Wonder Woman getting ready for fourth Kidney Walk ... Dorothy's amazing story continues

A new kidney has meant a new lease on life for Dorothy, and allowed
her to feel the thrill of holding granddaughter Kara.

The 2017 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for Sept. 24 in McDonald Park.

Yes, Dorothy will be taking part for a fourth straight year; this one comes four years after she underwent a kidney transplant at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.

During the season, hockey people are always asking me: “How’s Dorothy?” . . . or “How’s your wife?”

It’s funny, because no one ever says to me: “Hey, how are you doing?”

OK. I’m kidding.

In all seriousness, words cannot express how much the support from all levels of the hockey community has meant to us.

Hey, you can’t imagine how thrilled Dorothy was to meet Dan De Palma, the Kamloops Blazers’ goaltending coach, in a book store one day and have him pay more attention to her than to me.

So . . . you’re wondering how Dorothy, aka Wonder Woman, is doing?

Well, she spends an afternoon or two each week doing volunteer work at Overlander Residential Care, taking residents on shopping trips or to medical appointments, or just helping out around the complex.

She also is a co-founder of the Kamloops Kidney Support Group that meets once a month and provides support for anyone with kidney disease and their families. As well, she is part of the organizing committee for the Kamloops Kidney Walk.

Every four months, Dorothy visits the renal clinic at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Her most recent appointment was on Friday and she passed with flying colours. In fact, she came out of there positively aglow because the nephrologist — Dr. Conley — was excited about her colour, her energy level, pretty much everything.

“Or maybe,” Dorothy said, with a laugh, “she was excited because she’s starting vacation (Saturday).”

If you know Dorothy like I know Dorothy, you know that Dr. Conley was excited because of what she observed as the two of them chatted.

Anyway . . . things are going well, really well, and the preparations have begun for this year’s kidney walk.

In fact, the first sign of support has shown up on her Kidney Walk page. Norm Weseen, a former radio personality and long-time junior hockey fan, got things started with a donation on Saturday. I feel shame because it’s the first time I haven’t made the first donation. LOL!

If you would like to support Wonder Woman, you are able to do so right here.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

New site great news for WHL fans . . . Beijing businessman buys BCHL franchise

The hockey community really is close-knit. Just ask me. Almost three years after my wife, Dorothy, underwent a kidney transplant, hockey people — scouts, fans, coaches, players, owners, general managers, player agents et all — regularly ask me about her.

A while ago, I had occasion to speak with Willie Desjardins, the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver

Canucks. His first words? “How is your wife?”

On Wednesday, I received a text from Travis Green, the head coach of the AHL’s Utica Comets. He wondered how things were going.

Mark Holick, Mark Ferner, Cam Hope, Bruno Campese, Colin Priestner, Craig Demetrick, Glen Hanlon, Bob Tory, Dan De Palma, Dave Lowry, Vaughn Karpan, Bob Lowes and on and on . . .

Everyone asks about Dorothy, and I make certain that every single greeting gets passed along. Oh, if you could only see the smile every time I let her know that someone has asked about her.

Well, she is doing really well, well enough that she now is preparing to take part in her third straight Kidney Walk. The Kamloops walk is scheduled for Sept. 25.

If you would like to support her, as many of you have done in the past, please click right here and make a donation. All the money goes to the Kidney Foundation, an organization that has done so much for us and one that Dorothy is proud to support.

Over the previous two walks, you have helped Dorothy raise more than $5,000.

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If you are a follower of the WHL, this one’s for you. . . . Paul Figler and the gang at WHL Stats have graduated to something bigger and better. They are calling it DubNetwork.ca. . . . Figler writes: “We’ve decided to bring in an editor and some writers so that you can get information that goes beyond what the league provides. There will be interviews, editorials, scouting reports and more.” . . . It is in its infancy, but it’s right here and here’s hoping that there are great things ahead.

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Hockey Canada has added D Josh Brook of the Moose Jaw Warriors to the roster of the team that will play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup that opens Monday in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia. . . . Brook, 17, is from Roblin, Man. He will replace D Jacob Paquette of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, who is injured. . . . Brook’s addition means the WHL has six players on Canada’s 22-man roster, the others being G Ian Scott (Prince Albert Raiders), D Jonathan Smart (Kelowna Rockets), F Jordy Bellerive (Lethbridge Hurricanes), F Stelio Mattheos (Brandon Wheat Kings) and F Michael Rasmussen (Tri-City Americans). . . . Canada, which has won this tournament each of the past eight years, is in Group B with Russia, Slovakia and Sweden. Canada will meet Czech Republic in a tuneup on Saturday. Canada begins tournament play on Monday against Slovakia.

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F Carson Dimoff revealed via Twitter on Wednesday that he has committed to St. Lawrence U, where he will play for the Saints. . . . Dimoff, 17, is from Scottsdale, Ariz. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder played last season in Salzburg, Austria. He had 25 points, including 12 goals, with Salzburg’s U-18 team and four goals and an assist with a U-20 side. . . . Dimoff was a seventh-round selection by the Everett Silvertips in the 2014 bantam draft.

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And now for something completely different. . . . Ray Zhang, a businessman who is from Beijing, has purchased the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. . . . Here’s Zhang, from a news release: “This transaction is the first time someone from China has purchased an overseas hockey franchise. It will open the door for hockey families in China to learn about Canadian hockey firsthand. This link to Canadian hockey will prove valuable to encourage all of our young hockey players in China.” . . . According to Kent Rothbauer of the Cowichan Valley Citizen: “Zhang purchased the majority share of the team from former owner Cory Wanner, the Saskatchewan oilfield tradesman who bought into the club in 2013. Zhang's family plans to relocate to Duncan.” . . . Rothbauer’s story is right here.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, have added three new faces to head coach Clark Donatelli’s staff. . . . J.D. Forrest and Chris Taylor have signed on as assistant coaches, while Madison Nikkel is the new video coach. . . . Jay Leach, the associate coach last season, and video coach Sean Andrake have moved on to other organizations. . . . Last season, Forrest, 35, coached with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. He also has coached in the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . Taylor, 44, spent the previous four seasons on the staff of the AHL’s Rochester Americans. . . . Nikkel has been working with the Boston College Eagles for the past four years.

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Ryan Ward has joined the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds as an assistant coach. He will work with head coach Drew Bannister and associate coach Joe Cirella. Ward spent the past two seasons as a video coach with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. . . . He also worked four seasons as video co-ordinator with the NHL’s New York Islanders.

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Keith McCambridge has joined the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers, as an assistant coach. . . . McCambridge, 42, spent the past five seasons as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets’ AHL affiliate, the St. John’s IceCaps (2011-15) and Manitoba Moose (2015-16). . . . McCambridge, who is from Thompson, Man., played four seasons (1991-95) in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos and Thompson Blazers. He helped the Blazers win the 1995 Memorial Cup.

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Line at Athletes Village McDonald's, 4 pm. Don't let them tell you healthy eating is the key to making Olympics. pic.twitter.com/qfMtiJ3wSN

— John Branch (@JohnBranchNYT) August 3, 2016

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Wonder Woman to walk again . . . Rockets have a head coach . . . Medicine Hat gets keys to facility

NewsKamloops.com, the new home of Taking Note, is scheduled to go online today at 4 a.m.
In the future, in order to find Taking Note, you simply have to go to NewsKamloops.com and find it in the bar near the top of the home page.
Who knows? While you’re there, you may find something else that might pique your interest.
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D Bretton Stamler (Seattle, Edmonton, Swift Current, 2003-08) signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). Last season, he was had three assists in five games with the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL), was pointless in seven games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), and had a goal and 11 assists in 24 games with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL).
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Dorothy, aka Wonder Woman, was rather excited in the
before our son, Todd, was married on July 4.

It’s that time of the year again. Yes, it’s almost time for the 2015 Kidney Walk and, yes, my good wife, Dorothy, is involved for a second straight year.
If you’re new here, Dorothy (aka Wonder Woman) underwent a kidney transplant on Sept. 23, 2013. After encountering a few speed bumps, things have been pretty good for the past few months. In fact, Dorothy made her three-month visit to the transplant clinic on Friday and got her second straight excellent report.
As she says repeatedly, “I am one of the fortunate ones.”
Which is why she wants to give back to the Kidney Foundation and has chosen the Kidney Walk to do just that.
This year’s Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for Sept. 27 and we will be there.
If you would like to be part of Dorothy’s team, just click right here and make a donation. The bus started filling up on Monday.
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It is one of hockey’s dirty little secrets . . . really, really dirty. I am referring to a pinch between the cheek and gum. While it may not be as prevalent in hockey as it is in baseball, chewing and/or dipping is popular among hockey players, junior and professional, as well. . . . The WHL has moved to ban it, but it’s still there. . . . Meanwhile, the City of San Francisco is in the process of banning the habit in all city parks, including AT&T Park, the home of the Giants. . . . Perhaps, cities in which there are WHL franchises could ban dipping and chewing from public arenas. . . . There is more right here on the situation in San Francisco.
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Considering what the City of San Francisco is attempting to do, it’s worth taking a look back at something former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling wrote for The Players Tribune about dipping and chewing. That story, in the form of a letter to his 16-year-old self, is right here.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The Kelowna Rockets are expected to introduce their new head coach today at noon Pacific time. They have been looking for a head coach since Dan Lambert resigned on July 6. Lambert spent one season as the Rockets’ head coach, winning a WHL championship, after working for five seasons as an assistant coach in Kelowna. Lambert now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.
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The City of Medicine Hat has been given the keys to its new arena, the Canalta Centre. Collin Gallant of the Medicine Hat News reports that the facility was turned over to the city on Friday at midnight. . . . Gallant’s story is right here.
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Frisbee recognized as an Olympic sport. "Soon it'll be our turn!" said a guy chugging a beer with a ping pong ball in it.

— 22Minutes (@22_Minutes) August 3, 2015

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Still time to join Dorothy's Team!

Dorothy has had enough of training and is ready to walk!

The 2014 Kidney Walk is almost upon us.
It takes place Sunday morning at Riverside Park in Kamloops, and we will be there. Registration is at 10 a.m., with the two runs -- 5- and 10-km -- and the 2.5-km walk to begin at 11.
You should know that Dorothy is coached up and ready to go. Her compete level has never been better. We're looking for nothing less than 110 per cent from her.
She also has been fundraising on behalf of the Kidney Foundation, and if you would like to be part of her team just click right here and go to ‘Sponsor a Participant.’
Dorothy, who underwent a kidney transplant on Sept. 23, is excited about all the support she has received and is thankful that she is able to give something back to the Kidney Foundation.
Folks like you already have donated $2,700 on her behalf, something that thrills and amazes her.


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Walk with Dorothy!

Dorothy is going walking!

In Kamloops, the 2014 Kidney Walk and Kidney Run will be held at Riverside Park on Sunday, Aug. 24.
As regular readers here will be aware, Dorothy, my wife of 42 years, underwent a kidney transplant on Sept. 23. In past years, she wasn’t well enough to take part in the Kidney Walk. That no longer is the case.
The two of us, along with our son, Todd, and his girlfriend, Joanna, will be at Riverside Park on Aug. 24 and we will be walking.
If you are so inclined, please click right here and check out her page, leave a message and make a donation in support of Dorothy.
Thank you so much.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.