Regina, Seattle in WHL final ... Pats last won in 1980 . . . T-Birds chasing first championship

F Brett Breitkreuz (Kelowna, Edmonton, Vancouver, 2006-10) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, in 50 games, he had 17 goals and 16 assists. . . . 

F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) has signed a two-year contract with Riessersee Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had 28 goals and 17 assists in 45 games with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2).

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Pats Announce WHL Championship Series Schedule. Details here: https://t.co/3F0n6auZTm#WHLPlayoffs #REGvsLET pic.twitter.com/krrKToSEFT

— #JoinTheRegiment (@WHLPats) May 1, 2017

The WHL’s championship final will feature the Regina Pats, who won the Eastern Conference title, versus the Seattle Thunderbirds, the champions of the Western Conference for a second straight season. . . . The Pats have two WHL championships to their credit — 1974, when they also won the Memorial Cup, and 1980. Regina last was in the WHL final in 1984. . . . The Thunderbirds have twice been to the final — 1997 and 2016 — but have yet to win it all. . . . The WHL final will feature a 2-3-2 format, opening with games in Regina on Friday and Saturday. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich points out that seven of the last eight Western Conference champions have come from the U.S. Division, but only one of those — the 2012-13 Portland Winterhawks — won the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . This marks the first time either Regina or Seattle has been to back-to-back championship finals. . . . The Thunderbirds may open the final without F Keegan Kolesar, who was ejected from last night’s game in Kelowna with a checking-from-behind major at 16:08 of the first period. He plays on what arguably is the WHL’s top forward line, alongside F Ryan Gropp and F Mathew Barzal. . . . The championship final will be televised by Shaw. The WHL on Shaw will end a 13-season run with the final game of the series.

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A Sunday night note from Hartley Miller of 94.3 The Goat in Prince George updates the home-ice numbers to this date in the WHL and NHL playoffs.

In the first round of the WHL playoffs, home teams were 22-22. That was 13-10 in the second round, then 6-6 in the third round, with the visiting team wrapping up both conference finals on Sunday.

After three rounds, then, the home team is 41-38.

In the NHL, the home team was 19-23 in the first round, and is 4-6 in the second round. Through 52 NHL games, then, the home team is 23-29.

As Miller put it: “Just more examples of home ice not being as large an advantage in hockey as many might believe.”

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The Erie Otters won the OHL’s Western Conference title on Sunday, beating the host Owen Sound Attack, 7-2, to take the series, 4-2. The Otters, under head coach Kris Knoblauch, a former WHL player and coach, will meet the Mississauga Steelheads in the championship final. That series is to open on Thursday in Erie. . . . 

In the QMJHL, the Saint John Sea Dogs and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada will meet in the championship final. That series is scheduled to open Friday in Saint John.

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John Depourcq will be back for a sixth season as head coach of the junior B Summerland Steam of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. The team made the announcement on Sunday. . . . Mike Rigby, the director of player development and assistant GM for five seasons, has been named general manager. . . . Tim Hogg, the voice of the Steam, has more right here.

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Congrats @SeattleTbirds, #BackToBack Western Conference Champions!  #WinTheCup pic.twitter.com/HaWOc0xS4Z

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 1, 2017

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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

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WHL WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS#BackToBack #WinTheCup #SEAvsKEL #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/WwYiI78Eby

— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) May 1, 2017

At Kelowna, the Seattle Thunderbirds won the Western Conference championship with a 3-1 victory over the Rockets. . . . Seattle won the series, 4-2, to advance to the WHL final for a second straight season. A

CARL STANKOWSKI

year ago, the Thunderbirds lost to the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games. . . . Last night, the Rockets got off to a 1-0 lead at 15:57 of the first period when F Nolan Foote (2) scored a PP goal. . . . Seattle D Austin Strand (4) tied it at 4:56 of the second period. . . . Seattle went ahead at 9:30 when F Alexander True (8) scored his third goal in two games. this one came via the PP. . . . The game included a rarity in the second period when the Rockets had a goal disallowed because the puck struck referee Steve Papp on its way into the net. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf put the puck in the Seattle net from a scrum, but Papp, in the area as he tried to track the puck, had the misfortune of having an arm get in the way. The veteran official immediately waved off the goal. . . . On the next shift, the Thunderbirds got insurance from F Mathew Barzal (5) at 15:14. . . . F Donovan Neuls had two assists for Seattle, with Barzal adding one. Barzal now is riding a 10-game point streak. . . . Seattle G Carl Stankowski stopped 17 shots as he ran his record to 12-2 in these playoffs. He moved into the starting role as the playoffs began when Rylan Toth, the team’s No. 1 goaltender through the regular season, was taken out by an undisclosed injury. . . . The Rockets got 19 saves from G Michael Herringer. . . . Seattle was 1-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-7. . . . The Thunderbirds lost F Keegan Kolesar at 16:08 of the first period when he was ejected with a checking-from-behind major for a hit on Kelowna D Devante Stephens, who didn’t return. The Rockets held a 1-0 lead at the time, but weren’t able to add to the lead on the five-minute PP, something that no doubt provided Seattle with some motivation. . . . The Rockets already were without D James Hilsendager, who was scratched with an undisclosed injury for a second straight game. As well, D Braydyn Chizen, who was injured in the second round, didn’t play a game in the conference final. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear, with a soft cast on his left hand, took the pregame warmup for a second straight game, but was scratched for a third consecutive game. . . . F Dillon Hamaliuk, a 16-year-old from Red Deer, made his playoff debut with the Thunderbirds. A sixth-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder had one goal in 17 early-season games with Seattle. He had finished up with the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Oil Kings before rejoining Seattle. . . . Announced attendance: 5,846. . . . Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story from the Thunderbirds’ perspective right here. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story right here.

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Regina Pats have had two three-game winning streaks in the playoffs after trailing in a series.

— Rob Vanstone (@robvanstone) May 1, 2017

At Lethbridge, the Regina Pats won the Eastern Conference championship with a 7-4 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Regina won the series, 4-2, and now will meet the Seattle Thunderbirds for the Ed

SERGEY ZBOROVSKIY

Chynoweth Cup. . . . Last night, the Pats erased 3-0 and 4-2 deficits, winning the game by scoring its last five goals. . . . The Hurricanes led 3-0 before the first period was nine minutes old. . . . F Egor Babenko (10) got it started at 1:43, with F Jordy Bellerive (7), on a PP, at 6:56, and F Ryan Vandervlis (8), also on a PP, at 8:02, upping the lead to 3-0. . . . The Pats cut the deficit to one on goals from F Robbie Holmes (2), at 8:25, and D Josh Mahura (4), at 10:46. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (11) scored on a PP, at 1:05 of the second period, to give the host team a 4-2 lead. . . . It was all Regina after that. . . . F Filip Ahl (4), on a PP, got the Pats to within a goal, at 15:47, and F Nick Henry (4) tied it at 17:20. . . . The Pats took the lead for the first time when F Jeff de Wit (4) scored at 8:41 of the third period. . . . F Austin Wagner (14) added insurance at 9:41, and F Wyatt Sloboshan (4) got the empty-netter at 19:19. . . . It says something about the Pats’ depth that they scored seven goals and their top two scorers, Adam Brooks and Sam Steel, combined for one assist, that by Brooks. . . . D Sergey Zborovskiy and Sloboshan each had two assists, with Ahl, de Wit and Mahura each adding one. Zborovskiy also was plus-5. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of F Zak Zborosky and D Brennan Menell, with Babenko adding one to his goal. . . . This game feature the rarity of one player being awarded two penalty shots during the same stoppage of play. . . . With Regina leading 6-4 with 69 seconds left in the third period, Hurricanes F Tyler Wong was awarded a penalty shot because Pats D Connor Hobbs was ruled to have knocked the net off its moorings. Wong didn’t score on the attempt, but was given a redo when Regina G Tyler Brown knocked the net off during the penalty shot. On the second attempt, Wong missed the net. . . . Brown finished with 24 saves, 20 fewer than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . The Hurricanes were 3-3 on the PP; the Pats were 1-3. . . . The Hurricanes scratched, among others, F Matt Alfaro, who missed the entire series, and F Ryan Bowen. Lethbridge also was without F Josh Tarzwell, who scored his first playoff goal in Game 5 and left shortly after with and undisclosed injury. . . . Regina continues to play without F Jake Leschyshyn and D Dawson Davidson, both of whom have long-term injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 5,098. . . . Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald has a game story right here. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.

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MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.

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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Seattle at Regina, 7 p.m.

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A little of this and some of that from the WHL and beyond

F Zdeněk Blatný (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) has been released by mutual agreement by Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had eight goals and two assists in 25 games. . . .
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, in 38 games, he leads his team in scoring with 47 points, including 28 goals, in 38 games. . . . The Frankfurt general manager is Rich Chernomaz (Saskatoon, Victoria Cougars, 1979-83 . . . Frankfurt’s head coach is Tim Kehler, who was an assistant coach with Swift Current (2007-10). . . .
F Jakub Langhammer (Spokane, 2002-04) has signed for the rest of this season with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). He had been released on Wednesday by Regensburg (Germany, Oberliga) at his request so that he could sign with Dresden. He had two goals in two games with with Regensburg.
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The Saskatoon Blades visit the Broncos in Swift Current tonight. That means Blades D Brycen Martin gets to face his former team for the first time. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here, and Martin doesn’t mince words when he explains how he believes things went south for him in Swift Current.
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No WHL player has put up better numbers of late than G Evan Sarthou of the Tri-City Americans. Before losing 7-5 in Portland on Sunday, Sarthou had put up four shutouts in his previous five starts. With G Eric Comrie on the roster of Canada’s national junior team and now injured, Sarthou has made 20 straight starts. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has more right here.
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In the last few games, the Kootenay Ice has lost twice to the Saskatoon Blades and once to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, two non-playoff teams. The Ice gets a chance to undo some of the damage when it begins a seven-game homestand tonight against the Regina Pats. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors, under general manager Alan Millar, have taken a long, hard look at all aspects of their scouting game. It resulted in the firing of head scout Rob MacLachlan last week, even though he had the rest of this season and next left on his contract. Marc Smith of discovermoosejaw.com takes a look right here at all that happened and why it happened.
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Dave McLellan, the GM and head coach of the junior B Nelson Leafs, has been suspended for the balance of this Kootenay International Junior Hockey League regular season. The ruling came down after the Leafs were found to have played an ineligible player for nine games. . . . Bruce Fuhr of the Nelson Daily has more right here.
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F Charlie Zuccarini of the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters has been suspended for the balance of this season and the playoffs after he slashed a referee during a game last weekend. . . . From Shelton, Conn., Zuccarini is a 20-year-old, meaning that his junior career is finished. . . . He has committed to Arizona State U. . . . During the game against the Coquitlam Express, Zuccarini was hit with a match penalty after slashing referee Kirk Wood on one wrist. . . . According to a news release from the Smoke Eaters, Zuccarini “took responsibility for his actions and did not question that he was in the wrong.” . . . He had 56 points, including 27 goals, in 45 games. . . . The Smoke Eaters' news release is right here.
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Note to Jim Hiller: All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. If you haven’t already, put it on your reading list.
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The CFL’s B.C. Lions announced Thursday that they have signed received Austin Collie, who has a history of concussions. A couple of days before he signed, but with Collie's signing somewhere in the CFL said to be imminent, Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press filed an interesting column that is right here.
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“The rate of concussions among NFL players fell 25 per cent this season, according to the league, even as injury reporting and trips to injured reserve list rose overall,” writes Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press from Phoenix, site of Sunday’s Super Bowl. . . . That is especially interesting considering the increased attention on concussions these days. . . . Fendrich’s story is right here.
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Here’s how Ray Ratto of CSNBayArea.com summed up the NFL’s concussion report:
“The NFL said concussions were down 25 percent in 2014, which is fine. They said it. Means nothing though, since their protocols for reporting are still laxly supervised and are left to individual teams and (worse) to individual players who feel pressure to play through the haze. Plus, the NFL has lost its right to be believed anyway.
“So congratulations to all players who didn’t have a concussion in 2014. Whoever you are.”
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“A new study of NFL retirees found that those who began playing tackle football when they were younger than 12 years old had a higher risk of developing memory and thinking problems later in life,” writes Ken Belson of The New York Times. “The study, published in the medical journal Neurology by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine, was based on tests given to 42 former NFL players, ages 41 to 65, who had experienced cognitive problems for at least six months. Half the players started playing tackle football before age 12, and the other half began at 12 or older.” . . . The complete story is right here.
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If you are wondering about concussions in the WHL this season, it is impossible to keep track. There is no transparency in the WHL when it comes to injuries and it’s impossible to count concussions by anecdotal evidence.
In many WHL markets, the media types who cover the teams don’t concern themselves with trying to identify injuries, other than going with upper- and lower-body information, as supplied by the league.
However, judging by anecdotal evidence and the number of “upper-body injuries” there have been and continue to be in the WHL, I would suggest that the number of concussions incurred by WHL players isn’t decreasing.
There also have been at least three players suffer concussions in fights in recent games.
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F Barrett Sheen, 16, has signed with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. An undrafted list player, Sheen is from Airdrie, Alta. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is playing for the midget AAA UFA Bisons, who play out of Strathmore, Alta. . . .
Vancouver is scheduled to visit Everett tonight, which means Giants D Mason Geersen and Silvertips F Nikita Scherbak will renew what has turned into quite a rivalry. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has more right here. . . . Ewen also points out that the Giants have yet to say who will replace injured G Payton Lee on their roster for the weekend. . . . Vancouver D Clayton Kirichenko, out since Nov. 26 with an undisclosed injury, is expected to return tonight. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades, who are expected to be without D Kolton Dixon, F Luke Gingras and F Mitch Skapski due to undisclosed injuries tonight in Swift Current, have added F Brayden Uhrich and D Mackenzie Dwyer to their roster. . . . Dwyer is a 17-year-old Winnipegger who is playing for the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers. He was an 11th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Uhrich is the younger brother of Saskatoon F Josh Uhrich. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that F Brett Stovin, the team’s captain, is listed as probable due to an undisclosed injury.
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Only in Canada. Stick tape and sock tape in the vending machine with the candy and chips pic.twitter.com/ISDOc9s3g6
— Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning) January 29, 2015

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) signed a one-year contract with Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had no points in seven games with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) and seven goals and 11 assists in 41 games with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan) last season. . . .
D Keith Seabrook (Calgary, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract with Val Pusteria (Italy, Serie A). He had three goals and 10 assists in 45 games with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL) and two goals and one assist in nine games with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) last season. . . .
F Kris Hogg (Kamloops, Lethbridge, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with the Fife Flyers (England, UK Elite). He had 13 goals and 11 assists in 50 games with the Missouri Mavericks (CHL) last season. There is more on the Hogg signing right here.
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Teams throughout the WHL are on tenterhooks as they watch, like the rest of us, as the NHL and NHLPA continue to negotiate a CBA.
But it looks more and more as though that deal won’t be reached by the Sept. 15 deadline, at which time the NHL has said it will lockout its players.
But what happens to WHL teams and their drafted players if there is a lockout?
The Vancouver Giants, for example, have four drafted players — D David Musil, D Brett Kulak (Calgary), F Marek Tvrdon (Detroit) and F Jordan Martinook (Phoenix).
Of that bunch, only Martinook, who is 20, is able to play anywhere other than the NHL or the WHL.
Here’s Giants GM Scott Bonner, talking to Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun: “The scariest scenario for us could be if, let’s say, Jordan Martinook starts the season with us, then the NHL starts up Dec. 1 and some of Phoenix’s players in the American League go back up to the NHL. Then Phoenix has to fill their Springfield roster and we might lose Marty. That would be a tough blow. Here’s your first-line centre . . . see you later. So there is definitely some grey area there.”
Pap’s story is right here.
Or consider the case of the Kamloops Blazers. They have four 20-year-olds on their roster at the moment — D Austin Madaisky, F Jordan DePape, F Brendan Ranford and F Dylan Willick.
Of those four, only Madaisky is tied to an NHL team; in fact, he has signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
So what happens if there is a lockout and Madaisky ends up back with the Blazers? Obviously, they would keep him as he would be one of the WHL’s top defencemen. So let’s say they keep him and trade one of the three forwards.
And, as Bonner suggested in his example, let’s say the lockout ends on Dec. 1 and the Blue Jackets decide to assign Madaisky to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.
All of a sudden, Kamloops is out its top defenceman and a top-six forward who was traded away to make room for Madaisky.
Scenarios like this are certain to be played out across the WHL over the next few weeks.
It almost makes you wonder why the WHL doesn’t allow teams to carry five 20-year-olds throughout the season.
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It really was no surprise Monday when Brent Sutter, who owns the Red Deer Rebels, announced that he was moving back into the general manager’s office. Hey, when Willie Nelson had his own golf course, par was whatever he wanted it to be. This is Sutter's team so he can be whatever he wants to be.
Seriously, you had to know that if he wasn’t coaching somewhere in the NHL, he would be back with the Rebels.
Jesse Wallin, who had been GM/head coach, will stay on as head coach, with Bryce Thoma as his assistant.
Sutter was the club’s GM/head coach from 1999-2007 before going on to the NHL and coaching stints with the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames. His contract wasn’t renewed by the Flames after last season.
Wallin, one of the game’s bright young coaches, is preparing for his fifth season as head coach.
Here, from a news release, is Sutter’s explanation:
“After an evaluation of our hockey operations department throughout the summer, it became evident to me that we needed a separate general manager and head coach. Jesse Wallin will continue to be our head coach. After going through this portion of the evaluation, there were two options: Bring in someone from outside the organization to be the general manager, or I do it myself. With the familiarity I have with the coaching staff, scouting staff, players, and all other personnel inside hockey operations, I made the decision that I was the right person to take over this position at this point in time.”       
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F Keegan Iverson of the Portland Winterhawks plans on sticking with the WHL team this season at the age of 16. And he also plans on wearing No. 13 to honour his friend Jack Jablonski. Interestingly, according to the Winterhawks’ media guide, no player in franchise history has ever worn No. 13.
Paul Buker of The Oregonian has more right here.
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The Swift Current Broncos have apparently signed F Tanner LeSann, 17, who played the last two seasons with the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest. Last season, he had 42 points and 100 penalty minutes in 40 games. . . . LeSann announced his signing via Twitter (@TLeSann12): “officially signed with the swift current broncos #greatfeeling”
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The community-owned Lethbridge Hurricanes held their annual general meeting on Monday night, with more than 120 people in attendance.
The team announced a loss of $602,284 for 2011-12. The biggest chunk of that came from a lack of ticket sales — they had budgeted for $1.5 million, but, in fact, the number ended up being $984,000. . . . For 2012-13, the Hurricanes’ board is budgeting for a loss of $179,000. . . . For more on the meeting, check out Pat Siedlecki’s blog over there on the right.
I would like to thank Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald for his tweets from the Hurricanes’ annual meeting. Reading those was better than being there.
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The OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads have hired veteran coach Jason Nobili, 38, as assistant GM and assistant coach. He’ll work with GM/head coach James Boyd. . . . Nobili has been coaching for 16 years.

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The new mask sported by Medicine Hat Tigers G Tyler
Bunz carries photos of two former NHL goaltenders — Kelly
Hrudey of the Los Angeles Kings and Pete Peeters of the
Philadelphia Flyers. Both are former Medicine Hat goaltenders.
(Courtesy Tyler Bunz)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) signed a one-year contract after a successful tryout with Frederikshavn (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had two goals and two assists in four games during the tryout. Previously this season, Rumpel had three assists in two games with Trnava (Slovakia, 1.Liga). . . .
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) signed a one year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan) after being notified last week that his tryout contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) wouldn’t be extended. He was pointless in seven games with the Tigers. Mueller will travel with Tingsryd to Örebro for their game on Friday with the hopes that all the required paperwork will be completed in time for him to play.
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Post-concussion syndrome has claimed another hockey career.
F Kris Chucko was a 10th-round selection of the Brandon Wheat Kings whose rights later were traded to the Kamloops Blazers. However, he never played in the WHL, choosing instead to skate with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks and then the U of Minnesota Gophers. He went on to be a first-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 2004 draft. Over the last two seasons, he has 43 gams with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, just two last season.
And now he has chosen to retire.
The complete story is right here.
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When he was a mere youngster, Liam Stewart was in New York City for one of his dad’s concerts. (His dad? That would be music legend Rod Stewart). While in the Big Apple, Liam got to see an NHL game involving the Rangers. “From then on,” he told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review, “I told my mom I wanted to do that.” (His mom? That would be actress/model Rachel Hunter.)
Today, Liam Stewart is a 17-year-old forward with the Spokane Chiefs, whose head coach Don Nachbaur sees a lot of potential.
Trimmer’s complete story is right here.
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D Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips came out of Tuesday’s 8-2 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings with a high ankle sprain. That, according to the team, will keep him out for up to six weeks.
While the injury isn’t likely to affect his draft status — Murray is likely to be a top five pick in the 2012 NHL draft — he is going to have to hurry back for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp.
That camp is scheduled for early December in Calgary.
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JUST NOTES: The Carolina Hurricanes have signed F Victor Rask of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year NHL deal. Rask, a second-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft, has 10 points in his first eight WHL games. The deal, which includes a US$277,500 signing bonus, pays $550,000, $650,000 and $750,000 in the NHL and $70,000 in the minors. Rask is from Leksand, Sweden. . . . The Clouston brothers go head-to-head tonight in Medicine Hat when Shaun’s Tigers (8-3-0) meet Cory’s Brandon Wheat Kings (7-3-1). The Wheat Kings are on their way home after going 3-2-0 in the U.S. Division. Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun checked it out and reports that Cory holds a 4-1-0 edge in the family series. Their teams met five times in 2002-03 — Cory was with the Kootenay Ice, while Shaun was head coach of the Tri-City Americans. . . . You are free to wonder if there is a side bet, like the winner gets the drumstick on Christmas Day?
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SOME THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
In Regina, F Victor Rask, whose signing with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes was announced earlier in the day, scored the game’s first goal and the Calgary Hitmen went on to a 3-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Rask, a freshman from Sweden, has seven goals in nine games. . . . The Hitmen now have won three in a row. Once 1-4-1, Calgary now is 4-4-1. . . . Bret (Hitman) Hart, the legendary wrestling star, was in attendance in Regina. . . .
In Kelowna, Rockets D Damon Severson drew a career-high five assists in a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Severson, 17, has 12 points, including 10 assists, in 10 games. Last season, he finished with 17 points in 64 games. . . . Regan Bartel, the Rockets’ radio voice, reports that Severson tied F Colin Long’s franchise record for assists in game set in 2007-08. . . . The Rockets halted a six-game losing streak. They started the season 3-0-0 and now are 4-5-1. . . . Vancouver, which has lost three straight, took 86 of the 135 penalty minutes doled out by referees Steve Papp and Nick Swaine. . . . Vancouver D Blake Orban can expect a call from the WHL office after taking an interference major and game misconduct late in the second period. . . . From Bartel’s blog: “(Kelowna) forward Carter Rigby left the game in the second period after crashing into Giants defenceman Blake Orban at centre ice. Rigby had his bell rung on a collision that saw Orban surprisingly tossed from the game after receiving a major and game misconduct for interference.” . . . The Rockets had D Madison Bowey back in the lineup. He missed the regular season’s first nine games after suffering a knee injury during an exhibition game in Kamloops.
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So there I was sitting in a local coffee joint sipping on a coffee (medium, black) and reading the Vancouver Province.
When I got to the editorial page, I about lost the mouthful of java.
Because right there on the editorial page, where a newspaper usually takes politicans to task or discusses other really important issues, like perhaps the price of gas or the future of Libya, was a call for the Vancouver Canucks to trade goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Tampa Bay Lightning for centre Vincent Lecavalier. Seriously!
Anyway . . . Puck Daddy handles it about as well as anyone could, so click right here for that.
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It’s no secret that WHL teams face some awfully tough road trips. Like the Portland Winterhawks, who left Wednesday on a 17-day trek during which they will visit the Dalai Lama, stop by the Taj Mahal, have tea with the Queen, and play nine hockey games. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at some of the longest trips and offers up some movie ideas right here.
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You have got to think a lot of hockey people are keeping close tabs on litigation that is on-going in the U.S., involving football players suing the NFL.
Right now, there are five separate complaints involving more than 125 former NFLers.
There is a whole lot more right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Don Hay, the Vancouver Giants' head coach . . . working
on a new coaching strategy?
(Photo by Dan Elliott / Vancouver Giants)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) signed a one-month contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). The club has the option to extend the contract for the duration of the season. Mueller was on a two-week unpaid try-out contract he had signed last week. He had three goals and one assist in 18 games with Ingolstadt (Germnay, DEL) and five goals and five assists in 15 games with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) last season.
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OK. Here’s one that you absolutely have to read. You may even want to bookmark the blog address and revisit it from time to time.
The blog is titled: Eastside Stories — Diary of a Vancouver Beat Cop.
This particular entry details the visit made earlier this week by Tim O’Donovan, the Kamloops Blazers’ communications and media co-ordinator, and six of the team’s veteran players.
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You may be wondering about the photo accompanying this compilation of notes and stuff. That is, of course, veteran Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay in the suit and tie and some hockey gear. What is he doing, you ask? He was taking part in a photo shoot for BC Business Magazine. . . . The Giants open at home to the Victoria Royals on Friday night and then visit the B.C. capital on Saturday. If you were wondering, the Giants will have to over-night in Victoria as the last ferry to mainland on weekends leaves Sidney by the Sea at 9 p.m. So the Giants will catch the ferry Sunday at 7 a.m. . . . The Kamloops Blazers will play doubleheaders in Victoria on Nov. 29-30 and Jan. 27-28. Rather than bus in the day before the first game, the Blazers will go in the day of the game. They then will spent two nights there before catching the ferry the morning after the second game. . . . By the way, Vancouver F Michael Burns will miss both those games with Victoria after being hit with a two-game suspension for a kneeing major he incurred in a Saturday exhibition game.
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It will become official tonight.
The Crushed Can is dead; long live the Crushed Can!
The Brandon Wheat Kings will meet the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight to open the WHL’s 46th regular season, and they’ll do it in Mosaic Place, Moose Jaw’s brand new multi-purpose facility.
The game will be televised on Shaw. The pre-game festivities will include appearances by former Warriors captains Mark MacKay, Mike Keane and Spencer Edwards.
Moose Jaw will be without D Joel Edmundson, who came back from the camp of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues with an ankle injury. He likely will sit for two weeks.
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The Saskatoon Blades have claimed F Jesse Paradis, 20, off waivers from the Warriors.
Paradis has 70 points and 173 penalty minutes in 239 regular-season games, split between the Kelowna Rockets and the Warriors.
His arrival in Saskatoon leaves the Blades with four 20-year-olds — the others being F Darian Dziurzynski, who is in camp with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, F Jake Trask and G Adam Morrison.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are to return some players to junior teams today, meaning D Austin Madaisky will be on his way back to the Kamloops Blazers. The Portland Winterhawks, however, shouldn’t be expecting F Ryan Johansen back. It’s expected that Johansen, the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft and perhaps the team’s most highly touted prospect, will get a long, long look.
Meanwhile, among those on the way back are F Mark McNeill, Chicago to Prince Albert; F Brad Ross, Toronto to Portland; F Josh Nicholls, Toronto to Saskatoon;
D Dylan Buselius, Nashville to Medicine Hat; F Cole Grbavac, Dallas to Medicine Hat; G Tyler Bunz, Edmonton to Medicine Hat; D David Musil, Edmonton to Vancouver; D Brandon Davidson, Edmonton to Regina; D Colton Jobke, Minnesota to Kelowna; D Josh Caron, Minnesota to Kamloops; D Troy Rutkowski, Colorado to Portland; F Michael Ferland, Calgary to Brandon; F Brooks Macek, Detroit to Calgary; F Victor Rask, Carolina to Calgary; D Keegan Lowe, Carolina to Edmonton; D Joey Leach, Calgary to Kootenay; F Patrick Holland, Calgary to Tri-City; F Brody Sutter, Carolina to Lethbridge; F Turner Elson, Calgary to Red Deer; and F Jordan Weal, Los Angeles to Regina.
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JUST NOTES: The NHL’s San Jose Sharks have assigned F Curt Gogol, 20, of the Victoria Royals to their AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks. Gogol has signed with the Sharks so is eligible to play in their organization. . . . The Sharks also assigned D Sena Acolatse to Worcester. He played out his eligility last season with the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes got F Brody Sutter back from the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, meaning the WHL team now has four 20-year-olds on its roster. The others are F Cam Braes, F Austin Fyten and G Damien Ketlo. . . . As was mentioned here the other day, G Deven Dubyk didn’t play for the Medicine Hat Tigers in a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings in St. Alberta, Alta., on Sept. 5. The on-line game sheet originally indicated that he did play. That now has been corrected. It seems Kenny Cameron’s name should have appeared on the game sheet, as it now does. . . . Cameron and Dawson MacAuley are neck-and-neck in the scrap to back up Tigers’ starter Tyler Bunz. . . . It would appear that the BCHL has delivered a message as it has suspended Penticton Vees F Logan Johnston for 20 games. Johnston, a 20-year-old who is from Penticton and into his fourth season with his hometown team, delivered a hit in a Saturday exhibition game that broke the jaw of Coquitlam Express F Cody Michelle.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have cut some ticket prices by 30 per cent. With the Oil Kings generally seen as a team on the rise with an abundance of young talent, it will be interesting to see how the Edmonton-and-area marketplace responds to this move. Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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As only he can do, Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail suggests that the NHL could cut down on fighting simply by trimming the number of players allowed on team rosters. MacGregor was in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Tuesday night as the Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets engaged in two first-minute fights. His piece is right here.
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For today’s good read, we give you a scintillating piece written by former WHLer Brent Severyn (Seattle, Brandon, Saskatoon, 1983-86). Severyn was a pretty good defenceman during his WHL career. In order to get into the NHL and to stay there, he became an enforcer. He now has told his story to Sports Illustrated and it is more than a little engrossing. It is right here. Don't miss this one!

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dale Hunt (Prince George, Everett, 2005-10) was released by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). . . .
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) signed a two-week tryout contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had three goals and one assist in 18 games for Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL) and five goals and five assists in 15 games for Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) last season. . . .
F Mikhail Fisenko (Vancouver, Calgary, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had eight goals and 32 assists in 64 games for the Hitmen last season.
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While a funeral mass for the late Brad McCrimmon will be held Saturday in Farmington, Mich., there also will be a memorial service held in Saskatoon. It is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 25, at Knox United Church, 838 Spadina Crescent East.
The service is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., with a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Cavalier Saskatoon Hotel, 612 Spadina Crescent East.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Emanuel Viveiros (Prince Albert, 1982-86) is the new head coach of Austrian national team. He has signed a three-year contract. . . . Viveiros, 45, played in Europe for 17 years, 13 of them in Austria. . . . An Austrian citizen, he has spent two years as an assistant coach under Bill Gilligan, whom he is sucdeeding. Viveiros will continue as head coach of Klagenfurt. . . . Viveiros has two hockey-playing sons — Landan, 17, played on Austria’s U-18 team last season; Layne, 16, just transferred from Klagenfurt to the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rob Daum, who has coached with the Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes, signed on as an assistant coach. . . . Daum, a long-time coach at the U of Alberta, also has coached in the AHL and NHL. He is in his first season as head coach of Black Wings Linz, an Austrian club team.
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The Winterhawks are more than pleased with Layne Viveiros, a defenceman who was a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He was born in Edmonton.
“He turned out to be way better than we thought he would be,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune. “Very smart, puck-moving defenseman. Good intelligence and hockey sense.”
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JUST NOTES: There is word out of the Tacoma area that there is interest in seeing whether it’s viable to have NHL and/or NBA franchises in the city. King 5 News has reported that Tacoma city council will cough up $100,000 for a study to see what the cost would be to renovate the Tacoma Dome and to gauge public support. Tacoma, of course, once was home to the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Saskatoon Blades are down to two goaltenders after assigning Adam Todd, 17, to the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. That leaves the Blades with veteran Adam Morrison, 20, and Russian freshman Andrey Makarov, 18, who was picked up in the 2011 CHL import draft. . . . The Blades are down to 25 players, including six defenceman and 17 forwards. Of that number, seven are at NHL camps. . . . The Kamloops Blazers have assigned F Devin Oakes, 16, to the Pursuit of Excellence midget AAA prep team in Kelowna. Oakes, a list player, had 24 points in 41 games with the PoE midget AAA team last season.
F Mark Stone, 19, and D Jordan Fransoo, 18, of the Brandon Wheat Kings have made the move to the Ottawa Senators’ main camp after playing for the rookie team in a tournament in Oshawa, Ont. . . . F Ryan Johansen and F Oliver Gabriel, teammates with the Portland Winterhawks, each had a goal Wednesday as the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie team dropped a 4-3 OT decision to the St. Louis Blues in the Traverse City, Mich., tournament. . . . Johansen put up six points, including three goals, and was plus-7 in the tournament, while Gabriel had four points, two of them goals, and was plus-4. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have assigned F Ryan Bloom, 18, to the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. Acquired from the Kootenay Ice in the deal for F Cody Eakin in January, Bloom had two points in 29 games split between the Broncos and Ice last season. The Broncos also signed F Jordan Wittman, the 46th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, and assigned F Denis Bosc, the 121st selection in the 2010 draft, to the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. Bosc has signed with the Broncos. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have claimed G Deven Dubyk, 20, off waivers from the Medicine Hat Tigers. After being dropped by the Tigers last week, Dubyk joined the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, who are the host team for the 2012 RBC Cup. An 11th-round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2006 bantam draft, Dubyk actually got into 35 games with the Warriors in 2008-09. He was 7-15-1, 4.57, .866. Last season, he went 11-5, 2.89, .908 while backing up Tyler Bunz in Medicine Hat. . . . The Warriors also have two other goaltenders — Brandon Stone, 18, and Spencer Tremblay, 17. Should Dubyk join them, they also will have five 20-year-olds, the others being F Brett Lyon, F Jesse Paradis, F Sebastian Svendsen and D Collin Bowman. . . . The deadline for WHL teams to get down to a maximum of three 20-year-olds is Oct. 13. . . .
F Parker Stanfield, who completed his junior eligibility last season with the Everett Silvertips, has signed with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Stanfield, who is from Anaheim Hills, Calif., had 34 points in 64 games last season, the first four games and four points with the Prince George Cougars, the rest in Everett. He played three seasons (2007-11) with Prince George. . . . According to the Fredericton Daily Gleaner, F Taylor Procyshen (Tri-City, 2004-09) won’t be back with the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds “due to concussion-related issues.” The Varsity Reds are the reigning champions in Canadian university hockey. . . . F Jeff Topilko, who had 54 points in 66 games as a 20-year-old with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2006-07, has signed with the ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers. After graduating from the Wheat Kings, Topilko went on to attend NAIT in Edmonton. . . .
Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review reports that the Chiefs still have four freshman forwards in camp and one of them is Liam Stewart, the 17-year-old son of actress Rachel Hunter and rocker Rod Stewart. . . . F Travis Ewanyk of the Edmonton Oil Kings didn’t make the trip to Penticton with the Edmonton Oilers’ rookie team. And now we know why. Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal tells Corey Graham, the radio voice of the Oil Kings who also does TEAM 1260’s Sports Night Live, that Ewanyk “may have to have surgery and if he does he may be lost to us for a 4-to-5 month range, depending on rehab." It has been speculated that Ewanyk has a shoulder injury. Ewanyk was a third-round pick by the Oilers in the NHL’s 2011 draft. . . . F Spencer Edwards, who spent the last two seasons with the Moose Jaw Warrors, has signed with the Central league’s Allen Americans. He will start the season by going to training camp with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Edwards had 66 points with the Warriors last season when he won the Canadian Hockey League’s humanitarian-of-the-year award.
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Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has written a piece on Vancouver Giants assistant coach Glen Hanlon.
Pap asked Hanlon about the biggest difference between professional and junior players and here is the response:
“Passing skills. I mean, they can stand still and make a pass but being able to receive a pass and give a pass at full speed, the completion rate through your whole group, top to bottom, is not as high as a team of professionals. The skating speed of the players is actually not that much different, it’s the ability to make and receive a pass.”
Pap’s complete story is right here.
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The mask of former WHL goaltender Josh Harding (Regina, Brandon, 2001-04) will remember the late Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Pavol Demitra, all former teammates. For a look, click right here.
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Sean Gordon of The Globe and Mail has a piece right here that includes Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty’s thoughts on the ongoing headshot/concussion debate in hockey.
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Today’s good read – and it’s a great one – comes from Chris Jones (again), who wrote a piece on hockey enforcers for the website Grantland. Jones chatted with Stu Grimson, who was known as The Grim Reaper during his playing days. You don’t want to miss this one right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) has signed a two-year contract with the Kassel Huskies (Germany DEL). He had two goals and six assists in 23 games for the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL) this season. . . .
F Glen Goodall (Seattle, 1984-90) won’t be re-signed by Ingolstadt (Germany DEL) after 11 seasons with the club. Goodall, the team captain this season, had five assists in 35 games for Ingolstadt. He has played in Germany since 1993. Goodall holds the WHL career games played (399) and goals (262) records, and is fifth in assists (311) and second in points (573).
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Former NHLer Trevor Letowski has signed on as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. Letowski, whose NHL career featured 616 games, spent the last two seasons with Astana Barys of the Continental league. Letowski, 33, is a former Sting player. He replaces Greg Walters, who left his position as associate coach following the season. Walters had been with the Sting for eight years. Letowski, who doesn’t have any coaching experience, will work under GM/head coach Dave McQueen.
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Mike Vandekamp, who took a turn as head coach of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, has moved on to coach in the Allan Cup tournament that opens Monday in Fort St. John, B.C., which just happens to be his hometown. Vandekamp, now the GM and head coach of the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm, is helping the host team, the Fort St. John Flyers. The Bentley Generals, under head coach Brian Sutter, are back to defend their Canadian senior hockey title.
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Freelance writer Scott Sepich, who often writes on the Portland Winterhawks for The Oregonian, takes a good look back and a glance into the future right here.
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WHL PLAYOFFS
THIRD ROUND
CONFERENCE FINALS
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (2)
(Brandon leads series 1-0)
Friday: Brandon 4 at Calgary 2 (8,669)
Saturday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-April 23: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-April 25: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-April 27: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Vancouver (5)
(Vancouver leads series 1-0)
Friday: Vancouver 4 at Tri-City 2 (3,899)
Saturday: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:35 p.m.
Tuesday: Tri-City at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Tri-City at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-April 23: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-April 25: Tri-City at Vancouver, TBD
x-April 27: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
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FRIDAY:
In Calgary, the Brandon Wheat Kings fell behind 1-0 and then scored the next three goals as they beat the Hitmen, 4-2, in the Eastern Conference final opener. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for Calgary on Saturday. . . . Brandon has won six straight road games in these playoffs. . . . D Zak Stebner gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 10:37 of the first period, on the PP. . . . Brandon F Toni Rajala tied it five minutes later, on the PP. . . . D Travis Hamonic gave Brandon its first lead at 2:37 of the second period and F Brayden Schenn got the eventual winner at 9:03 of the third. . . . Calgary F Joel Broda pulled his guys to within one at 17:41 of the third, but Brandon F Matt Calvert iced it with an empty-netter at 19:59. . . . Broda has nine goals in these playoffs, while Schenn has eight. . . . Brandon was 1-for-3 on the PP; Calgary has 1-for-2. . . . Brandon G Jacob DeSerres, who is from Calgary, stopped 33 shots. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones turned aside 26 shots. . . . Attendance was 8,669. . . . Referees Matt Kirk and Chris Savage handed out five minor penalties, three to Calgary. . . . Brandon was without D Darren Bestland (undisclosed) and D Ryley Miller (jaw), while Calgary was minus D Kyle Aschim (upper body).
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In Kennewick, Wash., Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 42 shots to lead the Giants to a 4-2 victory over the host Tri-City Americans. . . . This was the opener of the Western Conference final, with Game 2 set for the Toyota Center on Saturday night. . . . Segal, much-maligned as the Vancouver weak link when these playoffs began, now is 9-2 in this postseason. . . . Vancouver is 6-0 on the road in the playoffs. . . . The Americans took a 2-1 lead into the second period after D Tyler Schmidt scored two PP goals, the first just 35 seconds into the game and the second at 19:29. . . . F James Henry got the Giants on the board at 16:42. . . . F Brendan Gallagher tied the game, with his 10th playoff goal, at 1:45 of the second and F Greg Lamoureux, who had one goal in 42 regular-season games, got his first WHL postseason score in his fourth game at 4:18 to put the visitors in front. . . . Vancouver F Tomas Vincour added a PP goal, his sixth, at 10:28 of the third. . . . Giants D Nolan Toigo set up three goals and was plus-3. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman had two assists. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 19 shots. . . . The Americans were 2-for-9 on the PP; the Giants were 1-for-7. . . . Tri-City enjoyed a 5-on-3 PP late in the third period for 1:28 but only managed one shot on goal as the Giants tightened up defensively. . . . Attendance was 3,899.