THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed for the rest of the season with Csíkszereda Miercurea-Ciuc (Romania, MOL Liga). Last season, Curilla had 17 points, six of them goals, in 40 games with Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) and seven points, including two goals, in 10 games with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . .
F Joni Lindlöf (Kelowna, Lethbridge, 2002-04) has been loaned to Almtuna (Sweden, Allsvenskan) by Wings Arlanda (Sweden, Div 1). With the Wings, he had 18 points, including 10 goals, and was plus-15 in 12 games. . . .
F Malte Strömwall (Tri-City, 2011-13) had been loaned to Troja-Ljungby (Sweden, Allsvenskan) by Växjö (Sweden, SHL). This season, he has one assist in 14 games with Växjö.
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1. The Brandon Wheat Kings have dropped D Dominic Thom, 17, from their roster. He is expected to join the AJHL's Calgary Mustangs. . . . Thom was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 bantam draft. He had one assist and was plus-3 in two games with the Wheat Kings this season. . . . Brandon is taking 24 players, including two goaltenders and 15 forwards, on its U.S. Division swing that opens Friday in Spokane against the Chiefs.
2. The female football fan who got punched by the guy wearing a New York Jets sweater? She has been charged with simple assault and disorderly content. There's more right here.
3. The Monday Morning Quarterback site is doing a lot of work this week with concussion-related stories. There's a good one right here, written by Richard Deitsch, about network television and the tightrope it walks in reporting on the issue.
4. It was a big night for the Thrower family on Wednesday, what with the Calgary Hitmen in Vancouver to play the Giants. Dalton, a defenceman, is the captain of the Giants. Younger brother Josh is a defenceman with the Hitmen. . . . Their sister, Danae, sang O Canada prior to the game. . . . Their parents, Melanie and Murray, were in the stands. . . . Andy Prest of the North Shore News has a good read right here on the Thrower family — it hasn't been easy for them to get to this point in their lives.
5. Someone asked me the other day if I had read any good books lately. Well, I have had some time on my hands, so the answer is "Yes!" . . . Here are a few titles. . . .
Detroit: An American Autopsy, by Charlie LeDuff, is an incredible look at the Motor City and provides more than a hint at how the city ended up in such dire straits. I think I read something the other day about a former mayor drawing a 38-year jail sentence. . . . Highly recommended. . . .
Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt that Brought Him to Justice, written by Boston Globe reporters Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, reads like fiction but isn't. . . . Best book I've read to this point in 2013. . . .
An Accidental Sportswriter, by Robert Lipsyte, provides a neat look at the life of a newspaper columnist who spent a whole lot of time around Muhammad Ali. Lipsyte now is ESPN's ombudsman and is a superb essayist. . . .
Northern Light (The enduring mystery of Tom Thomson and the woman who loved him), written by Roy MacGregor, explores the demise of artist Tom Thomson from every angle. An engrossing read. . . .
Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories, written by, yes, Randy Bachman, is similar to his CBC radio program, only without the music, unless you want to supply that on your iPod. Lots of good stories here. . . .
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures is another essay-filled work by author Malcolm Gladwell. Lots of food for thought here. . . .
There has been some fiction, too. . . . The Racketeer, by John Grisham, is good mind candy, as is The Innocent, by David Baldacci. This was the first Baldacci book I have read, and I will certainly read more of his stuff. . . . I also enjoyed Black Fridays, by Michael Sears, about a bad boy trying to do good in the world of high finance. . . .
6. So . . . when did the St. Louis Cardinals lose the ability to catch a baseball? Oh boy, that was embarrassing. . . . According to ESPN Stats & Info, "Game 1 winner: wins World Series 62% of time; has won 21 of last 25 World Series."
7. The Tri-City Americans have added F Devon McAndrews, 18, to their roster. They acquired his rights from the Medicine Hat Tigers a year ago for a conditional sixth-round 2014 bantam draft pick. . . . McAndrews has been with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound McAndrews had two assists and 27 penalty minutes in 13 games with the Saints this season, after getting 15 points, five of them goals, and 71 penalty minutes in 52 games last season. . . . "He’s a guy I identified over a year ago who I thought would help our team,” Bob Tory, the Americans' general manager, told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. "The fact he is coming now is good news for us. We are in a transition with our team. The ability to add a new players gives up depth and options to look at things in the future. Obviously we can’t carry 16 forwards when everyone is healthy, so it puts pressure on the players here to perform.” . . . Fowler adds that McAndrews' father, Stewart, was a linebacker with the U of Albert Golden Bears and played one season with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos.
JUST NOTES:
In Vancouver, F Alec Baer, 16, had a goal and two assists in the first period and the Giants went on to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Tim Traber got the winner at 2:04 of extra time. . . . The Giants, who led 3-0 in the first period, have won two in a row at home after an eight-game losing skein. . . .
In Regina, the Pats had a six-game winning streak snapped as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride, 16, stopped 42 shots to earn his first WHL victory in his second start. . . . G Mac Engel, 20, made his first start for the Pats. . . .
In Medicine Hat, the Portland Winterhawks ran their winning streak to six games with a 5-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . Portland F Shane McColgan, 20, who was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades over the summer, played his first game after offseason surgery. . . . Todd Vrooman, the radio voice of the Winterhawks, pointed out that there were 17 American-born players involved in this one -- 11 with Portland and six with Medicine Hat. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings opened an eight-game road swing with a 3-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Cody Corbett, D Dysin Mayo and D Griffin Reinhart, all out with undisclosed injuries.
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