Friedman faces music; Jones not so much . . . CIS has first full-time female assistant coach

Normally at the ESPN campus, there's an Anerican flag. But in honor of the deeply patriotic John Saunders it's 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/OFygPrKuTR

— Adnan Virk, ESPN (@adnanESPN) August 12, 2016

F Shayne Wiebe (Kamloops, Brandon, 2006-11) has signed a one-eyar contract with Pusteral/Val Pusteria (Italy, Alps HL). Last season, with Olten (Switzerland, NL B), he had 19 goals and 16 assists in 41 games. Pusteral’s head coach is former Prince George head coach Mark Holick. . . . Pusteral plays out of Brunico, Italy. . . .

D Neil Manning (Vancouver, 2006-12) has signed a one-year contract with Fassa (Italy, Alps HL). Fassa plays in Canazei, Italy. Last season, he had four goals and 10 assists in 22 games with the U of British Columbia. . . .

D Ian Schultz (Calgary, 2006-10) has signed a one-year contract with the Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, he had four goals and five assists in 14 games with the Allen Americans (ECHL). Schultz finished the season with the Allan Cup-champion Bentley Generals.

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Elliotte Friedman, who is the best part of Sportsnet’s NHL coverage, made the biggest error of his broadcasting career while calling a race involving American star Michael Phelps at the Olympics in Rio on Thursday.

Later that night, Friedman owned it all on Twitter. On Friday, he owned it again, this time in an interview with Michael Rosenberg of SI.com.

“He only has two requests,” Rosenberg writes. “One is that I write that if an athlete messed up like that, we would want the athlete to talk, and that’s why he is doing this. He is no hypocrite. The second request is that I put the mistake entirely on him. When I ask if a producer or production assistant was in his earpiece during the race, he bristles. It’s his fault, he says. Entirely his. Write it that way.”

Rosenberg’s complete piece is right here.

Which brings us to Chris Jones, the vice-president of football operations, general manager, head coach and defensive co-ordinator for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The CFL fined the Roughriders $60,000 and took at least $26,000 off their salary cap on Thursday for a handful of rules violations. They were cheating and got caught.

In his media briefing on Thursday, Jones read from a prepared statement and refused to answer any questions involving the cheating scandal.

When Jones met with the media on Friday, he again refused to take any questions involving the scandal. One question was asked. Jones greeted it with silence. Not one media person asked a question involving today’s game against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.

“We owe it to our fans to do everything possible to field a winning team,” said Jones. You will note that he didn’t say “everything possible within the rules . . .”

Jones also said that he hopes the situation results in all nine teams being held to the same standard. Uhh, the Roughriders are reported to have had as many as 95 players in town, some of them sleeping and eating in two houses, all of them being paid.

While Jones bailed, Craig Reynolds, the franchise’s president and CEO, returned from vacation to face the music. He met with the media later in the day, answered questions and among other things, said: “I take accountability for this. This is something I ultimately own as president-CEO of this organization.”

Which is all fine and good. Except that Reynolds did what Jones should have done.

A year ago, Jones was the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos, who are the reigning Grey Cup champions. He signed with Saskatchewan eight days after that Grey Cup victory. Perhaps we now are learning why there was nary a whimper of protest from the Eskimos when he left.

Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.

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In hindsight, take a look at some of what Edmonton Sun columnist Terry Jones wrote as Chris Jones was leaving after two seasons with the Eskimos:

“Can a man who didn’t even come close to figuring out the off-the-field part of the head coach until sometime around Labour Day in his second season, possibly become a general manager, head coach and defensive co-ordinator at the same time?

“In his first year as a head coach, Chris Jones couldn’t get his team lined up for the national anthem three times (including once in front of the Prime Minister in Ottawa the day after touring Parliament Hill) and was fined $5,000 by the league.

“Now Jones will have to look after the salary cap, contracts, the waiver wire and . . . well, he probably won’t be going to the banquets in Elbow, Eyebrow, Climax, Antelope, Porcupine Plain, Reward, Urin or Zip Lake.

“It’ll be very interesting how Jones, who wouldn’t let his team attend Monday Morning Magic in Edmonton two years ago, will handle the expectations that way from an entire province that views the team as a part of the fabric of every community large and small.”

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Whoops! Yesterday, I mentioned having been told that Ray Zhang, a businessman from Beijing, had purchased the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals at least in part so that a son would have a place to play.

“There actually won’t be a Zhang on the roster,” a source who is familiar with rules regarding junior A hockey tells Taking Note, “certainly not because the father didn’t want that, but because the son doesn’t have Canadian/U.S. citizenship. All BCHL players have to be Canadian, or teams are allowed up to six Americans. It appears dad wasn’t aware of that prior to purchasing the team. It’s really incredible!”

Why do I think we haven’t heard the end of this?

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The Ryerson U Rams, who play out of Toronto, have hired Kori Cheverie as a full-time assistant coach. Cheverie is the first female full-time assistant coach in the history of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s hockey. Cheverie is preparing for her fourth season at Ryerson, for the first three she was the skate training specialist. With the Rams, she will work alongside interim head coach Johnny Duco. . . . From a news release: “Cheverie played her collegiate hockey at St. Mary’s University in Halifax where she was a three-time AUS first-team all-star, team captain, an Academic All-Canadian, and two-time St. Mary’s female athlete of the year. She has also played in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) for the past six seasons.”

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The QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs have added Pascal Morency to their staff as an assistant coach. Morency, who signed a two-year deal, played four seasons in the QMJHL (Chicoutimi, Cape Breton, Hull, Rouyn-Noranda, 1999-2003) before going on to play in the AHL and Europe.  Morency, 34, has been living in Fernie, B.C., where he was the head coach at the Fernie Academy.

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The SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings are prepared to introduce their new general manager and head coach on Tuesday. The new man will take over from Bryce Thoma, who left after three seasons for an assistant coaching position with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. . . . The SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars also are in the market a general manager and head coach, Kevin Hasselberg having left to become head coach of the SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers.

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On drive to Rio Olympic Park, countless motorcycles fly by between backed up car lanes. Driver: "Unsafe, yes, but no organ donor shortage."

— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) August 12, 2016

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Feser heads for Europe

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Mitch Versteeg (Lethbridge, 2006-09) signed a one-year contract with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). He had eight goals and 14 assists in 55 games with the Trenton Titans and Kalamazoo Wings (both ECHL) last season. . . .
F Justin Feser (Tri-City, 2008-13) and F Shayne Wiebe (Kamloops, Brandon, 2006-11) both signed one-year-plus-option contracts with Olten (Switzerland, NL B). . . . Feser had 44 goals and 62 assists in 72 games with the Americans and two assists in six games with the Portland Pirates (AHL) last season. . . . Wiebe had one goal and two assists in 25 games with the Connecticut Whale (AHL) and seven goals and five assists in 12 games with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL) last season. . . . Feser is expected to arrive in Olten on Aug. 4. Wiebe isn’t expected before Aug. 12.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Dean Evason, the head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, has received a contract extension through 2014-15. Evason, a former WHL player and coach, now is signed through 2014-15. The Admirals are affiliated with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. . . . Milwaukee went 41-28-4-3 last season, Evason’s first as its head coach. Prior to that, he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Washingon Capitals.
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The ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones have signed Ben Simon as their new head coach. Simon is from the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, so is an Ohio native. . . . He spent the past two seasons as an an assistant coach with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. . . . Simon takes over from Jarrod Skalde, who now is an assistant coach with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals. Skalde spent three seasons as Cincinnati’s head coach.

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Graeme Craig of the Swift Current Broncos shows off
his new look after a puck took out three teeth on
Friday night in Regina. What a way to bring in a new year!
(Photo courtesy Graeme Craig via Twitter — @craigstand6)

Graeme Craig is in his third season as a defenceman with the Swift Current Broncos.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from Red Deer is one of those steady performers who will sacrifice his body for the team.
On Friday night, he took one for the team and it cost him three teeth.
With Regina leading 1-0 late in the second period, Pats F Jordan Weal took a one-timer that went high.
“As I turned to face the play, it hit me square in the mouth,” Craig wrote to me on New Year’s Eve.
It was a bad luck play all around as the puck went off Craig’s face into the crease and F Jack Rodewald tucked it in for his third goal of the season and one that stood up as the game-winner.
I’ll let Craig explain the dental aspect of it all:
“It turns out it was only three teeth — two were laying on the ice and we tried to put them back in but the bone that holds them in place got smashed. Got the third one pulled later in the dentist office.
“Seven stitches to close the holes. For now it'll be a week or so til I get X-rays and then will get a denture made for the rest of the season. I'm really hoping I can get some permanent ones or I'll be devastated haha.”
Of course, when Craig returns to the lineup he plans on wearing a cage.
And when will he makes his return?
He says he hopes to play today — New Year’s Day — against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
Hey, he’s a hockey player!
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As you may have guessed, Craig’s mother, Helen, “was pretty upset and concerned.”
“I had pretty nice teeth, didn’t have braces or anything and she was probably mourning their loss more than I was,” Craig noted.
Craig has 20 points, three of them goals, and 182 penalty minutes in 163 regular-season games over three seasons. This season, he has a career-high two goals, to go with four helpers, in 30 games.
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JUST NOTES:
D David Musil of the Vancouver Giants didn’t play for the Czech Republic on Saturday in a 4-0 loss to Finland at the World Junior Championship. He took a blindside hit on Friday in a game against the U.S., and is experiencing concussion-like symptoms. . . . F Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks has missed Switzerland’s last two games and is believed to have a concussion. . . .
F Shayne Wiebe (Kamloops, Brandon, 2007-11) has been released by the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps and will join the University of New Brunswick Reds, who are the defending Canadian university champions. The 21-year-old Wiebe, who is from Brandon, had four assists in 12 games with the IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. . . .
When Team Canada beat the U.S., 3-2, at the World Junior Championship on Saturday, the opposing goaltenders were Scott Wedgewood and Jack Campbell. Interestingly, they have something in common, aside from the fact both play in the OHL, Wedgewood with the Plymouth Whalers and Campbell with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. . . . They both are coached by former WHL G Stan Matwijiw, who played with the Prince Albert Raiders (1991-94) and Lethbridge Hurricanes (1993-94). . . . These days, Matwijiw operates Bandits Goalie School, with Campbell and Wedgewood included among his students. Matwijiw also is Plymouth’s goaltender coach. . . . And a stick tap to former Raiders play-by-play voice Kevin Smook for that one.
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WHL TRADE TRACKER (trades made since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 4
Players: 11
Draft picks: 4
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The race to the Jan. 10 trade deadline continued on Saturday as the Prince Albert Raiders dealt F Brandon Herrod, 20, to the Kamloops Blazers for F Logan McVeigh, 17, and a 2012 second-round bantam draft pick.
Herrod, who is expected to be in the Blazers’ lineup tonight against the visiting Prince George Cougars, has 36 points, including 18 goals, in 40 games this season. He has played 314 career regular-season games, never playing fewer than 64 games in a season, and has put up 241 points, 106 of them goals. Herrod is from Meadow Lake, Sask., and was a third-round pick by the Raiders in the 2006 bantam draft.
The Blazers have had room for a 20-year-old since trading D Josh Caron to the Everett Silvertips on Nov. 29. Kamloops has been looking for a winger to play alongside LW Brendan Ranford and C Chase Schaber. That spot had belonged to RW Jordan DePape, but he is out until at least March after having shoulder surgery on Nov. 4.
McVeigh, from Kenaston, Sask., was a second-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft. A sophomore, he has 16 points, including five goals, in 34 games. Last season, he finished with 13 points, four of them goals, in 59 games. He is a superb penalty killer and strong defensively.
The Raiders next play Wednesday when they meet the Pats in Regina.
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Late Saturday night, McVeigh tweeted:
“This 14 hour drive back to sask is getting old #butworthit , new years on the highway #lonely”
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In Saturday’s Everett Herald, Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert reiterated that he won’t trade D Ryan Murray, who almost certainly will be a top five selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft.
Here’s what Soetaert told the Herald’s Nick Patterson:
“Ryan Murray is what we want in a hockey player. Ryan is a young man who plays hard every day. He cares and competes. He's played hard in every game he's been with us since he was a 16-year-old. That's the type of player we want in our organization, and I won't trade Ryan Murray.”
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Everett, the Moose Jaw Warriors got out to a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Silvertips, 5-2. . . . F Sam Fioretti, who was in Everett’s training camp in 2008, scored twice and set up another for the Warriors, who are 1-1 on their U.S. Division swing. Fioretti has 14 goals. . . . Moose Jaw has won five of its last six games. . . . F Justin Kirsch had three assists. . . . F Ryan Harrison had two assists for Everett, giving him five points over his last two games. . . . Everett went in having picked up at least a point in each of its last four games. . . . The two heavyweights — Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath and Everett D Josh Caron — got it on 9:13 into the first period. . . . Warriors G Luke Siemens stopped 22 shots in winning his 20th game. Siemens, who was acquired from Everett early in the season, is 20-7-5. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans tied a 20-year-old franchise record as they beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-1. . . . The Americans have won 10 straight games, equalling the franchise record set in 1991. . . . The Americans went 10-0 in December, the first time in franchise history a team had gone undefeated in a month in which it played five or more games. . . . This was the 21st renewal of the New Year’s Eve series between the visiting Chiefs and the Americans. Tri-City now is 14-5-1 with one other game ending in a tie (remember them?). . . . F Patrick Holland and F Justin Feser each had a goal and two assists. Holland, who scored while shorthanded, has 15 goals; Feser has 18. . . . Attendance was announced at 6,064, the third-largest crowd in franchise history. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 16 shots in his first start since being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders earlier in the week. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks held a 48-18 edge in shots as they beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 2-0. . . . G Mac Carruth stopped 18 shots for the shutout, his first of the season and third of his career. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie, who leads the WHL with 37 goals, scored the game’s first goal, with 9.3 seconds left in the second period. . . . Portland held a 23-3 edge in shots in the second period. . . . F Brendan Leipsic added a PP goal at 1:51 of the third. . . . These two teams have played in Portland each New Year’s Eve since 1995. Portland holds a 9-8-0 edge or, if you prefer, Seattle is 8-8-1. . . . The game drew 10,356 fans, Portland’s fourth straight game over 8,000. . . . The Winterhawks were without F Oliver Gabriel (undisclosed). F Pearce Eviston, 19, played his first game this season with the Winterhawks. He had one goal in two games last season. He also played in 12 playoff games, getting one assist. . . .
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Sam Grist, Tri-City (double minor)
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Team Pacific ran its record to 3-0 with a 4-3 victory over Russia on Saturday at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in LaSalle, Ont. . . . F Nic Petan (Portland) scored twice for Team Pacific, with F Macoy Erkamps (Lethbridge) and F Tyson Baillie (Kelowna) adding one each. . . . Petan’s second goal, at 19:14 of the second period, gave Team Pacific a 4-1 lead. . . . G Eric Comrie (Tri-City) stopped 27 shots. . . . F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay) had two assists. . . . After the game, Team Pacific headed across the river to the Joe Louis Arena and watched the Detroit Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-0. Following the NHL game, the players spent about an hour in the Red Wings’ dressing room as guests of Detroit assistant coach Bill Peters, a former Spokane Chiefs coach. “It was a tremendous experience for the players,” one team official reported. “Bill had lots of motivational words and even passed around his Stanley Cup ring for the boys to try on for size.” . . .
On Saturday, in Tecumseh, Ont., Team West dropped a 5-2 decision to the Czech Republic. F Craig Leverton (Lethbridge) and F Jonathan Martin (Kootenay) scored for Team West, which got 30 saves from G Austin Lotz (Everett).
Team Pacific (3-0) is off until Monday when it plays the U.S. Today, Team West (0-2) meets the U.S. (1-1).
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Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times takes a look at the NHL and its problem with head injuries right here. She ends her piece with some chilling words from player agent Allan Walsh, who has been quite vocal about what he feels is a lack of action by the NHL.
Dillman writes that Walsh feels “the greatest push (for change) will come from a venue outside the sporting arena, taking note of the many lawsuits filed in the last few months by former NFL players against their league over concussions.”
She quotes Walsh: "Mark my words, lawsuits are coming. And there will be no greater change agent for the NHL and teams than lawsuits."
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And right here is today’s good read, from Bruce Arthur of the National Post. It’s a compilation of 2011’s best sports-related quotes. It's long, so make sure the coffee pot has three cups in it. Enjoy! . . . And a Happy New Year to all.
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Madaisky excited about game in Winnipeg

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Austin Madaisky is going to experience a piece of hockey history tonight.
Madaisky, a defenceman with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, will be in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ lineup wearing No. 54 for an NHL game against the Jets in Winnipeg tonight.
Only this isn’t just your normal run-of-the-mill exhibition game.
Not only will this be Madaisky’s NHL debut, but it will be the Jets’ first game in the MTS Centre since the franchise relocated to the Manitoba capital from Atlanta over the summer.
You can bet that Winnipeg will be abuzz because the Jets haven’t played there since April 28, 1996. Following that game, the Winnipeg franchise moved to Phoenix.
“It’s pretty exciting to be a part of history, playing in the first game in that building there,” Madaisky said Monday from Columbus. “I’ve heard it’s already sold out so it should be pretty electrifying. The atmosphere should be good . . . it’ll be exciting.”
Guy Charron, the Blazers’ head coach, allowed that he, too, is excited.
“That will be an unbelieveable experience,” Charron said following Monday’s practice at Interior Savings Centre. “He will be playing in a real pressure-cooker.
“It’ll be jumping in the warmup and it won’t stop.”
Forward Andrew Ladd, the Jets’ captain, told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun that he assumes “it’s going to be crazy in here.”
“It’s the fans first opportunity to show what they bring to the table and the excitement they have for this team,” Ladd said.
The two NHL teams actually are playing two games tonight, with split squads meeting in Columbus and in Winnipeg. Madaisky was drawn on the travelling team and likely will be paired, at least to start, with Aaron Johnson, a 28-year-old veteran of 225 NHL games who spent last season with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
Madaisky has been with the Blue Jackets for a while now, having played for their rookie team at a preseason tournament in Traverse City, Mich. He moved on to main camp and, on the weekend, was paired with Steven Delisle during the annual Owners’ Tournament. Delisle, 21, was a fourth-round selection by Columbus in the 2008 NHL draft.
Madaisky, Delisle and Team Wolfe won the four-team tournament at the OhioHealth Ice Haus on Sunday. Madaisky drew an assist on Aaron Bogosian’s goal that tied the score 2-2 as Team Wolfe erased a 2-0 deficit and beat Team Pizzuti 5-2.
A fifth-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft, Madaisky had his 2010-11 season end prematurely when he suffered a broken neck during a game in Kamloops on Feb. 4. He is healthy again and said he received his first real physical test on Sunday when he was hit by veteran forward Rick Nash, who just happens to be the Blue Jackets’ star player.
“I got hammered by Nash,” Madaisky said. “I made a pass and he ran me over. I wasn’t too upset . . . it was kind of cool. Everything felt OK. It was kind of like a test, I guess.”
The Blue Jackets are to practice this morning in Columbus and fly to Winnipeg in mid-afternoon.
“I’m very excited,” Madaisky said. “The first game in the new barn . . . the new era Winnipeg Jets, I guess.
“I’ll try to take it all in.”
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Blazers forwards Logan McVeigh and Chase Souto, both of whom are out with concussions, skated by themselves on Monday.
The Blazers open the regular-season at home to the Prince George Cougars on Saturday. Charron said he hopes to be able to make a decision on both players by Thursday.
McVeigh, who is more likely to play Saturday than is Souto, was injured Sept. 3 in a game against the host Vancouver Giants. Souto went down a week later in a game against the Rockets in Kelowna.
Souto had two concussions last season, so the Blazers are being especially careful with him. He got into a fight in that game in Kelowna, but, according to Charron, said he wasn’t hit with a punch. Rather, Souto told the coaching staff, he got the concussion from an errant elbow.
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JUST NOTES: Former Blazers F Shayne Wiebe, who played out his junior eligibility last season and has since signed with the Jets, also will play tonight in Winnipeg. . . . LW Ryan Hanes (charleyhorse), the Blazers’ other injured player, has received clearance to return to practice. He was injured in that Sept. 10 game in Kelowna. . . . Hanes and five other veterans — forwards Dylan Willick, J.C. Lipon and Jordan DePape, G Cam Lanigan and D Tyler Hansen — missed practice Monday as they were in Vancouver taking part in the EDGE Project. They spent time on Vancouver’s lower east side with RCMP officers and, throughout  the season, will visit local schools and talk about their experiences. . . . The Blazers continue to carry three goaltenders, with Lanigan being joined by Cole Cheveldave, 18, and Taran Kozun, 17. Charron said he expects to open the season with all three on the roster.

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

Hitmen get goalie; Royals get assistant coach

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Petr Vala (Seattle, 1997-98) signed a one-year contract with Zell am See (Austria, Nationalliga). He had seven goals and two assists in 35 games with Dukla Trencin and Zilina (both Slovakia, Extraliga) last season. . . .
D Darcy Werenka (Lethbridge, Brandon, 1989-1993) signed a one-year contract with Rouen (France, Ligue Magnus). He had 10 goals and 20 assists in 54 games for Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) last season. . . .
F Adam Hobson (Spokane, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with Borås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had four goals and 11 assists in 35 games for Rögle (Sweden, Allsvenskan) last season. . . .
D Ryan Constant (Kelowna, 2003-04) signed a one-year contract with Milano Rossoblu (Italy, Serie A2). He had 11 goals and 23 assists in 52 games for the Stockton Thunder (ECHL) last season.
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One of the highlights of doing this blog is hearing, unsolicited, from so many people. Such was the case over the last couple of days following my mention of the passing of Ralph Borger, the former owner of the MJHL’s St. Boniface Saints. He died Sunday at the age of 81.
Shortly after that post, I heard from Dale Hughesman, who is involved in the ownership of the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers and is the father of Tri-City Americans F Adam Hughesman.
Dale played for the Saints and sent along this anecdote . . .
I was fortunate to play on Ralph's 1981 St. Boniface Saints MJHL championship team, along with some pretty good  players including Mike Ridley and Darren Boyko.
We won Manitoba and were playing the mighty Prince Albert Raiders (coached by Terry Simpson) . . . I think 11 players from that team went on to pro, including Dave Tippett, James Patrick, Robin Bartell, Bill Watson . . .
Ralph thought it would be a good idea to move our team into the Birchwood Inn (now the Holiday Inn) on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg. At the time, the hotel was one of the classiest places in town and we had the whole seventh floor.
The games were being played at the Winnipeg Arena, which was in close proximity to the hotel.
I can't remember the game but we lost and we ended up in the lounge as Ralph wasn't around but our coach, Joe Cyr, was and he didn't seem to mind us being there.
Well, one thing led to another and we closed the place down and, of course, charged the entire bill to Ralph's account. He was a very frugal man and we knew this would drive him nuts. But at that point
we didn't mind.
Believe it or not, we never heard a word about that night. We thought we had gotten away with murder . . .
Skip ahead 25 years to the night Ralph was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. We were there as we had just bought the Selkirk Steelers. Most of us had played on that team and we were there to honour Ralph.
The induction dinner was at the Birchwood (Ralph's hotel).
Ralph got up to do his speech and did the usual thank yous and so on.
At the end of the speech, he said: "Oh and one more thing . . . I would like to ask the Selkirk Steelers table to stand up as four of them at that table played on the 1981 championship team."
As we stood up, Ralph reached into a pocket and pulled out a receipt that was about five-feet long and unrolled it in front of the entire room.
He looked at us and said: "Oh, by the way, there is an outstanding bill at the desk in the lounge for about $700. . . . if you guys would kindly look after that before you leave."
It was 25 years later and he did know . . .
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The Calgary Hitmen have acquired G Chris Driedger, 17, from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2012 banta draft.
Driedger, from Winnipeg, was 6-6-1, 3.50, .881 last season, his first in the WHL, as he backed up Drew Owsley with the Americans. Driedger was one of four WHL goaltenders invited to Hockey Canada’s goaltending camp this season.
The deal leaves the Hitmen with three goaltenders as Driedger joins Mike Snider, 20, and Brandon Glover, who turns 19 on Aug. 21, on their roster. . . . Snider has been with the Hitmen since 2008-09, when he got into 12 games. Last season, he was 10-25-3, 3.54, .883 in 41 appeareances. . . . Glover was acquired last season from the Moose Jaw Warriors. In 31 games with Calgary, he was 9-16-2, 3.54, .891.
By moving Driedger, the Americans cleared the way for highly touted Eric Comrie, 16, to back up Owsley. Comrie, from Newport Beach, Calif., was the 13th overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The WHL’s Victoria Royals have hired Ben Cooper as an assistant coach. Cooper has been with Hockey Canada, where he has done extensive video work. He has been the video coach with the national junior team for three years, the U18 team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament for two years, the U18 team at the 2011 world championship, the men’s world championship team in 2009 and the 2010 men’s Olympic team. He also has served as an assistant coach with the SAIT Trojans. . . . 
Is there a coach out there who will made a bigger move in terms of mileage than Mark Morrison? The Winnipeg Jets have hired Morrison as assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, which is located in St. John’s Nfld. Morrison, 48, spent the last five seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, who now are defunct. . . . Morrison will work alongside St. John’s head coach Keith McCambridge. . . .
The AHL’s Rockford IceHogs have promoted assistant coach Ted Dent to head coach. The IceHogs are affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks. Dent, an assistant coach in Rockford for the last four seasons, replaces Bill Peters, a former Spokane Chiefs head coach, who left to sign as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings. Peters was Rockford’s head coach through three seasons. . . .
Eric Rud has stepped down as GM/head coach of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers to return to Colorado College as an assistant coach with the Tigers. Earlier, he spent five seasons on the Tigers’ coaching staff. He also played at Colorado College. . . .
Kevin Dean has signed on as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Dean, a defenceman as a player, was head coach of the ECHL’s Trenton Devils last season. Dean, 42, will work alongside Providence head coach Bruce Cassidy.
———
JUST NOTES: F Shayne Wiebe (Kamloops, Brandon, 2007-11) has signed an AHL deal with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Their AHL affiliate will operate out of St. John’s, Nfld. Wiebe, who captained the Brandon Wheat Kings last season, finished with 65 points, including 44 goals, in 72 games. After Brandon’s season ended, he joined the AHL’s Connecticut Whale but got into just one game. . . . The U of Calgary Dinos have four former WHLers set to join them for 2011-12. Three of the four — F Tyler Fiddler (Calgary Hitmen), F Max Ross (Lethbridge Hurricanes) and F Taylor Stefishen (Prince George Cougars) — all played in the WHL last season. F David Robinson (Chilliwack Bruins) joined the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers in 2009-10 and helped them two a pair of BCHL titles and one national championship.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Friday's stuff . . .

Alan Millar, the director of hockey operations with the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Dave Hunchak, the team’s ex-head coach, have taken issue with something that appeared here on Friday.
That bit, which dealt with the Warriors’ decision not to renew Hunchak’s contract despite the club’s having won 40 games this season, included this bit:
“It also seems that Millar and Hunchak, 37, perhaps didn’t see eye-to-eye. That became obvious late in February when the two engaged in a morning yelling match deep in the bowels of the Crushed Can that was overheard by a handful of folks.”
A source had told me that the incident to which I referred occurred on Feb. 20, one day after the Warriors had dropped 3-2 decision tot he visiting Prince Albert Raiders.
“The information about Dave Hunchak and I having a screaming match . . . is completely false,” Millar told me Friday afternoon. “It never happened. . . . it’s completely not true. Never happened. . . . All my dealings with Dave, including my meeting (Thursday) morning with him, were always professional.”
As for my source, who indicated that at least two others had heard the dispute, Millar said: “they have their information wrong. They’re full of (bleep).
“I’m just telling you that it never happened. . . . I don’t really care about the date because I can honestly tell you it did not happen.”
Hunchak also said “that stuff never happened.”
Asked who it might have been, Hunchak said: “I have no idea. It wasn’t us. I guarantee it wasn’t us.
“We have never had an altercation like that. We never got into it . . . ever.”
———
During our conversation, Millar also provided some information on the club’s two assistant coaches — Trevor Weisgerber and Mike Vandenberghe.
Millar said Weisgerber “had not been told he’s not coming back.”
The club holds an option on Weisgerber until July 15, while Vandenberghe’s contract expires on April 17.
Millar said both coaches “have been told there’s a process that we’re going to go through. They will get a strong recommendation from me to be part of the organization. I want to give the new head coach some flexibility in the hire. I’ve also told both of those guys that we understand other opportunities may come their way and we may lose them.”
Millar also said Vandenberghe “has some other things on the go to. I also think we’ll probably interview Mike for the head coaching job.”
———
The hockey community in Spokane is mourning the death of Novelli (Nels) Venerus, who played for two Allan Cup winners in that city.
Steve Bergum of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has more right here.
---
In the final game of the WHL’s regular season, Brandon Wheat Kings F Shayne Wiebe put a hit on Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden and found himself in a bout with Warriors D Dylan McIlrath.
McIlrath, a first-round pick by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has a three-year NHL contract in his pocket and is finishing the season with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale.
Wiebe signed an ATO (amateur tryout) deal with the Whale earlier this week.
So . . . guess who is rooming together with the Whale?
You got it.
“It’s kinda  funny,” Wiebe told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “But he’s a really good guy.”
———
Portland Winterhawks F Brad Ross has been handed one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions after he was hit with a charging major for a first-period check on F Zach Franko of the visiting Kelowna Rockets in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal on Thursday night.
Franko left the game and didn’t return. He is believed to have a concussion and is doubtful for Game 2 on Sunday. You can look for Ross to at least sit out Sunday’s game as well, and perhaps one more after that.
“He’s a hard-hitting guy,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune after Game 1. “Those type of players, that’s their job — to deliver hits and play physical. He never intended to catch (Franko) like that. He was coming in from the side and caught the guy leaning into his shot. At the NHL level, all those hits are under scrutiny nowadays.
“Brad is a key player for us. He played so well for us in the first series. You don’t want him to take a penalty like that, you don’t want a hit like that, but there’s a fine line. If the guy were turned one more step to the left, (Ross) would have been fine on that hit.”
———
F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders has joined the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors for the remainder of the season. Parker, 19, is from Solana Beach, Calif. He had 86 points, including 45 goals, in 71 games with the Raiders this season. . . . F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading scorer in the regular season, is expected to play tonight as his Spokane Chiefs open their series against the visiting Tri-City Americans. Johnson (concussion) missed the last two games of the Chiefs’ five-game victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . F Ryan Stone (Brandon, 2001-05) set a franchise single-game record with five points Friday night to lead the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat to a 6-0 victory over the host Grand Rapids Griffins. Stone had two goals and three assists. G Leland Irving (Everett, 2003-08) stopped 27 shots for his 30th victory and eighth shutout of the season.
———
ON THE ICE:
Yikes! What’s going on here? The visiting teams are 3-0 in the second round of the playoffs, and have outscored the home teams 18-3. . . .
In Saskatoon, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Blades 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. . . . Game 2 is in Saskatoon tonight. . . . The Blades had beaten the Ice four times as many meetings in the regular season. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice for the Ice, the second into an empty net. He has seven goals in seven postseason games. . . . Ice F Kevin King scored his first goal of these playoffs, at 11:57 of the second period, to break a 1-1 tie. . . . The Ice was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-3. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 29 shots. . . . Each member of the Blades’ big line — Curtis Hamilton, Brayden Schenn and Jake Trask — was minus-2. . . . Kootenay had F Sam Reinhart, the 15th pick in the 2010 bantam draft, in the lineup. . . . Attendance was 7,612. . . . The Ice had D Luke Paulsen (shoulder) back in the lineup after a six-week absence, but F Drew Czerwonka (upper body) was scratched. . . . Saskatoon remains without F Ryan Olsen (upper body). . . .
In Red Deer, F Linden Vey, the reigning WHL scoring champ, had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated to a 9-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Game 2 in the Eastern Conference semifinal is scheduled for Red Deer tonight. . . . The Tigers, who finished 6-for-11 on the PP, scored three goals in the first half of the first period and never looked back. . . . D Matthew Konan had four assists for the visitors, while F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and three assists, D Jace Coyle was two and one, and F Emerseon Etem was one and two. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz made a triumphant return with 36 saves. He missed his club’s last five games with a concussion. . . . Vey now has a WHL-leading 16 playoff points, two more than Kelowna Rockets F Shane McColgan. . . . Attendance was 5,926.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Saskatoon F Curtis Hamilton.
Red Deer F Brett Ferguson.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

Goaltender Eric Comrie, looking rather comfortable at GM Bob Tory's
desk, signs with the WHL's Tri-City Americans on Thursday.
(Photo courtesy Tri-CIty Americans)

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Part 17:
The sale of the Chilliwack Bruins to Vancouver-based RG Properties “is 100 per cent done,” a source informed me late Thursday.
Furthermore, the ownership transfer has been set for April 17, with moving vans expected to show up shortly thereafter. (The WHL has an official realtor — hello, there, RE/MAX — but is there an official mover?)
The same source has told me that “staff has been given walking papers.”
On top of which, the desks in the Bruins’ office are being cleared out and computers are being cleaned. Right now.
———
The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings are involved in a best-of-five first-round playoff series with the Bakersfield Condors. The teams split two games in Victoria earlier in the week. Game 3 is to be played tonight in Bakersfield, which also will be the site of Game 4 on Saturday and, if needed, a fifth game on Monday.
———
Patrick King of Sportsnet offers up his take on the Chilliwack situation right here.
———
OK.
We know, don’t we, that the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold and will be moving to Victoria before another season gets here.
And we know, thanks to Brian Burke, who owned 25 per cent of the Bruins, that the WHL “is in the process of negotiating the movement of another WHL team to Chilliwack.” That was included in a letter from Burke, via lawyers, to Jim Mullin, the sports director at Vancouver radio station CKNW earlier in the week.
But . . .
Earlier this week, Jeff Chynoweth, the governor and president of the Kootenay Ice, told me, via text, that his club “definitely” wasn’t moving from Cranbrook to Chilliwack.
And now I’ve been told rather definitively, at least so far as I’m concerned, that the Prince George Cougars aren’t packing up and heading south. The Cougars, I’ve been told, “are not in play.”
Which brings us to the Regina Pats.
In years past, the Pats have had some rather noisy lease negotiations with Evraz Place, which operates the Brandt Centre, the building in which Regina plays.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that the Pats, whose lease expires in May, have received a proposal from Evraz Place.
“We’ve obviously been waiting for this for quite some time,” Pats president Brent Parker told Harder. “We’ve left ourselves up against a deadline that we didn’t need to leave ourselves up against but we’re anxious to go through it and go from there. At least it gives us a starting point again and we can get back to work on it and get back to the table, which is where we need to be to get things done.”
Parker also told Harder that “we want to be here. We want to be in the building. But that has to be both ways. There has already been one major event that has been run out of the building in the last month (the Royal Red Horse Show). Maybe they’re trying to make it two.”
Harder’s complete story is right here.
———
The Moose Jaw Warriors won 40 games this season but that wasn’t enough to allow head coach Dave Hunchak to keep his job.
The Warriors revealed Wednesday that they won’t renew the contract of Hunchak, who had been the head coach through four seasons.
This is no surprise. After all, Hunchak already was in place when Alan Millar, an OHL veteran, was hired as director of hockey operations prior to this season. Millar has four years left on his contract; Hunchak’s contract was to expire in June.
Millar also ended up with a job for which Hunchak also had applied, so that very well may have been another strike against the head coach.
It also seems that Millar and Hunchak, 37, perhaps didn’t see eye-to-eye. That became obvious late in February when the two engaged in a morning yelling match deep in the bowels of the Crushed Can that was overheard by a handful of folks. Millar apparently was dissatisfied with the level of motivation of the players. The Warriors were locked into fifth place in the Eastern Conference at that point.
And what does it say when a team wins 40 games, despite not having an opportunity to move up the standings, and still can’t finish better than fifth?
The Warriors made three playoff appearances in Hunchak’s four seasons, but weren’t able to get out of the first round. Of course, the Warriors have only been past the second round once in their 27 seasons in Moose Jaw. That was in the spring of 2006 when they got lost the WHL final to the Vancouver Giants.
Assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber was told a while ago that he wouldn’t be back and that it would fine for him to start looking for another job. There is a chance he could end up as head coach of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins.
Mike Vandenberghe, the other assistant coach, joined the Warriors late in December. His contract also is up and he isn’t expected to return.
Hunchak, the third coach in Warriors history to win 40 games in one season, won 37, 19, 33 and 40 games over his four regular seasons.
And let’s not forget that this is Moose Jaw. That always seems to factor into it, doesn’t it? Hunchak can take at least some solace in the fact that this is the organization that once dumped Mike Babcock, not to mention Lorne Molleken.
What this means, of course, is that the Warriors will have a new head coach when they move into their new building next season.
Which leads me to this question . . . whatever happened to Gerry James?

———

Eric Comrie
(Tri-City Americans photo)

The Tri-City Americans have signed G Eric Comrie, the 13th pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
The Americans made a draft-day deal with the Vancouver Giants in order to move up six spots and select Comrie, a native of Edmonton who lives in Newport Beach, Calif. He is the son of Bill Comrie, a former owner of the CFL’s B.C. Lions and the owner of The Brick.
Eric, who played in the Los Angeles Selects program, is a younger brother to NHLer Mike Comrie and Paul Comrie, who starred with the Denver University Pioneers before having his professional career cut short by post-concussion syndrome.
Bob Tory, the Americans’ general manager, was the GM of the Kootenay Ice in 2000-01 when Mike Comrie left the U of Michigan to play in the WHL.
Eric actually visited DU in January, leading to speculation that he might go the NCAA route. He chose, instead, to sign with the Americans.
A native of Edmonton, Comrie lives in Newport Beach, Calif. With the Selects U16 midget team, he was 16-2-0, with a 1.34 GAA, a .940 save percentage and five shutouts. The Selects reached the national semifinals, with Comrie putting up a 1.41 GAA and .929 save percentage, leading the tournament in both categories.
He has already joined the Americans and will stay with them through the WHL playoffs.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
Nothing regarding former WHLers, but a neat note . . .
F Steve Moria, who played for the BCHL’s Richmond Sockeyes (1979-82 before moving on to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, has signed a one-year contract extension as player-head coach with the Basingstoke Bisons (English Premier League). Moria, who turned 50 in February, had 26 goals and 46 assists in 54 games for the Bisons this season to finish 15th in league scoring. He told the Basingstoke Gazette: “I am going to give it one last year as I want to go out on a high.” Basingstoke lost in the league quarterfinals last weekend to Milton Keynes Lightning.
———
JUST NOTES: D Brett Ponich, who had knee surgery, is back on skates and could rejoin the Portland Winterhawks before this season is over, should the team get deeper into the playoffs. Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune reports that Ponich could return should the Winterhawks get to the WHL final in May. . . . The QMJHL has awarded the 2012 Memorial Cup to Shawinigan, Que. The other finalists were Saint John, N.B., Cape Breton and Halifax. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the QMJHL’s decision right here. . . . F Shayne Wiebe, who played two-plus seasons with the Kamloops Blazers before being dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings, has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Connecticut Whale, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers. Wiebe, 20, finished this regular season with 65 points, including 45 goals, in 72 games with the Wheat Kings. He added eight points in six games as they lost a first-round series to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Wiebe was never selected in the NHL draft. . . . F Jordan Eberle has been named the Sask Sport 2010 Saskatchewan athlete of the year. Eberle, who now is with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, completed his WHL career with the Regina Pats in 2009-10. In 2010, Eberle starred for Canada at the World Junior Championship and also was named the CHL’s player of the year. Eberle beat out Olympic curler Ben Herbert and Olympic speed skater Lucas Makowsky for the honour.
———
MEANWHILE, ON THE ICE . . .
In Portland, F Shane McColgan scored three goals and set up another to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . It was Game 1 in a best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal. Game 2 is Sunday in Portland. . . . McColgan, who has six goals, now leads the WHL with 14 points in five playoff games, two more than Medicine Hat Tigers F Linden Vey. . . . The Rockets lost F Zach Franko in the first period after he was hit by Portland F Brad Ross. Franko left the game and didn’t return. He has a suspected concussion. . . . Ross was given a charging major and game misconduct. . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska has said Franko isn’t likely to play Sunday. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 45 shots, 14 more than Portland’s Mac Carruth.
———
THURSDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Kelowna F Colton Heffley.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Monday . . .

MONDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Winnipeg, F Shayne Wiebe and F Matt MacKay had a goal and two assists each as the host Brandon Wheat Kings doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers 6-3. . . . The Wheat Kings lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Winnipeg on Thursday. . . . With the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Westman Place in Brandon, the Wheat Kings were forced to move first-round games to the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. It is the home of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. . . . The Tigers got a goal and two helpers from F Cole Grbavac. . . . Attendance was 5,063. . . . Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy sat out this one. He was suspended for one game after taking a double minor for checking from behind in Saturday’s Game 2. . . . The Tigers also were without G Tyler Bunz (concussion), F Tyler Pitlick (ankle) and D Dylan Busenius (foot). . . . Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun has a story on the game right here. Included is a bit on a third-period hit by Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk on Brandon F Brenden Walker. The hit went unpenalized, but Walker left the game. . . . Interesting. Penton’s father, Bruce, covered the Wheat Kings for the Brandon Sun in the early 1970s. . . .
In Edmonton, the Red Deer Rebels erased a 1-0 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . F Byron Froese, with two, and F Daulton Siwak scored for Red Deer. Siwak broke a 1-1 tie at 18:08 and Froese provided insurance 20 seconds later. . . . F T.J. Foster had given Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 1:45 of the third. . . . The Rebels lead the series 3-0 with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday in Edmonton. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists, giving him a WHL-high seven points in the series. . . . There were something like 23 NHL scouts on hand for the game.
———
MONDAY’S CFB COUNT:
None.
———
JUST NOTES: The 50/50 draw in Saskatoon on Sunday night was won by former WHL players Dan Hulak (Swift Current, Portland, 1997-2001) and Scott McQueen (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1997-99). They ended up splitting around $44,000. Hulak is the brother of former Blades captain Derek Hulak. . . . F Brett Ferguson of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s player of the week. He had a goal and four assists in the first two games of the Rebels’ series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Mac Carruth of the Portland Winterhawks is the WHL’s goaltender of the week after going 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .972 save percentage in the first two games of a series with the Everett Silvertips. . . . The NAHL is adding a franchise in Minot, N.D., and there are some former WHLers involved. The Minot Daily News has more right here.
———
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun speculates on whether the Vancouver Giants will have F James Henry (knee) back for Game 3 of their series with the Tri-City Americans. That game goes tonight in Vancouver; the Americans hold a 2-0 lead. . . . The Giants haven’t allowed Henry to chat with the media. . . . Pap’s story is right here.
———
The best play-by-play man in the history of sports is about to start another season. To get you prepped, here’s a column on Vin Scully by T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times. Don’t miss the good read of the day.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL). He had four goals and 15 assists in 50 games for the Freezers this season.
———
The WHL has suspended F Evan Bloodoff of the Kelowna Rockets, but the name of Brandon Wheat Kings F Shayne Wiebe doesn’t appear on the list of disciplined players.
Wiebe took a major penalty for boarding during an 8-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday night. But he won’t be suspended. His penalty was reviewed by the WHL office and it was decided that a suspension wasn’t warranted.
Bloodoff, meanwhile, was hit with a major penalty for a hit on Vancouver Giants D Joel Rogers on Saturday night in Kelowna. Rogers, who recently returned from a concussion, left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. Rogers is a 20-year-old and it seems doubtful that he’ll return this season.
Bloodoff is shown on the WHL website as having been suspended “tbd” -- to be determined.
Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier described Bloodoff’s hit as a “leaping, high hit.”
On Sunday, Bloodoff told Potenteau: “Whatever the league decides, I’ll be fine with. It’s out of my hands. It was a spur of the moment thing and I’m glad he’s alright.”
Bloodoff told Potenteau that he recognizes that “it’s still all on the player.”
He continued: “You have that last second to decide to hit the brakes . . . I dunno . . . it seems like there’s nothing I could have done there.”
———
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that the Vancouver Giants have some serious injury problems as they prepare to open a first-round series against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday. That story is right here.
According to Pap, the Giants have picked up three more concussions over the last few days, to D Joel Rogers, F Michael Burns and F Anthony Ast, who had been recalled from the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians.
Three more concussions means the WHL has seen at least 100 concussion/head injuries this season.
———
Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail spoke with Dave Adolph, the head coach of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey team, about the concussion problem. Adolph is the father of Kelowna Rockets F Max Adolph, who has been plagued by concussion woes this season. That piece is right here.
———
The Saskatoon Blades are hopeful that they’ll have their top offensive unit back together for Game 1 of their first-round series with the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
F Jake Trask, who sat out the Blades’ last two games after being hit from the blindside by Moose Jaw Warriors F Brett Lyon on March 16, just might be ready to go Saturday.
Trask, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers early in the season for a sixth-round bantam draft, pick, scored a career-high 30 goals. He has 20 goals in his last 25 games.
Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Trask will go back onto a line with Brayden Schenn and Curtis Hamilton. That allows Josh Nicholls to rejoin Marek Viedensky and Darian Dziurzynski, with Matej Stransky, Brent Benson and Chris Collins reuniting.
———
D Brenden Dillon of the Seattle Thunderbirds will finish the season with the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Dillon, 20, signed a three-year NHL deal with Dallas on March 1. Dillon, Seattle’s captain, spent four season with the Thunderbirds.
———
The Regina Pats have had five players leave for the pro ranks. F Garrett Mitchell, who signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals on the weekend, joined the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Four other players signed amateur tryout deals. D Brandon Davidson will finish up with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, while F Jordan Weal is with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, and F Shayne Neigum and D Art Bidlevskii have joined the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Davidson was selected by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft, while Weal went to the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of that same draft.
———
Groups in Kamloops, Ottawa and St. John’s, Nfld., have submitted official bids in hopes of playing host to the 2013 IIHF world women’s championship.
The City of City of Kamloops, Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment, and Destination St. John’s/Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador submitted bids to Hockey Canada by the deadline and will make formal presentations in Calgary on April 6.
Originally, the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association also expressed interest. The VIAHA has since withdrawn, while the OWHA joined forces with Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment.
———
Ken Campbell, a senior writer with The Hockey News, has an interesting take on the situation involving Max Domi and the apparent decision by he and his family to skip the OHL and move to the USHL in time for next season. Campbell’s piece is right here.
———
If you haven’t seen the Rimouski Oceanic’s answer to the defensive trap being played by the Montreal Juniors in a QMJHL game last week, check it out right here.
This comes courtesy of Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports and, as he mentions, this serves as some kind of a reminder that, above all else, major junior hockey teams are in the entertainment business.
———
JUST NOTES: F Mark McNeill of the Prince Albert Raiders is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, including five assists, in three games last week. . . . Deven Dubyk of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s nominee as goaltender of the week. He recorded his first two career shutouts as he blanked the Calgary Hitmen in back-to-back games. . . . D Stefan Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Elliott, who had 81 points, including 31 goals, in 71 games, led the WHL in plus-minus, at plus-62. He was the 49th overall selection in the 2009 NHL draft. Elliott turned 20 on Jan. 30. . . . According to capgeek.com, Elliott gets an AHL salary of US$67,500, with NHL salaries of $790,000, $840,000, and $900,000. His signing bonus is $270,000, payable over three years. . . .
Mike Vandekamp, a former head coach with the Prince George Cougars, has left the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm after four seasons and signed on as director of hockey operations and head coach with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. The Clippers have offered long-time head coach Bill Bestwick a position in their front office. Bestwick had a year left on his contract when he was removed by the Clippers’ new ownership group. . . . Blaine Bablitz, an assistant under Vandekamp, has taken over as GM and head coach of the Storm. . . . The BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters also have undergone a coaching change. Jim Ingram stepped down as GM and head coach on Friday, and the Smokies immediately signed assistant Bill Birks to a two-year deal as GM/head coach. . . .
The WHL holds its bantam draft lottery on Wednesday (11 a.m., Calgary time), with the six non-playoff teams taking part. This will establish the order of selection for the first six picks of the first round only. (Rounds 2 through 7 will be done by inverse order of the regular-season standings.) The most a team is allowed to advance is two spots, while the Hitmen are guaranteed at least the second pick. The Lethbridge Hurricanes are guaranteed two of the draft’s top five selections. They own Regina’s first pick, thanks to a deal that had F Carter Ashton go to the Pats last season.
———
A couple of interesting notes from Graham Kendrick, the Portland Winterhawks’ director of media and public relations. . . .
1.
2. Winterhawks fans have been coming out on droves in recent weeks, including two sellouts of 10,947 over the teamCraig Cunningham has achieved an incredibly rare feat: he’s won a division title in all five of his seasons in the WHL. He won four straight B.C. Division titles as a member of the Vancouver Giants from 2007-10, and now owns a U.S. Division title with the Winterhawks. One of his former Giants teammates, Lance Bouma, was part of five straight division winners with the Giants from 2006-10, but as a 15-year-old call-up in 2005-06 he played just five games. It’s believed that Cunningham is the first player in modern WHL history to win five straight division titles while playing the majority of his team’s games.’s final four games. The Winterhawks averaged 9,597 fans per game in March, and have averaged 8,382 fans since the start of February. Overall the Winterhawks averaged 5,594 fans per game this season, a 26 per cent increase over last season.

Saturday . . .

The exodus of WHL players to the pro ranks has begun now that some teams have had their seasons come to an end.
G Brandon Anderson of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has been recalled by the NHL’s Washington Capitals and assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Anderson, 18, was an undrafted free agent when he attended Washington’s training camp last fall. By the time his stint there ended, he had signed a three-year contract with the Capitals.
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The Capitals added another WHLer to their stable on Saturday when they announced the signing of F Garrett Mitchell of the Regina Pats.
Mitchell, 19, was a sixth-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft. He played in his 264^th regular-season game with the Pats on Saturday night in Saskatoon.
Mitchell finished this season with career highs in goals (18), assists (34) and points (52) in 70 games.
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F Max Domi, the son of former Toronto Maple Leafs toughie Tie Domi, has told OHL teams not to bother drafting him because he is headed south. Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reports that Max, 15, will play next season in the USHL. He was expected to be an earlier selection in the OHL’s 2011 draft.
“I played junior but (Max’s mother) Leanne and I want our kid to go to college,” Tie Domi told Simmons. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but for us, it was the right decision.”
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There are four regular-season games remaining.
Here’s what is left to be decided:
1. Who will finish fifth and sixth in the Western Conference? The Chilliwack Bruins are fifth and are out of games. The Vancouver Giants, with one game left, are one point behind the Bruins. The Giants are at home to the Everett Silvertips tonight. . . . The fifth-place finisher plays the No. 4 Tri-City Americans in the first round; the sixth-place finisher draws the No. 5 Spokane Chiefs. . . . Whichever team gets Spokane will open with two games at home as the Chiefs’ home arena isn’t available next weekend.
2. Who will finish ninth and 10^th in the Western Conference? The Kamloops Blazers are out of games and have 64 points. The Seattle Thunderbirds are a point back with one game left. They are at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. The Americans are 8-0-0 against Seattle this season.
Here are the matchups that have been decided:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1. The Saskatoon Blades, who finished on top of the WHL’s overall standings, will face the Prince Albert Raiders, who wound up eighth in the conference. The Blades are 9-0-1 in their last 10; the Raiders have won three straight, including a weekend sweep of the 11^th-place Swift Current Broncos.
2. The Red Deer Rebels finished atop the Central Division so are the conference’s No. 2 seed. They get the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round. The Rebels took two from the Oil Kings on the weekend, winning 4-3 on the road Friday and 3-1 at home Saturday.
3. The Medicine Hat Tigers have one game left but have clinched the conference’s third seed. They will play the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round. . . . Brandon finished strong, going 7-2-1 in its last 10, but will have to play its first-round home games in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg as the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair takes over the Keystone Centre. . . . The Tigers finish up this afternoon in Calgary. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey goes into the final day leading the scoring race by two points over Spokane F Tyler Johnson.
4. The Kootenay Ice will finish fourth in the conference, which means a first-round matchup with the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Ice has been red hot, going 6-0-1 in its last seven.
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
1. The Portland Winterhawks clinched first place in the U.S. Division and the conference last night as they ran their winning streak to five. They will meet the Everett Silvertips in the first round.
2. The Kelowna Rockets finished atop the B.C. Division so are the No. 2 seed for the first round. Remember that the survivors are reseeded by points after the first round. The Rockets will go up against the No. 7 Prince George Cougars in the first round.
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It’s worth noting that two key players were ejected with major fouls on Saturday night, and their cases will be on the desk of Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s disciplinarian, in the morning.
F Shayne Wiebe of the Brandon Wheat Kings took a boarding major during an 8-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. Before leaving, Wiebe scored his 44^th goal.
In Kelowna, Rockets F Evan Bloodoff, one of their heart-and-soul guys, was tossed with a charging major during a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Giants.
Neither Brandon nor Kelowna has any regular-season games remaining, so any suspensions would mean playoff games lost. A suspension to either of those players could turn into a key factor in a first-round series.
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In Brandon last night, F David Toews had two goals and two assists as the Wheat Kings doubled the Moose Jaw Warriors, 8-4. . . . G Hampus Gustafsson had four assists for Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings lost F Shayne Wiebe, their captain and a 44-goal man, with a boarding major and game misconduct at 19-01 of the first period. . . . Toews reached the 20-goal mark with his two scores. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Cody Eakin scored two goals and set up another as the Kootenay Ice dropped the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes, 7-1. . . .
In Swift Current, F Igor Revenko’s 23^rd goal at 19:54 of the third period broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Prince Albert Raiders a 4-3 victory over the Broncos. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Marek Viedensky had a goal and an assist, leading the Blades to a 4-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Blades G Steven Stanford picked up the victory to finish at 40-5-0. . . .
In Medicine Hat, G Deven Dubyk stopped 27 shots to help the Tigers to a 1-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Curtis Valk scored the game’s only goal, his eighth, at 3:14 of the first period. . . . That was Dubyks’ first career shutout. . . . G Mike Snider stopped 30 shots for the Hitmen. . . . F Linden Vey drew an assist on Valk’s goal, giving him 115 points this season. He leads the WHL scoring race by two points over F Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Tigers are in Calgary today, while the Chiefs play in Portland. . . .
In Red Deer, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice as his Rebels got past the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . Nugent-Hopkins finished with 31 goals. . . .
In Chilliwack, the Lucas Gore Show continued its run as the Bruins goaltender stopped 37 shots in a 3-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Earlier in the week, Gore established WHL records with 72 saves through three periods and 77 saves through OT in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Chiefs in Spokane. . . . He has five shutouts this season and 10 in his career. . . . Everett has been blanked nine times this season. . . . F Kevin Sundher scored twice for the Bruins -- he has 24 -- and added an assist. . . .
In Prince George, D Sena Acolatse had a goal and three assists as the Cougars dumped the Kamloops Blazers, 5-1. . . . Cougars F Brett Connolly added a goal, his 46^th, and two assists. . . . The Blazers, who were eliminated from playoff contention on Friday night when they lost 3-2 in a shootout to the visiting Cougars, finished the season on an eight-game losing streak (0-6-2). . . . Kamloops had Cam Lanigan in goal, ending Jeff Bosch’s run of 23 straight starts. . . . Attendance was 4,770. . . .
In Kelowna, the Vancouver Giants snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Rockets. . . . F Andrej Stastny won it with his 10^th goal, breaking a 3-3 tie at 10:48 of the third period. . . . Stastny also had two assists. . . . The Rockets lost F Evan Bloodoff at 10:22 of the first period when he was ejected with a charging major and game misconduct. . . . Bloodoff’s hit was on D Joel Rogers, who recently returned from a concussion. Rogers was taken off the ice on a stretcher and checked out at hospital. . . . Doyle Potenteau has lots more on that game right here at DubNation. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks overcame a 3-2 deficit with three straight goals and then hung on to beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-4. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 48 shots. . . . The Winterhawks will meet the Everett Silvertips in the first round. Portland won nine of 10 games from Everett in the regular season. . . . F Pearce Eviston scored for Portland in his WHL debut. Eviston, 18, signed with the Winterhawks after putting up 38 points in 44 games with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Kruise Reddick and F Brendan Shinnimin each had two goals and two assists to lead the host Tri-City Americans to a 6-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Americans had lost five straight games to the Chiefs. . . . F Tyler Johnson had a goal and an assist for the Chiefs, giving him 113 points, two off the league lead. Medicine Hat F Linden Vey has 115 points. . . . Spokane had a nine-game winning streak end. . . . Johnson and the Chiefs are in Portland tonight; Vey and the Tigers finish up in Calgary. Johnson has a WHL-high 52 goals.
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SATURDAY’S CFB COUNT
Six minors:
Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek
Kootenay D Joey Leach
Calgary D Alex Roach
Everett F Ryan Harrison
Portland F Brendan Leipsic
Tri-City F Jordan Messier

Some Saturday stuff . . .

Brendan Shinnimin (24) and his Americans teammates
were in the pink Friday night. And you’ve gotta love the tie
on the gentleman just over Shinnimin’s right shoulder. Well done, sir!
(Photo by John Allen, AridAcres.com)

The Tri-City Americans donned their pink jerseys Friday night when they entertained the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash.
The Americans won the game, 5-2, before 5,673 fans on was the sixth annual Fred Meyer Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
The fans set a record as the fund-raiser raised a total of $22,258.71, a 10.5-percent increase over last year. It also was the sixth straight season that the total has increased. All told, Americans fans have contributed $92,813 over the event’s history.
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The recruiting war involving American players isn’t going away. Robert Mays in the Boston Globe writes that the NCAA’s Division 1 Legislative Council voted down a proposal that would have swung things in the CHL’s favour. Mays’s story is right here.
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The Swift Current Broncos have lost seven in a row and their playoff hopes are fading. It doesn’t help that F Killian Hutt (concussion) hasn’t played since Dec. 10 and F Justin Dowling (ankle), F Taylor Vause (ankle), F Jordan Evans (concussion) and F Jordan Peddle (two-game suspension) are out. . . . The Broncos lost 4-3 to the visiting Regina Pats on Friday night. That was Regina’s seventh victory in as many games against the Broncos this season. . . . The Broncos have brought back G Derek Tendler, who turned 19 on Jan. 1. Acquired from the Vancouver Giants earlier in the season, he later was assigned to the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints. . . .
F Brayden Schenn of the Saskatoon Blades should be prepared to hear his name a lot in NHL trade talks as Monday’s deadline arrives. Here’s the latest, via Twitter, from Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector: “Hemsky-to-LA trade a non-starter w/o Brayden Schenn coming back to Oil. LA not ready to deal Schenn today. This is a Monday deal, if at all.” . . . Spector also columnized on the subject and that piece is right here. . . .
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The NHL’s Nashville Predators’ lineup on Saturday included D Jon Blum, a product of the Vancouver Giants who is from Long Beach, Calif., and F Blake Geoffrion, who is from Nashville. . . . In other words, the NCAA vs. CHL war isn’t going to end soon. . . .
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There was some ownershjip news in the QMJHL on Saturday, as a chunk of the Quebec Remparts changed hands. The Montreal Gazette has more right here. . . . Meanwhile, the Moncton Times and Transcript reports that the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats badly want to hold an outdoor game. That story is right here.
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On the Ice in the QMJHL, the Victoriaville Tigers beat Saint John 2-1, handing the Sea Dogs their first regulation loss in 2011. The Sea Dogs had picked up points in 22 straight games, going 21-0-1. . . .
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F Shayne Wiebe scored twice last night, and the first one was the 100th of his WHL career, as his Brandon Wheat Kings went on to beat the visiting Regina Pats, 9-3. The Wheat Kings have won nine in a row on home ice. Overall, they have won seven of eight and 13 of 17. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay had an assist to run his point streak to 17 games. He has 35 points, including 13 goals, over that stretch. Only Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin (21 games) has had a longer streak this season. . . . The Wheat Kings have scored at least seven goals in five of their last 10 games. . . .
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Barring a playoff meeting, the Saskatoon Blades made their final visit to the Crushed Can in Moose Jaw last night. You can bet it was a fun place to be, what with 2,869 fans in the pews. . . . The Blades won 2-1 on F Curtis Hamilton’s shootout goal. . . . Gotta think Blades GM/head coach Lorne Molleken took a long look around before he exited. He has a long history as a player, coach and GM in that building. . . . Actually thought he might toss a water bottle or a stick or something, you know, just for old time’s sake. . . .
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Edmonton D Adrian Van de Mosselaer played in his 209th regular-season game last night and had his first two-goal game in a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. He has 15 career goals, seven of them this season. . . . Attendance in Edmonton was a season-high 8,361. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Mark Pysyk, their captain, after he left Friday’s 6-3 loss in Lethbridge in the second period with an upper body injury. . . . F Tyler Pitlick had his first three-goal game as the host Medicine Hat Tigers dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-3. Pitlick, a draft pick of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, has 62 points in 55 games. . . . The Tigers got two goals from F Emerson Etem, who now has 38 goals in 56 games, and that is one more than he scored in 72 games last season as a freshman. . . . The Tigers welcomed back D Patrik Parkkonen (shoulder) last night. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey drew three assists and now leads the WHL with 105 points, two more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . .
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F Geordie Wudrick scored the game’s last two goals as the Kelowna Rockets skated to a 4-3 OT victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. Wudrick, who has 36 goals, tied it at 16:33 of the third and won it 59 seconds into OT. . . . Kelowna F Colton Sissons, a 17-year-old from North Vancouver, is turning into a force with which to be reckoned. He had a goal and two assists in Calgary, and now has 35 points in 57 games. He has 12 points over his last seven games. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter had two goals, including the winner with 33.9 seconds left in the third, as the Winterhawks beat the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 4-3, in Kent, Wash. . . . The victory was the 100th in the WHL for Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 28 shots in his second straight start in the absence of Mac Carruth. He hasn’t played since being hit by Prince George F Spencer Asuchak on Tuesday. Asuchak, who was given a major and game misconduct, is serving a three-game suspension. . . . Last night, Portland F Ty Rattie left in the third period and didn’t return. . . .
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After a run of five straight OT games, the Kamloops Blazers finally won in regulation, beating the host Kootenay Ice 8-5 in Cranbrook. . . . The Blazers went 4-0-1 on a swing through the Central Division. . . . Kamloops RW Jordan DePape, who is playing on the back end with three defenceman out, had a goal and two assists, and was plus-4. . . . This was the Ice’s first home game since Jeff Chynoweth, the franchise’s president, governor and GM, admitted frustration at attendance figures. On this night, the attendance was 2,514, which is 24 above the season average. . . .
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When Vancouver beat the host Chilliwack Bruins 5-1 last night, it was victory No. 518 for Giants head coach Don Hay. That ties him with the late Pat Ginnell for third on the WHL’s all-time list. . . . Vancouver G Brendan Jensen stopped 16 shots in his first start since Jan. 15. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have beaten Tr-City four straight times after a 3-1 victory over the visiting Americans last night. The Chiefs lead the season series, 6-4-0, with two games remaining. . . . The Americans can clinch a playoff spot with a victory in Vancouver tonight. Tri-City has beaten Vancouver six straight times, including twice this season.
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And now there are five Eastern Conference teams assured playoff spots, with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Brandon Wheat Kings looking like they’ll finish sixth and seventh, or seventh and sixth. That leaves the Prince Albert Raiders and Lethbridge Hurricanes to scrap over the last spot. They’re tied right now, with the Regina Pats three points back. Each of those three teams has nine gmes remaining. . . .
In the Western Conference, the Chilliwack Bruins and Seattle Thunderbirds have some catching up to do. The Bruins are six points behind the eighth-place Prince George Cougars. Yes, Chilliwack has three games in hand but those aren’t worth anything if you don’t win them. . . . The Thunderbirds are eight points shy of that last spot. . . . And how about those Kamloops Blazers. Two weeks ago, they were struggling to hang on to that eighth spot and looking at a five-game trip in the Central Division, that included stops in Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Kootenay, where the Eastern Conference’s Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds live. . . . The Blazers lost in OT in Red Deer, won in OT in Medicine Hat and beat the Ice in regulation. Kamloops now is seventh, just a point behind Everett and one up on Prince George.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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