Hurricanes get their man . . . Warriors promote pair . . . Molleken to Giants?

F Stefan Meyer (Medicine Hat, 2000-05) signed a one-year extension with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). This season, he had 74 points, including 36 goals, in 59 games. He led the Clan in goals and points, and was fifth in the league’s scoring race.
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And then there was one.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes introduced Brent Kisio as the 14th head coach in franchise history on Thursday, leaving the Vancouver Giants as the only one of the WHL’s 22 teams without a head coach.
Kisio, 32, joins the Hurricanes after eight seasons on the coaching staff of the Calgary Hitmen, most recently as associate coach. He signed a three-year contract with Lethbridge, where he takes over from Peter Anholt.
Anholt joined the Hurricanes in December, taking over as general manager and head coach. The Hurricanes had fired general manager Brad Robson and head coach Drake Berehowsky. Immediately after the season, Anholt said he wouldn’t be back as coach. On May 4, he signed a three-year deal as GM.
Kisio, from Calgary, is the son of longtime Hitmen executive Kelly Kisio.
“I shortlisted three or four guys and went through the process,” Anholt said in a news release. “We had some real quality people, I just felt Brent really fit here better than any. I like his hockey pedigree, born and raised in the hockey world and being involved in the hockey business.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes also announced the signings of three prospects on Thursday. . . . F Jordy Bellerive, from North Vancouver, was the second overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. GM Peter Anholt had announced Bellerive’s signing during a shareholders’ meeting on Monday night. He had 49 points, including 34 goals, in 27 games at the Okanagan Hockey Academy. In his previous two seasons, Bellerive totalled 242 points in 114 games at the North Shore Winter Club. . . . D Nick Watson was selected in the second round of the 2014 bantam draft. He played this season at the Delta Hockey Academy, earning nine points, three of them goals, in 24 games. . . . F Josh Tarzwell, from Red Deer, was a second-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. He played the past two seasons with the bantam AAA Red Deer Rebels White, totalling 60 points in 65 games.
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The QMJHL draft is scheduled for Saturday in Sherbrooke, Que., and the Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to select F Joey Veleno with the first overall selection.
Veleno, 15, was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada on Thursday. He is the first Quebec player to be given such status.
It is believed that Hockey Canada originally refused Veleno’s request because it was received after a Feb. 15 deadline, but later reconsidered and then informed QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau of its decision yesterday.
The OHL has had four players — F Connor McDavid, F John Tavares, D Aaron Ekblad and D Sean Day — request and receive exceptional status. The WHL hasn’t had any such players.
Veleno is from Kirkland, Que. He had 52 points in 41 games for the midget AAA Lac-St-Louis Lions this season.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have promoted Doug Gasper and Bob Bartlett. . . . Gasper, the assistant head scout, now is the head scout, while Bartlett now is director, player development. . . . Gasper has been with the Warriors since 2007 and has been assistant head scout since 2012. . . . Bartlett, a former GM with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, joined the Warriors in 2009. In 2012, he was named senior scout/manager USA scouting and player development.
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It was just last fall when Gordie Howe, aka Mr. Hockey, seemed ready to depart this world. He was 86 years of age and had suffered a stroke. Shortly after, however, he underwent a controversial stem-cell treatment and, in short order, showed great improvement. Was it that treatment or was it angels? Reeves Wiedeman has that story right here in an enthralling piece from New York magazine.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Belarusian Ice Hockey Association and former NHL player and coach Dave Lewis have agreed on a contract extension. It is expected to be a three-year deal that will take the team through the Olympic cycle. Belarus reached the quarter-finals at the 2015 IIHF World Championship and, in fact, improved to ninth in the world ranking. . . . The Belarusian association also announced that Pavel Perepekhin, 37, will be back as the head coach of its national junior team. He will be behind the bench at the 2016 World Junior Championship in Helsinki. He also will coach Dynamo Bobruisk, a Belarusian team that is affiliated with the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk. Bobruisk will play in the Belarusian Extraliga and its roster will include a number of national junior team players.
Meanwhile, as expected, USA Hockey announced Thursday that veteran NHL coach Ron Wilson will coach its national junior team at the 2016 World Junior Championship in Helsinki.
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Could veteran WHL coach Lorne Molleken be the next head coach of the Vancouver Giants? Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reported Thursday that Molleken, who last coached the Saskatoon Blades in 2013-14, is among those who have been interviewed for the vacant position. . . . Ewen tweeted: “Vancouver Giants braintrust meeting in coming days to contemplate coaches they've interviewed. Add ex-Saskatoon boss Lorne Molleken to list.” . . . That list is believed to have included Michael Dyck, Dallas Eakins, Ryan McGill and Ted Nolan. However, a tweet from Vancouver radio station News 1130 indicated that Nolan “is no longer in the mix. . . . Hearing Ryan McGill is very high on finalist list.” . . . According to Ewen, “Molleken and Dyck had conversations last year with the Vancouver Giants before they brought in Claude Noel to replace Troy Ward.” . . .
Meanwhile, Ewen also tweeted yesterday that the Giants “have fired five scouts from last season. No word yet on replacements. Club has missed #WHL playoffs 2 of last 3 years.” . . . In the WHL’s 2014-15 Guide, the Giants list a total of 14 scouts.
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Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that the Colorado Avalanche “could be a frontrunner in the Derek Ryan sweepstakes.” . . . Ryan, 28, played for the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs (2004-07). This season, playing for Orebro HK, he led the Swedish Hockey League, with 60 points. . . . The knock on Ryan has been his size — 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. But with F Tyler Johnson of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who is of a similar size, making such an impact this seasons, some teams may be wanting to take a look. . . . Johnson, who is from Spokane, spent four seasons with the Chiefs. . . . Yes, Johnson and Ryan are friends. . . . Chambers’ report is right here.
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42 yrs ago, Rangers named Larry Popein bench boss but The Pope wouldn't keep the gig for long, lasting only 41 games. pic.twitter.com/eqkzr12XwD

— O-Pee-Chee Stars (@opeecheestars) June 5, 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.

Bast working to save WolfPack . . . Blades, Wheaties deal

The 2014 Kidney Walk and Kidney Run is scheduled for Kamloops’ Riverside Park on Sunday, Aug. 24.
As regular readers here will be aware, Dorothy, my wife of 42 years, underwent a kidney transplant on Sept. 23. In past years, she wasn’t well enough to take part in the Kidney Walk. That no longer is the case.
The two of us, along with our son, Todd, and his girlfriend, Joanna, will be at Riverside Park on Aug. 24 and we will be taking part in the 2.5-km walk.
If you are so inclined, please click right here, go to ’Sponsor a Participant’ and make a donation in support of Dorothy.
“We want to give back to the Kidney Foundation any way we can,” Dorothy says, “because they have done so much for us.”
This, then, is our way of giving back at least a little bit.
Thank you so much for your support.
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F Riley Emmerson (Tri-City, 2004-06) signed a one-year contract with the Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, with the San Francisco Bulls (ECHL), he was pointless in 11 games. He also was pointless in 22 games with the Ontario Reign (ECHL) and had seven points, three of them goals, in 18 games with the Arizona Sundogs (CHL). . . .
F Stefan Meyer (Medicine Hat, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite), he had 54 points, including a team-high 28 goals, in 57 games.
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Ken Olynyk, the athletic director at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), announced on July 29 that the WolfPack hockey program was being put into cold storage.
The hockey team wasn’t a varsity program; it ran as a club team and played in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League. In pulling the plug, Olynyk said the program was in debt and lacked a proper business plan.
However, all may not be lost.
Trevor Bast of Victoria has taken it upon himself to attempt to lead a revival. His son, Des, was the last recruit signed by the WolfPack before the end came.
Bast has spent the last week working to marshal support.
On Sunday, he told Taking Note that there are a number of things he is working toward. For starters, the society that overlooked the hockey program “has to dissolve and reform with five directors.”
That, he added, is doable.
The team was about $50,000 in debt when the end came; Bast said he has been in contact with potential sponsors.
“There are sponsors willing to contribute, but nothing in the form of a bailout or major donor,” he explained.
Bast added: “We have gear, we have willing players and I'm confident we can get more. We could easily run a bare-bones season with a budget of $70,000 to $80,000 . . . $40,000 to $50,000 of that could come from player fees.”
On Monday, Bast said he will find out if the City of Kamloops already has moved to re-allocate the WolfPack’s ice time at Memorial Arena.
The bottom line, though, involves Olynyk.
As Bast put it: “The only way this gets going for this season is if Ken Olynyk changes his mind and puts faith in a new group, or a large amount of money falls from the sky.”
With all of that in mind, Bast penned this letter to Olynyk on Saturday:
Good morning, Ken:
I have to say this last week has been very enlightening for me. I've talked to some terrific people, I've discovered I have some gumption that I didn't know I had, but most of all I know there is a passion for hockey at TRU and if it doesn't happen this season it will be back soon. I had a great 90-minute conversation with Andre Larouche yesterday and got a complete history lesson on TRU hockey. Talking to Andre confirmed what I already felt -- mistakes have been made but hockey can work at TRU and more importantly it belongs at TRU.
“From my perspective (and many others but I won't speak for them), many of the final road blocks that stalled the program where just products of a negative culture that swept through the hockey operations and created strained relationships with all of the departments involved. The biggest one I have seen is the contention that TRU Hockey is at a recruiting disadvantage because they have players fees. Of course, if that's the attitude one leads with, it will absolutely hinder recruiting. I can spin several reasons why TRU is the best place to play hockey in the BCIHL without even breaking a sweat. We could charge $1,900 and still sell the program.
- An entire year of education, housing and hockey is a fraction of what families pay to send their son to Division III schools in the U.S. We have to get that message out there.
- TRU is the most well-rounded of all the Schools in the BCIHL. From upgrading, to trades, certificates, diplomas, degrees, post graduate, culinary, science, nursing, arts and on and on. SFU and UVic can't boast this type of diversity. Selkirk has to recruit half a team each year due to having one- and two-year programs.
- Kamloops is a perfect size city and its location makes it accessible for families to visit and attend games.
I won't go on, I'm sure you get my point. Ken, these are hockey operations issues. These can and will be fixed. This program just needs a few dedicated volunteers at different points of the province shaking hands with players, parents and coaches and selling the TRU story, not unlike how you recruit for your Varsity sports. One of the big differences is that hockey families are used to spending their money, you just have to build value into it.
The last point I want to touch on is what those 25 or so students mean to the school economically. You and I touched on this and it was you who gave me the economic benefit a single student brings to the community and the school. Multiply that by 25 and I am still perplexed at how this could not be resonating further up the food chain at TRU. This is a team of 25 or so students who, with a few exceptions, are now here today gone tomorrow along with their money. I thought this was about money. Obviously it's not all about money.
I know if an olive branch is extended and this season is saved, we have time to recruit a team. The society has not been dissolved and mistakes made will not be repeated.
Ken, hockey is our national sport, B.C. and Kamloops love the game. It is a sport where underdogs are glorified. Those who persevere are honoured and rewarded. Hockey players and those who love hockey are cut from a different cloth. Character is a pre-requisite and those without it are quickly weeded out. Give these kids, families and the society another chance and they will not look back. I imagine what you need is a program that runs itself as much as possible and that hasn't been the case the last couple years. I believe this can be the case moving forward. Please help us find a way.

Regards,
Trevor Bast
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The Saskatoon Blades have acquired F Dakota Boutin from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Boutin, 17, is from Moosomin, Sask. Boutin was a third-round pick by Brandon in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Last season, Boutin had 13 points, five of them goals, in 13 regular-season games with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos. He added nine points, including seven assists, in eight playoff games. Later, he scored the winning goal in the third OT period as the Mintos won the TELUS Cup with a 4-3 victory over the Chateauguay Grenadiers.
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Two young hockey players died on the weekend.
Calvin Dueck of Rosenort, Man., drowned in St. Malo Provincial Park south of Steinbach on Saturday evening. Dueck, 19, was a prospect of the MJHL’s Winkler Flyers.
There is more right here from the Winnipeg Free Press.
Nick Egan, a former defenceman with the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins, died Friday. Egan, 21, was a New Jersey native who grew up near Philadelphia. Josh Lewis of the Estevan Mercury reports right here that “Egan is believed to have died of a heart attack.”
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By now, you will be aware of the incident involving NASCAR driver Tony Stewart in which a fellow competitor was killed. It happened Saturday night during a sprint car race at a track in upstate New York. By Sunday morning, social media was in full swing. Cathal Kelly of The Globe and Mail writes about the situation right here.
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Traditionalists may not approve, but analytics are arriving in the hockey world and they’re arriving right now. Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe takes a look at the world of what seem like exotic statistics but soon will be run-of-the-mill numbers right here.
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Somebody's gonna have to explain why the best juniors in the world need to play meaningless full-contact exhibitions in August.
— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) August 8, 2014

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Some moves in Portland

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Chris Mason (Victoria/Prince George, 1993-97) signed a one-year contract with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A). He had a 3.73 GAA and a .873 save percentage in 11 games with the Nashville Predators (NHL) last season. . . .


F Stefan Meyer (Medicine Hat, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had 12 goals and 10 assists in 39 games with Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season.
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The Portland Winterhawks have hired Karl Taylor as their new assistant coach and moved Matt Bardsley from director of hockey operations to assistant general manager. . . . The moves were necessitated when Travis Green, their assistant GM/assistant coach, took on the head coaching job with the AHL’s Utica Comets. . . . Taylor, a native of North Bay, Ont., spent six seasons (2005-11) as a head coach in the ECHL. In 2011-12, he was an assistant coach with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . As well, Kyle Gustafson, who has done a lot of the club’s video work, will get more responsibilities as an assistant coach and will be on the bench during games. He spent the last half of last season on the bench with Green after GM/head coach Mike Johnston was suspended by the WHL.
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The 2013 Hockey Coaches Conference is 95 per cent sold out, which means there still is time for more coaches to register. . . . Included on the conference’s agenda will be on-ice presentations by Derek Popke and Yogi Svejkovsky of the Vancouver Hockey School. The title of their presentation will be The Foundations of Checking. . . . Popke is the founder of Vancouver Hockey School and is a highly respected skating coach who also has made regular appearances on Dan Russell’s SportsTalk where they have discussed minor hockey-related issues. . . . Svejkovsky, a former WHL and NHL player, is a skills coach with the Vancouver Giants and the founder and director of the B.C. Bears spring program.
“This presentation will be more relevant than ever in light of the recent Hockey Canada ban on body checking at the peewee level,” said Aaron Wilbur, managing director of The Coaches Site, in a news release. “Derek and Yogi will be able to provide invaluable information to coaches on how to prepare players for the contact side of hockey.”
The clinic runs this weekend, starting Friday and running through Sunday, at the Delta Hotel & Conference Centre in Burnaby. Register online at www.thecoachessite.com, or click on the banner ad at the top of this web page.
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If you are so inclined, visit the junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s website right here and give a read to the regulations that will be in play this season as they pertain to fighting.
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And now for something completely different. . . . If you click right here, you will go to lonelyplanet.com and a list of the 10 greatest bookshops in our world. Seriously!
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Olympic athletes and gay rights activists are making lots of noise about Russia’s stand against gay rights. But, as Jere Longman of The New York Times writes right here, IOC officials have had a tepid response, if that.
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And right here is perhaps the most interesting story of the day. It involves ESPN analyst Jay Bilas and some NCAA hypocrisy.
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From F Axel Blomqvist (@AxelBlomqvist) of the Lethbridge Hurricanes: “Pretty pumped about signing an ato contract with the winnipeg jets. Back to lethy in a couple of weeks then Winnipeg a week after that.”
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From Vancouver broadcaster Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff): “Had fun doing some @WHLGiants broadcasts last season. Was told tonight, not part of their plans for coming season.”
Paterson is a former radio voice of the Kamloops Blazers.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dustin Cameron (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2004-10) signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). He had 22 goals and 25 assists in 72 games with the Trenton Titans (ECHL) last season. . . .
F Shawn Limpright (Moose Jaw, 1998-2002) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had 28 goals and 53 assists in 65 games for the Rapid City Rush (CHL) last season. That was good enough for fifth place in the CHL scoring race. . . .
D Robert Schnabel (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract with the Manchester Phoenix (England, UK Elite). He had one assist in nine games with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga) before moving to Fassa (Italy, Serie A), where he had five goals and 10 assists in 26 games. . . .
D Tomas Fojtik (Portland, 2003-04) signed a one-year contract with the Basingstoke Bison (England, Premier). He had five goals and eight assists in 25 games for Reims (France, Division 1) last season. . . .
D Paul Albers (Calgary, Regina, Vancouver, 2001-06) signed a one-year contract with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). He had 10 goals and 21 assists in 36 games with the Tohoku Free Blades (Japan, Asia Hockey League) last season. . . .
F Stefan Meyer (Medicine Hat, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He started last season with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL), where he was pointless in six games. Meyer signed with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, Elitserien) in early December, getting one goal and six assists in 25 games. Meyer is expected to arrive in Schwenningen early next week. The Wild Wings open exhibition play on Friday, Aug. 17. . . .
D Robby Sandrock (Spokane, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Kelowna, 1994-99) signed a one-year contract with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). He had two goals and three assists in eight games with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) and one goal and five assists in 20 games with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season. The Giants announced that Sandrock will also attend the University of Ulster to work on a Master's in Sports Management degree. . . .
F Mark Derlago (Brandon, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract with Anyang Halla (South Korea, Asia Hockey League). He had 22 goals and 22 assists in 44 games for Lausitzer Fuchse Weisswasser (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season.
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The Everett Silvertips have started their 10th anniversary celebrations with an alumni weekend.
On Friday night, during an alumni dinner, the Silvertips unveiled a new logo and redesigned uniforms that will be used in the approaching season.
For a look at the new jerseys, click right here.
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D Corbin Baldwin, 21, has signed a one-year contract, including signing bonus, with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Baldwin, a shotblocker extraordinaire from Winnipeg, played four seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, putting up 66 points in 246 games. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder also had 379 penalty minutes. He is represented by Turning Point Sports Management. . . . The Aeros are affiliated with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, and Baldwin was in a Wild development camp earlier in the summer. Originally, he had planned on attending the U of Manitoba and playing for the Bisons.
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USA Hockey’s U1-7 team, under former Kamloops Blazers head coach Barry Smith, beat the Czech Republic 5-2 on Friday to clinch first place in the Five Nations tournament. The game was played in Chomutov, Czech Republic. . . . The U.S., which is 3-0, will play Slovakia today.
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Dean Laschowski, who has been the WHL’s officiating manager, has joined the AJHL has its video review manager. This is a newly created position. According to an AJHL press release, Laschowski “will work with AJHL vice-ppesident George McCorry in the areas of video review, supervision of game officials, and supplementary discipline.”

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If you’re a regular around here, you are familiar with our friend Jessi,
who is a huge fan of the Tri-City Americans. Jessi was bowling with
the Americans the other day, and here she is with Adam Hughesman (left)
and Mitch Topping. Spies indicate that Jessi won the day!

 THE MacBETH REPORT: D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) signed a contract for the rest of the season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia, KHL) after being released by Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL). He was pointless in 12 games with Salavat Yulaev this season. He did report to Salavat Yulaev's farm team, Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), after clearing KHL waivers. Tverdovsky was pointless in two games with Toros before gaining his release. . . .
To make room on their roster, Metallurg traded D Renat Mamashev (Moose Jaw, 2000-01) to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL) for an undisclosed 2012 KHL draft pick. Mamashev had two goals and four assists in 16 games with Metallurg this season, his first with the club after spending the past two seasons with Neftekhimik. . . .
F Stefan Meyer (Medicine Hat, 2000-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, Elitserien). He had no points in six games this season with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL). . . .
F Shayne Toporowski (Prince Albert, 1991-95) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) after a successful tryout. He has four goals and four assists in 11 games with Villach this season.
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On a night in March 2005, a motorist pulled into a gas station in Maple Ridge, B.C., put $12 in gas into his vehicle, and attempted to flee without paying.
Gas station attendant Grant DePatie tried to stop the gas and dash. He was struck by the car and dragged to his death.
In the province of B.C., you now have to abide by Grant’s Law — pay for your gas before pumping.
Over the last three days, The New York Times has carried a three-part series, written by John Branch, detailing the life and hockey career of the late Derek Boogaard.
This series is, in a word, devastating.
In Part 3, Branch reveals that Dr. Ann McKee, a renowned neuropathologist who has examined the brains of numerous athletes, examined Boogaard’s brain and discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Boogaard’s family was informed during an October conference call.
Boogaard, who died at 28, was in a more advanced state of CTE than was Bob Probert, who died at 45.
“To see this amount? That’s a ‘wow’ moment,” McKee said as she pointed to magnified images of Boogaard’s brain tissue. “This is all going bad.”
She is right. This is all going bad.
The NHL, however, doesn’t see things that way.
Branch writes:
The NHL is not convinced that there is a link between hockey and CTE.
“There isn’t a lot of data, and the experts who we talked to, who consult with us, think that it’s way premature to be drawing any conclusions at this point,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Because we’re not sure that any, based on the data we have available, is valid.”
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Junior hockey operators need to take a long, hard look at what’s going on here. The evidence is starting to mount that CTE is caused by repeated blows to the head. There also is evidence that once it’s there, it’s there — it only grows.
The brain of a young hockey player gets jostled around enough just playing the game. Who knows what damage is done by repeated punches to the head in a fight? Who knows what damage is done if a player is involved in a dozen or more fights in a season?
Perhaps it’s time for a league like the WHL to take the bull by the horns and ban fighting. Get it out of the game. Write a rule that bans it.
Call it Derek’s Rule.
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Part 3 of the NYT series is right here. It is devastating. Give it a look and take advantage of the various sidebars and videos available.
And, when you’re done, convince yourself again that adults should be sending teenagers out to fight on ice.
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Late Monday night, more than 600 comments had been posted at the end of Part 3 of the NYT series.
Here’s one of them:
“Congrats to the Times for this excellent series. This is a sport that is in denial, much like the cigarette industry was for so long about the hazards of smoking. Clearly a league that does not care about its players. This is little better than the gladiators of old.
“This is a problem that cannot be ignored; players are getting bigger, faster and more powerful and I guess more players will have to end up in a stupor or die before anything is done about it.”
And then there was this one:
“Let me get this straight: adults purposely place a 16 year old kid in an adult environment (Junior A level for-profit hockey) and coerce him (you fight or you are cut from the team) to be violent and expose him to trauma and this is not called child abuse?
“What we now know about children exposed to chronic emotional and physical trauma is that they typically develop a biologically based hyper-vigilant fight/flight system and maladaptive coping mechanisms such as emotional numbing through alcohol and drug use.
“The old men who run hockey need to wake up to the realities of brain science and stop grooming adolescent boys as hockey gladiators.
“I played hockey in the Canadian juniors back in the 70's and was keenly aware that it was always the frustrated and angry adults most interested in living out their rage, blood lust, and impotence through the violence of the kids on the ice.
“Sadly, too many of these adults are still running the game today. Yea Don Cherry, I'm talking about you. When was the last time you dropped the gloves and were able to put 'em up?”
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Meanwhile . . .
If you click right here, it will take you to a three-minute video clip of the Winterhawks’ Wedding from Fox 12 Oregon. There is entertaining stuff here, including video of the bride waiting and her reaction when the Teddy Bear goal is scored.
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THE COACHING GAME: Stan Drulia has resigned as head coach of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers and move up to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals as an assistant under new head coach Ian Herbers. All of that came about because Kirk Muller, the Admirals’ head coach, moved up to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes as their head coach last week. Clark Donatelli, an assistant coach with Drulia, was named the Nailers’ interim head coach.
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JUST NOTES: The NHL’s Calgary Flames have recalled G Leland Irving (Everett, 2004-08) after putting Henrik Karlsson (knee) on the injured list. Karlsson was injured Saturday in a 5-1 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver. Irving, a first-round selection by the Flames in the NHL’s 2006 draft, has yet to play in the NHL. He has been with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. Dan Kinvig of the Abbotsford News reports that Irving, who played Sunday afternoon in a 3-1 victory over the host Chicago Wolves, and some teammates were watching the NHL game in a Chicago restaurant when Karlsson went down. “Ten minutes later," Kinvig reported, “Irving's cell phone rang. It was Heat head coach Troy Ward, informing him he was being recalled by the Flames.” . . . On Monday, Irving, 23, told Kinvig: "It was pretty exciting, and the guys were excited for me. It was very cool to share it with your teammates – the guys that helped you get there. It just means that much more when I've had to wait a while and work hard to even get a chance (in the NHL)." . . . This season, with the Heat, Irving is 15-7-0, 2.30, .914. . . .
The Prince Albert Raiders have added F Joey Santucci, 17, to their roster through Dec. 16. Santucci has 18 points and 48 penalty minutes in 21 games with the junior B Grandview Steelers of the Pacific International junior league. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have assigned D Cole Hamblin, 18, to the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelrs. he had one assist in seven games this season with the Chiefs. The Chiefs are left with a 23-man roster, including two goaltendes and eight defencemen. . . .
F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the lone WHL player on the preliminary roster for the U.S. national junor team. The roster was announced Monday. . . . The roster is 29 players deep and will be cut to 22 after a camp that is to open in Camrose Alta., on Dec. 17. . . .
The Calgary Flames have signed F Michael Ferland of the Brandon Wheat Kings to a three-year NHL contract. He was a fifth-round selection in the 2010 NHL draft. Ferland, 19, has 42 points, including 17 goals, in 29 games this season. He is to report to the Canadian junior team’s selection camp in Calgaryon Saturday. . . .
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City council in Gatineau, Que., has voted to build a 4,000-seat multi-purpose facility that will replace Robert Guertin Arena, the home of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. It looks like the cost will be between $50 million and $53 million.
Darren Desaulniers of the Ottawa Citizen has more right here.
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In St. Catharines, Ont., city council has voted to build a multi-purpose facility with 4,500 to 5,300 seats for a maximum of $50 million. Bill and Denise Burke, who own the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, say they will sign a 20-year lease.
Marlene Bergsma of the St. Catharines Standard has more right here.
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In Medicine Hat, city council . . . ahh, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel presents a day in the life of D Victor Bartley (Kamloops, Regina, 2004-09) right here.
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