More on the Blades . . .

A statement issued Friday by the Saskatoon Blades.

OK. So the Saskatoon Blades have been sold. Well, they have been according to at least one report.
But, then again, Jack Brodsky, who is the WHL franchise’s majority owner, and Mike Priestner, the Edmonton-based auto dealer who may, or may not, be first in line, say a deal hasn’t been done.
Ahh, who to believe?
I’m thinking that we go with Brodsky and Priestner, who admit that they are talking. Priestner, in fact, has told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that he plans on checking back with Brodsky on Tuesday, this being a long weekend up here. (Unless I missed it, Brodsky has yet to indicate why he suddenly is interested in divesting himself of the franchise, which makes the situation all the more interesting.)
I have been told that a deal is close, which is hardly news. I also have been told that the sale price appears to be $9.8 million, and if that is the case it will make other WHL franchise owners beyond happy. That is about $3 million more than the Kamloops Blazers sold for in 2007.
Yes, Priestner was involved in that situation, too.
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What follows is from a story I wrote in early August of 2007:
River City Hockey Inc. (RCH), a five-man group led by Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi and including four ex-Blazers players, made an offer of $6.1 million July 18. Under the terms of that offer, the shareholders would be bought out, the coaching staff would be retained and remaining monies after all expenses had been paid would go to the Kamloops Blazers Sports Foundation. As is standard in a lot of deals such as this, the society would terminate other front-office employees — and be liable for any severance packages. Those people then would be allowed to re-apply for the positions.
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At the time, Priestner had hired former WHL commissioner Dev Dley, then a Kamloops-based lawyer, to represent him. (Dley now is a B.C. Supreme Court justice.)
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According to Dley, there would be minimum disruption to the organization under Priestner’s offer.
“He wants to keep the local shareholders involved so he will keep the shareholders intact,” said Dley, adding that Priestner would purchase 55 per cent of the franchise, leaving shareholders with 45. “The end result is that the community continues to own a portion of the team and there is a guarantee of money flowing into the foundation.
“It’s the best of both worlds . . . it’s the absolute best of both worlds.”
Dley added that what Priestner has done is "put a value on the team that is more than Gaglardi's people and then offered to buy the majority of the team."
Priestner’s offer, Dley said, also is worth “more (than RCH’s), and the actual details provide a much greater return to the community and on a longer term basis.”
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A week later, this appeared in a story in The Daily News:
RCH was rebuffed in an attempt to purchase the franchise for $6 million early last summer (2006). RCH, which wants to purchase 100 per cent of the operation, came back July 18 with a second offer, this one for $6,100,176.
Mike Priestner sent an offer to board members Friday — he calls it a partnership proposal — that would have him take over 51 per cent of the franchise, with the society retaining 49 per cent. Priestner is offering to pay $3,626,100, something that would place a value of $7,110,000 on the Blazers.
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Of course, the Gaglardi group ended up purchasing the Blazers, paying somewhere above $6 million for the franchise. Should the Blades sell for anywhere above $9 million, the value of all WHL franchise certainly would increase.
And you may recall that True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, was sniffing around not that long ago, apparently interested in purchasing a WHL franchise.
You have to wonder if they still would be interested if the price of poker now is approaching $10 million.
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A second group that is hoping to purchase the Saskatoon Blades is hoping that it still is in the running. That group includes, among others, former Blades players Kelly Chase, Rhett Warrener and Dave Chartier. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix takes a look right here at the history of the Blades’ ownership and wonders why Jack Brodsky wants out and also ponders the future.
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F Liam Stewart of the Spokane Chiefs has been named to the preliminary roster of Great Britain’s U-20 team that will play in the IIHF Division 1, Group B world championship. Great Britain will be playing at home, with the tournament to be held in Dumfries, Dec. 9-15. . . . Stewart, the son of legendary rocker Rod Stewart and model/actress Rachel Hunter, is one of 18 forwards on the preliminary roster. . . . The complete roster is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers have added Dave Johnston and Brad Leeb to their coaching staff as assistants under GM/head coach Mike Vandekamp. . . . They will the void created when Michael Olson left after last season. . . . Leeb, who played four seasons with the Red Deer Rebels, retired after playing last season with the Coventry Blaze of the U.K.’s Elite league. . . . Josh Aldrich of the Nanaimo Daily News reports that Johnston also will be the assistant GM and director of business operations. . . . Aldrich has more right here.
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One of the big stories of the next few months is going to involve Russia and it’s suddenly very public campaign against gays. So how did Russia get there from there? Mariam Elder of BuzzFeed explains right here.
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To boycott or not to boycott the Sochi Olympic Winter Games over Russia’s anti-gay stance, that is the question. Dave Zirin, from grantland.com, states his case right here.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
The Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) announced that they won’t offer contracts for next season to seven players, including F Tyler Beechey (Kootenay, Calgary, 1997-2002). He had 14 goals and 16 assists in 34 games with the Tigers this season. . . .


The Krefeld Pinguine (Germany, DEL) announced that they won’t offer contracts for next season to five players, including G Scott Langkow (Portland, 1991-95. Langkow had a 2.60 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 48 games this season. . . .


F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract extension with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 19 goals and 16 assists in 45 games this season. Johner led the team in goals and was third in points. . . .


Brothers F Brad (Red Deer, 1994-99) and Greg (Spokane, 1994-98) Leeb announced their retirement per the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite) website. Brad had 24 goals and 26 assists in 57 games, while older brother Greg had 17 goals and 39 assists in 59 games this season. Blaze head coach Paul Thompson, after Coventry had beaten the Cardiff Devils 11-5 on April 8 in the UK Elite bronze medal game to end the season: “They told me before the game they were going to retire – what careers they have had. They came here and never once took a day off, they have been the hardest workers in practice and they are a credit to themselves, their families and our club. They didn’t come just to finish their careers in Coventry, they wanted it more than anybody. Full respect to them both and they are quite proud to have finished in a Coventry Blaze jersey." . . . Brad Leeb tweeted after the game: “Huge thanks to @thommoblaze for putting Greg & I on ice for last shift of our last game. Then presenting us with official game sheet. #Class”
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If you are a regular visitor here and if you peruse the messages that are sometimes left here, you will be aware that there is an anonymous fool out there who loves to troll in these parts.
Sometime Thursday, the troll left this message:
“How mad were you last nite when Kessy deflected that home? Blazers win again.”
The day is coming when this blog will fade to darkness and one of the reasons will be the idiots among us who hide behind the cloak of anonymity that is provided by the Internet. But I feel this latest comment warrants a response, simply because it provides me with an opportunity to provide some insight into how good journalists operate.
First, allow me to say that I was thrilled when Kale Kessy scored in overtime on Wednesday night. Just like I was really upset when the Kelowna Rockets scored two third-period goals to force overtime.
And I have a feeling that if you ask Earl Seitz of CFJC-TV in Kamloops how he felt, he will echo my reactions.
You see, in my business, it’s all about deadlines.
The newspaper at which I work publishes six days a week. The deadline on five of those nights is 11 o’clock. On Wednesday nights, that deadline is 10 o’clock. The deadline doesn’t mean my story has to be in by that time; it means the last page has to be out of the editorial department and to the prepress department by that particular time. Miss a deadline and you mess with a whole lot of schedules, from the prepress department to the pressroom to the distribution people. Miss a deadline often enough and you will be working somewhere that doesn’t have them.
On Wednesday nights, I want my story in by 9:40 p.m. . . . 9:45 at the very latest.
On Wednesday night, then, the Blazers finished the second period with a 3-1 lead. Things were looking good. (By the way, I would have felt the same way had the Rockets been leading 3-1.)
So after the second period I put together the foundation of a game story that had the Blazers winning in regulation time. Things looked even better when two of Kelowna’s top forwards, Tyson Baillie and Myles Bell, took penalties early in the third period. Baillie drew a minor; Bell ended up with a misconduct. I continued to tap away at that ‘Kamloops wins’ lead while those two took seats in the penalty box.
Of course, the Rockets then got goals from J.T. Barnett and Cole Linaker.
Linaker’s goal, at 9:24 of the third period, forged a 3-3 tie and brought an identical reaction from the media types in the press box: “We do not want overtime.”
But overtime it would be.
In the playoffs, there is a 15-minute break between the third period and the start of overtime. I used the time to quickly bang out a second game story, this one written as though Kelowna had won the game.
So . . . as the overtime started, I had two game stories on the go on my laptop.
The key now was to have the game end early in the extra period.
Because had the game not ended until 10 or later, not even the final score would have gotten into our paper.
Before leaving for the arena, Mark Hunter, my partner in the sports department here, and I chatted about Plan B. That would be implemented if the game ran past 10 p.m. Had that happened, readers of Thursday’s Daily News would have found one photo from the Blazers game, indicating that it still was in progress at press time. Instead of a game story, readers would have been treated to a Canadian Press story about the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As you are aware, Kessy ended the game at 2:24 of OT.
The important time, however, was 9:47 p.m. That was the time the game ended. That meant I had time to get a story into the office.
I quickly wrote a lead for The Canadian Press and filed it and the game summary, which also was sent to members of the Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association.
I then deleted the game story I had started that had Kelowna winning.
I fine-tuned the ‘Kamloops wins’ story and emailed it to The Daily News.
Of course, the story didn’t contain any quotes or reaction of any kind. That simply isn’t possible with deadlines that tight. So after filing I journeyed to the dressing room areas and got enough reaction to write two stories for Friday’s newspaper, stories that you are able to find on this blog today. (If you want to be a journalist, it might be worth knowing that those stories were written at home on a day off. In this business, at least when you work for a smaller newspaper, a day off often means only that you won’t be in the office.)
So, to answer the troll’s question, I wasn’t mad when Kessy scored; rather, I was ecstatic. As I would have been had Madison Bowey scored for the Rockets in OT.
You have to understand that real journalists aren’t cheerleaders. It doesn’t matter to us who wins or who loses. Rather, it’s all about the story. All we want to do is report the story. And if an overtime goal allows us to do that and beat a deadline, hey, we’re happy.
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The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care is well into some brain-related research that involves a number of men, including about 25 retired NHL players. The first results should be made available in a few months, but the research is going to continue for years. . . . Rachel Brady of The Globe and Mail has the story right here.
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Well, folks, that’s it! The WHL is done for a week.
The Calgary Hitmen eliminated the Red Deer Rebels last night in a series that took five games. The second round of WHL playoffs featured four series — three ended in sweeps and the other in five games. And, sheesh, but it was ugly, as the winning teams held a 70-16 edge in goals scored.
So all will be quiet for a few days.
The Hitmen will open the Eastern Conference final in Edmonton with games against the Oil Kings on Thursday and April 19.
The Western Conference final begins with games April 19 and 20 in Portland with the Winterhawks meeting the Kamloops Blazers.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Edmonton wins, 4-0)
Calgary (3) vs. Red Deer (4)
(Calgary wins, 4-1)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
SECOND ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Spokane (4)
(Portland wins, 4-0)
Kelowna (2) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Kamloops wins, 4-0)
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Calgary, the Hitmen limited the Red Deer Rebels to 17 shots and posted a 5-1 victory. . . . Calgary F Zane Jones broke a 1-1 tie at 10:37 of the first period. . . . The Hitmen nursed a 3-1 lead into the third period when they scored two shorthanded empty-netters, at 17:58 and 18:40. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 29 shots, 13 more than Calgary’s Chris Driedger.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (16):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (5):
None
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From Spokane Chiefs D Brenden Kichton (@B_Kichton8): “Can't believe my junior career is over....it feels like yesterday I was headed to Spokane as a 16 year old...ready for the next chapter tho!”
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From Regan Bartel (@Reganrant), the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets: “Officiating so good in 1st rd and so bad in 2nd. Like Seinfeld episode where Jerry dates good looking girl only to realize she has man hands”
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From Spokane Chiefs F Liam Stewart (@LiamStewart11): “That awkward moment when your in 5guys burgers n fries with @rachelhunterx and @rodstewart comes on… #HeyDad”
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From Rachel Hunter (@rachelhunterx): “@LiamStewart11 @rodstewart ‘Stay With Me’ was my #favourite song of your dads”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Brad Leeb (Red Deer, 1994-99) signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). He had three goals and six assists in 44 games with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL) last season. Leeb joins his brother Greg (Spokane, 1994-98), who signed with Coventry three weeks ago. The brothers also played the past four seasons together in Nuremberg. . . .
F Kyle Bailey (Portland, Lethbridge, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with Alba Volan Szekesfehervar (Hungary, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 16 goals and 17 assists in 27 games with University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds (CIS) and was pointless in five games with Rochester Americans (AHL) last season. Bailey was captain of UNB the last three seasons and capped his final university season by leading the Varsity Reds in scoring; winning the 2011-12 UNB Red Black Award for overall contribution as a player, student, and community member for the third time; winning the 2011-2012 Atlantic University Sports Godfrey Award recognizing leadership, academics, and community service for a second straight year; and winning the 2011-12 Dr. Randy Gregg Award as the CIS hockey player who best combined hockey, academics, and community service, all accomplished while in graduate school working on his MBA degree. Bailey finished his university career as the third-leading career scorer at UNB.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have signed F Leon Draisaitl, who was the second overall selection in the CHL’s 2012 import draft. Draisaitl, from Cologne, Germany, had 56 points, including 21 goals, in 35 games last season for Jungadler Mannheim’s U-18 team. The previous season, he had 192 points, including 97 goals, in 29 games for the U-16s. He has represented Germany in U-18 and U-17 competitions.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Josh Hepditch is the new head coach of the junior B Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. A product of the minor hockey system in Fredericton, N.B., he played four seasons with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats and five at the U of New Brunswick. He went on to play for the Central league’s Allen Americans. . . . In Creston, Hepditch replaces head coach Brent Heaven, who now is an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. . . .
Reports indicate that Scott Pellerin will be named the next head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders. . . . Pellerin has been an assistant coach with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, since 2006. . . . Pellerin, a native of Shediac, N.B., spent four seasons playing at the U of Maine where he was teammates with Islanders GM Garth Snow. . . . Brent Thompson, Bridgeport’s last head coach, has moved into an assistant’s role with the Islanders. . . .
Dwight McMillan has indicated that 2012-13 will be his final season as head coach of the SJHL's Weyburn Red Wings. The team made the announcement on its website, announcing at the same time that he had signed a one-year contract. This, folks, is a big deal. Why? Well, consider that he has been with the team for almost every season since its inception in 1961. Back then, he was a rookie player. He took over as the head coach of the junior B Red Wings in 1967 and became head coach of the junior A team in 1972. Other than two seasons in the 1980s, he's been the coach ever since. He has won well over 1,000 games in the SJHL and two national championships. . . . McMillan's final season will be his 25th consecutive winter behind the Red Wings' bench.
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So what happens when a WHL team moves from a bandbox into a new facility? If you’re the Moose Jaw Warriors, who said hello to Mosaic Place and goodby to the Crushed Can (aka the Civic Centre), the gate receipts, including playoffs, more than double. Here’s Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, reporting on the Warriors’ annual general meeting that was held Tuesday: "The Warriors’ gate receipts totalled $1,651,235 last season which nearly doubled the $881,357 from the season previous. The deep playoff run to the Eastern Conference final also earned them $580,109 in receipts, but their direct playoff expenses were $228,109." . . . In the end, Gourlie reported, "The Warriors announced net earnings of $394,646 and have retained earnings of $923,702 at the end of the fiscal year." . . . At the meeting, Dave Kiefer and Dean Lang were re-elected to three-year terms on the board of directors, while Darrell Markin was elected to replace governor Darin Chow on the board. Chow, who is moving to Yorkton where he will serve as a judge, is to remain the Warriors’ governor. . . . Warriors president Chad Taylor also told Gourlie that the Warriors have been promoted within the WHL and no longer are considered small market. Instead, they now are a "mid-market team." . . . "We’ve always been in the bottom classification. It’s based on revenues and season ticket base," Taylor said. "We’ve moved up into the next category which is a bit of a pat on the back from the other owners. It’s a good thing."
For more, lots more, on the annual meeting, check out Gourlie’s story right here.

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