Scattershooting: Circus comes to Calgary ... Acadia gets two ex-WHLers ... Ex-Wheaties D a head coach

Now that there is life on the NHL front in Seattle, how long until the Calgary Flames start using that for leverage as they attempt to get taxpayers to cough up cash for a new home? Oh wait, they’re already threatening to move to Quebec City. Here we go . . .

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"If you don't want to get a concussion, be a swimmer" - Brian Burke

— CTV - Chris Epp (@CTVchrisepp) June 7, 2017

Brian Burke, the Calgary Flames’ president of hockey operations, spoke to the Canadian Club of Calgary on Wednesday. CTV’s Chris Epp was there and tweeted the above, which should go over well with the many former NHL players who are suing the league in a concussion-related lawsuit.

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Yes, it was Brian Burke who mentioned a new arena in Calgary and Quebec City on Wednesday. The day wasn’t done when Ken King, the president and CEO of the Flames’ ownership, issued a statement pointing out that Burke “is not our spokesperson regarding a new events centre for our city.” . . . Calgary may not be getting a new arena any time soon, but it now has a circus on its hands.

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I’m sorry but there is nothing on TV these days that is as laughable as Buck Martinez pleading for baseballs to leave the park during Toronto Blue Jays’ telecasts. Of course, he practically whispers when the opposition lucks into a long ball.

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The Cincinnati Reds had utilityman Scooter Gennett in left field on Tuesday night. He had never hit four home runs in a month before he hit four in that game, becoming the 17th player in MLB history to perform that feat. . . . At that point, the San Francisco Giants’ left fielders had totalled three home runs this season. . . . One night later, Gennett hit into two double plays for the first time in his career.

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Randy Edsall was the highest-paid state employee in Maryland in 2016, pulling down US$2.673 million. As Eric Kolenich of the Richmond, Va., Times-Dispatch pointed out: “Just one odd thing about this . . . he was fired in 2015.” . . . Edsall was fired as the U of Maryland’s football coach six games into the 2015 season.

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A note from Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: ““A high-school cheerleader in El Paso was arrested on suspicion of submitting a false police report after she confessed she made up a story that her home had been burglarized so she could keep her uniform instead of having to turn it in. She was released from jail after posting bond of two bits, four bits, six bits, $5,000.”

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Verdun Hayes recently made history at the age of 101 when, as comedian Argus Hamilton reported, he became “the oldest man ever to voluntarily jump out of an airplane. That was United Airlines’ story, and they’re sticking to it.”

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Headline at SportsPickle.com: CBS dumps Tony Romo after Dak Prescott expresses interesting in broadcasting career.

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D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) has signed a one-year contract with SønderjyskE Vojens (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had two goals and two assists in 14 games with the  with Quad City Mallards (ECHL). He signed with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite) on Nov. 28 and had four goals and seven assists in 33 games with them. . . .

D Alex Roach (Calgary, 2010-14) has signed a one-year contract with Grizzlys Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL). He is a dual German-Canadian citizenship. This season, with the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL), he had two assists in 12 games. He signed with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL) on Dec. 21 and had two assists in 21 games there. . . . 

F Ben Walker (Victoria, 2011-14) has signed a one-year contract with Freiburg (Germany, DEL2). This season, in 16 games with České Budějovice (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), he had three goals and 10 assists.

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F Ryan O’Reilly, whose WHL rights belong to the Tri-City Americans, has committed to the U of Denver where he will play for the Pioneers. O’Reilly, 17, is from Southlake, Texas. The Americans selected him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft. . . . This season, he had 23 goals and eight assists in 26 games with the U-16 Dallas Stars. . . . In January 2016, O’Reilly had committed to the U of Nebraska-Omaha. . . . He is eligible for the NHL’s 2018 draft.

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Victor Findlay (@Finder_24) tweeted Thursday that Acadia U has commitments from F Rod Southam and D Micheal Zipp. . . . Southam, from Saskatoon, captained the Kelowna Rockets. This season, he had 46 points, 19 of them goals, in 71 games. He began his WHL career with the Tri-City Americans, before being moved to the Rockets early in 2014-15. In 247 regular-season games, he had 101 points, 41 of them goals. . . . Zipp, from Edmonton, was the captain of the Calgary Hitmen this season, during which he had four goals and 22 assists in 71 games. He began with the Everett Silvertips in 2012-13, then was traded to Calgary the next season. In 299 regular-season games, he had 77 points, including 18 goals.

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Daniel Tetrault, a former WHL defenceman, is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush. Tetrault, 37, spent this season as an assistant coach with the Rush. He also is a former captain of the Rush; that was the fifth team for which he wore the ‘C’. . . . Tetrault played five seasons in the WHL (Brandon, 1995-2000). . . . In Rapid City, he takes over from Mark DeSantis, who was fired in April after a 96-game run (38-47-11) as head coach.

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The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights have hired Mike Kelly as an assistant coach to work alongside head coach Gerard Gallant. They worked together with the Florida Panthers (2014-17) until both were fired on Nov. 27. . . . Interestingly, Kelly started the 2003-04 season as head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, but was fired by owner Kelly McCrimmon on March 1 with a 22-32-12 record. McCrimmon, who still owns the Wheat Kings, is the Golden Knights’ assistant general manager.

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Oh, forgot to mention, here's the new #ICEcountry jerseys! That's ICE co-owner @greg_fettes at our Corporate Kick Off event. pic.twitter.com/sOUYGKyu0D

— Kootenay ICE (@WHLKootenayICE) June 9, 2017

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Canada names selection camp roster . . . 'Canes change 20s . . . Tigers perfect 10!

5 - Percent of Games Requiring Overtime, Last 5 WHL Seasons:
2012-13 (16.9%)
2013-14 (17.9%)
2014-15 (16.8%)
2015-16 (17.3%)
2016-17 (20.3%)

— WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) November 29, 2016

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D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). This season, he had two goals and two assists in 14 games with the Quad City Mallards (ECHL). Coyle played with Sheffield last season. . . .

F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Amiens (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, he had one assist in four games with the Herning Blue Fox (Denmark, Metal Ligaen) before being released by mutual agreement on Friday.

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24 hours ago I went -5 in a charity floor hockey game, now Im ordering red and white gear for #WorldJunior camp. What a day #thankful

— Connor Ingram (@CBIngram1) November 30, 2016

There are 12 WHLers on the national junior team selection camp roster that Hockey Canada unveiled Tuesday.

That roster features 32 players — three goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 19 forwards.

The selection camp is to run in Blainville, Que., Dec. 10-14, with the 2017 World Junior Championship set for Toronto and Montreal, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. A year ago, in Finland, Canada didn’t advance past the quarterfinals.

The WHLers on Canada’s selection camp roster are G Carter Hart, Everett Silvertips; G Connor Ingram, Kamloops Blazers; D Jake Bean, Calgary Hitmen; D Kale Clague, Brandon Wheat Kings; D Noah Juulsen, Everett; F Mathew Barzal, Seattle Thunderbirds; F Dillon Dube, Kelowna Rockets; F Brett Howden, Moose Jaw Warriors; F Nick Merkley, Kelowna; F Nolan Patrick, Brandon Wheat Kings; and F Sam Steel and F Austin Wagner, Regina Pats.

The Canadian roster includes five returnees from a year ago: Barzal; D Thomas Chabot, Saint John Sea Dogs; F Julien Gauthier, Val-d’Or Foreurs; F Mitchell Stephens, Saginaw Spirit; and F Dylan Strome, Erie Otters.

The selection camp will include three exhibition games — against a team of Canadian university starts on Dec. 12 and 13, and against the Czech Republic on Dec. 14.

The goaltending competition will be as interesting as anything in the selection camp. Team Canada will keep two of the three. Ingram has a 2.19 GAA and .932 save percentage, while Hart is at 1.67, .937, and Michael McNiven of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack is 2.29, .920.

There are nine players on the Canadian roster from each of the OHL and QMJHL, and two from NCAA schools. D Dante Fabbro of Boston University and F Tyson Jost of North Dakota both played with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees.

Fabbro’s WHL rights belong to Seattle, which selected him eighth overall in the 2013 bantam draft.

Jost’s WHL rights belong to Regina, the Pats having acquired them from the Everett Silvertips, who took him seventh overall in that 2013 bantam draft. With the Pats the odds-on favourite to be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, you are free to wonder if Steel and Wagner, the two Regina players on the selection camp roster, will be whispering in Jost’s ear.

Team Canada will play in Group B, along with Latvia, Russia, Slovakia and Team USA. Canada will open the tournament against Russia on Boxing Day in Toronto.

Group A comprises Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.

Three of the WHL players on the roster — Patrick, Bean and Steel — are injured.

Patrick, the consensus No. 1 pick for the NHL’s 2017 draft, has played in only six games and hasn’t played since Oct. 11. He is listed as being out week-to-week on the WHL’s Nov. 29 roster report. Patrick, who has been bothered by the after-effects of July surgery for a sports hernia, told Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun on Monday that “I think my injury is turning a corner.” If Patrick, or any other injured player, doesn’t take part in the camp, he won’t be on the final roster.

Bean, a first-round pick (13th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL’s 2016 draft, has two assists in three games this season. He hasn’t played since suffering a hand injury on Oct. 14, but is expected to return at some point this weekend.

Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, has missed the Pats’ last two games with a shoulder injury. He was injured in the second period of a 5-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George on Nov. 22 and sat out Regina’s next two games. He went into this week with 41 points, tops in the WHL.

Meanwhile, two other players — Dube and Howden — have just returned from the injury list.

Dube has seven points, including six assists, in six games since coming back from a knee injury suffered while in camp with the NHL’s Calgary Flames.

Howden has played in two games since returning from a hip injury that cost him a month. He has two goals and four assists in those two games, giving him 20 points, including 11 goals, in 13 games this season.

JUST NOTES: There are a number of tournament-eligible players in the NHL and Team Canada is free to add to its roster until Dec. 19. . . . Among the WHLers who may have been close to being selected: D Connor Hobbs, Regina; D Brendan Guhle and F Jansen Harkins, Prince George Cougars; F Tyler Soy, Victoria Royals; F Tyler Benson, Vancouver Giants; and D Ethan Bear, Seattle. . . . D Cal Foote of Kelowna, who is from Englewood, Colo., has declared for Canada but was ruled ineligible under the IIHF’s residency rules. Foote, whose father is former NHL D Adam Foote, is in his second WHL season. . . . Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, reports that freshman F Rudolfs Balcers has been named to the Latvian national junior team. He has 28 points, including 15 goals, in 27 games with the Blazers.

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Peter Anholt, the general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, continued to shake up things with a team that he obviously feels is under-achieving.

Earlier this month, Anholt dealt F Brayden Burke, the team’s leading scorer, to the Moose Jaw Warriors. On Tuesday, Anholt placed D Kord Pankewicz on 20-year-old waivers, and filled that roster spot with D Shaun Dosanjh.

Dosanjh began this season with the Prince George Cougars, before being claimed off waivers by the Kamloops Blazers when they lost D Dallas Valentine, 20, to an elbow injury. Valentine returned from a 19-game absence on Friday, so the Blazers placed Dosanjh on waivers.

The Hurricanes had acquired Pankewicz from the Brandon Wheat Kings in September 2014. This season, he has a goal and eight assists in 24 games. In 155 regular-season games with Lethbridge, he put up 97 points, including 85 assists. Including his 88 games with Brandon, Pankewicz has 112 points, 99 of them assists. Brandon selected him 11th overall in the 2011 bantam draft.

Dosanjh was a third-round pick by the Vancouver Giants in that 2011 bantam draft. This season, he has a goal and three assists in 18 games. In 142 career regular-season games, Dosanjh has three goals and seven assists.

The Hurricanes (11-11-3) have won four straight games. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, but are just one point behind the third-place Edmonton Oil Kings in the Central Division.

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet filed his weekly 30 Thoughts essay on Tuesday and, as usual, it is highly readable. In this instance, he takes a look at the changes with the Florida Panthers. . . . And if you look hard enough you might even find my name in there somewhere. It’s still a great read and it’s right here.

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The ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals have fired head coach Rod Aldoff and brought in Robbie Ftorek, a former NHL head coach, as the replacement. . . . The Admirals were 2-11-4 at the time of the change. . . . Aldoff, who is from Lethbridge, was hired in June to replace Eric Veilleux, now an assistant coach with the AHL;’s San Antonio Rampage. Aldoff had guided the Pensacola Ice Flyers to last season’s SPHL title. . . . Ftorek, 64, last coached in 2013-14 when he was an assistant coach with the AHL’s Abbotsford, B.C., Heat.

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JUST NOTES:

The Kootenay Ice won’t have D Troy Murray in the lineup tonight when they meet the Silvertips in Everett tonight. Murray drew a TBD suspension after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Edmonton F Artyom Baltruk in a 5-3 loss to the visiting Oil Kings on Sunday. Baltruk is shown on this week’s roster report as being out TBD with an upper-body injury.

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A big thanks to Chewy for coming out to the female peewee AA Wheat Kings practice tonight! #teamcanada #girlshockey pic.twitter.com/liJ5FI1pTp

— Shane Baranyk (@baranyk24) November 29, 2016

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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

#WHL PA/MH:  @tigershockey have won 9 in a row, longest since 17 game winning streak - Jan. 9 - Feb. 17, 2007.  Outscored opponents 55-22.

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) November 29, 2016

At Medicine Hat, F Zach Fischer had a goal and two assists to help the Tigers to a 4-1 victory over the

ZACH FISCHER

Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Tigers (21-5-1) have won 10 in a row and now lead the overall standings by three points over the Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars. . . . The Tigers are scheduled to play in Everett on Friday. . . . The Raiders (5-19-1) have lost eight straight and have the 22-team league’s poorest record. . . . F Chad Butcher (12) got the Tigers started at 9:28 of the first period. . . . Fischer, who has 17 goals, added to the lead at 10:54 of the second period. . . . F Cole Fonstad (5) got Prince Albert’s goal at 12:04. . . . The Tigers put it away on goals from F John Dahlstrom (13) at 17:17 of the second and F Steve Owre (7) at 9:02 of the third. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko and D David Quenneville each had two assists for Medicine Hat, while Butcher and Owre each had one. . . . G Nick Schneider stopped 28 shots in posting his 12th straight victory. He leads the WHL with 19 of them. . . . The Raiders got 32 stops from Ian Scott. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-5. . . . F Matt Bradley, one of the Tigers’ five 30-point men, was among the scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 3,167.

#WHL PA/MH:  @PARaidersHockey is on 7 game losing streak, longest stretch since Dec. 4-17, 2013.  Haven't had 8 since Feb. 3-18, 2012.

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) November 29, 2016

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At Langley, B.C., F Brad Morrison’s goal at 1:58 of OT gave the Prince George Cougars a 4-3 victory

BRAD MORRISON

over the Vancouver Giants. . . . D Brendan Guhle had tied the game, with his fifth goal, at 19:18 of the third period. Morrison, who has 10 goals, got the lone assist on Guhle’s goal. . . . F Jansen Harkins had given the visitors a 1-0 lead, with his sixth goal, at 10:27 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Ty Ronning (10) tied it at 16:33. . . . The Cougars went back out front on F Jesse Gabrielle’s 13th goal, at 18:17, with Harkins getting the assist. . . . The Giants took the lead with second-period goals from D Matt Barberis (4), at 2:34, on a PP, and F Radovan Bondra (17), at 16:28. . . . Bondra and Ronning each had an assist for Vancouver. . . . Gabrielle also added an assist to his goal. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 19 shots for the Cougars. . . . The Giants got 42 stops from G Ryan Kubic. . . . Vancouver was 1-6 on the PP; Prince George was 0-5. . . . The Cougars (19-6-2) had lost their previous two games. They are three points behind the WHL-leading Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Giants (10-16-2) have lost six straight (0-4-2). . . . Announced attendance: 2,870.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kootenay at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

Seattle at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Prince Albert at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Saskatoon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Kelowna vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Brandon at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Change in Raiders' office . . . Attempt to save team is over . . . Montador had CTE

BOOK REVIEW:

Remember when hockey cards were the thing?
It really wasn’t that long ago, like in the 1990s and for a while after the turn of the century.
But the real feeding frenzy was in the 1990s. In fact, while I was the Regina Leader-Post’s sports editor, I came to know one person who paid off his mortgage

through hockey cards. He built up a supply — at one time, he had more than one million cards in his basement — and spent many weekends a year at card shows in southern and central Saskatchewan.
For most collectors, though, it isn’t about paying off a mortgage. Early on in He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures, author Jon Waldman quotes Hersh Borenstein, president of the Toronto-based memorabilia company Frozen Pond:
“More than anything it’s the pursuit . . . it’s not about the value.”
You will be aware of that if you have ever been a collector of anything. Yes, it’s about the chase.
In this book, Waldman goes back in time to the beginning of hockey-based collectibles. He also looks at everything from autographs — what to get autographed; what not to get autographed — to game-worn jerseys to programs and tickets and everything in between.
Still, cards are at the heart of hockey collectibles. Early on, Waldman provides a timeline of the history of hockey cards that shows just how crazy the industry was as it built to a peak and then came down the other side.
In chronicling the collectible industry, Waldman also provides something of a history of professional hockey, especially at the NHL level. He offers up a team-by-team look, including expansion and defunct franchises, always pointing out unique collectibles.
Should you give this book a look, it will bring back a million memories. It may even cause you to go on the hunt in your own home. Perhaps you have an H.M. Cowan painted tile or two hanging around somewhere. It could be that you had no idea what they were, other than small paintings of former players like, say, Harry Howell and Tom Johnson. Maybe you will find them, go on the Internet and find out that they are worth more than a few dollars.
But you won’t even attempt to sell them. No. Because it isn’t about the money, is it?
(He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures; ECW Press, 274 pages, soft cover, $19.95)
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F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Riessersee (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A), he had 25 goals and 19 assists in 37 games. He led the team in goals and points while it won the Italian championship. . . .
D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had two goals and 17 assists in 36 games with Aalborg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen) this season. . . .
F Marcin Kolusz (Vancouver, 2003-04) signed a two-year extension with Tychy (Poland, PHL). He had 40 points, including 16 goals, in 42 games this season. His club won the Poland championship. Kolusz captained Poland at the World Championship Division 1A, where he was named to the all-star team and named best player on his team.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.

The Kelowna Rockets get their first chance to win this season’s WHL championship when they meet the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings tonight. The Rockets hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . The Rockets have won their last six games, beating the Portland Winterhawks three straight to close out the Western Conference final and now having opened the league final with three victories. . . . Wondering why the teams didn’t play on back-to-back nights when the series headed to Kelowna? Diana Krall was playing Prospera Place last night.
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Bruce Vance is leaving the Prince Albert Raiders after 14 years with the WHL franchise. Vance, who has been involved in the WHL for 21 years, is leaving the Raiders to work as the City of Prince Albert’s marketing and sponsorship co-ordinator. Vance joined the Raiders as director of marketing, and has been the Raiders’ business manager for the past four years. . . . Michael Scissons will replace Vance as the Raiders’ business manager, effective June 1. Scissons has been with the Saskatoon Blades through 12 seasons, most recently as their vice-president of business operations.
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The attempt at resuscitating the men’s hockey program at Thompson River University in Kamloops is dead. Trevor Bast of Victoria, who had been attempting to revive a program that was discontinued by TRU prior to this season, tells Taking Note that “I have stopped working towards reviving TRU hockey.” . . . With the TRU athletic department having said it no longer was interested in a hockey program, Bast approached the TRU Students’ Union in an attempt to form a link there. However, the TRUSU didn’t get back to him. At the same time, a deadline imposed by the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League went by, so Bast feels he has no choice but to walk away. . . . Don Schulz, the head coach of the WolfPack when the program collapsed, is preparing for his first season as head coach of the Kamloops-based Thompson Blazers, who play in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
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The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, champions of the Kootenay International Junior League, have changed the responsibilities of assistant coach Mike Reid and general manager Dave Smith. . . . Reid will take over as GM/director of player personnel, with Smith move to assistant GM-hockey operations. . . . “We’ve just taken the workload and divided it into two,” team president Chad Koran explained to Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. “It’s a pretty demanding and time-consuming job. We’re just trying to divide it between the two guys and lighten the load for the both of them.” . . . Head coach Jerry Bancks is set for another season, with Reid, Jeff Keiver and Todd White all back on staff, too. . . . Rocca's story is right here.

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Does the NFL really concern itself more with deflated footballs and artificially inflated players? In light of Tom Brady’s suspension and Deflategate, Jere Longman of The New York Times examines the NFL and a history of deceit in sports right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Prince Albert Raiders have re-signed associate coach Dave Manson and assistant coach Kelly Guard. Contract terms weren’t released. They will work under head coach Marc Habscheid, who signed a four-year contract earlier this spring. . . . The Raiders have yet to reveal whether they will retain general manager Bruno Campese, whose contract is soon to expire. . . . Manson, who is from Prince Albert, will be entering his 11th season on the Raiders’ coaching staff. He also is a former Raiders defenceman (1983-86). . . . Guard, who also is from Prince Albert, is preparing for his fourth season with the Raiders. He started as the team’s goaltending coach, then was promoted to assistant coach prior to this season. . . . Both men have been part of Memorial Cup championship teams, Manson with the 1984-85 Raiders and Guard with the 2003-04 Kelowna Rockets.
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Former NHLer Jeremy Roenick, who now is in the broadcast business, said Tuesday that Travis Green, the former Portland Winterhawks assistant GM/assistant coach, should be considered for the head-coaching vacancy with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. . . . "He is a no-nonsense coach and I think a coach that's ready for the National Hockey League and that's waited for a National Hockey League job," Roenick said Tuesday on Comcast SportsNet's Breakfast on Broad. "He turned down an assistant job in Pittsburgh last year because of his craving to be a head coach. If there's a young guy out there that's ready for that jump, I think Travis Green would be that guy.” . . . Green now is the head coach of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. . . . There’s more right here on Roenick and Green. . . . The Comets hold a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Barons in a second-round series with Game 4 tonight in Oklahoma City.
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D Mackenze Stewart of the Prince Albert Raiders has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Stewart, who turns 20 on Aug. 10, is from Calgary. The Canucks selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Stewart had 11 points, five of them goals, with the Raiders this season. . . . The Canucks apparently plan on turning Stewart into a left winger. . . .
The best baseball book you’ve never read? In a piece written for Rolling Stone, Dan Epstein makes a case for Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud. That is the story of former Major League first baseman Joe Pepitone, and it was on bookshelves before Jim Bouton’s Ball Four. The good news is that Joe, You Could Made Us Proud is being reissued. . . . Epstein’s piece is right here.
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“The family of Steve Montador is planning to launch a lawsuit against the NHL in the wake of news the late defenceman suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, widely known as CTE,” writes Rick Westhead of TSN. “The Krembil Neuroscience Centre’s Canadian Sports Concussion Project announced results on Tuesday of autopsies conducted on Montador, former CFL player John Forzani, and an anonymous donor. CTE was detected in the brains of Montador and the anonymous donor, but not Forzani, a former lineman with the Stampeders.” . . . Montador, who was 35 when he died in February. As a hockey player, he had a long history of concussions. . . . Westhead’s piece is right here.
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Hopefully Euro hockey notices that when #TeamCanada wins there is no big goal celebrations or hand slaps down the bench. #RespectOpponents

— Jeff Ulmer (@Ulms44) May 12, 2015

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Mpofu lays down the law . . . Cameron back in coaching game

Some old, some new . . . as I try to catch up after a few days away . . .
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F Carter Proft (Brandon, Spokane, 2010-14) signed a one-year contract with the Kassel Huskies (Germany, DEL). Last season, with Spokane, he had 23 points, 11 of them goals, in 72 games. He has dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
D Petr Šenkeřík (Kootenay, Prince George, 2009-10) signed a tryout contract with Vitkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had a goal and two assists in 24 games. In 17 games with Berounští Medvědi (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), he had 11 points, four of them goals. . . .
F Gal Koren (Kelowna, 2010-11) signed a one-year contract with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he had one goal in 23 games. He had four goals and four assists in 15 games with Olimpija Ljubljana, and was pointless in four games with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . .
D Dmitri Sinitsyn (Regina, 2013-14) has signed a two-year, two-way contract with Dynamo Moscow (Russia, KHL). Last season, he had 44 points, including 10 goals, in 69 games with Regina. . . .
F Michal Pšurný (Medicine Hat, Kootenay, 2005-06) signed a one-year extension with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). Last season, he led the league in scoring, putting up 99 points, including 45 goals, in 54 games. He was a first-team all-star. . . .
D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) signed a one-year contract with Aalborg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, with the Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL), he had 31 points, including eight goals. He was pointless in three games on loan to the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL). . . .
D Tomáš Troliga (Calgary, 2003-04) signed a tryout contract with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 24 points, 13 of them goals, in 46 games.
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F Vukie Mpofu, the 87th selection in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft, has informed the Red Deer Rebels that he won’t be returning for a second season. Mpofu, 18, is a native of Saskatoon, who had 15 points, including nine goals, in 65 games last season.
He has decided to attend the U of Saskatchewan and study business and marketing as he works toward a law degree.
“He called me and told me he’d thought about it all summer and that his goal was to attend law school,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner/GM/head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He felt it was important for him to start his schooling now (at the U of S) and then in four years enrol in law school in Toronto.”
Sutter told Meachem that he wasn’t surprised to hear from Mpofu.
“I don’t know how driven he was to be a hockey player and I told him that over the phone . . . that if his heart wasn’t in it then it was better to move on to school,” Sutter said. “I kind of had a feeling that something was up at the end of the season. After he got hurt he never had the same drive. His emotion for the game wasn’t the same when he came back and at our year-end meeting I had a feeling he really wasn’t all-in to being a player.”
Mpofu struggled in the second half of the season after returning from a lower-back injury.
 Mpofu told Meachem there wouldn’t be any looking back.
“I’ve had everything I could have ever asked for out of hockey and I’m at a point in my life — now that I’m out of high school — that every decision I make from here on in should be building toward my long-term goals and where I would eventually like to see myself in five to 10 years. That’s pretty much the basis of my decision,” Mpofu said.
“Hockey was a lot of fun for me, but I had to make a decision now for my future.”
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And now for some self-promotion . . .
Jack Finarelli, aka The Sports Curmudgeon, is a friend who writes daily on his blog. He also offers up some recommended readings for his followers.
The other day, he posted this right here:
“Here is one to put on your ‘Wish List’ so that folks can get you a book for your birthday or for Christmas…"
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Meanwhile, The Sports Curmudgeon also took time to dissect a claim by someone that the return of LeBron could put $500 million into the Cleveland economy. I always cringe when people, mostly of a political bent, start talking about how much a tournament or an event will mean to a city’s economy because there always seem to be a lot of numbers thrown around without a whole lot of proof. . . . Well, The Sports Curmudgeon explains the whole thing awfully well right here. Give this a read and the next time you hear/read about how much economic benefit there will be from an event coming to your town, you will feel a bit better informed.
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The Saskatoon Blades, under relatively new ownership and a freshman GM/head coach in Bob Woods, have realigned their scouting department. Doug Molleken, their head scout, now is director of scouting, eastern region, and will be responsible for Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the U.S. Molleken, 54, has signed a two-year extension. . . . Dan Tencer, 28, has been promoted from regional scout to director of scouting, western region, and will focus on Alberta and B.C. . . . Molleken and Tencer will report to Colin Priestner, the franchise’s managing partner who will oversee the bantam and European drafts. . . . There is more on the Blades’ scouting staff right here.
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“Wilfred Rose, 58, spent a career studying the pants pockets of New Yorkers,” writes Joseph Goldstein in The New York Times, “always on the lookout for ‘a nice stiff wallet’ full of cash, or better yet, the fainter outline of a dozen folded bills.” . . . This is the story of a man who may have been the greatest pickpocket in New York City’s history, and you won’t want to miss it. It’s right here.
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The Montreal Canadiens have signed F Nikita Scherbak, their first-round pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract. Scherbak, from Russia, had 78 points, including 28 goals, in 65 games as a freshman with the Saskatoon Blades last season. Under terms of the CBA between the NHL and NHLPA, Scherbak, who doesn’t turn 19 until Dec. 30, has to play with the Canadiens or the Blades in 2014-15. Of course, the Blades could also choose to trade him. . . .
As you will have noticed in The MacBeth Report, D Dmitry Sinitsyn of the Regina Pats has signed with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow. Sinitsyn, who turned 20 on June 17, may not have returned to the Pats anyway, as the Moscow native would have been a two-spotter -- a 20-year-old and an import. He was a seventh-round pick by the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s 2012 draft. The Pats’ roster also includes German F Maximilian Kammerer, who is preparing for his second WHL season, and Russian D Sergey Zborovsky, who was selected last month in the CHL import draft. . . . Regina finished last season with five other players who could be 20-year-olds on the 2014-15 roster -- F Braden Christoffer, F Patrick D’Amico, G Dawson MacAuley, F Logan McVeigh and F Chandler Stephenson. . . . Another note from The MacBeth Report has F Carter Proft (Brandon, Spokane, 2011-14) having signed with the Kassel Huskies of the German DEL. Proft, who turns 20 on Aug. 30, had 23 points, 11 of them goals, in 72 games last season with the Chiefs. Other 20-year-olds on Spokane’s roster are F Liam Stewart, F Marcus Messier, F Connor Chartier and D Reid Gow. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Brendan De Jong, a seventh-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft out of Victoria. De Jong, 16, had 13 points in 32 games with the Pacific Sea Devils, an elite 15 team at the Pacific Coast Academy.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Malcolm Cameron, who spent last season as head coach of the Regina Pats, now is on staff at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. Cameron, 44, guided the Pats to WHL East Division regular-season title last season, but was fired by the franchise’s new owners last month. Prior to last season, he was an assistant coach with the Pats for two seasons. . . . Before joining the Pats, Cameron was an ECHL head coach for eight season. . . .

Jean-François (J.F.) Houle is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors, who are owned by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. He takes over from Troy Mann, now the head coach of the AHL’s Hershey Bears. . . . For the past three seasons, Houle, 39, has been head coach of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. . . . He is the son of former Montreal Canadiens F Réjean Houle. . . . The Armada is working on finding a new head coach. . . .

The QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar is looking for a head coach after Eric Veilleux left to become head coach of the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Veilleux, who had been with the Drakkar for two seasons, replaces Trent Yawney, who now is an assistant coach with the Ducks. The Drakkar reached the QMJHL final in each of Veilleux’s seasons. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades have added Shane Endicott (Seattle, 1997-2001) to their staff as the franchise’s first skills coach. Endicott, who is from Saskatoon, spent six seasons in the AHL after being the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him 52nd overall in the NHL’s 2000 draft. He retired after playing in Europe and opened On Ice Connections in Saskatoon. Last season, he helped the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s team to its first conference title. . . .

Kevin Kraus (Kamloops, Tri-City, 2006-08) is returning to Vernon as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Vipers. He will work alongside GM/head coach Jason Williamson. A defenceman from Garden Grove, Calif., Kraus played 130 regular-season and 44 playoff games with the Vipers, helping them to two national championships. Kraus, 24, spent last season as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. With the Vipers, he replaces Kris Mallette, now an assistant coach with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. . . .

Kim Dillabaugh has left the Kelowna Rockets after 11 seasons as their goaltending coach. Dillabaugh is moving on to work full-time with the Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings. While working with the Rockets, he also has helped the Kings for the past eight seasons in the area of goaltending development. He will continue in that area with the Kings, but now also will scout for them. The Rockets plan is to hire a goaltending coach to replace Dillabaugh.

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Graham James pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse on Tuesday. One of the players whose charges weren’t part of that plea bargain has come forward and spoken with The Canadian Press. This is another devastating read in a week that has been full of them. And good on Greg Gilhooly . . . first of all for speaking out and secondly for saying this: “Let's not lose sight of the fact that the real hero here is Sheldon Kennedy, who came forward 15 years ago when none of us were coming forward. He had to take all of this on his own.”
Sheldon Kennedy . . . a true Canadian hero! That doesn’t mean he’s perfect; it just means he’s someone today’s children can look up to and admire because he is looking out for them.
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Well, that clears up that. . . .
Doug Soetaert, the general manager of the Everett Silvertips, told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that D Ryan Murray isn’t going to be traded.
"Ryan Murray will be drafted as an Everett Silvertip," Soetaert said. "Ryan Murray could have probably played in the National Hockey League this (season). He's that kind of player and has those types of qualities. We were fortunate to have him back a third year.
"If he's back next year, it's a bonus for our hockey club."
Murray has sat out 19 games with a high ankle sprain. He will report to the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp in Calgary on Saturday.
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THE COACHING GAME:

DREW SCHONECK

The USHL’s Tri-City Storm fired Drew Schoneck, its general manager and head coach, on Wednesday. Schoneck, a former WHL player and coach, was in his third season with the Storm. He was 29-25-0 in his first season and 19-30-11 last season when his roster was decimated by injuries. This season, the Storm has endured an eight-game losing streak and is 6-15-0, which is the poorest record in the USHL. . . . Schoneck, 38, is the second USHL coach to lose his job in recent days. The Omaha Lancers dumped Bliss Littler last week. Littler also announced his firing via Twitter. . . . Josh Hauge, Schoneck’s assistant coach, has been named the Storm’s interim GM/head coach. Hauge, 32, is in his first season with the Storm after six seasons with the NAHL’s Fairbanks Ice Dogs. . . .
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Schoneck tweeted twice on Wednesday:
“Thanks to all the guys.. We battled and never quit.. Good Luck to you all!!”
Later came this one:
“Thanks to all the billet families, volunteers, office people, players and my staff. It was a blast.. Good luck”
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JUST NOTES: F Kristians Pelss of the Edmonton Oil Kings is on Latvia’s 31-player preliminary roster for the World Junior Championship that opens Dec. 26 in Calgary and Edmonton. The players will gather in Brooks, Alta., for camp that is scheduled to being Dec. 18. The 22-man roster is to be declared Dec. 23. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades have recalled F Drake Bodie from the midget AAA Norman Northstars and F Ryan Graham from the midget AAA Calgary Royals Gold. Bodie has 23 points in 21 games with the Thompson, Man.-based Northstars, while Graham had 25 points in 14 games with the Royals. The Blades are trying to cope with some injuries and a two-game suspension to F Jake Trask. . . .
The Regina Pats have assigned F Nils Moser, 18, to the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles. Moser was acquired last season from the Tri-City Americans. He had six points in 41 games last season. He has two assists in 12 games this season as he fights to come back from offseason knee surgery. . . .
D Jace Coyle, who played out his eligibility last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, has been assigned by the AHL’s Texas Stars to the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. Coyle was pointless in 11 games with Texas. Coyle played 52 games with Spokane in 2007-08 when Hardy Sauter was an assistant coach with the Chiefs. Sauter now is Idaho’s director of hockey operations and head coach. . . .
F Robin Soudek of the Victoria Cougars drew a ‘tbd’ suspension under supplemental discipline out of Tuesday’s game against the visiting Tri-City Americans. He didn’t play in Wednesday’s rematch. . . .
Head coach Don Hay leaves the Vancouver Giants on Friday to join the Canadian national junior team. He will serve as Canada’s head coach in the World Junior Championship and the selection camp opens Saturday in Calgary. . . . In his absence, Glen Hanlon will run the Giants. He gets his initiation Friday against the visiting Portland Winterhawks. It should be an interesting night — it’s the Teddy Bear game and it’s on Sportsnet. . . . The Giants are 10-2-1 of late. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Brad Hoban broke a 1-1 tie 13 seconds into the third period as the Broncos beat the Red Deer Rebels, 2-1. . . . The Rebels have lost 11 in a row. . . . The Broncos won their second straight. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson returned from a six-game suspension to score the game’s first goal at 8:05 of the first. . . . Swift Current D Graeme Craig, who is from Red Deer, tied it at 11:05 of the first. . . . The Rebels lost G Patrik Bartosak at 17:14 of the second period with an apparent rib or chest injury. He is to be examined today. . . . He had stopped 24 of 26 shots. Bolton Pouliot came on to stop all six shots he faced. . . . Swift Current G Jon Groenheyde made 27 saves in a superb outing. . . .

In Prince George, F Greg Fraser scored at 2:55 of OT to give the Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored his WHL-leading 32nd goal, shorthanded, at 19:48 of the second to get his side to within one, at 3-2. . . . F Nic Petan’s seventh goal, at 4:13 of the third, tied it at 3-3. . . . Fraser finished with two goals and an assist, and he was plus-4. . . . Prince George D Jesse Forsberg took the warmup but left early and didn’t play. He had blocked a shot Tuesday night in a 5-3 loss to Portland. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala had a goal and two assists. . . . Prince George G Drew Owsley stopped 39 shots. . . .

In Kamloops, D Austin Madaisky had a goal and three assists, all on the PP, as the Blazers bounced the Everett Silvertips, 6-1. . . . The Blazers were 5-for-8 on the PP, scoring twice after Everett F Josh Birkholz was given a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct at 2:30 of the first. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick had two goals and, with 17 goals and five assists, is a Cy Young candidate. . . . F Brendan Ranford also scored twice for the Blazers, who have won seven in a row. . . . Everett has lost seven straight. . . . The Blazers start an East Division swing Saturday against the Swift Current Broncos. . . .

In Kelowna, F Brett Bulmer had a goal and two assists as the Rockets dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-2. . . . F Nick Buonassisi had a goal and an assist for Lethbridge. He has 12 points over his last 11 games. . . . Lethbridge D Landon Oslanski will be hearing from the WHL office after taking a checking-from-behind major at 17:32 of the third period. . . . The Rockets left after the game on their East Division swing. They open Friday against the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska won’t be there as he heads for Calgary and the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. He is an assistant coach with the Canadian team. Assistant coaches Ryan Cuthbert and Dan Lambert will run the Rockets in Huska’s absence. . . .

In Victoria, F Connor Rankin scored twice as the Tri-City Americans got past the Royals, 6-2. . . . The Americans, with the WHL’s best record (23-7-0), won 6-2 in Victoria on Tuesday. . . . F Mason Wilgosh added three assists for the Americans. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie, 16, stopped 15 shots in improving to 10-3. . . . The Americans have won four in a row, three of those on the road. . . . Victoria has lost three straight and is winless in five in a row at home. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman had a goal and an assist, giving him 286 career regular-season points. That move him past F Stu Barnes, one of the team’s owners, and into fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list. Hughesman has played 296 games.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Jaimen Yakubowski, Lethbridge.
D Landon Oslanski, Lethbridge (major)
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To fight, or not to fight? That is the question in Finland and Sweden, where it seems the debate is raging. Risto Pakarinen has the story right here.
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The Minneapolis Star Tribune offers up an editorial on the NHL and fighting, and it is right here.
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Today’s good read comes from Grantland, although it actually is a piece that appeared in the late, great National on Feb. 18, 1990. Written by Johnette Howard, it is a look at Joey Kocur, then the toughest fighter in the NHL.
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