Mpofu lays down the law . . . Cameron back in coaching game

Some old, some new . . . as I try to catch up after a few days away . . .
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F Carter Proft (Brandon, Spokane, 2010-14) signed a one-year contract with the Kassel Huskies (Germany, DEL). Last season, with Spokane, he had 23 points, 11 of them goals, in 72 games. He has dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
D Petr Šenkeřík (Kootenay, Prince George, 2009-10) signed a tryout contract with Vitkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had a goal and two assists in 24 games. In 17 games with Berounští Medvědi (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), he had 11 points, four of them goals. . . .
F Gal Koren (Kelowna, 2010-11) signed a one-year contract with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he had one goal in 23 games. He had four goals and four assists in 15 games with Olimpija Ljubljana, and was pointless in four games with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . .
D Dmitri Sinitsyn (Regina, 2013-14) has signed a two-year, two-way contract with Dynamo Moscow (Russia, KHL). Last season, he had 44 points, including 10 goals, in 69 games with Regina. . . .
F Michal Pšurný (Medicine Hat, Kootenay, 2005-06) signed a one-year extension with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). Last season, he led the league in scoring, putting up 99 points, including 45 goals, in 54 games. He was a first-team all-star. . . .
D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) signed a one-year contract with Aalborg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, with the Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL), he had 31 points, including eight goals. He was pointless in three games on loan to the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL). . . .
D Tomáš Troliga (Calgary, 2003-04) signed a tryout contract with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 24 points, 13 of them goals, in 46 games.
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F Vukie Mpofu, the 87th selection in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft, has informed the Red Deer Rebels that he won’t be returning for a second season. Mpofu, 18, is a native of Saskatoon, who had 15 points, including nine goals, in 65 games last season.
He has decided to attend the U of Saskatchewan and study business and marketing as he works toward a law degree.
“He called me and told me he’d thought about it all summer and that his goal was to attend law school,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner/GM/head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He felt it was important for him to start his schooling now (at the U of S) and then in four years enrol in law school in Toronto.”
Sutter told Meachem that he wasn’t surprised to hear from Mpofu.
“I don’t know how driven he was to be a hockey player and I told him that over the phone . . . that if his heart wasn’t in it then it was better to move on to school,” Sutter said. “I kind of had a feeling that something was up at the end of the season. After he got hurt he never had the same drive. His emotion for the game wasn’t the same when he came back and at our year-end meeting I had a feeling he really wasn’t all-in to being a player.”
Mpofu struggled in the second half of the season after returning from a lower-back injury.
 Mpofu told Meachem there wouldn’t be any looking back.
“I’ve had everything I could have ever asked for out of hockey and I’m at a point in my life — now that I’m out of high school — that every decision I make from here on in should be building toward my long-term goals and where I would eventually like to see myself in five to 10 years. That’s pretty much the basis of my decision,” Mpofu said.
“Hockey was a lot of fun for me, but I had to make a decision now for my future.”
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And now for some self-promotion . . .
Jack Finarelli, aka The Sports Curmudgeon, is a friend who writes daily on his blog. He also offers up some recommended readings for his followers.
The other day, he posted this right here:
“Here is one to put on your ‘Wish List’ so that folks can get you a book for your birthday or for Christmas…"
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Meanwhile, The Sports Curmudgeon also took time to dissect a claim by someone that the return of LeBron could put $500 million into the Cleveland economy. I always cringe when people, mostly of a political bent, start talking about how much a tournament or an event will mean to a city’s economy because there always seem to be a lot of numbers thrown around without a whole lot of proof. . . . Well, The Sports Curmudgeon explains the whole thing awfully well right here. Give this a read and the next time you hear/read about how much economic benefit there will be from an event coming to your town, you will feel a bit better informed.
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The Saskatoon Blades, under relatively new ownership and a freshman GM/head coach in Bob Woods, have realigned their scouting department. Doug Molleken, their head scout, now is director of scouting, eastern region, and will be responsible for Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the U.S. Molleken, 54, has signed a two-year extension. . . . Dan Tencer, 28, has been promoted from regional scout to director of scouting, western region, and will focus on Alberta and B.C. . . . Molleken and Tencer will report to Colin Priestner, the franchise’s managing partner who will oversee the bantam and European drafts. . . . There is more on the Blades’ scouting staff right here.
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“Wilfred Rose, 58, spent a career studying the pants pockets of New Yorkers,” writes Joseph Goldstein in The New York Times, “always on the lookout for ‘a nice stiff wallet’ full of cash, or better yet, the fainter outline of a dozen folded bills.” . . . This is the story of a man who may have been the greatest pickpocket in New York City’s history, and you won’t want to miss it. It’s right here.
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The Montreal Canadiens have signed F Nikita Scherbak, their first-round pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract. Scherbak, from Russia, had 78 points, including 28 goals, in 65 games as a freshman with the Saskatoon Blades last season. Under terms of the CBA between the NHL and NHLPA, Scherbak, who doesn’t turn 19 until Dec. 30, has to play with the Canadiens or the Blades in 2014-15. Of course, the Blades could also choose to trade him. . . .
As you will have noticed in The MacBeth Report, D Dmitry Sinitsyn of the Regina Pats has signed with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow. Sinitsyn, who turned 20 on June 17, may not have returned to the Pats anyway, as the Moscow native would have been a two-spotter -- a 20-year-old and an import. He was a seventh-round pick by the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s 2012 draft. The Pats’ roster also includes German F Maximilian Kammerer, who is preparing for his second WHL season, and Russian D Sergey Zborovsky, who was selected last month in the CHL import draft. . . . Regina finished last season with five other players who could be 20-year-olds on the 2014-15 roster -- F Braden Christoffer, F Patrick D’Amico, G Dawson MacAuley, F Logan McVeigh and F Chandler Stephenson. . . . Another note from The MacBeth Report has F Carter Proft (Brandon, Spokane, 2011-14) having signed with the Kassel Huskies of the German DEL. Proft, who turns 20 on Aug. 30, had 23 points, 11 of them goals, in 72 games last season with the Chiefs. Other 20-year-olds on Spokane’s roster are F Liam Stewart, F Marcus Messier, F Connor Chartier and D Reid Gow. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Brendan De Jong, a seventh-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft out of Victoria. De Jong, 16, had 13 points in 32 games with the Pacific Sea Devils, an elite 15 team at the Pacific Coast Academy.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Malcolm Cameron, who spent last season as head coach of the Regina Pats, now is on staff at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. Cameron, 44, guided the Pats to WHL East Division regular-season title last season, but was fired by the franchise’s new owners last month. Prior to last season, he was an assistant coach with the Pats for two seasons. . . . Before joining the Pats, Cameron was an ECHL head coach for eight season. . . .

Jean-François (J.F.) Houle is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors, who are owned by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. He takes over from Troy Mann, now the head coach of the AHL’s Hershey Bears. . . . For the past three seasons, Houle, 39, has been head coach of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. . . . He is the son of former Montreal Canadiens F Réjean Houle. . . . The Armada is working on finding a new head coach. . . .

The QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar is looking for a head coach after Eric Veilleux left to become head coach of the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Veilleux, who had been with the Drakkar for two seasons, replaces Trent Yawney, who now is an assistant coach with the Ducks. The Drakkar reached the QMJHL final in each of Veilleux’s seasons. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades have added Shane Endicott (Seattle, 1997-2001) to their staff as the franchise’s first skills coach. Endicott, who is from Saskatoon, spent six seasons in the AHL after being the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him 52nd overall in the NHL’s 2000 draft. He retired after playing in Europe and opened On Ice Connections in Saskatoon. Last season, he helped the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s team to its first conference title. . . .

Kevin Kraus (Kamloops, Tri-City, 2006-08) is returning to Vernon as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Vipers. He will work alongside GM/head coach Jason Williamson. A defenceman from Garden Grove, Calif., Kraus played 130 regular-season and 44 playoff games with the Vipers, helping them to two national championships. Kraus, 24, spent last season as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. With the Vipers, he replaces Kris Mallette, now an assistant coach with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. . . .

Kim Dillabaugh has left the Kelowna Rockets after 11 seasons as their goaltending coach. Dillabaugh is moving on to work full-time with the Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings. While working with the Rockets, he also has helped the Kings for the past eight seasons in the area of goaltending development. He will continue in that area with the Kings, but now also will scout for them. The Rockets plan is to hire a goaltending coach to replace Dillabaugh.

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Winterhawks get assistant coach . . . or do they?

SMOKE ON THE WATER: Somewhere through all the smoke over the South
Thompson River near Kamloops stands Mount Martin. Yes, it's been smokin' hot
in Kamloops for the past few days.

D Rory Rawlyk (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 2000-03) has signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). Last season, with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite), he had 40 points, including 32 assists, in 43 games. He was named to the Elite League’s second all-star team. . . . Rawlyk’s season was cut short by a freak training accident in which he suffered a broken nose, fractured cheekbone and cracked eye socket, which required surgery. . . .
F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) has signed a one-year extension with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A). Last season, Johansson had 50 points, 14 of them goals, in 38 games with the Italian champions. He led the team in assists and points.
D Garnet Exelby (Saskatoon, Regina, 1998-2001) has signed a one-year contract with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, as the captain of the Norfolk Admirals (AHL), he had 18 points, all of them assists, in 72 games.
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“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”
When you hear that, you think of that great movie Cool Hand Luke.
Well, we ran into a communication problem on Wednesday.
Under the headline ‘Charlottetown native to be an (sic) WHL assistant’, a website that goes by hockeyscene.com reported that “Brad MacKenzie of Charlottetown and the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League have agreed to terms that will see MacKenzie become an assistant coach with the team.”
MacKenzie is quoted in the story as saying: “It is what I want to do. It is a good first step with a terrific organization.”
I tweeted out a link to the 10-paragraph story that didn’t carry a byline.
Moments later, I got an email from a Winterhawks’ official.
“I think there was a miscommunication with the writer of the article,” the official wrote. “He is not an assistant coach, but from what I understand will be an intern or assistant of some sort working with the staff.
“Not sure exactly what his title will be but he won't be our new assistant coach.”
The hockeyscene.com story is right here.
The Winterhawks are looking for an assistant coach to replace Karl Taylor, who left Portland to become an assistant coach with the AHL’s Texas Stars.
The Winterhawks introduced Jamie Kompon as their new GM/head coach last week. He replaces Mike Johnston, now head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
Kyle Gustafson, the club’s other assistant coach, is back and is preparing for his 11th season with the Winterhawks.
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1. The Vancouver Giants are scheduled to introduce Troy Ward as their head coach this morning. (Yesterday, in this space, I erred in writing that the news conference was to be held Wednesday morning.) . . . Ward spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. In Vancouver, he will replace Don Hay, the Giants’ head coach for the past 10 seasons. Hay now is head coach of the Kamloops Blazers.

2. The Moose Jaw Warriors also will be introducing a new head coach today. They have been looking to fill the void created when Mike Stothers signed on as head coach of the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL farm team of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. . . . There has been speculation that Malcolm Cameron, who was fired last month by the new owners of the Regina Pats, is the No. 1 candidate in Moose Jaw. Cameron guided the Pats to the East Division’s regular-season pennant last season. . . . This is a big day for the Warriors as the organization’s annual meeting is scheduled for tonight at the Heritage Inn.

3. It’s safe to say that the Lethbridge Hurricanes raised some eyebrows on Tuesday with the announcement that they were adding Bryan Maxwell to their coaching staff, as an assistant under head coach Drake Berehowsky. . . . Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald has more on Maxwell right here, including what he’s been doing the last couple of years and how he hopes to help the Hurricanes.

4. The Edmonton Oilers have added Rocky Thompson to their coaching staff. During games, he will serve as their eye in the sky. . . . Thompson, 36, has been an assistant coach with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons for the past four seasons. . . . A former WHL defenceman (Medicine Hat, Swift Current, 1993-97), Thompson also worked as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings (2007-10).

5. No matter where Yvon Barrette roams -- he’s in Prince Albert for a celebrity golf tournament -- he gets the question: “Who own the Chiefs?” . . . Yes, you know the movie. . . . Andrew Schopp of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.

6. F Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who won the WHL scoring title in 2008-09 while with the Vancouver Giants, has signed on with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, 25, started last season with the Lausitzer Foxes in Germany (DEL2). He joined the Gladiators in January and put up 28 points, including seven goals, in 36 games. . . . In 2008-09, he had 115 points, including 36 goals, in 72 games with the Giants.

7. Arland Bruce III has filed a concussion-related lawsuit against the CFL that is believed to be the first of its kind filed in Canada. This lawsuit was filed in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. . . . There is more right here.

8. The big story after Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game involved NL starter Adam Wainwright. Did he, or did he not, groove a fastball for AL shortstop Derek Jeter? And, if he did, does it matter? . . . Richard Justice of mlb.com has more right here.

9. Don’t forget to vote in the Memorial Cup poll over there on the right. Just click on where you think the 2016 tournament should be played.


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Laxdal leaves Oil Kings . . . Price is right at U of T

The KHL has announced that Lev Prague (Czech Republic) will go on “administrative leave” for the 2014-2015 season for financial reasons. Two major sponsors, Gazprom and Skoda, have withdrawn their financial sponsorship, reducing Lev Prague’s revenue by 50 per cent. Lev remains a member of the KHL and may rejoin the league in 2015. Ex-WHL players on Lev last season included F Michal Řepík (Vancouver, 2005-08) and F Jakub Klepiš (Portland, 2001-02), who signed with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL) last week. . . .
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) has signed a one-year contract with Havířov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He grew up and played as a youth in Havířov. Last season, with Meran/Merano (Italy, Inter-National-League), he had 22 points, including 12 goals, in 25 games. In 16 games from January on with Fassa (Italy, Serie A), he had nine points, two of the goals, in 16 games. . . .
F Kris Foucault (Swift Current, Kootenay, Calgary, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had 22 points, 11 of them goals, in 58 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL). . . .
F Kris Beech (Calgary, 1996-2001) has signed a one-year contract with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL), he had 24 points, eight of them goals, in 36 games. In two games in March with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had a goal and three assists.
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There will be yet another coaching change in the WHL with the news on Thursday that Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal has signed a three-year deal with the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
Laxdal leaves the Memorial Cup-champion Oil Kings for the team that won the Calder Cup as the AHL’s playoff champions. Willie Desjardins, the AHL team’s head coach, now is the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
Laxdal, 48, spent four seasons with the Oil Kings, with the team winning at least 50 games in each of the last three. The Oil Kings also appeared in the last three WHL championship finals, winning two of them.
With Laxdal behind the bench, the Oil Kings put together a 182-83-23 regular-season record.
Prior to joining the Oil Kings, Laxdal spent five seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, who were affiliated with Dallas. Under Laxdal, the Steelheads won the Kelly Cup as ECHL champions in 2007.
From Stonewall, Man., Laxdal also played in the WHL (Portland, Brandon, New Westminster, 1982-86) and was a member of the Memorial Cup-champion Winterhawks in 1983.
It will be a shock if the Oil Kings don’t fill the head-coaching vacancy from within by promoting highly touted assistant coach Steve Hamilton, who is presently on vacation. Chances are he’ll be introduced as head coach next week.
Meanwhile, the Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks, Regina Pats and Vancouver Giants continue to search for head coaches, while the Calgary Hitmen, Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Saskatoon Blades and Tri-City Americans have already made changes at that position.
Interestingly, only the Rockets have promoted from within as five-year assistant coach Dan Lambert has taken over from Ryan Huska, who now is the head coach of the Adirondack Flames, the Glens Falls, N.Y.,-based AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames.
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Hockey Canada will have to replace Derek Laxdal as head coach of the U-18 team that is to play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in August.
Laxdal was named head coach on June 12, with Jody Hull, the head coach of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, and Eric Veilleux, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar, as assistant coaches.
The U-18 team’s selection camp is scheduled for Calgary, Aug. 2-5, with the tournament to run Aug. 11-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.
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1. So what are we to make of all these WHL coaches who have move on up hockey’s ladder? . . . “That tells you how good this league is,” former Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mike Stothers told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “It’s outstanding. I don’t want to blanket it and say it’s the best in all of junior hockey, but I don’t know how it can’t be. Every team has a great coach and that just bodes well for the league and the future of it.” . . . After three years with the Warriors, Stothers is leaving to become head coach of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs.

2. The Swift Current Broncos are expected to introduce Josh Dixon as associate coach this morning. . . . “Although Dixon offered a polite ‘no comment’ when contacted via text message on Thursday,” Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported, “multiple WHL sources confirmed that Dixon is set to be named the new associate coach of the Broncos, replacing Darren Evjen, who recently stepped down for family reasons.” . . . Evjen is going back to teaching school, although he will remain involved with the team to some extent. . . . Dixon spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Regina Pats but resigned last month when he and the team’s new owners weren’t able to reach agreement on a new contract.

3. Malcolm Cameron, who was fired as head coach of the Regina Pats last week, has told the Regina Leader-Post’s Greg Harder that he is “very, very interested” in the opening in Moose Jaw. In fact, Cameron already has submitted his resume. . . . Cameron spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Pats, before taking over a year ago after the resignation of Pat Conacher. In Cameron’s lone season as head coach, the Pats finished atop the East Division and then were swept from the playoffs by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round.

4. Jim Brosnan was a decent relief pitcher who turned out to be a much better writer. He wrote The Longest Season, one of the best baseball books in anyone’s library. In fact, it’s one of the best books. Period. . . . Brosnan died Saturday at 84. . . . There’s more right here from The New York Times.

5. Ira Berkow of The New York Times writes:
“Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner whose remarkable story of survival as a prisoner of war in World War II gained new attention in 2010 with the publication of a best-selling biography by Laura Hillenbrand, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 97.
“A statement released by his family said he had been suffering from pneumonia.”
If you haven’t read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, do yourself a favour and give it a read.
Berkow’s obituary of Zamperini is right here.

6. D Nick Walters, 20, of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. A fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blukes in the 2012 NHL draft, Walters wasn’t signed, so was a free agent. He also has played with the Everett Silvertips and Brandon Wheat Kings.

7. Veteran WHL coach Dan Price has signed on as a full-time assistant coach with the CIS U of Toronto Varsity Blues. Price, a former goaltender with the U of Regina Cougars (1995-98), will work alongside Darren Lowe, who is preparing for his 20th season as the Blues’ head coach. . . . Price graduade from law school at the U of Saskatchewan in 2001. . . . Last season, he was an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans. He also has worked as a scout or assistant/associate coach with the Regina Pats, Calgary Hitmen and Chilliwack Bruins.
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Fantastic day on the water. 78 pound halibut. It's like bringing up a grand piano from the ocean floor! #workout pic.twitter.com/cp8kXSCmXA
— Todd Harkins (@coachharks) July 3, 2014

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Warriors need head coach . . . Signing frenzy in NHL

F Brett Palin (Kelowna, 2000-05) has signed a one-year contract with Mora (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL), he had 21 points, including seven goals, in 50 games. Mora's head coach is Jeremy Colliton (Prince Albert, 2001-05).
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A guy gets out of bed on the morning of July 1, says he will take a quick check on the NHL’s free-agent frenzy and get on with his day.
But it’s like a train wreck or a NASCAR race . . . once you start watching, you can’t just get up and walk away.
You watch enough of this free-agent frenzy and you start pinching yourself as a reminder that this is the real thing; it’s not a bunch of guys gathered around a bar, holding a fantasy draft and spending Monopoly money.
But, geez, there isn’t a fantasy league in existence in which an owner would pay defenceman Deryk Engelland anything close to the $5.7 million the Calgary Flames handed him in a three-year deal, even if he is coming off a career-high six goals in 60 regular-season games.
Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted Engelland’s contract terms, and then followed up with this: “To be clear, Engelland's AAV is $2.9M. That's per year.”
Engelland is 32 and has 13 goals in 243 career NHL regular-season games. He’s a No. 6, at best, on an NHL roster. But, hey, he’s truculent and you know who’s calling the shots with the Flames.
But, look, the Flames weren’t alone in the spending craziness.
After all, as Daren Millard (@darenmillard) tweeted: “Per @Sportsnet research. Players signed: 96. Total value of contracts: $543 M.”
(All figures in U.S. dollars.)
There also was this tweet from Sportsnet Ticker (@SportsnetTicker): “Since 2008, a grand total of $2.39 billion worth of contracts have been handed out on the 1st day of NHL free agency.”
Sportsnet’s total included all of Tuesday’s signings. If you include only the unrestricted free agents, as Capgeek.com did, you get 63 signings for $494,600,000.
Hey, I love defenceman Willie Mitchell, a hack-and-whacker who I’m guessing plays with the NHL’s second-longest stick (second only to Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara). Mitchell is a heart-and-soul guy. But not a $4.25-million-a-season heart-and-soul guy. That’s what he got from the Florida Panthers on a two-year deal.
The Washington Capitals came up with $67.75 million for defencemen Brooks Orpik and Matti Niskanen. The latter, who turns 28 on Dec. 6, got $40.25 million over seven seasons.
And now we know why Jarome Iginla has been smiling for all these years. He knew there was going to be one final payday. He turned 37 on Tuesday. Happy Birthday! The Colorado Avalanche gave him a three-year deal at $5,333,333 per season.
So Iginla’s search for the Stanley Cup has taken him from Calgary, after 15-plus seasons with the Flames, to the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Boston Bruins to the Avalanche in just over two years. Or is he really chasing the almighty dollar?
The day began with the Edmonton Oilers giving forward Benoit Pouliot, a 15-goal scorer with the New York Rangers last season, $20 million over five years.
Near day’s end, Tim Wharnsby at cbc.ca calculated that in the first six hours of free agency, 73 players signed for $503.1 million.
No matter how you figure it, NHL owners, the same people who plead poverty whenever it’s time to negotiate a new CBA, committed themselves to paying out a whack of cash.
And there are still a bunch of free agents out there, so the figure is certain to rise a whole lot more.
Here’s Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times, on Oct. 4, 1994:
“NHL owners, who last week warned that escalating player salaries were pushing them to the brink of financial disaster, seem to be ignoring their own cries of impending doom.
“Since Aug. 1, when Commissioner Gary Bettman imposed economic rollbacks to save owners an estimated $20 million, clubs have spent about $214 million signing players to long-term contracts. Of that amount, they will pay $70 million for the 1994-95 season alone.”
It’s almost 20 years later and how exactly have things changed?
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1. The Moose Jaw Warriors, as expected, are looking for a head coach after the Los Angeles Kings signed Mike Stothers as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs. . . . Stothers, 52, spent three seasons (2011-14) as the Warriors’ head coach. From 2002-07, Stothers was the head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. During that time, Michael Futa, the Kings’ vice-president of hockey ops and director of player personnel, was the Attack’s general manager. . . . In Manchester, Stothers replaces Mark Morris, whose contract wasn’t renewed after last season.

2. An interesting Tuesday morning tweet from SilverFoxTalks (@SilverFoxTalks) points out that Mike Stothers is the first head coach of the Warriors to leave the team for a pro job. As SFT pointed out, Graham James, Barry Trapp, Greg Kvisle, Jim Harrison, Gerry James, Kvisle (again), Lorne Molleken, Mike Babcock, Al Tuer, Len Nielsen, Curtis Hunt, Steve Young, Rene Lemire, Parry Shockey and Dave Hunchak all went elsewhere, but not one of them left to join a pro team.

3. You have to wonder if Moose Jaw GM Alan Millar’s first call was to Malcolm Cameron, the deposed head coach of the Regina Pats. Cameron was unexpectedly fired by the Pats’ new owners on June 22. Would he be a good hire in Moose Jaw? Well, in his only season as Regina’s head coach, the Pats went 39-26-7 and finished atop the East Division. Of course, they later were swept by the Brandon Wheat Kings in a first-round playoff series. Don’t forget, though, that Daniel Wapple, Regina’s starting goaltender, went down with an ankle injury late in the regular season.

4. Travis Green has decided to stay put, rather than join the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach. Green will remain with the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. He is preparing for his second season as the Comets’ head coach. . . . Before joining the Comets, Green was the assistant GM and assistant coach with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, working alongside GM/head coach Mike Johnston, who now is the first-year head coach of the Penguins.

5. On the subject of the Penguins, you have to think that D Derrick Pouliot, another product of the Winterhawks, is sporting a big smile these days. The Penguins selected Pouliot with the eighth pick of the 2012 NHL draft. He played out his junior eligibility last season, so will play pro in 2014-15. On Tuesday, the Penguins lost two top-four defencemen, Matti Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, to the Washington Capitals during free-agent frenzy. The door now is wide open for someone like Pouliot, who has to feel somewhat comfortable with Mike Johnston having taken over as Pittsburgh’s head coach.

6. When the WHL’s game of musical coaching chairs finally ends, there will be at least nine teams with new head coaches. Moose Jaw, Portland, Regina and Vancouver are looking for replacements right now. Already having hired new head coaches are the Calgary Hitmen (Mark French for Mike Williamson), Kamloops (Don Hay for Guy Charron/Dave Hunchak), Kelowna (Dan Lambert for Ryan Huska), Saskatoon (Bob Woods for David Struch) and Tri-City Americans (Williamson for Jim Hiller).

7. Nothing illustrates today’s NHL better than the situation involving D Josh Gorges (Kelowna, 2000-04). Considered a leader in the Montreal Canadiens’ dressing room, many observers felt that he would eventually be the team’s captain. Instead, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, after seven seasons with the Habs. Gorges loved it with the Canadiens; the Canadiens were happy with his play and the leadership he showed. So what happened? It was all about dumping salary. Gorges, who isn’t an offensive threat, is scheduled to make $3.9 million in each of the next four seasons and the Canadiens felt that was too much considering that he wasn’t going to be among their top three defencemen.

8. Don’t forget that the 2014 Hockey Coaches Conference is fast approaching. It is scheduled for July 18 and 19 at the U of British Columbia. The conference’s website, which is right here, includes a roster of speakers as well as a schedule and information on accommodation.
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The CHL import draft is scheduled to be held today. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors have said that Russian D Alexey Sleptsov, 18, will return, but Russian F Alexander Chirva won’t be back. Chirva, 18, had six points, two of them goals, as a freshman last season. . . . The OHL’s Sarnia Sting has the import draft’s first pick, followed by the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix and the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The draft is to begin at 11 a.m. Eastern.
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As we put our heads on our pillows, let's think about this a 2nd, Matt Niskanen 42 million, u heard me right! God Bless America,and the NHL!
— Ken Daneyko (@KenDaneykoMSG) July 2, 2014

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Pats shuffling their deck . . . Giants interested in Gulutzan, Morrison

F Cody Almond (Kelowna, 2005-09) has signed a five-year extension with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A). Last season, he had 34 points, including 16 goals, in 44 games. Almond, an alternate captain on the team, has dual Canadian-Swiss citizenship. . . .
The KHL has announced that due to civil unrest in eastern Ukraine and the recent arson attack on the Donetsk arena, Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine) will take a “sabbatical” and won’t play in the KHL in 2014-2015. The club is scheduled to return to the KHL in 2015-2016. All players currently under contract with Donbass will remain under contract but will be allowed to sign one-year contracts with other KHL clubs. . . . Donbass announced that it will play in Ukraine Professionalnaya Hokkeinaya Liga this season. Its farm club played in that league last season. . . . Players currently under contract with Donbass include Gennady Razin (Kamloops, 1996-98), Pavel Padakin (Calgary, 2012-14) and Sergei Varlamov (Swift Current, 1995-98).
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Just when things seemed to be settling down on the WHL coaching front . . .
The Regina Pats announced Tuesday that head coach Malcolm Cameron has been fired “effective immediately.”
The Pats also chose to reveal that assistant coach Josh Dixon had quit on June 17, while fellow assistant Billy McGuigan had turned in his resignation on June 5. No one has said why those moves weren’t made public when they happened.
McGuigan apparently cited family reasons when he resigned, while Dixon wasn’t able to come to a contract agreement with the Pats and there are suggestions that he felt low-balled by the franchise’s new owners.
With both assistant coaches having left, it seems the new owners decided to get rid of the head coach and make a fresh start in that area of the front office.
“Coming in we were committed to moving forward as is,” Todd Lumbard, the team’s president and a co-owner, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “We had a coaching staff that had some success as a unit. (The owners wanted to) keep the momentum going.
“When we knew that neither assistant coach was going to come back for various reasons, we just stopped there for a bit and tried to figure out what we were going to do. We decided we wanted to bring a cohesive group to the team next season. We thought it was best for us to start with a head coach and build our coaching staff that way with someone new that we would hire.”
Cameron was preparing for his second season as head coach. He was an assistant coach there for two seasons before taking over when Pat Conacher left.
McGuigan had spent one season with the Pats, while Dixon had been there through three seasons.
Harder has lots more, including reaction from Cameron, at leaderpost.com.
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Interestingly, the Pats’ new owners, who were so up front and in the spotlight as they purchased the team from Diane and Russ Parker, weren’t very visible on Tuesday.
Here’s Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“A Tuesday afternoon yak session with the media was devoid of Pat answers.
“The questions persisted for upwards of 20 minutes, leaving Regina Pats general manager Chad Lang as an uneasy and rather sympathetic figure in the face of microphones, cameras and, well, skepticism.
“Lang was essentially served up as a sacrificial lamb by the Western Hockey League team’s new ownership group after head coach Malcolm Cameron was fired — a move that was announced Tuesday morning but never satisfactorily explained to the reporters who convened outside the Pats’ Brandt Centre office.
“The picture became clearer when, in conversation with the Leader-Post’s Greg Harder, new Pats president Todd Lumbard acknowledged that the new regime wanted to bring in its own guy.
“Now, who knows whether the same philosophy will extend to the incumbent general manager?
“The new owners did entrust Lang to meet the media, en masse, on Tuesday. Lucky him . . .”
Visit leaderpost.com for Vanstone’s complete column.
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Glenn Reid, CBC Regina’s veteran sportscaster, took time out to tweet this: “1st strike against #Pats new owners. Fire the coach and don't show up to explain why. Shame.”
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1. Peter Anholt, one of the winningest coaches in WHL history, has joined the Lethbridge Hurricanes as their assistant general manager. . . . Anholt has 450 head-coaching victories to his credit, with the Prince Albert Raiders, Seattle Thunderbirds, Red Deer Rebels and Kelowna Rockets. He is 10th on the WHL list of career coaching victories and sixth in games coached (973). . . . In Lethbridge, he will work with GM Brad Robson. . . . Anholt has spent the last three seasons on Seattle’s scouting staff.

2. Yes, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are looking for a head coach, are showing some interest in Mike Johnston, the GM/head coach of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune filed this story right here.

3. Is Eric Lindros a legitimate candidate for the Hockey Hall of Fame? Ken Campbell of The Hockey News explores that issue right here.

4. Darren Gusdal, a forward who spent two seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings (1978-80), died over the weekend. His obituary is right here; you also are able to leave messages of condolences if you follow that link.

5. It’s not often that #cannibal is trending on Twitter, but that was the case Tuesday afternoon after Italy soccer star Luis Suarez took a bite out of an opponent. . . . Dan Treadway of si.com takes an hilarious look at the situation, including a tweet from Evander Holyfield, right here.

6. The Vancouver Giants continue to search for a head coach to replace Don Hay, who was allowed to get out of his contract which had a year remaining and return to Kamloops where he now is head coach of the Blazers. . . . I am told that the Giants interviewed Glen Gulutzan on Tuesday. Gulutzan, a former head coach of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, is an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks. When Gulutzan was the head coach in Dallas, Willie Desjardins was an associate coach with the Stars. Desjardins signed as the Canucks’ head coach on Monday.

7. Throw another name into the Giants’ list of potential head coaches. I am told that they have asked the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets for permission to speak with Mark Morrison, who has been an assistant coach with the St. John’s IceCaps for three seasons. Morrison, who is from Delta, B.C., was the head coach of the now-defunct Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL for four-plus seasons. . . . Morrison, 51, played four seasons for the Victoria Cougars (1979-83).

8. If Glen Gulutzan is interested in coaching in the WHL, chances are he will be getting in touch with the Regina Pats, who canned head coach Malcolm Cameron on Tuesday. Gulutzan, a native of The Pas., Man., played in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades (1986-92).

9. How about Lorne Molleken as the next head coach of the Regina Pats? He’s from Regina. He coached the Pats in 2000-01, when they were the host team for the Memorial Cup. He’s available, too, having been bought out by the Saskatoon Blades’ new owners after spending last season as that team’s general manager.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed head coach Steve Konowalchuk to a three-year contract extension. Konowalchuk signed on with the Thunderbirds on June 16, 2011, and started off with a four-year deal. . . . The Thunderbirds went 41-25-6 last season and got into the second round of the players.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:

Cash-strapped Canes add assistant GM, I'd guess the reasoning is you don't get better by cutting back. And everyone else has an ass't GM.
— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) June 24, 2014

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Cougars sold? Not yet

The sale of the Prince George Cougars hasn't yet been finalized. Which isn't to say that it couldn't happen today.
Rick Brodsky, the owner of the Cougars, is believed to be negotiating a sale with a group that includes Prince George businessman Greg Pocock, who owns Prince George Hydromechanical and a piece of Forest Power Sports, and NHLers Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of whom are former Cougars defenceman.
A rumour circulating Thursday had a news conference in the process of being scheduled for Monday morning in Prince George to announce the sale. The Cougars will complete their season against the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Saturday night.
However, a source familiar with the situation told me last night that "a few things still need to fall into place," but that the parties are close to a deal.
How close?
Close enough that an announcement could be made as soon as today.
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Hockey fans everywhere should be big fans of Malcolm Cameron, the head coach of the Regina Pats.
Why?
Because he is one coach who understands that, while he is in the business of developing young hockey players, he also is in the entertainment business.
“We play a little bit different style than we have in the past two years,’’ Cameron told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. Cameron was an assistant coach under Pat Conacher for two seasons, before taking over this season as head coach “There’s more puck possession. We’re a little bit more creative. It has led to more scoring. It has led to more altercations. It has led to a lot more excitement on the ice, for sure.
“We’re in the business of selling tickets and getting people to the hockey games. We’re entertainment, so hopefully we’ll continue to entertain.’’
Later, Cameron continued: “I’ve coached in Long Beach, California, Beaumont, Texas and Fort Myers, Florida. That’s a fact of life. You’re in the entertainment business.
“I think people have to be entertained. Nobody wants to come and watch a team just stand around and trap and have 18-16 in the shots (on goal). I think people want to see hits. People want to see exciting scoring opportunities. They want to see altercations on the ice. They want to see goals. I’m very mindful of that and I always have been. That’s the style that I coach.’’
Vanstone's complete story is right here.
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Troy Loney, who played three seasons with the WHL's Lethbridge Broncos (1980-83), and his wife, Aafke, have bought into a hockey team.
No, not the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Loney, who is from Bow Island, Alta., and his wife bought into the USHL's Youngstown, Ohio, Phantoms. Loney, who went on to record 197 points, including 87 goals, in 624 NHL games, will be actively involved with the team as he, according to a news release, is to "oversee the day-to-day business and hockey operations."
Loney was part of two Stanley Cup winners, in 1991 and 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have had to postpone a home game scheduled for tonight due to a water-related state of emergency in the city.
The Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers were to have played in the Enmax Centre tonight. The game now will be played Sunday at 4 p.m.
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Canadian Olympic team G Shannon Szabados is expected to make her first professional start on Saturday as the Columbus Cottonmouths play host to the Knoxville Ice Bears in SPHL action. Szabados joined the Cottonmouths on Thursday. That night, they dropped a 5-0 decision to the visiting Pensacola Ice Flyers. . . . Szabados, a 27-year-old from Edmonton, became the first female to play in the WHL when she was in training camp with the Tri-City Americans in 2002.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Regina (2) vs. Red Deer (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
(NOTE: A tie for a conference‘s final playoff spot will result in a tiebreaker game. Prince Albert is two points behind Red Deer and Brandon; each of the three teams has two games remaining.)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Everett (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
(NOTE: Kelowna-Tri-City and Portland-Vancouver are locked in as first-round series.)
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, ppd., to be played Sunday, 4 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Portland at Seattle, 7:35 p.m.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.
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From former Edmonton Oil Kings/Kamloops Blazers D Marek Hrbas (@MHrbas13): “@timbozon94 keep fighting buddy! You will get through all this! We're all behind you!”
Hrbas now plays professionally in his native Czech Republic.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Jeff Smith (Red Deer, 1998-2002) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite). He had three goals and 12 assists in 55 games for the Stingrays this season.
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1. After 19 years with one radio station, it seems the Prince George Cougars may have a new play-by-play host station when another season arrives. . . . I am told that Prince George radio station 99.3 The Drive and the Cougars weren’t able to work out a new contract, so have decided to part company. . . . The radio station that was 550-CKPG before morphing into 99.3 The Drive in 2003 is owned by The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. . . . The decision to part also means the end of Cougar View, a weekly 30-minute show on the Cougars that aired on CKPG-TV for 16 seasons. CKPG-TV also is owned by The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. . . . There are four other radio stations in Prince George — 94 X and 97.3 The Wolf, both of which are owned by Vista Radio; 93.1 CFIS, which is a non-profit owned and operated by the Prince George Community Radio Society; and, CBC. . . . Hello, Vista . . .

2. There can be no doubt but that the day’s biggest story comes from Moscow — that would be Russia, not Idaho — where The Associated Press reports: “A perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood has been found on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal, Russian scientists said Thursday.” . . . There is more right here.

3. D Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks will finish this season on an ATO with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Pouliot was the eighth overall selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft. Earlier in the week, the Penguins added D Olli Maatta and D Scott Harrington, both of the London Knights, to their roster. . . . The Penguins are involved in a semifinal series with Syracuse, and trail the Crunch 2-1 with Game 4 tonight in Wilkes-Barre. . . . Pouliot  had 45 points in 44 regular-season games, missing a good chunk of time with a high ankle sprain. He added 20 points in 21 playoff games.

4. The Montreal Canadiens have signed F Tim Bozon of the Kamloops Blazers to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. Bozon was a third-round selection, taken 64th overall, in the NHL’s 2012 draft. This season, his second in the WHL, he had 91 points, including 36 goals, in 69 regular-season games. Bozon finished up his season by playing for France at the IIHF world championship in Helsinki and Stockholm.

5. The Buffalo Sabres have signed F Colin Jacobs, a fourth-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft, to an entry-level deal. Jacobs had 53 points, including 25 goals, in 66 games with the Prince George Cougars this season, then moved on to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he had a goal and two assists in 11 games.

6. The first time I heard that Hockey Canada and the CHL were discussing the state of goaltending was during the Memorial Cup when CHL commissioner David Branch mentioned it on one of 92.9 The Bull’s pregame shows late in the week. . . . It seems that Hockey Canada isn’t at all enthralled with the state of goaltending and is at least thinking about asking for a ban on imports. . . . Hockey Canada already got rid of its head scout and its goaltending coach. Hey, let’s ban import goaltenders, too. . . . I have long felt that major junior hockey is in the entertainment business and the onus is on the owners to put the best possible product on the ice. If that means a few teams have import goaltenders, so be it. . . . Anyway, Chris Peters, over at The United States of Hockey, takes a look at the situation right here, including a count of just how many import goaltenders got major playing time this season. . . . Brock Otten of OHL Prospects has his take on this issue right here.

7. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel has an interesting piece right here that explains how Tim Duncan, a free agent during the summer of 2000, almost ended up with the Orlando Magic rather than re-signing with the San Antonio Spurs. Did Duncan's soon-to-be ex-wife figure in his decision?

8. So, I wonder how George Brett is enjoying his new gig as the Kansas City Royals’ batting coach? He joined the Royals in St. Louis on Thursday. . . . His first game, in St. Louis, began with a one-hour rain delay. . . . Later, the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead into the ninth. The Royals scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead and had the bases loaded when the the rains came. . . . I am listening to the guys on the Cardinals radio network. Kevin Wheeler and Mike Claiborne are starting to get giddy. Mike Shannon and John Rooney, the play-by-play team, are sitting out until the game resumes. . . . It’s interesting that the umpires doing this game will make the 300-mile drive to Chicago in a limo once it ends. They’ve got to work a day game at Wrigley Field between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Cubs. First pitch in that one is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich is watching on TV and reports that the San Francisco Giants have checked into their St. Louis hotel and are in the rooms the Royals had occupied. . . . The Royals open a series in Texas later today with a night game. . . . Before the rains came, the big story involved St. Louis right-hander Michael Wacha, 21, who made his MLB debut by retiring the first 13 hitters he faced. He threw seven innings, giving up two hits and a run. He struck out six and didn’t issue a walk. Oh, and he singled in his first at-bat. . . . Yes, just what the Cardinals need — more pitching! . . . Shannon and Rooney are back. It’s 3:04 a.m. in St. Loo. Shannon sounds as though it’s past his bed time. . . . Joe Kelly is on the mound for the Cards. . . . It’s a rain delay of four hours 32 minutes. . . . Miguel Tejada hits into a 6-2-3 double play on Kelly’s first pitch. . . . An intentional walk and a flyball and the half inning is over. . . . Attendance earlier was 43,916. Sepich figures there are about 40 Cardinals fans behind their dugout and maybe 15 Royals fans behind their dugout. . . . The Cardinals go 1-2-3 and just like that it’s all over. . . . It’s 3:15 a.m. in St. Louis. It took about 10 minutes to finish once they resumed play. . . . The Royals are happy because they snapped an eight-game losing streak. . . . The time of the game is 2:27; the rain delays lasted 5:32. . . . You have to love baseball because there’s no clock.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jacques Beaulieu was fired as general manager and head coach of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting on Thursday. . . . Co-owner Rob Ciccarelli said in a statement that : "The reasons for his dismissal are not related to the on ice performance of our hockey club. As per the advice of our lawyers we cannot comment any further at this time.” . . . Ciccarelli later told Paul Owen of the Sarnia Observer: “The only comment I'm going to make is that I'm extremely angry, and I'm not going to make any further comment.” . . . Beaulieu and his son, Nathan, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, are facing assault charges from an incident in a home in April. However, Ciccarelli told Owen that the firing didn’t have anything to do with that incident. . . . Owen’s story is right here.

Matt Shaw, who spent this season as an assistant coach with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, will be introduced today as the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. . . . Shaw, 47, is a veteran coach, having worked with the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild in the NHL and Houston Aeros in the AHL. . . . He replaces Jim Montgomery, who left to become the head coach at the U of Denver.

Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star reported Thursday evening that the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds will pick up a one-year option on head coach Sheldon Keefe that will take him through 2014-15. . . . According to Ruicci, an announcement is expected sometime today. . . . At the same time, the club is negotiating an extension with general manager Kyle Dubas, who has one year left on his deal. . . . The Greyhounds went 23-12-4 after Keefe replaced Mike Stapleton on Dec. 3. . . . Ruicci’s story is right here.


The OHL’s Barrie Colts have signed general manager/head coach Dale Hawerchuk to a three-year contract extension. The Colts took the London Knights to Game 7 of the championship final this season.



Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported late Wednesday night that Regina Pats head coach Malcolm Cameron has declined the opportunity to serve as head coach of Team West at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Cape Breton, N.S. . . . Cameron was named Team West’s head coach just before he was named the Pats’ head coach. . . . Regina assistant coach Josh Dixon will keep his post as a Team West assistant. . . . Harder’s complete story is right here.
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From Tyler King (@tyler_king), the radio voice of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons, who encountered some problems trying to confirm a transactions last night: “Who would've thought it'd be just as difficult to confirm junior A trades as it is to confirm whether Toronto's mayor smoked crack?”

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