The WHL must have felt some chest pains after seeing the headline — Why the WHL would work in Winnipeg; multiple franchises in trouble — on a Kelly Friesen-penned piece at Yahoo! Sports on Friday morning.
If you haven’t seen that piece, it’s right here.
Friesen’s story doesn’t break much new ground, as it speculates that major junior hockey could work in the Manitoba capital with the city’s NHL franchise as the owner. That, of course, would be a business plan similar to Calgary and Edmonton where the Flames and Oilers control WHL franchises.Interestingly, Winnipeg has a rather dismal history of supporting junior hockey, from the junior A Manitoba Junior League, which now has just one team in the city, to the WHL. Last summer, the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints were sold and relocated to Virden, where the franchise now operates as the Oil Capitals.
Winnipeg, at one time or another, was home to the WHL’s Jr. Jets (1967-73), Clubs (1973-76), Monarchs (1976-77) and Warriors (1980-84). The Jr. Jets, under the ownership of the legendary Ben Hatskin, had some near-glory days, but those were a long, long time ago.
Jim Toth of Winnipeg radio station CJOB, who has connections in the Kootenays from having spent some time working in the area, broke the news last weekend that True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL’s Jets, had been in talks with a WHL franchise about a possible sale and relocation.
Friesen, in his story, writes: “Multiple sources believe True North Sports and Entertainment recently kicked tires at the Kootenay Ice. The two sides apparently didn’t go far in negotiations with Ice owner Jeff Chynoweth asking for a much higher price than the Jets' ownership group is willing to pay.”
Would Chynoweth sell the Ice? Well, I would suggest that the Ice isn’t for sale but, as they say in the business world, everything has its price.
Furthermore, Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, has reported on his blog that the Ice’s attendance “has dropped almost 450 per game this season over last.” According to Hollick, that leaves the Ice’s average attendance at 2,350.
The Ice, of course, signed a 15-year lease with the facility in Cranbrook in January 2009.
When I contacted Chynoweth on Thursday night via text about his having spoken with TNSE, he replied: “No truth. 100% we will be in Cranbrook next (season).”
Friesen also points to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Prince George Cougars and Swift Current Broncos as franchises that are struggling financially.
Lethbridge and Swift Current both are community-owned, meaning that the franchises are controlled by shareholders within their cities. Neither of those is likely to be sold, unless there is an accompanying guarantee that the franchise won’t be relocated. The people in those communities recognize that once the team is gone, it’s gone.
As for the Cougars, owner Rick Brodsky has indicated time and time again that he has no intentions of selling his franchise.
Were I in the market for a WHL franchise, and you can bet that TNSE is at least exploring its options, I would be placing a call to Bill Gallacher, the owner of the Portland Winterhawks.
There has been ample speculation that Gallacher is quite interested in purchasing the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes and relocating that franchise to Portland.
If TNSE hasn’t already done it, perhaps a call would be in order to ask Gallacher: If you do end up owning an NHL franchise, would you be interested in selling your WHL franchise?
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F Frederik Tiffels, a German who was the Moose Jaw Warriors’ first selection in the CHL’s 2012 import draft, has committed to the NCAA route, saying he will join the Western Michigan University Broncos, who play out of Kalamazoo. . . . The Broncos head coach is former NHL head coach Andy Murray, who also speaks German. . . . Tiffels, who is from Cologne, has been playing in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Tiffels, 17, has 20 points, including 18 assists, in 36 games. He also played for Germany at the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia.
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Former WHL G Kurtis Mucha earned the shutout as the Alberta Golden Bears opened a best-of-three Canada West playoff series with a 4-0 victory over the visiting Calgary Dinos. . . . Mucha is riding a shutout streak of 204 minutes 20 seconds. . . . The teams play again tonight in Edmonton.
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The visiting Evansville IceMen scored a 5-4 ECHL victory over the Florida Everblades last night. The game went to the circus and it went 21 rounds. That’s right. A 21-round circus. . . . There were 42 shooters and five goals. Hey, Dan Russell, we can only imagine how exciting that must have been!


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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Prince Albert (4) vs. Red Deer (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
A reminder: If you’re on Twitter and a hockey fan, you should be following WHL Facts at @WHLFacts . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades set a franchise record as they won their 14th straight game, beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-4. . . . The previous record of 13 had been held by the 1987-88 Blades. . . .  Saskatoon is atop the East Division, five points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders with each team having 11 games to play. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky scored three times in the first period and later added an assist. He‘s got 36 goals. His NHL rights belong to the Dallas Stars – he was a sixth-round selection in 2011 – and Les Jackson, the Stars’ director of scouting and player development, was in the house. . . . Former Wheat Kings F Brenden Walker, who now is the Blades’ captain, had a goal, his 24th, and two assists. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls scored his 40th goal, into an empty net. . . . Saskatoon D Darren Dietz scored twice. He leads all WHL defencemen in goals (19). . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes, who had been sidelined with a knee injury since Jan. 25, came on in relief of starter Curtis Honey. . . . Brandon D Nick Walters was ejected with a headshot major at 10:34 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon F Nathan Burns had his nine-game assist streak snapped. . . . The Wheat Kings are 13 points out of a playoff spot with 10 games to play. . . .

In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly’s 12th goal stood up as the winner as the Warriors beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Rielly’s goal, at 6:31 of the third, gave the Warriors a 4-2 lead. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk later scored his 31st. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point had a goal, his 15th, and two assists. . . . Moose Jaw F Jordan Wyton, who has missed a lot of the season with concussion-related issues, scored his fifth goal of the season. He hadn’t played since Dec. 29 and was playing in only his fourth game since Nov. 10. . . . Moose Jaw D Dallas Valentine is out indefinitely with what Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports is a “fracture to part of the growth place in his hip.” . . . Gourlie also reported that D Spencer Morse, whom the Warriors had sent home for disciplinary reasons two weeks ago, has returned. He didn’t play last night. . . . The Warriors are 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Pats, but nine points out of the last playoff spot. . . .

In Swift Current, F Miles Koules scored in the fourth round of the circus to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 2-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored his 40th goal at 8:56 of the first period, via the PP. . . . Medicine Hat got its goal from F Logan McVeigh, his 16th, via the PP, at 4:43 of the second. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 39 shots through OT, while Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer stopped 28 shots. . . . The Tigers now are sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Broncos. . . .

In Calgary, F Brooks Macek scored the only goal in the circus and that gave the Hitmen a 6-5 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Hitmen won their 40th game of the season and clinched a playoff spot on head coach Mike Williamson’s 40th birthday. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart didn’t take long running his goal streak to five games – he scored his 26th goal 10 seconds into the game. . . . F Leon Draisaitl of the Raiders scored twice, giving him 18. . . . Calgary D Jayden Rissling forced OT with his fifth goal at 17:39 of the third. . . . Calgary is seven points behind the Central Division-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Raiders, who led the East Division for so long, now are in danger of losing home-ice advantage in the first round. They are tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference with the hard-charging Red Deer Rebels. . . .

In Lethbridge, G Patrik Bartosak turned aside 32 shots as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 2-0. . . . Bartosak has three shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . F Dominik Volek scored his ninth goal for Red Deer, via the PP, at 10:03 of the first. . . . F Turner Elson got his 20th into an empty net at 19:59 of the third. . . . The Hurricanes lost F Axel Blomqvist with a back injury during the first period. He was taken to hospital at the time. . . . The Rebels are tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for fourth in the Eastern Conference. Each team has 11 games remaining. . . . The Hurricanes are two points behind the eighth-place Kootenay Ice. . . .

In Prince George, F Ty Rattie scored twice and added an assist as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Cougars, 6-2. . . . Rattie has 37 goals. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic, the WHL’s leading point man, had two assists, while linemate Nic Petan, who is second, had a goal, his WHL-leading 43rd, and an assist. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 24 shots in earning his 20th victory. . . . Both Portland goaltenders now have won at least 20 games. . . . Prince George F Zach Pochiro was unsuccessful on a third-period penalty shot. . . . The Winter hawks (50-9-3) are the first CHL team to 50 victories. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski scored his 19th goal, moving him into a tie with Saskatoon’s Darren Dietz for most goals by a defenceman. Dietz had gotten to 19 earlier in the evening. . . . The Winterhawks also set a franchise record with their 25th road victory of the season. . . . The Cougars remain three points out of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, which is held by the Everett Silvertips. . . .

In Spokane, F Mike Aviani scored twice to help the Chiefs get past the Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-4. . . . Aviani has 28 goals. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton picked up three assists. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson scored Edmonton’s first three goals, giving him six. It was his first WHL hat trick. . . . The Oil Kings cut the deficit to 5-4 on D Keegan Lowe’s 14th goal, a PP score, at 10:13 of the third. Edmonton then went on the PP at 17:36 but gave up a shorthanded goal to F Liam Stewart at 18:35. . . . Stewart has 11 goals. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-5 on the PP and scored twice while shorthanded. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, one point behind the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Oil Kings are second in the overall standings, but now are 12 points behind Portland. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Justin Feser and F Jesse Mychan each had two goals and two assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 6-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Feser, who was playing in his 339th career game, has 37 goals; Mychan has 15. . . . Everett has lost a franchise-record 11 straight games. . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley won his fourth game in his fourth straight start. Trombley, who was a late cut by the Silvertips in training camp, stopped 23 shots. . . . “As far as it goes, this is the highlight of my career,” Trombley told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “I haven’t had an opportunity like this (in) forever. I can show everyone what I can do, especially Everett — they didn’t want me.” . . . The Americans were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . Tri-City F Malte Stromwall had three assists. . . . Everett D Austin Adam, back in the lineup after missing 14 games as he battled a concussion and mononucleosis, scored his first goal and had an assist. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . Tri-City F Tyson Dallman (left leg) departed 11 seconds into the game and didn’t return. . . . The Americans are fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The two arch-rivals may indeed be headed for a first-round clash. . . .

In Victoria, the Kelowna Rockets scored five times in the second period and went on to an 8-3 victory over the Royals. . . . F Myles Bell had two goals, giving him 34, and two assists for Kelowna. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 going into the second period. . . . The Royals took 100 of the 174 penalty minutes handed out by referees Jeff Ingram and Brett Iverson. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . F Jamie Crooks scored his 30th goal for the Royals, who have lost five straight. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Western Conference, three points behind Spokane. . . . Kelowna leads the B.C. Division by three points over the Kamloops Blazers and has closed to within a point of Edmonton, which is second in the overall standings. . . .

In Vancouver, G Cole Cheveldave stopped 24 shots as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Giants, 6-0. . . . Cheveldave has four shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford opened the scoring 10 seconds into the game. . . . F Colin Smith scored his 38th goal and added an assist, while F Cole Ully got his 20th goal. . . . The Giants lost D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen with a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on F JC Lipon at 13:37 of the second period. . . . Kamloops took 66 of the game’s 121 penalty minutes. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford had a goal and an assist. He’s got 20 points in his last 11 games. . . . The Blazers, who have won eight of 10, are three points behind Kelowna. . . . Each team has 10 games remaining and they will play each other three more times, with two of those games scheduled for Kamloops.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Jordan Wyton, Moose Jaw
D Devan Fafard, Red Deer
D Michal Plutnar, Tri-City
D Kolton Dixon, Victoria

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Nick Walters, Brandon (major)
D Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton
F Mitch Holmberg, Spokane
F Austin Carroll, Victoria
D Kolton Dixon, Victoria
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From Saskatoon Blades F Josh Nicholls (@Jnicks20): “What’s that Saskatoon? You want @blades hockey to break a record on home ice? . . . Sure I think we could do that for ya #14straight #heater”
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From writer Kelly Friesen (@KellyFriesen) of Yahoo! Sports: “#WHL isn’t allowing Mike Johnston to speak to the media . . . the league hasn’t handled that situation very well, to say the least.”

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Goaltender Troy Trombley of the Tri-City Americans posted his first WHL
shutout in his second start, beating the visiting Spokane Chiefs 6-0
in Kennewick, Wash., on Saturday night.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Bryce Lampman (Kamloops, 2002-03) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Langnau (Switzerland, NL A) after he was released from a tryout contract with the Portland Pirates (AHL). He had no points in eight games with the Pirates during the tryout. Lampman started the season with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL), getting three goals and nine assists in 21 games before joining Portland.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton vs. Lethbridge
Saskatoon vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Medicine Hat
Prince Albert vs Red Deer

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland vs. Everett
Kelowna vs. Seattle
Kamloops vs. Victoria
Spokane vs. Tri-City
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Portland, F Brendan Leipsic scored 49 seconds into OT to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The start of the game, played in Veterans Memorial Coliseum with the curtains open, was delayed about 20 minutes because of sunlight streaming in and reflecting off the ice. . . . Leipsic has 41 goals. He and linemate Nic Petan, who also scored once, lead the WHL in goals. Leipsic, with 103 points, leads the scoring race by two points over Petan. . . . Portland overcame a 2-0 lead and was up 3-2 until Vancouver F Cain Franson scored his 23rd goal at 16:01 of the third. . . . By night’s end, the Winterhawks, who lead the WHL’s overall standings, had clinched the U.S. Division title. . . . They lead the overall standings by 10 points over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .

In Calgary, F Cody Sylvester scored twice to lead the Hitmen to a 3-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Sylvester has 33 goals this season after scoring twice on the PP. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 31 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Steven Hodges got his 24th goal, via the PP, at 17:25 of the third. . . . Calgary had played its previous nine games on the road. . . . The Hitmen are second in the Central Division, seven points behind Edmonton. . . . The Royals are tied with the Tri-City Americans for fifth in the Western Conference. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 22 shots. He got the start after Patrik Polivka apparently was injured during the shootout portion of a 2-1 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer on Friday. The Royals had Michael Herringer, a ninth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft, backing up Vollrath. Herringer, 16, is from Comox, B.C., and plays for the junior B Victoria Cougars. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Saskatoon Blades overcame a 2-0 deficit and beat the Tigers, 4-3. . . . The Blades, the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, have won 11 in a row and now have sole possession of first place in the East Division, two points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Tigers had won five straight. . . . Saskatoon trailed 2-0 after one period and 3-2 in the latter half of the third period. . . . The Blades won it with four goals in a span of 6:49. . . . Saskatoon F Brenden Walker broke a 3-3 tie with his 21st goal at 14:09 of the third. . . . The Blades got a goal and two assists from F Shane McColgan. He’s got 15 snipes. . . . F Josh Nicholls scored his 37th goal of the season for the Blades, while F Curtis Valk got his 37th for the Tigers. . . .

In Prince Albert, D Morgan Rielly scored two goals and added an assist as his Moose Jaw Warriors erased a 3-0 deficit and dumped the Raiders, 4-3. . . . The Warriors were 3-for-10 on the PP; the Raiders were 1-for-4. . . . Rielly scored his 10th and 11th goals, both on the PP, the latter tying the score 3-3 at 5:15 of the third. . . . F Sam Fioretti’s 28th goal, on another PP, broke the 3-3 tie at 11:13. . . . F Jayden Hart scored twice, giving him nine, for the Raiders. . . .

In Brandon, F Jon Martin scored twice, the second one in OT, as the Kootenay Ice got past the Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Martin got his ninth goal at 1:17 of OT. . . . Kootenay led this one 3-1 before Brandon got goals from F Nick Buonassisi, his 11th, at 19:13 of the second and, and F Marek Kalus, his fourth, shorthanded, at 2:25 of the third. . . . The Wheat Kings finished a seven-game homestand at 3-3-1. . . . The Ice closed to within a point of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Prince George Cougars erased a 1-0 deficit with five straight goals and beat the Hurricanes, 5-4. . . . F Colin Jacobs had a goal, his 22nd, and three assists for the Cougars, who got two goals from F Klarc Wilson. He’s got eight. . . . Jacobs has seven points over his last two games. . . . The Cougars were 3-for-6 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 1-for-6. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski scored all four Lethbridge goals, giving him 31. He had a five-goal game earlier in the season. . . . Lethbridge F Russell Maxwell had four assists. . . . The Cougars are three points away from the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., G Troy Trombley posted his first WHL shutout in his second start as the Tri-City Americans beat the Spokane Chiefs, 6-0. . . . Trombley stopped 34 shots as he won for the second night in a row. He earned his first WHL victory on Friday night when he stopped 41 shots for a 6-2 victory in Portland. . . . F Connor Rankin had two goals and an assist for the Americans, who scored four times in the first period. . . . Rankin has 22 goals. . . . The Americans moved into a fifth-place tie with Victoria in the Western Conference, just a point behind Spokane. . . .

In Kelowna, F Brendan Ranford had a goal and an assist to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 3-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . The previous night, Ranford had a goal and two helpers as the Blazers beat the visiting Rockets, 4-2. . . . The Blazers have won seven in a row. . . . Ranford, who has 17 goals, is on a nine-game point streak, with 18 points in that span. He has five straight multi-point games. . . . Kamloops D Joel Edmundson broke a 1-1 tie with his seventh goal, shorthanded, at 5:45 of the second. . . . Kamloops D Marek Hrbas provided insurance with his seventh goal, at 17:12 of the third. He’s got four goals in his last five games. . . . The Rockets had 18 shots on goal, their lowest such total this season. . . . The Blazers are three points behind the B.C. Division-leading Rockets. . . .

In Everett, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Silvertips, 4-1. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs broke a 1-1 tie with his 22nd goal at 19:46 of the first period. . . . The Thunderbirds had lost seven straight. . . . Everett has lost 10 in a row to equal a franchise record set last sesaon. . . . The victory moved Seattle into a tie for seventh with Everett in the Western Conference.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Anthony Bardaro, Prince Albert
F Brandon Del Grosso, Moose Jaw
D Joe Hicketts, Victoria
F Logan Fisher, Victoria
D Jared Hauf, Seattle
D Mitch Topping, Tri-City

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Josh Morrissey, Prince Albert
F Chase Clayton, Calgary
D Adam Henry, Lethbridge
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From Paul Buker (@Pnbuker), a sports reporter with The Oregonian: “Portland wins curtains down Hawks’ game at MC 4-3 in OT. Didn’t use media pass. Sat in stands, spent $1,345.67 on concessions. Good God.”
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From Edmonton Oil Kings F Michael St. Croix (@stixy18): “Just watching the man himself @cpickard1 at pre game skate with the avs #sosick #yourtheman”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Pavel Kubina (Moose Jaw, 1996-97) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A). He had three goals and 12 assists in 69 games with Tampa Bay and Philadelphia last season. Switzerland has a transfer deadline of Feb. 15. Kubina is represented by former Tri-City F Vladimir Vujtek Jr. . . .

F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL). He has 12 goals and 21 assists in 43 games for the Freezers this season. Festerling also has made five appearances with the German National Team this season, getting one goal and one assist. Festerling was under contract with Hamburg through the 2013-14 season, so this extension keeps him under contract through the 2014-15 season.
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From the Brandon Sun: “Brandon native and WHL official Matt Kirk has been chosen as a referee for the IIHF men’s world championship, May 3-19 in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland.”
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For an interesting and, I would suggest, accurate look at a ranking of CHL teams, check out this right here. It’s done by Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports.
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The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2013 on Tuesday. It includes the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Kamloops Blazers, both of which won the Memorial Cup, and former Blazers F Mark Recchi.
Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun has more right here.
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A couple of interesting items from the Kootenay Ice’s weekly news update. . . . Ryan McGill became the second head coach in franchise history to win 200 regular-season games. He got there with a 4-0 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. . . . The other Ice head coach with 200 victories? Cory Clouston, with 209. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski has stopped 24 out of 25 shootout attempts this season.
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The matchups if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton vs. Lethbridge
Saskatoon vs. Medicine Hat
Calgary vs. Swift Current
Prince Albert vs Red Deer

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland vs. Seattle
Kelowna vs. Everett
Kamloops vs. Tri-City
Victoria vs. Spokane
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly and F Justin Kirsch each scored twice as the Warriors dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-1. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 29 shots. . . . Rielly has nine goals. . . . Kirsch got his 20th of the season into an empty net. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports: “The Warriors were without defenceman Kirk Johnson who has returned home to tend to a personal matter. Fellow defenceman Spencer Morse was out of the lineup due to a coach’s decision.” . . . The Warriors continue to be without G Daniel Wapple (concussion) and have Zachary Sawchenko, who turned 15 on Dec. 30, backing up Paulic. . . . The Warriors are 12 points out of a playoff spot with 15 games to play. . . . The Raiders have lost two straight. East Division leaders for most of this season — that’s worth the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference — the Raiders now are fourth in the conference, and they’re just three points ahead of the fifth-place Red Deer Rebels. . . .

In Regina, F Jacob Doty broke a 3-3 tie at 7:50 of the third period and the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . Tigers F Hunter Shinkaruk, in his first game after missing three with a knee injury, had a goal and an assist. . . . Doty’s goal was his 11th; Shinkaruk has 31. . . . The Pats erased a 3-1 third-period deficit on goals by F Marc McCoy at 4:16 and F Morgan Klimchuk, his 28th, just 40 seconds later. . . . Regina, with 15 games remaining, now trails the Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes by 13 points. The Tigers and Hurricanes hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades ran their winning streak to nine games with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Blazers F Josh Nicholls forced OT with a goal, his 36th, with 28.8 seconds left in the third period and then got the winner in the circus. . . . The victory lifted the once-struggling Blades into a tie with Prince Albert atop the East Division standings. The Blades hold a game in hand. . . . One supposes there is no more Internet ramblings about yanking the Blades out as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup. . . . F Graham Black had two goals and two assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current F Colby Cave gave his guys a 4-3 lead with his 15th goal, shorthanded, at 11:49 of the third. . . . The Broncos erased a 3-1 deficit on goals by F Chance Lund, Black and Cave. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky got his 30th goal and ran his point streak to nine games. . . . Saskatoon F Michael Ferland also has a nine-game streak going. He had an asist last night. . . . Nicholls was the only one of six shooters to score in the shootout. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Victor Rask scored three times as the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Tri-City Americans, 6-2. . . . Rask has 10 goals. . . . The Hitmen scored the game’s first four goals. . . . F Brooks Macek had a goal, his 27th, and two assists for Calgary. . . . Calgary scored four goals on eight shots in the second period. . . . Tri-City starter Luke Lee-Knight gave way to Troy Trombley in the second period. Trombley made his second appearance since joining the team after Eric Comrie (hip) was shut down in mid-January. . . . Tri-City has lost three in a row. . . . The Hitmen are 4-0 on a five-game U.S. Division swing that ends tonight in Spokane. . . . Calgary has played its last eight games on the road, going 5-3-0. It returns home Saturday against Victoria.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Evan Morden, Prince Albert
F Braden Christoffer, Regina
F Elgin Pearce, Medicine Hat

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From former Red Deer Rebels G Darcy Kuemper (@dkuemps35): “Thank you so much everyone for all the support! What an experience that was tonight, wish we could have pulled out the win tho. #whatarush”
The Minnesota Wild recalled Kuemper, 22, from the AHL’s Houston Aeros and he made his NHL debut last night, going the distance with 28 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andrej Kudrna (Vancouver, Red Deer, 2008-11) was assigned to Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga) by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL) for the rest of this season. He has one goal in 13 games for Slovan and 10 goals and three assists in 18 games for Skalica this season. . . .


F Parker Stanfield (Prince George, Everett, 2007-11) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had six goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) this season. . . .


F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Zvolan (Slovakia, Extraliga) after obtaining his release from Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had six goals and 11 assists in 40 games with Most this season.


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The WHL’s pooh-bahs, no doubt somewhat played out from what has been a hectic schedule with lots of three-in-three and four-in-five stretches, are gathering in Las Vegas this weekend for two days of meetings that are to begin on Monday.
These aren’t shaping up as your normal run-of-the-mill, dog-days-of-February meetings, either.
No.
You may recall that it was in late November when the WHL hammered the Portland Winterhawks for what it called “a series of violations of WHL Regulations.”
The Winterhawks were banned from the first five rounds of the 2013 bantam draft, lost their first-round draft picks in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and had their general manager and head coach Mike Johnston suspended for the remainder of this season, including the playoffs. Oh, and the Winterhawks also were fined $200,000.
The Winterhawks have admitted to some violations but are of the opinion that the punishment far exceeds the crimes.
Apparently, there is no appeal process to decisions such as these within the WHL. But the Winterhawks, with owner Bill Gallacher planning to attend, are hoping to have their say in Las Vegas.
We will find out early next week, then, if this is one of those situations where what happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.
Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has more right here, including the fact that the Winterhawks have consulted legal counsel.
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While you’re waiting for that meeting to start, you may want to read this piece right here by Ken Goe of The Oregonian. It’s about Mike Johnston and a hospital visit he made more than a year ago. It’s interesting that very few people were aware of this until now.
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The WHL has posted a job opening for director, communications, the position presently filled by Cory Flett.
Here’s the job description:
“The WHL Director, Communications will be responsible to manage all aspects of the WHL Communications portfolio including media relations, the WHL website; social media platforms; WHL broadcast agreements and other media partnerships; WHL publications; WHL awards; the WHL results system and other special projects.”
All that for one person? Job must pay awfully well.
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If you look in on the Saskatoon Blades tonight — they are at home to the Swift Current Broncos — you will note that they are wearing new and different sweaters. Here’s how Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix described the sweaters as “featuring navy blue, royal blue and grey strips and a stylized ‘Blades’ logo where the ‘L’ is a hockey stick.” . . . These sweaters are the result of a contest in which fans were asked for design ideas. . . . Nugent-Bowman reports that there were 113 entries. Those were whittled down to five and then put to a fan vote. . . . The winning design is from Fabio Burà of Switzerland.
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Bliss Littler, the head coach of the NAHL’s Wentchee Wild, has drawn a five-game suspension and assistant coach Chris Clark is gone indefinitely. That is the fallout from Clark’s turn as a blindman during a recent game in Wenatchee.
Stephen Heisler of juniorhockey.com has more right here.

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An Associated Press story out of the Super Bowl in New Orleans begins like this:
“ It defies logic that there are now far more precautions taken to protect NFL players from head trauma than youth and high school football players, said several current or former NFL players speaking on behalf of a group advocating safer sports.”
That story is right here.
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Two former NFL players have undergone tests that “may have found a destructive protein called tau” in their brains.
What this means is that the science involving brains and concussions is progressing.
That story, written by CNN’s Stephanie Smith, is right here.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, F Lane Scheidl scored twice and added an assist to help the Regina Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Pats had lost eight straight. . . . Brandon has dropped four in a row. . . . Scheidl has 26 goals. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie at 17:28 of the third period. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk had both Brandon goals, giving him 13. . . . G Jordan Papirny, 16, the 22nd selection in the 2011 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings. They are without Corbin Boes (knee) and have been going with Curtis Honey. . . . Papirny stopped 21 shots and was returned to the midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Athletics after the game. . . .

In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly drew four assists as the Warriors doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers, 8-4. . . . The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, with F Curtis Valk scoring three times for the Tires, two of them on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw emerged with a 5-3 lead. . . . Valk has 32 goals. . . . Moose Jaw F Bryson Gore, who went into the game with 10 points, had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . The Warriors now have won four of five. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Andrey Markarov posted his WHL-leading sixth shutout as the Blades dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 6-0. . . . He has a franchise-record eight shutouts in his WHL career, having broken the record he had shared with Braden Holtby (2006-09). . . . Makarov made 42 saves as the Blades won their third in a row. He has allowed one goal in the three victories. . . . F Brenden Walker and F Nathan Burns each had two goals for Saskatoon. . . . The Hitmen are three games into a nine-game road swing. . . . F Brooks Macek of the Hitmen played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Blades F Josh Nicholls scored his 33rd goal, to give him 286 career points. He had bee tied with Saskatoon associate coach David Struch for 12th on the Blades’ alltime list. . . . Saskatoon F Shane McColgan picked up two assists, giving him 250 career points. . . .

In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 23 shots as the Oil Kings beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-0. . . . Brossoit has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . Edmonton has won seven in a row and leads the Eastern Conference standings by nine points over Calgary. . . . F Curtis Lazar scored the game’s first two goals, giving him 26. . . . The Oil Kings have won 13 of 15, blanking the opposition in six of those games. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes erased a 2-1 third-period deficit and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2. . . . Lethbridge F Sam Mckechnie scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at 11:24 of the third to tie the score. . . . F Russell Maxwell won it with his 19th goal at 17:09. . . . Mckechnie has 23 scores this season. . . .


In Kamloops, F Kale Kessy and F Colin Smith enjoyed five-point nights as the Blazers downed the Spokane Chiefs, 8-4. . . . Kessy had two goals and three assists in what was the first five-point game of his career. . . . Smith had a goal and four assists for his second five-point outing. . . . Smith also earned his 250th career point. . . . F Tim Bozon, the third member of that line, had two goals, giving him 31, and two assists. . . . F Mitch Holmberg had three goals for the Chiefs, giving him a career-high 30 on the season. He scored 27 last season. Holmberg also has a career-high in points (57), two more than he recorded last season. . . . Spokane D Jason Fram left the game at 8:45 of the second period. Unable to put weight on his left leg, he needed help getting off the ice and didn’t return. . . .

In Prince George, F Chase Witala scored three times to help the Cougars to a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Witala scored the Cougars’ first two goals, at which point he had scored his team’s previous five goals. . . . He has 14 goals this season, six of them in his last three games. . . . Cougars D Dallas Ehrhardt had a goal and two assists. . . . The Cougars were awarded two penalty shots in this one. F Colin Jacobs beat G Coleman Vollrath t 7:14 of the second period; F Jarrett Fontaine was foiled by G Patrik Polivka at 13:38 of the third. . . . The Royals were coming off a 6-1 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Thursday night. Not many teams play one night in Kelowna and the next night in Prince George. . . . The Cougars are without G Brett Zarowny (concussion), so had Ty Edmonds, 16, on the bench, backing up Mac Engel. Edmonds plays for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . .

In Vancouver, F Colton Sissons scored twice and G Jackson Whistle stopped 32 shots as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Giants, 5-1. . . . Sissons broke a 1-1 tie at 3:19 of the first period. . . . After scoring those three early goals, the teams didn’t score again until Sissons got his 20th of the season at 2:42 of the third period. . . . Whistle was acquired by the Rockets from Giants on Sept. 7 for a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Ty Rattie had a goal and three assists as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 5-3. . . . Portland D Shaun MacPherson broke a 2-2 tie with his first WHL goal at 6:55 of the second period and Rattie upped the lead to 4-2, on the PP, at 17:55. . . . Portland F Nic Petan, who leads the WHL in scoring, got his 36th goal, and two assists, while F Brendan Leipsic also had a goal, his 34th, and two helpers. . . . Rattie is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . Portland was 3-10 on the PP; Seattle was 0-3. . . . Petan leads the WHL in goals, assists (57) and points (93). He has five points more than Leipsic and eight more than Kamloops F Colin Smith. . . .

In Everett, the Tri-City Americans scored twice in the circus and beat the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . F Malte Strömwall gave the Americans a 1-0 lead just 23 seconds into the first period. . . . F Logan Aasman pulled Everett even at 4:25 of the third. . . . F Justin Feser and Strömwall scored shootout goals to win it. . . . With G Austin Lotz (foot) out, the Silvertips had Nik Amundrud, 15, on the bench in support of starter Daniel Cotton. Amundrud was a third-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He is playing with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon
F Greg Chase, Calgary
D Mathew Dumba, Red Deer
F Alexander Delnov, Seattle
F Justin Gutierrez, Tri-City

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Adam Lowry, Swift Current
F Ben Walker, Victoria
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Cody Fowlie (@Fowls11) of the Kelowna Rockets: “Just got a hug from Joe Sakic. I literally almost cried. #isthisreallife? #burnabyjoe #newbestbud”