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| Craig Hartsburg has been diagnosed with an aneurysm in the ascending aorta (top left). (Graphic: www.slrctsurgery.com) |
The Silvertips revealed Monday that Hartsburg, 51, has been diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm.According to the Silvertips, Hartsburg will undergo a heart catheterization in Everett on Wednesday. He later will undergo more invasive surgery.
According to slrctsurgery.com, “An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement of a weakened area of the aorta. Aneurysms which involve the ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta are termed ‘thoracic aortic’ aneurysms.’ Aneurysms in these regions are prone to rupture once they reach a certain size. . . .
“Surgery to repair an ascending aortic or arch aneurysm involves removing the aneurysmal portion of the aorta and replacing it with an artificial Dacron tube.”
According to Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald:
“The initial signs of a potential problem were first diagnosed in 2003. When undergoing tests for an unrelated ailment, it was discovered Hartsburg was born with a bicuspid aortic valve in his heart instead of the standard tricuspid aortic valve. Incidents of aortic aneurysms tend to be more frequent in those with bicuspid rather than tricuspid aortic valves.
“Since then Hartsburg has had his heart checked annually by doctors. His latest examination, which took place a month ago, revealed the aneurysm, and after further tests it was determined surgery was required.”
On Wednesday, doctors will run a camera up through Hartsburg’s groin and into the heart area to assess the damage. Then, early in November, he will undergo open-heart surgery at which time the artificial tube will be inserted in place of a chunk of the aorta.
“It's not something you have a lot of symptoms with,” Hartsburg told Patterson. “So it's a good thing to get it checked. The worst thing that could happen is (the aneurysm) ruptures, so we're going to get it fixed so we don't have to worry about it.”
Hartsburg expects to miss three games this week and then return to coaching until the second procedure is schedule. After that, he’ll be gone until sometime in the new year.
In his absence, associate coach Jay Varady, who has been with the Silvertips since Day 1, will run things, along with assistant coach Chris Hartsburg, who is Craig’s son.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
Harlan Pratt (Seattle, Red Deer, Prince Albert, Regina, Portland, 1994-99) signed a one-year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had two goals and 21 assists in 43 games for Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, plays in Austria Erste Bank Liga) last season.
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There has been another coaching change in the QMJHL. Former NHL star Bobby Smith has taken over as head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads. Smith happens to be the team’s majority owner. He replaces Cam Russell, under whom the Mooseheads went 4-9-0-1. They are tied for fifth in the six-team Maritimes Division. Russell, a former NHL defenceman, is to stay on as general manager. Smith, who played 15 seasons in the NHL, will be behind the bench Tuesday against the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan. . . . The Mooseheads are the second QMJHL team to change coaches this season. On Friday, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar dropped Stéphane Hains as head coach and named assistant coach Serge Poudrier as interim head coach.———
Ryan Huska, the head coach of the Kelowna Rockets, has been named head coach of Team WHL, which will play a touring Russian side in Kamloops and Prince George next month. Those are the last two games in the Subway Super Series. Huska also is an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior team. Head coach Mike Williamson of the Calgary Hitmen will be an assistant coach for both games, with head coach Guy Charron of the Kamloops Blazers working the game in Kamloops and Dean Clark of the Prince George Cougars doing the same in Prince George. . . . The Super Series game in Kamloops is scheduled for Nov. 17, with the game in Prince George set for Nov. 18.———
The Prince George Cougars, with points in five of their last six games, aren’t content to sit still. They have acquired G Ty Rimmer, 18, from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Rimmer, from Edmonton, was a 14th-round pick in the 2007 draft. He was 2-2-0, 2.77, .902 in four games with Brandon this season. . . . This moves leaves Prince George with three goaltenders -- James Priestner, 19, as the starter, with Rimmer and Chase Martin, 18, who joined the team last week. Martin, a native of Medicine Hat, was a fifth-round pick by the Spokane Chiefs in 2007. He played last season with the 
AJHL’s Calgary Canucks (9-8-2, 3.33, .896). . . . The Wheat Kings are left with two 17-year-old goaltenders — Liam Liston and Corbin Boes — both of whom are in their first WHL seasons. Brandon is on an eight-game road swing. It plays the second game of the trip Wednesday in Prince George.———
The Kootenay Ice is at home tonight against the Edmonton Ice and has recalled F Sam Reinhart for the game. Reinhart was the Ice’s first pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He turns 15 on Nov. 6.
Reinhart is with the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants. He has 10 points in six games.What makes this move intriguing is that it puts three brothers on the ice for tonight’s game.
He will be playing on the same team as brother Max, 18, and they will be going against Griffin, a 16-year-old defenceman with the Oil Kings. Max was a fourth-round pick in the 2007 draft. Griffin was the third overall pick in the 2009 draft.
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Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that Giants F Marek Tvrdon will be gone for up to six weeks with a dislocated right shoulder. He was injured in a 6-3 loss to the host Chilliwack Bruins on Saturday. . . . The Saskatoon Blades’ 8-1-0 start is the best in franchise history. According to a release posted on the team’s website, the Blades opened 1985-86 with a 7-1-1 run, while starting 1982-83 at 7-2-0. The latter team set franchise records with 52 victories and 105 points. The Blades are an original, having been in the WHL since 1966-67. . . . D Sena Acolatse of the Prince George Cougars is the WHL’s player of the week. He had 11 points, including three goals, and was plus-8 in three games. . . . The WHL nominated Mark Friesen of the Swift Current Broncos as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 5-0 with two shutouts, along with a 0.98 GAA and a .966 save percentage. . . . The Portland Winter hawks (8-2-0-1) have 17 points, good for first place in the overall standings. They are 6-1-0 on the road as they begin a six-game homestand against the Everett Silvertips on Wednesday. . . . Portland LW Sven Bartschi leads all freshmen in points (18), goals (8), assists (10), power-play goals (4), game-winning goals (2) and plus/minus (+7). . . . F RJ Reed, 18, is expected to join the Prince Albert Raiders at practice today. Reed was acquired Friday from the Vancouver Giants for a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Reed got into one game with the Giants, then was scratched for two straight games. He then left the Giants and joined the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. . . . Having acquired F Jake Trask, 19, from the Kamloops Blazers for a sixth-round 2012 bantam draft pick, the Saskatoon Blades assigned F Brett Stovin, 16, to the Interlake Lightning of the Manitoba midget AAA league. He had one goal in four games with Saskatoon. . . . ———
Chad Brownlee used to be a defenceman with the Minnesota State Mavericks. Before playing four seasons (2003-07) there, he played with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. The Kelowna native was a sixth-round selection by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL draft and later played 35 games with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads in 2007-08. Today, he’s 26 and is carving out a whole new career. . . . At the B.C. Country Music Awards on the weekend in Vancouver, Brownlee was honoured with three awards. He was named male vocalist of the year, SOCAN songwriter of the year (with Mitch Merrett and Kelly Archer, for Hood of My Car), and the Ray McAuley Horizon Award winner. . . . Hood of My Car reached No. 16 on the Canadian Country Music chart and was at No. 27 last night. . . . Brownlee also was a finalist for Canadian Country Rising Star Award at the recent Canadian Country Music Awards show in Edmonton. . . . Check him out right here.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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