Advance poll draws in Nanaimo . . . Did Hay reach into bag of tricks? . . . Ex-coach of year Wall of Famer

The City of Nanaimo reports that more than 4,000 voters cast referendum ballots in the advance polls held March 1 and March 8. . . . According to the Nanaimo News Bulletin, “. . . this compared to the 2008 general election which saw 1,390; 2011 which saw 1,663; and 2014 general election which attracted 2,262 advance voters.” . . . The City is holding a referendum on Saturday as it asks for the OK to borrow $80 million for the building of an events centre that would be home to a WHL franchise, presumably the Kootenay Ice. . . . Polls will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with results expected to be available around 9 p.m. . . . Sheila Gurrie, Nanaimo chief election officer, told the News Bulletin: “By using voting tabulator machines, combined with software developed by the City of Nanaimo, the referendum results are normally available within the hour after the closing of the polls.What used to take hours can now be completed in minutes. If all goes well, results should be posted prior to 9 p.m. on Saturday night.” . . . The News Bulletin added that “official results will be declared no later than March 15 at 4 p.m.”

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Did Kamloops head coach Don Hay get his Blazers out of the doldrums by putting F Deven Sideroff in his starting lineup on Wednesday night?

You be the judge . . . 

On Feb. 11, with the Blazers on their way to a 3-1 victory and a split of a doubleheader in Victoria, Royals F Jared Dmytriw was given a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct for a hit on Sideroff.

DON HAY

Dmytriw ended up with a three-game suspension; Sideroff missed one game.

The teams met Wednesday in Kamloops for the first time since Feb. 11.

When Victoria head coach Dave Lowry filled out his lineup card, he had Dmytriw in the starting lineup, on the left wing alongside Dante Hannoun and Regan Nagy. Lowry made that move even though Dmytriw’s regular linemates have been Vladimir Bobylev and Matt Phillips.

When Hay completed his side, he countered with Sideroff on the right wing, with his regular linemates, Garrett Pilon and Rudolfs Balcers.

Might this have been two old-school head coaches making moves according to the ‘code’?

Perhaps predictably, Dmytriw and Sideroff fought off the opening faceoff, resulting in fighting majors and game misconducts. On Thursday, both players were suspended for one game, meaning they will miss tonight’s rematch in Kamloops.

Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week quoted Lowry as saying: “That’s hockey. The events of the last game carried over. Good on both guys. Deven took exception to it and (Dmytriw) was accountable for it. That should be over now.”

Hay, for his part, claimed that he had forgotten about the Feb. 11 incident.

“If I would have known that, I probably wouldn’t have started Sideroff,” Hay told reporters. “I forgot about that situation. Bad coaching, I guess.”

Hay has more playoff victories than any coach in WHL history and is No. 2 in regular-season victories. His Blazers were coming off 8-4 and 6-1 weekend losses to the Cougars in Prince George, games in which the Blazers were out-everythinged.

After Wednesday’s game, which Kamloops won, 5-2, Hay said his guys were “more engaged from the get-go” than they had been in the two weekend games.

“We were more physical (Wednesday),” Kamloops F Jermaine Loewen said. “Our backcheck was harder. We were more competitive.” 

Now you don’t suppose that was all part of Hay’s plan, do you?

Or had he really forgotten about what happened on Feb. 11?

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The Blazers also will be without D Ondrej Vala on Friday against the Royals. He drew a one-game suspension after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct at 1:34 of the first period on Wednesday, for a hit on Victoria F Vladimir Bobylev. . . . Bobylev was helped to the bench, but didn’t miss a shift. . . . The Blazers and Royals were fined $500 apiece because players engaged in a fight to start a game.

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Whatever happened to Jack Sangster, the WHL’s coach of the year for 1981-82? How about Doug Korman, who played for the Regina Pats (1977-78)? . . . They’re doing just fine, thank you. In fact, they are Wall of Famers in Thompson, Man. Ian Graham of the Thompson Citizen has more right here.

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One of the WHL’s top rivalries is back on the ice this weekend as the Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors go home-and-home this weekend. They open tonight (Friday) in Regina and wrap up Saturday in Moose Jaw. . . . The Pats lead the East Division by 10 points over the Warriors, but Moose Jaw has won nine straight games. . . . “It’s bigger for them than for us but it’s big,” John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “For me, they’re the best team in the conference. The nut-heads that pick the (CHL) top 10 finally got them in the top 10 where they should be.” . . . The Pats go into the weekend having won their last two games — beating the Wheat Kings 4-2 in Brandon on Tuesday and dumping the Broncos 4-2 in Swift Current on Wednesday. . . . Regina D Sergey Zborovskiy is listed as questionable after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Swift Current F Owen Blocker on Wednesday. Blocker was hit with a TBD suspension on Thursday.

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When this NHL season, there were 18 banners hanging in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, each honouring one of the greatest players in Toronto Maple Leafs history. On the night that this season opened, the Maple Leafs replaced those banners and the originals are being delivered to the hometowns of those former players. They will pay tribute to former G Johnny Bower tonight in Prince Albert as the Raiders play host to the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Ron Ellis, another former Toronto great, will take part in the delivery of the banner on Bower’s behalf.

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The Moose Jaw Warriors have added F Brayden Tracey, a first-round pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, to their roster for the remainder of this season. Tracey, from Calgary, won’t turn 16 until May 28. He played this season with the midget AAA Calgary Northstars, putting up 19 points, including eight goals, in 28 games. He added a goal and two assists in five games.

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet filed his weekly 30 Thoughts on Thursday. If you haven’t seen it, it’s right here, and it’s as readable as always.

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If the WHL playoffs began today . . . 

Eastern Conference

Regina vs. Saskatoon

Medicine Hat vs. Brandon

Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current

Lethbridge vs. Red Deer

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Western Conference

Everett vs. Portland

Prince George vs. Victoria

Kelowna vs. Kamloops

Seattle vs. Tri-City

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Red Deer vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Brandon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.

Swift Current at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Prince George vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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.

B.C. NDP fired up over gov't order . . . Hey, where's Phillips? . . . Five WHL cities involved in 2019 WJC bids

Hey @cariboocougars! Check out the bling you can get when you win a National CIS Championship! #alumni @CaribooCougAlum #truenorth #strong pic.twitter.com/zavomqgbSs

— Melissa Willick (@MJWillick) October 26, 2016

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The B.C. New Democratic Party is furious after learning that the provincial Liberal government passed an Order in Council on Feb. 16 that exempts the province’s six WHL teams from minimum wage legislation. . . . “The government did it, essentially, in secret and they’ve thrown out the Employment Standards Act, the law, in order to satisfy a small group of employers,” Shane Simpson, the NDP’s spokesperson on jobs, labour and skills, told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week. . . . Simpson added: “It’s also concerning that between the owners of the teams, they gave over $200,000 to the Liberals in donations. It’s a decision that was done quietly behind closed doors by the look of it.” . . . In a news release, the NDP pointed out: “Collectively, five of the six team owners . . . have donated in excess of $200,000 to Christy Clark’s B.C. Liberal Party.” . . . The news released carries this headline: Clark quietly rewards donors with minimum wage exemption for young hockey players. . . . In his story, Hastings points out that “Tom Gaglardi is majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club, which has made two donations totalling $2,900 to the B.C. Liberals since 2005, according to Elections BC. Sandman Hotels, owned by the Gaglardis through the family’s Northland Properties company, has made 27 donations totalling $109,875. Sandman also donated $300 to the NDP.” . . . Hastings’ story is right here.

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MATT PHILLIPS

While at Tuesday’s game between Victoria and the host Kamloops Blazers, someone mentioned that Royals F Matt Phillips wasn’t on the WHL team that will play a travelling Russian side on Nov. 7 and 8 in Prince George and Edmonton. . . . I didn’t believe him, until I checked the roster, that is. . . . If the 5-foot-6 Phillips isn’t the best forward in the WHL, he at least is in the conversation. It really is this simple: If Phillips isn’t on the roster, the WHL isn’t icing its best team. . . . Of course, Phillips likely will be a late addition to the roster, what with those responsible having named two injured players to the roster in F Dillon Dube (knee) of the Kelowna Rockets and Nolan Patrick (sports hernia surgery) of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Still, being named as an injury replacement isn’t the same as being selected to the original roster. But why do I think that Phillips, who was a sixth-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the NHL's 2016 draft, will use that slight as more fuel for the fire that burns inside him?

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have placed F Duncan Campbell, 20, on waivers as they got down to the maximum of three 20-year-olds on their roster. They will go with G Jordan Papirny, F Reid Duke and F Tyler Coulter. . . . Campbell, who is from Brandon, was pointless in six games this season. Last season, he had 10 goals and 12 assists in 72 games, after putting up 12 goals and nine assists in 68 games as a freshman in 2014-15. . . . If Campbell clears waivers, he will be a free agent.

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F Ryan Graham, who has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury, is back practising with the Saskatoon Blades. He might get into the lineup at some point this weekend. . . . Graham had 22 goals and 24 assists in 71 games last season. . . . Graham’s return will leave the Blades with four 20-year-olds, so something will have to give. The others are F Kolten Olynek, D Bryton Sayers and F Jesse Shynkaruk.

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The Hockey Canada pooh-bahs gathered in Calgary on Monday and Tuesday to hear bids from cities wanting to play host to the 2019 World Junior Championship. . . . There are believed to have been five presentations. Vancouver and Victoria made a combined presentation, as did Saskatoon and Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, and London, Ont., and Windsor. As well, a group from Ottawa made a presentation. . . . TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that former NHL/WHL D Chris Phillips and Wade Redden were part of the Ottawa presentation. . . . Hockey Canada didn’t release any information on the presentations; in fact, it didn’t confirm who was involved in the presentations. . . . An announcement awarding the tournament to one of the groups is expected in late November or early December. . . . The 2017 tournament is scheduled for Montreal and Toronto, with the 2018 event in Buffalo.

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If you’re wondering what’s happening in the KHL, Patrick Conway of Conway’s Russian Hockey Blog has a team-by-team update right here.

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

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Interested in the @SJHL_IceWolves HC/GM job? Call President Mike Bell @ (306) 425-7634. Email him: mike.larongeems@sasktel.net #SJHL

— Braden Malsbury (@BradenMalsbury) October 26, 2016

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Video: Looks like Bishop lost some teeth after taking a shot to the mask https://t.co/5eXlQNx8Vc

— Cam Tucker (@CamTucker_Sport) October 26, 2016

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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Edmonton, D James Shearer broke a 2-2 tie at 2:23 of the third period and the Brandon Wheat Kings, despite being outshot 45-16, went on to beat the Oil Kings, 5-3. . . . Shearer has two goals this season. . .

JORDAN PAPIRNY

. Brandon led this one 2-0 before it was five minutes old, with F Tanner Kaspick getting his ninth goal at 1:27 and F Stelio Mattheos getting his fourth, on a PP, at 4:48. . . . The Oil Kings tied it when F Kole Gable scored his first goal, at 19:33 of the second period, and F Trey Fix-Wolansky got his fifth, at 1:43 of the third. . . . D Kale Clague added insurance for Brandon at 10:53. . . . That turned into the winner when F Lane Bauer got his fifth goal for Edmonton, at 18:29, with G Liam Hughes out for the extra attacker. . . . Brandon F Tak Anholt got the empty-netter at 19:46. . . . Clague also had two assists. He returned to the Wheat Kings from the camp of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings with an injury and has played only three games. He has two goals and seven assists. . . . F Ty Lewis added three assists for Brandon, while Shearer also had an assist. . . . Fix-Wolansky had an assist for Edmonton. A 17-year-old freshman from Edmonton, he’s got five goals and seven assists in 12 games. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, who is from Edmonton, stopped 42 shots. . . . Hughes turned aside 11. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-3-2) have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . The Oil Kings (4-6-2) are 1-1-1 in their last three. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Tyler Coulter, 20, as he completed a two-game suspension. . . . They also were without two other 20-year-olds — they have waived F Duncan Campbell, while F Reid Duke was scratched following the death of an uncle. . . . Announced attendance: 5,643.

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At Kamloops, F Dante Hannoun’s third-period power-play broke a 1-1 tie and the Victoria Royals went on

DANTE HANNOUN

to a 2-1 victory over the Blazers. . . . Hannoun scored his fifth goal of the season 49 seconds into the third period, redirecting a point shot by D Chaz Reddekopp past G Connor Ingram. . . . The Blazers took a 1-0 lead on D Conner McDonald’s first goal, a PP score at 3:31 of the second period. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker’s eighth goal tied the score at 4:45 of the second. . . . Walker also had an assist. . . . The game offered up a terrific goaltending duel. Griffen Outhouse of the Royals blocked 33 shots, four fewer than Ingram. . . . The Blazers held an 11-6 edge in shots in the first period. However, Victoria outshot the Blazers 33-23 over the last two periods, including 17-8 in the third. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Victoria was 1-5. . . . The Royals improved to 8-6-0. . . . The Blazers (7-7-0) had a three-game winning streak end as they lost at home for the first time in six games. . . . D Joe Gatenby of the Blazers sat this one out with a one-game suspension. . . . The Blazers continue to be without D Dallas Valentine (elbow). . . . Announced attendance: 3,153. That is the fifth-smallest regular-season crowd in the history of the Blazers’ home arena, which opened in the fall of 1992.

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At Moose Jaw, the Spokane Chiefs scored three times in each of the last two periods as they beat the

HUNTER ELYNUIK

Warriors, 6-2. . . . Warriors F Brett Howden scored his ninth goal 14 seconds into the first period. However, he left the game midway through the first with an undisclosed injury. . . . Spokane D Jeff Faith tied it with his first goal, 26 seconds into the second period, and F Hudson Elynuik’s second goal, just 42 seconds later, made it 2-1. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto upped the lead to 3-1 at 3:25 with his eighth goal. . . . With that, the Warriors changed goaltenders, Brody Willms coming in for Zach Sawchenko. . . . F Nikita Popugaev got the Warriors to within one, his ninth goal coming just 14 second after the goaltending change. . . . But the Warriors couldn’t equalize. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto (3), F Tanner Wishnowski (2) and Elynuik had third-period goals for the Chiefs. Yamamoto scored 46 seconds into the period and Wishnowski got his goal at 1:27. . . . The Warriors obvious had some early-period issues. . . . Kailer Yamamoto added two assists to his goal, while Keanu Yamamoto, Wishnowski and Elynuik each had one. . . . G Jayden Sittler stopped 19 shots for the winners. . . . Sawchenko gave up three goals on 10 shots. Willms came on to stop 18 of 21 shots. . . . Spokane was 1-7 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Chiefs (4-6-2) had lost their previous two games on their East Division swing. . . . Announced attendance: 3,187.

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At Portland, F Vladislav Lukin scored twice, including the winner, as the Tri-City Americans beat the

VLADISLAV LUKIN

Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . Lukin, who has eight goals, broke a 3-3 tie at 13:53 of the third period. . . . D Kurtis Rutledge gave the Americans a 1-0 lead with his first goal, at 13:53 of the first period. . . . F Keegan Iverson, playing in his 250th regular-season game, scored his sixth goal, on a PP, to pull Portland even at 15:27. . . . Lukin’s PP goal, at 7:57 of the second period, and a score by F Parker AuCoin, at 8:34, gave Tri-City a 3-1 lead. . . . The Winterhawks tied it on goals from F Evan Weinger, his fifth, at 19:42 of the second, and F Cody Glass, his seventh, at 2:37 of the third period. . . . D Juuso Valimaki had two assists for Tri-City, while AuCoin added an assist to his goal. . . . Glass, a sophomore, also had an assist. He has seven goals and 14 assists in 14 games this season. . . . The Americans (8-5-1) have points in each of their last three games (2-0-1). . . . The Winterhawks (8-6-0) have lost three in a row. . . . With the Winterhawks up against Game 1 of the World Series and the Portland Trail Blazers’ home-opener, the announced attendance: 2,202. That is the smallest regular-season crowd in Portland since Oct. 20, 2010, when an announced crowd of 1,666 watched the Winterhawks beat the Everett Silvertips, 2-0.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Prince George vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.

Brandon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

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.

Blades, Pats cut a deal . . . NHL facing another concussion-related lawsuit

THE DEAL: The Saskatoon Blades acquired D Isaac Schacher, 19, from the Regina Pats for an eighth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.
THE SKINNY: The Pats, who had nine defencemen on their roster, get a draft pick for an older player who was in tough to stick. . . . The Blades continue to shape a roster that didn’t make the playoffs last sesaon.
THE ANALYSIS: Saskatoon hopes that the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Schacher will bring some physical play to their back end. He played 35 games with the Victoria Royals and 25 with Regina last season, putting up nine points, eight of them assists. He also was plus-22. . . . In junior B, playing with his hometown Kimberley, B.C., Dynamiters, he had 63 points in 95 games over two seasons, so there might be more offence there than he has shown. . . . Schacher now is one of 10 defencemen on Saskatoon’s roster.

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Last week, the WHL announced that Yves Lacasse, a retired RCMP superintendent, was being brought on board as its voluntary security officer.
On Wednesday, in a Kamloops courtroom, Lacasse was described as a “bully” who headed up an RCMP detachment that was “dysfunctional in the extreme.”
This was all part of testimony that was heard during a trial B.C. Supreme Court in which RCMP Cpl. Rick Brown is facing a charge of breach of trust by a public officer. It involves his role in an incident that involved two intoxicated women taking part in explicit sex acts while jailed.
Retired Staff Sgt. Gary Kerr testified that Lacasse was “was extremely, extremely difficult to work for. He was an extreme bully.”
Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week was in the courtroom and his story is right here.
When the WHL announced Lacasse’s appointment, Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week wrote a story in which Lacasse spoke about what he hoped and planned on doing in the new position. That story is right here.
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The Prince George Cougars got down to two goaltenders by releasing G Matt Kustra, 17, who was an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He is expected to join the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. . . . The Cougars, who open against the Winterhawks in Portland on Saturday, are carrying 27 players, including goaltenders Ty Edmonds, 18, and Tavin Grant, 16. . . . Prince George has 10 defencemen on its roster, including veteran Raymond Grewal, 19, who is injured, and 15 forwards, including the injured David Soltes.
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Ma’ake Kemoeatu played for the Baltimore Ravens. His brother, Chris, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Today, neither one is playing football, nor will they. . . . Chris needed a kidney transplant. Ma’ake, the oldest of seven children, was quick to offer up a kidney. . . . The transplant took place on Aug. 27. . . . The complete story, and it’s an interesting one, is right here.
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THE CONCUSSION REPORT:

"A new lawsuit filed against the National Hockey League by two former players alleges that three in 10 retired players have, or will have, brain damage from head injuries or concussions," writes Rick Westhead, TSN's senior correspondent. "The startling allegation is being made in a statement of claim filed by Sasha Pokulok, who was selected by the Washington Capitals with the 14th overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft,  and Simon Danis-Pepin, a 2006 second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks."
There now have been at least six concussion-related lawsuits filed against the NHL.
Westhead's complete story is right here.
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A story at sciencedaily.com begins: “An experimental positron emission tomography (PET) tracer is effective in diagnosing concussion-related brain disease while a person is still alive, according to a case study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and at Molecular Neuroimaging (MNI) LLC in New Haven, and published September 16 in the journal Translational Psychiatry.”
What this means is that the medical community is that much closer to being able to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a living person.
The Science Daily story is right here.
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David Ash, the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, has given up football due to multiple concussions. He suffered his third concussion in the last year in the Longhorns’ season-opener against North Texas. Ash was held out of Texas’s last two games, but now has retired. . . . Ash is the second NCAA starting QB, joining Uconn’s Casey Cochran, to quit in the last few days because of concussion problems.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have released F Ryan Pruden, 18, getting their roster down to 27 players, including 10 defencemen and 15 forwards. Pruden, a 13th-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2011 bantam draft, was pointless in three games with the Blades last season. A Winnipegger, he also played last season with the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons and OCN Blizzard. He is expected to return to the MJHL. . . .
Scott Sepich, a Portland freelancer, tweeted Tuesday that F Adam de Champlain, 20, had left the Portland Winterhawks for the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks. The Winterhawks confirmed it on Wednesday, saying in a news release that de Champlain “has elected” to play in the AJHL. . . .
The Edmonton Oilers’ rookies beat the U of Alberta Golden Bears 4-2 in their annual game last night at Clare Drake Arena. More than 3,000 fans paid $30 a pop to watch the game.
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The NFL is out of control. More arrests in a week than the NHL has had in years. You make millions! How hard is it to not be an idiot?!
— Brody Sutter (@Sutts19) September 18, 2014

The first day of the next chapter

Well, that was an interesting day.
I’m referring to Saturday, a day in which I experienced unemployment for the first time in my life.
I have always been employed, from my high schools days when I spent summers working for the Local Government District of Lynn Lake or Sherritt Gordon Mines. I started in the newspaper business with the Brandon Sun in the summer of 1971 and have been in one sports department or another since then.
Until the Kamloops Daily News ceased publication with Saturday’s paper.
The day began when I awoke and, as per usual, checked my email. Which is where I found a news release from the Kamloops Blazers informing me that head coach Dave Hunchak “has taken a leave of absence from the team effective immediately” and that Guy Charron, the head coach for more than three seasons (2009-13), was back.
I will admit to feeling a strange sensation skip through my system when I read the news release and then realized that it meant little to me, that I no longer was employed by a daily newspaper, so I didn’t have to start assembling a story for Monday’s edition.
The adrenaline rush that usually followed news like that just wasn’t there. It was a feeling that I hadn’t experienced in a long, long time and I’m not yet sure whether I enjoyed it. However, it’s one I realize that I am going to have to get used to.
Anyway . . .
Who knows what really happened with Hunchak and the coaching change; perhaps, in time, we will find out.
The news release ended with: “No further comment will be made at this time.”
General manager Craig Bonner later said just that in a conversation with Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week.
On Saturday night, following a 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Prince George Cougars, Charron, as quoted by Hastings, at least hinted that Hunchak’s disappearance was more than a leave of absence, or at least a voluntary leave of absence.
“Let’s face it — things weren’t going very well,” Hastings quotes Charron as saying. “(Bonner) doesn’t like to step in and let go of anyone unless it has to come to the point where it needs to be done and maybe it had reached that point and that’s when he asked me to come in and help the kids.”
After stepping aside as head coach after last season, Charron had been serving the Blazers as an advisor to hockey operations, a position that was created in order to keep him in the organization. One of the things that he mentioned when he left the head-coaching position was that he didn’t feel that his back could take too many more bus trips.
The Blazers, who have lost five straight and nine of 10, opened a seven-game homestand last night. Later, they have a six-game homestand that ends Feb. 15. After that, with the Tim Hortons Brier (the Canadian men’s curling championship) in the Interior Savings Centre, they will play 11 of their last 13 games on the road, including 10 in a row.
Yes, there are some bus miles left for Charron to travel.
Following last night’s loss to the Cougars, the Blazers are 10-29-5 and 19 points out of a playoff spot. This is a team that has been searching for its personality and it’s no wonder, because of the 24 players listed on its roster, 12 were acquired via trades. The Blazers also are carrying 11 players who were born in 1996 or 1997, with eight others born in 1995. Yes, this is a young team.
Hastings also reported that Hunchak actually left the Blazers on Thursday while the team was in Spokane. The head coach apparently flew home to Kamloops at that time, leaving associate coach Mark Ferner to run the bench in a 6-3 loss to the Chiefs on Friday night.
Interestingly, I don't think there was any mention of Hunchak’s absence during Friday night’s pre-game show, game broadcast or post-game show on Radio NL, the longtime radio voice of the Blazers. Ferner appeared on both the pre- and post-game shows.
I was at my then-desk through the entire game and listened from the start of the pre-game show to the end of Ferner's appearance on the post-game show. Perhaps I missed it, but I don't recall hearing anything about Hunchak's absence.
Hunchak, who worked as an assistant/associate coach alongside Charron for two seasons, was named head coach on May 15. He signed a two-year contract that includes a club option for a third season.

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