If you were wondering, the Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men’s curling championship that concluded last Sunday, drew 65,005 fans to the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops. That was an average attendance of 2,955 per draw, when 4,000 was thought to be the break-even point. . . . This was the poorest-attended Brier since 1988 when attendance in Chicoutimi was 45,220. . . . The one bright note in Kamloops was that Sunday’s championship game drew 5,238 fans. . . . The Brier was last held in Kamloops in 1996. The attendance was 127,746. . . . What happened this time? The buzz blames the price of tickets and the fact that TSN televised every draw and does a tremendous job of it. . . . Based on the Brier attendance and the decline in junior hockey attendance across the country, I would suggest there is a trend here. . . . Perhaps we can call it the Netflix Affect. . . .

According to RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com, the top three reasons the Los Angeles Angels gave a salary bump to Mike Trout are: “3. He’s a good catch; 2. To avoid an arbitration herring; 1. Just for the halibut.” . . . One more from Currie: “The South Florida police report and videos from Justin Bieber's arrest have been released. Bieber tested positive for marijuana, Xanax and outright stupidity.” . . . “The fact the (Buffalo) Bills in Toronto series is on hold and might be over says nothing about Toronto as an NFL city,” offers Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. “What it says is this market has wise consumers: Way-overpriced junk packaged as something it wasn’t won’t sell anywhere and didn’t sell here.” . . . And just how many markets could that be applied to in today’s sports world? . . .

Somehow it was only fitting that the Florida Panthers held Tim Thomas Bobblehead Day last Sunday and Roberto Luongo was in goal for them. Thomas, of course, had been traded to the Dallas Stars following the arrival of Luongo. . . . Considering that Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis and head coach John Tortorella each has four years left on his contract, it doesn’t seem likely that either one is on his way out of Vancouver. . . . “At the Iditarod, where some say dogs are mistreated, Scott Janssen, known (seriously) as the ‘Mushing Mortician,’ had a rough day,” writes Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He crashed his sled, hit his head on a stump, woke up, slipped on the ice while chasing a dog and broke his ankle. Do dogs snicker?” . . .

After 12 Years a Slave won the Oscar for 2013’s best picture, Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong scribbled: “I had no idea anyone would make a movie about my first marriage.” . . . After Movie 43 was honoured as the worst film of 2013 at the Razzie Awards, Vancouver radio and newspaper personality Torben Rolfsen noted: “They never should have made a sequel to the Jackie Robinson story.” . . . Here’s Rolfsen, again: “Barack Obama has warned Vladimir Putin not to stir up anything else that requires his attention until after the NCAA basketball tournament.” . . .

A couple of weeks ago, there were satellite pictures floating around that seemed to show the firing of a short-range missile by North Korea. “It was intended to be a long-range missile test,” Chong pointed out, “but officials say the elastic band launcher didn’t have enough torque.” . . . After noting that the new word of the year for 2013 was “selfie,” Chong claims the leading candidate for new word of 2014 “is ‘twerking’ . . . as in the Canucks’ power play isn’t twerking.” . . . After playing Quebec in that third-place game at the Brier last Sunday, Manitoba skip Jeff Stoughton told Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free Press: “It’s a game neither of us want to play, neither of us have any interest in, neither of us are focused out there at all.” . . . The Quebec rink had played Saturday night and was there Sunday morning on minimal rest, what with having to deal with the ‘spring forward’ time change as well. . . .

You may have heard that NASA has discovered another 715 planets. As Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald noted: “Commissioner Jim Delany is inviting 712 to join the Big Ten.” . . . One more from Dickson: “Robert Griffin III declined a fan’s wedding invitation and instead sent an autographed photo of himself. Try that next time you’re invited to a wedding.” . . . Receiver Eric Decker has left the Denver Broncos, and quarterback Peyton Manning, for Geno Smith and the New York Jets. Here’s football fan Christopher Campbell, in a post on the ESPN.com website: ““Decker will miss Manning a lot, but Geno will miss Decker a lot more.” . . .

“The Canucks blew a 3-0 third-period lead and lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday,” scribbles Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post. “You know things are bad in Vancouver when something like that happens and no one bothers to start a riot.” . . . "Barbie, the world’s most famous doll, turned 55 on Sunday," writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. "She celebrated her big day at the beach, strutting her stuff alongside PED Ken." . . . During a men's basketball game at UC Santa Barbara, a fan ran onto the court and confronted Hawaii coach Gib Arnold. As he told ESPN: “You can’t control crazy. That’s why they’re crazy.”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

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A humorous text exchange with a WHL coach on Tuesday morning after he had seen the photo from inside the Whitney Forum that was posted here . . .
COACH: Just read your blog this a.m. Flin Flon was a tough place to play. Had a chuckle to myself this morning. Some good memories.
ME: Long bus rides to Flin Flon for some players!
COACH: And coaches! I did both.
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Marty Aalto of Port Orchard, Wash., with a note on the toughest rink debate:
“What about Queen's Park in New West? I only went there once in the Big Bad Bruins era but it scared the heck out of me. . . .  It's tough for anyone to really appreciate the Bruins of the mid-’70s if you weren't actually there to see it.”
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) signed a try-out contract with Berounsti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). Meidl had no points in seven games with Michalovce (Slovakia, 1.Liga) and two goals in seven games with Prostejov (Czech Republic, 2.Liga) last season. . . .
D Jordan Henry (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, 2003-07) signed a three-week try-out contract with Södertälje (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had two goals and nine assists in 68 games with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL) and the Chicago Wolves (AHL) last season.
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Troy Mick, a former WHL player and coach, has stepped aside as head coach of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. He will stay on as the club’s general manager and will retain his status as a minority owner.
“This was a very tough decision but the right one for the players and the franchise,” Mick said in a statement issued by the club. “I needed to be a full-time coach for the players and I could not fulfil those commitments as my other duties were always getting in the way.”
The new head coach is Scott Robinson, a former Salmon Arm assistant coach and a two-time BCHL coach of the year.
Robinson, a native of Salmon Arm, spent the last two seasons as head coach of the NAHL’s Dawson Creek Rage. The franchise folded after last season.
The SilverBacks, who are 0-2 after the opening weekend of regular-season play, hold their home-opener Friday against the Vernon Vipers.
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Ryan Hanes is a defenceman trying to crack the roster of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. No, Ryan Hanes used to play with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazesrs and now is a forward with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. . . . Yes, there are two Ryan Hanes, and both are 20 years of age. . . . Josh Brown of the Kitchener-Waterloo Record has more right here.
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Ron Robison, the commissioner of the WHL, has told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that the WHL’s 20-year-old rule isn’t about to change.
Harder writes:
“That’s the official word from WHL commissioner Ron Robison, who said Tuesday the league won’t increase its three-player overage limit to accommodate the potential for an influx of talent from an NHL work stoppage.”
Robison also told Harder that the league won’t change its approach to import players.
Pats head coach Pat Conacher had told Harder he would like to see teams given five 20-year-old/import slots to use as they see fit.
“There has not been any discussion at this point in time,” Robison told Harder. “We’re continuing on with the same ratios of three overage players and two import players. We’re comfortable overall in where we are in that regard. The whole thing is subject to change from time to time. But we’re happy with the complement the way it is right now.”
What this means is that the WHL continues to see its role as a developmental league first and an entertainment vehicle second.
Harder’s complete story is right here.
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D Mitchell Wheaton, 17, is to return to the Kelowna Rockets this week after having committed to the WHL team. The 6-foot-5 Wheaton was a 10th-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. He opened camp with the Rockets, but then returned to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . Last season, he had 14 points and 62 penalty minutes in 45 games with the Saints.
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The Portland Winterhawks appear to be down to four goaltenders now that Jarrod Schamerhorn, a 17-year-old from Kelowna, has been assigned to the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers.
Schamerhorn, who has signed with the Winterhawks, played last season with the major midget Kootenay Ice.
That leaves the Winterhawks with returnees Mac Carruth,, 20, and Brendan Burke, 17, along with Cam Lanigan, 20, and Brendan Jensen, 19. Carruth, however, has signed with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and is expected to start the season in their organization.
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D Ryan Murray, who was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the second pick of the 2012 NHL draft, will begin making his way to Everett today.
Murray, 18, is the captain of the Everett Silvertips and, without an NHL labour dispute, would have been given a good shot to make the Blue Jackets’ roster.
Instead, it would seem that he will start the season in the WHL.
But what happens if top prospects start their season in major junior and then there is a settlement between the NHL and the NHLPA?
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch takes a look right here.
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The AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons swung a deal Tuesday that landed them F Danny Gayle, 20, who was released earlier by the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Gayle had 39 points in 61 games with the Hitmen last season but lost out in the 20-year-old numbers game. . . . The Oil Barons sent F Jessey Touchette, an 18-year-old from Fort McMurray, to the Lloydminster Bobcats for Gayle’s rights.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers have their roster at 29 players after assigning G Keelan Williams, 16, to the midget AAA Calgary Rangers; D Nathyn Mortlock, 16, and F Alex Mowbray, 16, also were assigned. Mortlock played last season with the midget AAA UFA Bisons who play out of Strathmore, Alta., while Mowbray was with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. . . . The Tigers are carrying three goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 16 forwards. That includes Czech G Marek Langhamer, 18, who arrived in Medicine Hat late last week. He was a seventh-round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . The other goaltenders on the roster are Kenny Cameron and Dawson MacAuley. Cameron, 19, got into 14 games with the Tigers last season, while MacAuley, 18, played in one.
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The ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors have offered an amateur tryout deal to RW Justin Bieber.
"Very rarely do you see this combination of skill and toughness," said Condors head coach Matt O'Dette in a press release. “We share a common Canadian heritage since we both hail from Ontario. I've scouted some video of him online skating with my hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and I think he could provide some elusive speed up front for us. Plus, he's a right-handed shot which we've been looking to add.”
The Bakersfield Californian has more right here.
Bieber is 18 years of age, which makes you wonder why a junior team hasn’t offered him a contract and guaranteed him a spot on the roster. Sheesh, the guy has 17 million Twitter followers so you have to think having him on the roster would be worth an immediate boost to attendance. It might not do much for beer sales, though.
And, sheesh, just imagine Bieber Bobblehead Night!

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Underwood sees movie, avoids Bieber Fever

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It could be that the worst part of being injured is the boredom.
Just ask defenceman Brandon Underwood of the WHL's Kamloops Blazers, who might return to action tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes after being out four weeks with a knee injury.
"Oh yeah . . . yeah," Underwood replied when it was suggested that he must have been plenty bored earlier this week.
How bored?
He and three teammates - Cam Lanigan, J.C. Lipon and J.T. Barnett - went to see Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, the movie starring the teen heart-throb from Stratford, Ont.
"I saw the first preview and said I was never going to see it," said a laughing Underwood, "but . . . a couple of guys said it was good and, actually, it's a pretty good story."
How good?
"I definitely don't have the Bieber Fever but I appreciate the guy's musical talents," Underwood said. "There were a couple of screaming girls, some dancing in the aisles. I just stayed in my seat."
Underwood has been pretty much in his seat since Feb. 4, when he suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. The original prognosis was four to six weeks, so it would appear that he is a bit ahead of schedule.
After being injured, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Underwood, an 18-year-old from Carlsbad, Calif., took about 10 days off. After that, though, he did rehabilitation work every day. That involved riding a stationary bike and a lot of calisthenics.
"Working on the knee," he explained. "Releasing the muscles in the knee."
During his time off, the knee, which was immobilized for a while, stiffened up, so Underwood had to work at "loosening it up and getting the strength back."
Underwood didn't accompany the Blazers on their recent Central Division swing and began light skating while they were away. There was, he said, "a little bit of pain."
By this week, that pain was gone. He returned to practice on Monday, wearing a non-contact jersey, and, along with captain Chase Schaber, took part in a full practice on Tuesday.
"Right now, my knee is good," Underwood said. "It's more about getting my game legs back and getting back in shape."
At the same time, he acknowledged, there isn't any sense in rushing back, not with the Blazers appearing well on their way to clinching a playoff spot.
"I'm hoping to play (tonight) but . . . they don't want to throw me into the fire if they don't think I'm ready," he said. "It's more about being ready for the playoffs. The last couple games will be tuneup games for me to get ready for the playoffs."
In the meantime, perhaps he could work on adding some Bieber tunes to the Blazers' dressing room play list.
After all, those who were outside the New York Islanders' room say they heard the theme from Never Say Never being played following a 4-1 NHL victory over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night.
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The Blazers (29-32-4) go into tonight's game tied with the Prince George Cougars (29-31-4) for seventh place in the 10-team Western Conference. They are three points ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins (27-30-5).
The Cougars are at home to the Spokane Chiefs tonight and Saturday.
For the fourth straight weekend, the Bruins will play a three-in-three. They are in Kelowna tonight, at home to the Blazers on Saturday and entertain the Portland Winterhawks on Sunday.
JUST NOTES: Game time at Interior Savings Centre is 7 p.m. . . . Schaber, who has missed 22 of the last 24 games, also took part in a full workout Tuesday. He took the warmup prior to Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets and might play tonight. . . . The Blazers remain without D Austin Madaisky (neck) and F Chase Souto (concussion). Souto is to be re-evaluated early next week. . . . The Hurricanes, who lost 3-1 to the host Chilliwack Bruins on Wednesday, are in B.C. for three games. They'll also play in Kelowna on Saturday before heading home. . . . Lethbridge is ninth in the 12-team Eastern Conference, two points behind the eighth-place Prince Albert Raiders.