Doing some scattershooting ... Dahlstrom returns to Sweden ... Nachbaur off to NHL

The Vancouver Canucks fired John Tortorella and now he’s the NHL’s coach of the year. The Canucks fired Mike Sullivan and now he’s the head coach of back-to-back Stanley Cup winners. I’m thinking things look good for Willie Desjardins.

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Does anyone know what’s going on with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes? That’s what I thought.

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Hey, Alberta and B.C., you should get rid of those highway signs that encourage drivers to stay right and allow others to pass. Why? Because it seems there are a lot of drivers out there who can’t read.

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With the news that Floyd Mayweather will scrap with Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on Aug. 26, Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen pointed out: “It will also be P.T. Barnum Bobblehead Night.”

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Jeff Pearlman, a well-known author, has penned a book on the USFL, which, of course, involved Donald Trump. Notes Pearlman: “One thing I can say with authority: Donald Trump is the biggest liar I’ve ever written about. Zero integrity.”

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From Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express: “Buck Martinez is a decent broadcaster when he is sitting beside Dan Shulman.” . . . I caught some of the Toronto Blue Jays game on Thursday afternoon and noted that analyst Pat Tabler has dropped any pretence of independence and now sprinkles “we” into  his chattering.

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Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “Want the exact definition of ‘your football career is over’? Comeback-attempting Vince Young got cut by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”

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You take a look at the roster of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and you realize that US$500 million doesn’t buy much these days.

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Did you chuckle the other day when NHL commish Gary Bettman said the NHL isn’t ready for another expansion just yet? Hey, wave US$500 million in front of Bettman’s face and you’ll have a franchise lickety-split.

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Headline at SportsPickle.com: Kevin Durant silences all the critics who said he could never help a 73-9 team win a championship. . . . Headline at TheKicker.com: Durant to spend offseason travelling around booing Rihanna’s concerts.

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Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “With another NBA season coming to an end, commissioner Adam Silver gets to return to his other job: Holding the pitchfork in American Gothic.”

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F John Dahlstrom, 20, won’t be returning to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a second season. He has

signed a two-year contract with Almtuna in his native Sweden. Almtuna plays in the Allsvenskan, which is one level below the SHL. . . . Dahlstrom, a seventh-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2015 draft, had 30 goals and 29 assists in 63 games with the Tigers last season. . . . He will attend a Chicago prospects camp next month. . . . Had Dahlstrom returned to the Tigers, he would have been a two-spotter — a 20-year-old import. Latvian D Kristians Rubins, the Tigers’ other import last season, also is a two-spotter. . . . Including Rubins, Medicine Hat still has seven 20s on its roster, the others being G Michael Bullion, D Jordan Henderson, D Ty Schultz, D Brad Forrest, F Zach Fischer and F Mark Rassell.

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The Swift Current Broncos have revealed that as of Thursday morning they had sold 1,493 season-ticket packages, “including 137 new season-ticket holders.” . . . The Broncos have stated that their goal is 1,700 before the start of the 2017-18 WHL season. . . . The Broncos have a number of prizes up for grabs, all tied into season-ticket sales, and one fan will receive a season-ticket for life if the goal of 1,700 is reached.

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D Shaun Dosanjh, who played with four different WHL teams last season, will attend York U and play for the Lions in 2017-18. Dosanjh, now 21, is from Richmond, B.C. He began his WHL career with the Vancouver Giants, and finished it up last season with stints with the Prince George Cougars, Kamloops Blazers, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Portland Winterhawks. . . . In 173 regular-season games, he put up four goals and 10 assists. . . . Dosanjh was a third-round pick by the Giants in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. . . . Victor Findlay (@Finder_24) reports that the Lions also have landed G Keelan Williams, 21, of Calgary. He played 13 games with the Kootenay Ice over two seasons (2014-16). Last season, he was with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles.

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The Kamloops Blazers have signed D Trevor Thurston to a WHL contract. Thurston, from Delta, B.C., was a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. Last season, Thurston had nine goals and 11 assists in 20 games with a bantam prep team at the Delta Hockey Academy, where he will play again in 2017-18. . . . Trevor is the son of Brent Thurston, who played for the Victoria Cougars and Spokane Chiefs (1988-92). . . . The Blazers now have signed their top three picks from the 2017 bantam draft.

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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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Travis Green has accomplished his goal of becoming a head coach in the NHL. But Green, who is preparing for his first season as the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach, knows that the work is just beginning. Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has spoken with Green and they talked about that and a whole lot more. It’s all right here.

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Don Nachbaur, the third-winningest coach in WHL regular-season history, has joined the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach. Nachbaur spent the previous seven seasons as the head coach of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, but they parted company after the 2016-17 season despite there being one year left on his contract. . . . Nachbaur, who also coached the Seattle Thunderbirds (1994-2000) and Tri-City Americans (2003-09), has 692 regular-season victories, behind only Ken Hodge (742) and Don Hay (720). . . . Nachbaur and Stevens have a history, having played together with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Hershey Bears and coached together with the AHL‘s Philadelphia Phantoms (2000-02). . . . In Los Angeles, Nachbaur joins head coach John Stevens, who was promoted on April 24, and assistant coach Dave Lowry, who joined the Kings after being the head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Royals.

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Stu Barnes, a former WHL/NHL player who owns a piece of the Tri-City Americans, has been added to the Dallas Stars’ coaching staff. Barnes, 46, spent the previous two seasons on the coaching staff at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. In 2016-17, he was the head coach of the one of the academy’s midget prep teams. . . . Barnes also was an assistant coach in Dallas from 2008-12. . . . He played 16 seasons in the NHL after spending three seasons (1987-90) in the WHL with the New Westminster Bruins and the Americans. . . . In Dallas, he will work alongside head coach Ken Hitchcock. The Stars also have added Rick Wilson to their coaching staff as an assistant. Wilson, a career assistant, was with the St. Louis Blues last season. Wilson spent 15 seasons (1993-2004, 2005-09) on the Stars’ staff. He is a former assistant coach and head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders (1980-88).

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Trevor Letowski, the new head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, has been named an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior team. With Team Canada, he replaces Kris Knoblauch, the former head coach of the OHL’s Erie Otters, who now is an assistant with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. In Windsor, Letowski took over from Rocky Thompson, who now is head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . Dominique Ducharme of the QMJHL’s Drummondiville Voltigeurs is back as Canada’s head coach, with Tim Hunter of the Moose Jaw Warriors returning as the other assistant coach.

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The 2019 RBC Cup will be held in Brooks, Alta., May 11-19. The AJHL’s Brooks Bandits will be the host team. This will be the seventh time the event has been held in Alberta. It was in Lloydminster in 2016. The Bandits, who won the RBC Cup in 2013, are the AJHL’s defending champions. The 2018 RBC Cup is scheduled to be played in Chilliwack, B.C. . . . 

Tickets for the seventh annual Young Stars Classic in Penticton, B.C., will go on sale on July 7. The six-game preseason tournament will run from Sept. 8-11, featuring teams of prospects from the host Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.

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Commish wants more support for Ice, new rink in P.A. . . . or else!

Nice to welcome @Kelowna_Rockets to Brandon to play our @bdnwheatkings Two great teams! And thanks for flying #YBR 😉 pic.twitter.com/JgW33wUCxy

— shannon (@ShannonMannall) May 6, 2015

WEDNESDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.

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The WHL’s championship final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, begins Friday in Brandon with the Wheat Kings meeting the Kelowna Rockets. . . .
Each team is 12-3 in these playoffs. . . . Brandon has won each of its series in five games; Kelowna has won in four, five and six games, which, if you are into omens, might indicate the Rockets will win the final in seven. . . . The Wheat Kings have scored 65 goals in their 15 games; the Rockets have scored 65. . . . Brandon has surrendered 34 goals; Kelowna 39. . . . Kelowna fell behind in five of the six games in its 4-2 Western Conference final victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . As for injuries, Brandon F Reid Duke, F Tanner Kaspick and D Kale Clague have been practising this week. Duke was injured in Game 5 of a second-round series. Kaspick and Clague went down in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. . . . The Rockets will be without F Tyrell Goulbourne, who underwent surgery last week to repair a skate cut to his left calf. F Rourke Chartier, a 48-goal scorer in the regular season, is day-to-day after missing the last three games against Portland. . . . Here’s an interesting tidbit from Brandon Sun sports editor Rob Henderson: “The combined 226 points that Brandon and Kelowna racked up this season are more than any other pair of finalists except 1979 when the Wheat Kings (with a league-record 125 points) topped the Portland Winterhawks (111) for the WHL title.”
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Last week, you will recall, Avenir Sports & Entertainment, purchased majority ownership of the Kloten Flyers, a team that players in the Switzerland’s NL A. Avenir is owned by Bill Gallacher, who also owns the Portland Winterhawks. Perhaps you are wondering that the move might mean to the Winterhawks. If so, here’s what Winterhawks president Doug Piper told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune:
"When Bill bought the Winterhawks (in 2008), his intention was to also buy an NHL franchise. Those opportunities have come and gone, so we started thinking about the European market. We've always loved Swiss players — the three who have played for us have been fantastic. Switzerland is a great hockey market, almost Canadian-like in its appreciation with the game.
"The WHL allows each team only two imports, but the ones we've had have been impactful. Switzerland has a sophisticated youth program. We've always been tuned into Europe, but we feel this helps us get even more eyes over there and be in line to find more Niederreiter-like talent. The more we understand the world as a whole and start looking at it that way, we felt it was a wise thing to do for the future.”
The three Swiss players to have been with the Winterhawks are Nino Niederreiter, Sven Baertschi and Luca Sbisa.
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Ron Robison, the commissioner of the WHL, was in Lethbridge on Monday, where he met with shareholders of the Hurricanes and urged them to sell the franchise to private owners. . . . On Tuesday, he told Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Saskatoon Blades, that the Kootenay Ice and Prince Albert Raiders need help if they are to remain where they are in the long term.
Robison, on the Ice: “The attendance in (Cranbrook) is not where we need it to be. We're addressing that and hopeful that we can get some solution in place here very soon. But, the reality is that in order to continue to operate in markets such as Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice have to draw more people . . . have to get better support in that community. Otherwise, we may have no alternative but to relocate the franchise.”
Robison, on the Raiders: “There's no question that in order for the Prince Albert Raiders to be viable long term, a new facility is required. I think the city acknowledges that. The Raiders certainly understand that moving forward and I think it would be a major asset to the community. They want to preserve their franchise and, certainly, discussions are underway in that regard.”
Lazaruk’s story is right here.
Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald followed up on that story by talking with Raiders officials. That story is right here.
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The WHL bantam draft is scheduled to be held today in Calgary. When it comes to coverage, the day belongs to Alan Caldwell over at Small Thoughts at Large. So check out his blog for all the happenings. . . . If you click right here, you will find his spreadsheet that features all of the WHL trades that involved draft picks.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Pats F Braden Christoffer, 20, has signed with the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. According to Harder, Christoffer, the Pats’ captain, isn’t expected to join the Barons now; rather, he will report next season when the franchise has moved to Bakersfield, Calif. He also will play for the Oilers in a prospects tournament in Penticton, B.C., in September.
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The WHL held its awards luncheon in Calgary on Wednesday. For a look at all the winners, click right here.
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During the WHL’s awards luncheon, former Regina Pats owner Russ Parker was honoured with the 2014-15 Governors Award. Parker and his wife, Diane, purchased the Pats from the WHL in 1995. They sold the franchise prior to this season.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Moe Mantha, a former NHL defenceman, has signed on as the first GM/head coach of the French River Rapids, who will begin play in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League next season. The 54-year-old Mantha is a native of Sturgeon Falls, Ont., which is a short drive from Noelville, the home of the Rapids. Mantha had been working as the head coach of the NAHL’s Michigan Warriors. . . . Randy Russon of Sault This Week has more right here.
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Ryan Donald has signed on as assistant GM and assistant coach with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. He had been the head coach and assistant GM of the Woodstock Slammers of the junior A Maritime Hockey League. He is a graduate of Yale who captain the Bulldogs. He also played in the AJHL with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders and Camrose Kodiaks. In Trail, he will be working with GM/head coach Nick Deschenes and assistant coaches Craig Clare and Barry Zanier.
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Some 5'9" dude from Spokane is leading the #NHLPlayoffs in goals. Didn't see that coming when he was a @chiefshockey player

— Chad Balcom (@hawkeyblog) May 7, 2015

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McDavid as a d-man? . . . OT rules in WHL playoffs . . . Thunder booms at Allan Cup

With apologies to Blackie Sherrod, we’re scatter shooting on a Saturday evening:
1. There I was sitting at a counter in a DQ, enjoying a cup of coffee while my wife did the crossword puzzle in Saturday’s Vancouver Sun. I was tracking the NHL draft lottery on my tablet and wondering if the NHL intentionally created such humour.
2. Of course, the last thing the Edmonton Oilers, who won the lottery, need is another highly skilled forward. Perhaps they will select F Connor McDavid of the OHL’s Erie Otters and turn him into a defenceman?
3. Here’s a post-lottery tweet from Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports that says it all: “So Connor McDavid will go to #Oilers, who forced @ErieOtters owner Sherry Bassin to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. No justice. #OHL.”
4. Do you recall the comments by then-Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella after his infamous dash towards the Calgary Flames dressing room last season? After that incident, he said of Flames head coach Bob Hartley: “I don’t like the way he does business.” . . . You can bet that wherever Tortorella was on Friday night, he was nodding his head.
5. If you’re like me, you’re wondering how much of that $50,000 fine will come out of Hartley’s pocket?
6. The WHL playoffs are almost through two rounds, and 21 of 61 games have gone to overtime. Unfortunately, these playoffs haven’t been as close as that might seem to indicate. To date, only three of 11 series have needed more than five games to decide. If Portland wins tonight in Everett, that will be three of 12.
7. If you’re a fan of the Portland Winterhawks, you have to like the way these playoffs are shaping up. The Winterhawks, who have been to four straight WHL finals, are relatively healthy, while the other four teams still standing — Brandon, Calgary, Everett and Kelowna — all have had injury issues. It could be, though, that the Rockets are getting healthy at just the right time.
8. You can bet that Brandon, Calgary and Kelowna, none of whom is likely to play before Friday, will make good use of the off days, simply by resting those players with bumps and bruises and worse.
9. There is speculation that Mike Johnston, who had so much success as the GM and head coach of the Winterhawks, is on the hot seat as his first season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins winds down. . . . If you think that’s crazy, there is speculation that the Boston Bruins’ brain trust is giving at least some consideration to firing head coach Claude Julien and hiring Mike Milbury to replace him. . . . Peter Chiarelli, the GM the Bruins fired the other day, had three years left on his contract.
10. A Saturday night tweet from Randy Turner of the Winnpeg Free Press: “I don't know why media keeps asking MacT if he'll trade McDavid. The Edmonton Oilers would never trade the best hockey player in the world.”
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F Maximilian Kammerer (Regina, 2013-14) has signed a three-year contract with Düsseldorf (Germany, DEL). This season, with Red Bull Salzburg II (Austria, Russia MHL), he had five goals and eight assists in 35 games.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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G Steve Christie, a 30-year-old Winnipegger, stopped 27 shots on Saturday, leading the South East Prairie Thunder to a 2-0 victory over the Bentley, Alta., Generals in the Allan Cup final in Clarenville, Nfld. The Allan Cup was awarded for the 107th time. . . . The Prairie Thunder, which plays out of Steinbach, Man., will be host team for the 2016 Allan Cup tournament. . . . The goals came from F Mark Agnew, a 32-year-old native of Hartney, Man., who played four seasons at Quinnipiac U, and F Shawn Limpright, 33, who is from St. Adolphe, Man., and played four seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Thunder’s lineup also included F Terry Yake, who played three seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings before going on to a pro career that included 403 games in the NHL. Yake had an assist in the final, giving him a goal and two assists in four tournament games. Yake is 46 years of age. . . . The scoresheet from the final game is right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets advanced to the third round of the WHL playoffs on Friday night and now await the winner of the ongoing series between the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips. Portland takes a 3-1 lead into Everett tonight. . . . Should the next round feature Kelowna and Portland, Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier writes that the Rockets could be “heavy favourites to avenge last year’s loss.” His reasoning? “Portland has a couple elite talents up front in Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nic Petan, but the tables have been turned on the back end, with Kelowna now boasting a clear advantage with (Josh) Morrissey in the fold. If (Leon) Draisaitl can pick up where he left off against Victoria, then the Rockets will be heavy favourites to avenge last year’s loss.”
Fisher’s story is right here.
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Here’s Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune, before the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the host New York Rangers 4-3 on Saturday:
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in tough in their first-round NHL playoff series with the New York Rangers, who owned the league's best record in the regular season (53-22-7). According to a column in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, first-year coach Mike Johnston — the former Winterhawks general manager/head coach — is on the hot seat if the Penguins lose.
"Mike Johnston should survive. He probably won't," writes columnist Rob Rossi, blaming the Penguins' late-season swoon on injuries and a poor job of salary-cap management by general manager Jim Rutherford.
If the Penguins axe Johnston, the Winterhawks would be wise to welcome him back with open arms.
Johnston's replacement, Jamie Kompon, has done a capable job coaching the Hawks into the WHL's Western Conference semifinals. But Johnston did a sensational job in his six years in Portland, resurrecting a woebegone franchise that was a laughingstock when he arrived in 2008.
Keeping Kompon as coach and bringing back Johnston as the club's GM would be a win-win for everybody.
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Jack Brodsky, a former owner of the Saskatoon Blades, will be presented with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit on May 13 in Regina. . . . Before the Blades were sold to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner prior to the 2013-14 season, Brodsky was prominent in WHL circles. He was the Blades’ president and governor, and served on numerous WHL committees. . . .
F Tim Bozon (Kootenay Ice) made his pro debut with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs last night. Bozon, who played out his junior eligibility this season, was pointless but had six shots on goal as the host Bulldogs dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Lake Erie Monsters. Bozon had a chance to win the game in OT but Monster G Calvin Pickard came up with a tremendous save. . . . Kootenay D Rinat Valiev also made his debut last night. He was plus-1 as his Toronto Marlies beat the host Rockford IceHogs, 3-1.
F Cole Ully (Kamloops Blazers) was pointless as the Texas Stars scored a 4-3 OT victory over the San Antonio Rampage. It was Ully’s second pro game; he picked up an assist in a 3-2 victory on Friday night. Ully, who has signed with the parent Dallas Stars, is headed home to Calgary today. . . . BTW, former Kamloops F Brendan Ranford scored the OT goal for Texas last night.
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What is it like to be part of a family in which one individual is trying to cope with post-concussion syndrome? Kristin Reed has had six of these brain injuries, all while playing sports. She is 15 years of age. She yearns for a headache-free day. . . . Brandon Stoneburg of the Norristown, Pa., Times Herald has Stewart’s story right here.
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I wonder if Kelowna Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton has made the call to Oilers GM Craig McTavish to get Connor McDavid in a Rockets Jersey ???
— Andrew Castell (@ACHockeyHistory) April 19, 2015

So think of how many years that Canada will now have McDavid for the World Champs this time of year!
— Peter Milobar (@PeterMilobar) April 19, 2015

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.

Now those were some penalty totals! . . . Lang sparks Hitmen past Wheaties

F Zdeněk Blatný (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) has signed a one-year contract with Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga), he had 29 points, including nine goals, in 40 games.
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THE LEGEND OF TOPPER:

Late last month, the person behind the Twitter account TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) noticed a discrepancy involving WHL penalty minutes.
In using game summaries to track players’ penalty minutes, Tbird came to the realization that the numbers didn’t match those in the individual stats pages of the WHL website.
If you aren’t aware, that is because the WHL chooses not to include penalties such as misconducts and game misconducts in a player’s penalty minute totals.
Why? Who knows. But it’s something that has been going on for years now. A few years ago, over dinner in a Kamloops restaurant, WHL commissioner Ron Robison told me that he would discontinue the practice, but that never happened.
But so it was that TBird did a little Internet research, and he found some interesting numbers that had been posted a while ago on a WHL chat group.
Some of that info follows and if you are new to the WHL, you may find the numbers absolutely crazy. They belong to Kerry Toporowski, a defenceman who spent two seasons (1989-91) with the Spokane Chiefs.
1989-90 regular season:
Games played: 65
PIM: 384
Fighting majors: 58
Minor penalties : 47
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1990 playoffs:
Games played: 6
PIM: 37
Fighting majors: 5
Minor penalties: 6
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1990-91 regular season:
Games played: 65
PIM: 505
Fighting majors: 65
Minor penalties: 90
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1991 playoffs:
Games played: 15
PIM: 108
Fighting majors: 14
Minor penalties: 19
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Tbird continues:
Now here's what's really interesting: The WHL doesn’t include or count misconducts, game misconducts, match penalties and gross misconducts in the PIM totals. . . . So here's Topper's TRUE PIM's for his two infamous seasons with the Spokane Chiefs . . .
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1989-90 regular season:
Misconducts: 16
Game misconducts: 5
TRUE PIM : 594, not 384
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1990 playoffs:
Misconducts: 2
Game misconducts: 2
TRUE PIM: 77, not 37
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1990-91 regular season:
Misconducts: 16
Game misconducts: 5
TRUE PIM: 715, not 505
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1991 playoffs:
Misconducts: 4
Game misconducts: 2
TRUE PIM: 168, not 108
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Some additional notes from the info that TBird uncovered . . .
John Badduke holds the WHL record for most PIM's in a season with 515 in 1991-92 with the Portland WinterHawks. . . . 142 fights for "The Topper" in two years in the WHL. A record that will never be broken. . . . Guys who have come close to breaking Topper's record: David Kaczowka got into 50 fights in 63 games for the Regina Pats in 2000-01 season. . . . Eric Godard had 48 fights in 60 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 1999-2000. . . . John Badduke had 67 fights including the playoffs for Portland in 1991-92 season. . . . Kevin Sawyer had 45 fights in 54 games for the Spokane Chiefs in 1994-95.
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I know of one instance in which a player, unaware that penalty totals didn’t include various penalties, piled up the minutes in the final game of the regular season.
All because, he told me, he wanted to get to 300 penalty minutes.
He was completely oblivious to the fact that when you included all of his penalties he was well over 300 minutes going into that final game. The end result was that his antics in that particular game drew a two-game suspension that he served when the playoffs opened.
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The Portland Winterhawks head out on a six-game East Division swing this week, and they leave town wondering where their game has gone. At 1-7-2, the team that has been in four WHL championship finals in a row has the league’s second-poorest winning percentage (.200). As the Winterhawks prepare to meet the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Friday, Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune takes a look right here at the Winterhawks’ early struggles.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has done up a nifty story right here on Mac Stewart, a former waterboy with the Vancouver Giants who is on his way up hockey’s ladder. At the age of 20, Stewart is the equipment manager with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
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F Chase Lang scored twice to lead the host Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings in Sunday’s lone WHL game. Lang, an 18-year-old from Nanaimo, B.C., has seven goals in seven games; last season, he scored 10 times in 68 games. . . . Brandon (6-1-1) was the last Eastern Conference team without a regulation-time loss. In the Western Conference, the Kelowna Rockets (8-0-0) and Everett Silvertips (5-0-2) have yet to lose in regulation time. . . . The Wheat Kings meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton in today’s lone game.

The Prince George Cougars may be without recently acquired F Cal Babych when they play the Thunderbirds in Seattle on Friday and the Giants in Vancouver on Saturday. According to Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen, Babych was injured Friday when he “collided with Giants defenceman Tyler Morrison and hit his head against the side board.” Babych, who was acquired last week from Calgary, didn’t return to Friday’s game and was scratched on Saturday. . . . The Cougars swept the two-game series with visting Vancouver, winning 2-1 both nights. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades ended an 18-game losing streak when they beat the visiting Prince Albert Raiders 3-2 on Saturday night. The Blades had lost their first six games this season, setting a franchise futility record for the start of a season. . . . “The Blades had lost so many consecutive times that (goaltender Alex) Moodie suffered a season-ending hip injury, was traded to Spokane in the off-season and then returned to the team since their last victory,” wrote Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. . . . The Blades hadn‘t won since beating the Rebels ?? in Red Deer on Feb. 15. . . . Nugent-Bowman also reported that Saturday’s triumph was the 1,600th victory in franchise history, coming in the 3,507th game.
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Hey curfews I didn't miss you!!! #backtojunior
— Tim Bozon (@timbozon94) October 13, 2014

Johnston leaves Portland for Pittsburgh . . . WHL's regular-season schedule is released

F Kenndal McArdle (Moose Jaw, Vancouver, 2002-07) has signed a one-year-plus-option contract with Malmö (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan), he had 24 points, including 11 goals, in 45 games. . . .
F Jordan Draper (Red Deer, 2007-08) signed a one-year contract with Mont-Blanc Megève (France, Division 1). Last season, with the Columbus Cottonmouths (SPHL), he had 53 points, 20 of them goals, in 56 games.
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When the week began, there was one WHL team, the Vancouver Giants, without a head coach.
Today, there are three.
The Regina Pats joined the list on Tuesday when the franchise’s new ownership group chose to fire Malcolm Cameron.
On Wednesday, Mike Johnston, the highly successful general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, was introduced as the head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. He signed a three-year contract.
Johnston began working for Bill Gallacher, the man who would officially purchase the Winterhawks in October 2008, prior to the 2007-08 season. Johnston took over as GM/head coach in October, once the deal closed.
He leaves the Winterhawks having led them to four consecutive WHL championship finals. They won the 2012-13 title, but Johnston sat out most of the regular season, all of the playoffs and the Memorial Cup with a WHL-mandated suspension.
The WHL ruled that the Winterhawks had been guilty of various player benefit violations under Johnston’s watch, thus he was suspended. The franchise was fined $200,000 and lost a number of bantam draft picks.
Johnston has 231 regular-season victories, second in franchise history to Ken Hodge, who holds the WHL career record of 742. Johnston’s .660 winning percentage is a franchise record for coaches with at least 100 appearances.
From a Winterhawks’ news release:
“The Winterhawks had 20 players selected in the NHL draft during Johnston’s tenure, including six in the first round. Already, six of those players have seen NHL action: Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter, Sven Baertschi, Tyler Wotherspoon, Ty Rattie and Seth Jones.
“Under Johnston the Winterhawks also became a leader in the players’ educational efforts, with all players, including college players, taking courses to further their education. Those efforts led to the Hawks being named the 2012-13 WHL Scholastic Team of the Year.”
Despite the success, Johnston was never honoured as the WHL’s executive or coach of the year.
While signing Johnston, the Penguins also gave assistant coach Rick Tocchet a three-year contract, and also announced that they will keep Jacques Martin, who had been an assistant under Dan Bylsma, albeit in a different role. Pittsburgh also has kept goaltender coach Mike Bales and video co-ordinator Andy Saucier.
On Wednesday, the Penguins fired assistant coaches Todd Reirden and Tony Granato, with Reirden signing later in the day with the Washington Capitals.
The Penguins are going to hire another assistant coach, and you are free to wonder if that spot may end up being filled by Travis Green, Johnston’s long-time assistant in Portland who just finished his first season as head coach of the Utica Comets, the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate.
“I’m looking to maybe bring Travis in here as an assistant,” Johnston told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.
Johnston and Rutherford talked during the weekend in Pittsburgh, then met in Philadelphia, site of this weekend’s NHL draft, on Tuesday. Johnston was introduced as head coach during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
To show you how crazy things can get when the coaching carousel starts turning, consider all of this . . . Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford originally wanted Willie Desjardins as his head coach. Instead, Desjardins signed a four-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. . . . Johnston, who wasn’t one of the first eight men to be interviewed by Rutherford, actually interviewed with the Canucks last week. . . . Johnston last worked in the NHL since 2007-08 when he was an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings under head coach Marc Crawford. Johnston also worked under Johnston with the Canucks. . . . Crawford was one of the eight men interviewed by Rutherford
Winterhawks owner Bill Gallacher and president Doug Piper are in Philadelphia for the NHL draft. The search to replace Johnston will begin there, with them hoping to find someone who, like Johnston, is capable of wearing both hats.
"We like that formula, if there is a person with the skill set to do both," Piper told Eggers, adding that there is no rush to sign someone.
"I'd rather find the right person than be in a hurry," Piper said. "It's important to have someone in place, settled and ready for the start of training camp on Aug. 20.
"There are a lot of good candidates, which is really gratifying to us. Portland and the Winterhawks are attractive (to candidates). We're at the top of the game at this level. Bill Gallacher is an owner who provides the resources to be successful. And Portland is a great city. People want to live here."
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Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has a comprehensive Johnston story right here.
www.pamplinmedia.com/pt/12-sports/225378-87733-whirlwind-leads-to-almost-a-dream-job-for-mike-johnston-new-penguins-coach
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The WHL released its regular-season schedule on Wednesday. Some tidbits . . .
1. While the Portland Winterhawks have a schedule, they don’t know in which building each game will be played. That will be finalized after the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers complete their schedule.
2. The WHL finalists from each of the last three seasons meet in Portland on Nov. 2 when the Winterhawks play host to the Memorial Cup-champion Edmonton Oil Kings. Will they be part way to a fourth straight meeting for the Ed Chynoweth Cup?
3. The Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans will begin their seasons in Kennewick, Wash., on Sept. 20. It will be the 23rd time in the past 25 seasons that these two teams have played each other in a season opener. . . . The Americans will visit Spokane for the Chiefs’ home-opener on Sept. 27.
4. The Chiefs open the season by playing nine of their first 14 games at home.
5. For the first time in more than 30 years, the Brandon Wheat Kings won’t be at home on Remembrance Day (Nov. 11). Instead, Westman Place will be home to Game 2 of the Subway Super Series between Team WHL and touring Russian side.
6. The Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors complete their schedules by going home-and-home on March 20 and 21, starting in Moose Jaw. . . . Brandon’s 880 CKLQ Sportsman’s Dinner is scheduled for Jan. 29, with the Warriors in Brandon the next night. The dinner, normally held in early in February, has been moved so as not to clash with the Manitoba men’s curling championship.
7. The Wheat Kings will play three games in three nights on two occasions, both on the road.
8. With the Tim Hortons Brier (the Canadian men’s curling championship) in Calgary in 2015, the Hitmen will be out of the Saddledome from Feb. 17 to March 15.
9. Don Hay, who returns as the Kamloops Blazers’ head coach for the first time since winning the 1995 Memorial Cup, will make his home debut on Sept. 19 against the Victoria Royals. . . . Hay spent the last 10 seasons as Vancouver’s head coach; the will make his first appearance in Vancouver with the Blazers on Oct. 17. . . . The Blazers, coming off the poorest season in franchise history, will play six of their first eight games on the road.
10. Kamloops will conclude its regular-season schedule by playing four of its last six games against the Prince George Cougars.
11. The Prince George Cougars, in their first season without Rick Brodsky as the owner, will give the new ownership group a real baptism by fire. They open in Portland against the four-time defending Western Conference-champion Winterhawks on Sept. 20, then meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Sept. 21. The Cougars open at home against the Kelowna Rockets, who had the WHL’s best regular-season record last season, on Sept. 26.
12. In past seasons, the Swift Current Broncos rarely have made their western road swing in the early portions of the season. This time around, the Broncos will open their western trip in Prince George on Sept. 30. “With farming being at a busy time in September and October we felt that was the best time to be on the road,” Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM/head coach, explained in a news release. “That will give our fans the opportunity to attend more games at home.”
13. The WHL playoffs are scheduled to open on Friday, March 27.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors will hold their annual general meeting on July 17 in the Heritage Inn. The fun begins at 7 p.m. . . . The Southern Professional Hockey League’s Augusta franchise, the RiverHawks, has moved to Macon, Ga., where it will be known as the Mayhem. A lot of folks were hoping for a reincarnation of the Whoopee. . . . D Garrett Haar, who completed his junior eligibility last season with the Portland Winterhawks, has signed with the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. He was selected by Washington in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL draft while he was still with the Western Michigan Broncos. . . . According to Over The Boards (@OTBPuckWatch), the Portland Winterhawks have listed F Ryan Poehling, a 15-year-old from Lakeville, Minn., who has committed to St. Cloud State U. He played last season with the Lakeville North High Panthers, spending at least part of his freshman season on a line with his brothers Jack and Nick, who are twins and were juniors. . . . Over the Boards also reports that the Medicine Hat Tigers have listed Ben Copeland, a 1999-born forward from Edina, Minn.
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Not sure about rest of WHL, but Kelowna Rockets won't play 3 games in 3 nights. Not even once. The 2014/15 schedule looks player friendly.
— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) June 25, 2014

All that glitters is not gold though. Kelowna Rockets play three games in four nights a staggering 12 times. #wetgear
— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) June 25, 2014

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Winterhawks up 2-0 in final; Gallacher speaks

1. Bill Gallacher, the owner of the Portland Winterhawks, met with the media for a question-and-answer session during the second intermission of last night’s game. This does not happen often, so it’s worth a watch. The video, courtesy of The Oregonian, is right here.

2. Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich) was at the Gallacher session and tweeted this: “I didn't get a great look, but Gallacher was wearing blue loafers that you can only really get away with when you're a billionaire.” . . . Nah! Gallacher is a fan of Carl Perkins.

3. Prior to Game 2 of the WHL’s championship final, Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports posted a story on how the Portland Winterhawks came to be the Evil Empire of the WHL. That piece is right here.

4. Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune takes a look right here at the job Winterhawks’ GM/head coach Mike Johnston has done, starting with the trades that brought in G Corbin Boes and D Mathew Dumba.

5. The Indiana Ice won’t take part in the USHL next season. According to a news release: “Ownership of the Ice, working with the Office of the Commissioner and the USHL Executive Committee, requested and received approval from the USHL Board of Directors for the temporary withdrawal from on-ice competition in order for the organization to focus on development of new facility and permanent home for the USHL Member Club in the Indianapolis area.” . . . The Ice has been part of the USHL since 2004 and is about to play in the league’s championship final for the Clark Cup.

6. The IIHF men’s world championship begins in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday and runs through May 25. F Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice will spend some time with Canada’s team, but won’t play in the tournament. He will practise with the team and perhaps play in an exhibition game or two.
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THE QMJHL FINAL:
Tuesday -- Baie-Comeau Drakkar at Val-d’Or Foreurs. Series tied 1-1.
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THE OHL FINAL:
Tuesday -- Guelph Storm at North Bay Battalion. Series tied 1-1.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
(Portland leads, 2-0)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Winterhawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead and went on beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . Portland leads the best-of-seven WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup 2-0 as the teams head for Edmonton. They are scheduled to play there on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . The teams were to share a charter to Edmonton following last night’s game. . . . The Winterhawks, who won the opener 5-2 on Saturday, scored twice before last night’s game was four minutes old. . . . F Chase De Leo got his ninth goal of the playoffs at 2:12, with F Brendan Leipsic notching his 13th just 1:02 later. Leipsic, who also had an assist, was back on the ice after missing Game 1 while serving a one-game WHL suspension. . . . Portland F Paul Bittner, who scored twice on Saturday, made it 3-0 at 4:32 of the second period, giving him five goals in these playoffs. Bittner also had an assist. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson got Edmonton on the board with a PP goal at 13:32 of the third period. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes stopped 28 shots, one fewer than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich points out that Boes, who was acquired from Lethbridge this season, had a streak with the Hurricanes in which he lost 18 straight decisions. With Portland, Boes is 19-1-1. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-3 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-4. . . . Portland now is 42-3 since Jan. 11 and is 9-0 at home in the playoffs. . . . This is the third straight spring in which these two teams have met in the final. In the two earlier series, the teams split the first two games. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had one assist. He leads the playoff scoring race, with 30 points, one more than Leipsic. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot, who leads the WHL in assists (24), had his playoff point streak snapped at 15 games. Yes, this was the first game in these playoffs in which he didn’t get at least one point. . . .

Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports filed a game story that is right here.

Scott Sepich covered the game for The Canadian Press, and his gamer is right here.

Brian Swane of the Edmonton Sun has a game story right here.

The gamer filed by Molly Blue of The Oregonian is right here.

Cam Charron of Yahoo! Sports breaks down the first two games right here, and he has the Winterhawks “in a class of their own.” . . . Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal won't need to look at any stats other than this: His club has fallen behind 3-0 in each of the first two games. It's tough to climb out of holes like that at any time of the season, never mind in the championship final.
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From Tom Morello (@tmorello): “When I was a kid I thought quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem on a daily basis than it really is.”

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