Ownership transfers cleared; former Chiefs coach wins in KHL

As expected, the WHL’s board of governors approved the transfer of ownership of the Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats on Wednesday in Calgary.
Long-time owner Rick Brodsky has sold the Cougars to EDGEPRO Sports and Entertainment Ltd. The new ownership group is led by Prince George businessman Greg Pocock and also includes Raymond Fortier, Ernest Ouellet and John Pateman, along with NHL defencemen Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis, both of whom are former Cougars players.
Later, Hartley Miller at hqprincegeorge.com reported that Pocock had confirmed that general manager Dallas Thompson wouldn’t be retained, while head coach Mark Holick, with two years left on his contract, will return for a second full season. Thompson and Todd Harkins, the Cougars’ director of player personnel, will handle the team’s bantam draft moves today.
Brodsky purchased the franchise in 1992, when it was the Victoria Cougars, and moved it north for the 1994-95 season.
Meanwhile, Diane and Russ Parker have sold the Pats to Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group Ltd. The Parkers owned the Pats for 19 seasons. QCSEC is headed up by Anthony Marquart, and also includes Jason Drummond, Todd Lumbard, and Gavin and Shaun Semple.
Marquart will be the Pats’ governor, a role previously filled by Chad Lang, the senior vice-president and general manager, while Lumbard, a former Brandon Wheat Kings and Pats goaltender, will be the president.
The Pats’ new owners aren’t anticipating any changes within the front office or coaching staff.
“We want to keep everyone in our organization in the same role,” Lumbard told Greg Harder of The Leader-Post. “We have some of our own ideas that we want to implement of course, but the plan is to go in and work together with the group we have, try to improve, give them as much support as we can, engage the community and rely on some of our ownership group to utilize their resources in the community.
“We want to put every resource we can into building this hockey team into the best on-ice product we can and also really work hard on the game experience for our fans and make the arena a fun place to be.”
Harder also reported, as he did earlier, that the Pats’ new owners are negotiating with former captain Mike Sillinger, who is likely to join the organization in hockey operations. He presently is with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as director of player development.
While the WHL’s board of governors has approved both transfers, neither sale has closed. Both deals should be officially done nearer to the end of this month.
The Pats’ new owners will meet the media in Regina on Monday. The Cougars’ new owners have scheduled a news conference for May 13 at the CN Centre in Prince George.
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1. Rick Williams, who played in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and Victoria Cougars, is losing his fight with dementia. His father, Clarence, calls it a struggle “worse than death.” . . . Rick Williams is 60 years of age. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.

2. The WHL held its awards luncheon in Calgary on Wednesday. A list of award winners can be found on the WHL’s website (whl.ca). . . . The bantam draft is to be held today. For coverage, visit Alan Caldwell’s blog -- Small Thoughts At Large. There is a link over there on the right.

3. What does it say that Mike Johnston, the general manager, head coach and chief architect of the Portland Winterhawks, has never been saluted as the WHL’s coach of the year or executive of the year? The Winterhawks are into the WHL championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a fourth straight season, all of them under Johnston.

4. What does it say that Derek Laxdal, the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, has yet to be named coach of the year? The Oil Kings are into the championship final for a third straight season. (Bob Green, the Oil Kings’ former GM, was named executive of the year for 2011-12 and 2012-13.)

5. John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal has written a solid column on Mike Johnston, who doesn’t keep any secrets when asked about Portland’s success. That piece is right here.

6. Mike Pelino, who worked as an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs for two seasons (1998-2000), is celebrating a Gagarin Cup championship today. Pelino is an assistant coach under Mike Keenan with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. They won the KHL title on Wednesday, beating Lev Prague 7-4 in Game 7 of the championship series. . . . There is more right here.

7. On Sunday, TSN wasn’t able to free up room on either of its channels to show an NHL playoff game from start to finish. Last night, to make up for Sunday, TSN had the Minnesota at Colorado game on both of its channels at the same time.

8. Was Twitter amazing last night, or what? Three Game 7s in the Stanley Cup race and then Rob Ford’s world went bananas. . . . If you live in Toronto, you have to vote for Ford again because those of us who don’t live there want to see this soap opera through to its conclusion. How does it end?

9. I really don’t know what We The North means, but, with apologies to the Vancouver Canucks . . . We Are All Raptors.

10. Late last night, TSN’s Farhan Lalji tweeted that the Canucks will fired head coach John Tortorella today. That being the case, I would suggest Todd McLellan would be a good fit there.

11. Looking for a good read? Click right here and read all about Bill Simmons of ESPN/Grantland. It’s a piece from Rolling Stone that was written by Rob Tannenbaum.

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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs have signed Kyle Adams as associate coach. He will work alongside head coach Jason Tatarnic. . . . Adams has spent the last five seasons on the coaching staff of the junior A Woodstock Slammers in Ontario. He spent three of those seasons as an associate coach on Tatarnic’s staff.

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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Taylor Roseveare (@PoTaylourHead), who was a ticket executive with the Saskatoon Blades: “Want to thank the @bladeshockey for an amazing 3 years. What a ride # newdirection #standuporganization”
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From Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC): “It was a very painful day at CBC. All the best to a lot of talented people...this was not about your performance, which was always elite.”

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Let the Abbotsford rumours begin . . .

Dan Kinvig of the Abbotsford News reports that “the commissioner of the Western Hockey League says the major junior circuit has interest in Abbotsford as a potential market.” . . . In a story that is right here, Kinvig reports that commissioner Ron Robison said the WHL is not going to expand and “does not have any pending applications for relocation from existing franchises.” . . . All of which would seem to cut down on the odds of Abbotsford getting a WHL franchise in the near future.
Earlier this week, the city of Abbotsford and its AHL franchise, the Heat, announced that the Heat would be leaving after this season, with the city having paid $5.5 million to terminate its agreement with the team. That deal, under which the city underwrote losses suffered by the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, had five years left on it.
Robison told Kinvig:
"We are familiar with the building – it's an outstanding facility, and it's a market we have interest in. At this particular stage, we do not have any future plans for expansion, so the only way we would consider Abbotsford would be through the relocation of one of our existing teams.
"But having said that, we always continue to look to explore other options in the event we do have a request for relocation. Certainly, we'll put Abbotsford on our list and do some further due diligence as to its potential for a WHL franchise."
With the commissioner having opened this can of worms, let’s cut to the chase, shall we.
Which WHL franchise/franchises do you think is/are ripe for relocation?
OK, let’s take the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos out of the conversation. Those franchises are community-owned and aren’t going anywhere.
The Prince George Cougars are in the process of being sold and they are staying put.
In the East Division, the Saskatoon Blades changed hands during this season and aren’t relocating. Neither are the Brandon Wheat Kings nor Regina Pats, although there again are strong rumours that the Pats will be sold before another season arrives, perhaps to Calgary oil interests.
None of the other B.C. Division teams -- the Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Vancouver Giants or Victoria Royals -- would seem a likely candidate for a move.
The Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans, all of whom reside in the U.S. Division, are five of the league’s strongest franchises.
The Calgary Hitmen and Edmonton Oil Kings, both owned by NHL teams, finished atop the Central Division and aren’t moving anywhere. The same holds true for the Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels.
Yes, that leaves the Kootenay Ice.
Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s majority owner, president, governor and general manager, has issued repeated denials whenever he has been asked if he is working to sell the franchise or to relocate it.
It wasn’t that long ago when a rumour had Chynoweth relocating the Ice to Lethbridge with the Hurricanes moving to Winnipeg. Yes, there were more denials.
Robison’s comments to Kinvig almost certainly will result in more smoke but no flames, and there will be still more denials from Chynoweth.
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If you are thinking about attending the fourth annual Hockey Coaches Conference, powered by Hockey Now, you should know that the deadline for the early bird special arrives on Sunday.
The conference is scheduled for July 18 and 19 at the Doug Mitchell Sports Centre at the University of British Columbia.
The early bird cost is $250 plus GST; the regular price is $349.99 plus GST.
Aaron Wilbur of the HCC assures me that the names of presenters will begin being released next week. In the past, though, the likes of Ray Ferraro, Ken Hitchcock and Mike Keenan have been involved.
For more info, visit the website right here, or click on the ad at the top of this page.
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G Cole Cheveldave, who played out his eligibility with the Prince Albert Raiders this season, has decided he will attend St. Mary’s U in Halifax and play for the Huskies. . . . Cheveldave, who will turn 21 on June 8, is from Calgary. He played two seasons with the Kamloops Blazers, who dealt him to the Raiders before this season began. With the Raiders, he was 23-24-3, 3.57, .892. . . . Last season, he helped get the Blazers to the Western Conference final. He was 36-16-2, 2.38, .908 in the regular season and 9-6, 2.80, .901 in the playoffs.
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D Dennis Cholowski, a 16-year-old from Langley, B.C., has committed to the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs for next season. He played this season at Yale Academy in Abbotsford, B.C., and did get into one game with the Chiefs. . . . Cholowski suffered a broken arm and hand, which limited him to 12 games, during which he scored 16 points. . . . Cholowski was selected in by the Prince George Cougars in the 10th round of the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft.
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Rick Williams was a defenceman who played with the Saskatoon Blades and Victoria Cougars (1971-74). “Last year,” writes Heather Yourex of Global Calgary, “at the age of 59, Rick was forced to move into long term care.” . . . In recent years, Williams, who suffered a number of concussions during his hockey career, showed all the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). . . . Friends are holding a fundraiser on May 3, hoping to provide some financial help for Williams’ care costs and for CTE research. . . . Yourex’s report is right here.
There is more information right here on the fundraiser.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons fired general manager and head coach Gord Thibodeau on Thursday. He had been with the Oil Barons for 12 seasons, winning the AJHL title eight years ago. . . . This season, the Oil Barons compiled the AJHL’s second-best regular-season record, their 45-11-4 better only by the Spruce Grove Saints (47-10-3). The Oil Barons’ season ended earlier this month when they lost Game 7 of the North Division final to Spruce Grove. . . . The Oil Barons are the host team for the 2015 Crescent Point Western Canada Cup.
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet)
Saturday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
x-Friday, April 25: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 27: Kelowna at Portland, 5 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat/Kootenay at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Medicine Hat/Kootenay at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 26: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 28: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts), with the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues into OT: “136:56 - In case you forgot ... Back in 2003, @WHLKootenayICE alum Adam Cracknell (@ACracknell79) played in the WHL's longest game in history.”
Cracknell now is with the Blues.
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From Adam Cracknell (@ACracknell79), in response to WHL Facts: “Did you also know. I did not also play ONE shift. So I had the best seat for the longest game also. #truestory”




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