Marquette left his mark . . . Rebels captain close to return . . . Warriors stay alive

Dale Marquette, a former WHL coach and player who died on the weekend, definitely left an impression.
“Sorry to hear about the passing of Dale Marquette,” Greg Hutchings wrote on Facebook. “I played one game with him and did not know him well. I remember him for being real good to me at WK training camps.”
Hutchings played three WHL seasons (Brandon, Lethbridge, 1988-91).
Marquette, 47, died of complications from diabetes. He played four seasons in the WHL (Lethbridge, 1984-86; Brandon, 1986-88). He had 103 points, including 51 goals, in 1987-88.
Marquette was head coach of the Prince George Cougars in 1995-96.
In 2000-01, he was the head coach of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires.
In an email, Aaron Wilbur, the managing director of The Coaches Site Ltd., wrote: “Was really sad to read about the passing of Dale Marquette. Dale gave me my break in coaching. He hired me to be his assistant in Quesnel when I was 20 years old and had zero experience. We ended up having the best season in franchise history that season. It was a fun ride. Have more stories from that season than the rest of my hockey career combined. . . . Dale was a good guy with a big heart.”

Sad to hear of the passing of former WHLer Dale Marquette… Played against him from' 85-87… Great competitor… Rest in peace.
— Brad Hornung (@Bradhornung) March 17, 2015

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The Red Deer Rebels hope to have F Conner Bleackley, their captain, back for their last two regular-season games, a home-and-home series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Bleackley (groin) hasn’t played since Feb. 6 in Vancouver. He won’t play tonight in Calgary, meaning he will have missed 18 games. . . . “We’ve been really careful with how we’ve handled this just because of the type of injury it is,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He skated for 25 minutes (Monday) and today (Tuesday) we’ll try to get him to go longer. If that goes well then (Wednesday) he’ll skate on his own and on Thursday he can go full practice. If all goes well, then hopefully we can have him for the weekend. That’s our goal.”
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The Calgary Hitmen have added D Aaron Hyman, 16, and G Kyle Dumba to their roster for the remainder of the season. . . . The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Hyman was a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. From Calgary, he spent the last two seasons with the midget AAA Calgary Flames. . . . Dumba was a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The younger brother of Minnesota Wild D Matt Dumba, who played in the WHL with Red Deer and Portland, Kyle played this season at the Edge School in Calgary. He was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s top goaltender. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have added D Josh Brook to their roster for the rest of this season. Brook, from Roblin, Man., was the fourth overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 36 points, including nine goals, in 32 games with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, who play out of Wilcox, Sask.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (2 games remaining) won in Regina last night and now leads the overall standings by four points over Kelowna (3). The Wheaties last finished first overall in 1995-96. . . . The Wheat Kings will play the conference’s second wild-card team, likely Edmonton, in the first round. . . . In Moose Jaw on Friday.
2. Regina (2) will finish second in division. Will meet third-place team in first round. . . . At home to Prince Albert on Friday.
3. Swift Current (2) lost in Moose Jaw last night and now leads the Warriors by two points. . . . In Lethbridge on Friday night.
4. Moose Jaw (2) now is two points behind Swift Current. . . . Should the Broncos and Warriors end up tied, there would be a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. Swift Current has a 32-31 edge. . . . Moose Jaw entertains Brandon on Friday.
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CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Calgary (3) completed a franchise-record 11-game road trip with a one-point lead over second-place Medicine Hat. . . . At home to Red Deer tonight.
2. Medicine Hat (3) trails Calgary by one point. Each team has 42 victories. . . . In Prince Albert tonight.
3. Red Deer (3) got to within one point of first place, but now is four points behind Medicine Hat and five in arrears of Calgary. . . . In Calgary tonight.
4. Kootenay (3) holds down the conference’s first wild-card spot, three points ahead of Edmonton. . . . In Lethbridge tonight.
5. Edmonton (2) is in the second wild-card spot, three points behind Kootenay. . . . At home to Red Deer on Friday.
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B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (3) has clinched first place in the Western Conference. . . . Trails Brandon by four points in the race for first place in the overall standings. The first tiebreaker is victories and Brandon has the edge (52-51) at the moment. . . . At home to Seattle tonight.
2. Victoria (2) will finish second and meet the division’s third-place team in the first round. . . . At home to Everett on Friday.
3. Prince George (3) is two points ahead of Kamloops. . . . All three of its remaining games are against Kamloops, starting tonight and Friday in Prince George.
4. Kamloops (3) has two playoff options. It is two points behind third-place Prince George in the division and is tied with Tri-City (3) for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Will meet Prince George three times this week — tonight and Friday in Prince George, and Saturday in Kamloops.
5. Vancouver (2) has one victory in its last 10 games and is hanging on by a hangnail. It is four points out of the conference’s second wild-card spot but has only two games remaining, both against Kelowna. . . . At home to the Rockets on Friday.
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U.S. DIVISION:
1. Everett (3) leads the division by two points over Portland. . . . In Victoria on Friday.
2. Portland (4) is two points off the pace with a game in hand. . . . In Spokane tonight as it closes with four games in five nights.
3. Seattle (3) trails Portland by nine points so won’t finish second. . . . Is seven points ahead of Spokane. . . . In Kelowna tonight.
4. Spokane (4) is seven points behind Seattle and has clinched at least the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland tonight.
5. Tri-City (3) is tied with Kamloops for the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . At home to Portland on Friday.
(NOTE: If two teams tie for a conference’s last playoff spot, those teams will have a play-in game at the home of the team with the most victories. . . . That scenario could play out in the East Division. It also may happen in the B.C. Division and/or Western Conference. For example, should Tri-City and Kamloops end up tied for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, a play-in game will be played at the home of the team with the most victories. Tr-City leads, 29-27. . . . Should Prince George and Kamloops finish tied for third in the B.C. Division, the first tiebreaker is total victories. Prince George has a 29-27 edge. However, if one of those two teams would miss the playoffs in that situation, a play-in game would be held. . . . Clear as mud. Right?)
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IF THE WHL PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City/Kamloops
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Prince George
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Moose Jaw, F Torrin White broke a 1-1 tie at 2:17 of the second period and the Warriors went on to a 6-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Brett Howden scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 21, while D Tyler Brown had three assists and was plus-5. . . . White, who has 17 goals, also had two assists, while F Jesse Shynkaruk and F Jiri Smejkal each had a goal and an assist. D Austin Adam helped out with two assists. . . . Smejkal has 12 goals; Shynkaruk has nine. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point scored his 36th goal after undergoing concussion protocol following a first-period collision with teammate Tanner Jeannot. . . . F Jake DeBrusk got No. 39 for the Broncos. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko was sharp, with 41 saves. . . . F Tanner Eberle, listed as day-to-day on the injury report that was released earlier in the day, was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski didn’t play for the Warriors. . . . The Warriors (31-34-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Broncos (32-33-5) had won their previous two games. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here. . . .

The Regina Pats were the St. Pats last night as they wore special uniforms
for a St. Patrick's Day game with visiting Brandon.
(Terry Massey photo)

In Regina, F Nolan Patrick returned to Brandon’s lineup and scored twice, leading the Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Pats. (Actually, they were the St. Pats for one game only). . . . F Braden Christoffer opened the scoring, getting his 26th goal for the Pats just three minutes into the first period. . . . Patrick, who hadn’t played since Feb. 15, tied it at 6:41. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville broke the tie with his 27th goal at 5:03 of the second. . . . Patrick got his 28th goal at 5:39 of the third. . . . Former Pats F Morgan Klimchuk got his 33rd goal into an empty net at 18:13. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny made 24 saves, three fewer than Regina’s Tyler Brown. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-6. . . . The Wheat Kings (52-11-7) have won five in a row. . . . The Pats (37-23-10) are 2-1-1 in their last four games. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 3-3 tie with four third-period goals as they beat the Tri-City Americans, 7-3. . . . The Americans, trailing 3-1, tied the score with two shorthanded goals late in the second period. . . . F Beau McCue scored his 25th goal of the season at 16:10 and F Justin Gutierrez got No. 11 at 18:46. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs broke the tie with his 15th goal at 6:15 of the third and D Shea Theodore added his 12th, shorthanded, at 7:35. . . . Lipsbergs provided more insurance with a goal at 13:36. . . . Seattle also got three goals from F Scott Eansor. He scored twice in the first period, at 0:13 and 9:27, then filled his hat for the first time with an empty-netter at 15:09 of the third. he’s got 14 goals. . . . That was Seattle’s first three-goal game this season. . . . Eansor also had an assist, giving him his first four-point game. . . . F Nolan Volcan assisted on each of Eansor’s goals for his first three-point game. . . . F Mathew Barzal and F Calvin Spencer each had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Alexander True, listed as day-today on the injury report earlier in the day, returned to the Thunderbirds’ lineup. . . . Seattle (35-25-9) had lost its previous game. . . . The Americans (29-37-3) have lost two in a row.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
——

THURSDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled.
——

FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Calgary vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
——

SATURDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
——

SUNDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Kootenay at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON
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Scott Eansor becomes the first US-born @SeattleTbirds player to score a hat trick since Colin Jacobs (@Colin_Jacobs19) on 12/03/10 @ PG.
— TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) March 18, 2015

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McVeigh's back with Blazers . . . Rockets a perfect 10!

F Martin Filo (Moose Jaw, 2007-09) has been released by Unia Oświęcim (Poland, Ekstraliga) by mutual agreement. He had yet to play this season. Last season, with Königsborner JEC Unna (Germany, Oberliga), he had 17 goals and 20 assists in 28 games.
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The Kamloops Blazers, with room on their roster for a third 20-year-old, have added F Logan McVeigh, who had been with the Regina Pats. . . . In getting down to three 20s, the Pats placed McVeigh on waivers and the Blazers claimed him. . . . McVeigh, from Kenaston, Sask., was a second-round pick by the Blazers in the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft. In 267 career games, he has 116 points, including 45 goals. . . . He also has played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . McVeigh’s arrival means the Blazers are carrying 25 players, including eight defencemen and 15 forwards. . . . He joins D Brady Gaudet and F Mike Winther, both also trade acquisitions, as the Blazers’ 20-year-olds. . . . McVeigh was in the lineup Friday night as the Blazers dropped a 3-0 decision to the Giants in Vancouver.
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F Andrew Johnson, 20, has joined the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors. Johnson, from Saskatoon, was dropped by the Swift Current Broncos as they got down to the 20-year-old limit of three on Wednesday. In 263 regular-season WHL games split between the Moose Jaw Warriors, Seattle Thunderbirds and Swift Current, he has 102 points, 44 of them goals.
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"Where are all the people who insisted that they would not attend another Regina Pats game until Russ Parker sold the WHL team?" writes Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. "The Pats, who are now owned by a group led by Anthony Marquart, have routinely played before sub-4,000 crowds." . . . After five home games, the Pats are averaging 3,716 fans.
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I have to admit to being more than a little surprised to find out about the work the Vancouver Canucks have been doing to grow the game of hockey in China. With support from the Canucks, Aaron Wilbur, the managing director of the Coaches Site, and Michael Butler, program co-ordinator for BC Hockey, took part in hockey shools in Shenzhen and Shangai, Aug. 10-19. Wilbur, in fact, has been travelling to China and spreading the word for three years now. . . . For more, including photos and video, check this out right here.
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The Swift Current Broncos have scheduled an interesting game for Nov. 15. It’s be the Bronco alumni against the Calgary Flames Alumni, with faceoff set for 2 p.m.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings broke a 3-3 tie with five goals in the last nine minutes of the third period and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 8-3, on Friday night. . . . D Ivan Provorov, a 17-year-old freshman from Yaroslavl, Russia, had two goals and an assist for the Wheat Kings. He's got 11 points, four of them goals, in his first 10 games. . . . F Duncan Campbell, who is from Brandon, scored twice for the Wheat Kings, giving him three goals in his first season. . . . The Broncos were without F Jay Merkley (undisclosed injury), who has seven goals to date. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Nic Petan drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 6-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . It was Portland's first game of a six-game East Division tour. . . . Petan was in the lineup after leaving Portland's previous game early, after a hit from Seattle D Evan Wardley that drew a seven-game suspension. Earlier Friday, Petan was named the Winterhawks' captain. . . . F Dominic Turgeon and F Oliver Bjorkstand each had two goals for Portland. Bjorkstrand, in his third season, has 181 points, including 87 goals, in 140 career regular-season games. . . . G Bolton Pouliot, picked up from Kamloops on Thursday, was on the Portland bench, backing up Brendan Burke. . . . Moose Jaw had been 5-0-1 in its last six games. . . . Warriors F Noah Gregor took a hit from Portland F Keegan Iverson early in the first period and left the game. He already has been ruled out of tonight's game in Swift Current. . . . D Blake Heinrich made his debut with the Winterhawks. He had been sidelined with a concussion. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored twice in the game's first 4:08 and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Edgars Kulda scored twice for Edmonton, getting the winner at 4:08 of the first and adding an empty-netter late in the third. . . . Edmonton has won three straight games. . . . Kulda has scored in each of the three victories. . . . The Raiders had F Tim Vanstone in the lineup after he had missed the first eight games with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Axel Blomqvist came back to bite his former team as he scored twice to help the Victoria Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Blomqvist, a 19-year-old Swede, was dealt to Victoria by Lethbridge last season. The Hurricanes acquired fourth- and eighth-round picks in the 2014 bantam draft in the deal. . . . Blomqvist, who has signed with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, has three goals in six games. He sat out a few games with a suspected concussion. . . . The Royals broke a 2-2 tie with goals from F Tyler Soy and Blomqvist just 37 seconds apart early in the third. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts had two assists. He has 13 points in 10 games, after putting up 24 in 36 games in an injury-shortened sophomore season. He had 24 points in 67 games as a freshman. . . . The Hurricanes, now 1-7-1, have lost five straight. . . . The Royals had fallen behind 2-0 in each of the first four games of this six-game road trip that ends tonight against the Kootenay Ice. They were able to come back and win two of those games. . . . In this one, Victoria scored the game’s first two goals, then the Hurricanes came back to tie it. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll had his eight-game goal streak snapped. . . . This was the Royals’ 12th game, meaning F Brandon Magee has served the 12-game suspension left over from a playoff game last season. . . .

In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 34 shots as the Kootenay Ice beat the Regina Pats, 1-0. . . . The shutout was the first of Hoflin's career. . . . D Troy Murray scored the game's only goal, on a PP 33 seconds into the second period. Murray, the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets D Ryan Murray, is from White City, Sask., just a stone's throw east of Regina. The goal was the first of the sophomore's WHL career and came in his 73rd regular-season game. . . . Regina had a 34-16 edge in shots. . . . Kootenay F Jon Martin returned after missing three games with an undisclosed injury, but F Tim Bozon didn‘t make his return due to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Ice played with 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reported: "The Ice also went without defencemen Bryan Allbee and Dylan Overdyk, as well as forward Jared Legien. The trio missed Friday's game . . . due to team-imposed suspensions after violating team rules at Mount Baker High School earlier this week." . . . Rocca's game story is right here.

In Saskatoon, the Blades broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades have won three in a row, after opening the season with six straight losses. . . . F Alex Forsberg and F Sam McKechnie each had a goal and an assist for Saskatoon. . . . Forsberg's goal was a shorthanded marker and ended up as the winner. . . . Saskatoon F Nick Zajac left in the third period with an undisclosed injury -- he took a check from Red Deer F Evan Polei -- and is doubtful for tonight's game against visiting Edmonton. . . . After the game, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s GM and head coach, told the Red Deer Advocate: “Jeff (Rebels associate coach Truitt) said it best: ‘Right now we have a bunch of guys you’d like to take fishing, but they’re not going to battle like they need to.’ ” . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Adam Tambellini scored at 3:08 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . It was Tambellini's sixth goal of the season. . . . Medicine Hat had a 40-21 edge in shots. . . . Tigers F Chad Butcher scored his eighth goal, forging a 1-1 tie at 9:58 of the third. . . . F Greg Chase had two assists for Calgary. . . . These same teams will meet tonight in Calgary. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the visiting Prince George Cougars ran their winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 26 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Keegan Kolesar scored with less than one second remaining in the third period. . . . F Jansen Harkins had a goal, his third, and an assist for the Cougars, who got another goal from F Jari Erricson, his eighth. . . . Erricson, 20, missed all but three of last season’s games with a concussion. . . . F Jared Bethune was in the Cougars's lineup for the first time. Bethune, 17, left the USHL's Lincoln Stars to join the Cougars. According to Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen, Bethune “decided to make the jump to the WHL when he learned the Stars were about to trade him.” . . . Bethune drew an assist on the Cougars' second goal for his first WHL point. . . . The matchup between Seattle F Matt Barzal and Harkins drew 16 NHL scouts. . . .

In Spokane, the Kelowna Rockets ran their record to 10-0-0 with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . G Jake Morrissey stopped 26 shots to pick up his first career victory. He‘s the younger brother of Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey. . . . The Rockets erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals. . . . D Riley Stadel gave Kelowna a 2-1 lead with his sixth goal, on the PP, 32 seconds into the second period, and D Madison Bowey made it 3-2 just 59 seconds later. . . . The Rockets lost F Dillon Dube with an undisclosed injury. He may not play tonight against the host Tri-City Americans. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the host Tri-City Americans scored two shootout goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-4. . . . D Parker Wotherspoon and F Vladislav Lukin had the Americans' shootout goals, negating one by Everett F Ivan Nikolishin. . . . The Silvertips have lost twice in OT and once in a shootout but have yet to lose in regulation time (5-0-3). . . . Everett D Cole MacDonald scored on his 19th birthday. He has three goals in seven games after scoring twice in 63 outings last season and twice in 60 games as a freshman in 2012-13. . . . The Americans will be at home to the unbeaten Kelowna Rockets tonight. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson will work his 900th WHL game tonight. Williamson, 41, also has been head coach in Portland and Calgary. . . . Told that it would be No. 900, he told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald: “I didn’t know that. It just makes me feel old. For anyone, it’s a great league to be associated with. It’s a privilege. I’m just excited to still be able to go out and work with these players.” . . . According to Fowler, Williamson’s record is 433-378-36-20, with 31 ties. . . .

In Vancouver, G Payton Lee stopped 23 shots to help the Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . It was Lee's first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . The game marked the return to Vancouver of former head coach Don Hay. He spent 10 seasons with the Giants before leaving over the summer for Kamloops, where he again is head coach of the Blazers. . . . Vancouver D Dmitry Osipov scored the game's first goal, his first of the season, on a second-period PP. . . . F Tyler Benson got his third goal of the season on a third-period PP. . . . Former Prince George Cougars Brett Connolly, now with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was in the house. His brother, Josh, is a defenceman with the Blazers. The Lightning meets the Canucks in Vancouver tonight.

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"A" for effort "D" for spelling "A+ for Freudian slip #WHL #winnerhawks pic.twitter.com/O0Z2W1jbwu
— CellPhones&PlaneTix (@hawkeyblog) October 17, 2014

The CHL made it official on Tuesday.
Teams will be allowed to select European goaltenders born in 1994 or 1995 only in the first round of its 2013 import draft. And they won’t be allowed to select them at all, beginning in 2014.
This is just wrong on so many fronts, not the least of which is the competition factor.
Major junior hockey is seen as being one step below the NHL. For 40 years, coaches have talked about the need for competitive training camps and wanting competition at the goaltending position. The theory being that competition only pushes elite athletes to be better.
If you are one level below the NHL, and if you are charging admission to your games, you absolutely should be trying to give your fans the best talent for their entertainment dollar.
But that’s not the case any more. The CHL cannot look its fans in the eye and, with a straight face, make the claim that it is working to ice the best possible product.
Someone should be embarrassed.
As someone pointed out, it’s a good thing that Canadian centremen aren’t being embarrassed by Euros in the faceoff circle.
And someone else mentioned that this is like Major League Baseball banning Dominican shortstops because there aren’t enough Americans in the big leagues at that position.
Yes, it is absolutely ridiculous and really, really short-sighted.
Like so many other things in Canadian hockey, goaltender development has to start in minor hockey.
With Hockey Canada’s decision to ban body checking in peewee hockey and below, perhaps it’s time to take a long, hard look at what is going on in Canadian minor hockey.
Perhaps it’s time to make a concerted effort to get rid of checking from behind and headshots.
Perhaps it’s time to make a concerted effort to get back to skill development. Fewer games. Fewer road trips. Fewer tournaments. More practices.
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Perhaps it’s time for Hockey Canada to share some of its wealth with the parents of aspiring goaltenders. Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports details right here what it costs to outfit a minor hockey goaltender. Hey, my son wouldn’t be playing goal, not at that cost.
There also are some great comments in here from Detroit Red Wings goaltender coach Jim Bedard. Including this: “How about be better? Be better than them. In the NHL we can’t have import goalies eventually because we want to make sure that Timmy and Tommy and Bobby and Billy get a chance to play? If you’re not good enough, you’re not good enough. That’s the way it goes.”
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Kevin Woodley of InGoalMag.com takes a look right here at the CHL’s decision to get European goaltenders off its teams’ rosters. . . . There are a few statements here that just jumped off the computer screen as I was reading. . . . 1. “The Swedes and Finns both have a comprehensive national goaltending development plans. Canada has none.” . . . 2. “Goaltenders who have attended recent (Hockey Canada Program of Excellence) goalie camps said afterwards they were often told to do something one way at one station, and then the opposite way by a different coach at another station.” . . . 3. “The national models in Finland and Sweden are not just designed to develop better goalies, but also to develop better goaltending coaches right down to the grassroots level. It is about sharing knowledge and ideas to consistently improve and evolve, ideals that are hard to replicate in a Canadian system dominated by private, often insular, goalie schools.” . . . 4. “InGoal also had one former WHL goalie coach say that he learned a lot working with a European goalie that came over to the WHL years ago.”
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Chris Peters, over at The United States of Hockey, has his take on the CHL’s decision to rid itself of European goaltenders, too. That piece is right here.
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Just a thought, but goal scoring hasn’t been what it used to be for a number of years now. Perhaps the CHL could ban all coaches who employ anything that resembles a trapping defence.
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The Calgary Hitmen have restructured part of their front office. . . . Kelly Kisio, who had been vice-president, alternate governor and general manager, now is president of hockey operations and alternate governor. . . . Mike Moore, who had been director of business operations, has been promoted to general manager and vice-president of business operations. . . . Kisio had been the club’s GM since 1998, during which time the team has averaged 42 victories per season and won two Ed Chynoweth Cups (1999, 2010). . . . Moore, a former GM with the Kamloops Blazers and Medicine Hat Tigers, has been with the Hitmen since 2008. (He actually rejoined them, having served as assistant GM in 1997-98 before moving on to Kamloops.) . . . If you’re a WHL general manager and want to make a trade with the Hitmen, you call Moore. He’s now the man.
Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun has more right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Everett Silvertips have called a news conference for Thursday, 2 p.m. PT, at which time a new head coach will be introduced. . . . That coach is expected to be Kevin Constantine, who will be returning for a second go-round with the Silvertips.

Aaron Wilbur has been named head coach of the Burnaby Winter Club’s Hockey Academy prep team. Among other interests, Wilbur spent this season as head coach of the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, who won the Pacific International junior league championship. . . . Wilbur also co-founded The Coaches Site – there is a link over there on the right – and is the head instructor at the Vancouver Hockey School. . . . The BWC’s academy teams – the prep team and the elite 15 team coached by Leland Mack – are scheduled to play in the Canadian Sports Schools Hockey League.
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From Mark Edwards (MarkEdwardsHP): “CHL goalie import rule is ridiculous. You can't claim to be the best junior league in the world without the best players.”
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From TSN’s Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger): “I'm all for developing North American goalies. However, if I were a CHL owner I would want freedom to utilize global resources to win games.”
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “15.08% - The percentage of the total minutes played this season by Import Goaltenders in the WHL (14,432 of 95,694)”
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More from WHL Facts: “3.06 - The WHL's combined GAA for the 2012-13 reg season... If you removed the Import Goaltender stats, that number would increase to 3.12”
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From Shawn Mullin (@shawnmullin), the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos: “I'm very disappointed to hear the CHL's decision on European goaltenders. It won't help Canadian goalies... just hurt the leagues involved.”
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More from Shawn Mullin: “If they think moving a few Jr A goaltenders up to the CHL every year will fix our national goaltending problem they're kidding themselves”
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From Adam Lowry (@ALowsyPlayer17) of the Swift Current Broncos: “Disappointed with the news about Import goalies being phased out of the CHL. We were privileged to have one of the best @eetu41 #suomi”
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From Red Deer Rebels G Patrik Bartosak (@PBartosak35), who is from Czech Republic: “@eetu41 it´s interesting how they talk about being the best, but when it comes to battleing with Euros, they want to ban us. Interesting”
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From Swift Current Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen (@eetu41), who is from Finland: “@PBartosak35 Yeap I don't how many people even want this rule to #CHL.. Well I don't that's for sure.”


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Aaron Wilbur of The Coaches Site spent some time the other day chatting with Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks.
Johnston talks about the disciplinary measures his organization was hit with by the WHL, as well as how the Winterhawks moved from an 11-victory season to three consecutive berths in the championship final. He also talks about Portland practices, player development and lots more. . . . That interview, which runs 18 minutes, is right here and it’s good stuff.
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Here’s a gem from the Back Fence column in the Nanaimo Daily News:
“Nanaimo's own Gene Carr made a name for himself by playing 465 games for five teams in the National Hockey League in the 1970s. Gene, whose father, Red Carr, ran a garage/gas station beside the old Civic Arena, was back in town recently, and shared some stories with friends about his time as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. One of his best friends was Glenn Frey of the legendary band, The Eagles. Frey apparently wrote the Eagles' hit New Kid In Town about Carr, a newcomer to L.A.”
Carr was a smooth-skating sniper of note with the Flin Flon Bombers (1969-71).
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 In the QMJHL, the Halifax Mooseheads won their 14th straight playoff game, dropping the visiting Baie-Comeau Drakkar 4-3 last night to take a 2-0 lead in the championship final. . . . F Matthew Boudreau had a goal and two assists for the winners. . . . Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Baie-Comeau on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton
(Series tied, 1-1)
(All times local)
Game 1: Friday — Edmonton 4 at Portland 1 (10,097)
Game 2: Saturday — Edmonton 0 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Game 3: Tuesday, May 7, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, May 8, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 5: Friday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Game 6: Sunday, May 12, at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Game 7: Monday, May 13, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x – if necessary.


All games are being televised by Shaw in Canada. They also will be televised in Portland, with Games 3, 4, 5 and 6 on Comcast SportsNet, and Game 7 on Root Sports.
Comcast and Roots will pick up the Shaw telecast that feature play-by-play man Dan Russell, along with Bill Wilms, Peter Loubardias and Andy Neal.
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SATURDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, G Mac Carruth stopped 16 shots as the Winterhawks beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-0. . . . Carruth has five shutouts in these playoffs and extended his franchise with the eighth of his career. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie got the winning goal on the PP at 9:09 of the first period. It was the 46th goal of his playoff career. That’s one off the WHL career record that is held by Mark Pederson (Medicine Hat, 1983-88). . . . Rattie has a WHL-leading 16 goals this spring. . . . F Brendan Leipsic and F Oliver Bjorkstrand added goals 1:25 apart late in the second period. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 33 shots. . . . Portland had a 14-2 edge in shots in the third period. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-for-3 and now is in a 0-for-24 drought. . . . The teams are to board a charter to Edmonton this morning.
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“It was an emphatic answer to a disappointing Game 1,” writes Paul Buker of The Oregonian right here.
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Terry Jones, the Edmonton Sun’s veteran columnist, was there and his column is right here.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (7):
None
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From Denver Post hockey writer Adrian Dater (@adater), after watching Games 1 and 2 of the WHL final in person: “Seth Jones as No. 1 is a no-brainer. I have seen all I need to see to make that evaluation”
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From Portland Mac Carruth (@maccarruth31): “Got a nice phone call from Cam Ward congratulating me on breaking his record #classact #greatguy #greatgoalie“

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Shaun Heshka (Everett, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract with Ässät Pori (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had one assist in 10 games with the Binghamton Senators (AHL) and four goals and 14 assists in 59 games with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) this season. Ässät GM Mika Toivola: “Heshka is a puck-handling defender and he has good leadership characteristics. He brings to our power play more power and flexibility.” . . .
F Blake Evans (Spokane, Tri-City, Regina, 1996-2001) signed a one-year contract with Sparta Sarpsborg (Norway, GET-Ligaen). He had 15 goals and 37 assists in 45 games for Vålerenga Oslo (Norway, GET-Ligaen) this season.
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If you are in Regina today and are able to make it to the Regina Inn, you should know that Ken Dryden and others will be there taking part in Brain Blitz, a round-table discussion on preventing brain injuries in sports. It runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds hold the No. 1 selection in the WHL’s bantam draft and are expected to use it on F Matthew Barzal of the Burnaby Winter Club Bruins. In fact, I am told that Barzal is expected to visit Seattle this weekend. . . . F Ryan Gropp of Kamloops, who was taken sixth overall by the Thunderbirds in the 2011 bantam draft, has yet to sign with Seattle. He visited the University of Denver last weekend and also has visited Colorado College. His father, Brent, played at Colorado College. Ryan is believed close to a decision but his father has said they are looking at this process as a marathon as opposed to a sprint.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The junior B Richmond Sockeyes, who play in the Pacific International junior league, have signed Aaron Wilbur as their head coach. He spent this season as the head coach of a peewee A in Seafair on the Lower Mainland of B.C. His resume includes two seasons as GM/head coach of the junior B Castlegar Rebels of the Kootenay International junior league. He replaces Judd Lambert, who went 181-37-16 in regular-season games and 42-17 in the playoffs during five seasons with Richmond.
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It’s official. The MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints have been sold and will relocate to Virden, a community about 45 miles west of Brandon on the Trans-Canada Highway.
There is more right here.
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By now you no doubt are aware of the vile stuff that showed up on Twitter after G Joel Ward scored the OT Game 7 winner for the Washington Capitals that eliminated the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.
There’s a piece right here from The New York Times that is worth a read.
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Tweet of the day:
From Joel Ward, a former UPEI Panthers player: “Thanks everyone for all your support.. #42 is in my thoughts more than ever!! #rockthered #jackierobinson”
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Harrison Mooney of Puck Daddy sums up the whole Ward story, and then some, right here.
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The Portland Winterhawks are into the WHL’s championship final for a second straight season. Last season, the Winterhawks lost in five games to the Kootenay ice. . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings will try to wrap up the Eastern Conference final tonight at home. They hold a 3-1 lead over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . If Edmonton wins that series, the WHL final will open May 4 in the Alberta capital. Should the Warriors come back and win, the final will begin in Portland on May 4. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull, who missed Game 4 after having his appendix removed Wednesday morning, is out of hospital but didn’t make the trip to Edmonton for Game 5. . . . The Oil Kings remain without F Dylan Wruck (shoulder), but there is speculation that F Kristians Pelss (leg) could return tonight.

THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Winterhawks advanced to the WHL championship series for a second straight season as they scored four third-period goals and beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . Portland swept the best-of-seven Western Conference final. . . . F Marcel Noebels scored the winner for Portland, coming onto the ice on a line change and beating G Ty Rimmer at 7:38 of the third period. . . . Portland F Cam Reid had tied the score just 56 seconds earlier. . . . Portland F Sven Baertschi got his seventh playoff goal at 16:57 of the third and F Brad Ross added his 12th goal of the spring just 26 seconds later. . . . F Brandon Leipsic had two assists for Portland. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman opened the scoring for the second straight game, this time on the PP at 17:40 of the first period as he deposited a Brendan Shinnimin rebound that glanced off G Mac Carruth’s mask. . . . Shinnimin’s assist ran his point streak to 38 games. . . . One night earlier, Hughesman scored 1:16 into the first period, only to have Portland come back for a 3-1 victory, scoring once in the second and twice in the third. . . . Last night, Rimmer finished with 57 saves, the most by any goaltender in one game in these playoffs. He stopped 40 shots through two periods. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 39 shots. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie, who had one assist last night, was named the series MVP. He had four goals and two assists in the four games. . . . Rattie leads all playoff scorers in goals (17) and points (29).
Some notes from Dan Mulhausen of the Americans, all of them involving the club’s 20-year-olds: “Team captain Mason Wilgosh, a former list player who went on to play in a combined 331 WHL games with Tri-City, finishes his career with 132 points and a playoff-best 4 goals and 10 points in 15 games. . . . Shinnimin, another list player from Winnipeg, finished his overage season by becoming just the second Tri-City player to win a WHL scoring title and signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.  Shinnimin, who finished on a 38-game point streak, combined for 401 points in 325 total games with Tri-City and leaves as the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (64 pts). . . . Hughesman, who has played in a combined 410 games in an Americans jersey, departs with his name etched in the Tri-City record books. In 338 regular-season games (third all-time), Hughesman amassed 140 goals (third all-time), 210 assists (fourth all-time) and 350 points (fourth all-time). Additionally, Hughesman appeared in more playoff games (72) than any other Tri-City player. 
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