Storm books spot in MC final; Pouliot taking injured shoulder to Pittsburgh

F Tomas Hricina (Regina, 2008-10) has signed a one-year contract with Arystan Temirtau (Kazakhstan, Vysshaya Liga). This season, with Bardejov (Slovakia, 1. Liga), Hricina had 65 points, including 43 assists, in 44 games. He led the league in assists and points.
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1. If you’re wondering why the WHL’s championship final turned out the way it did, Megan, over at Shinny Stats has done a terrific statistical analysis of what went on between her Portland Winterhawks and the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . That breakdown is right here. . . . I also have linked to Megan’s blog over there on the right, because she is doing some nifty work involving Portland games.

2. Amid all the chatter about the injury to Montreal G Carey Price, who was bowled over by New York Rangers F Chris Kreider in Game 1 of that Stanley Cup, came the news that Canadiens F Brendan Gallagher leads the NHL in goaltender interference penalties. . . . And anyone who paid attention to the WHL when Gallagher was with the Vancouver Giants said: “That’s news?”

3. Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune reported Sunday evening that D Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks “will be in Pittsburgh this week to have a shoulder injury evaluated by physicians.” . . . According to Rossi, Pouliot was injured during the WHL final, and the injury has prevented him from joining the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for their playoff run. . . . Pouliot was selected by Pittsburgh with the eighth overall pick of the NHL's 2012 draft.

4. The Los Angeles Kings are halfway through what they hope will be a run to the Stanley Cup, and Jon Rosen, a former radio voice of the Everett Silvertips, is along for the ride. If you are a hockey fan, you should check out his blog, L.A. Kings Insider, right here. It is updated daily . . . and sometimes hourly. Watch especially for the wit and wisdom of Kings head coach Darryl Sutter.

5. Unfortunately, the 2014 Memorial Cup is quickly turning into a dud. At least it is if you’re a hockey fan in search of some excitement. The scores to date -- 1-0, 5-2, 5-2, 6-3. . . . Of course, last year wasn’t much better. In Saskatoon, the scores from the first five games were 3-2, 7-4, 5-2, 6-3 and 9-2. In fact, of the nine games played in Saskatoon, two were decided by one goal, two by two goals, three by three goals, one by five goals and one by seven goals.

6. I don’t know how much money you spent on the weekend, but AT&T is about to drop US$48.5 billion (that’s with a B) on purchasing DirecTV. How big is the NFL? Well, it seems the whole deal hinges on DirecTV’s ability to renew its NFL Sunday Ticket contract. . . . Sports Business Daily has more on all the big, big numbers right here.

7. Bob Moore, now the editor of the El Paso Times, was 18 when he was bitten in the butt by a dog belonging to Jeb Magruder of Watergate fame. Magruder died last week and Moore recalls the dog-biting incident right here.

8. When F Riley Kieser was traded by the Vancouver Giants to the Edmonton Oil Kings prior to this season, it may have meant more to his family than it did to him. He is from Sherwood Park, Alta., where his family still lives. His father, Chris, has been confined to a wheelchair by multiple sclerosis. The trade, then, made it a whole lot easier for Dad to watch his son play hockey. John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.

9. Today is Tuesday, May 22. The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens are two games into their Stanley Cup conference final. They will have two days off before Game 3 and then take two more days off before Game 4. Yes, they will play twice in seven days. Seriously. . . . Yes, it’s time to watch some NBA.
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F Cam McLise, who played one season with the Edmonton Oil Kings (2009-10) before going on to be named the CJHL’s player of the year (2012-13), will attend Mount Royal U in Calgary and play for the Cougars. . . . However, he will have to redshirt in 2014-15 as he played last season for the U of New Brunswick. . . . After playing with the Oil Kings, McLise spent three seasons with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, winning two league titles and an RBC Cup. . . . The 22-year-old McLise is from Lacombe, Alta.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Madison Capitols have yet to play their first game and they already have gone through one general manager/head coach. Steve Miller resigned on the weekend, saying he has “decided to return to Colorado and pursue other interests at this time.” . . . Miller was named the expansion club’s head coach on Oct. 22 after spending 20 years on the coaching staff of the U of Denver Pioneers. . . . The Capitols expect to gave a GM/head coach signed within the next week, according to managing partner Tom Garrity.
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph 6, Val-d’Or 3 (8,796)
Tuesday: Edmonton vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday: Final, noon.
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MONDAY’S GAME:
The OHL’s Guelph Storm booked its berth in the Memorial Cup’s championship game with a 6-3 victory over the Val-d’Or Foreurs on Monday night. . . . The QMJHL-champion Foreurs and the WHL-champion Edmonton Oil Kings, each 1-1, are scheduled to play tonight. . . . The Storm is 2-0 and will meet the host London Knights (0-2) on Wednesday in the final game of the round-robin. A Guelph victory will eliminate the Knights. . . . The Storm got a goal apiece from six players -- F Kerby Rychel, F Zach Mitchell, F Jason Dickinson, F Robby Fabbri, F Pius Suter and F Tyler Bertuzzi, while F Scott Kosmachuk had three assists and Mitchell, F Brock McGinn and D Matt Finn each had two. . . . F Timotej Sille, F Anthony Beauregard and D Randy Gazzola replied for the Foreurs. . . . Guelph G Justin Nichols stopped 30 shots. . . . Val-d’Or starter Antoine Bibeau stopped 30 of 36 shots through two periods. Keven Bouchard came on for the third period and kicked out 13 shots. . . . Guelph D Chadd Bauman received a kneeing major and game misconduct at 7:50 of the third period for a hit on Foreurs D Guillaume Gelinas, who looked to have injured his left knee and needed help getting off the ice. . . . The Storm, the highest-scoring team in the CHL this season, with 340 goals, has scored 11 times in two games. . . . Guelph took control of this game with three goals in the first six minutes of the first period. . . . The Foreurs were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Storm was 0-for-6.
After the game, Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts at Large, explained via Twitter what it all means:
4 possible outcomes of the Memorial Cup round-robin now . . .
1) Edmonton and Guelph win last 2 games. London goes home, Edmonton hosts Val-d'Or in semi.
2) Edmonton and London win last 2 games. Edmonton goes to semi. Val-d'Or hosts London in tiebreaker.
3) Val-d'Or and Guelph win last 2 games. London goes home, Val-d'Or hosts Edmonton in semi.
4) Val-d'Or and London win last 2 games. Val-d'Or goes to semi, Edmonton hosts London in tiebreaker.
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From former WHL D Garrett Thiessen (@thies89): “I hate to say it Habs fans, but I scored on Tokarski back in 06. And if I can score on Tokarski. Anyone can score on Tokarski. #gohabs”
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From the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “It's an off day for the #OilKings at the #MCMemorialCup, and they'll spend it with their families. Back in action (today) vs. @LesForeurs!”


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.

Milestone tonight for Blades' radio voice

D Colten Teubert (Regina, 2005-10) has signed two-year extension with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). This season, he has six points, including one goal, in 33 games. . . .
D Joel Kwiatkoiwski (Tacoma/Kelowna, Prince George, 1994-98) has signed a two-year extension with Fribourg-Gottéron (Switzerland, NL A). In 46 games this season, he has 22 points, five of them goals. At plus-22, Kwiatkowski is second in the league in  plus/minus, behind only Marc-André Bergeron of the Zurich Lions, who is plus-27.
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Congratulations to old pal Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Saskatoon Blades, who will call his 1,500th WHL game tonight when the Blades met the Rebels in Red Deer. That’s a lot of miles on the vocal cords. . . . It was heart-warming to see so many congratulatory messages on Twitter over the last couple of days. . . . Considering his record in Strat-O-Matic Baseball, back in the day, the old redhead made the right career choice!
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Bruce Vance, the Prince Albert Raiders’ business manager and director of marketing, is battling cancer. When he isn’t working his day job, he manages the A&W Bears, and the players are showing their support for him. Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW.com has more right here.
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The Vancouver Giants will salute Brendan Gallagher tonight by inducting him into their Ring of Honour. Gallagher, the Giants’ all-time leading goal scorer (136) and point man (280), now plays for the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. . . . If you never saw him play with the Giants, but have seen him in action with the Habs, you should know that he hasn’t changed his game. Which is why tonight’s ceremony should take place right on the lip of a goal crease and not at centre ice.
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The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs have signed head coach Ross Yates to a two-year extension that runs through 2015-16. Yates, 54, signed on as an assistant coach prior to 2012-13. He stepped up as co-general manager, with Christian Vermette, and head coach on Oct. 30. . . . Earlier in the week, the Sea Dogs announced that Darrell Young had signed a three-year deal as general manager, a post he will assume on March 1. Young, 55, has spent six seasons as an amateur scout with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. He also is a former director of hockey operations with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. . . . With Young’s signing, Vermette has moved over to become head scout.
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The Borowitz Report from The New Yorker addresses right here the friendly US$45-billion acquisition involving Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Now this is hitting the nail squarely on the head.
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SATURDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Victoria at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Boston Leier scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the Raiders. . . . Regina led this one 3-1 in the second period, only to have the Raiders roar back with three straight goals. . . . Regina F Dryden Hunt forced OT with his 17th goal at 11:35 of the third period. . . . Leier scored his 31st goal and added an assist. . . . The Raiders, who were 4-for-6 on the PP, got two goals and an assist from F Leon Draisaitl, but he came up short on a penalty shot in OT. . . . He’s got 25 goals. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple made his sixth straight start. He’s 5-1-0 in those starts. . . . Regina F Chandler Stephenson counted his WHL-leading seventh shorthanded goal. WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) tweeted that Stephenson “has the most single season SHG's for a @WHLpats player since Brett Lysak's 7 in 2000-01.” . . . Stephenson has 27 goals this season. . . . Raiders D Sawyer Lange had three assists. . . . Prince Albert F Jayden Hart will be hearing from the WHL office after taking an interference major and game misconduct at 8:13 of the first period. . . . The Pats (30-22-5) have won three in a row and now lead the East Division by a point over the Swift Current Broncos and Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Raiders (26-27-4) are four points out of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Swift Current, Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk ran his point streak to 17 games as the Tigers dropped the Broncos, 7-3. . . . Valk scored two goals, giving him 33, and added an assist. He is one game shy of the longest point streak in the WHL this season. . . . The Tigers trailed 2-1 just 23 seconds into the second period but scored the next five goals. . . . Tigers F Miles Koules, whose father Oren also played for Medicine Hat back in the day, notched his 20th goal of the season. . . . F Cole Sanford added a goal, his 27th, and two helpers for the Tigers. . . . The Tigers (35-20-3) have won three straight. They are a comfortable fourth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Broncos (28-22-8) are tied for sixth with Brandon. . . .

In Brandon, F Matt Alfaro scored to end a five-round shootout and give the Kootenay Ice a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Alfaro, a 17-year-old freshman from Calgary, has two regulation-time goals in 51 games. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon forced OT with his 27th goal at 11:14 of the third period. He also had an assist. . . . Kootenay F Sam Reinhart got his 30th goal and added an assist as he ran his point streak to 16 games. . . . Brandon F Brett Kitt, who went into the game with two goals and had been a healthy scratch in five of the last seven outings, scored both his side’s goals. . . . The same teams will do it again tonight in the Wheat City. . . . The Ice (32-22-4) is 8-2-0 in its last 10 and is fifth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Medicine Hat and four in front of Swift Current and Brandon. . . .

In Calgary, D Alex Roach scored 11 seconds into OT to give the Hitmen a 6-5 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Roach, who has six goals this season, also scored in the third period to pull his side into a 4-4 tie. . . . Calgary F Greg Chase scored his 30th goal at 15:21 of the third. He also had two assists. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherbak scored twice, the second one forcing OT at 17:30 of the third. He has six goals in three games against Calgary this season. . . . Scherbak was back for the first time since Jan. 29. . . . The Hitmen have won five in a row. . . . With G Chris Driedger having been suspended by the team, Mack Shields went the distance, making 19 saves. Evan Johnson, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, was backing up. . . . Saskatoon G Troy Trombley stopped 43 shots. . . . The Hitmen (37-15-6) are two points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings, who lead the Eastern Conference and the Central Division. Edmonton (40-14-2) holds two games in hand. . . . The Blades (15-39-5) have lost three in a row. . . .

In Edmonton, F Scott Feser scored three times, the last one in OT, as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . Feser, who has 10 goals, forced OT with a goal at 5:35 of the third period. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 450 shots, 30 more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . The Rebels snapped a seven-game losing streak. . . . The Oil Kings went in having won 16 of their previous 17 games. . . . F Mats Eller had two assists for the Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton F Mitch Moroz was tossed with a charging major just 42 seconds into the second period. . . . Red Deer (28-26-4) is eighth in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Prince Albert and four behind Swift Current and Brandon. . . . The Oil Kings (40-14-2) are 8-1-1 in their last 10. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Ben Duperreault broke a 2-2 tie at 5:56 of the second period and the Moose Jaw Warriors went on to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko, making his fourth appearance in 2014, stopped 27 shots. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that Sawchenko suffered a skate cut “near his rib cage” with two minutes left in the second period. While Justin Paulic came on in relief, Sawchenko went to the dressing room for stitches, then came back to play the third period. . . . Gourlie also reports that Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti “didn’t play in the third period as he began to feel the effects of a high hit” from earlier. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewold scored his 19th goal and added an assist on his 20th birthday. . . . F Torrin White also had a goal, his 16th, and an assist for Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors were without F Scott Cooke, who drew a two-game WHL suspension under supplemental discipline for a hit on Kootenay Ice F Tim Bozon on Feb. 11. Bozon sat out one game with an injury incurred in that hit, but returned last night. . . . Neither Moose Jaw (15-33-8) nor Lethbridge (12-42-5) will make the playoffs. . . .

In Kamloops, the Portland Winterhawks scored four first-period goal and went on to post their 15th straight victory by beating the Blazers, 7-4. . . . The Winterhawks tied a franchise record for consecutive victories (1979-80, 1997-98); they can break the record tonight when they meet the Giants in Vancouver. . . . The Blazers have lost 11 in a row. . . . F Taylor Leier scored his 30th goal in the second period, giving Portland five 30-goal men on its roster. The 1986-87 Blazers hold the single-season record, with nine 30-goal scorers on their roster. . . . Leier finished with two goals and two assists. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had a goal, his 31st, and two assists. He leads the WHL in assists (67) and points (98). He leads the points derby by five points over Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg. . . . Portland F Dominic Turgeon had two goals, giving him nine, and an assist, while F Brendan Leipsic had a goal, his 32nd, and two helpers. . . . Turgeon, who enjoyed his first career three-point outing, has eight points over his last five games. . . . Kamloops got two goals from F Cole Ully, who has 26 this season. The second one was a shorthanded penalty shot in the second period. . . . Portland was 4-for-6 on the PP. . . . With G Brendan Burke ill, G Corbin Boes started for Portland, which had Adin Hill from the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks backing up. Hill, 17, is a list player who signed with the Winterhawks on Aug. 30, 2012. . . . Portland (41-12-5) is second in the overall standings, nine points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Blazers (11-42-5) have the WHL’s poorest record. . . .

In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier scored twice, the second one breaking a 2-2 tie at 19:35 of the third period, as the Rockets doubled the Prince George Cougars, 4-2. . . . The Cougars, who had won four straight road games, took a 2-1 lead into the third period, only to have F Carter Rigby tie it at 5:34. . . . Chartier, who has 19 goals, got an empty-netter at 19:50. . . . Cougars F Troy Bourke had two assists, making him the Prince George franchise’s all-time leader, with 141. F Blake Robson held the previous mark. . . . The Rockets are 5-0-0 against the Cougars this season. . . . Prince George D Mark McNulty scored his 16th goal, running his point streak to nine games. . . . The Rockets (46-8-4), who have won three in a row, lead the overall standings. . . . The Cougars (24-29-7) are five points out of the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Everett, D Kevin Davis scored his first career goal in OT to give the Silvertips a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Davis, a freshman from Kamloops, was the 11th overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He has played in 56 regular-season games. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl scored his fifth goal at 7:14 of the second. He hadn’t scored in his previous 32 games; he last scored on Nov. 19. . . . Vancouver F Joel Hamilton tied it, with his sixth goal, at 3:48 of the third. . . . Everett G Carter Hart, 15, was backing up Austin Lotz, who stopped 26 shots. . . . The Silvertips welcomed back F Manraj Hayer, who hadn’t played since Jan. 25. They still are without F Zane Jones and F Tyler Sandhu. . . . Everett also played without G Daniel Cotton and F Darcy DeRoose, who have been suspended by the team. . . . Vancouver G Jared Rathjen stopped 29 shots. . . . The Giants were without D Dalton Thrower (ankle) for a ninth straight game. . . . Everett (28-21-8) has won two straight and now is tied for sixth with Vancouver (27-22-10) in the Western Conference. . . . The Giats have lost four in a row. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Russell Maxwell scored with 25.6 seconds left in the third period to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Maxwell has 12 goals this season, two in 15 games with Seattle since coming over from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Seattle led this one 3-0 with less than 11 minutes to play in the third period. . . . The Americans got goals from F Lucas Nickles (shorthanded at 9:25), F Parker Bowles (PP at 13:43) and F Beau McCue (17:15) to tie it. . . . McCue’s goal came with G Eric Comrie on the bench for the extra attacker as Tri-City head coach Jim Hiller rolled the dice early. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar scored his second goal of the season in the second period for a 2-0 lead. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had two assists. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 37 shots, 16 more than Eric Comrie. . . . Tri-City D Justin Hamonic left in the second period, having left some blood on the ice, after taking a slapshot from Seattle D Shea Theodore up high. Hamonic returned in the third period wearing a face shield. . . . There was a multi-fight situation at 8:33 of the third period, meaning fines may be in order. . . . Seattle finished the game with 90 penalty minutes to Tri-City’s 61. . . . Seattle (36-17-5) is fourth in the Western Conference, four points behind the Victoria Royals, who open an East Division swing tonight, and eight ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Americans (27-25-6) hold down the conference's last playoff spot, five points ahead of Prince George.
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From Kirk Luedeke (@kluedeke29): “Just heard the excellent hockey book ‘Sudden Death’ by Culp, Drinnan & Wilkie being made into a movie. Must read about SC Broncos bus tragedy.”


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Shareholders hear about Hurricanes

The Lethbridge Hurricanes, one of the WHL's community-owned teams, have the poorest record in the 22-team league. The franchise is struggling on the ice, as well as off the ice.
The Hurricanes held their annual midseason shareholders' meeting on Thursday night. Pat Siedlecki, the play-by-play voice of the Hurricanes and the news director at 94.1 CJOC, tweeted during the meeting.
What follows is a compilation of Siedlecki's tweets, in order, and it provides a pretty good feel for what happened during the meeting:
Lethbridge Hurricanes President Brian McNaughton: "This is not a rebuild. It's a re-set of our organization."
McNaughton also says restructuring of the Hurricanes lease with the ENMAX Centre will likely be done in 3-4 weeks.
Hurricanes Business Manager Terry Huisman: "Attendance at Hurricanes games is down 20% this season."
Huisman: "Hurricanes are trending an average of 660 fans less per game from last season. That impacts our bottom line significantly."
Huisman: "We have run into cash flow issues. Working with banks to secure that. Our debt has not increased."
McNaughton: "We've secured a line of credit with Servus Credit Union. We are not over budget. We are just short cash."
McNaughton: "Our total current operating debt is around $100,000."
McNaughton: "We are working hard to get to break even" (by the end of the season).
Hurricanes Head Coach Drake Berehowsky: "We've begun changing the character. I know it's been frustrating. It's a process that takes time."
McNaughton: "I feel extremely confident we're going in the right direction. I feel as good about the team now as I have in the last 5 years."
McNaughton: "I don't believe the Board interferes. We support our staff."
Shareholders are asking about selling the hockey club. One suggested that maybe it's time the Canes become a privately run club.
McNaughton: "I understand the frustration. None of us are happy with what's happened."
McNaughton: "We have to do a better job. We believe we have the right people in place to turn this thing around now."
Adele Barrington, Hurricanes Board Member: "You don't know how lucky you are to have Brian McNaughton on this board."
General manager Brad Robson: "This has been frustrating. It hasn't been easy. There's been a lot of sleepless nights. We're doing our best."
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Paul Kingsmith of Global TV also attended the meeting in Lethbridge. He touched on a few things in some tweets:
#WHLCanes President McNaughton says the team is $100,000 in debt, but has lost $1Million over 5 years.
A suggestion by a shareholder of selling the #WHLCanes gets a round of applause.
McNaughton: "Kris Versteeg never approached the board of directors."
McNaughton: "There's never been a (purchase) offer presented to the board of the Lethbridge Hurricanes."
(For more, visit Siedlecki's blog Hurricane Watch over there on the right.)
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After Kingsmith's last tweet, former player Brody Sutter (@Sutts19) tweeted: "@paulkingsmith hard to make an offer to buy the team when potential owners are immediately told the team is not for sale. #SelltheCanes"
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So . . . what's going on with Lethbridge Hurricanes assistant coach Brad Lukowich?
Lukowich, in his first season as an assistant coach with the Hurricanes, missed practice again on Thursday. He has been missing all week.
Paul Kingsmith of Global TV tweeted Thursday afternoon that head coach Drake Berehowsky said: "He's sick." . . . According to Kingsmith, Berehowsky was "asked if he believes it," and replied: "that's what I've been told so . . .' "
However, during last night's shareholders' meeting general manager Brad Robson contradicted the head coach.
According to a tweet from Pat Siedlecki (radiopat258), the radio voice of the Hurricanes, Robson told the gathering that Lukowich "is not sick. He's fine. We won't discuss this though in the public."
One source told me last night that Lukowich “is taking some time off” and that he’ll have a different title when he returns.
“He and Berehowsky (haven’t) been on the same page,” the source said.
(Late last night, Kingsmith posted a story that is right here. In the story, Robson admits that Lukowich has left the team. “He’s meeting with his family right now in regards to where he’s going with his hockey career,” Robson told Kingsmith, “and we’ll sit down (today) and re-hash and that’s about it.”)
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"Former Portland Timbers forward Eddie Johnson has filed a $9.9 million personal injury lawsuit against the Timbers, claiming that the team and its doctors allowed him to return to practice while he was still suffering from concussion symptoms," reports Jamie Goldberg of The Oregonian. "The nine-page lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, claims that negligence by the Timbers and their doctors caused Johnson to suffer 'serious and permanent traumatic head and brain injuries.' " . . . Goldberg's complete report is right here.
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The Kootenay Ice held Sam Reinhart Bobblehead Night last weekend, giving away 950 of the popular promotional items. The neat thing is that each of the Reinhart bobbleheads had been autographed by the Ice's third-year star. . . . So, you're wondering, how long does it take to sign 950 bobbleheads? . . . According to the Kootenay News Advertiser, "Sam took over five hours to complete the task."
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The Vancouver Giants will stage quite a celebration on Feb. 15 as they induct former captain Brendan Gallagher into their Ring of Honour. Gallagher, a stalwart with the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, is the Giants' all-time leading scorer. . . . Gallagher was a ninth-round selection in the WHL's 2007 bantam draft. He holds team records for goals (136) and points (280) in a career. . . . The Canadiens selected him in the fifth round of the NHL's 2010 draft. . . . According to a Giants news release: "The first 5,000 fans at the Saturday, Feb. 15 game vs. the Portland Winterhawks (7 p.m. faceoff) will receive a commemorative 8x10 collector piece, while 111 random fans will get to meet Brendan during the game."
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F Johnny Wesley, a 16-year-old from Semiahmoo, B.C., whose WHL rights belong to the Vancouver Giants, says he will play next season for the BCHL's Langley Rivermen. Wesley, who was placed on the Giants' protected list last year, is playing for the Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific International junior league. He has 45 points, incouding 21 goals, in 39 games in his freshman junior B season.
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D Sam Grist of the Kamloops Blazers won't play tonight against the visiting Victoria Royals. Grist has drawn a one-game suspension for a hit on F Reid Petryk of the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday night. Grist was given an interference major and a game misconduct on the play. Petryk needed help on the ice, but was back during the ensuing power play. . . . F Logan Nelson of the Victoria Royals drew a two-game suspension under supplemental discipline for a charging incident against the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Tuesday night. Nelson sat out Wednesday's game against the Hitmen -- the Victoria Times Colonist reported that he sat "due to an injury" -- so also will sit tonight in Kamloops.
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Ralph Kiner, a Hall of Fame baseball player and a legendary broadcaster, died Thursday. He was 91. Richard Sandomir of the The New York Times has more on Kiner right here, including an anecdote that involves actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
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Over at Yahoo! Sports, Sunaya Sapurji has an interesting piece that carries this headline -- Size matters: Are small towns being pushed to the OHL’s fringes? . . . While the story, which is right here, is about big versus small in the OHL, you can easily change some of the names and relate this story to the WHL. It is a day-to-day struggle for the small-market franchises in major junior hockey and they take a real hit when they miss the playoffs, thus aren’t able to bring in any playoff revenue. . . . I always will remember my final conversation with the late Ed Chynoweth, the former WHL president who by then owned the Kootenay Ice. He suggested that the WHL, with team expenses rising and new sources of revenue hard to come by, should have been looking at some form of revenue sharing. Sure, he had a vested interested, the Cranbrook-based Ice being a small-market team, but things haven’t changed since the day in 2007 when that conversation took place. In other words, it’s still a battle to survive for some of those teams.
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After 12 years with the Saskatoon Blades, assistant general manager Jarrod Brodsky has left the WHL franchise. He is the son of former Blades co-owner Bob Brodsky, who sold the team to Mike Priestner of Edmonton earlier this season. . . . The Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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THURSDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
No games scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES:
Moose Jaw at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Swift Current at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Spokane at Seattle, 7:35 p.m.
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JUST NOTES:
Through games of Nov. 30, the Everett Silvertips were 20-4-4, with 17 of those victories coming in regulation time. Since then, the Silvertips are 6-16-4, with three regulation-time victories. . . . The Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings meet the Rockets in Kelowna tonight. The Rockets lead the WHL’s overall standings. Interestingly, the Oil Kings are 7-1-0 in games played in the B.C. Division this season. The only loss? The Rockets beat them 2-0 in Kelowna on Nov. 9.

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King back in coaching game

Dave King, who did a stint years ago as the head coach of the WHL’s Billings Bighorns, is back in the coach game. Szymon Szemberg (@Sz1909_Szemberg) tweeted late Sunday: “Lokomotiv Yaroslavl announced hiring of Dave King as their new head coach. King, 66, had a previous stint in Russia with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.” . . . When this season began, former NHLer Tom Rowe was the Lokomotiv head coach. However, he was fired on Sept. 19 and replaced by assistant coach Pyotr Vorobyov. Presumably, King is taking over from Vorobyov. . . . King has been working with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes as a development coach. . . . If you are looking for an interesting read, you can’t go wrong with King of Russia: A Year in the Russian Super League, the book co-authored by King and Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail. The book details King’s stint with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
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Late last month, Turkish Weekly reported that “relatives of six Russian hockey players killed in a 2011 plane crash are seeking 105 million rubles ($3 million) in compensation for moral and financial difficulties.” . . . That plane was carrying the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl when it crashed on takeoff. Of the 45 people on the plane, only one person, a flight engineer, survived. . . . The Turkish Weekly report is right here.
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If you happened to watch Sunday afternoon’s NHL game between the visiting Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens, you saw Habs F Brendan Gallagher at his distracting best. And if you watched the final minute, well, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has more right here.
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It has been four years since the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian luger, on the Olympic track at Whistler, B.C. Sam Borden of The New York Times tells that story and the story of Kumaritashvili’s family and his best friend right here. This is a wonderful read.
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TODAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
None scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Swift Current at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Regina, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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From Carter Hart (@C_Hart70): “Blessed to have signed with @WHLsilvertips. Thank you to everyone who has helped me reach this milestone. #grateful #excited”
Hart, a 15-year-old goaltender from Sherwood Park, Alta., was an eighth-round selection by Everett in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft.


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The OHL or the NCAA? Andrew Duffy of the Ottawa Citizen profiles a young hockey player who is faced with that decision right here.
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Looking for good read today? Here’s Jim Matheson’s Hockey World from the pages of the Edmonton Journal. It’s at least a two-cupper.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors held a 39-13 edge in shots and whipped the Regina Pats, 8-1, to even that series at 1-1. . . . Games 3 and 4 are to be played in Regina on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . F Cody Beach and F Eric Arnold had two goals and an assist each for the Warriors, who scored once in the first period, three times in the second and four times in the third. . . . Moose Jaw G Luke Siemens lost his shutout to F Dyson Stephenson at 5:32 of the third. . . . Leading 3-0, the Warriors held a 19-4 edge in shots. . . . Warriors D Dallas Ehrhardt had one assist and was plus-5. . . . Warriors F Sam Fioretti had a goal and two helpers. . . . Moose Jaw took 64 of 118 penalty minutes. Referees Pat Smith and Chad Williams handed out nine misconducts. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Tigers went 3-for-6 on the PP and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-3. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem was in on all five of his side’s goals, scoring twice and setting up three others. . . . The Tigers take a 2-0 lead to Saskatoon for games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Tigers erased a 3-2 deficit with the game’s last three goals. . . . Etem scored two first-period power-play goals. . . . After F Josh Nicholls gave Saskatoon a 3-2 lead at 6:55 of the second, Medicine Hat D James Bettauer tied it at 16:28. . . . Tigers F Hunter Shinkaruk broke the 3-3 tie at 14:32 of the third and F Curtis Valk added insurance at 19:54 on a PP. . . . Shinkaruk also had three assists. . . . Saskatoon was 0-1 on the PP. . . . The Blades continue to be without G Adam Todd (concussion), F Michael Burns (concussion) and D Tommy Stipancik (mononucleosis). They also were without D Darren Dietz, who drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for a slashing major on Tigers F Emerson Etem late in Game 1. . . . An interesting note from Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades: In their history, the Blades have lost the first game of a series on the road on 13 occasions. Only once have they come back to win Game 2. That was in 1992 against the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored five times in the second period and beat the Victoria Royals, 7-4. . . . Kamloops took a 6-1 lead into the third period. . . . F Jordan DePape scored twice for Kamloops, the first coming on a penalty shot at 19:24 of the first period to give his side a 1-0 lead. . . . Kamloops F J.C. Lipon had two assists for the second straight game. . . . The Blazers take a 2-0 lead into Games 3 and 4 in Victoria on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Victoria F Taylor Crunk scored his first WHL goal. He was goal-less in 39 regular-season games. . . . Crunk, who turned 17 on Jan. 20, is a freshman from San Jacinto, Calif. . . . Kamloops had a 53-28 edge in shots on goal. . . . The Blazers were 2-7 on the PP; the Royals were 0-5. . . . Kamloops has won back-to-back playoff games for the first time since the spring of 1999 when Habscheid was its head coach. . . .

In Portland, G Mac Carruth stopped 20 shots to lead the Winterhawks to a 4-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Carruth earned his 20th playoff victory. He is the only goaltender in Portland history with that many postseason victories. . . . Carruth has two career playoff shutouts. . . . The Winterhawks hold a 2-0 lead as the series heads to Kelowna for games on Tuesday and Thursday. . . . Portland was 2-8 on the PP and also got a shorthanded goal from F Brad Ross. . . . D Troy Rutkowski scored the game’s first goal at 7:30 of the first period on the PP. . . . F Ty Rattie, who had three goals in a 6-3 victory on Friday, had a goal and an assist in Game 2. . . . F Sven Baertschi set up two goals. . . . The Winterhawks again were without F Brendan Leipsic. . . . The Rockets continue to be without F Spencer Main (concussion) and D Mitchell Chapman (undisclosed). . . . Kelowna was 0-5 on the PP. . . . The Rockets took 53 of 91 penalty minutes, including 23 to F Brett Bulmer. He took four minors, two of them for kneeing, and a kneeing major and game misconduct, the latter at 12:11 of the third period. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel got the old heave-ho 31 seconds into the second period. He took a slashing minor and was promptly tossed, perhaps for saying something to an official. . . . After Game 1, you may recall, Kelowna G Adam Brown made a point of grabbing the final puck and keeping it. So what happened after Game 2. Well, it seems Rutkowski picked it up off the ice. End of story. Right? Wrong. . . . Jim Beseda of The Oregonian reports that Portland D Joe Morrow took the puck from Rutkowski, “skated across the ice and flipped it in Brown's direction” as the Rockets headed to the dressing room. “You know,” Morrow said, “he deserved it, so he can have it back. And if he wants to keep doing that, he can keep every puck after we win from now on. That's his choice." . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants scored the game’s first five goals and went on to beat the Spokane Chiefs, 7-3. . . . Vancouver leads the series 2-0 with the next two games in Spokane on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . F Brendan Gallagher and F Marek Tvrdon each had two goals and two assists for Vancouver, while F Jordan Martinook had a goal and three assists. . . . Martinook has eight points in the first two games of this series. . . . The Giants also got two goals, both on the PP, from D Neil Manning. . . . F Mitch Holmberg scored twice for Spokane. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison stopped 38 shots. . . . Vancouver was 3-7 on the PP; Spokane was 2-6. . . . Spokane D Brendan Kichton, who was struck in the face by a puck in the third period of Game 1, didn’t play in Game 2. He may have a broken jaw. . . . Kichton, a first-team all-star, is the Western Conference’s defenceman of the year. . . . The Giants are without D David Musil, who has undergone surgery to repair a broken scaphoid. . . . Vancouver inserted D Blake Orban, who played 43 regular-season games, into its lineup and took out D Reid Zalitach, a 2011 bantam draft pick. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans scored three PP goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Two of those PP goals came in the first period when the Americans spent 11:58 with a man advantage; the Silvertips didn’t get a power play. . . . Everett F Ryan Harrison took an interference major and game misconduct at at 9:44 of the first period. . . . Tri-City scored twice on the ensuing power play. . . . Everett F Cody Fowlie took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 4:20 of the second period. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland scored the game’s first goal at 10:21 of the first period. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 17 shots, 16 fewer than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . Rimmer lost his shutout bid when D Ryan Murray scored at 18:57 of the third period. . . . Tri-City lost D Drydn Dow with an apparent arm injury after he was hit from behind by Everett F Manray Hayer, who was given a double minor. . . . The Americans lead 2-0 as the series goes to Everett for games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports on Game 2 right here. You may have guessed that Everett head coach Mark Ferner wasn't impressed by the officiating.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Brayden Point, Moose Jaw.
F Cain Franson, Vancouver.
F Manraj Hayer, Everett (double minor).
F Cody Fowlie, Everett (major).
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Austin Madaisky, Kamloops.


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Madaisky hoping to recapture form he showed in 2010

Daily News Sports Reporter
Austin Madaisky remembers the 2010 postseason well.
Yes, his Kamloops Blazers lost in four games to the Vancouver Giants, and yes, it was the last time the Blazers made the playoffs.
But it also was the coming-out party for the defenceman, who will lead the Blazers into the playoffs today. Kamloops is to play host to the Victoria Royals at Interior Savings Centre at 7 p.m.
The Blazers had acquired Madaisky, who turned 20 on Jan. 30, from the Calgary Hitmen as part of a blockbuster deal in January 2010. He was decent in the final 26 regular-season games with the Blazers that season, scoring two goals and assisting on seven others.
But it was the 2010 postseason in which Madaisky turned a corner. He had a point in each of the Blazers’ four losses, ending with three goals and three assists to lead the team.
“I felt great — that was probably some of the best hockey I’ve played in my life,” said Madaisky, a Surrey native. “I’m hoping to find that level again this postseason.”
Madaisky was named a Western Conference second-team all-star Thursday, and said he improved a lot this season, his fourth in the WHL.
“I grew a lot as a player this year,” Madaisky said. “I think a lot of that can be attributed to bringing in (associate coach) Dave Hunchak, who’s a great defensive coach, and (head coach) Guy Charron.”
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Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants was named to the Western Conference’s first all-star team for the second straight season on Thursday.
Gallagher, who spent the first part of the season with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and also spent time with Canada at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Calgary around Christmas, ended with 41 goals and 36 assists in 54 games.
He is the only repeater on the first team, although all of the other 2010-11 first-teamers have moved on. D Jared Cowen and F Ryan Johansen are full-time NHL players, while D Tyson Barrie and F Tyler Johnson are in the AHL. G James Reid has spent time this season in the AHL, Central League and ECHL.
Three other all-stars from 2010-11 are on the 2011-12 teams. D Brendan Kichton of the Spokane Chiefs and F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans moved up from the second team to the first team, while D Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips made the second team for the second straight year.
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The Western Conference’s three other first-round series are to begin tonight.
The No. 1 seed, the Tri-City Americans, will play host to the eighth-seeded Everett Silvertips in Kennewick, Wash., while the No. 3 Portland Winterhawks will entertain the No. 6 Kelowna Rockets.
The Vancouver Giants, who finished fourth in the conference, are at home to the No. 5 Spokane Chiefs.
All WHL playoff series are best-of-seven.

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