broke open a 2-1 game with three goals in 2:07 late in the second period. . . . Calgary D Colby Harmsworth and F Terrell Draude each was plus-5. . . . Calgary had 13 skaters with at least one point. . . . Two of the WHL’s top offensive players returned to action for the first time this season. Calgary F Jake Virtanen had yet to play because of off-season shoulder surgery; Kootenay F Tim Bozon, who went through that battle with Neisseria meningitis in March, was out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Virtanen and Bozon each had one assist. . . . The Ice also had D Renat Valiev back in the lineup. He came back from the camp of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs with an injury and had yet to play. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos scored two power-play goals and beat the Regina Pats, 3-1. . . . F Carter Rigby snapped a 1-1 tie with his eighth goal, via the PP, at 1:37 of the second period and F Coda Gordon added another PP goal, his seventh goal this season, at 17:29. . . . Swift Current G Landon Bow stopped 32 shots. . . . The Broncos were 2-for-5 on the PP. . . . F Sam Steel got his third goal for the Pats. . . . Regina has recalled D Ryan Krushen, 16, from the minor midget Sherwood Park, Alta., Kings and he was in the lineup for this one. Krushen played in three exhibition games with the Pats before being released from their roster. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Portland Winterhawks scored three times in the third period and beat the Raiders, 5-2. . . . The Winterhawks are 3-2-0 on a six-game East Division swing that wraps up tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Portland D Layne Viveiros, whose father Emanuel starred on the Raiders' back end in the mid-1980s, had a goal and two assists, all in the third period. . . . F Mile Koules added a goal, his fourth, and two assists for Portland. . . . Portland G Bolton Pouliot stopped 29 shots. G Michael Bullion of the NAHL's Wenatchee, Wash., Wild was on the bench backing up Pouliot. . . . The Winterhawks lost F Alex Schoenborn to a headshot major and game misconduct at 10:06 of the third period for a hit on Raiders F Reid Gardiner, who left with a cut to his forehead and didn't return. . . . Jeff D'Andrea of panow.com has a gamer right here.

In Saskatoon, F Carter Folk scored three times to lead the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 7-2 victory over the Blades. . . . The Hurricanes have won two in a row, both on the road. . . . The Blades had won their past three. . . . F Riley Sheen had three assists for the Hurricanes, while F Zane Jones scored twice and added an assist. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 33 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-for-6 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-for-6. . . . It was a costly loss for the Blades as they lost F Wyatt Sloboshan to a broken jaw suffered when he took a puck to the face in the first period. He'll be gone for up to two months. As well, F Alex Forsberg was injured in the first period and went for X-rays, but his status was unknown after the game. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reported that the Blades, who are at home to the Portland Winterhawks tonight, are expected to call up F Luke Gingras, 16, from the major midget Valley West Hawks. Gingras, a fourth-round pick in the 2012 WHL bantam draft, is second in the B.C. Major Midget League scoring race, with 20 points in eight games. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored the game’s first two goals, both on the PP, and went on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-1. . . . The Tigers, the WHL’s top defensive club to this point, have allowed 18 goals in 12 games. . . . The Warriors have dropped 11 straight regular-season games in Medicine Hat. . . . D Tommy Vannelli scored his fifth goal at 3:04 of the second period and D David Quenneville added his second at 8:35 of the third. . . . Tigers F Chad Butcher got his 10th goal of the season late in the third period. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-for-7 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-for-4. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald had one assist to run his point streak to nine games. . . . Tigers G Nick Schneider stopped 24 shots to run his record this season to 4-0-0. Schneider, a 17-year-old from Leduc, Alta., was 6-0-0 with the Tigers last season, after being acquired from the Regina Pats. . . .

In Victoria, the Royals scored two PP goals and beat the Vancouver Giants, 2-1. . . . The Royals have won three straight. . . . D Travis Brown, at 12:52 of the first period, and F Brandon Magee, at 4:32 of the second, gave the home side a 2-0 lead. . . . F Carter Popoff scored for the Giants, at 3:02 of the third. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 28 shots, one more than Vancouver’s Payton Lee. . . . The teams meet in Victoria again tonight. . . .

In Everett, F Nikita Scherbak broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 8:30 of the third period as the Silvertips got past the Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . Scherbak added an empty-netter, his seventh goal in eight games, at 18:28. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 35 shots, including all 21 he faced in the first period. The Americans were outshot 21-3 that period. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis, the 11th overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, had two assists. Davis is from Kamloops. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 12 shots. . . . The game almost didn’t come off as the Silvertips gave serious consideration to postponing it following a shooting earlier in the day at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. The Silvertips have a number of season-ticket holders from Marysville. According to Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald: “Silvertips executive vice president Zoran Rajcic said the team was leaning toward postponing Friday's game at Xfinity Arena. However, after consulting with leaders in the community, including representatives from the Tulalip Tribes and the Marysville School District, the Tips decided to play the game as scheduled.” . . . Patterson also reported that the Silvertips “planned several steps to honor the victims during Friday's game. A moment of silence was scheduled prior to the singing of the national anthem; game operations were to be toned down, including not using the goal horn during pregame introductions; and staff members wore red jerseys, which is Marysville-Pilchuck's primary color.” . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Justin Hickman scored twice and added two assists as the host Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . D Jason Fram gave the Chiefs a 1-0 first period lead, but Seattle scored three times in 4:46 in the second period, with two of those coming via the PP. . . . Hickman’s goals were his first of the season. . . . His second goal, 29 seconds into the third period, proved to be the winner. . . . F Mathew Barzal had a goal, his sixth, and two assists for Seattle. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear returned from a three-game absence. He sat out after suffering a nasty cut during a fight. . . .

In Kamloops, F John Quenneville returned from injury to score a goal and add three assists as the Brandon Wheat Kings dumped the Blazers, 8-5. . . . The Wheat Kings have won four straight games, scoring, in order, 8, 10, 7 and 8 goals. . . . Quenneville took part in his first full practice on Thursday in Kamloops after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk got his 10th goal and three assists for the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon got a goal and two assists from F Rihards Bukarts, giving him 23 points in 13 games, while D Ryan Pilon and F Jayce Hawryluk each had three assists. . . . Pilon was plus-5, as was his partner, Russian freshman Ivan Provorov, who ran his goal-scoring streak to four games with his seventh goal. . . . Bukarts has goals in five straight games and points in nine straight. . . . F Cole Ully drew four assists for the Blazers, leaving him with 26 points, tops in the WHL. . . . Ully came out of the game atop the scoring race, three points ahead of Bukarts. . . . F Deven Sideroff, who plays on a line with Ully, scored three times, while F Matt Needham, the centre on the line, had three assists. . . . Sideroff, a freshman from Summerland, B.C., has eight goals. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 29 shots in his second start of the season. You can bet that Brandon will go back to starter Jordan Papirny tonight in Kelowna against the Rockets. . . . The Blazers, meanwhile, rode the bus all night to Kennewick, Wash., where they will play the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a gamer right here.
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We grow them tough in Brandon. Didn't miss a shift!!! @mattcalvert11 @bdnwheatkings alum #bdnmb pic.twitter.com/OrMnWgb1Xh
— Bruce Luebke (@wheatkingsvoice) October 24, 2014