Hunt takes over in P.A. . . . Marlies get a head coach . . . Leafs' offer to McCrimmon has deadline

Get to know the new general manager of the Raiders: Curtis Hunt pic.twitter.com/xiGVIqeo8z

— PrinceAlbert Raiders (@PARaidersHockey) June 8, 2015

The Prince Albert Raiders introduced Curtis Hunt as the 10th general manager in franchise history on Monday. Hunt, 48, takes over from Bruno Campese, who had been with the Raiders for eight seasons.
Hunt signed a four-year contract, which puts him in the same time frame as head coach Marc Habscheid and associate coach Dave Manson.
Hunt, a defenceman, played three seasons with the Raiders, starting in 1984-85 when the team won the Memorial Cup. He also coached for seven seasons in the WHL, with the Moose Jaw Warriors (2002-04) and Regina Pats (2004-08, 2009-10).
A native of North Battleford, Sask., he also spent a season (2008-09) in the pro ranks, with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators.
Hunt spent 2014-15 as the general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.
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A history of Raiders’ general managers:
Alf Poulin (1971-72)
Terry Simpson (1972-1986; 1989-90)
Rick Wilson (1986-88)
Brad Tippett (1988-89)
Dale Engel (1990-94)
Bob Robson (1994-95)
Rick Vallette (1995-2001)
Donn Clark (2001-08)
Bruno Campese (2008-15)
Curtis Hunt (2015- )
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On most Mondays, the Vancouver Province includes a column from Ed Willes that deals with a handful of items.
This week, part of that column dealt with this (the complete column is right here):
In the run-up to the Women’s World Cup, TSN aired a polished hour-long feature on the Canadian team entitled Rise.
It was a revealing portrait of a group of athletes who’ve played their careers in virtual anonymity. It was also first-rate story-telling, establishing the characters who’ll take centre stage in our country for the next month.
So what’s wrong with that? Nothing, unless you’ve grown tired of the two cable giants in this country, TSN and Sportsnet, turning their air time into an ongoing promotion for their properties. TSN is the rights-holder for the Women’s World Cup and, suddenly, they’re all in for the women. Now, ask yourself how many hour-long features they aired on the women’s team before this year?
While we’re on the subject, when was the last time they offered any innovative, self-produced programming to their audience that didn’t involve one of their properties?
It’s the same story at Sportsnet. They force feed the Blue Jays on the country, not because of an insatiable demand to watch a terminally mediocre baseball team, but because Rogers owns the team.
TSN and Sportsnet were granted sports-broadcasting licences by the CRTC but, in reality, they were granted licences to print money. The game is rigged in their favour to an illogical extent. But there’s been little payback to this country in terms of original programming.
They’re also in the process of driving CBC Sports out of business, and that should be a concern.
The Corp. is/was a lot of things but, at its best, it promoted sound journalistic principles and attempted to offer its audience something beyond another panel discussion or top-10 list.
In the end, the audience gets the kind of programming it deserves, and if they’re happy with things as they stand, there’s not much more to say. You’d just like to believe the public expects more from companies that have been given so much.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Another extensive Coaching search by Vancouver Giants, candidates narrowed down to a final 5. Steve Spott/Ryan McGill front runners. #Giants

— JAY JANOWER (@DOUBLEJGLOBALBC) June 8, 2015

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Sheldon Keefe, the OHL and CHL coach of the year, has signed on as head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Keefe, 34, spent the past three seasons with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. . . . The announcement was made by Kyle Dubas, an assistant general manager with the Maple Leafs. Dubas joined the Leafs a year ago, after being the Greyhounds’ general manager. . . . This season, the Greyhounds had the OHL’s best record -- 54-12-2, for 110 points. . . . Before moving to the Soo, Keefe was the GM and head coach of the junior A Pembroke Lumber Kings, where he won five straight CCHL titles. The Lumber Kings won the RBC Cup in 2011. . . . Keefe was to have spent part of this summer as an assistant coach with Hockey Canada’s under-18 team. The head coach of that team is Kelly McCrimmon, the owner/GM/head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who is pondering an offer to join the Maple Leafs’ front office.
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The BCHL’s Langley Rivermen have promoted assistant coach Kurt Astle to assistant general manager and associate head coach. Astle has spent the past three season’s as the team’s director of player personnel and assistant coach. . . . He works alongside GM/head coach Bobby Henderson.
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Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings on CKLQ, reported Monday that the Toronto Maple Leafs offer to Wheat Kings owner/GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon has a June 11 deadline with it. . . . Here’s a note from the Brandon Sun: “McCrimmon has not returned calls from the Sun over the last week.” . . . Check out our latest poll over their on the right and vote for who you think will coach the Wheat Kings in 2015-16. . . .
F Jeremy Leipsic, the 18-year-old brother of former Portland Winterhawks F Brendan Leipsic, will play for the BCHL’s Powell River Kings in 2015-16. Jeremy, 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, had 84 points, including 20 goals, with the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild this season. His goal is to go the NCAA route.
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.@CurtisLazar95 let me know if you put any thought into your over-age year in the WHL. Sending out camp info. Just checking.

— Steve Hamilton (@hamilton_steve) June 8, 2015

.@hamilton_steve I guess the real question is will you guys also be supplying burgers after each game? 🍔 #dealbreaker #YoungandHungry

— Curtis Lazar (@CurtisLazar95) June 8, 2015

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Wheaties, Hitmen, Rockets advance. . . . Winterhawks in control . . . Stoll in hot water

F Zdeněk Okál (Medicine Hat, 2008-10) has signed a one-year extension with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, in 47 games, he had 11 goals and nine assists. . . .
F Ondřej Veselý (Portland, Tri-City, 1996-98) has signed a two-year extension with Zlín (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had 10 goals and 10 assists in 51 games.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Brandon, F Peter Quenneville scored at 6:15 of OT to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Brandon won the series, 4-1, and next goes against the Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference final. . . . Brandon was 3-1-0 against Calgary in the regular season. . . . The series will open with games in Brandon on April 24 and 25, before moving to Calgary for games on April 28 and 29. . . . Quenneville’s fourth playoff goal was set up by his brother, John. . . . Peter also had two assists. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick forced OT with his second goal of the game, and fourth of the playoffs, at 13:39 of the third period. . . . Patrick had opened the scoring at 12:52 of the first, while shorthanded. . . . Regina D Jake Leschyshyn tied it with his first goal at 13:41 of the second, and F Taylor Cooper gave the Pats the lead at 18:58, with his fourth goal. . . . Each team was 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 25 shots. Regina G Daniel Wapple put on a clinic, turning aside 48 shots. . . . In the third period, Wapple stopped 19 of 20 shots. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk was back in Brandon’s lineup after a six-game absence. He drew one assist. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk, F Rihards Bukarts and D Colton Waltz sat out for a third straight game. . . . The Pats scratched D Sergey Zborovskiy, D Chase Harrison, D Connor Hobbs, F Rykr Cole and F Sam Steel, meaning they played without three of their top four defencemen. . . . Attendance was 4,333, the smallest crowd of the series.

In Calgary, D Travis Sanheim scored in the second OT period to give the Hitmen a 4-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Calgary won the series, 4-1, and will meet the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference final. . . . Calgary was 1-2-1 against Brandon in the regular season. . . . Sanheim’s fifth goal of these playoffs came at 7:45 of the second OT. . . . The loss means that Wednesday’s game in Medicine Hat, which the Hitmen won 2-1 in OT, was the last game in the Arena. The Tigers will be in the new Regional Event Centre when next season gets here. . . . This was the third game in the series to go to OT; the Hitmen won two of them. In all, Calgary has played in six OT games in these playoffs, winning four of them. . . . F Jake Virtanen scored twice for Calgary, his second goal came with 44.9 seconds left in the third period and forced OT. It came on a PP with G Mack Shields on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Virtanen has four goals in these playoffs. . . . Tigers F Markus Eisenschmid, who was serving a hooking penalty when Virtanen tied it, had given the Tigers a 3-2 lead at 12:03 of the third. . . . F Cole Sanford gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 3:22 of the first, but Virtanen tied it at 15:03. . . . The Tigers took a 2-1 lead 59 seconds into the second on F Dryden Hunt’s fifth goal. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean, playing for the first time since March 27, scored his second goal at 17:31 of the second. . . . Bean hadn’t played since Game 1 of the first round. . . . F Adam Tambellini also returned to the Calgary lineup — he had one assist — but F Chase Lang remained out. . . .  Shields stopped 55 shots, four more than Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer. . . . Calgary was 1-for-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 7,290. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this game story for the Calgary Herald.

In Kelowna, D Josh Morrissey returned to the Rockets lineup with two goals and three assists as they dumped the Victoria Royals, 7-3. . . . The Rockets won the series, 4-1. . . . Morrissey, who sat out the previous two games, scored his first two goals of these playoffs. . . . Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl scored the game’s first goal, his fourth, at 1:24 of the first period. . . . Victoria got the next two goals, from F Jack Walker at 17:54 and F Brandon Fushimi at 18:17. . . . But the Rockets tied it on Morrissey’s first goal at 19:28. . . . The Rockets then pulled away with three second-period goals, from F Rodney Southam, F Tyson Baillie and Morrissey, the latter two scoring on the PP. . . . Baillie’s goal was his seventh; he’s got points in nine straight playoff games. . . . F Rourke Chartier, with his seventh, and F Cole Linaker, with his second, scored for Kelowna in the third, with D Travis Brown getting his second, on a PP, for Victoria. . . . Kelowna D Madison Bowey had three assists, with Draisaitl and F Nick Merkley each getting two. . . . Draisaitl had 11 points in the series, while Morrissey put up eight in two-plus games. . . . Kelowna opened with Jackson Whistle in goal, but head coach Dan Lambert took him out after the first period in an attempt to fire up his team. The game was tied 2-2 with Whistle having allowed two goals on nine shots. . . . Michael Herringer came on in relief and stopped 11 of 12 shots. . . . Victoria starter Justin Paulic gave up five goals on 26 shots, with reliever Coleman Vollrath giving up two on 13. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Victoria was 1-for-6. . . . Victoria F Jared Dmytriw took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on Kelowna D Cole Martin at 11:54 of the second period. The WHL will review the play and Dmytriw, a 16-year-old from Craven, Sask., could open next season under suspension. He had 13 penalty minutes in 49 regular-season games, and was hit with 15 minutes worth last night. . . . Kelowna had F Justin Kirkland back in the lineup after a nine-week absence. Kirkland, who had 51 points in 50 regular-season games, hadn’t played since Feb. 14. . . . Attendance was 5,226.

In Portland, D Blake Heinrich scored at 5:40 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 2-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 in Everett on Sunday. . . . Heinrich has three playoff goals. . . . F Chase De Leo got Portland on the board with his third goal at 1:15 of the second period. . . . Everett D Ben Betker tied it with his first goal at 12:54 of the second. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 29 shots, as did G Carter Hart of the Silvertips. . . . Portland was 0-for-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-2. . . . Among Everett’s scratchers were D Noah Juulsen, D Tristen Pfeifer and F Dawson Leedahl. Leedahl, who had missed the previous five games, played two periods in Game 3 on Thursday, but didn’t come out of the dressing room for the third. Last night, Everett F Jake Mykitiuk left in the third period. . . . Attendance was 8,590. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here.
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The story broke in the middle of night No. 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A CBS-TV outlet in Los Angeles reported that F Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles was arrested in Las Vegas on Friday on suspicion of possession of cocaine and Ecstasy. He is reported to have been at the MGM Grand’s Wet Republic pool.
Stoll, a 32-year-old native of Melville, Sask., played four seasons (1998-2002) with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. He has spent the past seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, helping them win two Stanley Cup titles. His contract expired with the conclusion of this season and he appears headed for unrestricted free agency.
The Kings released this statement: “We are aware of police reports out of Clark County, Nevada, regarding Jarret Stoll. Our organization is concerned and has begun conducting a thorough internal investigation. While we continue to actively gather facts, we are withholding further comment at this time.”
Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, told the Los Angeles Times: “We are aware of the reports tonight, and we obviously will follow up to understand the nature of the allegations that are being made. "We are not in a position at this time to comment further until we have more information.”
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The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are three nights old and we have seen starting goaltenders from Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Slovakia and Sweden. . . . Unfortunately, we won’t see anything like that in the CHL because it has chosen to ban European goaltenders from its three leagues — the OHL, QMJHL and WHL. . . . Marek Langhamer of the Medicine Hat Tigers had his WHL career come to an end last night. From the Czech Republic, he will go down in history as the WHL’s last European goaltender.
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The OHL named its coach of the year on Friday, with the award going to Sheldon Keefe, the head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. If you are at all familiar with Keefe’s story — to refresh your memory, he was one of David Frost’s boys — you know just what all of this means. For a good read on Keefe, pick up a copy of Bob McKenzie’s book Hockey Confidential. One chapter, a terrific chapter, tells Keefe’s story, warts and all. . . . In the meantime, Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has a story right here on Keefe winning the coach-of-the-year award.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Josh Paterson, the team’s first selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Paterson, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Edmonton, was the 25th overall pick in that draft. Last season, Paterson led the Alberta bantam AAA league in scoring when he put up 97 points in 33 games for the South Side Athletic Club. This season, he played for the SSAC midget AAA side, picking up 19 points, including nine goals, in 32 games. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Brett Clayton, 16, a list player who played this season with the B.C. major midget league’s Fraser Valley Thunderbirds. The 6-foot-3, 197-pounder had 34 points, 16 of them goals, in 40 games with the Thunderbirds. The Winterhawks placed him on their list after they liked what they saw of him in training camp in August. . . .
D Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) had a goal and an assist last night, helping the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In eight AHL games this season, Theodore has nine points, four of them goals. . . . Theodore began the season with the Admirals and had three goals and four assists in five games. He joined Norfolk when Seattle’s season ended, and has a goal and three helpers in three games. . . .
F Cole Ully (Kamloops Blazers) made his pro debut last night, earning one assist as the Texas Stars beat the host San Antonio Rampage 3-2 to clinch an AHL playoff spot. Ully, who has signed with the NHL’s Dallas Stars, drew the primary assist on F Brendan Ranford’s 17th goal of the season. Ranford also played in Kamloops. . . .
F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice) drew two assists and was chosen the second star last night as his Rochester Americans dropped a 3-2 AHL decision to the visiting Utica Comets. Reinhart was selected by the parent Buffalo Sabres with the second pick of the NHL’s 2014 draft. Earlier this season, he played nine games with the Sabres; this was his first game with the Americans. . . .
F Liam Stewart (Spokane Chiefs) scored his first pro goal to help the visiting Quad City Mallards to a 3-2 victory over the Rapid City Rush in an ECHL game. It was Stewart’s first pro game. . . .
The Penticton Vees won the BCHL championship last night when F Dakota Conroy (Brandon, Victoria, Prince Albert, 2010-15) scored at 2:06 of OT to give them a 3-2 victory over the host Nanaimo Clippers. . . . The Vees lost the first two games of the series, then won four in a row. . . . In the AJHL, the Brooks Bandits posted a 6-4 victory over the host Spruce Grove Saints. Spruce Grove takes a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Brooks on Sunday.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Geoff Goodman is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Goodman spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the KIJHL’s Osoyoos Coyotes. . . . Goodman replaces Bill Rotheisler, whose contract wasn’t renewed after two seasons there.
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It is a crime that Pilon is in and Hobbs is out. Where is the justice! #Gamechangers
— Regina Pats (@WHLpats) April 18, 2015

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Jeff Smith (Red Deer, 1998-2002) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite). He had three goals and 12 assists in 55 games for the Stingrays this season.
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1. After 19 years with one radio station, it seems the Prince George Cougars may have a new play-by-play host station when another season arrives. . . . I am told that Prince George radio station 99.3 The Drive and the Cougars weren’t able to work out a new contract, so have decided to part company. . . . The radio station that was 550-CKPG before morphing into 99.3 The Drive in 2003 is owned by The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. . . . The decision to part also means the end of Cougar View, a weekly 30-minute show on the Cougars that aired on CKPG-TV for 16 seasons. CKPG-TV also is owned by The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. . . . There are four other radio stations in Prince George — 94 X and 97.3 The Wolf, both of which are owned by Vista Radio; 93.1 CFIS, which is a non-profit owned and operated by the Prince George Community Radio Society; and, CBC. . . . Hello, Vista . . .

2. There can be no doubt but that the day’s biggest story comes from Moscow — that would be Russia, not Idaho — where The Associated Press reports: “A perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood has been found on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal, Russian scientists said Thursday.” . . . There is more right here.

3. D Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks will finish this season on an ATO with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Pouliot was the eighth overall selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft. Earlier in the week, the Penguins added D Olli Maatta and D Scott Harrington, both of the London Knights, to their roster. . . . The Penguins are involved in a semifinal series with Syracuse, and trail the Crunch 2-1 with Game 4 tonight in Wilkes-Barre. . . . Pouliot  had 45 points in 44 regular-season games, missing a good chunk of time with a high ankle sprain. He added 20 points in 21 playoff games.

4. The Montreal Canadiens have signed F Tim Bozon of the Kamloops Blazers to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. Bozon was a third-round selection, taken 64th overall, in the NHL’s 2012 draft. This season, his second in the WHL, he had 91 points, including 36 goals, in 69 regular-season games. Bozon finished up his season by playing for France at the IIHF world championship in Helsinki and Stockholm.

5. The Buffalo Sabres have signed F Colin Jacobs, a fourth-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft, to an entry-level deal. Jacobs had 53 points, including 25 goals, in 66 games with the Prince George Cougars this season, then moved on to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he had a goal and two assists in 11 games.

6. The first time I heard that Hockey Canada and the CHL were discussing the state of goaltending was during the Memorial Cup when CHL commissioner David Branch mentioned it on one of 92.9 The Bull’s pregame shows late in the week. . . . It seems that Hockey Canada isn’t at all enthralled with the state of goaltending and is at least thinking about asking for a ban on imports. . . . Hockey Canada already got rid of its head scout and its goaltending coach. Hey, let’s ban import goaltenders, too. . . . I have long felt that major junior hockey is in the entertainment business and the onus is on the owners to put the best possible product on the ice. If that means a few teams have import goaltenders, so be it. . . . Anyway, Chris Peters, over at The United States of Hockey, takes a look at the situation right here, including a count of just how many import goaltenders got major playing time this season. . . . Brock Otten of OHL Prospects has his take on this issue right here.

7. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel has an interesting piece right here that explains how Tim Duncan, a free agent during the summer of 2000, almost ended up with the Orlando Magic rather than re-signing with the San Antonio Spurs. Did Duncan's soon-to-be ex-wife figure in his decision?

8. So, I wonder how George Brett is enjoying his new gig as the Kansas City Royals’ batting coach? He joined the Royals in St. Louis on Thursday. . . . His first game, in St. Louis, began with a one-hour rain delay. . . . Later, the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead into the ninth. The Royals scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead and had the bases loaded when the the rains came. . . . I am listening to the guys on the Cardinals radio network. Kevin Wheeler and Mike Claiborne are starting to get giddy. Mike Shannon and John Rooney, the play-by-play team, are sitting out until the game resumes. . . . It’s interesting that the umpires doing this game will make the 300-mile drive to Chicago in a limo once it ends. They’ve got to work a day game at Wrigley Field between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Cubs. First pitch in that one is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich is watching on TV and reports that the San Francisco Giants have checked into their St. Louis hotel and are in the rooms the Royals had occupied. . . . The Royals open a series in Texas later today with a night game. . . . Before the rains came, the big story involved St. Louis right-hander Michael Wacha, 21, who made his MLB debut by retiring the first 13 hitters he faced. He threw seven innings, giving up two hits and a run. He struck out six and didn’t issue a walk. Oh, and he singled in his first at-bat. . . . Yes, just what the Cardinals need — more pitching! . . . Shannon and Rooney are back. It’s 3:04 a.m. in St. Loo. Shannon sounds as though it’s past his bed time. . . . Joe Kelly is on the mound for the Cards. . . . It’s a rain delay of four hours 32 minutes. . . . Miguel Tejada hits into a 6-2-3 double play on Kelly’s first pitch. . . . An intentional walk and a flyball and the half inning is over. . . . Attendance earlier was 43,916. Sepich figures there are about 40 Cardinals fans behind their dugout and maybe 15 Royals fans behind their dugout. . . . The Cardinals go 1-2-3 and just like that it’s all over. . . . It’s 3:15 a.m. in St. Louis. It took about 10 minutes to finish once they resumed play. . . . The Royals are happy because they snapped an eight-game losing streak. . . . The time of the game is 2:27; the rain delays lasted 5:32. . . . You have to love baseball because there’s no clock.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jacques Beaulieu was fired as general manager and head coach of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting on Thursday. . . . Co-owner Rob Ciccarelli said in a statement that : "The reasons for his dismissal are not related to the on ice performance of our hockey club. As per the advice of our lawyers we cannot comment any further at this time.” . . . Ciccarelli later told Paul Owen of the Sarnia Observer: “The only comment I'm going to make is that I'm extremely angry, and I'm not going to make any further comment.” . . . Beaulieu and his son, Nathan, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, are facing assault charges from an incident in a home in April. However, Ciccarelli told Owen that the firing didn’t have anything to do with that incident. . . . Owen’s story is right here.

Matt Shaw, who spent this season as an assistant coach with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, will be introduced today as the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. . . . Shaw, 47, is a veteran coach, having worked with the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild in the NHL and Houston Aeros in the AHL. . . . He replaces Jim Montgomery, who left to become the head coach at the U of Denver.

Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star reported Thursday evening that the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds will pick up a one-year option on head coach Sheldon Keefe that will take him through 2014-15. . . . According to Ruicci, an announcement is expected sometime today. . . . At the same time, the club is negotiating an extension with general manager Kyle Dubas, who has one year left on his deal. . . . The Greyhounds went 23-12-4 after Keefe replaced Mike Stapleton on Dec. 3. . . . Ruicci’s story is right here.


The OHL’s Barrie Colts have signed general manager/head coach Dale Hawerchuk to a three-year contract extension. The Colts took the London Knights to Game 7 of the championship final this season.



Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported late Wednesday night that Regina Pats head coach Malcolm Cameron has declined the opportunity to serve as head coach of Team West at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Cape Breton, N.S. . . . Cameron was named Team West’s head coach just before he was named the Pats’ head coach. . . . Regina assistant coach Josh Dixon will keep his post as a Team West assistant. . . . Harder’s complete story is right here.
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From Tyler King (@tyler_king), the radio voice of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons, who encountered some problems trying to confirm a transactions last night: “Who would've thought it'd be just as difficult to confirm junior A trades as it is to confirm whether Toronto's mayor smoked crack?”

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

If you are one of the folks waiting to get a copy of Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos, I am told that the second printing arrived in the Toronto warehouse late last week and books are on the way into stores.
So please keep checking with your favourite bookstore.
I also was told that Costco placed an order.
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Headline in the Vancouver Sun: ’Hawks flogged for bending it like Beckham
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D Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks has told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald that he was “devastated” when the Everett Silvertips fired general manager Doug Soetaert in February.
Jones, who is likely to be the first or second selection in the NHL’s 2013 draft (if there is one), was selected by Everett with the 11th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft. However, he chose not to report and was traded to Portland.
"I had a really good connection with Doug Soetaert and the head coach that was here (Craig Hartsburg)," Jones, 18, told Patterson. "They both are gone, so I didn't feel like I had a connection with the new guys here."
Jones also told Patterson: "I have nothing against Everett. Doug was a great guy. He came down to Dallas to visit me a couple times the past couple years. When he got fired I was devastated, to be honest with you. He was a really nice guy and a great influence for me to come here. He left and things kind of changed.”
Patterson’s complete story is right here.
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If you haven’t seen the Merry Christmas video put together by the Calgary Hitmen, it’s right here.
And, yes, that is general manager Kelly (Boots Randolph) Kisio on the sax.
My good wife says it's “awesome.” But I’m thinking she may have been referring to the shower scene.
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The Czech Republic national junior team has released the roster for a selection camp that begins Dec. 15 in Rokycany. That roster includes three WHLers — G Patrik Bartosak of Red Deer, D Marek Hrbas of Kamloops and D David Musil of Edmonton. . . . Not on that roster are F Matej Stransky of Saskatoon and D Richard Nedomlel of Swift Current.
Swift Current G Eetu Laurikainen is on Finland’s roster, while Calgary F Victor Rask is on Sweden’s roster.
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The OHL’s Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds fired head coach Mike Stapleton on Monday. They replaced him with Sheldon Keefe, who won five straight CCHL championships (2007-11) with the Pembroke Lumber Kings.
The Greyhounds are 13-14-2 and in third place in the West Division.
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In the QMJHL, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have fired Ron Choules, their general manager and head coach. He ran the team’s Monday afternoon practice and then was relieved of his duties. . . . Choules was in his second season as head coach; he had been GM since October when Pierre Roux was fired. . . . Marc-André Dumont is the Screaming Eagles’ new GM/head coach. He spent three seasons as head coach of the Val-d’Or Foreurs before being fired in October with the team at 4-6-0. . . . Cape Breton is 7-17-6 and is 16th in the 18-team league’s overall standings. It has lost its last seven games.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds announced Monday that F Tyler Alos, 19,  has retired from hockey. For some reason, the Thunderbirds news release make no mention of why Also retired, but it’s due to post-concussion syndrome. “He has been advised by doctors against returning to the ice this season,” Seattle GM Russ Farwell said in a news release. . . . According to the news release, Alos will stay with the club and assist the Thunderbirds. . . . A native of Spokane, he had 56 points, including 19 goals, in 201 games over four seasons.
This would be a good time to provide a link to a story from Monday’s edition of The New York Times.
“The growing evidence of a link between head trauma and long-term, degenerative brain disease was amplified in an extensive study of athletes, military veterans and others who absorbed repeated hits to the head, according to new findings published in the scientific journal Brain,” writes Ken Belson.
“The study, which included brain samples taken posthumously from 85 people who had histories of repeated mild traumatic brain injury, added to the mounting body of research revealing the possible consequences of routine hits to the head in sports like football and hockey. The possibility that such mild head trauma could result in long-term cognitive impairment has come to vex sports officials, team doctors, athletes and parents in recent years.”
The complete story is right here and it’s a must read.
And while you’re there click on the interactive link and check out the slides of various brains.
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The Saskatoon Blades made a couple of trades on Monday. . . . The dealt D Brett Lernout, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, to the Swift Current Broncos for a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Then they dealt a fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft to the Prince Albert Raiders for D Shayne Gwinner, 18. Gwinner had one goal in nine games with the Raiders but left the team last month. Last season, Gwinner had 11 points in 51 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Gwinner, from Drumheller, was acquired by the Raiders from the Warriors on July 6 for a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft and a sixth-rounder in 2014. . . . Lernout was pointless in 18 games with the Blades.
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The Saskatoon Blades were hit with a $750 fine after being involved in their second line brawl of the season on Saturday in a 3-0 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that F Brett Stovin (shoulder) was involved in a full practice Monday, the first time that has happened since he was injured on Nov. 10. . . . However, Saskatoon D Dalton Thrower (concussion) skated prior to practice and left the ice after about 15 minutes. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock, who has missed six games since take a puck in the fce on Nov. 16 in Cranbrook, hopes to return Friday. He’ll wear a full shield. The Wheat Kings are 0-5-1 without him in the lineup. . . .
Cougars F Colin Jacobs has been suspended for six games after being penalized for a headshot on Victoria Royals F Luke Harrison on Friday in Prince George. Harrison is out with a concussion. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders are at home tonight to the Spokane Chiefs. Prince Albert F Jonas Knutsen (Norway) and F Leon Draisaitl (Germany) leave after tonight’s game to join their national junior teams. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have brought in D Micheal Zipp, 16, for the remainder of this season. He was pointless in nine games with the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. Zipp, from Edmonton, was a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Silvertips lost D Ryan Murray (shoulder), traded D Griffin Foulk to the Seattle Thunderbirds, and are about to lose D Mirco Mueller to the Swiss junior team. So there was room on the roster for a defenceman.
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From former WHLer Spencer Asuchak (@Asuchak16): “Would love to hear someone explain how the best player in the @thewhl didn't get invited to world jr camp. @blazerhockey #smith”
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From former WHL scoring champ Tyler Redenbach (@tredenbach18): “@Asuchak16 maybe his parents got a free flight from the team and Ron Robison wouldn't let him go #dubproblems also you notice 0 NCAA players”
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From D Shayne Gwinner (@gwins32), who was dealt by Prince Albert to Saskatoon yesterday: “Well that was unexpected #Blades”
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From Seattle Thunderbirds F Justin Hickman (@jhick9): “Tough to see @tyler_alos13 have to hang em up but we know the kid will be red hot behind the bench #heartandsoul #loveyou #too early”

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