One WHL team wants to host 2018 Memorial Cup . . . Silvertips sign two imports

Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Tuesday that the Regina Pats “will inform the WHL office later this week of their intention to bid for the Canadian Hockey League’s showcase event, which celebrates its 100^th anniversary in 2018.”

The CHL has gone away from its regular rotation to allow teams from all three major junior leagues to bid on being the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament. The Pats are the oldest junior team in the world — they will celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017-18.

“It’s an opportunity we couldn’t turn away from,” Anthony Marquart, one of the Pats’ owners, told Harder.

The Pats are named after the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

“We’re the world’s oldest major-junior hockey franchise and intuitively it makes sense that we host the Memorial Cup that year, especially when the Memorial Cup was named after those brave soldiers that fought and died for our country in World War I.”

(No, the Memorial Cup isn’t named in honour of MasterCard; it just seems that way sometimes. But that’s a story for another day.)

Once the Pats inform the WHL of their interest, it will mean two bidders have come forward, the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s being the other. The OHL’s Oshawa Generals also have expressed an interest. Teams have until Sept. 1 to declare their interest, with each of the three leagues to submit a maximum of two bids to the CHL by Nov. 15.

The CHL has said that it will release a shortlist by Nov. 30, with the host city to be announced early in February.

The Pats last were the host team in 2001 when they added temporary seats to what was then the Agridome, bringing capacity to around 7,000. The arena now is known as the Brandt Centre and has 6,200 seats. Obviously, temporary seating would have to be added again. That would be just one of the improvements that would have to be made to the 40-year-old facility should the Pats’ bid be successful.

Hey, with ice-making technology being what it is today, perhaps they could play the 2018 tournament in Regina’s new football stadium. It will seat 33,000 for football but is to be expandable to 40,000 for special events.

Hey, why not?

Harder’s complete story is right here.

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The Everett Silvertips have signed their two 2016 CHL import draft selections — Finnish F Eetu Tuulola and Slovakian F Mario Mucka. . . . Tuulola, 18, was a sixth-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 2016 draft. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder took part in the Flames’ development camp last month. Last season, he had nine goals and five assists in 29 games with HPK’s U-20 team in the SM-liiga. He also played for the Finnish team that won the IIHF U-18 World championship in April in Grand Forks, N.D. . . . Mucka, who will turn 18 on Nov. 10, played for the U-18 Nitra team last season, putting up 20 goals and 24 assists in 30 games. . . . Last season, Everett used Russian F Jan Khomenko and Austrian F Dario Winkler as its import, but neither will be returning for another go-round.

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Former WHL G Drew Owsley (Tri-City, Prince George, 2008-12) has signed with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. Owsley, 25, played the past four seasons with the X-Men at St. Francis Xavier U in Antigonish, N.S. Last season, he was 16-8-0, 2.54, .914, helping the X-Men to the CIS final.

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The Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, are no more. The franchise announced Tuesday that it has changed its name to the Cleveland Monsters. . . . "This brand refresh has been in the works for several seasons and we are thrilled to make the Cleveland Monsters a reality at long last," Mike Ostrowski, the Monsters’ SVP/COO of franchise operations, explained on the team's website. "In the wake of the Monsters' Calder Cup Championship and the Cavs' NBA title, and heading into the Monsters' 10th anniversary season, we feel now is the perfect time for our organization to honor our great city and proudly become in title what this team has always been in spirit, the Cleveland Monsters." . . . Of course, that also means new-look uniforms which, no doubt, will be on sale soon if they aren’t already.

The #CLEMonsters will wear these NEW sweaters in the 2016-17 season! pic.twitter.com/2yjCMOvN2W

— Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) August 9, 2016

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USA Hockey has named the 2016 inductees to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame — U.S. Olympian and former NHL F Craig Janney, Bill Belisle, who coached for 41 seasons at Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, and the 1996 U.S. World Cup of Hockey championship team. . . . The U.S. beat Canada, 2-1, in the best-of-three final, after Canada posted a 4-3 OT victory in Game 1. . . . The Team USA roster included F Steve Konowalchuk, who then was with the Washington Capitals and now is the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Konowalchuk also played two seasons (1990-92) with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Two other ex-WHLers played for Team USA -- F Adam Deadmarsh (Portland, 1991-95) and F Mike Modano (Prince Albert, 1986-89). . . . A date and place for the induction ceremony have yet to be announced.

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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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Shawn Belle has moved to the Edmonton-based NAIT Ooks as an assistant coach, alongside head coach Tim Fragle. Belle had been an assistant coach with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders, while also instructing at Edmonton’s Vimy Ridge Academy. . . . Belle, 31, played in the WHL (Regina Pats, Tri-City Americans, 2000-05) before going on to a pro career that ended after the 2014-15 season. He played the last four seasons in Europe. . . . Fragle is about to begin his first season at NAIT after spending seven seasons as Sherwood Park’s head coach. NAIT won the ACAC championship last season under head coach Mike Gabinet, who now is an associate coach at the U of Nebraska/Omaha.

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Out with the old and in with the new... #ChangeIsGood pic.twitter.com/cv2JMgShg7

— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) August 9, 2016

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Hicketts close to returning

D Joe Hicketts of the Victoria Royals, who hasn’t played since Oct. 26, will soon be back in action. Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist reports that Hicketts needs medical clearance and then could return this weekend. Hicketts had surgery to repair a torn tendon in one arm. . . . The Vancouver Giants visit Victoria on Friday and Saturday. If Hicketts doesn’t play then, he could return Tuesday or Wednesday against the visiting Calgary Hitmen.
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F Nikita Scherbak of the Saskatoon Blades isn’t likely to play tonight against the Pats in Regina. Scherbak was injured during a late-game scrum in a 10-6 loss to the visiting Prince George Cougars on Wednesday. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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The Kamloops Blazers are expected to have F Jake Kryski, who will turn 16 on March 8, in their lineup for a home-and-home set with the Kelowna Rockets this weekend. They’ll play tonight in Kamloops and Saturday in Kelowna. . . . Kryski was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft. The Blazers acquired him in a deal that had G Cole Cheveldave, 20, move to the Raiders. . . . Kryski, who is from Vancouver, has 32 points in 28 games with the major midget Okanagan Rockets. He earlier played two games with the Blazers, picking up two assists.
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According to the Twitter account of G Stuart Skinner (@ssskipy_74), he will be in the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ lineup tonight. . . . “Can't wait to play with the @WHLHurricanes tomorrow against red deer! Get to play with my old teammate @Gestephan_9 #canetrain,” he tweeted. . . . Skinner, who won’t turn 16 until Nov. 1, was selected by the Hurricanes with the 17th pick of the 2013 WHL bantam draft. A native of Edmonton, he is playing for the midget AAA South Side Athletic Club Athletics.
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F Mike Aviani of the Spokane Chiefs drew a three-game suspension for a hit to the head of D Connor Clouston of the host Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday night. Aviani has sat out one game to date. Aviani won’t play tonight against the Winterhawks in Portland or Saturday against the Silvertips in Everett. . . . F Rihards Bukarts of the Brandon Wheat Kings got a one-game suspension for a kneeing major he took against the host Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday night. Bukarts will sit tonight as the Wheat Kings meet the host Calgary Hitmen.
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From former WHL/NHL star Mike Modano (@9modano): “Justin Bieber arrested for assault. Not surprising since he's been doing it to my ears for years”

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Holy Helewka! Adam scores four!!

It was an interesting day in Vancouver, to say the least.
For a number of years there have been rumblings that the Canucks and former star Pavel Bure were feuding, or at least their camps weren't communicating. The Canucks moved to put all of that chatter to rest earlier this year when they announced that they would retire Bure's number this season.
That ceremony is to take place tonight as the Canucks and their fans honour Bure with the Toronto Maple Leafs in town. In advance of that, the Canucks staged a news conference on Friday with Bure the guest of honour.
Great stuff, right?
Well, that news conference was hardly over when the Canucks revealed that the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, had been signed to four-year contracts, each worth US$28 million.
That pretty much took care of the Bure headlines. He got about 15 minutes in the spotlight. And it causes one to wonder: Why the rush to announce the Sedin signings? Couldn't that have waited a few days, something that would have allowed Bure to have the spotlight to himself through tonight?
Unless all the talk of hard feelings . . . nah, never happen.
Of course, the B.C. Lions were at home to the Calgary Stampeders last night and maybe the Canucks wanted to make sure they didn't get a whole lot of publicity.
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It also has been rather interesting on Twitter the last couple of days as a number of proponents of fighting in hockey have sent along a link to a column by pugilism fan Brian Burke that appeared in USA TODAY on Thursday. If you missed it, that link is right here.
However, the fight fans didn't bother sending along a link to the second part of the deal. You see, USA TODAY, in one of those pro and con features, also ran a column that was headlined: The case against fighting. . . . It was written by Michael J. Stuart, David W. Dodick and Aynsley M. Smith, all of whom are with the Mayo Clinic. Stuart has two sons and a daughter who play hockey; Mark is a defenceman with the Winnipeg Jets. . . . That column is right here.
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A tweet from Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge): "Sounds like the Hitmen are getting O/A d-man Alex Roach back from the L.A. Kings. Now have 14 days to trade Jesse Zgraggen to stay at 3 O/A."
The return of Roach would leave the Hitmen with him, Zgraggen, also a defenceman, F Brady Brassart and D Jaynen Rissling as 20-year-olds on their roster. Each team is allowed to dress three per game.
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The Regina Pats have released F Carson Samoridny, 19. He had one goal in 10 games this season but had been a healthy scratch on six occasions. . . . In his WHL career, he put up 23 points, 11 of them goals, in 103 regular-season games with Regina, the Calgary Hitmen and Everett Silvertips. . . . A native of St. Albert, Alta., the Pats acquired him from the Calgary Hitmen on Jan. 10 for F Colten Mayor and a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft.
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Dear WHL . . . If you aren't going to publish a Guide this season, please update the hometowns on the individual player pages on your website. Thank you.
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So . . . you are watching an NFL game on TV and notice all the pink stuff. Yes, the NFL, like so many other organizations, including the WHL and its teams, go pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. Now you're wondering how much of the money raised by merchandise sales ends up going to the fight against breast cancer. . . . Well, check out this piece right here by Father Raymond J. De Souza. It was in the National Post earlier this week.
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In the QMJHL last night, the visiting Halifax Mooseheads dropped the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, 15-5. . . . Halifax set a franchise record for goals in a single game. . . . A tweet from Herd History (@HerdHistory): "Last time 20 or more goals were scored in a QMJHL game was on Jan 19, 1992 (22- Granby/Drummondville) via @MLalancette." . . . The Huskies did win 69 per cent of the faceoffs, though. . . . It was 4-4 after one period. . . . D Matt Murphy of the Mooseheads was plus-7.
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Columnist Stephen Hume of the Vancouver Sun took on the NHL because of the amount of bullying and brain injuries he sees in the game. That was in Friday's newspaper. Then, right on schedule, the Philadelphia Flyers came along last night to make him look good. . . . That column is right here.
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FRIDAY NIGHT:
In Medicine Hat, F Curtis Valk and D Tommy (Milli) Vannelli scored in the shootout as the Tigers beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-2. . . . F Logan McVeigh forced OT with a goal at 14:18 of the third period as the Tigers erased a 2-0 deficit. . . . The Tigers (11-3-2), who won their fourth straight game, moved past the idle Calgary Hitmen (10-3-3) and on to the top rung in the Eastern Conference. . . . Tri-City F Parker Bowles, playing his first game after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, opened the scoring at 11:54 of the second period. . . . The Tigers were again without F Hunter Shinkaruk (hip), who spent the evening working alongside play-by-play man Bob Ridley. Next thing you know, Shinkaruk will be driving the bus. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Raiders scored five PP goals and beat the Regina Pats, 7-1. . . . The Raiders scored on their first five PPs and ended up 5-for-7. . . . D Josh Morrissey had a goal and three assists for the Raiders. . . . The Raiders honoured retired F Mike Modano, retiring his number (9) in a pregame ceremony. . . . An extremely humble Modano offered up a terrific speech to cap the ceremony. . . . Think about this for a minute: There was a time when the WHL East featured Modano, Theo Fleury (Moose Jaw Warriors) and Joe Sakic (Swift Current Broncos) all at the same time. . . . In the warmup, the Raiders wore retro sweaters, all with Modano on the namebar and sporting No. 9. . . . Prior to the game, Raiders head coach Cory Clouston told Drew Wilson, the team's radio voice on CKBI, that F Craig Leverton likely is out for "a couple of weeks." Leverton left Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Swift Current Broncos were 2-for-2 on the PP as they beat the Blades, 5-3. . . . Broncos D Julius Honka, who would seem to be the real deal, had a goal, his sixth, and an assist. He has 19 points in 18 games. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback scored his 12th goal as the Russian freshman ran his point streak to 10 games. . . . It was the Blades' 1,000th game in what now is Credit Union Centre. . . . Swift Current has won three straight, while Saskatoon has lost three in a row. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix covered the game and his story is right here.

In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks outshot the Seattle Thunderbirds 15-2 and outscored them 3-0 in the first period en route to a 5-2 victory. . . . When the game began, Portland was atop the overall standings, one point ahead of Seattle. . . . The Winterhawks (13-3-1) now hold a three-point lead over the Medicine Hat Tigers (11-3-2), Spokane Chiefs (12-5-0) and Seattle (11-4-2). . . . F Brendan Leipsic scored the game's first two goals, the first on a 5-on-3 PP at 3:45. . . . Leipsic and teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand are on 11-game point streaks. . . . The Thunderbirds were trailing 3-0 before they got their first shot on goal. . . . In fact, Portland mounted a 15-shot attack before Seattle managed its first shot on goal. . . . Portland held a 32-8 edge in shots after two periods. . . . In the second period, Seattle D Evan Wardley was tossed with a charging major for a hit on F Adam De Champlain, who needed help to get off the ice and didn't return. . . . Early in the third period, Seattle radio voice Thom Beuning, who is as good a play-caller as there is in the WHL, suggested that Portland had had the puck "75 to 80 per cent of the time." . . . Moments after that, Seattle scored to cut the Portland lead to 4-2. . . . The Winterhawks, who have put together nine-game winning streaks in each of the last four seasons, now have won 10 in a row. . . . Seattle F Jaimen Yakubowski wasn't suspended after a penalty he took in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings was changed. Originally, he was penalized for a headshot on D Tyler Green, but it was later changed to a charging major. Yakubowski scored Seattle's first goal, a shorthanded effort, cutting Portland's lead to 4-1 in the second period. . . . Seattle F Connor Honey missed his 10th game with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Prince George, the Kelowna Rockets got shootout goals from F Myles Bell and F Justin Kirkland to beat the Cougars, 7-6. . . . The Cougars trailed 6-2 late in the second period before scoring four straight goals to force OT. F Troy Bourke tied it 6-6 with his second goal of the game at 14:42 of the third period. . . .  The Cougars have lost four in a row, but have picked up three loser points from those games. . . . Kelowna D Madison Bowey, named team captain earlier in the day, had three first-period assists. . . .

In Vancouver, F Adam Helewka, who is from Burnaby, B.C., scored four times to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-4 victory over the Giants. . . . The Chiefs had lost their last two games, while the Giants had won three in a row. . . . Helewka, who also had an assist, now has eight goals in seven games this season. He finished last season with 10 goals in 60 games as a freshman. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg, the WHL's leading scorer, had four assists. . . . G Jared Rathjen made his second straight start for the Giants, after returning from an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Everett, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored three early PP goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk went in with three goals and came out with six after counting his first WHL hat trick in his 77th regular-season game. . . . Hawryluk had been a scratch (coach's decision) on Wednesday for a 5-2 loss in Portland. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl was tossed with a checking-from-behind major just 35 seconds in the first period. Brandon struck three times in 2:41 on the ensuing PP. . . . It turned out to be Brandon's only PP opportunity through two periods. . . . Brandon ended up with four goals on its first five shots. . . . Everett G Daniel Cotton started in place of the injured Austin Lotz (ankle). . . . Brandon G Curtis Honey didn't dress with an undisclosed injury. The Wheat Kings had Jason Hadaller, from the Seattle Sno-Kings organization, on the bench in support of Jordan Papirny. . . . At one point, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine pulled Cotton for the extra attacker with 7:53 left in the third period and his side down, 6-3. . . . The Wheat Kings finished 1-4 on their trip through the U.S. Division. . . . Everett had won its last four games. . . . The Wheat Kings also were without D Rene Hunter, F Tim McGauley and D Kord Pankewicz, all out with undisclosed injuries. . . . Brandon F Jens Meilleur moved to defence for this one. . . .

In Victoria, G Patrik Bartosak stopped 42 shots to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 2-1 victory over the Royals. . . . Red Deer had lost its last five games, all on home ice. . . . Red Deer D Haydn Fleury gave hs guys a 2-0 lead with a PP goal late in the second period. . . . F Ben Walker got the Royals to within one at 6:04 of the third but the home side wasn't able to beat Bartosak again. . . . The Victoria Times Colonist reports that Royals D Joe Hicketts, 17, could miss up to three months of the season. He has undergone surgery on an undisclosed injury after being injured during a game against the visiting Kelowna Rockets last
weekend.
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From Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff), a former radio voice of the Kamloops Blazers who works for Team 1040 radio in Vancouver: "#WHL crowds in 3 BC rinks on a Friday night: Vancouver 4772, Victoria 3787 & Prince George 1406. Where are the fans?"
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From game show host Pat Sajak (@patsajak): "Love hockey, but Flyers are part of reason it remains a niche sport. Shameful tonight (including Philly radio team.)"

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WHL to Winnipeg? No deal in place

Jim Toth of Winnipeg radio station CJOB tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that he has "confirmed #TNSE had another meeting with a #WHL franchise recently." He later tweeted that the meeting hadn't produced a deal.
TNSE refers to True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd., which owns the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. There have been rumours, pretty much since the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg and became the Jets, that the NHL team is interested in owning a WHL franchise that would play out of the city's MTS Centre.
That speculation heated up a few months ago with rumours that TNSE had been kicking the tires that belong to the Kootenay Ice.
Toth, on The Upperdeck Sports Show, threw more stuff into the rumour mill last night.
Toth, who said he had been working on the story since the weekend, told his audience that he had heard a deal had been struck to bring a WHL franchise to the Manitoba capital. He was told yesterday by TNSE, he said, that the rumour was "1,000 per cent false."
"I can confirm there is no deal in place," Toth said.
He added that "another meeting did take place" between TNSE and a WHL franchise at some point over the "last two to three weeks," and that this meeting was precipitated by the franchise.
Toth said that this franchise is "different from the first one."
TNSE, he stated, is not actively seeking a team right now, but "continues to do due diligence with all opportunities that come forward."
"That," Toth said, "is where it sits right now. There is no deal and nothing currently going on."
Toth said he had asked TNSE if chairman Mark Chipman would comment and was told he wouldn't "because there's nothing going on."
Toth did reference the recent sale of the Saskatoon Blades, which he said was for $9 million, and also mentioned having heard a rumour that the Regina Pats are "to be sold by December for $7 million." Of course, rumours involving the sale of the Pats have been around for more than a few years.
So . . . here we go again. Let the speculation begin. Which WHL team may have inititiated contact with the owners of the Winnipeg Jets?
For starters, eliminate the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos, the four community-owned teams. As stated numerous times previously, each of those communities understands the value of its franchise and knows full well that if it leaves it won't be coming back.
I asked Ice owner Jeff Chynoweth on Wednesday afternoon if he had been in touch with TNSE recently and he responded: "Nope . . . don't know where all that is coming from."
So that leaves . . .
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1. This will be a big weekend in Prince Albert where the Raiders will salute Mike Modano, the best player in the franchise's history, and retire his number (9). . . . The emcee of Friday's gala celebration will be Kevin Smook, the radio voice of the Raiders during Modano's seasons in Prince Albert. . . . Smook also is to be congratulated on his recent successful foray into provincial politics in Alberta where he was elected as a municipal councillor in Division 1 of the Beaver County area. . . . The Regina Pats will provide the opposition in Prince Albert on Friday night.

2. Canadian cyclist Ryder Hesjedal "chose the wrong path." Yawn! Surely there isn't any surprise here. Ho hum! Let's move on.

3. D Joe Hicketts of the Victoria Royals will be out indefinitely. It seems he suffered some sort of injury last weekend and has since had upper-body surgery. Thanks to the WHL's inane rules about disclosing injuries, you are free to speculate on the injury.
The Royals, however, will have F Steven Hodges in their lineup for the first time this weekend. A third-round pick by the Florida Panthers in the 2012 NHL draft, Hodges is coming off offseason leg surgery.
You are free to wonder how it is that we know that Hodges had leg surgery, while all we know about Hicketts is that he had upper-body surgery.
According to the Victoria Times Colonist:: "Hicketts, touted as a first- or second-round pick for the 2014 NHL draft, was injured last weekend in a game against the Kelowna Rockets. In 15 games this season, Hicketts has four goals and five assists and is a team-best plus-5."
The Royals are at home to the Red Deer Rebels on Friday and Saturday nights.

4. The QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs have named Ross Yates as their new head coach. Yates and head scout Christian Vermette will serve as co-general managers. They replace Mike Kelly, who was fired on Tuesday. . . . Yates has been an assistant coach with the Sea Dogs for two seasons. Before that, he was the head coach of the AHL's Syracuse Crunch for four seasons. . . . Vermette is in his fourth season as Saint John's head scout.

5. The NFL's public relations machine was hard at work in the Chicago area on Tuesday. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, was there. So was Associated Press sports columnist Jim Litke. The result is right here.

6. The OHL handed out a couple of stiff sentences on Wednesday. both resulting from incidents in Oct. 25 games. . . . F Damian Bourne of the Mississauga IceDogs has drawn a 10-game suspension for a damaging headshot against the Oshawa Generals. If you haven't seen the video, it's right here. . . . F Cameron Brace of the Owen Sound Attack, meanwhile, drew eight games for a headshot in a game with the Plymouth Whalers.

7. To pay donors for organs, or not to pay? That is a question making the rounds these days, thanks to a study done by U of Calgary researchers. . . . Margaret Somerville, founding director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law at McGill University in Montreal, ponders the subject right here.
As I sit here and watch, and help as much as I can, my wife, Dorothy, recover from a Sept. 23 kidney transplant, I ponder that question. And I keep coming back to a conversation we had with the transplant surgeon just three days before surgery.
In the months leading up to this, I had come across a story on the Internet that was from an American newspaper and included the names of donors and recipients who had been involved in a kidney exchange that included, if I recall correctly, six or eight people.
I asked the surgeon why, in Canada, the names of donors and recipients, especially the donors, are so closely guarded. His response: "We want people to do this for the right reason."
The more Dorothy and I have discussed the option of paying donors for organs, the more we come back to "the right reason."
And the more we talk about it the more we believe "the right reason" is the best option.

8. When the St. Louis Cardinals look back and wonder what went wrong in Game 6 of the World Series, they need only look at the second inning. Runners on first and second with no one out in a scoreless game and the next two hitters aren't able to advance the runners. Talk about wasted at-bats. The runners later moved over on a wild pitch but it was all for naught when Boston starter John Lackey notched another strikeout. . . . This is the Big Show. You simply can't waste your at-bats; you have to get the runners over. . . . In hindsight, the Cardinals lost any chance they had of taking control right there. . . . Thankfully, the World Series is over, which means no more beard jokes.

9. The Detroit Red Wings went into Vancouver and beat the Canucks 2-1 last night. Here's a tweet from Blake Price (@blakeprice1040): "Bottom 6 forwards of the Canucks all played under 10 minutes... I don't think you could find that another time in the NHL all season."

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
In Regina, G Dawson MacAuley stopped 36 shots as the Pats beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-0, to end a three-game losing skid. . . . MacAuley's second career shutout, and second this season, came in his 23rd game. It was his 15th appearance this season. . . . The game was scoreless going into the third period when F Boston Leier scored twice. He's got 11 goals this season. . . . The Pats had D Tye Hand back after he sat out 10 games with concussion-like symptoms, which may or may not mean he had a brain injury. He did miss time late last season with a brain injury. . . . On this night, he was plus-2 and got into a fight. . . . The Warriors had F Jayden Halbgewachs, 16, in their lineup for the first time this season. A first-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, the Warriors acquired him from the Kamloops Blazers last season. He has 16 points in 10 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game's last three goals and beat the Blades, 4-3. . . . Tigers F Steve Owre broke a 3-3 tie at 10:20 of the second period. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback scored twice, running his point streak to nine games. He's got 16 points over that stretch. The Russian rookie has 11 goals. . . . The Tigers, who have won three straight, continue to play without F Hunter Shinkaruk (hip). . . . Medicine Hat F Blake Penner left in the third period with an injured right knee. He was injured after taking a hit from Saskatoon D David Nemecek. . . .

In Red Deer, the Kootenay Ice scored two third-period goals to force overtime and then got the only goal of the shootout to beat the Rebels, 4-3. . . . The Ice has won two in a row. . . . The Rebels head out on a western swing having lost five straight, all at home. . . . F Ryan Chynoweth's second goal with the Ice tied the game at 11:20 of the third period. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart scored the only goal of the shootout. . . . F Jaeden Deschenau scored twice for the Ice, giving him 13. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers got two goals from F Aspen Sterzer as they beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-4, and ended a four-game losing skein. . . . Sterzer broke a 4-4 tie with his eighth goal of the season at 10:21 of the third period. He went into the season with seven career goals in 104 regular-season games over three seasons. . . . Sterzer also had an assist, while F Cole Ully had a goal and two helpers. . . . Trailing 3-0 in the second period, the Chiefs changed goaltenders, with Eric Williams replacing Garret Hughson, and tied the game before the end of the period. . . . F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL with 18 goals, tied the game at 19:59 of the second. . . .

In Prince George, D Dalton Thrower scored at 3:13 of OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 3-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . The Giants had won 6-5 in Prince George on Tuesday night. . . . Cougars F David Soltes scored with 24.1 seconds left in the third period to force OT. . . . All three Vancouver goals were unassisted. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala had his goal-scoring streak stopped at six games. He did pick up an assist on Soltes' goal. . . . Five of the Cougars' six home games have gone into OT. The Cougars are 1-1-1-2 in those five games, meaning they have an OTW, an OTL, a shootout win and two shootout losses. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks got two quick first-period shorthanded goals and went on to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-2, as they ran their winning streak to nine. . . . Portland F Taylor Leier scored a PP goal 52 seconds into the first period, the third straight game in which the Winterhawks have scored in the game's opening minute. . . . F Chase De Leo and F Nic Petan struck for shorthanded goals just 53 seconds apart to give the home side a 3-0 lead late in the first period. . . . The Winterhawks moved back into first place in the Western Conference and now lead the U.S. Division and the WHL's overall standings by a point over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Those two teams will meet Friday in Kent, Wash. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost four straight in the U.S. Division. . . . Brandon played without D Rene Hunter, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Kent on Tuesday. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk sat out in a coach's decision.



From Boston Police Dept. (@boston police), at 10 p.m. ET: "Anyone who is not in a bar and does not have a ticket to the game must leave the permitter (sic) area around #Fenway."

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Raiders to honour Modano

THE MacBETH REPORT:


F Johannes Salmonsson (Spokane, 2005-06) signed a two-year contract extension with Linköping (Sweden, SHL). He had 10 goals and 11 assists in 53 games last season.
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The Canadian Medical Association, at a meeting in Calgary, has condemned NHL owners for their acceptance of violence in the game.
According to The Canadian Press: “Two-thirds of delegates . . . voted ‘to condemn the complacency of the NHL in regards to violence in hockey.’ ”
The complete story is right here.
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Meanwhile, a study published online in the journal Neurology on Wednesday, deals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the impact it may have on different people.
Sheryl Ubelacker of The Canadian Press has that story right here, and this is important stuff.
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In their 43-year history, the Prince Albert Raiders have never retired a number. That will change on Nov. 1 when the Raiders retire F Mike Modano’s No. 9. This will happen prior to a game against the visiting Regina Pats. . . . Modano had 295 points in 176 games over three seasons with the Raiders. . . . According to a Raiders’ news release: “A sub-committee of the Raiders Board of Directors extensively researched and deliberated the honour of retiring jerseys by junior hockey franchises, and created a very strict criteria from their findings for the Prince Albert Raiders Hockey Club. Following an evaluation of the criteria, the Board of Directors approved the retirement of Mike Modano’s number 9.” . . . Mayor Greg Dionne has declared Nov. 1 and 2 to be Mike Modano Weekend in Prince Albert. The weekend also will feature the Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner, with Modano as special guest. Former Raiders play-by-play voice Kevin Winters will be the emcee.
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F Robin Soudek, who played in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, Chilliwack Bruins and Victoria Royals (2008-12), will attend the University of Prince Edward Island and play for the Panthers. Soudek, from Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, played pro in his home country last season but was limited to 11 games by injuries.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed head coach Derek Laxdal to a two-year extension that runs through 2015-16. . . . Laxdal, 47, has been with the Oil Kings through three seasons and has gotten them into the last two WHL championship finals. The Oil Kings won it all in 2011-12 and were runners-up last season. . . . In his three seasons in Edmonton, the Oil Kings are 132-64-20. . . . Laxdal, who played in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Portland Winterhawks, joined the Oil Kings from the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, where he was director of hockey operations and head coach. The Steelheads won the Kelly Cup in 2007.
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The BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors have added Ryan Parent to their staff as an assistant coach and director of scouting. Parent, who lives in Vernon, most recently was general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. . . . Rylan Ferster, the Warriors’ GM/head coach, also announced that Cory Cross, who played more than 600 NHL games, will work with the team’s defencemen. . . . Brent Gough is back as assistant GM and associate coach. . . . Shae Naka, who had been on staff as an assistant coach, now is at Pursuit of Excellence.
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The AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm has moved Blaine Bablitz from general manager and head coach to strictly GM. He will serve as a full-time general manager and now will have more time to focus on those duties. . . . Matt Hughes, who is preparing for his second season with the Storm, is the new head coach. . . . Jim Lawrence and Adam Manah are the assistant coaches. Manah also is the head coach of Grande Prairie’s midget AAA team.
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The junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have signed another coach. In fact, Darren Naylor has signed on as the general manager and head coach. . . . Naylor, who also has coached the KIJHL’s Columbia Valley Rockies, is the fourth head coach the Grizzlies have had this summer. . . . Naylor is a former WHLer (Victoria, Swift Current, 1987-90).
Alex Cooper of the Revelstoke Times Review has more right here.
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From Vancouver broadcaster Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff): “Word at WHL Giants golf tournament is that Sportstalk is moving to CISL AM650 starting in October.”
Dan Russell, Shaw TV’s WHL play-by-play voice, is the host of the long-running Sportstalk on Vancouver radio station CKNW. His contract isn’t being renewed when it expires on Aug. 31.
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Later, Russell (@DanRussellST) tweeted: “Rumours duly noted — but nothing official to announce regarding future of Sportstalk. #cautiouslyhopeful”


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