1. It's safe to say the stuff hit the fan in Lethbridge on Friday afternoon.
The Hurricanes issued a news release that began: "The Lethbridge Hurricanes announced Friday that veteran forwards Jaimen Yakubowski and Sam Mckechnie are no longer with the club." Both players are 19 years of age.
Brad Robson, in his first season as the team's general manager, later told Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald:
“We talked to all the veterans, the coaching staff and myself and in discussion yesterday and right up to today we made the decision that these two players don’t want to be here and at the request of their families, agents and themselves and with discussion with them today, they want to be moved.
“So it was best for the hockey club that we have the players here that want to be here and the players that don’t want to be, we’ll move them.”
Robson said there isn't a timeline for making a deal or deals.
Last season, Yakubowski had 50 points, including a team-high 32 goals, in 66 games. Mckechnie, in 72 games, had 43 points, 26 of them goals. This season, Yakubowski has one goal in 11 games, while Mckechnie has a goal and two assists in nine games.
The Hurricanes, under freshman coach Drake Berekhowsky, are 1-9-1 and already in danger of missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season. They have lost seven in a row.
“We’re trying to build a culture and if they don’t want to be a part of this organization, that’s what it is. It is what it is,” Berehowsky told Woodard. “I know those guys have been around for a long time, so I think some of the guys were surprised. But we’ll move forward and move on. We appreciate everything those two have done for the organization. We’re building something new here and it’s going to be something special.”
You have to wonder how the Hurricanes' management can sell this disaster to the fans in the Alberta city.
For more, check out Small Thoughts At Large right here.
The Hurricanes are at home against the Saskatoon Blades tonight. The Blades have at least a point in eight straight games.
2. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have dropped G Jonny Hogue, 17, from their roster. He is expected to join the AJHL's Drumheller Dragons. An eighth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, Hogue played in one game with the Hurricanes this season. . . . This leaves the Hurricanes with Corbin Boes, 20, and Chris Tai, who turns 18 on Dec. 1, to handle the goaltending.
3. Bum Phillips, who had a colourful 11-year run as an NFL head coach, died Friday at his ranch in Goliad, Texas. He was 90. . . . He once said: "When I die, they should put on my tombstone: ‘He would have lived a whole lot longer if it wasn’t for the Pittsburgh Steelers.’ ” . . . Frank Litsky of The New York Times has more right here.
There's more right here on Phillips, including a whole bunch of his expressions, sayings and witticisms.
4. Mike Carter of the Seattle Times is covering a rather bizarre story that begins:
"The wife of Seattle Mariners outfielder Carlos Peguero is facing federal wire-fraud charges for allegedly using a debit card belonging to the wife of star pitcher Felix Hernandez to make nearly $180,000 in online purchases, according to sources and court documents."
That complete story is right here.
The Saskatoon Blades have points in eight straight games after scoring three third-period goals and beating the host Kootenay Ice 4-2 on Friday night. Saskatoon is 6-0-2 in its last eight outings. . . . In Red Deer, Edmonton G Tristan Jarry picked up his first shutout of the season and F Curtis Lazar had two goals and two assists as the Oil Kings beat the Rebels, 4-0. . . .
The Regina Pats ran their winning streak to five games with a 4-3 overtime victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. F Chandler Stephenson scored the winner and is on a 10-game point streak. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk drew an assist on the winner to run his point streak to 10 games. . . .
F Mitch Holmberg scored twice, the first the 100th of his WHL career, as the host Spokane Chiefs beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-2. Holmberg, riding a 12-game point streak, leads the WHL in goals (16) and points (31). . . . In Kennewick, Wash., the Victoria Royals had their five-game winning streak end as they were beaten 4-2 by the Tri-City Americans. F Rodney Southam scored his first two goals for the Americans. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks edged the Swift Current Broncos, 5-4, before heading out on a five-game road trip, their longest trek of the season. . . . The Vancouver Giants got goals from F Ty Ronning, who turns 16 on Sunday, and F Alec Baer, 16, as they ended an eight-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers. It was Vancouver's first home appearance after a six-game swing through the East Division. . . . Vancouver D Dalton Thrower, in his 250th regular-season game, got the winner in his home debut. He is the Giants' captain. . . . Kamloops G Bolton Pouliot left with a possible head injury after a goal-mouth collision with a teammate early in the first period. . . . The Blazers are scheduled to play in Everett tonight. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Jordan Tkatch scored in the sixth round of a shootout as the Prince George Cougars beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-4. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal ran his point streak to seven games with two assists. . . . The Cougars scored two late third-period goals to force OT.
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