CHL facing class-action suit . . . Rebels, 'Tips cut a deal

F Hampus Gustafsson (Regina, Brandon, 2009-11) signed a one-year contract with Grenoble (France, Ligue Magnus) after a successful tryout. This season, he has three goals and an assist in two games with Grenoble. He started the season with Pantern Malmö (Sweden, Division 1) and was pointless in three games.
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THE COURT REPORT . . .

Student-athletes or employees or independent contractors . . . or something else altogether?
Just what are major junior hockey players?
That is at the crux of a class-action lawsuit that was filed Friday in Toronto.
The statement of claim is looking for $180 million from the Canadian Hockey League and its 60 teams. The lawsuit claims that the CHL pays its players less than the minimum wage in various jurisdictions and that these players should also be eligible for vacation and overtime pay.
Robert Cribb of the Toronto Star reported Monday that “an unprecedented class action lawsuit striking at the economic foundations of junior hockey in Canada alleges the Canadian Hockey League and its teams ‘conspired’ to force young players into signing contracts that breach minimum wage laws.”
Cribb adds that the lawsuit “seeks $180 million in outstanding wages, vacation, holiday and overtime pay and employer payroll contributions for thousands of young players given as little as $35 a week for practices, games, training and travelling that could add up to more than full-time hours.”
Cribb’s story is right here.
Later Monday, David Branch, Gilles Courteau and Ron Robison, the three men who head up the CHL’s three leagues -- the OHL, QMJHL and WHL, respectively -- issued a joint news release.
It reads, in part:
“In terms of the class action that was filed in Toronto late last week, the CHL, our member leagues and teams will vigorously defend ourselves against this action which will not only have a negative effect on hockey in Canada but through all sports in which amateur student athletes are involved.”
The news release also mentioned various areas of what the CHL refers to as “the player experience,” including the education program, “extensive health and safety, anti-doping and mentoring programs,” along with “a comprehensive mental health program in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association,” and “out-of-pocket expense coverage, equipment, billeting and travel costs.”
(Earlier this month, the OHL announced a partnership with the CMHA on a program named Talk Today. To this point there is no such program involving the WHL in partnership with the CMHA.)
For the last few years, the CHL and its member leagues and teams have gone to great lengths to claim that their players are student-athletes, and you can bet that will be at the crux of their defence, should it come to that.
However, we’re a long, long way from that point.
Ted Charney, the Toronto lawyer who filed the lawsuit, told Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press:
“Right now, it’s a proposed class-action. You need one representative plaintiff, which we have, and then you need to get it approved by a court. A judge has to decide whether or not to certify it as a class-action and the next step is to circulate a notice to the class members and they have 90 days to opt out, or they’re in.”
This, then, is Step 1. The speed at which the Canadian legal system works dictates that this action could take years to reach a conclusion, assuming that it proceeds that far.
The chances of it getting that far are, of course, awfully slim. The last thing the CHL wants to do is have its teams’ books opened for public perusal.
Still, it is going to be interesting watching this play itself out.
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There was one humorous bit to the news release issued by Messrs. Branch, Courteau and Robison.
The last paragraph of the news release reads:
“In addition, despite all mentions to the contrary, recent communications and social media posts by Glenn Gumbley of the CHLPA lead us to believe that the Gumbleys are still actively involved on the fringes of junior hockey in Canada and with this action. The CHL will once again issue warnings to our players and their parents cautioning them about the Gumbleys.”
The Gumbleys, it seems, are bothering the CHL the way the mosquito in the cartoon raises havoc in the nudist colony. While the CHL tries to let on that the Gumbleys aren’t a bother, its arm are swatting furiously in an attempt to drive them away.
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As is always the case in these situations, the CHL has instructed its teams not to comment on the filing of the lawsuit.
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Brandon Archibald, a native of Port Huron, Mich., who played four-plus seasons in the OHL, has written an essay providing his perspective on what it’s like playing major junior hockey. He also addresses why he chose the OHL over the NCAA route. That piece is right here.
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Bruce Gordon played three seasons in the WHL (Medicine Hat, Saskatoon, 1979-82). Eventually, he spent 28 years in law enforcement, most of that with the Saskatoon Police Service. He retired two years ago. Now, at the age of 51, Gordon is a student in the U of Saskatchewan’s college of law. . . . Jason Warick of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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John Chartrand, a former OHL and QMJHL goaltender, is suing the OHL’s Barrie Colts for $12 million, claiming that he was wrongly cleared to play shortly after being knock unconscious in a car accident. Rick Westhead of TSN reports on the lawsuit, that actually was filed on Dec. 12, 2012, right here.
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Jeremy Roenick says he experienced 13 concussions during his playing career. Now the former NHLer admits to having memory loss, some slurred speech and, at times, difficulty finding the right word. . . . Aaron Taube of businessinsider.com has more right here.
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Tyler Sandhu, 18, from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for fourth-round selections in the 2015 and 2016 bantam drafts. . . . Sandhu was a second-round selection by the Portland Winterhawks in the 2011 bantam draft. Everett acquired him as part of the deal in which D Seth Jones went to the Winterhawks. . . . Sandhu, from Richmond, B.C., had 33 points, including 19 goals, in 62 games as a freshman (2012-13) with Everett and added 30 points, 13 of them goals, in 49 games last season. . . . This season, he has one goal in nine games. . . . This will be the first of what no doubt will be a number of moves by Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach, aimed at strengthening his roster with the ultimate goal being the 2016 Memorial Cup, which will be held in Red Deer.
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald wrote: “There was a discrepancy on why the trade took place. Everett general manager Garry Davidson said Sandhu was dissatisfied with his role on the team and requested a trade, while Sandhu said he didn’t request a trade and that it came as a surprise.”
Patterson’s story is right here.
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Great visit at the royal university hospital in Saskatoon today! Good to see everyone again thanks a lot pic.twitter.com/mDE23551hC
— Tim Bozon (@timbozon94) October 20, 2014

The CHL is the umbrella under which the three major junior leagues — the OHL, QMJHL and WHL — operate.
You might expect then that they would operate with the same rules and regulations.
And while that is true in some areas — two European players per team, three 20-year-olds, etc. — it turns out that it isn’t when it comes to the area of player benefits.
In fact, you may be as surprised as I was to find out how much difference there can be.
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On Nov. 28, when the WHL disciplined the Portland Winterhawks for spending money on what it called “illegal benefits,” some people involved with QMJHL teams must have gone: “Whoa! What’s the big deal?”
To refresh our memories, the WHL fined the Winterhawks $200,000, suspended GM/head coach Mike Johnston for the remainder of the season, prohibited them from taking part in the first five rounds of the 2013 bantam draft, and took away first-round draft picks in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The WHL was adamant that the sins of the Winterhawks didn’t include any thing to do with the illegal recruitment of players or education packages. There weren’t any payoffs to agents. There weren’t any under-the-table payments to players.
Instead, the Winterhawks were convicted of flying parents in to watch their sons play hockey, paying for some offseason workouts, and providing cell phones for team captains.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the Winterhawks, in committing those sins, spent $23,850 over a five-year.
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Meanwhile, in the QMJHL, it seems that there were some crazy things happening. And it all was perfectly legal and above board.
One agreement that has been making the rounds shows that one team ended up on the hook for potentially far more than $100,000 to one player who no longer is with that team and isn’t likely to play for it in 2013-14.
For starters, the education commitment to this one player works out to more than $100,000.
Here’s how part of the agreement reads:
“After the Player’s QMJHL career the Club will provide Educational Assistance to the Player in the amount of US$23,750 per year for four (4) years while the Player attends an accredited college or university on a full-time basis.
“Upon receiving official notification of the Player’s enrolment as a full-time student at an accredited university or college (the) Club will make payment of US$11,875 to the player. . . . These semi-annual payments by the Club will continue for four consecutive years while the player is a full-time university or college student. Total Educational Assistance will not exceed US$95,000.”
Under terms of the deal, the player has to begin his “full-time university or college studies no later than the year of his 23rd birthday.”
As well, the player forfeits all education assistance “if Player signs a contract with a National Hockey League Club.”
The QMJHL team also agreed to pay any educational costs incurred while the player was with the team.
“Such educational costs . . . shall be in addition to the US$95,000 payment for Post-QMJHL Educational costs stipulated in this Agreement,” the contract reads.
The WHL’s standard player agreement calls for a team to “pay or reimburse or cause to be paid . . . the player’s educational expenses to enroll in and attend a designated publicly funded post-secondary educational institution based on the assessment for a full-time student . . . including tuition fees, compulsory student fees and textbooks directly related to the Player’s course of study . . .”
Those educational expenses are believed to run about $5,000 per year in instances where a player has activated his education policy.
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As well, according to the agreement between the QMJHL team and the player in question, “The Club will provide US$3,000 per season to defray costs of Player’s family to travel to (the team’s city) during the time the Player is with the Club.”
There is nothing in the WHL’s standard player agreement covering such expenses. A player’s travel expenses incurred in reporting to the team and returning home at season’s end, and a return trip at Christmas, will be paid by his WHL team.
The WHL apparently has a set of rules and regulations in which it is stated that paying parental travel expenses is against the rules. However, the WHL has never shown those rules, regulations or bylaws to the media, despite repeated requests, especially from working media in the Portland area. (You may want to read this May 3 piece right here from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.)
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The QMJHL club also agreed to “provide to the Player an allowance of US$2,500 per season . . . to be used to defray the costs of the Player’s off-season conditioning.”
Again, there is nothing in the WHL standard player agreement covering off-season workout programs. Again, it apparently states in a different set of WHL rules that such payments aren’t allowed.
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While the agreeement between a QMJHL team and a player referred to earlier was legal and approved by the league office, all of that since has changed.
Three years ago, the QMJHL took a look at the situation regarding player benefits and chose to change whatever rules were in place.
According to QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau, teams now are able to offer a maximum of $10,000 per year in scholarship money.
“We made adjustments,” Courteau said Wednesday, “and since then a team is not allowed to give more than $10,000 per year on a scholarship package. That is what has been adopted.”
As well, a team is able to provide up to $5,000 per season to cover parental travel expenses should the money be needed.
Courteau explained: “We do give them a maximum of $5,000 per season . . . if a kid is playing in the Montreal area and his parents are living in the Montreal area, they won’t get anything. When we’re talking about travel, we’re talking about parents who have to travel a good distance and they have to stay overnight . . . we give them a maximum of $5,000 for travel expenses.”
Also, a QMJHL team now is able to provide a maximum of $1,500 in offseason training money if a player is in need of it.
“It’s not all of them,” Courteau said. “Just if a player needs to have some specific training . . . he can apply for offseason training to the team.”
In the case of the QMJHL, its office, under Courteau’s supervision, monitors all of this.
“Teams have to submit each and every player standard contract plus that special agreement has to be submitted to the league office for commissioner’s approval,” Courteau said.
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Asked about the specific contract that is referred to earlier in this piece, Courteau stated that it was not “a standard” agreement.
“It was a special case,” Courteau said. “It was an American player. For those American players, special scholarship packages were allowed for them.”
That isn’t the case now, though.
“That’s done,” Courteau said. “They have to go through the same rules as what we adopted three years ago.”
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CHL president David Branch, who also is the commissioner of the OHL, chose not to comment, referring questions to Courteau.
Branch, however, did allow that “each of the three leagues has different policies as relates to such matters.“
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One person who covers major junior hockey and whom I had occasion to come in contact with this week, offered this:
“One of my friends who used to be a QMJHL team media relations person asked me what Portland did . . . I can't even remember the particulars now, but basically everything I said (cell phones for players, plane tickets for parents) he said, ‘We did that, too.’
“And they never got busted.”

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Hey, all my pals in the Portland media. Yeah, I’m talking to you Paul Buker. And you Scott Sepich and Jason Vondersmith. Yes, and you Kerry Eggers, even though we’ve never met.
Don’t you folks be getting your hopes up. Heck, don’t be putting fresh batteries in the digital recorder. Forget about booking the photographers. You won't be needing a new notebook.
Because I’m told your long-awaited date with the WHL commish is going to have to wait.
A source familiar with all the goings-on has told me that “for the first time in WHL history,” at least to his knowledge, the news conference that has in past seasons preceded the WHL’s championship final “has been cancelled.”
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Just when you thought we were out of the dinosaur age, along comes Canada’s daft grandpa with an attempt at taking us back to days of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Of course, I am referring to Don Cherry and his Neanderthal-like performance last night on the people’s corpse (aka CBC). . . . Now, to be clear, I didn’t see it – I haven’t watched the man in a long, long time – but I knew something had happened just because Twitter about blew up. . . . At the end of the day, I would suggest that Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail addressed things as well as anybody, and his column is right here.
And then there was veteran sports reporter Karin Larsen (@CBCLarsen), who tweeted: “I’m embarrassed by and for Don Cherry and for CBC. Sorry.”
Larsen is right. It is sorry. Unfortunately, it isn't unexpected.
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Dr. Charles Tator is a pre-eminent expert on the brain, brain injuries and the prevention of same. He also has been a lover of the Toronto Maple Leafs for a long, long time. These days, the Leafs are the NHL’s leading practitioners of the pugilistic side of hockey. So what does he think when he’s at a game and there is a fight? “You know what? My heart races,” Dr. Tator told Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post. “I worry about that brain that is being pummelled. It really is a sad event, to me, when it happens. Because virtually every day in my practice, I see people who have had brain injuries of one sort or another, and these folks suffer terribly.” . . . Fitz-Gerald’s column is right here, and be sure to read the comments. Oh, by they way, this piece also includes statistical evidence that fighting has very little to do with the outcome of games.
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Columnist Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe has an intriguing piece right here that takes a moment-by-moment look at the conclusion of the manhunt in Boston. “What you’re about to read,” he writes, “is how it all ended. The denouement. It is a story of remarkable drama, bravery, and terror, and it is based on interviews with Watertown police and fire officials, State Police and Boston police, including Dan Linskey, the superintendent in chief of the Boston Police Department.”
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The QMJHL has a donnybrook one night, and the fines and suspensions are announced the following morning.
The QMJHL has a game decided by an overtime goal that was preceded by an uncalled offside and there is a news release in less than 24 hours.
If you missed it, the host Baie-Comeau Drakkar scored a 2-1 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Friday night, with the winning goal coming off a play that was offside, but not called, at the blueline.
Here is the statement from Gilles Courteau, the QMJHL commissioner:
“It is unfortunate that the result of a game was determined by an offside goal without the possibility of a video review. It is for that reason that as a league, we are taking the initiative to bring this addition to the Canadian Hockey League. We will therefore formulate a directive, beginning next season, allowing video review for all offside goals. The QMJHL has a very competent and passionate group of officials; because of the fast-paced nature of hockey sometimes things go unnoticed on the ice. It is for this reason that a technological aid will allow officials, during this type of situation, to make adjustments, if necessary, in order to make the right decision.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former WHL sniper and coach Troy Mick is about to add to his job description with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. Randy and Terry Williams are in the process of selling the franchise to a group headed up by Mick, who started this season as general manager and head coach before bringing in Scott Robinson to handle the coaching. . . . Under new ownership, Mick will be president, general manager and head coach. The new group won’t renew Robinson’s contract.

Rick Swan is the new general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs. Swan, who signed a three-year extension, actually was promoted, after serving as the club’s assistant GM and assistant head coach under Chad Mercier. . . . Swan had been the head coach of the midget AAA Edmonton Knights of Columbus team before joining the Pontiacs. . . . Mercier resigned from both positions earlier this month.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Edmonton leads series, 3-2; Game 6 in Calgary today, 4 p.m. MT; all games on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland wins series, 4-1)
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CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton/Calgary winner
(Series opens May 3 and 4 in Portland)
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (6):
None

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Yesterday, you will recall, I mentioned that there were 32,262 fans in attendance at three hockey games on B.C.’s Lower Mainland on Friday night.
Just to recap, that was 18,890 at an NHL game in Vancouver, 7,044 at an AHL game in Abbotsford and 6,328 at a WHL playoff game in Vancouver.
An emailer has suggested that the total be added to, what with there having been 1,018 fans at a BCHL playoff game in Surrey at the same time.
So make the total 33,280.
Another emailer writes:
“The better bet for a (WHL) team to relocate would be to place a team in Langley . . . great facility and no sour aftertaste . . . too early for the Dub to go back to the ‘Wack. Just a thought . . .”
The 5,500-seat Langley Event Centre is home to the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen.
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Justice never sleeps.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, has hit F Darren Kramer, the captain of the Spokane Chiefs, with a one-game suspension for shenanigans at the end of Game 5 in Vancouver on Friday night.
The Chiefs won the game, 5-1.
Kramer was given a roughing minor at 18:02 of the third period. At 20:00, he was penalized for roughing and for leaving the penalty box.
He won’t play tonight in Spokane as the teams meet in Game 6. The Chiefs hold a 3-2 lead.
Should Vancouver win, Game 7 will be played Wednesday in Vancouver.
The Tri-City Americans, who have to be hoping for a seventh game, await the winner of the series.
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A Saturday night with nary a WHL game.
What are we to do?
Well, there was ch-ch-ching moment in the QMJHL, where Gilles Courteau, the commissioner, is certain to add to the league’s coffers after some comments made by Leo-Guy Morrissette, the owner of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
There was a time when the Morrissette brothers ruled the QMJHL, or at least tried to, but now Leo-Guy is the only one left. It’s nice that he helps out the media at times by reverting to the old days when owners, GMs and coaches weren’t afraid to speak their minds, even if they were putting feet in mouth at the same time.
In this instance, Morrissette is alleging that some owners are spending too much money, making it impossible for others to compete.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports wraps up this story right here.
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Here’s a good ready, nay, a great read for you. It’s been 50 years since Emile Griffith pummelled Benny (The Kid) Paret to death in a boxing match on live television. Dan Klores looks back right here in a story from the pages of The New York Times. It's amazing how some of the best of sports writing involves boxing or horse racing.
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Some interesting numbers from Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Kootenay Ice.
On his blog (jeffhollick.blogspot.com), he points out that the Ice, the WHL’s defending champion, was 19-5-3 on Nov. 30 and was riding a six-game winning streak.
After which the roof fell in.
From that point through the end of the regular season, the Ice was 17-21-7 and never put together more than back-to-back victories.
Of course, the Ice then was swept from the playoffs by the Edmonton Oil Kings, which means Kootenay won only 17 of its final 49 games.
Hollick also points out that the Ice lost 25 games in which it led or was tied in the third period.
It’s apparent that, as things started to slide, the Ice became a very fragile team, something one might think wouldn’t happen to a team that was coming off a championship season.
But it just goes to show the difference between success and failure at this level can be a very fine line, indeed.
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ON THE MOVE:
G Kent Simpson of the Everett Silvertips has signed an ATO with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Simpson, 20, was a second-round selection by Chicago in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . F Shane McColgan of the Kelowna Rockets will be joining the Connecticut Whale, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers. He was a fifth-round selection by the Rangers in the 2011 NHL draft. . . . If was a no-brainer, but it seems that F Troy Bourke of the Prince George Cougars has been the first player selected to play for Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic, April 12-22. . . . Two graduating members of the Calgary Hitmen have pretty much decided to go to school, F Jimmy Bubnick to the U of Saskatchewan, which is in his hometown of Saskatoon, and D Brock Sutherland to the U of Manitoba. Sutherland is from Brandon. . . .
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IN THE PROS:
G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds came on in relief and stopped all eight shots he saw as his Lake Erie Monsters dropped a 4-0 decison to the host Texas Stars in an AHL game last night. Pickard came on with 16:59 left in the third period. D Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades also played for the Monsters. He was minus-1 with one shot on goal and a tripping minor. . . . G Damien Ketlo, who finished up with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, stopped 44 shots as the visiting Colorado Eagles beat the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-3 in an ECHL shootout. Ketlo also stymied four Las Vegas shooters in the circus.
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And, finally, for all the hockey fans out there, right here is Jim Matheson’s Hockey World from the pages of the Edmonton Journal.


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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
The Seattle Thunderbirds are scheduled to visit the Everett Silvertips tonight, while the Portland Winterhawks will be in Kennewick, Wash., to play the Tri-City Americans. Mr. Commissioner, with Portland and Tri-City embroiled in a battle for first place overall, why is it that Root Sports is televising the Seattle at Everett game?
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TEN QUESTIONS, OR MORE:
1. Is there a head coach in the WHL who has done a better job this season than Jesse Wallin of the Red Deer Rebels? How many votes does he get as coach of the year?
2. How about Dave Hunchak of the Kamloops Blazers as the Western Conference nominee as coach of the year? An associate head coach never has won the coach-of-the-year award but you could make a case that no coach in the Western Conference has had a bigger impact than has Hunchak.
3. Why do so many people not understand that those people calling for an end to fighting recognize that its inclusion has become a safety issue? Those in control of such things must do all they can to reduce head trauma.
4. Brandon without the Wheat Kings? Surely, the speculation about serious problems in lease negotations between the Wheat Kings and Westman Place can’t be true.
5. The Tri-City Americans have taken some heat of late because the players have taken to using the ‘Bonesaw’ gimmick from Spiderman as a game-ending victory celebration. Some fans have interpreted it as something of an obscene gesture, however, so will the league step in and put a stop to it?
6. The Kamloops Blazers are 14-2-1 against the U.S. Division. They are 36-6-3 inside the Western Conference. How is that possible?
7. How much long can owner Rick Brodsky keep the Cougars in Prince George with announced attendance now having fallen to the 1,500 range? How many times a week does he hear from someone in another city who kicking tires?
8. If someone built a 5,500-seat arena in Nanaimo, would the WHL give — give, not sell — that person an expansion franchise?
9. What happened to F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans? He didn’t pick up any points on Thursday.
10. Is it really just three weeks until the playoffs begin?
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JUST NOTES:
You may recall having read here earlier this week about former WHL D Ryan Bender, who was participating in The Interview Season, a reality webinar in Regina. When I wrote about it earlier in the week, Bender had made the cut and was in the final pair. Well, Bender, who played in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers and Regina Pats (2003-08), was named the winner on Thursday.
He gets a prize package worth more than $100,000, the best part of which is a $50,000 contract with Rock Bridge Reality, a deal that includes education, training and licensing needed to become a real estate agent. Bender also picks up a one-year lease on a Cadillac vehicle, a professional photo shoot, a marketing package that includes an advertising package from The Wolf 104.9, a Regina radio station, and a business wardrobe.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that F Austin Fyten, 20, may get into the Vancouver Giants’ lineup before the end of the regular season. Fyten, who was dropped by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in January, hasn’t played at all this season because of a knee injury. . . . Ewen speculates that Fyten, a left winger with Lethbridge, may find himself playing between wingers Marek Tvrdon and Brendan Gallagher on Vancouver’s top line.
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Chris Peters of The United States of Hockey offers up his take on the fighting conundrum right here. And he gets it. Fighting has to go, not as part of the move to get concussions out of the game, but to cut down on the amount of head trauma experienced by participants.
As Peters writes”
“It is very important to understand that the rule to ban fighting is indeed a plot to reduce concussions, but more specifically, it is a quest to reduce instances of contact to the head. Fighting will not always, but often result in one or more blows to the head. If you are unaware, every fighter’s goal is to connect his fist with his opponent’s face as many times as possible.
“Another huge factor in this debate is the difference between the teenage brain and the adult brain. The teenage brain is more succeptable to brain trauma and yes, concussions, putting them at a greater risk for CTE.”
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Bernard Goldberg of HBO Sports has taken a look at the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy. It is nine minutes in length and is right here. And it’s really worth watching, even if it will make your eyes water.
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Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that “C Kevin Sundher (concussion) and C/RW Jason Swyripa both practised fully on Thursday and appear ready to return to the lineup tonight. C Tyrel Seaman (concussion) also practised without restrictions, but was not on one of the top four lines, suggesting he is not likely to (play).” . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Lethbridge Hurricanes tonight.
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The Wheat Kings, who at present are eighth in the Eastern Conference, still could move up a spot or two. Wherever they finish, though, they will play their first-round home playoff games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. . . . That, as usual, is because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair will be moving into the facility in Brandon.
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A Thursday tweet from F Cody Beach (@CodyBeach16) of the Moose Jaw Warriors: “Car gets stuck in the snow, who stops to help? Homeless guy on a bike, thank you sir #10buckpayday”
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Beau McCue, 16, to a WHL contract. McCue, a native of Missoula, Montana, has 26 points, including 16 goals, in 39 games with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes of the Tier 1 Elite League. The 6-foot-0, 180-pound McCue is the team captain. He has been on the Americans’ 50-play list since October 2010 and was at their training camp prior to this season.
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With all the chatter this week about to fight or not to fight, Gilles Courteau, the QMJHL’s commissioner, felt a need to release this statement on Thursday, pointing out that he has been aware of discussions between Hockey Canada and USA Hockey:
“"We discussed it during the last World Junior Championship. However it is important to distinguish between minor hockey and the QMJHL and CHL when we talk about abolishing fights. We have been discussing this issue for several years now and have constantly revised our regulations in regards to fighting in order to provide a safer environment for our players."
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In the BCHL, the visiting Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 38 games with a 5-3 victory over the Merritt Centennials. The Vees scored the game’s last two goals to get the victory, which set a BCHL record for consecutive road victories. The Vees, with five games remaining, next play tonight against the visiting Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
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For today’s good read, we leave the slippery ice surfaces of hockey and go to the slippery surface of golf greens. Here is Karen Crouse of The New York Times on the newest version of Tiger Woods, one that doesn’t seem to be much different than the old one.


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Doug Lynch (Red Deer, Spokane, 1998-2003) was signed to a contract extension for the rest of this season by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) at the end of his three-month contract. He has four goals and five assists in 16 games for Red Bull this season. Last season, Lynch had seven goals and 21 assists in 44 games for Red Bull.
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Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports either has too much time on his hands, or he’s a real hard-core junior hockey fan.
Bet on the latter.
F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers goes into the weekend with 22 goals in 16 games, which is eight more goals than any other WHL player.
“So just for fun,” Sager writes, “and to be a huge stat nerd, someone pored through 15 years of WHL game-by-game stats to look up how many other players had scored so prolifically through their first 16 games.”
We will leave it to you to figure out who that someone was.
His findings are reported right here.
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The WHL firmed up a pair of suspensions on Thursday.
F Darian Dziurzynski of the Brandon Wheat Kings will sit two games for a charging major he incurred late in their 7-3 victory over the Broncos in Swift Current on Tuesday. He will sit out Friday and Saturday games against the visiting Calgary Hitmen and Medicine Hat Tigers. (The latter game, by the way, signals Chapter 2 in the Clouston Contest, with Shaun, the head coach of the Tigers, holding 1 -0 edge over Cory, the Wheat Kings’ head coach.)
F Jordyn Boyd of the Everett Silvertips received a one-game suspension after being hit with a clipping major in a 4-3 shootout loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday.
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In the QMJHL, meanwhile, F Jonathan Lessard of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar was hit with a 15-game suspension. He initiated a knee-on-knee hit on Quebec Remparts F Nick Sorensen on Oct. 28. Sorensen, a freshman from Sweden, suffered a season-ending knee injury on the play. According to the Remparts, Sorensen has ACL and MCL damage and won’t play for up to six months.
As a sidebar to that suspension, Patrick Roy, the Remparts’ GM/head coach, was fined $2,500.
The QMJHL employs a discipline system that employs an independent disciplinarian, in this case a gentleman named Raymond Bolduc.
After the game in which Sorensen was hurt, Roy told the media that the league’s disciplinary system had one problem, that being that Bolduc was “too nice”, resulting in discipline that wasn’t nearly stiff enough.
Gilles Courteau, the QMJHL commissioner, said in a statement: "At no time will I permit that a staff member of a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club make inappropriate comments toward League personnel, especially in regards to their capacity to accomplish a mandate which I have given them."
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JUST NOTES: The ECHL’s Alaska Aces have released G Andrew Hayes (Brandon, 2007-10). The move was made in order to make roster room for G Adam Courchaine, who played with the Aces last season but opened this season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. The NHL’s Boston Bruins re-assigned Courchaine to the Aces on Thursday. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that Hayes “is expected to go to the University of Regina.” . . . The Vancouver Giants have Russian F Alex Kuvaev, 18, on their list. Kuvaev had 24 points in 58 games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, but was dropped prior to the 2011 CHL import draft. The Kootenay Ice picked up his rights, but dropped him after learning that he had signed a three-year contract with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow. Dynamo had acquired Kuvaev’s rights from HC Vityaz Chekhov. The Giants are playing with just one import — Slovakian F Marek Tvrdon, who has 20 points in 17 games after shoulder woes limited him to 12 games (and 11 points) last season . . . .
D Zach Habscheid of the Victoria Royals will be back in the lineup tonight against the visiting Vancouver Giants. Habscheid, 19, has missed 11 games since suffering the fourth concussion of his career on Oct. 6. . . . The Royals continue to be without D Tyler Stahl, 19, who has sat out 13 games since suffering a concussion on Oct. 1.
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From today’s Regina Leader-Post:
“Delisle Chiefs goalie Cam Irwin scored an empty-net goal with 44 seconds left in Wednesday's Prairie Junior Hockey League game against the visiting Saskatoon Quakers.
Irwin, who also made 20 saves, helped the Chiefs win 7-4. Paul Sonntag led the Chiefs with two goals and an assist.”
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The Connolly family quite enjoyed it when F Brett Connolly of the Tampa Bay Lightning scored his first NHL goal the other night.
Dave Kearsey of the Western Star in Corner Brook, Nfld., has that story right here.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
This comes from the aforementioned Brett Connolly, who on Thursday afternoon tweeted:
“Nothing like buying your first car. And nothing like going to the rink in flip flops. What a job.”

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

Jessi and her friends Mitch Topping (left) and Justin Feser.
(Photo courtesy of Carrie Carlson)

If you are a regular visitor to this site, you will be familiar with the story of Jessi, the young lady who is a huge fan of the Tri-City Americans and has Down Syndrome.
Well, the Americans held their annual miniature golf tournament for players and booster club members on Sunday and, yes, Jessi played a big part in it.
As usual, Dawn Johnson, one of Jessi’s teachers and a big Americans fan herself, fills us in:
“With the graduation of Taylor Procyshen and Kruise Reddick, Jessi's mom, Tracy Engel, was a little nervous about who would be kind enough to play a round with Jessi. Adam Hughesman has been a great friend to Jessi, but he was away at the New York Islanders' camp.
“But we shouldn't have worried — Kruise had texted Justin Feser before the event and asked him to make sure Jessi was looked after.
“So Justin and his friend and new teammate Mitch Topping joined Jessi on the (mini) links.
“Similar to last year with Kruise and Adam, they played half of the game blindfolded — as you remember Jessi lost her sight a few years ago. Justin said he was amazed at how difficult it was to play while blindfolded.
“I was extremely proud of both Justin and Mitch, and the rest of the team who continue to amaze and inspire me.
“Last season during the ‘Skate with the Ams’ after each Sunday night game, many of the boys were fighting over who would be next to push Jessi in her wheelchair on the ice. It definitely is a highlight for Jessi.”
It sounds like Jessi’s involvement is a highlight for the Tri-City players, too.
Well done, guys!
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Dustin Kohn (Calgary, Brandon, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract with Örebro (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had two goals and 13 assists in 45 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) last season. Allsvenskan begins regular-season play Sept. 19. . . .
F Mike Bayrack (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Prince George, 1995-99) signed a one-year contract with the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite). He had 12 goals and 23 assists in 36 games for the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite) and four goals and three assists in 14 games for Jesenice (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) last season. Braehead plays out of Glasgow and opens its regular season on Sept. 24. The Clan is the only UK Elite team that has not played a regular-season game yet.
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Gilles Courteau is the commissioner of the QMJHL. And he should be applauded. As Chris Cochrane writes in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, “Courteau has recently made noise about taking the ultimate step — outlawing fighting. He believes such a move would be healthier for the players and would fit better with the league’s desire to offer family-type entertainment. Only a few years ago, the leader of a high-profile league would never have contemplated such a concept. That’s how much the times are changing.”
Cochrane’s complete column is right here.
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For today’s good read, we visit esquire.com and a great piece by Chris Jones, who sat on his couch and watched the Monday Night Football doubleheader. Yes, he heard what Ron (Jaws) Jaworski said. Oh, it looks as though Jones also switched to the Republican debate a time or two, as well. That piece is right here.

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

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Juraj Gracik (Tri-City, 2004-06) signed a one-year contract with the Milton Keynes Lightning (England, Premier). He had 16 goals and 18 assists in 36 games for Topolcany (Slovakia, 1.Liga) last season. The English Premier League opens its regular season on Sept. 24.
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On Oct. 28, 2009, Dr. Ann McKee testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on NFL players and head injuries.
Dr. McKee is a neuropathologist with Boston University’s Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. Her statement on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is riveting.
It also is available, via video, right here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoKkpLL10xw
Among other things, Dr. McKee points out that without head trauma there is no CTE. Period.
She also testified about the brain of an 18-year-old football player that showed spots of extreme damage.
I dare you to watch this and then make a responsible case for allowing fighting in hockey, especially where teenagers are involved.
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The Brain Research Centre is holding a major event — Not Just A Concussion, a Research Day on Traumatic Brain Injury — In Vancouver on Sept. 24.
Dr. Ann McKee will be the keynote speaker. There is no charge for registration.
This will be held in the Life Sciences Centre (Lecture Theatre No. 3) at UBC, running from 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. (The address is 2350 Health Sciences Mall, UBC Campus; entry via the west doors only.)
A news release on the event notes:
“Sidney Crosby’s hockey career hangs in the balance as he strives to make a come back from a pair of concussions. Amid speculation and headshaking, he is a living symbol of the tremendous personal costs of traumatic brain injury.
“Loss of livelihood. Poor memory and concentration. Inability to problem solve. Outbursts of rage. Between contact sports and explosive devices common in modern warfare alone, millions of people face, or will encounter, these challenges, born of brain damage caused by blows to the head.
“Join us for a fascinating immersion in recent findings on TBI, potential treatment strategies, and prevention.
“Highlights include keynote speaker Ann McKee, a neuropathologist from Boston University who will speak on the major consequences of mild TBI — a degenerative condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as well as presentations by BRC-affiliated faculty and Darren Richards, an international expert on injury biomechanics.
“Presentations will cover a range of topics, including basic science pointing to therapies in spinal cord injury and TBI, connections between TBI and dementia, and new imaging techniques that reveal the full extent of brain damage in concussion.
“Admission to our Research Day on Traumatic Brain Injury is free, but you must register in order to attend. Sign up today!”
In order to register, visit right here.
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Willy Panov of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald has covered the QMJHL for a number of years.
On Friday, he tweeted:
“Gilles Courteau would ban fighting in the Q right now if it were only up to him. Progressive thinking.”
Gilles Courteau is the comissioner of the QMJHL.
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Veteran NHLer Shane Doan, the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes, says: “If you want to be safe, then don’t play.”
In a story written by Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo! Sports, Doan continues:
“Realistically, if you don’t want to get hit and you don’t want to get hurt, then don’t play. If you go out on the ice, you’re going to get hit. If you want to play shinny, then go play shinny. It’s not the same.
“And that’s not trying to be cavalier or trying to be light about the subject, because nobody wants anybody to get hurt. But the game isn’t supposed to be safe. It’s supposed to be an intense, emotional game.”
The complete story is right here.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed D Michael Mylchreest, 16, to a WHL contract. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound Mylchreest is from Gilroy, Calif. He played midget hockey last season with the San Jose Jr. Sharks.

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

Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: D/F Rod Sarich (Calgary, 1997-2002) has signed a one-year contract extension with the Sheffield Steelers (UK Elite). He has six goals and 25 assists in 30 games with the Steelers this season. . . .
Brothers Greg and Brad Leeb have signed one-year contract extensions with Nuremberg (Germany DEL). F Greg (Spokane, 1994-98) has 12 goals and 23 assists in 46 games; Brad (Red Deer, 1995-99) has 19 goals and 18 assists in 46 games this season with Nuremberg.
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Travis Green, the Portland Winterhawks’ assistant GM/assistant coach, will be running the squad as it plays a doubleheader against the Cougars in Prince George. The Winterhawks, with the exception of GM/head coach Mike Johnston, will head for Prince George after a Wednesday game against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Johnston plans to spend the weekend scouting and recruiting, including visiting a few list players and their families. “Last year I thought it was important to head out and see some key players and visit their families while they’re still playing, and this year I think it is as well,” Johnston said in a press release. “I think it’s important for next year to add a couple of really good players to our lineup, and I thought the appropriate time (to make a recruiting trip) was now, when I could line up a schedule where all the players are playing and I have an opportunity to meet the families, and sit down and evaluate where they fit in to our long term plans.” . . . Johnston will be back behind the bench Monday when the Moose Jaw Warriors visit Portland.
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F Chad Hinz (Moose Jaw, 1995-99) will miss the rest of the season with a fractured vertebrae. Hinz, who was playing for the Central league’s Arizona Sundogs, was injured Saturday against the visiting Rapid City Rush. The Sundogs had acquired Hinz, 30, from the Missouri Mavericks on Jan. 20. There’s more on Hinz right here.
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F Brady Calla (Everett, Moose Jaw, Kamloops, Spokane, 2003-09) has been reassigned by the NHL’s Florida Panthers from the AHL’s Rochester Americans to the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Calla, 21, has six points and 14 penalty minutes in 32 games with the Americans this season. He was a third-round pick by the Panthers in the NHL’s 2006 draft.
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The Fraser Valley Bruins of the B.C. major midget league are in Prince George this week, playing two games against the Cariboo Cougars that were to have been played Dec. 12 and 13. The Bruins didn’t make it to those games, you’ll recall, because their bus crash south of Williams Lake. . . . There were a lot of bumps and bruises after the accident and G Mackenzie Skapski suffered head and facial injuries and hasn’t yet returned to action. However, he has started dryland training and hopes to be back in March. . . . "It's been tough," Bruins head coach Pat Ansell told the Prince George Citizen. "It's been a little bit of a challenge. It has interrupted our season ... and our roster. It's one of those things that you deal with. Today, it doesn't seem like such a big issue. The kids seem pretty happy. They're pretty resilient at the best of times and I think that's exactly what's happening right now. Overall, I think we're OK."
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Pro hockey is returning to Oklahoma City after a one-season absence. The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that they will operate an AHL franchise in Oklahoma City in time for the 2010-11 season. The Oilers will let their agreement with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons expire and revive their dormant AHL franchise, which last operated as the Edmonton Roadrunners. . . . Oklahoma City was home to a Central league franchise, the Blazers, since 1972 but the franchise suspended operations prior to this season. . . . Doug Sauter, a former WHL player, coach and general manager, was the Blazers’ head coach for a number of years. He remains in Oklahoma City where he is employed by the Funk family. Bob Funk Jr. is the president of Prodigal Hockey, which cut the deal with the Oilers to bring the AHL franchise to Oklahoma City. Funk Jr. also is president of Express Sports, the parent company of the now-defunct Blazers. Last summer, when it became known that Prodigal Hockey was in the market for an AHL franchise, Funk Jr. told newsok.com blogger Bob Przybylo: “(Sauter) will always be a part of our organizations. Whether it’s helping with the hockey team or doing other stuff, he’ll always be a part. As for the coaching, I’m not in a spot to comment on that.” . . . There is more on this story right here.
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Meanwhile, the Albany River Rats, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, are about to change hands, something that likely will result in a move to Charlotte, N.C. There’s more on that right here.
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Major junior hockey’s big three — David Branch, Gilles Courteau and Ron Robison — were in Brandon on Tuesday to check out the work that has been done to date to prepare for the 2010 Memorial Cup. Branch is the CHL commissioner and OHL president, while Courteau is the QMJHL’s commissioner and Robison is the WHL commissioner. . . . In an interview with Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings on radio station CKLQ, Branch said the major junior leagues are in the process of setting up a concussion-management system. Branch said that this is “going to be a front-burner item.” . . . Branch also indicated that the CHL will continue to allow smaller communities to play host to the Memorial Cup. “We can’t forget who we are,” Branch said. “We can’t lose sight of who we are and we understand that.”
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If you click right here you will get to read a terrific story involving Canadian Olympic women’s team goaltender Shannon Szabados and a friend from her days in the AJHL.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
d-Brandon (14) 38-16-1-3-80
d-Calgary (17) 38-16-1-1-76
Saskatoon (18) 36-12-3-3-78
Kootenay (15) 35-17-3-2-75
Medicine Hat (14) 32-18-3-5-72
Red Deer (16) 31-21-0-4-66
Prince Albert (16) 28-23-3-2-61
Moose Jaw (18) 26-20-5-3-60
Swift Current (15) 28-26-0-3-59
Regina (15) 24-26-3-4-55
Tuesday: Regina 2 at Brandon 6; Moose Jaw 2 at Kootenay 5; Lethbridge 0 at Red Deer 1; Calgary 6 at Swift Currrent 1.
Wednesday: Prince Albert at Medicine Hat; Calgary at Regina; Swift Current at Saskatoon; Moose Jaw at Spokane.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (18) 39-13-0-2-80
d-Vancouver (15) 33-20-1-3-70
x-Everett (17) 34-18-2-1-71
x-Portland (15) 34-20-2-1-71
Spokane (17) 31-20-3-1-66
Kelowna (15) 28-25-2-2-60
Kamloops (15) 26-25-2-4-58
Chilliwack (16) 24-26-1-5-54
x — clinched playoff spot.
Tuesday: Seattle 2 at Tri-City 3.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Everett; Tri-City at Portland; Kamloops at Prince George; Moose Jaw at Spokane.
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TUESDAY;
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings broke a 1-1 tie with three goals in a span of 2:39 in the second period and went on to beat the Regina Pats, 6-2. . . . D Alexander Urbom scored twice for Brandon. He has 10 on the season. . . . F Brayden Schenn drew three assists for Brandon. . . . Brandon F Matt Calvert scored his 37th of the season. . . . Brandon F Toni Rajala had a goal, his 19th, and two assists. . . . D Myles Bell, the 17th pick in the 2008 bantam draft, scored his first WHL goal for the Pats. . . . Referees Derek Zalaski and Brett Montsion called three minor penalties, all to Regina. . . . Brandon is 15-0-0-1 in its last 16 home games. . . . Brandon has won four of five with Regina this season. . . . Attendance was 4,063.
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In Cranbrook, B.C., F Dustin Sylvester had two goals and an assist to lead the Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Sylvester now has 236 career regular-season points, good for third spot on the Ice’s franchise list. He passed Dale Mahovsky and Steve DaSilva with this performance and now trails only Jarrett Stoll (286) and Nigel Dawes (272). . . . Sylvester now has 78 points, three shy of Vancouver Giants F Craig Cunningham, who leads the WHL. . . . The Warriors held a 2-1 lead 48 seconds into the second period, as F Spencer Edwards scored his 15th goal. . . . The Ice tied it on D Ryan Molle’s second goal of the season at 3:07 and went ahead on Sylverster’s second of the game, and 31st of the season, at 5:49. . . . Ice G Todd Mathews made 28 saves, eight more than Moose Jaw’s Jeff Bosch. . . . Attendance was 2,595. . . . The Ice had lost its last two games. . . . The Warriors have lost eight of nine as they head into the U.S. Division.
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In Red Deer, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 24 shots to lead the Rebels to a 1-0 victory over the lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Kuemper has three shutouts this season and six in his career. This was the second time this season that he blanked Lethbridge, 1-0. . . . Red Deer D Justin Weller scored the game’s only goal, his third of the season, unassisted at 3:29 of the second period. . . . The Hurricanes have lost nine in a row. . . . Red Deer was 0-for-7 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 4,033.
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In Swift Current, the Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to five games as they beat the Broncos, 6-1. . . . The Hitmen scored the game’s first three goals and the last three. . . . F Mackenzie Royer scored twice, his third and fourth of the season, for Calgary. . . . The Hitmen were 2-for-6 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-7. . . . Swift Current F Cody Eakin got his 39th goal of the season, tying him for the WHL lead with Regina Pats F Jorden Eberle. . . . Calgary G Michael Snider stopped 25 shots, while Swift Current’s Morgan Clark turned aside 32. . . . Attendance was 2,070.
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Jordan Messier broke a 2-2 tie at 10:50 of the third period and the host Tri-City Americans went on to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent. . . . The victory allowed the Americans to stay tied for first place overall with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Charles Wells had given the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal at 12:45 of the second period. Wells has 15 goals this season. . . . Tri-City D Jarrett Toll tied it with his sixth goal of the season at 19:07 of the second. . . . Messier won it with his 17th goal. . . . The Thunderbirds have lost 12 in a row. . . . The Americans were 1-for-6 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-for-8. . . . Seattle G Michael Salmon, making a rare start in place of Calvin Pickard, made 30 saves, three more than the Americans’ Drew Owsley. . . . Attendance was 3,766. . . . Tri-City F Kruise Reddick left in the first period after taking a puck off one foot. He didn’t return.