Thursday is over . . .

A couple of things of interest to WHL fans that I wasn’t able to get to earlier:
The WHL is offering up free webcasts on Dec. 27, 28 and 29. That includes a Dec. 27 game that has the Tri-City Americans visiting the Spokane Chiefs. If you are unfamiliar with the system, there is the dope from the WHL:
“To access the FREE WHL Web TV broadcast, fans are asked to visit www.whl.ca and click on the WHL Web TV button. In order to activate the free account, you need to go to the live game, create an account and enter the promotional code as indicated (whltv). Then enter some personal information such as name, address and create a username
and password. No credit card information is required.”
Go ahead and explain to your better half how it is that your are going to spend three nights during Christmas week glued to a computer screen. Just don’t say you got the info from me.
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And here’s a note from the Spokane Chiefs . . .
“Fans can follow the four Chiefs — goaltender Dustin Tokarski for Team Canada and forwards Drayson Bowman, Mitch Wahl and Tyler Johnson — at the World Junior Hockey Championships through the following avenues:
NHL NETWORK
The NHL network will carry all games involving the United States and Canada.
The first NHL Network broadcast will take place on Dec. 26 at 3:30 p.m. EST, when Team USA faces Germany. The complete schedule is below, with all times in EST:
Fri., Dec. 26
Germany-United States 3:30 p.m.
Canada-Czech Republic 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 28
Kazakhstan-Canada 3:30 p.m.
United States-Czech Republic 7:30 p.m.
Mon., Dec. 29
Germany-Canada 7:30 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 30
United States-Kazakhstan 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 31
Canada-United States 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 2
Quarterfinals 3:30/7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 3
Semifinals 3:30/7:30 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 5
Bronze/Gold Medal Games 3:30/7:30 p.m.
NOTE: Broadcast coverage of the IIHF World Junior Championship on the NHL Network is only available to viewers in the United States.”
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If you are wondering how things are going for Doug Gilmour as the head coach of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, you should give this a read. But be forewarned . . . it isn’t pretty.
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Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun reported earlier Thursday that “a story out of Sweden — at least if you read a translation by Google — says Flames top prospect Mikael Backlund has been threatened with being kicked off his men’s league team for poor play. Flames GM Darryl Sutter didn’t want to comment on the record about it at last night’s game in Minnesota.”
Also not commenting was Backlund’s agent, J.P. Barry, who hasn’t been at all shy about commenting on another client’s situation (gawd, Mats Sundin finally signed with the Vancouver Canucks, putting all of us out of our misery. And now I suppose another Peter Forsberg saga will begin.)
Anyway . . . Backlund, a centre with Vasteras, is a member of Sweden’s national junior team so is in the Ottawa area. He has eight points with his league team and that apparently isn’t good enough.
Sportak reports that the Flames are upset at the lack of ice time being afforded Backlund. But their AHL team (the Quad City Flames) is struggling so should Backlund end up staying in North America the chances are that he would end up with the Kelowna Rockets, who hold his WHL rights.
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A NOTE FROM THE OHL: The Kitchener Rangers, who are 10th and last in the Western Conference, dumped the host Windsor Spitfires on Thursday. . . . The Spitfires (29-5-0-1) went into the week as the CHL’s top-ranked team. . . . Kitchener (14-16-1-1) had lost six in a row. . . . Windsor won its first 12 home games this season, then moved into a new 6,600-seat building and has lost two of five games in new digs.
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The Swift Current Broncos have a new board of directors, with Al Stewart the new chairman.
Ben Wiebe remains the team’s governor, while Joe Arling is the past-chair. Don Szakacs is vice-chair, with Rick Kane as secretary/treasurer. Trent McClearyk and Mick MacBean, both of whom are directors, are on the finance committee.
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Former Regina Pats D Logan Pyett has had his 2008 World Junior Championship ring stolen. It disappeared when his family’s home in Balgonie, Sask., was broken into Tuesday. “This is the first time I’ve ever had anything stolen, so I’m not really familiar with how often stuff gets returned or how often they do find things,” Pyett told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. “Right now I am optimistic. I try not to think about it too much. Hopefully whoever does have it makes the mistake of going out with it and it does get found.” . . . Pyett, 20, now plays for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. He was the Pats’ captain last season. . . . Also missing is the family’s 2007 Toyota Avalon.
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There already is much speculation that the Calgary Flames will relocate their AHL farm team, the Quad City Flames, from Moline, Ill., to Abbotsford, B.C., where it would play out of the 7,000-seat Entertainment and Sports Centre. . . . And there is a $56-million events centre, including a 6,000-seat arena, going up in Langley, also on B.C.’s Lower Mainland. . . . You have to wonder, then, about the chances of another AHL team ending up playing out of Langley. . . . There was a time when the late Ed Chynoweth was president of the WHL that one of his biggest concerns involved a minor professional league attempting to set up shop in places like Saskatoon, Regina, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge. Chynoweth never could understand why NHL teams located west of the Mississippi River would want their top affiliates on the East Coast. . . . Those fears, however, never were realized. Until now.