Warriors need head coach . . . Signing frenzy in NHL

F Brett Palin (Kelowna, 2000-05) has signed a one-year contract with Mora (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL), he had 21 points, including seven goals, in 50 games. Mora's head coach is Jeremy Colliton (Prince Albert, 2001-05).
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A guy gets out of bed on the morning of July 1, says he will take a quick check on the NHL’s free-agent frenzy and get on with his day.
But it’s like a train wreck or a NASCAR race . . . once you start watching, you can’t just get up and walk away.
You watch enough of this free-agent frenzy and you start pinching yourself as a reminder that this is the real thing; it’s not a bunch of guys gathered around a bar, holding a fantasy draft and spending Monopoly money.
But, geez, there isn’t a fantasy league in existence in which an owner would pay defenceman Deryk Engelland anything close to the $5.7 million the Calgary Flames handed him in a three-year deal, even if he is coming off a career-high six goals in 60 regular-season games.
Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted Engelland’s contract terms, and then followed up with this: “To be clear, Engelland's AAV is $2.9M. That's per year.”
Engelland is 32 and has 13 goals in 243 career NHL regular-season games. He’s a No. 6, at best, on an NHL roster. But, hey, he’s truculent and you know who’s calling the shots with the Flames.
But, look, the Flames weren’t alone in the spending craziness.
After all, as Daren Millard (@darenmillard) tweeted: “Per @Sportsnet research. Players signed: 96. Total value of contracts: $543 M.”
(All figures in U.S. dollars.)
There also was this tweet from Sportsnet Ticker (@SportsnetTicker): “Since 2008, a grand total of $2.39 billion worth of contracts have been handed out on the 1st day of NHL free agency.”
Sportsnet’s total included all of Tuesday’s signings. If you include only the unrestricted free agents, as Capgeek.com did, you get 63 signings for $494,600,000.
Hey, I love defenceman Willie Mitchell, a hack-and-whacker who I’m guessing plays with the NHL’s second-longest stick (second only to Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara). Mitchell is a heart-and-soul guy. But not a $4.25-million-a-season heart-and-soul guy. That’s what he got from the Florida Panthers on a two-year deal.
The Washington Capitals came up with $67.75 million for defencemen Brooks Orpik and Matti Niskanen. The latter, who turns 28 on Dec. 6, got $40.25 million over seven seasons.
And now we know why Jarome Iginla has been smiling for all these years. He knew there was going to be one final payday. He turned 37 on Tuesday. Happy Birthday! The Colorado Avalanche gave him a three-year deal at $5,333,333 per season.
So Iginla’s search for the Stanley Cup has taken him from Calgary, after 15-plus seasons with the Flames, to the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Boston Bruins to the Avalanche in just over two years. Or is he really chasing the almighty dollar?
The day began with the Edmonton Oilers giving forward Benoit Pouliot, a 15-goal scorer with the New York Rangers last season, $20 million over five years.
Near day’s end, Tim Wharnsby at cbc.ca calculated that in the first six hours of free agency, 73 players signed for $503.1 million.
No matter how you figure it, NHL owners, the same people who plead poverty whenever it’s time to negotiate a new CBA, committed themselves to paying out a whack of cash.
And there are still a bunch of free agents out there, so the figure is certain to rise a whole lot more.
Here’s Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times, on Oct. 4, 1994:
“NHL owners, who last week warned that escalating player salaries were pushing them to the brink of financial disaster, seem to be ignoring their own cries of impending doom.
“Since Aug. 1, when Commissioner Gary Bettman imposed economic rollbacks to save owners an estimated $20 million, clubs have spent about $214 million signing players to long-term contracts. Of that amount, they will pay $70 million for the 1994-95 season alone.”
It’s almost 20 years later and how exactly have things changed?
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1. The Moose Jaw Warriors, as expected, are looking for a head coach after the Los Angeles Kings signed Mike Stothers as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs. . . . Stothers, 52, spent three seasons (2011-14) as the Warriors’ head coach. From 2002-07, Stothers was the head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. During that time, Michael Futa, the Kings’ vice-president of hockey ops and director of player personnel, was the Attack’s general manager. . . . In Manchester, Stothers replaces Mark Morris, whose contract wasn’t renewed after last season.

2. An interesting Tuesday morning tweet from SilverFoxTalks (@SilverFoxTalks) points out that Mike Stothers is the first head coach of the Warriors to leave the team for a pro job. As SFT pointed out, Graham James, Barry Trapp, Greg Kvisle, Jim Harrison, Gerry James, Kvisle (again), Lorne Molleken, Mike Babcock, Al Tuer, Len Nielsen, Curtis Hunt, Steve Young, Rene Lemire, Parry Shockey and Dave Hunchak all went elsewhere, but not one of them left to join a pro team.

3. You have to wonder if Moose Jaw GM Alan Millar’s first call was to Malcolm Cameron, the deposed head coach of the Regina Pats. Cameron was unexpectedly fired by the Pats’ new owners on June 22. Would he be a good hire in Moose Jaw? Well, in his only season as Regina’s head coach, the Pats went 39-26-7 and finished atop the East Division. Of course, they later were swept by the Brandon Wheat Kings in a first-round playoff series. Don’t forget, though, that Daniel Wapple, Regina’s starting goaltender, went down with an ankle injury late in the regular season.

4. Travis Green has decided to stay put, rather than join the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach. Green will remain with the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. He is preparing for his second season as the Comets’ head coach. . . . Before joining the Comets, Green was the assistant GM and assistant coach with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, working alongside GM/head coach Mike Johnston, who now is the first-year head coach of the Penguins.

5. On the subject of the Penguins, you have to think that D Derrick Pouliot, another product of the Winterhawks, is sporting a big smile these days. The Penguins selected Pouliot with the eighth pick of the 2012 NHL draft. He played out his junior eligibility last season, so will play pro in 2014-15. On Tuesday, the Penguins lost two top-four defencemen, Matti Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, to the Washington Capitals during free-agent frenzy. The door now is wide open for someone like Pouliot, who has to feel somewhat comfortable with Mike Johnston having taken over as Pittsburgh’s head coach.

6. When the WHL’s game of musical coaching chairs finally ends, there will be at least nine teams with new head coaches. Moose Jaw, Portland, Regina and Vancouver are looking for replacements right now. Already having hired new head coaches are the Calgary Hitmen (Mark French for Mike Williamson), Kamloops (Don Hay for Guy Charron/Dave Hunchak), Kelowna (Dan Lambert for Ryan Huska), Saskatoon (Bob Woods for David Struch) and Tri-City Americans (Williamson for Jim Hiller).

7. Nothing illustrates today’s NHL better than the situation involving D Josh Gorges (Kelowna, 2000-04). Considered a leader in the Montreal Canadiens’ dressing room, many observers felt that he would eventually be the team’s captain. Instead, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, after seven seasons with the Habs. Gorges loved it with the Canadiens; the Canadiens were happy with his play and the leadership he showed. So what happened? It was all about dumping salary. Gorges, who isn’t an offensive threat, is scheduled to make $3.9 million in each of the next four seasons and the Canadiens felt that was too much considering that he wasn’t going to be among their top three defencemen.

8. Don’t forget that the 2014 Hockey Coaches Conference is fast approaching. It is scheduled for July 18 and 19 at the U of British Columbia. The conference’s website, which is right here, includes a roster of speakers as well as a schedule and information on accommodation.
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The CHL import draft is scheduled to be held today. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors have said that Russian D Alexey Sleptsov, 18, will return, but Russian F Alexander Chirva won’t be back. Chirva, 18, had six points, two of them goals, as a freshman last season. . . . The OHL’s Sarnia Sting has the import draft’s first pick, followed by the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix and the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The draft is to begin at 11 a.m. Eastern.
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As we put our heads on our pillows, let's think about this a 2nd, Matt Niskanen 42 million, u heard me right! God Bless America,and the NHL!
— Ken Daneyko (@KenDaneykoMSG) July 2, 2014

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Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has written a terrific feature on Sean O’Connor, who has found success in Germany after spending eight years in the North American minor leagues. O’Connor played three seasons (1999-2002) with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
However, he has experienced two seizures in the last nine months.
Gourlie writes:
Inexplicable seizures would be worrisome enough for an otherwise healthy 30-year-old, but there’s something else that gnaws at O’Connor:
“I’ve had multiple concussions because of the role I played my whole life. So you wonder what role that has played in this,” said O’Connor.
The complete story is right here and it’s well worth your time.
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Tim Wharnsby, a veteran journalist who now is with CBC, has spent the season keeping track of concussions in the NHL.
He wrote this piece Thursday that carries this headline — Concussion numbers were staggering in NHL’s 2011-12.
“The numbers are staggering,” Wharnsby writes. “When the regular season concludes on Saturday, almost 90 players and 1,700 man games will be lost to head injuries or concussion-related symptoms.”
Unfortunately, the WHL has hidden its concussion numbers all season long. But considering that the WHL plays pretty much the same game as the NHL, we can assume the junior league’s numbers also were staggering.
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Walter Gretzky was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease earlier this week and his son, Wayne, spoke about it in Vancouver. Bob Mackin has that piece right here.
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The Swift Current K-Motel Hurricanes won the South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League midget AA championship earlier this week. They are coached by Tim Tisdale, one of hockey’s great guys. Tisdale, of course, scored the overtime goal that won the 1989 Memorial Cup for the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Talk about someone who has given back to the game. Tisdale has coached, officiated and served on minor hockey executive boards.
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Derek Laxdal, the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, is an astute individual. He isn’t on Twitter. Why not?
“Personally, I find guys that are tweeting and texting, they’re checking their phones 24/7. It’s almost addictive,” Laxdal tells Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal. “They all want to be heard, they want to see what’s going on. I don’t think it’s very productive,” Laxdal said of social media.
“I watch the kids, I key in on it and watch people on Twitter. They’ve always got their phones in their hands. You always see people at stoplights, they’re checking their phones and I just think it’s a distraction. I think it takes away from being a productive citizen.”
He’s right. And that complete story is right here.
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A note from a CHL press release regarding Sportsnet’s coverage:
“On April 13, Friday Night Hockey shifts to the WHL for Game 5 of the Husky WHL Eastern Conference Semi-Finals when the sixth place Brandon Wheat Kings visit the first place Edmonton Oil Kings at 8 p.m. ET on Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet West, and Sportsnet Pacific.”
But, gee, what if the same team wins the first four games? Or is this a best-of-nine in memory of the late Bill Hunter, who once owned the Oil Kings?
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As we get some rest and relaxation prior to the start of the second round of WHL playoffs on four fronts tonight, what better than a little . . . chess?
There is an intriguing story right here about a U.S. college coach — Chess teams in U.S. colleges? Who knew? — whose team won the national championship and then departed for another school. Oh, and she took her top players with her.
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A few thoughts from Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
The WHL needs to address its playoff format. In a 22-team league, it stands to reason that there should be two 11-team conferences, with the top eight teams in each loop advancing to the post-season. But not in the imbalanced WHL, in which there are 12 teams in the Eastern Conference and 10 in the Western Conference. As a result, four Eastern teams miss the playoffs, compared to two out west.
The format was especially unfair this year. In the Western Conference, the Victoria Royals and Everett Silvertips made the playoffs with 55 and 54 points, respectively. Yet, the Red Deer Rebels (70 points), Swift Current Broncos (62) and Lethbridge Hurricanes (59) missed the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. One step toward guarding against a recurrence of this problem would be to move the Kootenay Ice, which is not in the B.C. Division despite being based in Cranbrook, B.C., to the Western Conference and even out the conferences.
WHL referees should be made available to the media to explain penalties that have a bearing on the outcome. If a 16-year-old rookie defenceman coughs up the puck on a key goal, he has to explain himself to reporters. Yet, the officials can hide behind the league-mandated gag order. This long-standing policy was particularly irksome during a first-round series between the Warriors and Regina Pats. Anyone who attended Game 4 at the Brandt Centre would welcome a detailed, timely explanation of a controversial clipping major that was assessed to Regina's Dyson Stevenson.
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If not chess, how about some golf? The Masters is ongoing in Augusta and Karen Crouse of The New York Times has written a terrific piece on the fact that it’s 2012 and the Augusta National Golf Club still doesn’t have female members. When you think about that for even one second, you realize how absurd it is.
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And here is the daily tweet from Twitter star Griffin Reinhart of the Edmonton Oil Kings: “You might not believe me but my mom is mother Theresa.”

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More coaching news . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) signed a one year contract with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL). He had 14 goals and 32 assists in 55 games for Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga) last season.
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CAMP NOTES: F Jessey Astles of the Kelowna Rockets will attend the Pittsburgh Penguins’ development camp this month and also will be in their rookie camp in Oshawa, Ont., in September. Astles, 18, had six points and 129 penalty minutes in 59 games as a sophomore last season. . . . F Thomas Frazee, who finished up his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers, will attend the Washington Capitals’ development camp later this month, as will F Taylor Stefishen of the Prince George Cougars. Stefishen also completed his junior eligibility last season. . . . Frazee had 72 points in 70 games as he split the season between the Regina Pats (33 games, 37 points) and Kamloops (37 games, 35 points). . . . Stefishen was a fifth-round selection of the Nashville Predators in the NHL’s 2008 draft but never signed. He left Ohio State to join the Cougars prior to last season and put up 67 points, including 24 goals, in 68 games. . . . F Dylan Willick of the Blazers had 24 goals last season, not 21 as was referenced here yesterday. He will attend the Minnesota Wild’s development camp.
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THE COACHING GAME: Steve Spott, the GM/head coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, has signed an extension that carries him through the 2017-18 season. Spott, 43, has been with the Rangers since 2002-03 when he came on board as assistant GM/associate coach. He has been GM/head coach since the summer of 2008. The Rangers are 106-77-21 in three seasons with Spott at the helm. . . . Brian Munz of CJOB Radio in Winnipeg reported Monday afternoon that Keith McCambridge (Swift Current, Kamloops, 1991-95) is expected to be named as the next head coach of the AHL team in St. John’s, Nfld., which doesn’t yet have a nickname. It is the relocated Manitoba Moose franchise and is affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets. McCambridge has been an assistant with the Moose for the last two seasons after he spent two seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. . . . Tim Wharnsby of CBC Sports tweeted late Monday night that John Torchetti, an associate coach with the Atlanta Thrashers last season, is expected to be named the head coach of the AHL’s Houston Aeros. He would replace Mike Yeo, now the head coach of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
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Former Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Wahl missed almost all of last season with a concussion. He’s back on skates now and in the Calgary Flames’ development camp. Steve MacFarlane of the Calgary has that story right here.

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