THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Matt MacKay (Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Brandon, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 18 goals and 36 assists in 33 games with Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga) last season. MacKay's father, Mark MacKay (Moose Jaw, 1984-85), played seven seasons with the Wild Wings, from 1995-2002, and played in six World Championships, one World Cup, and two Olympic Games for Germany.
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JUST NOTES:
The Norfolk Admirals, who last week won the AHL’s Calder Cup, have been dropped by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Instead, the Lightning has signed an affiliation deal with the Syracuse Crunch. . . . The Lightning and Admirals had been hooked up through five seasons. . . . Jim Hodges, writing in the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, reported that Admirals owner Ken Young “said he believes he is close to an agreement with the Anaheim Ducks.” . . . The Ducks and Crunch had been affiliated for the last two seasons. . . . Hodges also speculated that Treny Yawney, who stepped in as the Crunch’s head coach in mid-season, might return to Norfolk should the Ducks get a deal done. Yawney spent five seasons as the Admirals’ head coach when the club had an affiliation with the Chicago Blackhawks. . . .
F Jesse Paradis (Kelowna, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, 2007-12) has decided to head for the U of Manitoba where he will play for the Bisons. Paradis had 49 points, including 15 goals, in 72 games with the Blades last season as a 20-year-old.
G Keith Hamilton of the Victoria Royals had his BCHL rights involved in a trade on Thursday. Hamilton and F Austin Plevy, 18, were traded by the Merritt Centennials to the Chilliwack Chiefs for F Derek Huisman, 20.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Gerard Gallant, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, has joined the Montreal Canadiens as an assistant coach. . . . Gallant had been the Sea Dogs’ head coach since April 24, 2009. . . .
The Colorado Avalanche has signed David Quinn as an assistant coach. He will work alongside head coach Joe Sacco and assistant coach Tim Army. . . . Quinn, 45, spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters, Colorado’s AHL affiliate. . . . The Avalanche has lost two assistant coaches in recent days, with Adam Deadmarsh having retired due to post-concussion syndrome and Sylvain Lefebvre having signed on as head coach of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.

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Fans of the Portland Winterhawks will get another look tonight at forward
Alessio Bertaggia (13) of the Brandon Wheat Kings, here staying in front
of Tri-City Americans forward Justin Feser in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday night.
(Photo courtesy of John Allen / Tri-City Americans)

F Evan Bloodoff, who completed his junior eligibility last season with the Kelowna Rockets, has signed a two-year contract with the AHL’s Portland Pirates.
Bloodoff was a sixth-roud selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2009 draft. The Pirates are the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate.
A native of Nelson, B.C., Bloodoff played five seasons with the Rockets. Last season, he had 44 points, including 22 goals, and 76 penalty minutes in 72 games.
Bloodoff is represented by Turning Point Sport Management.
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JUST NOTES: The QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket has claimed D Dane Phaneuf, 17, off WHL waivers. The Prince George Cougars had released him prior to the start of this season. Phaneuf, the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, was a third-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have assigned G Steven Myland to the junior B North Delta Devils of the Pacific International junior league. Myland, from Cloverdale, B.C., had a 5.41 GAA and .818 save percentage in two appearances with the Broncos this season. A 10th-round selection by the Kootenay Ice in the 2009 bantam draft, Myland was acquired by the Broncos in the blockbuster Cody Eakin swap in January. . . . Curtis Hunt, who was dropped as head coach of the Regina Pats after last season, has been named co-coach of the Canadian team that will play in the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, Jan. 13-22. This team will comprise 1996-born players. The other co-coach will be Jim Hulton of Kingston, Ont., who is a veteran of the OHL coaching wars. . . . Hunt also is head coach of the team that will represent Saskatchewan at the U-16 Challenge Cup in Moose Jaw, Oct. 27-30.
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A note from a regular reader of this blog:
“The WHL media can write a literal ton of copy about the league's posture toward head shots and concussions, but they post a rock 'em, sock 'em fight clip in the middle of the Oct. 7 ‘Plays of the Week’ video on their website, then you know changing attitudes at the head office has a long way to go.”
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SOME FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
In Cranbrook, F Elgin Pearce broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 15:30 of the third period to give the Kootenay Ice a 2-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka, named team captain earlier in the week, returned from an injury to score his first goal of the season. . . .
In Edmonton, the Regina Pats got two goals from D Blair Davidson and three assists from D Brandon Underwood in beating the Oil Kings, 6-3. . . . Regina lost F Dyson Stevenson to an apparent leg injury in the third period. He was stretchered off after absorbing a hit from Edmonton D Mark Pysyk, who wasn’t penalized. . . . The Oil Kings had won three in a row. . . . Regina is 5-1-0 on the road. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s first three goals, all in the first period, and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . F Brett Lyon had a goal and an assist for Moose Jaw. Lyon, 20, now has career highs in goals (6), assists (7) and points (13), all in just nine games. . . . The start of the game was delayed by 70 minutes due to an ice problem in one goal crease. . . .
In Everett, F Jesse Paradis scored his third shorthanded goal of the season to help the Saskatoon Blades open a U.S. trip with a 4-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Blades have won four in a row. . . . F Darian Dziurzynski scored his third goal in as many games for Saskatoon. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz made his first WHL debut with 50 saves. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Tyrel Seaman broke a 2-2 tie at 7:36 of the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . D Ryan Pulock had Brandon’s other two goals. . . . The Wheat Kings are 1-1-0 on their U.S. Division swing. . . . The Wheat Kings, including F Alessio Bertaggia, are scheduled to play the Winterhawks in Portland tonight. Bertaggia may be better known to Winterhawks’ fans as Red No. 23, after his anonymous appearance at one training camp practice prior to the 2010-11 season. Brandon selected the Switzerland native in the 2011 CHL import draft and he has 10 points in eight games. He failed to score on a penalty shot last night and had his seven-game season-opening point streak snapped. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, who leads the WHL with 20 points, is riding an eight-game season-opening point streak. He had two assists last night. . . .
In Victoria, the Royals scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 7-5. . . . The Rockets, who now have lost four in a row after opening 3-0-0, led this one 5-2 at 8:30 of the second period and 5-3 after two periods. . . . Victoria F Lukas Kralik broke a 5-5 tie at 14:27 of the third period. . . . Kelowna D Kevin Smith (shoulder) was injured in the pregame warmup and didn’t play. . . .
In Vancouver, D Kyle Verdino’s first goal of the season broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Giants. . . . Verdino’s goal came at 16:53 of the third period. The 20-year-old Verdino recently returned to Seattle after a tryout with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . Seattle outshot the Giants, 37-20. . . . Vancouver D Luke Fenske (broken hand) played his first game since being injured during training camp. . . .
In Spokane, F Anthony Bardaro’s ninth goal of the season gave the Chiefs a 3-2 OT victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Bardardo’s goal came at 3:10 of extra time. . . . Spokane F Collin Valcourt forged a 2-2 tie at 10:00 of the third period.
In Portland, Kamloops G Cam Lanigan stopped two penalty shots as the Blazers beat the Winterhawks 5-4 in OT. . . . F Brendan Ranford had four goals, including the winner 21 seconds into extra time, and an assist. It was his first career five-point night and four-goal game. . . . Lanigan finished with 37 saves. He stopped F Brad Ross on a penalty shot at 14:21 of the second period and F Taylor Peters on a second one at 18:28 of the third. . . . According to Todd Vrooman and Andy Kemper, on the Winterhawks’ postgame show, this was the first time Portland has been involved in a game that featured two penalty shots.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Fans of the Regina Pats put a pregame beating on a Bronco,
then watched their team beat the Swift Current Broncos.
(Terry Massey photo)

F Brett Lyon of the Moose Jaw Warriors rode into this regular season with eight goals in 158 regular-season games. On Friday, he scored three times, drew one assist and got into a scrap as the Warriors beat the Wheat Kings 4-3 in Brandon. Last season, Lyon, 20, had nine points, five of them goals, in 31 games with the Warriors. He had three assists in 25 games with the Vancouver Giants before he was dealt to Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors got three assists from F Sean Aschim, who now has four helpers in two games. He went into the season with two goals and two assists in 47 career games. . . . Swiss F Eric Arnold, playing on the line with Lyon and Aschim, had a goal and an assist. . . . Brandon F Alessio Bertaggia, who had three goals in a 4-1 victory in Moose Jaw on Thursday, had another goal. . . . The Warriors were without F Cody Beach, who served Game 1 of a suspension for a hit to the head of Brandon F Bruno Mraz. The length of Beach’s suspension has yet to be determined. . . . Mraz played last night. . . .
The Victoria Royals began their WHL existence with a 5-2 loss to the Giants in Vancouver. G Brendan Jensen stopped 26 shots for the victory. . . . The teams play again tonight as the Royals stage their home-opener at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. A crowd of around 7,000 will attend. . . . The Saskatoon Blades picked up F Jesse Paradis, 20, on waivers from Moose Jaw earlier in the week. He scored twice as the Blades beat the visiting Prince Albert Raiders, 4-3. . . . In six games, there were two checking-from-behind minor penalties but no penalties for checking to the head. . . .
The Regina Pats got two goals and two assists from F Chandler Stephenson and a goal and three helpers from F Lane Scheidl as they beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 5-1. . . . F Jack Rodewald, the third player on that line, had a goal and an assist. . . . The Pas played without F Jordan Weal, who was in the building after being returned by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. He hadn’t missed a game since his freshman season (2008-09). “Jordan missed a meeting,” Regina head coach Pat Conacher told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “It’s part of our team rules. Everybody has to be accountable. I’m not mad at him or anything. It’s just a simple rule. It goes for everybody.”
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JUST NOTES: The Vancouver Canucks have returned F Kellan Tochkin, 20, to the Medicine Hat Tigers, while they also got D Alex Theriau back from the Dallas Stars. Now the Tigers are missing only F Emerson Etem, who is with the Anaheim Ducks. He may well open the season there. . . . The Phoenix Coyotes assigned F Darius Dziurzynski, 20, to the AHL’s Portland Pirates. He is eligible to return to the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Boston Bruins assigned D Ryan Button and  F Craig Cunningham to the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Button, 20, is eligible to return to the Seattle Thunderbirds, while Cunningham played out his eligibility last season with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . D Duncan Siemens was named the third star as his Colorado Avalanche dropped a 3-2 decision to the St. Louis Blues last night. After the game, Colorado returned Siemens to Saskatoon. . . . The Buffalo Sabres have assigned F Riley Boychuk (Portland Winterhawks) and D Matt Mackenzie (Tri-City Americans) to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Both are 20 years of age so are eligible to return to the WHL for another season. . . . The Minnesota Wild returned F Taylor Peters to the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Spokane Chiefs got F Dominik Uher back from the Pittsburgh Penguins. . . .
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The Oregon Ducks, under head coach Chip Kelly, have quite a successful football operation. So why wouldn’t Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, spend a practice with them? Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune has that story right here.
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The Everett Silvertips’ 2011-12 Media Guide is available online. You will find it right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Don Hay, the Vancouver Giants' head coach . . . working
on a new coaching strategy?
(Photo by Dan Elliott / Vancouver Giants)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) signed a one-month contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). The club has the option to extend the contract for the duration of the season. Mueller was on a two-week unpaid try-out contract he had signed last week. He had three goals and one assist in 18 games with Ingolstadt (Germnay, DEL) and five goals and five assists in 15 games with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) last season.
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OK. Here’s one that you absolutely have to read. You may even want to bookmark the blog address and revisit it from time to time.
The blog is titled: Eastside Stories — Diary of a Vancouver Beat Cop.
This particular entry details the visit made earlier this week by Tim O’Donovan, the Kamloops Blazers’ communications and media co-ordinator, and six of the team’s veteran players.
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You may be wondering about the photo accompanying this compilation of notes and stuff. That is, of course, veteran Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay in the suit and tie and some hockey gear. What is he doing, you ask? He was taking part in a photo shoot for BC Business Magazine. . . . The Giants open at home to the Victoria Royals on Friday night and then visit the B.C. capital on Saturday. If you were wondering, the Giants will have to over-night in Victoria as the last ferry to mainland on weekends leaves Sidney by the Sea at 9 p.m. So the Giants will catch the ferry Sunday at 7 a.m. . . . The Kamloops Blazers will play doubleheaders in Victoria on Nov. 29-30 and Jan. 27-28. Rather than bus in the day before the first game, the Blazers will go in the day of the game. They then will spent two nights there before catching the ferry the morning after the second game. . . . By the way, Vancouver F Michael Burns will miss both those games with Victoria after being hit with a two-game suspension for a kneeing major he incurred in a Saturday exhibition game.
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It will become official tonight.
The Crushed Can is dead; long live the Crushed Can!
The Brandon Wheat Kings will meet the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight to open the WHL’s 46th regular season, and they’ll do it in Mosaic Place, Moose Jaw’s brand new multi-purpose facility.
The game will be televised on Shaw. The pre-game festivities will include appearances by former Warriors captains Mark MacKay, Mike Keane and Spencer Edwards.
Moose Jaw will be without D Joel Edmundson, who came back from the camp of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues with an ankle injury. He likely will sit for two weeks.
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The Saskatoon Blades have claimed F Jesse Paradis, 20, off waivers from the Warriors.
Paradis has 70 points and 173 penalty minutes in 239 regular-season games, split between the Kelowna Rockets and the Warriors.
His arrival in Saskatoon leaves the Blades with four 20-year-olds — the others being F Darian Dziurzynski, who is in camp with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, F Jake Trask and G Adam Morrison.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are to return some players to junior teams today, meaning D Austin Madaisky will be on his way back to the Kamloops Blazers. The Portland Winterhawks, however, shouldn’t be expecting F Ryan Johansen back. It’s expected that Johansen, the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft and perhaps the team’s most highly touted prospect, will get a long, long look.
Meanwhile, among those on the way back are F Mark McNeill, Chicago to Prince Albert; F Brad Ross, Toronto to Portland; F Josh Nicholls, Toronto to Saskatoon;
D Dylan Buselius, Nashville to Medicine Hat; F Cole Grbavac, Dallas to Medicine Hat; G Tyler Bunz, Edmonton to Medicine Hat; D David Musil, Edmonton to Vancouver; D Brandon Davidson, Edmonton to Regina; D Colton Jobke, Minnesota to Kelowna; D Josh Caron, Minnesota to Kamloops; D Troy Rutkowski, Colorado to Portland; F Michael Ferland, Calgary to Brandon; F Brooks Macek, Detroit to Calgary; F Victor Rask, Carolina to Calgary; D Keegan Lowe, Carolina to Edmonton; D Joey Leach, Calgary to Kootenay; F Patrick Holland, Calgary to Tri-City; F Brody Sutter, Carolina to Lethbridge; F Turner Elson, Calgary to Red Deer; and F Jordan Weal, Los Angeles to Regina.
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JUST NOTES: The NHL’s San Jose Sharks have assigned F Curt Gogol, 20, of the Victoria Royals to their AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks. Gogol has signed with the Sharks so is eligible to play in their organization. . . . The Sharks also assigned D Sena Acolatse to Worcester. He played out his eligility last season with the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes got F Brody Sutter back from the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, meaning the WHL team now has four 20-year-olds on its roster. The others are F Cam Braes, F Austin Fyten and G Damien Ketlo. . . . As was mentioned here the other day, G Deven Dubyk didn’t play for the Medicine Hat Tigers in a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings in St. Alberta, Alta., on Sept. 5. The on-line game sheet originally indicated that he did play. That now has been corrected. It seems Kenny Cameron’s name should have appeared on the game sheet, as it now does. . . . Cameron and Dawson MacAuley are neck-and-neck in the scrap to back up Tigers’ starter Tyler Bunz. . . . It would appear that the BCHL has delivered a message as it has suspended Penticton Vees F Logan Johnston for 20 games. Johnston, a 20-year-old who is from Penticton and into his fourth season with his hometown team, delivered a hit in a Saturday exhibition game that broke the jaw of Coquitlam Express F Cody Michelle.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have cut some ticket prices by 30 per cent. With the Oil Kings generally seen as a team on the rise with an abundance of young talent, it will be interesting to see how the Edmonton-and-area marketplace responds to this move. Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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As only he can do, Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail suggests that the NHL could cut down on fighting simply by trimming the number of players allowed on team rosters. MacGregor was in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Tuesday night as the Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets engaged in two first-minute fights. His piece is right here.
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For today’s good read, we give you a scintillating piece written by former WHLer Brent Severyn (Seattle, Brandon, Saskatoon, 1983-86). Severyn was a pretty good defenceman during his WHL career. In order to get into the NHL and to stay there, he became an enforcer. He now has told his story to Sports Illustrated and it is more than a little engrossing. It is right here. Don't miss this one!

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

The Moose Jaw Warriors have released veteran F Jesse Paradis as they work to get down to the maximum of three 20-year-old players.
Paradis played a season and half with the Kelowna Rockets before landing in Moose Jaw during the 2008-09 season. He has put up 70 points, including 27 goals, and 173 penalty minutes in 239 regular-season WHL games.
The Warriors are left with four 20-year-olds in their camp, thanks to the arrival of G Deven Dubyk, who was claimed off waivers from the Medicine Hat Tigers. Dubyk had joined the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos and it was thought he might stay there as they are the host team for the RBC Cup this season.
Also on the Warriors’ roster are F Sebastian Svendsen, F Brett Lyon and D Collin Bowman, who is in camp with the New York Rangers. Should the Warriors keep Svendsen, who is from Denmark, he would be a two-spotter — an import and a 20-year-old.
Dubyk joins two other goaltenders in Moose Jaw — Brandon Stone, 18, and freshman Spencer Tremblay, 17.
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There is an interesting aside to the Dubyk story.
Of course, he started training camp with the Medicine Hat Tigers, having backed up Tyler Bunz there last season.
The Tigers met the Edmonton Oil Kings in St. Albert, Alta., on Sept. 5 and the WHL’s on-line game sheet shows that Dubyk started, played 29 minutes 37 seconds, and gave up three goals on 22 shots in a 3-2 loss.
However, Dubyk told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that he didn’t get into any exhibition games with the Tigers. In fact, Dubyk sayd he didn’t even make the trip to St. Albert for that game.
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The Red Deer Rebels are down to 28 players after moving three players off their roster. F Trace Elson, who turns 17 on Nov. 25, will play for the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. D Kevin Pochuk, 16, will join the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints. G Dawson Guhle, who turns 19 on Oct. 15, was released and is expected to play for the AJHL’s Kamrose Kodiaks. . . . The Rebels still have five players at NHL camps. . . .
The Kootenay Ice got its roster down to 27, including five players in NHL camps, by moving four players on Sunday. G Wyatt Hoflin 16, is off to the midget AAA team in St. Albert. D Dylan Schellenberg, 18, is to join the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. F Jared Iron, 17, is to play for the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves. F Kurt Johnas, 17, will be with the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. . . . The Ice is without G Nathan Lieuwen (Buffalo) and F Drew Czerwonka (Edmonton), with three others — D Joey Leach, D James Martin and F Max Reinhart – in camp with the Calgary Flames. . . . The Ice roster includes three goaltenders and eight defencemen. . . .
The Prince Albert Raiders got down to 26 players by releasing F Brock Balson, 18, and reassigned F Joey Santucci, 17, and D Matt Waseylenko, 18. . . . Balson, a third-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had three points in 48 games last season. . . . Santucci is likely to play in the BCHL, while Waseylenko is expected to join the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks.
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F Steve MacIntyre is with the Pittsburgh Penguins now and the 6-foot-5, 250-pound winger is ready to bang and fight his way through another hockey season.
“I might have a couple screws loose, but you know what?” he told Jonathan Bombulie of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice. “I enjoy it.”
That story is right here.
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Here’s veteran NHL writer Kevin Paul Dupont, in the Boston Globe:
"Three NHLers, all of whom made their living chiefly with their fists, died far before their time this summer. RIP Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, and Wade Belak, none of whom I knew better than their on-ice performances. To say, though, that it’s mere coincidence that three guys who were like-minded in their careers all came to anguishing, premature ends? That’s the same kind of connecting of the dots that kept Whitey Bulger a free man in Malibu. Look, I don’t have the answer. No matter who has it, I am willing to bet a lot of people who love hockey won’t accept it. But I do know, as I stated in this space back in June, it’s time for fighting to be taken out of the game. The deaths of these three young men don’t make that case in its entirety. But I am convinced they make part of it, adding more to a mosaic that probably never will be fully understood. Sometimes, though, you just have to say there’s enough of the picture to complete the idea."
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Among the players returned to WHL teams from NHL camps have been F Mitch Elliot, by Washington to Seattle; G Mac Carruth, by Chicago to Portland; D Richard Nedomlel, by Detroit to Swift Current; G Kent Simpson, by Chicago to Everett; F Zach Franko, by Detroit to Kelowna; F Brooks Macek, by Detroit to Tri-City; F Marek Tvrdon, by Detroit to Vancouver; D Martin Gernat, by Edmonton to Edmonton; F Kristians Pelss, by Edmonton to Edmonton; D Ricard Blidstrand and F Campbell Elynuik, Philadelphia to Regina; F Austin Fyten, from Philadelphia to Lethbridge; D Sam Grist, from Philadelphia to Tri-City; F Marcel Noebels, from Philadelphia to Seattle; F Brendan Ranford, from Philadelphia to Kamloops; D Harrison Ruopp, from Phoenix to Prince Albert; and D Justin Weller, from Phoenix to Red Deer.
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The Portland Winterhawks started out with 15 players at NHL camps and still are missing a dozen. They open the season Friday against the visiting Everett Silvertips at the Rose Garden.
The Winterhawks will raise two pennants — U.S. Division and Western Conference champions — but may have only a few players off last season’s roster on hand.
Right now, they’ve got G Mac Carruth, D William Wrenn and D Tyler Wotherspoon back from NHL camps. F Seth Swenson, F Brendan Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot also played on last season’s club and are back. However, Leipsic didn’t play in the exhibition season due to an injury.
On Monday, the Winterhawks announced that they have signed D Layne Viveiros, 16, who was a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft.
Viveiros is the son of former Prince Albert Raiders D Emanuel Viveiros, who coaches in Austria and also is head coach of the Austrian national team.
Layne played last season in Austria, but he was born in Edmonton so was eligible for the bantam draft.
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The Edmonton Oilers have released three WHLers from their ATO deals, meaning F Chase Schaber and F Colin Smith will be on their way back to the Kamloops Blazers, while D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen will return to the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Oilers also released F Brett Ferguson and D Tyler Schmidt, both of whom played out their junior eligibility last season and are going the Canadian university route. Ferguson, who played last season with the Red Deer Rebels, will attend the U of Alberta, while Schmidt, from the Tri-City Americans, will go to the U of Manitoba. . . . The Oilers also assigned F Toni Rajala (Brandon, 2009-10) to Ilves Tampere of the Finnish Elite League. . . . The Washington Capitals released F Thomas Frazee, who completed his junior eligibility last season with the Kamloops Blazers. Frazee is headed for the U of Calgary. . . . D Madison Bowey of the Kelowna Rockets, who suffered a knee injury on Sept. 9 in a game in Kamloops, is listed as week-to-week. . . .
The NHL’s Ottawa Senators have signed F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings to a three-year contract. Stone, who had 106 points in 71 games last season with Brandon, was a sixth-round pick in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have scheduled their annual shareholders’ meeting for Oct. 5. . . . The Victoria Royals are down to 26 players, including three goaltenders, and GM/head coach Marc Habscheid told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist that there won’t be any more cuts before the weekend. The Royals play the Giants in Vancouver on Friday and then play host to the Giants the next night. . . . Victoria still has two forwards — Kevin Sundher and Curt Gogol — at NHL camps. Sundher is with the Buffalo Sabres, Gogol with the San Jose Sharks. . . . The Royals are carrying three goaltenders — Braden Gamble, 20, Keith Hamilton, 19, and Jared Rathjen, 17. . . . As of late Monday, there were fewer than 500 tickets left for the Royals’ home-opener. The Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre seats 7,000. . . .
D Joel Edmundson of the Moose Jaw Warriors came back from the camp of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues with an ankle sprain and is week-to-week. . . . D Ryan Jorde (Tri-City, Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, 1997-2002) has returned to North American after playing the last two seasons in Europe. He has signed with the Central league’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. Last week, the Killer Bees signed D Scotty Balan (Regina, Saskatoon, 1997-2002). He spent last season playing in the Netherlands.
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Eri Morath of The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, may have some competition as he attempts to purchase the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
“The price tag for the Dallas Stars hockey team, expected to be as much as $265 million even without competing bidders, could be on the rise,” Morath wrote. “Chuck Greenberg, who doggedly pursued the Texas Rangers baseball team through a bankruptcy-court auction last year, announced Monday via his attorney that he is eyeing the Stars.”
That complete story is right here.

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