Hansch the man in Edmonton

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a one-year contract with Yuzhny Ural Orsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), the farm club of KHL team Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He had six goals and nine assists in 52 games with Oskarshamn (Sweden, Allsvenskan) last season.
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Randy Hansch was introduced Thursday as the second general manager in the modern era of the Edmonton Oil Kings. The announcement came one day after Bob Green moved up to the parent Edmonton Oilers as director of amateur free-agent scouting. . . . Hansch had been assistant GM and director of player personnel under Green. . . . Hansch joined the Oil Kings for their first season (2007-08) as an expansion team. . . . An Edmonton native, Hansch is a former WHL goaltender who spent 15 seasons working in scouting and player personnel with the Kamloops Blazers. He also has scouted for the NHL’s Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Alicja Siekierska of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have acquired D Taylor Green, 18, from the Seattle Thunderbirds for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. The 6-foot-7, 227-pound Green, who is from Port Coquitlam, B.C., was selected 26th overall by Seattle in the 2010 bantam draft. Last season, Green had seven points in 65 games. . . . In 69 regular-season games, Green has eight points.
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G Matt Hewitt, who played the last three seasons with the Regina Pats, will attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds. Hewitt, who is from New Westminster, B.C., played out his eligibility with the Pats last season. . . . With the Thunderbirds, Hewitt will compete with Steven Stanford (Prince Albert, Saskatoon, 2007-11) for playing time.
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F Jeff Ulmer has signed to play for HDD Olimpija Ljubljana in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga in Austria. Ulmer, 36, is from Regina and is entering his ninth season in Europe. . . . He will be playing in the same league as his brother, Jason, 34, who has signed with EHC Linz. Jason is going into his ninth season in Europe.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jim McTaggart is out and Tyler Alos is in. That was the story Thursday involving the Seattle Thunderbirds’ coaching staff. . . . McTaggart had been an assistant coach in Seattle for the past eight seasons. . . . Alos, 20, played four seasons with the Thunderbirds before retiring 10 games into last season because of post-concussion syndrome. . . . Alos then joined the club’s staff as a skills coach. . . . A native of Spokane, Alos was a sixth-round selection by the Thunderbirds in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . He will work alongside head coach Steve Konowalchuk and assistant Matt O’Dette, along with goaltender coach Ian Gordon.
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The junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies are looking for another head coach. Kevin MacKay, who stepped into the new job last week, left the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League team on Thursday, citing personal reasons. He was to have replaced James Eccles, who was hired earlier this summer and left for another job shortly afterwards. . . . Kevin Kraus, the GM and head coach last season, is on the coaching staff of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
Alex Cooper of the Revelstoke Times Review has more right here.
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From Saskawhat (@saskawhat): “A few notes from my chat with Mark Lamb this week: Confirmed Levi Bews is not expected at training camp but "the door is wide open for him"
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More from Saskawhat: “Bews dealing with personal issues arising from the flooding this summer in Alberta.”
Bews had 36 points, including 21 goals, in 60 games with the Broncos last season. The Longview, Alta., native had 64 points in 189 regular-season games. Bews, 19, also has played with the Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants.

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Green moves from Oil Kings to Oilers

If you are a season-ticket holder, I don’t know what, if any, gift you get from the team
you support, but the Regina Pats are providing “a limited edition canvas jersey print,”
according to a news release. “The print features seven jerseys, including the Pats’ current
home-and-away uniforms, along with five from past seasons.”

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Paul Albers (Calgary, Regina, Vancouver, 2001-06) signed a one-year contract extension with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). He had seven goals and 18 assists in 43 games last season. . . .
D Tyson Marsh (Vancouver, 2001-04) signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardiff Devils (Wales, UK Elite). He had six goals and 23 assists in 52 games last season. . . .
F Tomas Polak (Red Deer, 2007-09) signed a try-out contract with Landshut (Germany, DEL2). He had one assist in one game with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga), three assists in 11 games on loan to Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), and two assists in 27 games on loan to Berounsti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) last season. . . .
D Sebastian Owuya (Medicine Hat, 2010-11) signed a one-year contract with Sundsvall (Sweden, Division 1). He had one goal and four assists in 17 games with Borås (Sweden, Division 1) and three goals and six assists in 24 games with Västervik (Sweden, Division 1) last season.
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One day last week, I ran an item here from a Greg Douglas column that appeared in the Vancouver Sun. That item suggested that there had been discussions between the Vancouver Giants and Vancouver broadcaster Dan Russell involving the WHL team’s play-by-play position.
Russell, the long-time host of Sportstalk on Vancouver radio station CKNW, informed me on Wednesday that simply isn’t true.
“Sadly,” Russell wrote in an email, “it isn’t the first time Douglas has carelessly or erroneously reported on my career.
“The fact is that there was never one discussion with the Giants about that possibility, nor did I want to explore it given that I already have a WHL play-by-play role with Shaw TV.”
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A regular reader from Portland dropped this note:
“Just in case you care . . . the naming rights to the Rose Garden (now the Moda Center) went for $40 million over 10 years . . . four million a year. This was the reported figure in all of the Portland media.
“According to Forbes, Paul Allen is the 20th richest person in the States with an estimated value of $15 billion, so obviously it was very important to him to collect another $40 million.”
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The Edmonton Oil Kings lost their general manager on Wednesday when the parent Edmonton Oilers named Bob Green their director of amateur free-agent scouting. . . . The 52-year-old Green, the WHL’s executive of the year in each of the last two seasons, spent six seasons as the Oil Kings’ GM. . . . According to an Oilers news release: “Green . . . will work closely with the Oilers Hockey Operations department and Amateur Scouting staff, assisting with identifying and recruiting NCAA, CHL and select European free agents, as well as develop a free agent priority list.” . . . Under Green, the Oil Kings have been in the last two WHL championship finals, winning it all in 2011-12. . . . There was no announcement involving a new GM for the Oil Kings, but speculation is that Randy Hansch, the assistant GM and director of player personnel, may be in line for a promotion and that it may come as early as today.
The Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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Jack Brodsky almost certainly will be the majority owner of the Saskatoon Blades when the WHL’s 2013-14 season begins. That’s because there really isn’t anything new regarding a possible sale of the franchise.
Mike Priestner, the Edmonton auto dealer who is hoping to purchase the franchise, confirmed to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that he made a “firm offer” but he and Brodsky both have been on vacation.
“Jack is certainly very happy with our offer as far as both the price and what he felt our management structure would look like if we did go forward,” Priestner told Nugent-Bowman without divulging any of his plans.
“Based on their conversations,” Nugent-Bowman writes, “Priestner said he doesn’t expect to hear back from Brodsky for another three or four weeks while he mulls over the offers with his family and the league.”
One other group that includes former Blades players Kelly Chase, Dave Chartier and Rhett Warrener is believed to be in the hunt.
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The Prince Albert Raiders will induct the late Brad McCrimmon into their Wall of Honour on Sept. 27. McCrimmon, a former Raiders defenceman, went on to star for the Brandon Wheat Kings, who will provide the opposition on Sept. 27. Kelly McCrimmon, Brad’s brother, is the Wheat Kings’ owner/GM/head coach. . . . Brad, the SJHL’s defenceman of the year as a 16-year-old with the Raiders, went on to a lengthy pro career and was into coaching when he died in a plane crash with the KHL’s Yaroslavl Lokomotiv on Sept. 7, 2011. . . . The McCrimmons are from Plenty, Sask. . . . Also being inducted into the Wall of Honour will be builders Jim Bristowe and Doug Winterton. . . . Bristowe worked as a minor official and linseman and then took over as the public address voice, a position he held for 27 years, through 1999-2000. He also served on the franchise’s board of directors. . . . Winterton also served on the board and was a charter member of the Raiders’ Booster Club. Like Bristowe, Winterton also billeted players, including Brad McCrimmon.
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Jacques Beaulieu, the former head coach of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, and his son, Nathan, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, were in court Wednesday. They each pleaded guilty to one count of assault and received conditional discharges.
Jane Sims of the London Free Press has more right here.
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Former NHL player and coach Steve Ludzik is living a happy life despite his battles with Parkinson’s disease.
"I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life," he tells Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times. "I decided to come out and treat Parkinson's like a bully and expose it."
Later in the story, Ludzik, who figures he had at least six concussions during his NHL careers, says: “"My Parkinson's disease I know without a shadow of a doubt is from getting blows to the head and constant damage to my body.”
Cristodero’s complete story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former NHL F Mike Craig has signed on as an assistant coach with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He joins head coach Drake Berehowsky and assistant Brad Lukowich on what is a brand new coaching staff. . . . Craig, who played junior for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, played professionally for 22 years, the last 10 in Europe. He played 423 NHL games with four teams (Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks).
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The junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have hired their second head coach of the summer. . . . Kevin MacKay is the new head man, after James Eccles, who was hired late in July, decided to go in another direction. . . . Eccles had been the head coach of the major midget Okanagan Rockets. . . . Kevin Kraus, the GM and head coach of the Grizzlies last season, now is an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
Alex Cooper of the Revelstoke Times Review has more right here.
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From Portland Winterhawks F Shane McColgan (@Shane18McColgan): “Surgery was a success.”
He included an instagram photo showing him in a hospital bed with his right arm, wrist, hand and thumb in a cast.

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Cool Bird proves he can fly on Wednesday at KeyArena in Seattle.
(Photo courtesy Seattle Thunderbirds)

THE COACHING GAME:
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have exercised the option on general manager/head coach Rich Preston’s contract, meaning he now has two years left. Yes, he is signed through 2013-14. . . . Which takes care of rumours that he was soon to join the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach under old friend Darryl Sutter. . . .
The OHL’s Soo Greyhounds have signed Joe Cirella to a two-year deal as an assistant coach. Cirella is a former OHL and NHL defenceman who captained the Oshawa Generals to the 1983 OHL title. . . . He later went on to a 14-year NHL career. . . . He has worked as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers (1997-98) and has spent seven seasons as an assistant with the Generals, which is where he was for the last two seasons. . . . In Sault Ste. Marie, Cirella will work alongside head coach Mike Stapleton and fellow assistants Mike Oliverio and Seamus Kotyk. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings have re-signed Randy Hansch, the assistant general manager and director of player personnel, and assistant coach Steve Hamilton. . . . Hansch, a former goaltender, joined the Oil Kings after spending 15 seasons with the Kamloops Blazers. He has been with Edmonton since before it took part in an expansion draft in 2007. . . . Hamilton has spent two seasons with the Oil Kings. Prior to that, he was the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints for four seasons. . . . The length of the contracts wasn’t disclosed. . . .
Ryan Mougenel, the head coach of the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers, was involved in an attempt to save a man from drowning in Boston on Thursday. . . . Ed Hauth of the Las Vegas Sun has that story right here.
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D Kevin Smith, who played 286 regular-season and playoff games in his WHL career, has decided to go to the U of British Columbia and play for the Thunderbirds. Smith, who is from North Vancouver, split last season between the WHL's Kelowna Rockets and the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies.
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F Mason Wilgosh, who played five seasons in the WHL, will attend the U of Prince Edward Island and play for the Panthers. The Charlottetown-based Panthers play in Atlantic University Sport. . . . Wilgosh, from Winnipeg, played out his WHL eligibility last season with the Tri-City Americans. He had 38 points in 59 games.
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F Brenden Silvester, who played 159 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds (2007-10), is headed for Simon Fraser University where he will play for the school’s British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League team.
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Cool Bird, the Seattle Thunderbirds’ mascot, attended the Seattle Storm’s Kid’s Day game on Wednesday.
The Storm, a WNBA team, was playing host to the Atlanta Dream.
According to Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds’ media guru, Cool Bird “took part in media timeouts and halftime promotions, including a dunk contest with other mascots.”
Henry added that he was told the game, at KeyArena, was sold out.
The game began at noon and is a big promotion involving chidren’s summer camps and youth groups getting in through special ticket offers.
The KeyArena was home to the Thunderbirds before they moved to Kent.
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The Buffalo Sabres have signed Latvian F Zemgus Girgensons, 18, who ws the 14th overall selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft. Girgensons played last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and had committed to the U of Vermont. By signing a pro contract, of course, he has forsaken his NCAA eligibility. . . . Girgensons WHL rights are held by the Kelowna Rockets, who selected him in the CHL’s 2011 import draft. However, it is unlikely that Girgensons will ever see Kelowna. Because he was drafted out of the USHL and because he has never played in the CHL, he is eligible to play with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. . . . Girgensons had 104 points, including 45 goals, and 115 penalty minutes in 100 USHL regular-season games over two seasons.
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If you’re a baseball fan, you are aware that the Washington Nationals plan to shut down pitcher Steven Strasburg at around 160 innings, which should happen in early September. This has become one of the biggest talking points in Major League Baseball this season. Everyone has an opinion. Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post explains right here why this is the right thing to do.
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The can of worms opened just a little bit wider on Thursday when the Michigan Daily released this statement:
“On June 28 The Michigan Daily published an article on its website that said hockey player Jacob Trouba was considering an offer to play for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. The article was updated to include further developments on July 2, July 3 and July 4. The Rangers and the Trouba family have denied the offer, and the Rangers have threatened legal action. The Daily stands behind the story and the reporter, Matt Slovin. The Daily will respond to threats of legal action in an appropriate fashion.”
To go back, Slovin’s original story claimed, via an OHL source, that the Rangers had come up with a $200,000 package in an attempt to entice Trouba, a first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2012 NHL draft, to Kitchener instead of the U of Michigan.
The Rangers, a community-owned team, was quick with the denials. The Trouba family quickly issued a statement saying that Matt was going to Michigan and would play for the Wolverines.
The Rangers also threatened legal action if there wasn’t a retraction.
The retraction never came.
On Tuesday, the Waterloo Region Record reported that the Rangers did indeed visit court and filed a suit seeking $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.” The suit was filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Kitchener.
The blog United States of Hockey summed it up this way:
“The Rangers may be backed into a corner now into where they have to stand by their word and pursue this case despite the fact that it is unlikely they will be able to collect damages. This is due to the SPEECH Act protecting U.S. media outlets from foreign libel/defamation judgments so long as the report satisfies First Amendment standards. Should the Daily lose the case, most likely the worst that will happen is the defendants would be denied entry into Canada due to the outstanding judgment (via Student Press Law Center).
“This case has so many different angles of importance from how the Canadian Hockey League’s member leagues and clubs do their business to NCAA vs. CHL recruitment to journalism ethics and ‘libel tourism.’ The eyes of more than just the hockey world will be fixed on this case.”
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If you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox, well, this doesn’t appear to be your season. And it sure looks like the snowball is gathering speed as it tumbles down the hill. Right here is a piece by veteran baseball write Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com on the trials and tribulations of the BoSox and manager Bobby Valentine.



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