Blades, Warriors deal . . . A few veterans get releases

I realize that this blog is almost always about hockey. But allow me today to spend some space on the subject of domestic abuse.
I have been involved in the founding of two charities, one at the Regina Leader-Post and the other at the now-dead Kamloops Daily News, that worked to help shelters for abused women and their children.
That has at least something to do with why I didn’t understand when Roger Goodell, the boss of all things NFL, chose to whisper in the ear of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice seven months ago, rather than suspend him for a long, long time.
The NFL, as you will have heard by now, indefinitely suspended Rice on Monday. The Ravens then released him.
Seven months ago, a video surfaced of Rice dragging his unconscious soon-to-be wife out of an elevator in a New Jersey casino. That video was taken from outside the elevator. Eventually, Goodell suspended Rice for the first two games of this regular season.
On Monday, TMZ released video from inside the elevator. It shows, among other things, Rice dropping his soon-to-be wife with a hard left hand.
Why Goodell didn’t suspend Rice indefinitely immediately upon seeing the first video is the $64-billion question. After all, as Goodell was watching that first video, how did he think Rice’s soon-to-be wife came to be in that condition?
Anyway . . .
There is some good reading available on this issue today.
Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post wonders about the NFL’s claim that no one in its office had seen the video from inside the elevator until Monday morning.
“That is almost surely not the truth, unless the NFL wanted it that way,” she writes. “This is a league that works with Homeland Security, confers with the Drug Enforcement Agency, collaborates with law enforcement and has its own highly equipped and secretive private security arm. You’re telling me it couldn’t get a hold of a grainy tape from an Atlantic City casino elevator? But TMZ could?”
Her column is right here.
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In light of the indefinite suspension handed to Rice, Christine Brennan of USA TODAY wonders why players like Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers, Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers and Terrell Suggs of the Ravens, each of whom has been involved or is alleged to have been involved in a domestic abuse situation, haven’t been suspended in the same fashion. “(Suggs) played Sunday for the Ravens in their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals,” Brennan writes. “Why? Was it because there's no video? Of course it was. And he'll be playing this Thursday night on national television against the Pittsburgh Steelers, even though he shouldn't be, at least according to the NFL's new Rice standards, as of today.” . . . Brennan’s column is right here.
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Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun writes that “to understand what did happen, you have to understand the public relations power, and influence, and the almost unbelievable tone-deafness of one of the most intimidating sports leagues in the world. Until TMZ leaked the surveillance tape Monday morning, that is.” . . . His column is right here.
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Cathal Kelly of The Globe and Mail:
“The NFL will try to quickly move the focus back onto the field. That will probably work. A lot of people howl about the NFL’s wobbly moral compass, and most of them watch 12 hours of football every Sunday.
“What won’t survive is our presumption of the league’s basic goodness. We assume that most right-minded people would watch that video and be shocked into action.
“Apparently, the NFL was not.”
Kelly’s column is right here.
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THE DEAL: The Saskatoon Blades get F Josh Uhrich, 18, from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
THE SKINNY: Uhrich, from Rosetown, Sask., played for the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts, who finished third at the TELUS Cup national tournament in 2012. He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 126 regular-season games over two seasons with the Warriors. Uhrich was a second-round draft pick of the Warriors in 2011.
THE ANALYSIS: The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Uhrich hasn’t shown much offensive flair, but he brings sandpaper to the Blades’ lineup as they strive to become more difficult to play against. . . . The Warriors, who also dealt F Colton McCarthy, 18, to the Prince Albert Raiders on the weekend, have cleared room for some younger forwards. . . . A stick tap to the Warriors, too, for giving a couple of players who weren’t going to make their roster opportunities to stay in the WHL despite having to trade within their own division to do so.

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The Kamloops Blazers have their roster at 27, including three goaltenders and eight defencemen, after releasing two veterans -- D Austin Douglas, 18, and F Nathan Looysen, 18 -- on Monday. . . . The 6-foot-6, 195-pound Douglas, from Winnipeg, was acquired last season from the Seattle Thunderbirds, who had selected him in the second round of the 2011 bantam draft. Last season, he had one assist in 13 games with Seattle and one goal in 22 games with Kamloops. . . . Looysen, from Saanichton, B.C., had two goals and seven assists in 57 games as a freshman with the Blazers.
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The Kamloops Blazers don’t have a whole lot left from last season’s trade in which they sent G Taran Kozun, then 19, to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Moving to Kamloops in that Jan. 10 deadline-day deal were G Justin Myles, 18, D Austin Douglas, 17, and a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Douglas was released on Monday, while Myles, who reported to the Blazers with a brain injury, never did play in Kamloops. Instead, he was dealt to the Lethbridge Hurricanes over the summer for a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. That pick reverted to Kamloops when Myles was forced to retire before reporting to the Hurricanes. . . . Kamloops also got a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft in the exchange with Seattle, and later, with Myles unable to play, was given a fourth-round pick in 2016 as compensation. . . . Meanwhile, Kozun, now 20, is Seattle’s starting goaltender. In 24 regular-season games with Seattle last season, he was 14-9-1/2.40/.928 with four shutouts. In 29 games with the Blazers, he had been 5-19-3/3.95/.897.
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The Prince George Cougars got down to 29 players, including three goaltenders, by releasing six players on Monday. That included veteran G Adam Beukeboom, 20, who had been acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 9 for a seventh-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Beukeboom, who played in 19 games with the Regina Pats in 2011-12, was 5-8-0/4.25/,887 in 14 appearances with the Cougars last season. . . . As a 20-year-old this season, Beukeboom was up against it as Ty Edmonds, 18, is expected to be the Cougars’ starter. Beukeboom, who is from Sundre, Alta., played only 29 minutes in the exhibition season and stopped all 18 shots he faced. . . . The move leaves the Cougars with Edmonds, Matt Kustra, 17, and Tavin Grant, 16, as their goaltenders.
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The Vernon Vipers are looking for a general manager and head coach, having revealed that Jason Williamson has vacated both positions. Williamson, who cited personal reasons in leaving, had been GM and head coach for three seasons and had been with the Vipers for the past seven seasons. He also played three seasons with the Vipers. . . . “Jason has
decided he needs some time away from the game to get his affairs in order and I respect that,” owner Duncan Wray said in a news release. “He has been great for our hockey club and will be missed, however we must move forward.” . . . Assistant coach Kevin Kraus has been named interim head, while Eric Godard, the other assistant coach, will take a more active role. . . . The Vipers open their regular season on Sept. 27. . . . Williamson spent four seasons working alongside Mark Ferner, who was then the Vipers’ GM and head coach. When Ferner signed as head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, prior to the 2011-12 season, Williamson was promoted. . . . Ferner now is preparing for his second season as an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers.
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Gordon Clark works in the newsroom at the Vancouver Province. He also is the president of a minor hockey association. In Monday’s Province, Clark offered up what the headline referred to as “some humble advice for hockey parents for the new season.” . . . “Complain loudly and often about all aspects of your kids' hockey program,” Clark writes. “Nothing motivates volunteer coaches, managers and others who give hundreds of hours of their lives each year so that your son or daughter can lace 'em up to improve like a constant stream of tips, critiques and observations. Keep them on their toes!” . . . That piece is right here.
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“It doesn't matter the sport, the area of concussion is now one of the burning issues globally yet many sporting bodies appear as confused and dazed as any player on the receiving end of a blow to the head,” writes Declan Whooley at independent.ie. . . . His complete story is right here.
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“Casey Cochran's college football career is over before it really got going. A series of concussions forced him to quit,” writes Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant. . . . Cochran had been the starting quarterback for the U of Connecticut Huskies. The school announced Monday that Cochran, who incurred his fourth concussion on Aug. 29, won’t play again. . . . Conner’s story is right here.
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D Austin Shmoorkoff of Edmonton has been assigned by the Red Deer Rebels to the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. Shmoorkoff, 17, was pointless in six games with Red Deer last season. The move left the Rebels with 25 players on their roster. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei suffered a cut hand during a fight in an exhibition game on Saturday and it will prevent him from attending training camp with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. “His injury is a day-to-day situation,” Red Deer GM/head coach Brent Sutter said in a news release, “and he should be ready for the start of our regular season.” . . .
D Reid Gow, who captained the Spokane Chiefs last season, has enrolled in business at the U of Manitoba and will play for the Bisons. Gow, who is from Killarney, Man., chose to go to school, rather than return for a fifth season with the Chiefs. Last season, he had 62 points, including 56 assists, in 65 games. . . . The Vancouver Giants are down to 26 players, including three goaltenders and 15 forwards. On Monday, they released three players, including F Matt Barberis, 16, of Surrey, B.C., who was the 20th overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The Giants also released D Kole Bryks, 17, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . 
The Tri-City Americans have the dubious distinction of being the first team to be fined by the WHL office this season. The Americans were docked $500 for “player instigating fight in last five minutes of game vs. Spokane” on Saturday. Tri-City D Riley Hillis, who was hit with a one-game suspension, picked up an instigating minor, along with a fighting major and game misconduct, at 19:06 of the third period in that game. Spokane F Riley Whittingham was given a checking-to-the-head minor and fighting major at the time. . . . F Aaron Macklin of the Prince George Cougars won’t play Friday against his old team, the Kamloops Blazers, as he will serve a one-game suspension. He took a kneeing major and game misconduct against the visiting Edmonon Oil Kings on Saturday. . . . F Taylor Sanheim of the Calgary Hitmen was given a one-game suspension after picking up a goaltender interference major and game misconduct in a Saturday game against the Medicine Hat Tigers.
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Yes! @SeattleTbirds @PARaidersHockey We will be the big brothers for a while, but one day we are gonna be king!
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) September 8, 2014

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Ex-coach: Depression, anxiety among factors in players leaving

It happens every August as WHL teams get their training camps rolling.
Some veteran players don’t show up. For one reason or another, they decide to move on to other things.
A lot of these players would be going into their 20-year-old seasons. Are they tired of the grind? Are they concerned about getting caught up in the 20-year-old game and its uncertainties, with each team being allowed to keep only three of them?
Some of the departing players are younger, perhaps feeling the impact of injuries or not wanting to be away from home anymore.
One former WHL coach wonders if this is just a sign of the times.
“Kids in general today do not have the same character required by people who have been in the game for 20-plus years,” he said. “Players have changed; managers, owners, coaches have not.
“The idea of ‘earning’ something seems to have gone by the wayside. Once a player gets drafted, it’s expected by the player, parents and agent for the ‘team’ to make him a player. (That is) unfortunate, but very true.”
This former coach also pointed a finger at the rigours of being a major junior hockey player.
These days, hockey at this level offers little in the way of down time. As a result, he said, “Players are getting worn out by pushing themselves in the off-season. Whatever happened to playing another sport?”
He suggests that hockey’s push to being a year-round sport has taken a lot of the “fun” out of the game.
“It’s a game,” he said. “But we do not treat it like a game. It’s all or nothing. TSN thrives on the business and compete part of the game. Rogers will do the same. It’s big business in the CHL.”
The former coach also touched on a couple of things that don’t get a whole lot of play in the hockey world.
“Depression and anxiety play a huge part in all of this,” he said. “The stress and pressure for a player to reach his ‘potential’ is a lot of times insurmountable. When you have been the best from 10-15 (years of age) in a small pool, expectations become unrealistic. Jump in the big pool, and the sharks eat you.”
It all adds up to a lot of burnout and pressure, he said, adding that “I would easily say that 75 per cent of players in the entire pool of players fall because of unrealistic expectations.”
Another former WHL coach wonders if some players who leave before their 20-year-old seasons would stay if they had no-trade clauses.
“The 20-year-olds don’t want to be suitcases and would like to play but not get traded,” he suggested. “As you have seen over the years, there is that the glut of 20-year-olds at the start of the season and players get moved or dropped to junior A. The kids are smarter now and don't like it.
“If the WHL wants to change this, then they need to open up the 20-year-olds to five or maybe even seven, and then they won’t quit.”
The ex-coach also is of the opinion that such a move would only help the WHL’s product.
“It would give better value to the $20,” he reasoned. “I also think that this would help the NHL coaches coming to the WHL as they won’t have to do skills and progression drills . . . just systems.”
From time-to-time, there has been talk among WHL officials about increasing the 20-year-old roster limit. However, it won’t happen without support from the OHL and QMJHL and, to date, that support hasn’t been there.
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G Brett Zarowny didn’t report to training camp with the Prince George Cougars. Zarowny, 19, was a third-round bantam draft pick in 2010. From Edson, Alta., Zarowny played two seasons with the Cougars. He was 9-19-0/3.74/.886 in 2012-13; last season, he went 3-10-2/4.23/.885. . . . A groin injury suffered in late November limited Zarowny to 17 games last season. . . . Cougars head coach Mark Holick told Taking Note that Zarowny “has decided to go to school.”
With Zarowny gone, it would appear that the top two goaltenders on the Cougars’ depth chart would be Ty Edmonds, 18, and Adam Beukeboom, 20, with Matt Kustra, 17, perhaps third. Edmonds got into 55 games last season, going 19-19-6/3.85/.887. With Zarowny hurt, Beukeboom came on to play in 14 games, going 5-8-0/4.25/.887. Kustra was an eight-round bantam draft pick in 2012.
The Cougars’ roster shows four 1994-born players, the others being F Chance Braid, F Jari Erricson and D Wil Tomchuk.
Holick told Taking Note that Erricson is in camp and has been cleared to participate. Erricson had one assist in four games last season before suffering a season-ending brain injury during a fight with F Jessey Astles of the Tri-City Americans on Sept. 22.
In 192 career games, the first 129 with the Everett Silvertips, Erricson, who is from Prince George, has 62 points, including 26 goals.
There is more good news in Prince George as F David Soltes, a 19-year-old Slovakian, is on the training camp roster. He had his freshman season ended by a knee injury after just 15 games. He had four goals and one assist in those 15 games.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed Russian F Pavel Skumatov, 17, who was their second-round selection in the CHL’s 2014 import draft. He is from Mescherskoye. The 6-foot-0, 165-pounder played for Vityazi Chekhov in the U20 MHL last season. He was one of the youngest players on his team and had two assists in 26 games.
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Stay home, or hand over big bucks and go to the game. Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle has that argument with himself right here.
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More rosters added/updated with cuts. http://t.co/mRUqirz94K Still nothing available from Edmonton, Kelowna, Medicine Hat.
— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) August 23, 2014

It's nothing new, same teams every year. Slightly disappointing that some teams make it so difficult for their fans to follow their camps.
— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) August 23, 2014

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Game called because of . . . fog!

A bear peeks over a ridge just off Shuswap Road east of Kamloops on Saturday evening.
Unfortunately, all I had with me was my BlackBerry Bold.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Robin Kovar (Vancouver, Regina, 2001-04) signed a one-year contract with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). He had 26 goals and 17 assists in 49 games with Slovan Ustecti Lvi (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) last season. The English Premier League opens their regular season Saturday, Sept. 14.
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The Regina Pats are down to two goaltenders after releasing Adam Beukeboom, 19, on Saturday. . . . Beukeboom, from Sundre, Alta., played 19 games with Regina in 2011-12 and spent last season with the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. . . . His release leaves Regina with Teagan Sacher and Dawson MacAuley, both 1994-born players, as its two goaltenders.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers were leading the visiting Swift Current Broncos 3-2 after one period on Saturday night when officials chose to call the game for, according to the WHL website, “player safety (fog).” . . .  The game was being played at the Kinplex in Medicine Hat. This was the only home game the Tigers scheduled for this exhibition season.
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F Adam Rossignol had three assists Saturday as the Portland Winterhawks, the WHL’s defending champions, wrapped up their exhibition season with a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Tri-City Americans’ tournament in Kennewick, Wash. . . . The Winterhawks finished the preseason at 3-2; the Thunderbirds are 4-1. . . . Portland opens its regular season at home on Sept. 20 when it hoists its championship banners before a game against the Prince George Cougars.
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F Rourke Chartier, who took a headshot from Kamloops Blazers F Devin Oakes on Friday night, had a goal and two assists Saturday as the host Kelowna Rockets beat the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . Oakes drew one of those TBA suspensions from the WHL office so, for starters, he won’t play Sunday against the Giants in Burnaby’s Bill Copeland Arena. . . . Chartier played with a full cage to protect a small cut near his right eye. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie also had a goal and two helpers. He’s got eight points in four games. . . . The Rockets finished the preseason at 3-1.
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In Prince George, the Cougars improved to 4-0 with a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. Freshman F Jansen Harkins had an assist for the Cougars; he’s got nine points in four games and is tied with Everett F Manraj Hayer atop the preseason scoring leaderboard.
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In another game in Kennewick, the Everett Silvertips got past the Kootenay Ice 8-6 to improve to 5-0. . . . F Manraj Hayer had two goals and an assist for Everett. . . . The Silvertips have outscored the opposition, 27-15.
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Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports that Barry Smith, who played more than four seasons (1975-80) for the AHL’s Rochester Americans “died on Saturday of an apparent heart attack in Tennessee, where he had made his home for two decades. He was 58.” . . . Smith was from Surrey, B.C., and played five seasons (1970-75) in the WHL, when it was the Western Canada Hockey League. He played one season with the Estevan Bruins, 71 games over two seasons with the Vancouver Nats, and 162 with the New Westminster Bruins over three seasons. . . . Oklobzija has more right here.
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From Elliott Pap (@ElliottPap) of the Vancouver Sun: “Jackson Houck, Oiler prospect and VanGiant, appears ok after being hit from behind and leaving prospects game vs Jets. Has 3 facial cuts.”
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From Regan Bartel (@Reganrant), the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets: “Some fans here at Prospera Place in mid season form by leaving early. That ten minute trip back home is a killer.”
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From Medicine Hat Tigers F Chad Labelle (@chad_labelle): “Broken glass in warmy, o canada sung by the crowd, game fogged out after first #SeriesOfUnfortunateEvents”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) signed a one-year plus option contract with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga) after his release by Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A) on Sunday. Genève-Servette released Duda because they wanted to keep import space available for NHL players who might become available due to the lockout. The club filled Duda's roster spot with San Jose F Logan Couture on Tuesday. Duda finished second in scoring in the Czech Extraliga last season with 24 goals and 35 assists in 52 games with Plzen. . . .
D Andrew Ference (Portland, 1994-99) signed a lockout contract with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Repuiblic, Extraliga) and is scheduled to arrive in Ceske Budejovice the first week of October. He had six goals and 18 assists in 72 games with the Boston Bruins last season. Ference played 19 regular-season games and seven playoff games for Ceske Budejovice during the last lockout in 2004-05.
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As expected, the OHL on Wednesday announced a new approach to players who are involved in more than 10 fights during a season.
Here is the new rule:
    1. If a player is assessed a fighting major for the 11th to 15th time during the regular season, such player is assessed an automatic two-game suspension for each additional fighting major in addition to any other penalties assessed.
    2. If a player is assessed a fighting major for the 16th time or more during the regular season, such player is assessed an automatic two-game suspension and the hockey club is fined $1,000 for each additional fighting major in addition to any other penalties assessed.
    3. If a player is deemed to be the instigator in any of the fights above the 10-game threshold, such player would be assessed an automatic four-game suspension in addition to any other penalties assessed.
    Note: If a player is instigated upon, the fighting major is not included in the player’s total number of fights.
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Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the situation right here.
Pierre LeBrun of ESPN and TSN has his take on it all right here, and it includes some interesting reaction from the NHL’s Colin Campbell.
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A tweet from Paul Romanuk (@paul_romanuk), a former TSN hockey play-by-play man who now works and lives in London, England: “Commish Dave Branch showing, yet again, why he is one of the most enlightened leaders in the game.”
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Somewhere in what I read on Wednesday, I saw some figures attributed to OHL commissioner David Branch.
Over the last five seasons, he said, 92 per cent of OHL players have been involved in fewer than 10 fights. Last season, the OHL had 25 players with at least 11 fights.
If you are wondering, according to hockeyfights.com, the WHL had 28 players with 11 or more fights last season, with 11 more right at 10.
In 2010-11, there were 34 WHLers involved in at least 11 fights, with seven others at 10.
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The London Free Press, in an on-line poll, asked: “Do you agree with new penalties for frequent fighters in OHL?” . . . Early this morning, the poll had drawn 1,327 responses, with 51.24 per cent (680) voting YES and 48.76 per cent (647) voting NO.
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The OHL also made a couple of other changes . . .
Video Replay Rule 38.4:
    The following situations have been added to those areas subject to review by the Video Goal Judge:
    The puck is hand-passed to a teammate in the offensive zone who subsequently scores.
    The puck is high-sticked to a teammate in the offensive zone who subsequently scores.
Refusing to Play the Puck - Rule 72:
    In order to accentuate the speed and skill of the players, if in the opinion of the referee it is deemed that the game has come to a standstill due to no advancement of the puck, the whistle shall be blown with the resulting faceoff at centre ice with it understood that the teams are not permitted to make a line change.
    Note: Not advancing the puck shall include, but is not limited to a player remaining behind his net with the puck for an extended period of time or regrouping behind his net without moving the puck on more than two (2) consecutive occasions.
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Meanwhile, the WHL has adopted what perhaps should be called the Facebook Rule as it deals with staged fighting that occurs right off a faceoff. There have been times in the recent past when such fights apparently were arranged somewhere in the social media world.
Whatever. The WHL wants them out of its game.
Here is the WHL rule:
    1. Should a fight occur following a face-off, it will be considered a staged fight. Should a staged fight occur during a pre-season, regular season or playoff game, the players involved shall each receive an automatic game misconduct in addition to the major penalty. Should one player clearly initiate or instigate the fight, only that player will receive the game misconduct in addition to a minor penalty for instigating the fight.  Should the linesmen intervene and prevent the fight from starting, the players involved will each receive misconduct penalties.
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The WHL also has reminded folks of a couple of rules that were announced earlier in the summer:
    1. A delay of game penalty will be assessed any time a player places his hand over the puck while it is on the ice in order to conceal it from an opponent or to prevent an opponent from playing the puck.
    2. A delay of game penalty will be assessed to any player taking a face-off who uses his hand to direct the puck in any direction.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed D Brandon Carlo, 16, to a WHL contract. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Carlo is from Colorado Springs, Colo. He played last season for the U-16 Colorado Thunderbirds, putting up 17 points in 40 games, and will return to them for this season. Carlo was a 10th-round selection by the Americans in the 2011 bantam draft.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Matt Revel, 16, who actually began this season with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, picking up a goal in four games. The Blades listed Revel, who is from Abbotsford, B.C., in October as he was starting his season with the major midget Fraser Valley Bruins. He finished with 51 points in 40 games with the Bruins. . . . Revel is expected to play Friday against the host Prince Albert Raiders. . . . He chose not to attend the Blades’ training camp in order to maintain his NCAA eligibility, but changed his mind because of the opportunity to play in the Memorial Cup with the Blades. Saskatoon is the host team for the 2012 Memorial Cup.
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The Portland Winterhawks have settled on their goaltenders. Brendan Jensen’s name disappeared from their roster and he apparently is off to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. That leaves Portland with sophomore Brendan Burke, 17, and veteran Cam Lanigan, 20. . . . Burke is the son of former NHL G Sean Burke, who now works with the Phoenix Coyotes. . . . Lanigan was acquired on waivers from the Kamloops Blazers. Interestingly, Lanigan was the backup in Kamloops last season and, after starter Cole Cheveldave was injured, started the last six games of a seven-game second-round playoff series with Portland. The Winterhawks won Game 7, 2-0, behind G Mac Carruth, who has signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and will report to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. . . . Depending on how things unfold, though, Carruth, 20, could end up back in Portland.
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The Swift Current Broncos have trimmed two players from their roster. . . . The Broncos’ news release stated that F Adam Smith, 18, will be joining the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Smith, however, tweeted that he will play for the Cowichan Valley Capitals. The Broncos got him from the Portland Winterhawks in October for F Dillon Wagner. Smith, who is from Nanaimo, had 34 penalty minutes in 20 games with the Broncos last season. . . . They also released F Adam Rossignol, 19, who came over from the Kootenay Ice for D Tanner Muth in January. A native of Surrey, B.C., he had 21 points in 71 games split between the Broncos and Ice last season.
With those moves, the Broncos appear prepared to open the season with four Saskatchewan freshmen on their roster — F Dakota Odgers, 16, of Spy Hill, F Tanner LeSann, 17, of Yorkton, F Zac Mackay, 17, of Swift Current, and F Justin Spagrud, 17, of Gull Lake.
I really liked something that Broncos GM/head coach Mark Lamb told Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos.
"They're on the team," Lamb told Mullin. "I really like the way our training camp went but that's just one stage of the season. The date when you really made the team is Jan. 10. That's when the final trade deadline is."
That is something that all WHL players need to keep in mind.
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The Regina Pats trimmed G Adam Beukeboom and D Nathan Zimbaluk from their roster on Wednesday. . . . Beukeboom, 18, played in 19 games with Regina last season, going 5-6-2, 3.08, .898. . . . The 6-foot-3 Zimbaluk played 16 games for the Pats last season before joining the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. He will be rejoining the Mustangs. . . . Dropping Beukeboom means the Pats will open the season with Matt Hewitt, 20, and  freshman Teagan Sacher, 18, who finished the exhibition season with a 0.66 GAA and a .980 save percentage.
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Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal caught up with Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, this week.
“Regrets? Surely Jeff Chynoweth has a few, but the firing of Kris Knoblauch in the offseason isn’t one,” Daum writes right here.
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D Martin Gernat of the Edmonton Oil Kings has yet to play because of a shoulder injury. Head coach Derek Laxdal told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal that Gernat is day-to-day.
“Hopefully, that’s true,” Matheson writes, “but so far it’s been week to week.”
Gernat isn’t expected to play tonight as the WHL season opens with the Oil Kings, the defending champions, playing host to the Kootenay Ice, who won the WHL title in 2010-11.
The Oil Kings also are without F Dylan Wruck, who is recovering from shoulder surgery.
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A Wednesday afternoon tweet from James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun: “Brandon Wheat Kings have now sold 2,489 season-ticket packages and 3,196 total tickets for Friday night’s season opener versus Regina.”
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Head Games, a movie that details the struggles faced by some athletes who have suffered concussions, debuted Wednesday at the Boston Film Festival.  Jesse Spector of sportingnews.com writes about the documentary right here, and, yes, there is ample mention of hockey players.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Angel Krstev (Lethbridge, 1999-2000) was assigned on loan by Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) to Pisek (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) for the rest of this season. He had five assists in 21 games for Sparta this season.
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What’s next? Vanity Fair? GQ?
Lorne Molleken, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, is featured on the cover of Saskatoon Well Being Magazine, and also is the subject of a feature story.
After checking this out, you may agree that there just might be some truth to the rumour that ZZ Top had Molleken in mind with Sharp Dressed Man.
One thing is for certain, though. The late Maurice (Rocket) Richard would have taken one look at the photos and said: “Two minutes for lookin’ so good.”
Check it out right here.
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Shock waves continue to reverberate throughout the WHL following the Everett Silvertips’ announcement Thursday that they had fired general manager Doug Soetaert.
A front-office official with one team said “shock” best described the feeling in his organization’s office when people reported to work Friday morning.
One other team official told me that “Doug is a respected general manager in our league. Good GMs don’t grow on trees.”
Soetaert, whose contract was due to expire after this season, has yet to comment.
Gary Gelinas, the Silvertips’ president and governor, has said ownership decided now was the time to go in a new direction and that it is hoped a replacement will be in place in time to deal with the offseason.
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
The commissioner has yet to respond to any of the questions that have been posted here, all but one of which have come from readers of this blog.
However, I did hear from a WHL team official on Friday, and this person was kind enough to offer some clarification on a few things pertaining to the education situation, all of which was enlightening to me.
It was pointed out that a player in his 21-year-old season, who comes out of the WHL, is able to play an entire season of pro hockey and remain eligible to use his WHL education package.
Such a player could, for example, spend an entire season in the ECHL and enroll in school the following autumn.
However, that player would have to sit out an entire season of hockey before becoming eligible to play in the CIS.
The reason?
CIS rules call for a player to be enrolled by the second semester in order to be eligible to play that season. This is why we see players leaving the pro ranks over the Christmas break and heading to school. That allows them to play that season. If they play a full season of pro and then go to school, they have to sit out one season.
As for the WHL education fund that was referred to in one question, there isn’t such a creature. A player’s education is paid for by the team for which he played. The WHL administers the process, but the liability belongs to the teams.
At least one team budgets an average cost of $6,500 per player in school. So if a team has a dozen ex-players in school, that is an expense of $78,000. Make it 16 players and a team is paying out more than $100,000.
As this person told me, “That is the cost of doing business.”
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, G Damien Ketlo turned aside 41 shots as the Lethbridge Hurricanes doubled the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-2. . . . Ketlo stopped 25 shots through two periods as his teammates built a 2-0 lead on F Graham Hood’s 10th goal at 2:16 of the second, via the PP, and F Juraj Bezuch’s sixth at 16:24. . . . F Mark Stone got his 33rd for Brandon to get his side to within two, at 3-1, at 5:59 of the third. . . . Lethbridge F Max Moline, who had been out since Sept. 30 with a knee injury, got his first of the season at 7:39 of the third. It was his first career goal in 58 games, 54 of which were with the Tri-City Americans prior to this season. From Lethbridge, he was a fifth-round selection of the Americans in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Lethbridge ended a three-game losing streak. . . . Brandon has lost six in a row at home. . . .

In Edmonton, F Michael St. Croix broke a 1-1 tie late in the first period and the Oil Kings skated to a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . St. Croix got his 33rd goal of the season at 19:40. . . . F Mitch Moroz scored Edmonton’s other goals, opening the scoring at 2:58 of the first and upping his side’s lead to 3-1 at 10:14 of the second. He’s got 13 goals. . . . F Charles Inglis scored both Red Deer goals, giving him 15. . . . The Oil Kings lost F Kristians Pelss with a major for checking behind at 14:01 of the third. After the ensuing scrap, the Rebels ended up with a three-minute power play but weren’t able to score. . . . Red Deer D Aaron Borejko came out of that with stitches in his forehead. It’s not known if he will play tonight. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart scored the winning goal in the last second of the third period to give the Kootenay Ice a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Reinhart, who has 22 goals, had opened the scoring at 4:05 of the first period. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick tied it, with his 22nd, at 15:33 of the third period. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka was back after missing seven games with an undisclosed injury. F Max Reinhart (foot) remains sidelined. . . . Kootenay F Dylen McKinlay had two assists. . . . The Hitmen had won six in a row. Still, they have won 14 of their last 16. . . .

In Portland, F Oliver Gabriel and F Brendan Leipsic scored two goals each to lead the Winterhawks to a 7-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . It was a special night as former coach/player Brent Peterson was inducted into the Winterhawks’ Hall of Fame. . . . Portland has won a franchise-record 19 straight home games. . . . The teams were tied 2-2 when Portland D Troy Rutkowski scored at 17:20 of the first period. . . . Gabriel scored 19 seconds into the second period and Portland was off to the races. . . . F Cam Reid added a goal and two assists for Portland. . . . Winterhawks F Ty Rattie had one assist, as did linemate Sven Baertschi. . . . Portland was 3-for-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-7. . . . D Ryan Murray scored his eighth goal of the season for Everett, while D Josh Caron had two assists. It was the first two-point game of Caron’s career. Caron, 20, has played in 151 regular-season games. . . . Portland D Layne Viveiros, whose father Emanuel played for the Prince Albert Raiders (1982-86), earned his first WHL point, an assist on Portland’s first goal. . . . Emanuel now coaches in Austria, where he also is the Austrian national team’s head coach. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals and beat the Raiders, 3-2. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk broke a 1-1 tie with his 37th goal 56 seconds into the third period. . . . F Emerson got his WHL-leading 48th goal at 3:28 to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead. . . . Those two goals both came via the PP. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 24 shots in winning his 106th career regular-season game, a franchise record. He had shared the record with Matt Keetley (2003-07). . . . Prince Albert F Mark McNeill got his 24th goal on a third-period PP. . . . Etem also had an assist. . . .

In Prince George, F Shane McColgan broke a 1-1 tie at 10:06 of the third period as the Kelowna Rockets got past the Cougars, 2-1. . . . Kelowna F Cody Chikie opened the scoring at 1:42 of the second period. . . . Cougars F Spencer Asuchak tied it at 3:28 of the third. . . . McColgan won it with his 14th goal of the season. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-1 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-5. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades opened up a 3-0 lead midway through the first period and went on to a 6-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . D Dalton Thrower scored twice for the Blades, giving him 14, while G Andrey Makarov stopped 35 shots. . . . Saskatoon has won three in a row. . . . The Warriors had won three in a row and had points in seven straight. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask had a goal, his 17th, and two helpers. . . . F Jesse Paradis, a 20-year-old who joined the Blades from the Warriors early in the season, opened the scoring with his 13th at 6:31 of the first, with F Brent Benson getting his eighth at 10:32 and Thrower his 13th at 11:25 via the PP. . . . Thrower and Trask scored early in the second period and the Blades were home free. . . .

In Spokane, F Blake Gal and F Mitch Holmberg scored in the shootout to give the Chiefs a 6-5 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals forced OT with two late third-period goals. F Brandon Magee got his 17th at 16:46 and F Robin Soudek added his 22nd at 19:25. . . . F Ben Walker assisted on both goals. . . . The Royals had trailed 6-3 until F Steven Hodges got his second goal of the game, and 17th of the season, at 16:09 of the second on a PP. . . . Spokane F Dominik Uher had a goal, his 22nd, and two assists. He scored shorthanded in the first period. . . .

In Swift Current, G Adam Beukeboom stopped 27 shots for his first WHL shutout as the Regina Pats blanked the Broncos, 4-0. . . . Beukeboom, 17, is from Calgary. A freshman, he was appearing in his 12th game. . . . The Pats lost three in a row. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had a goal and an assist. The goal, his 31st, opened the scoring at 8:32 of the first period. . . . Weal had had a 13-game point streak snapped on Wednesday in Prince Albert, but later got an assist threw a scoring change. That means he now has a 15-game point streak going. . . . Ch-ch-ching! A third-period line brawl resulted in 94 penalty minutes being handed out. . . . All told, the Broncos took 74 of 126 penalty minutes. . . . The referees were Fraser Lawrence and Tyler (Red) Adair, who perhaps had some trouble putting out the fire in this one. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin’s 30th goal stood up as the winner as the Tri-City Americans beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-1. . . . Shinnimin gave his side a 2-0 lead at 6:30 of the second, via the PP. . . . F Jesse Mychan opened the scoring with his seventh of the season and fourth in 11 games since being acquired from the Everett Silvertips. . . . F Connor Honey, with his third, got Seattle to within one at 17:33 of the second, on the PP. . . . F Justin Feser put it away with two empty-netters in the last minute of the third. He’s got 26 goals this season. . . . The second one was Feser’s 100th regular-season goal. . . . The Americans have won 20 home games for a sixth straight season. . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants wasted a 3-0 first-period lead then came back to score a 7-5 decision over the Kamloops Blazers on Gordie Howe Night in the Pacific Coliseum. . . . The Giants led 3-0 when F Nathan Burns scored at 10:02 of the first period. . . . The Blazers tied it with three goals before F Brendan Gallagher scored his 30th at 8:30 of the second to give Vancouver a 4-3 lead. . . . F Jordan Martinook got his 28th at 11:41 to up that to 5-3 and Kamloops chased the rest of the way. . . . Martinook finished with two goals and an assist, while F Taylor Makin had three assists. . . . Martinook has 29 goals, after scoring 11 last season. . . . Burns also scored twice for Vancouver and has 10 on the season. . . . The Blazers got three assists from D Bronson Maschmeyer, 20, who began his career with the Giants in 2008-09. . . . F Dylan Willick scored the Blazers’ WHL-leading 16th shorthanded goal of the season. That is 12 more than they scored all of last season.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon Blades.
F Kristians Pelss, Edmonton Oil Kings (major).
D Brad Deagle, Seattle.
F Tim Bozon, Kamloops.
D Austin Madaisky, Kamloops.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Curtis Valk, Medicine Hat.
D Antoine Corbin, Prince Albert.
D Joey Leach, Kootenay Ice.
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In the BCHL on Friday night, the host Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 29 games with a 5-1 victory over the Chilliwack Chiefs. The Vees have tied the BCHL record for most consecutive victories on one season. They share it with the 1989-90 New Westminster Royals. . . . The Vees play in Chilliwack on Tuesday. . . . Attendance in Penticton was 3,886.
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The MJHL has lost two members of its extended family.
What follows is off the MJHL website:
“I was saddened to see Doug Smith an old competitor and MJHL alumnus pass away,” former Selkirk Steelers goaltender Willy Cole said in an email to the MJHL website.
“Doug, or Smitty, as we all knew him, was a feisty competitor when I played against him when he played with the Winnipeg Monarchs (1966-67). And then we hooked up again at Winnipeg Junior Jets training camp. Smitty ended up getting drafted by the Oakland Seals in ’68. Doug was only 63. Too soon!”
Kruk was a former St. Boniface Canadians player and was picked up to play with the Winnipeg Braves, who went on to win the 1959 Memorial Cup, the last year Manitoba won the Cup.
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F Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting had a note from a doctor and everything, but he still got a two-game suspension from the OHL for skipping the Top Prospects Game in Kelowna on Wednesday.
Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press has more right here.
With this decision, one can only assume that someone — the CHL? — will suspend Bobby Orr and Don Cherry, too. After all, the teams were named after them and neither one of them showed up.
Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports offers up his take on the Yakupov suspension right here.
When I first heard about this suspension, I burst out laughing. I actually did. A two-game suspension to a player coming off a serious knee injury because he didn’t show up for an exhibition game? Sorry, but I still don’t get it.
I’m thinking that it’s time to cut some of these players some slack. That a player gets suspended for two games for not playing in a game that is nothing but a money grab is silly. Especially when none of that cash would have made its way into his pockets.
Junior hockey operators, Hockey Canada and all the other nations already push these teenagers almost 12 months of the year. If a player is coming off a knee inury, if his own team (never mind that there was a doctor’s slip involved here) believes he would be best-served by rest, well, let him rest.
It is things like this that really make one wonder if a Major Junior Hockey Players Association isn’t somewhere in the not-too-distant future.
I mean, you get two games for missing the Top Prospects Game. You get eight games for flunking a drug test after what all involved agree was inadvertent doping. You get two games for a headshot here and you get eight games for a headshot there.
Someone’s rights might be getting trampled on here. No?
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Angelo Dundee died this week at the age of 90. A boxing trainer, he came from an era when the media and the sporting figures weren’t constantly at odds. Dave Kindred of Grantland writes about The Last Sweet Man in Boxing. That piece is right here.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.