Raiders' hunt for GM ends . . . Leafs may have job for McCrimmon . . . Ex-Raider to coach Lakers

D Layne Viveiros (Portland, 2011-2015) signed a one-year contract with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, he had eight goals and 35 assists in 71 games with the Winterhawks. Viveiros is a dual Canadian-Austrian citizen. . . . He is eligible for his 20-year-old season in the WHL, but obviously has decided to go a different route. . . .
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) signed a one-year extension with Herne (Germany, Oberliga). This seaosn, he had 26 goals and 40 assists in 24 games.
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Multiple WHL sources tell me Curtis Hunt will be named the new General Manager of the Prince Albert Raiders, replacing Bruno Campese.

— Tyler King (@tyler_king) June 5, 2015

According to Tyler King, the Prince Albert Raiders have their general manager.
As noted above, King tweeted Friday morning that Curtis Hunt will be the Raiders’ next general manager.
Hunt resigned Friday as general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. King spent four seasons as the Oil Barons’ play-by-play man and also was their manager of communications. He left the club Monday and now is the manager of communications for the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits.
Having spent four seasons working with the Oil Barons, it’s safe to say that King has connections there.
Hunt just completed his first season with the Oil Barons, who were 35-28-6 under him, including all regular- and post-season play.
Hunt, 48, isn’t a stranger to Prince Albert or the WHL.
From North Battleford, Sask., he was a defenceman for three seasons (1984-87) with Raiders. He was a first-year defenceman on the Prince Albert team that won the 1985 Memorial Cup.
He also has been a WHL head coach for eight seasons — Moose Jaw Warriors (2002-04) and Regina Pats (2004-08, 2009-11).
The Raiders have been without a GM since Bruno Campese’s departure last month after eight years in the organization.
The new general manager joins a team that has its coaching staff in place, with head coach Marc Habscheid starting a four-year contract, associate coach Dave Manson starting a four-year extension and assistant coach Kelly Guard on a one-year deal.
The Raiders have a news conference scheduled for Monday morning at which there will be, according to a release, “a major announcement regarding” their hockey operations department.
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A note from Damien Cox, who writes Saturdays in the Toronto Star:
“Internally, the (Toronto Maple) Leafs continue to add personnel, although not a general manager yet. On Friday, with the departure of Steve Staios to the new Hamilton OHL franchise, Scott Pellerin was promoted within the player development area. It appears Brandon Wheat Kings owner/GM Kelly McCrimmon has a front office job waiting for him with the Leafs if he’s willing to leave Manitoba. Ditto for Sault Ste. Marie (head) coach Sheldon Keefe in a yet undefined coaching role.”
McCrimmon, of course, also is the Wheat Kings’ head coach.
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The Auston Matthews saga continues, with his agent, Pat Brisson, telling Mike G. Morreale of nhl.com that the projected No. 1 pick in the NHL’s 2016 draft will play with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland’s top pro league or the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. . . . Of course, there isn’t anything new in that, although perhaps this is the first time that Brisson has said the Matthews camp has ruled out the NCAA route. . . . Morreale’s story from Friday is right here.
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Jeff Pearlman, a respected author with a number of solid sports-related books to his credit, took some time on Friday to write about “when guys like Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon turned celebrity.” . . . It’s true. Guys like Smith and Wilbon used to be journalists . . . and highly credible journalists, at that. . . . Pearlman takes a look at that subject in a devastating piece that is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Jeff Tomlinson is the new head coach of the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, who play in Switzerland’s National League B. Tomlinson, 45, was an assistant coach with Germany at the IIHF World championship in Prague last month. He has coached in Germany for a number of years. . . . Tomlinson, from Winnipeg, played three seasons (1987-90) with the Prince Albert Raiders. He later played nine seasons in Europe.
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Tim Kehler, a former Swift Current Broncos assistant coach, has been added to the list of presenters at the fifth annual Hockey Coaches Conference that is scheduled for Vancouver, July 24-25. Kehler spent three seasons (2007-10) on the Broncos’ coaching staff. . . . He has spent the last four seasons in Europe, the past three as head coach of Löwen Frankfurt of DEL2. . . . Also on the list of presenters is Victoria Royals head coach Dave Lowry. . . . For more on the conference, click right here.
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The Medicine Hat Regional Event Centre is no more. Canalta Hotels has purchased naming rights for the new facility that is scheduled to open later this year. The arena now is known as the Canalta Centre. . . . Collin Gallant of the Medicine Hat News has more right here.
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THE CONCUSSION REPORT:

From a news release issued on Friday: “The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) supports the education-driven recommendations made by the jury serving on the inquest into the death of Rowan Stringer highlighting the important role an educated coach plays in the prevention, identification, and management of sport-related concussions and return to play for participants.” . . . This is important stuff. The complete release is right here.
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Anthony Davis, the San Francisco 49ers starting right tackle, has retired after five NFL seasons. The 25-year-old Davis, who was the 11th overall selection in the NFL’s 2010 draft, said in a release: “This will be a time for me to allow my brain and body a chance to heal. I know many won’t understand my decision, that’s OK.” . . . Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle has more right here.
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“Two former players have filed a landmark $200-million lawsuit against the Canadian Football League, former CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon, a leading brain injury expert and a Toronto neurology clinic, alleging they knew and withheld information about how repeated brain trauma leads to long-term cognitive problems,” Rick Westhead, TSN’s senior correspondent, reported on Friday. “The lawsuit was filed May 29 in Ontario Superior Court by Korey Banks and Eric (The Flea) Allen.” . . . Westhead’s story is right here.
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Head of WADA-approved lab says she can't in good conscience keep testing CFL players samples. Lots of positive tests, no repercussions.

— Paul Friesen (@friesensunmedia) June 5, 2015

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Why didn't Green return to Portland? . . . NHL gets another Reinhart

The moon rises over the South Thompson River just east of Kamloops
on Saturday evening.

F Mark Santorelli (Chilliwack, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Bolzano (Italy, Erste Bank Liga), he had a team-high 45 points, 14 of them goals, in 54 games. . . .
F Sean Ringrose (Medicine Hat, 2007-09) has signed a one-year contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with U of Alberta (CIS), he had 36 points, 15 of them goals, in 27 games. He was the team captain and a second-team All-Canadian. He also led his team in scoring and finished third in his conference.
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1. Perhaps you’re wondering why Travis Green chose to remain as head coach of the AHL’s Utica Comets, rather than return to Portland as the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach. . . . He has told TEAM1040, a Vancouver radio station, that it came down to a couple of things. For starters, he feels his road to the NHL goes through the AHL. There also was the matter of loyalty and the contract he had signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. . . . There’s a whole lot more right here.

2. The Buffalo Sabres have signed F Sam Reinhart, the second overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft, to a three-year entry-level contract. Reinhart is the Sabres’ highest draft pick since they took F Pierre Turgeon first overall in 1987. . . . Reinhart has played four seasons with the Kootenay Ice and is coming off a season in which he was named the WHL’s player of the year and most sportsmanlike player. . . . Last season, he had 105 points, including 36 goals, in 60 games. In his career, he has 254 points, 101 of them goals, in 203 games. . . . Reinhart, who turns 19 on Nov. 6, will play next season with the Sabres or the Ice. . . . Sam is the fourth member of his family to sign an NHL contract. Max, a forward, is in the Calgary Flames' organization, while Griffin, a defenceman, is with the New York Islanders. Their father, Paul, played 648 regular-season NHL games, split between the Atlanta Flames, Calgary and the Vancouver Canucks. . . . Amy Moritz of the Buffalo News has more right here.

3. In a piece headlined ‘Why I’m frustrated with sports media,’ author/journalist Jeff Pearlman sounds off. It’s short, to the point and hits a nail right on the head. . . . That piece is right here.

4. ESPN’s Wright Thompson has been in Brazil covering the World Cup. Or, rather, he’s been covering around the World Cup. In this piece right here, he writes about what’s in the water, and it isn’t pretty. He also writes about the Rio de Janeiro that the officials don’t want us to see. It isn’t pretty, either.

The Book Shelf: Part 1 of 4

A brief look at some of the books I have read over the last while, perhaps to help you with your Christmas shopping:

An Accidental Sportswriter – You may know Robert Lipsyte as the ombudsman at ESPN. But in an earlier life, he was a sports writer/columnist at The New York Times. Not really a sports fan, he took a different outlook into press boxes and often wrote in just that fashion. He spent a lot of time around Muhammad Ali, in good times and bad, and examines all of that here. He also explores the hypocrisy of journalists covering baseball during the days of the McGwire-Sosa home run wars and not exploring the issue of PEDs. All in all, there is much food for thought here. (Ecco, soft cover, 246 pages, US$14.99, Cdn$16.99)

The Bad Guys Won! – Author Jeff Pearlman, a prolific writer of really good sports-related books, tells the story of the 1986 New York Mets, who owned New York City before, during and after their run to the World Series title. This was the team of Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry et al, and there are stories. Oh, are there stories! You may remember the 1986 Mets as the team that won when the ball went through Bill Buckner’s legs. No. That happened in Game 6. There was a Game 7. A few words of warning: If you are a sports fan of today‘s generation, you will be used to the porridge served up by today’s overpaid athletes. You may not be prepared for how things were in the mid-1980s. (It Books, soft cover, 297 pages, US$14.99)

Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love – Author Dave Zirin makes a case that tax payers who fund the building of stadiums for billionaire owners should have a whole lot more say in the operation of the franchises that inhabit those facilities. He does it with some nightmarish anecdotes and histories involving the likes of Ed Snider, Daniel Snyder, George Steinbrenner, Donald Sterling, David Glass, James Dolan et al. In the NFL, the Green Bay Packers are a community-owned, not-for-profit operation; the league now has it in its constitution that there can't be another such ownership situation. (The New Press, soft cover, 222 pages, Cdn$20.95)

Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick – If you attend a professional baseball game this season, virtually any of the promotions that take place can be traced back to Bill Veeck, who at one time owned the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. He was the first owner who understood – really understood – that the fans come first. That didn’t make him popular with fellow owners, a point that is made abundantly clear by author Paul Dickson. What really is amazing about Veeck is that he was able to accomplish what he did despite living daily with an incredible amount of physical pain, most of it brought on by the loss of one leg. (Walker & Company, soft cover,435 pages, US$19.00)

The Black Box – The latest in the Harry Bosch detective novels by Michael Connelly, The Black Box is a good way to while away a few hours on the deck. There really aren’t any surprises – this one involves a cold case, one that Bosch was involved with in its infancy and one that he picks up again 20 years later – but if you’re a Bosch/Connelly fan you are certain to enjoy it. (Kindle, $10.06)

Bobby Orr: My Story — As the title suggests, this is the story of Bobby Orr, a defenceman who changed hockey as much as anyone. It also is the story of a great player whose career was cut horribly short by knee problems, and who became entangled in the Alan Eagleson mess. Unfortunately, while Orr touches on many things that happened during his career, he really doesn’t provide a whole lot of insight. And if you’re looking for dressing room dirt, forget it. His views on today’s game, which he presents near book’s end, are interesting. (Viking, hard cover, 290 pages, Cdn$32.00)

Breakaway: From behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL — the untold story of hockey’s great escapes – Written by Tal Pinchevsky, it is the story of how the first players got from behind the Iron Curtain and into the NHL and, really, about the only thing missing is Steve McQueen on his motorcycle. There are some amazing stories in there, about what players went through as they escaped oppression to get to North America and about the problems some had adapting to life over here. Like the Russian couple who didn’t believe their chequing account was overdrawn because they still had cheques left. Living the way we do, it is awfully hard to relate to the way life once was in that area of the world. (Wiley, hard cover, 274 pages, Cdn$32.95, US$27.95)

Brimstone – Robert B. Parker is perhaps best known for his three dozen or so novels featuring a detective named Spenser. However, Parker is also a writer of many other genres, including westerns. Brimstone is a sequel, if you will, to Appaloosa. And if you have seen the movie that was made based on Appaloosa, you can’t read Brimstone without picturing actors Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen working through the dialogue. This is light and entertaining stuff. (Putnam, hard cover, 293 pages, Cdn$32.50, US$25.95)

The Cocktail Waitress – James M. Cain died in 1977 and it was believed his writing died with him. But some 35 years later a manuscript was discovered – Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai explains it all in an afterword – and that turned out to be The Cocktail Waitress. The book opens with Joan Medford burying a husband and it goes on from there, adding intrigue along the way as she narrates the story. Cain also wrote, among other books, Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. Like those, The Cocktail Waitress leaves you wondering if all is as it seems. (Kindle version)

The Cold Dish – This is the first book in author Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mystery series. Longmire is the sheriff of Wyoming’s Absaroka County. In the series opener, he is dealing with the murder of young men who, a few years earlier while still in high school, had been involved in the rape of a Cheyenne girl. The characters are terrific, as is their development. As well, Johnson can write. As Longmire struggles through a blizzard on foot, you find yourself reaching for a blanket. (Penguin, soft cover, 354 pages, Cdn$16.00, US$15.00)

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