The saga of the Chilliwack Bruins — a chronology

What follows is something of a chronology of events leading up to the announcement of the sale and relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins, mostly gleaned from the work of Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times and Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress.
Cast of characters, in order of appearance:
Ron Robison: WHL commissioner.
Moray Keith: Minority owner of Chilliwack Bruins and co-owner of Chilliwack Development Group (CDG), which manages Prospera
Centre.
Jim Bond: Minority owner of Chilliwack Bruins and co-owner of Chilliwack Development Group (CDG), which manages Prospera
Centre.
Darryl Porter: One of the Bruins’ three majority owners; he was the franchise’s governor.
Dave Dakers: President of RG Properties’ sports and entertainment division. RG Properties manages Prospera Place in Kelowna and the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria; it also owns the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. RG Properties bought the Bruins.
Brian Burke: President and general manager of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs; one of the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners.
Glen Sather: President and general manager of the NHL’s New York Rangers; one of the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners.
Jim Mullin: Manager of the sports department at CKNW, an AM radio station in Vancouver. He was fired by CKNW on April 20 and tweeted that his dismissal had "everything to do with" his reporting of the sale of the Bruins.
Glen Ringdal: A consultant who works with Moray Keith and Jim Bond.
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2001: “Our interest in Victoria began in 2001 (and) intensified with the (2005) opening of the new facility (Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre).” — WHL commissioner Ron Robison, on The Hawk 89.5, April 20, 2011.
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2009: “In 2009, Robison told the league’s board of governors that the WHL might try and move the next team up for sale to Victoria.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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February 2009: “February of 2009, as part of its strategic plan, the Western Hockey League Board of Governors made a decision to actively pursue securing a WHL franchise for the Victoria market. At that time, the WHL Board of Governors were advised that should a franchise become available for sale, the WHL may elect to relocate the club to Victoria. Although expanding the league beyond 22 teams was not ruled out, the WHL Board of Governors preference was to relocate an existing team. Further expansion was not considered a viable alternative due to the demand it would place on the talent pool of players and the ability for WHL Clubs to remain competitive at the national level.” — WHL press release, April 20, 2011.
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November 2010: “Keith told the Times that Bond came away (from a Jan. 13 conference call) not thinking that a decision had been made and that no vote was taken. He also said CDG had a standing offer to buy the club dating back to November 2010. Porter said that he knew of no such offer and that there was no ambiguity as to CDG's willingness to sell.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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December 2010: Darryl Porter asks Chilliwack city council for $175,000 per year to prop up sagging revenues. The request is turned down.
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Early January 2011: In early January, Keith says that Bruins president Darryl Porter met with Robison during the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. According to Keith, “Robison told (Porter) point blank that if they wanted to sell, they had to sell to Victoria.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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January 2011: “Dave Dakers, president of RG Properties sports and entertainment division, said the genesis of the deal was when he met Darryl Porter on a ferry in January.” — Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist, April 20, 2011.
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Jan. 13, 2011: “Burke and Porter talked about a Jan. 13 conference call in which Jim Bond allegedly gave his and Keith’s approval to the pursuit of a sale, at the same time locking the group into exclusive negotiating rights with Victoria. . . . Keith wasn’t involved in that meeting, but he got a play-by-play from Bond. . . . ‘Burkie talked and he was the only guy that talked, and it was presented as a fait d’accompli that this was done,’ Keith said. ‘Jim is adamant that he didn’t concur in a unanimous way that it should be sold. Porter, Burke and Sather agreed to sell the team. That’s 75 per cent and that’s not unanimous.’ ” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 20, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Western Hockey League commission Ron Robison says Chilliwack remains a viable market for major junior hockey. And with rumours flying about the possible sale of the Chilliwack Bruins, Robison told the Chilliwack Times . . . that the league office hasn't received any notice that a sale is imminent. Robison said "there is tremendous interest in purchasing franchises around the league . . . but right now there's been nothing filed with us to indicate that there's been anything material occurring." — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, March 4, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Asked if the league stresses keeping teams in their current markets, Robison said "absolutely." He continued: "It's clearly our desire to keep them where they are. From time to time we have to review relocation but that's been very rare. There hasn't been a relocation in our league for many, many years." — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, March 4, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: When asked by the Progress whether the team would be playing in Chilliwack in 2011-12, the answer wasn't exactly a resounding yes. “I would be very surprised if the Western Hockey League isn't playing hockey in Chilliwack,” Porter replied. — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, March 4, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Asked whether the Bruins would be playing in Chilliwack in 2011-12, (Robison) offered this. “It is certainly our intent and we haven’t considered anything different at this point.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 21, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Asked about the league’s strong desire to get into Victoria, (Robison) offered this. “We are very interested in that possibility, and it’s just been a case of whether we can accommodate that. At this point, we’re not in a position to do that.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 21, 2011.
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March 2011: “In March, Porter told the Times that the owners were weighing ‘multiple offers.’ The owners were, however, negotiating with only one other partner. On (April 20) he apologized for the misleading statements, saying that he was trying to respect a confidentiality agreement and that there was still a possibility that the team wouldn’t be sold to RG Properties. ‘I still had some belief that we would be enticing other offers,’ he said.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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March 15, 2011: The Chilliwack Progress reports that Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who “has ties to the area,” is interested in helping keep the Bruins in Chilliwack. "Justin has expressed his interest in being involved with us as an investor in hockey based in Chilliwack," Keith said in an e-mail to the Chilliwack Progress. "We would be honoured to have him involved. It is all predicated obviously in our successfully securing the team.” — Chilliwack Progress, March 15, 2011.
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March 15, 2011: The Chilliwack Progress reports that “a news article this morning said there is pressure on Burke, Sather and Porter to accept a bid that would land the team in Victoria. That would fly in the face of commments WHL commisioner Ron Robison made in a Chilliwack Progress interview last week.” . . . “The league's position on ownership is always to look for local ownership,” he said. “That is always a priority. We have to make sure we have the right type of ownership, but if there is local interest, that is something we would want to explore.” — Chilliwack Progress, March 15, 2011.
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March 17, 2011: “On March 17, the WHL Board of Governors granted conditional approval for the sale of the Chilliwack WHL franchise and final agreements were then signed.” — WHL news release, April 21, 2011.
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March 31, 2011: “Darryl Porter not confirming sale of Chilliwack Bruins at 5:50pm. Says it's not done. Says no sale agreement signed despite speculation.” — Randy Merkley, the radio voice of the Bruins, via Twitter.
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April 5, 2011: The WHL issues a news release saying it has granted conditional approval to the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins. The news release doesn’t identify a buyer.
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April 4, 2011: Burke, in a letter through his lawyers to Jim Mullin earlier in the week, claimed that the WHL had “promised” a franchise to Graham Lee, the chief executive officer and president of RG Properties. . . . Burke also wrote that it was “. . . the WHL’s and Mr. Lee’s desire to have an established team in Victoria rather than an expansion team. This will not leave Chilliwack without a WHL team. The WHL is in the process of negotiating the movement of another WHL team to Chilliwack.”
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April 11, 2011: “Keith cited an April 11 phone conversation between his right-hand man Glen Ringdal and Porter where Porter fingered Robison and the WHL executive as the masterminds behind the Chilliwack-to-Victoria plot.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 20.
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April 18, 2011: The WHL announces that a news conference will be held April 20 in Victoria.
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April 19, 2011: The deal between RG Properties and the Bruins owners closes.
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April 20: 2011: The WHL announces the Bruins will be relocated to Victoria.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

One domino falls . . .

Will moving fans, inside and out, at Prospera Centre 
be the final memory of the WHL in Chilliwack?

Well, the deed is done.
The WHL is in Victoria and the AHL isn’t.
And that’s the name of that game.
But two hockey teams had to be buried in order for the WHL to get across the Strait of Georgia.
The Chilliwack Bruins are dead. Long live the Bruins!
The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings are soon to be dead! Long may they run in these playoffs!!
———
If you have been paying attention to this saga from the beginning, you didn’t learn a whole lot yesterday.
You learned that the deal closed on Tuesday. You learned that the Victoria franchise has a website and that it is running a name-the-team contest.
The most interesting stuff, however, came out of a news release, a copy of which arrived in my inbox from the Bruins.
In it, the WHL and the franchise’s former owners — at least, the majority owners — tried to explain the “multiple reasons that led to the decision” to sell the Bruins. What they did was lay the corpse at the feet of minority owners Moray Keith and Jim Bond.
To summarize that news release:
1. The WHL’s board of governors decided in February 2009 to “actively pursue securing a WHL franchise for the Victoria market.” The governors decided at that time “that should a franchise become available for sale, the WHL may elect to relocate the club to Victoria.”
2. The WHL chose not to sell an expansion franchise “due to the demand it would place on the talent pool of players.”
3. The Chilliwack market changed after arenas went up in Langley and Abbotsford and the NHL’s Calgary Flames relocated their AHL affiliate, the Heat, to Abbotsford. (What the WHL doesn’t mention is that the Calgary Flames own the Calgary Hitmen, so it seems an NHL team actually had a hand in the death of the Bruins.)
4. With the change in the market “it became obvious to the Bruins ownership group that the franchise needed to be restructured from a medium-size model to a small market-size model.”
5. With that in mind, according to the news release, the Bruins ownership group wanted to renegotiate its lease with the Chiefs Development Group, which holds the management contract for Prospera Centre. “What was requested was a lease concurrent to other small-market privately owned WHL teams,” the news release reads, without providing examples. What is interesting about this is that Keith is president of the Chiefs Development Group.
6. “This inability to secure a new lease contributed to the deterioration of our ownership group and their relationship with the Chiefs Development Group,” continues the release.
7. The Bruins’ ownership group — Brian Burke, Glen Sater, Darryl Porter, Keith and Bond — met on Jan. 13 and “agreed with the WHL to sell its franchise for the purpose of relocating the club to Victoria. Provided the terms of the sale met the conditions . . . the partners agreed no other offers would be considered.” . . . (In other words, the Bruins were sold without being placed on the open market. A source familiar with the situation has told me that RG Properties paid $5.5 million for the franchise.)
8. The WHL board of governors granted “conditional approval” for the sale on March 17. The deal closed Tuesday. According to the news release, “All conditions associated with the WHL's approval of the sale and relocation have been satisfied.”
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All of this raises a couple of questions:
1. What kind of an arrangement is it that has the franchise’s minority owners controlling the building in which the team plays?
2. If the minority owners were part of the movement not to renegotiate the lease, why didn’t the majority owners simply sell the team to them?
3. How long until Keith and Bond tell their side of the story, including Keith‘s late attempt to purchase the franchise for $6.2 million?
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Later, on Chilliwack radio station 89.5 The Hawk, Darryl Porter, the Bruins’ governor, pointed a finger at the Calgary Flames:
“There's a code in minor sports and especially in hockey. You don't do what Calgary did here. You don't do that and it's never happened. The fundamental bad break we got was when the city of Abbotsford built a building with no plan and they did that deal with the (AHL's Abbotsford Heat). At the end of the day, we're not contributing to that, we're a victim of that."
The Heat, of course, is the AHL affiliate of the Flames, who own the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.
Brian Burke, one of the Bruins’ majority owners, added:
"The notion that somehow we changed our mind on Chilliwack, or somehow betrayed the fans there when in fact the American Hockey League moved a competing team in within a very close radius to our operating base . . . the notion that we had any control over that or that that's our fault is crazy. I've never taken a dime out of this team."
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The afore-mentioned news release also contained this paragraph:
“It should be noted that the WHL Board of Governors govern all matters related to WHL franchises. This includes the right to approve franchise ownership and the relocation and sale of franchises in accordance with its bylaws, constitution and strategic plans.”
You wonder if this wasn’t, at least in part, a shot across the bow of the Regina Pats, who are owned by Diane and Russ Parker of Calgary. Russ was in Victoria for yesterday’s news conference. Their son, Darren, was recently named senior vice-president of sales and marketing with the Victoria Salmon Kings.
The Pats are again embroiled in lease negotiations with Evraz Place, the organization that controls the Brandt Centre, the building in which the WHL team plays.
I was told last weekend that Evraz Place had given the Pats a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer and that the Parkers were seriously considering leaving it.
Of course, the Pats and Evraz Place are no strangers to testy negotiations, and only time will tell how it plays out this time.
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Marc Habscheid, the Bruins’ general manager and head coach, is two years into what is believed to be a five-year contract. I have been told but haven’t able to confirm that he has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave should the franchise be relocated.
When I contacted him via text on Tuesday and asked if he was able to talk, he responded: “Rather not rt now. Thx.”
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There are stories to be told about what went on in the Bruins organization over the last year, but we may never hear them.
As one former employee wrote in an email to me on Wednesday:
“We are all holding on to the hopes that a team comes here so we don't want to burn any bridges, especially since this is our livelihood. We all invested so much time and energy to make this work and little did we know that we never had a chance.”
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Paul J. Henderson of the Chilliwack Times reports that in December the owners of the Chilliwack Bruins asked city hall for $175,000 a year “to help with sagging revenues.”
That story is right here.
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Cory Flett, the WHL’s director, communications, sometimes tweets a song of the day. An emailer has suggested some suggestions for him to send in the direction of Chilliwack fans.
“I would recommend ‘Not Ready to Go’ by the Trews or ‘I'll Keep Your Memory Vague’ by Finger Eleven.
“And, for the new owners and the people of Victoria, I would recommend ‘Bring Everything’ by Jason Plumb.”
The emailer also pointed out that “all songs are Cancon.”
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SOME NOTES: Don’t forget that the City of Victoria promised to add 10 years to RG Properties’ management contract for SOFMC if it was able to land a WHL franchise. That agreement now runs until 2046. . . . By that time, the WHL may have a franchise in Nanaimo. . . . Former WHL F Josh Aspenlind scored 11 seconds into OT last night to give the host Victoria Salmon Kings a 3-2 victory over the Utah Grizzlies. The Salmon Kings lead the best-of-seven ECHL second-round series 3-0 with Game 4 scheduled for Victoria on Friday. Attendance in the 7,006-seat Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre was 3,691.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Moving day . . .

It is moving day at the Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.

While the WHL is in Victoria announcing the arrival of the Chilliwack Bruins, the moving fans are in Prospera Centre.
For the last five years, Prospera Centre has been the home of the Bruins, who have been sold to Vancouver-based RG Properties and are being relocated to Victoria.
The Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria has been the home of the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, also for five years.
Strangely enough, whoever is responsible for selecting today as the day for the announcement, picked a game day for the Salmon Kings. They play the visiting Utah Grizzlies tonight. Victoria holds a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Meanwhile, back at Prospera Centre . . .
I am told that the pictured trucks were being loaded with equipment from dressing rooms and storage. Workers also lowered the score clock in order to remove the video screens. As well, all the equipment from the media booth was taken away.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Bye bye, Bruins?

Is the Bruins move to Victoria underway?

Was it moving night in Chilliwack?
Were those moving trucks at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack on Tuesday night?
An emailer writes:
“I took a picture of a truck at the back of Prospera Centre (on Tuesday night). Interesting thing is that it was from Cookson Idealease out of Kelowna. There was also a van from SW Audio + Visual. They have a Victoria office, but . . . they also do the AV for the Kelowna Rockets.”
The WHL has a news conference scheduled for Wednesday morning at 11:30 PT in Victoria. Presumably, the WHL will announce that the Bruins have been sold to Vancouver-based RG Properties and will be relocated to Victoria.

Monday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract extension with the Nietigheim Steelers (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He started the season with the Edinburgh Capitals (UK Elite), getting 18 goals and 32 assists in 30 games, before finishing the season in Bietigheim. St. Jacques had seven goals and six assists in 13 games with the Steelers.
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THE VICTORIA TO CHILLIWACK SAGA, Chapter 66:
The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings will take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 of their second-round series with the Utah Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
That game will be held at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria.
Earlier that day, the WHL will hold a news conference in that same facility at which it is expected to announce that Vancouver-based RG Properties, which manages the SOFMC and owns the Salmon Kings, has purchased the Chilliwack Bruins and is moving the franchise to Victoria.
Yes, the first of the dominoes officially will have fallen.
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Players with the Salmon Kings actually held a news conference in their dressing room on Monday.
Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist writes: “The Salmon Kings — the players as a collective and not the team officially — called a remarkable press conference Monday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre exhorting Victorians to see ECHL playoff hockey off with a bang and full houses through the Kelly Cup playoffs this spring.”
Dheensaw’s story is right here.
And wouldn't it be a great story if the Salmon Kings were to win the ECHL championship in their last season in Victoria? Now that would be one for the ages!
———
Just as president and GM Jeff Chynoweth said would happen, the Kootenay Ice sent out its season-ticket renewal notices on Monday, and prices remain unchanged for a third straight season.
An adult season ticket will cost $399 if purchased on or before May 31. A seniors ticket is $299, a student ticket is $249 and a youth ticket is $199, all if purchased on or before May 31.
So . . . you can forget about the Ice relocating to Chilliwack.
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JUST NOTES: Three more WHL players signed three-year NHL contracts on Monday — F Curtis Hamilton with the Edmonton Oilers, D Alex Petrovic with the Florida Panthers and F Jordan Weal with the Los Angeles Kings. . . . Hamilton, from the Saskatoon Blades, was a second-round selection of the Oilers in the 2010 NHL draft. He has joined the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons for the duration of this season. They are down 2-0 to the Hamilton Bulldogs in a first-round series. . . . Petrovic, from the Red Deer Rebels, was selected by Florida in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft. . . . Weal, taken in the third round of the 2010 draft, had 96 points in 72 games with the Regina Pats this season. . . . D Martin Marincin of the Prince George Cougars, a second-round pick by the Oilers in the 2010 NHL draft, also is with Oklahoma City. . . .
Kootenay Ice D Brayden McNabb is the WHL’s player of the week. He had a goal and five assists in two games. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0, 1.00, .965 last week. . . . The Portland Winterhawks are 51-0 when scoring at least four goals this season. That includes 8-0 in these playoffs. . . . Portland is 40-0 when leading after two periods, including 8-0 in these playoffs. . . . So if you want to beat the Winterhawks, all you have to is hold them to three goals and make sure you’re leading after two. . . .
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Andrea Gordon of the Toronto Star has interviewed Peter Jaffe, a professor at the U of Western Ontario who has written to the NHL and its teams to protest against violence in hockey.
Check out her piece right here.
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Bob Duff of the Windsor Star calls Seth Jones “Canada’s worst nightmare.” Jones was selected by the Everett Silvertips with the 11th pick of the 2010 bantam draft. He has yet to commit to school or the WHL. Duff’s piece is right here.
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Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald writes about “a landmark University of Calgary study published today in the Canadian Medicial Association Journal” that deals with NHL players and concussions.
That story is right here.
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Derek Abma of Postmedia News writes:
“It's a no-brainer; eliminate bodychecking in all but the most elite levels of youth hockey, where players are at least 16 years old to reduce concussions and other serious injuries.
“That's the conclusion of a new academic review of existing research by Syd Johnson, a bioethicist from Dalhousie University in Halifax. Her report was published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.”
The complete story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 57:
The Regina Moose? The Regina Gophers? The Chilliwack Pats?
The Victoria Bruins?
When the dominoes start falling, who knows how all this will shake out. And now you have to wonder if one of the dominoes might be the Regina Pats?
The Pats are in lease negotiations with Evraz Place, the landlord that controls the Brandt Centre, the arena the team calls home.
These negotiations have been messy in the past and they appear headed down Nasty Street once again.
In fact, a source has told me that the Evraz people have given the Pats “a take-it-or-leave-it offer.”
The Pats’ owners — Diane and Russ Parker — are said to be seriously thinking of leaving it. Their son, Brent, is the team’s president after a long run as general manager.
I also have been told that the Evraz Place people have had discussions with the American Hockey League, which is doing preliminary planning in case a new home is needed for the Winnipeg-based Manitoba Moose. That move would become necessary should the NHL move the Phoenix Coyotes back to Winnipeg.
All of this is nothing more than speculation, of course, but it does mean there may be a sliver of light so far as the WHL fans of Chilliwack are concerned.
Understand that the Pats have been down this road a few times before and, at the end of the day, have always reached agreement with their landlord.
However, I don’t think the Pats have ever been in a position like they are now — with an arena such as the one in Chilliwack looking for a primary tenant. (The Bruins, if you’ve come in late, have been sold, presumably to Vancouver-based RG Properties, and will be relocated to Victoria.)
Yes, the Pats could very well use Chilliwack as a bargaining chip. However, it could work the other way, too, meaning that Evraz Place might have to be careful in calling the Pats’ bluff because the hockey team just might have another landing place.
Of course, it could be that Evraz Place has its eyes on an AHL franchise.
Oh, what a tangled web . . .
———
Interestingly, the Colorado-based Arabian Horse Association wasn’t able to close negotiations to keep its Royal Red horse show at Evraz Place and revealed late in March that it has chosen to move it to Brandon’s Keystone Centre. The Royal Red had been held in Regina for 22 years.
———
The Parkers have a long sporting history in the west and, in fact, Russ and Brent likely would be quick to tell you that baseball is their first love. Russ owned a AAA baseball franchise in Calgary not all that long ago, but it left town when he and the City couldn’t come together on the building of a new facility or the refurbishing of an old one.
A year ago, the Parkers bought a Golden Baseball League franchise and set it up in Victoria as the Seals. Darren Parker, another son, was put in charge. However, the owners weren’t at all pleased with playing conditions — apparently, Victoria is lacking in baseball facilities and the Seals played on a soccer pitch with a portable snow fence around the outfield — and the franchise folded over the winter.
Should the Pats end up in the centre of a controversy related to a possible move, it wouldn’t be the first time. In 1985-86, the franchise, then owned by the Pinder family of Saskatoon, was so close to moving to Swift Current during the Christmas break that one game scheduled to be played in Regina was postponed. The marquee in front of the Agridome even announced that the team was on the move. Saner heads prevailed, of course, and the Pats stayed where they belong.
The bone of contention back then was a $1 parking charge that Regina Exhibition Park, then the Pats’ landlord, chose to implement.
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And if you’re wondering how the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings are doing . . . they opened a best-of-seven second-round series with the host Utah Grizzlies on Friday night. The Salmon Kings won, 4-2, with former Kootenay Ice F Adam Taylor sealing the victory with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance in the 10,207-seat Maverik Center was 3,063. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for tonight. . . . The series heads to Victoria for Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5 on Wednesday, Friday and April 23.
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MEANWHILE . . .
The hurt will be a while in going away, but Lorne Molleken, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, says he’ll be back behind the team’s bench next season.
After last season, Molleken thought about leaving the bench and focussing on the front-office duties.
“I sat down last year at the end of the (season) with (Blades co-owner) Jack Brodsky and we talked about the coaching,” Molleken told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “The Brodsky family, at that time, their wishes were that I stay behind the bench. Jack asked me to commit for another three years, so I made that
commitment to him and we’ll move forward.”
Molleken told Wolfe that he plans “to stay coaching for a long time.”
For more on the Blades and how they are dealing with the way their season ended, check out Wolfe’s copy right here.
———

DAWSON GUHLE

The Medicine Hat Tigers get their second opportunity to eliminate the Red Deer Rebels tonight. The Tigers take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Red Deer.
The Tigers won the first three games of the series and a lot of fans thought the series was over when Red Deer lost G Darcy Kuemper with a high ankle sprain suffered in Game 3.
However, backup Dawson Guhle, 18, stepped in and pitched a shutout, stopping 19 shots as the Rebels won Game 4, 1-0.
Guhle will be back in goal tonight, as Kuemper, 20, still is on the limp. In fact, Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Kuemper “has been fitted with a special boot which he will wear for a least a month.”
Backing up Guhle, who was acquired from the Regina Pats in November, will be Bolton Pouliot, 16, from the midget AAA Calgary Royals.
The Rebels have scored just three goals in the four games with Medicine Hat. Obviously, then, Red Deer is going to have to find some offence if it hopes to keep on playing.
———
The Tri-City Americans and the visiting Spokane Chiefs are 2-2 going into Game 5 in Kennewick, Wash., on Sunday. The Americans evened the series with a 4-3 double-overtime victory on Thursday.
If you’re planning on attending Sunday’s game, perhaps you should be prepared for OT. Nine of the last 14 playoff games between these teams have needed extra time.
If you’re wondering why this series has a 2-3-2 format, with the Americans playing host to the middle three, it’s because of scheduling difficulties involving an Elton John concert, a two-day youth wrestling tournament and an Amway convention.
The wrestling tournament will be held today and Sunday in the Toyota Center in Kennewick, with the facility to be converted for hockey in time for a 7:30 p.m. start.
Bob Tory, the Americans’ GM, wasn’t at all happy about not having any Friday dates.
"It's bad management," Tory told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald earlier this month. "When you have Spokane and Tri-City and we can't have a weekend date, that is unacceptable. We are the anchor tenant with a history of playoff success the last five years."
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ON THE ICE FRIDAY NIGHT:

JESSEY ASTLES

In Portland, F Jessey Astles scored at 7:08 of OT to give the Kelowna Rockets a 2-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 54 shots. . . . The goal was Astles third of the playoffs. He picked off a pass at the Kelowna blue line and skated in alone to beat G Mac Carruth to the blocker side. . . . Astles, an 18-year-old from Coquitlam, scored one goal in 56 regular-season games last season and three times in 59 games this season. Now, he has three goals in nine playoff games. . . . The Winterhawks hold a 3-2 lead as the series goes back to Kelowna for Game 6 on Sunday. . . . Kelowna won the first game, with Portland winning the next three. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 4:38 of the second period via the PP. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter, on the PP, tied it at 15:09 of the second. . . . Callahan has five goals; Niederreiter has seven. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 36 shots. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 8,505. . . . The Rockets lost D Colton Jobke to a boarding major and game misconduct at 16:34 of the first period. The play will be reviewed by the WHL office and he could be suspended. . . . Portland had F Brad Ross back in the lineup after he served a three-game suspension. He picked up two minor penalties, one of them coincidental, the other resulting in a Kelowna PP. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko, who was hit by Ross in Game 1, didn’t play.
———
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
A tip of the cap to Taylor Piller, a 20-year-old forward with the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves. From Saskatoon, Piller has played four seasons in the SJHL — two with the Humboldt Broncos and two with the Ice Wolves. Remarkably, he has won four SJHL championships.
Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

More on the Chilliwack situation . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 53:
Have you heard?
The Kootenay Ice hasn’t sent out season-ticket renewals yet!
Yikes!
You may recall that the story of the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins began when fans there became concerned when the team didn’t send out season-ticket renewal forms.
So what’s going on in Cranbrook?
Actually, it turns out the answer is: Nothing.
Sorry, Chilliwack. It turns out this is normal business procedure for the Ice.
“We usually send out our renewals at the end of April with an Early Bird (deadline) at of the end of May,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told me via text Thursday night.
Chynoweth, whose Ice has advanced to the Eastern Conference final, added that 2011-12 renewals “will go out early next week. With this playoff run, we decided to get them out earlier than normal.”
And he had some good news for Ice season-ticket holders, too, pointing out that prices will stay the same “for the third consecutive year.”
At the same time, Chynoweth stressed that the Ice really hopes to see an increase in the number of season tickets sold.
“We need to get our season-ticket base back to where it used to be and hopefully around 2,500,” he said.
So . . . Chilliwack fans can stroke the Ice off the list of teams that might replace the soon-to-be departed Bruins. Move the Ice onto the same list as the Prince George Cougars, as teams that are staying put.
Meanwhile, American Hockey League president Dave Andrews, who once coached the WHL’s Victoria Cougars, has stated that his league has a contingency plan involving the Manitoba Moose should the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes return to Winnipeg.
Andrew has yet to offer much in the way of specifics, but all indications are that the plan involves the relocation of the Moose.
Note to Andrews: There is this arena in Chilliwack . . .
———
Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has offered up his opinion of the impending move of the Chilliwack Bruins to the Vancouver Island city. The headline contains the word “bungled.” . . . The piece is right here.
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A couple of thoughts on the Chilliwack situation from Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings whose blog, Luber’s Lounge, is over their on the right:
Far be it for me to get involved in the WHL's business but, just for the record, the situation with the Chilliwack Bruins and their impending move to Victoria smells really bad for all involved. What makes it even tougher to fathom is the fact that the owners of the Bruins bailed out on Tri-City and, basically, blackmailed the WHL into giving them an expansion franchise five years ago. Perhaps the WHL should be a little more cautious about whom them let into their exclusive ownership club!
By the way, do you think that the other WHL owners that were at least partly responsible for putting the Bruins' in a perilous position care? Of course, I'm talking about the Calgary Flames, who decided two years ago to place their AHL team in Abbotsford and helped erode the market for Chilliwack. I'm guessing the answer is no!
———
Travis Paterson, the sports reporter for Black Press in Greater Victoria, has a different take on the hockey situation in the B.C. capital. He compares the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, who are into the second round of playoffs despite a bushel of uncertainty, to the Johnstown Chiefs of Slap Shot fame.
Paterson’s piece is right here.
———
Meanwhile, Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times is hearing that Moray Keith, a minority owner in the Chilliwack Bruins’ group, is still hoping to land another WHL franchise for that city. Olsen’s latest story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 44:
It’s official. Not that it really was ever in doubt.
The Prince George Cougars aren’t going anywhere.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison has told CKPG-TV in Prince George that “there’s never been any application made to the WHL for a move.”
Robison went on to say that “these rumours come up from time to time. I think any time you have a franchise that . . . is struggling with attendance, as Prince George has, for a lengthy period fo time, you’re going to see these types of rumours surface.  But the ownership is still committed to the Prince George market and hoping that things can turn around soon.”
This all started, of course, because the WHL has allowed the majority owners of the Chilliwack Bruins to sell their franchise for $5.5 million. Eventually, the WHL will announce that Vancouver-based RG Properties has purchased the franchise and will relocate it to Victoria.
Once the WHL confirmed that the Bruins had been sold, the speculation was immediate that the Cougars were likely to head south. That just isn't going to happen.
But what Robison didn’t mention to CKPG-TV — or, if he did, the TV station didn’t use it — is that Moray Keith, one of the Bruins’ minority owners, made an attempt to purchase the Cougars.
Keith first tried to buy the Bruins, but his offer of $6.2 million — not $7.75 million as was reported about a month ago — wasn’t even considered, apparently because majority owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather had already accepted RG Properties’ offer.
Keith found out that the Cougars aren’t for sale, at least not for what he was offering, and now the good people of Chilliwack appear likely to have a BCHL franchise moving into their city in the near future.
———
Bob Sales, the president of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires, has confirmed to CKPG-TV that, yes, “the team is for sale.”
And, furthermore, there have been talks with . . .
“We haven’t had any firm offers from Chilliwck,” Sales told the TV station, “but we have talked to Chilliwack.”
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge, 1993-97) signed a two-year contract with Bern (Switzerland NL A). He had 23 goals and 21 assists in 53 games with MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden Elitserien) this season, good for fifth in league scoring.
———
A tip of the cap to the American Hockey League for trimming four games from each team’s regular-season schedule.
Yes, the AHL announced Wednesday that each of its teams will play 76 games next season, down from 80.
At the same time, the AHL said it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to play its regular-season schedule by one week. And it will reduce its first-round playoff series to best-of-five from best-of-seven.
The regular-season scheduling changes will mean teams no longer will be required to play four games in five nights.
"As our league has grown in recent years, we have been working closely with the National Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players' Association to seek a solution to what has become a very onerous playing schedule," David Andrews, the AHL president, said.
"As our league has grown and our game has become faster and more physical, the wear and tear on our players has begun to affect player development and at times the quality of competition.
“These steps are intended to provide a safer environment for our players through increased rest and recovery time, and also to provide our fans with an even higher calibre of play as a result of reduced player fatigue."
Hurrah for the AHL!
———
There is an interesting story developing in the OHL where the Soo Greyhounds are expected to introduce Kyle Dubas as their general manager today. Dubas, at 25 years of age, is a player agent. In fact, he is the youngest player agent to be certified by the NHLPA.
Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star has more right here.
———
The New York Islanders will make a coaching change with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, their AHL affiliate. Pat Bingham, an assistant coach who took over as head coach when Jack Capuono moved up to the Islanders in November, won’t be returning.
The Sound Tigers went 24-30-11 under Bingham, who is a former WHL player (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89).
———
F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hasn’t played in a month because of a broken ankle, has signed a three-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, who selected him in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft.
Pitlick, 19, put up 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games in his first WHL season. He joined the Tigers from the NCAA’s Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks.
Pitlick wsa able to dump his crutches earlier this week, but isn’t expected back in the Tigers’ lineup in the near future.
———
ON THE ICE:
In Medicine Hat, the Red Deer Rebels stayed alive with a 1-0 victory over the Tigers. . . . G Dawson Guhle, starting in place of Darcy Kuemper (ankle), turned aside 21 shots for the shutout. . . . Guhle, an 18-year-old from Daysland, Alta., played in 15 games during the regular season — five with the Regina Pats and 10 with Red Deer. . . . Bolton Pouliot, a 16-year-old from Calgary, served as Guhle’s backup. . . . F Byron Froese scored the game’s only goal, his fourth, at 11:27 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 23 shots. . . . The Tigers had won six straight games. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . “(Guhle) made some key saves at key times, some big saves,” Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “We know he has that capability and at times this season he’s played real well and shown us what he’s got. But talk about a tough situation to step into, because he hasn’t played a lot of games this season. Good for him. I’m real proud of him and I thought the boys battled real hard in front of him, keeping things to the outside and letting him see the puck and make the first stop. We did a good job of that and yet at playoff time you need big-time goaltending.” . . .
———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and finished off the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Ice, the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed, swept the Blades, who had finished with the WHL’s best regular-season record. . . . The Ice is the first team to advance to a conference final. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice and added two assists for the Ice. He leads the playoffs with 10 goals and is third in points (15). . . . F Max Reinhart also scored twice for the Ice. He’s got seven in these playoffs. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots, five fewer than Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford. . . . Attendance was 3,021. . . . The Blades won a WHL-high 56 regular-season games. However, they scored only five goals in four games against the Ice. . . . The Los Angeles Kings, who open the NHL playoffs tonight against the Sharks in San Jose, are expected to recall Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft. Schenn has played eight NHL games, so two more would result in him using up one year of his three-year contract. . . . Cody Nickolet, who provides colour on Blades’ radio broadcasts, tweeted late last night that “Schenn will speak to (Kings GM) Dean Lombardi on Thursday to learn where he is headed.” . . . Nickolet also tweeted that F Curtis Hamilton and D Stefan Elliott will be bound for AHL teams. Hamilton, a second-round NHL draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2009, likely will sign an ATO with the Oklahoma City Barons, while Elliott, who has signed with the Colorado Avalanche, is to join the AHL’s Lake Eric Monsters.
———
In Kelowna, F Nino Niederreiter drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks, having won three in a row, hold a 3-1 edge and get their first chance to end the series at home on Friday night. . . . The Winterhawks took a 2-0 on goals 39 seconds apart by F Ty Rattie, at 12:25 of the first, and F Taylor Peters and never trailed. . . . F Shane McColgan got his eighth goal on the PP at 17:39 of the first. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow got that one back on a PP at 2:30 of the third. . . . F Brett Bulmer pulled Kelowna to within one just over 10 minutes later, but the Rockets weren’t able to equalize. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen, with his seventh point in the last three games, got his sixth goal at 16:11 to provide some insurance. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who is 7-1 in these playoffs, stopped 24 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 35. . . . Attendance was 4,763.
———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Tuesday . . .

Defenceman Jared Cowen (2) and his Spokane Chiefs had it
all over forward Mason Wilgosh and the Tri-City Americans
on Tuesday night in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Sami Sandell (Brandon, 2004-06) signed a two-year contract with Luleå (Sweden Elitserien). He had 18 goals and 29 assists in 47 games for Troja-Ljungby (Sweden Allsvenskan) this season.
———
THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 33:
So . . . let’s recap.
In a deal that seems to have been in the works for a while, the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold. Presumably to Vancouver-based RG Properties who, presumably, will move the WHL franchise to Victoria.
Except that the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, who also are owned by RG Properties,  continue to occupy the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre and will do so until at least April 22, which is the date for Game 4 of their second-round best-of-seven playoff series with the Utah Grizzlies.
Presumably the Salmon Kings will be on the move as soon as their season has ended. Perhaps RG Properties has found a buyer for the ECHL franchise, or perhaps the franchise simply will suspend operations.
But what of the arena in Chilliwack that has been home to the Bruins for the last five seasons?
The latest rumour has Lower Mainland people, perhaps a group involving long-time BCHLer Harvey Smyl, purchasing the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires and moving that franchise to Chilliwack.
Is there any meat to that rumour?
Well, Autumn MacDonald of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer wonders why her newspaper hasn’t been able to speak with anyone involved with Millionaires’ ownership or with anyone from the BCHL office. MacDonald’s piece is right here.
What MacDonald’s piece would seem to indicate is that there now are a whole lot of people living under Maxwell Smart’s Cone of Silence. That includes the WHL office, the BCHL office, RG Properties, the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners, the Quesnel Millionaires’ owners . . . and let’s not forget that the entire WHL is under a gag order on this subject.
Based on that, you are allowed to jump to your own conclusions.
Not to say that all of the silence has allowed this whole mess to get completely out of control, but other rumours that have arisen over the last month involve, in no particular order . . .
1. The Prince George Cougars moving to Chilliwack.
2. The Saskatoon Blades moving to Winnipeg (if the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes returned to Winnipeg, the AHL’s Manitoba Moose would go to Saskatoon, with the Blades then shifting to Winnipeg, or so the theory goes).
3. The Manitoba Moose moving to Seattle. (Again, only if the Coyotes return to Winnipeg.)
4. The Regina Pats moving to Chilliwack. (The Pats are involved in lease negotiations with their landlord. These negotiations, in the past, have turned nasty. So . . .)
5. The Kootenay Ice moving to Chilliwack.
6. An expansion franchise being awarded to former WHL/NHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who now is an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada and owns a chunk of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Even though there isn’t an arena in Nanaimo that is close to meeting WHL standards.
———
Has the WHL proven to be “morally bankrupt” in the way it has dealt with the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins? Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times offers up some opinion right here.
———
Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has a piece right here on how the fans who billet players are taking the news that the Bruins have been sold.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
It would seem that the annual running of The Coaching Game has started early, early this year.
There already are five openings for head coaches in the NHL, where the Dallas Stars fired Marc Crawford on Tuesday. Also looking are the Florida Panthers (Peter DeBoer), Minnesota Wild (Todd Richards), New Jersey Devils (Jacques Lemaire) and Ottawa Senators (Cory Clouston). Lemaire retired (again); the others were dumped.
(After Richards was dismissed, Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press put together a list of possible candidates for the Wild job. That list includes the name of Craig Hartsburg, a former Minnesota North Stars defenceman who now coaches the Everett Silvertips.)
As well, there are four head-coaching vacancies in the QMJHL, two of which were created Tuesday when the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles fired GM/head coach Mario Durocher and Clement Jodoin resigned from the Rimouski Oceanic.
Also looking are the Halifax Mooseheads and P.E.I. Rocket,
As well, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens may end up looking, should Guy Carbonneau choose not to remain in the position he took over during the season following the firing of Real Paiement.
In the OHL, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are without a general manager and a head coach, while the Sarnia Sting appears to have an interim head coach but no GM.
And, in the WHL, the Moose Jaw Warriors (Dave Hunchak) and Seattle Thunderbirds (Rob Sumner) are in the market.
Momma, it’s like the old song says, don’t let your babies grow up to be hockey coaches.
———
The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2011, and it is full of people with WHL connections, including Bob Cornell, Glen Lawson, Don Dietrich, Jayson More, Theo Fleury and Mike Keane.
There’s more right here.
———
A note from Elliotte Friedman’s weekly 30 Thoughts:
Luke Schenn had a very interesting take on the Raffi Torres suspension: "I was taught on that play to fake reaching for the puck and then go for the hit. If that's going to be illegal, they are going to have to change the way young players are taught hockey."
Friedman’s blog is right here.
———
ON THE ICE:
Wow! The Eastern Conference’s top two seeds, the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels, are in danger of having their seasons come to an end tonight. Both teams lost on the road Tuesday night and could be swept by the Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers, respectively, tonight. . . . And who saw that coming? . . . Meanwhile, the Western Conference semifinals are following the chalk, with the No. 1 Portland Winterhawks and No. 2 Spokane Chiefs having taken 2-1 leads. . . .
———
In Cranbrook, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 22 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 3-0 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Ice takes a 3-0 series lead into Game 4 at home tonight. . . . F Jesse Ismond got his first playoff goal on the PP at 18:34 of the first period and Lieuwen took it home from there. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford was sharp, making 33 saves. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb, who came into these playoffs with a postseason goal, got his third of this spring and added two helpers. . . . Ice F Joe Antilla continued his hot postseason, notching his sixth goal. . . . Attendance was 3,065. . . . The Blades scratched D Tanner Sohn, who had played in Game 2, and inserted F Alex Elliott. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka, who had missed the first two games with an injury, was back in the lineup and drew an assist on the third goal. . . . 
———
In Medicine Hat, F Hunter Shinkaruk broke a 1-1 tie at 6:09 of the third period and the Tigers went on to a 3-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Tigers are up 3-0 — they have outscored the Rebels 17-2 — and can wrap it up at home tonight. . . . F Kellan Tochkin gave Medicine Hat a 1-0 lead at 14:27 of the first period, with D Justin Weller equalizing at 3:13 of the third. . . . Shinkaruk’s fourth playoff goal stood up as the winner. . . . Tigers F Cole Grbavac continued his outstanding playoff with his eighth at 16:34. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 26 shots, as did Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. . . . Earlier in the day, Medicine Hat F Linden Vey was named the CHL’s player of the week. He had nine points in three games last week but was pointless last night. . . .
———
In Kelowna, F Ryan Johansen drew three assists as the Portland Winterhawks scored a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Portland leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Kelowna tonight. . . . Johansen had three goals in Portland’s 6-3 victory in Game 2 and now has 13 points in seven playoff games this spring. . . . The big goal in this one came off the stick of PortlandD Tyler Wotherspoon. He broke a 3-3 tie with his first playoff goal at 18:18 of the second period, just 40 seconds after Kelowna F Brett Bulmer had pulled his side even. . . . Porltand F Nino Niederreiter scored twice, giving him six. . . . The Rockets got a goal and two assists from F Colton Sissons. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth was outstanding, with 38 saves. . . . Kelowna’s chances of winning took a hit at 8:32 of the third period. With the Rockets trailing 4-3, F Shane McColgan was penalized for hooking and then was hit with a misconduct. He is the Rockets’ leading scorer in these playoffs. . . . Portland was 3-for-10 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-for-7. . . . Attendance was 4,884 in an arena where regular-season crowds averaged better than 6,000. . . . Portland played without F Brad Ross, who served the second game of a three-game suspension for a charging major in Game 1. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko, who was hit by Ross, didn’t play, either. . . .
———
In Kennewick, Wash., G James Reid stopped 20 shots as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the host Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . The Chiefs hold a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 in Kennewick on Thursday. . . . The Chiefs jumped out to a 3-0 lead before F Neal Prokop go the Americans on the board at 12:08 of the second period. . . . F Darren Kramer, with his fourth, gave the Chiefs some insurance at 17:14 of the third. Kramer has four goals and four penalty minutes in eight playoff games; he had seven goals and 306 penalty minutes in 68 regular-season games. . . . The Americans were without veteran D Tyler Schmidt, who sat out a one-game suspension after taking a clipping major in Game 2. . . . The Chiefs held a 41-21 edge in shots. . . . Attendance was 3,667. . . . The Americans won their first five game in these playoffs, but now hae lost two in a row.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Four minors:
Kootenay D Joey Leach.
Kelowna F Spencer Main.
Kelowna F Jessey Astles (two minors).

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Some Saturday stuff . . .

Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans looks for the puck, while Spokane Chiefs
forward Matt Marantz tries to get a stick on it.
(Photo by Gary Peterson / www.actionsportsimages.smugmug.com)

The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings have lived to play another series.
The Salmon Kings went on the road to beat the Bakersfield Condors 2-0 on Friday and 3-2 in overtime on Saturday to win the best-of-five first-round series, 3-1.
The Condors (41-27-4) had finished second in the Western Conference; the Salmon Kings (32-36-4) were seventh. Victoria actually finished 18 points behind Bakersfield, which won the Pacific Division so was the conference’s No. 2 seed, behind the Alaska Aces, who received a first-round bye.
The Salmon Kings next will play either the No. 3 Stockton Thunder of No. 6 Utah Grizzlies in a best-of-seven conference semifinal.
We mention this, of course, because it could be that the WHL won’t announce the transfer of the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria until the Salmon Kings are done.
The WHL has confirmed the conditional sale of the Bruins, but hasn’t yet stated officially just who has purchased the franchise or where it is headed.
It is generally believed that Vancouver-based RG Properties, which owns the Salmon Kings, has bought the Bruins and will move the WHL team to Victoria in time for the 2011-12 season.
It is doubtful that an announcement would be made while there still are Salmon Kings’ tickets to sell.
———
If you are interested in signing a petition aimed at keeping the Bruins in Chilliwack, you are able to do that right here.
———
The Ottawa Senators didn’t waste time in letting Cory Clouston know that he wouldn’t be back as the NHL team’s head coach. Bryan Murray, the team’s general manager, got a three-year extension on Friday. He dumped the head coach Saturday, after a 3-1 loss to the Bruins in Boston.
Clouston is the third Ottawa head coach to be dismissed by Murray since he returned to Ottawa in 2007 from a stint with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Senators finished 32-40-10, which left them 19 points out of a playoff spot.
Clouston, 41, spent five seasons as head coach of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. He left the Ice for the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, and moved up as head coach of the big club on Feb. 2, 2009. He replaced Craig Hartsburg, who now is head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.
Clouston was 95-83-20 with Ottawa.
And you can bet that there are some WHL teams — some with a head coach, some without — keeping an eye on Clouston.
As the NHL season wore on, and as speculation grew that Cloutson was in trouble, his name was mentioned with more and more frequency in WHL circles.
Who knows whether Clouston will return to the WHL or not, but right now there are two teams, the Moose Jaw Warriors and Seattle Thunderbirds, without head coaches.
Assistant coach Brad Lauer, a former WHL player who has ridden shotgun with Clouston for a while now, also lost his job Saturday in Ottawa.
———
OK. What’s going on? Is it the water? . . . There have been six games played in the second round of the WHL playoffs and the road team has won every one of them. . . . There will be two games played today, with the Kelowna Rockets meeting the Winterhawks in Portland and the Tri-City Americans in Spokane to play the Chiefs. The visiting team in both series is up 1-0. . . . The Winterhawks will be without suspended F Brad Ross, who took a charging major for a hit on Kelowna F Zach Franko in the first period. Franko was left with a broken nose, a scraped face and a suspected concussion. He won’t play tonight. . . .
Meanwhile, on Saturday night . . .
In Saskatoon, F Joe Antilla scored at 18:32 of OT to give the Kootenay Ice a 3-2 victory over the Blades. . . . The Ice had won the opener 4-1 in Saskatoon on Friday. . . . They’ll play Games 3 and 4 in Cranbrook on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Blades were 32-3-1 at home in the regular season; the Ice, which lost all four of its regular-season games against Saskatoon, was 20-13-3 on the road. . . . The Blades forced OT when F Brayden Schenn scored at 18:56 of the third period. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 50 shots, nine more than Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford. . . . The Ice was 0-or-2 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-6. . . . Attendance was 8,064. . . . F Max Reinhart had a goal and two assists for the Ice. . . . His younger brother, Sam, who played Friday, wasn’t in the Ice lineup for Game 2. Hockey Canada ruled that should Sam Reinhart play he would be ineligible to rejoin his major midget team, the Vancouver-North West Giants, for the national championship tournament later this month in St. John’s, Nfld. Reinhart, 15, was a first-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. WHL rules allow 15-year-olds to play five games before their club team’s are done; Reinhart player his fifth game in the series opener. Of course, their are loopholes; for example, F Matt Needham, Kamloops’ first pick in 2010, played 13 games with the Blazers this season, some under emergency conditions. . . . Gotta think Ice management will have been most unhappy with this ruling, especially when you consider the number of players and coaches it has given up to various Hockey Canada-sanctioned teams and events. . . . Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, has his take on the Reinhart situation right here. . . . The Ice scratched F Brock Montgomery (mononucleosis), F Drew Czerwonka (upper body) and Sam Reinhart, and had D John Neibrandt helping out up front. . . . Saskatoon, which had F Ryan Olsen back from injury and used D Tanner Sohn as a forward, went without F Levi Bews, D Tommy Stipancik and F Alex Elliott.
———
In Red Deer, G Tyler Bunz stopped 33 shots to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the Rebels. . . . The Tigers won the opener 9-1 on Friday. . . . Now it’s down to Medicine Hat for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Tigers were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-9. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves. . . . Medicine Hat F Cole Grbavac had two goals and an assist. He has 14 points, including seven goals, in eight playoff games. He had 28 points in 67 regular-season games. . . . F Linden Vey had a goal and an assist, and now has a WHL-leading 18 points. Grbavac, Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem, Tigers D Jace Coyle and Kelowna Rockets F Shane McColgan are next, at 14. . . . Vey and Kootenay Ice F Matt Fraser lead in goals, each with eight. . . . Attendance was 6,091. . . . The Rebels went 26-7-3 at home during the regular season, while the Tigers were 22-9-5 on the road. . . .
———
In Spokane, G Drew Owsley turned aside 34 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-1 series-opening victory over the Chiefs. . . . They’ll play again tonight in Spokane. . . . Tri-City has won its last eight games, five of them in the playoffs. . . . The Americans took a 2-1 lead out of the first period and nursed it until F Jordan Messier provided some insurance at 9:38 of the third. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 15 shots. That included a third-period penalty shot by F Carter Ashton. The Americans were leading 2-1 at the time. . . . F Kruise Reddick had a goal and an assist for Tri-City. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who had missed Spokane’s last two games with a concussion, was back in the lineup. . . . The Chiefs were 27-7-2 at home, while the Americans were 17-16-3 on the road during the regular season. . . . Attendance was 8,215. . . . The Americans had been 0-3 in their last three trips to Spokane. The Chiefs had outscored the visitors 15-4 in those three games. . . . “That was a real good playoff game,” Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “Both teams battled like a bugger for space. We had the chances to make a game of it. . . . The difference was that they buried their chances and we didn’t. We had some pretty good looks.”
———
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
Today’s good read comes from George Vecsey of The New York Times. It deals with the high price of tickets to sporting events in the Big Apple. And it’s right here.

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A (fictional, sarcastic) letter to the WHL's fans

Sean Rooney is the sports editor of the Medicine Hat News. He wrote a column for the Saturday paper that appeared under this headline:

A (fictional, sarcastic) letter to the WHL's fans

Dear loyal fans of (insert your home team here):
Thanks for your money, your dedication, your willingness to sit through seasons upon seasons of poorly performing teams (and good teams, as well) and especially for helping fund the arena the team plays in.
For years, you’ve seen top-notch major junior hockey players come through your community, and you’ve welcomed them with loving arms. Some of you have billeted, others have seen them at the local mall and given them some positive encouragement. Most importantly, you have paid to see them -- more on that later.
Well, as of today, things are a bit different. You see, we’ve all but given the all-clear for the Chilliwack Bruins -- a team that’s been in the league only five years but draws better than 3,000 fans a night -- to be sold and moved to Victoria. We didn’t ask the Chilliwack municipal government, and we certainly didn’t ask the fans. The only people who matter in this equation are the guys who own the team. Check that, only the guys who own the majority of the team.
A couple of minority owners wanted to ante up and buy out the guys who wanted to move the franchise, but we said no.
Anyhow, the message to you is simple: No matter how much you support your team, and no matter what other reasons you might have to the contrary, we really don't care what you think. Your loyalty to us is great, but we really don't feel the same way about you.
When people came asking about the possible sale of the Bruins, we told them to shoo off. When one of the Bruins owners confirmed the sale and move, we refused to talk to anyone in the public about it, then muzzled everyone in our league with confidentiality agreements. You'll hear what we want you to hear, when we want you to hear it.
This is all about money. Even though our athletes aren't yet professionals, and most of our owners make money hand over fist, we want as much cash as we can get. Put simply, we think there's more money-making potential in Victoria than in Chilliwack, so off we go.
You'll remember that Chilliwack got its team because the former owner in Tri-City wanted to move that team to Chilliwack. We had some remnants of a soul back then, and forced the owner to sell to a local group so the team could stay. But to make the old owner happy we diluted the entire league's talent pool by creating an expansion franchise in Chilliwack for him to run.
Given that we've set this glorious precedent, we figure there's little to stop us from moving your team as well. If, say, your team goes through a bit of a dry spell, and if, say, the fine folks of a more prosperous city push for a team, we will absolutely pull the plug on your franchise. No number of public rallies, Facebook groups or empty threats will change our mind. You get the picture — it's about whoever wants to plunk down a thicker stack of bills.
Your loyalty is absolutely still worth something to us though. Just not as much as the millionaire owners. Go (insert your team name here) go!

Sincerely,
The Western Hockey League

The Chilliwack story continues . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 22:
Tyler Olsen has a story in Friday’s edition of the Chilliwack Times that is a must-read if you have been following the sale and impending move of the Chillwack Bruins.
"I went through a divorce first, and I don't know which is worse," Andy Van Esch, the owner of AJ Pumps and someone who billeted Bruins players, told the Times on Wednesday at a Keep the Bruins in Chilliwack Rally.
Esch told the Times, a newspaper that publishes twice a week, that with the decision to move the Bruins he felt “kicked in the ass.”
According to Olsen’s story, Van Esch “estimates that he spent around $50,000
on tickets, advertising and other sponsorship deals, over the club's
five-year stay in Chilliwack.”
"I advertise because I feel that hockey is a good thing for Chilliwack; it's
good for keeping kids off the street," he said. "You do it because you want
to give something back and you believe in something."
There’s more, much more, in what is an absolutely scathing story that is critical of the Bruins’ ownership, especially governor and president Darryl Porter, and the WHL. That story is right here.
———
Meanwhile, Glen Ringdal has told Tim Amey of mychilliwacknews.com that the WHL wanted a franchise on Vancouver Island in the worst way. Ringdal has been consulting on behalf of Bruins minority owners Jim Bond and Moray Keith.
Amey writes:
“(Ringdal) says Victoria had been awarded an expansion franchise for the 2012-13 season quite some time ago. Problem is that means 23 teams for the WHL. That forces a 24th expansion team to balance out the schedule when the WHL never really wanted to go beyond 20 teams in the first place.  Moving an existing franchise became the best option.”
Ringdal also opines that Bruins majority owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather are selling to the Bruins to RG Properties “at the behest of the league, and so for us to be able to get support from the league level (to keep the franchise in Chilliwack) is not practical.”
Amey’s complete piece is right here.
———
Ringdal told Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times that the WHL has approved the sale of the Bruins, which it revealed in a press release this week, and the relocation of the franchise, which it did not.
Ringdal also told the Times "there is a possibility that another team in the league may wish to relocate to Chilliwack and the only one that I'm aware of is Prince George that has some interest.
"That was reported long ago. That's not news from me, but whether or not that can happen, there's no deal in place . . . but we're prepared to talk and see if that's a possibility and, in the end, that would probably be good for everybody."
However, I have been told by someone who should know that the Cougars “are not in play.”
I also was told that there are people within the WHL who wanted the Cougars to be in play, but owner Rick Brodsky simply isn’t interested.
———
Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald, whose relationship, or lack of same, with Bruins governor/co-owner Darryl Porter goes back to his days with the Americans had some interesting quotes from former Chilliwack mayor Clint Hames earlier this week.
“I don’t know what the word is — the closest is betrayed,” Hames said of the sale and impending move of the Bruins.
Hames then compared it to the situation that developed when Porter wanted to move the Americans to Chilliwack, only to be refused permission. He ended up with an expansion franchise.
“One of the original thoughts was that the Tri-City team was fed up and wanted to move,” Hames told Fowler. “We were told Tri-City wasn’t a hockey market and no one was coming to the games. We were told it was like taking an old dog out of the shelter. That was the story we were told.
“We were disappointed when the league turned the move down. Then we learned quite quickly that what we heard about Tri-City was wrong. Then we got the expansion franchise. The building here is owned privately, but is in a partnership with the city. The city put $1.2 million into the building to add more seating and other things to bring a WHL team here. It not only was an emotional investment, but a monetary one, as well. It’s a little perplexing to have it all pulled away.”
As for Porter, Hames continued: “Darryl has projected a negativity toward the team the last couple of years. He says ‘No one supports us.’ The biggest job I had was settling people down after they met with him. I think he made his mind up shortly after arriving that this wasn’t going to work. He felt he was entitled to a full building. He often criticized the public for not supporting the team.”
At the end of the day, Hames added, “They’ve gone from creating a situation in Tri-City to the same situation in Chilliwack, now other places. When this all shakes out, I don’t think the league looks very good. Neither do Darryl and his partners.”
Fowler’s entire piece is right here.

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Thursday . . .

Goaltender Eric Comrie, looking rather comfortable at GM Bob Tory's
desk, signs with the WHL's Tri-City Americans on Thursday.
(Photo courtesy Tri-CIty Americans)

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Part 17:
The sale of the Chilliwack Bruins to Vancouver-based RG Properties “is 100 per cent done,” a source informed me late Thursday.
Furthermore, the ownership transfer has been set for April 17, with moving vans expected to show up shortly thereafter. (The WHL has an official realtor — hello, there, RE/MAX — but is there an official mover?)
The same source has told me that “staff has been given walking papers.”
On top of which, the desks in the Bruins’ office are being cleared out and computers are being cleaned. Right now.
———
The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings are involved in a best-of-five first-round playoff series with the Bakersfield Condors. The teams split two games in Victoria earlier in the week. Game 3 is to be played tonight in Bakersfield, which also will be the site of Game 4 on Saturday and, if needed, a fifth game on Monday.
———
Patrick King of Sportsnet offers up his take on the Chilliwack situation right here.
———
OK.
We know, don’t we, that the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold and will be moving to Victoria before another season gets here.
And we know, thanks to Brian Burke, who owned 25 per cent of the Bruins, that the WHL “is in the process of negotiating the movement of another WHL team to Chilliwack.” That was included in a letter from Burke, via lawyers, to Jim Mullin, the sports director at Vancouver radio station CKNW earlier in the week.
But . . .
Earlier this week, Jeff Chynoweth, the governor and president of the Kootenay Ice, told me, via text, that his club “definitely” wasn’t moving from Cranbrook to Chilliwack.
And now I’ve been told rather definitively, at least so far as I’m concerned, that the Prince George Cougars aren’t packing up and heading south. The Cougars, I’ve been told, “are not in play.”
Which brings us to the Regina Pats.
In years past, the Pats have had some rather noisy lease negotiations with Evraz Place, which operates the Brandt Centre, the building in which Regina plays.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that the Pats, whose lease expires in May, have received a proposal from Evraz Place.
“We’ve obviously been waiting for this for quite some time,” Pats president Brent Parker told Harder. “We’ve left ourselves up against a deadline that we didn’t need to leave ourselves up against but we’re anxious to go through it and go from there. At least it gives us a starting point again and we can get back to work on it and get back to the table, which is where we need to be to get things done.”
Parker also told Harder that “we want to be here. We want to be in the building. But that has to be both ways. There has already been one major event that has been run out of the building in the last month (the Royal Red Horse Show). Maybe they’re trying to make it two.”
Harder’s complete story is right here.
———
The Moose Jaw Warriors won 40 games this season but that wasn’t enough to allow head coach Dave Hunchak to keep his job.
The Warriors revealed Wednesday that they won’t renew the contract of Hunchak, who had been the head coach through four seasons.
This is no surprise. After all, Hunchak already was in place when Alan Millar, an OHL veteran, was hired as director of hockey operations prior to this season. Millar has four years left on his contract; Hunchak’s contract was to expire in June.
Millar also ended up with a job for which Hunchak also had applied, so that very well may have been another strike against the head coach.
It also seems that Millar and Hunchak, 37, perhaps didn’t see eye-to-eye. That became obvious late in February when the two engaged in a morning yelling match deep in the bowels of the Crushed Can that was overheard by a handful of folks. Millar apparently was dissatisfied with the level of motivation of the players. The Warriors were locked into fifth place in the Eastern Conference at that point.
And what does it say when a team wins 40 games, despite not having an opportunity to move up the standings, and still can’t finish better than fifth?
The Warriors made three playoff appearances in Hunchak’s four seasons, but weren’t able to get out of the first round. Of course, the Warriors have only been past the second round once in their 27 seasons in Moose Jaw. That was in the spring of 2006 when they got lost the WHL final to the Vancouver Giants.
Assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber was told a while ago that he wouldn’t be back and that it would fine for him to start looking for another job. There is a chance he could end up as head coach of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins.
Mike Vandenberghe, the other assistant coach, joined the Warriors late in December. His contract also is up and he isn’t expected to return.
Hunchak, the third coach in Warriors history to win 40 games in one season, won 37, 19, 33 and 40 games over his four regular seasons.
And let’s not forget that this is Moose Jaw. That always seems to factor into it, doesn’t it? Hunchak can take at least some solace in the fact that this is the organization that once dumped Mike Babcock, not to mention Lorne Molleken.
What this means, of course, is that the Warriors will have a new head coach when they move into their new building next season.
Which leads me to this question . . . whatever happened to Gerry James?

———

Eric Comrie
(Tri-City Americans photo)

The Tri-City Americans have signed G Eric Comrie, the 13th pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
The Americans made a draft-day deal with the Vancouver Giants in order to move up six spots and select Comrie, a native of Edmonton who lives in Newport Beach, Calif. He is the son of Bill Comrie, a former owner of the CFL’s B.C. Lions and the owner of The Brick.
Eric, who played in the Los Angeles Selects program, is a younger brother to NHLer Mike Comrie and Paul Comrie, who starred with the Denver University Pioneers before having his professional career cut short by post-concussion syndrome.
Bob Tory, the Americans’ general manager, was the GM of the Kootenay Ice in 2000-01 when Mike Comrie left the U of Michigan to play in the WHL.
Eric actually visited DU in January, leading to speculation that he might go the NCAA route. He chose, instead, to sign with the Americans.
A native of Edmonton, Comrie lives in Newport Beach, Calif. With the Selects U16 midget team, he was 16-2-0, with a 1.34 GAA, a .940 save percentage and five shutouts. The Selects reached the national semifinals, with Comrie putting up a 1.41 GAA and .929 save percentage, leading the tournament in both categories.
He has already joined the Americans and will stay with them through the WHL playoffs.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
Nothing regarding former WHLers, but a neat note . . .
F Steve Moria, who played for the BCHL’s Richmond Sockeyes (1979-82 before moving on to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, has signed a one-year contract extension as player-head coach with the Basingstoke Bisons (English Premier League). Moria, who turned 50 in February, had 26 goals and 46 assists in 54 games for the Bisons this season to finish 15th in league scoring. He told the Basingstoke Gazette: “I am going to give it one last year as I want to go out on a high.” Basingstoke lost in the league quarterfinals last weekend to Milton Keynes Lightning.
———
JUST NOTES: D Brett Ponich, who had knee surgery, is back on skates and could rejoin the Portland Winterhawks before this season is over, should the team get deeper into the playoffs. Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune reports that Ponich could return should the Winterhawks get to the WHL final in May. . . . The QMJHL has awarded the 2012 Memorial Cup to Shawinigan, Que. The other finalists were Saint John, N.B., Cape Breton and Halifax. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the QMJHL’s decision right here. . . . F Shayne Wiebe, who played two-plus seasons with the Kamloops Blazers before being dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings, has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Connecticut Whale, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers. Wiebe, 20, finished this regular season with 65 points, including 45 goals, in 72 games with the Wheat Kings. He added eight points in six games as they lost a first-round series to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Wiebe was never selected in the NHL draft. . . . F Jordan Eberle has been named the Sask Sport 2010 Saskatchewan athlete of the year. Eberle, who now is with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, completed his WHL career with the Regina Pats in 2009-10. In 2010, Eberle starred for Canada at the World Junior Championship and also was named the CHL’s player of the year. Eberle beat out Olympic curler Ben Herbert and Olympic speed skater Lucas Makowsky for the honour.
———
MEANWHILE, ON THE ICE . . .
In Portland, F Shane McColgan scored three goals and set up another to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . It was Game 1 in a best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal. Game 2 is Sunday in Portland. . . . McColgan, who has six goals, now leads the WHL with 14 points in five playoff games, two more than Medicine Hat Tigers F Linden Vey. . . . The Rockets lost F Zach Franko in the first period after he was hit by Portland F Brad Ross. Franko left the game and didn’t return. He has a suspected concussion. . . . Ross was given a charging major and game misconduct. . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska has said Franko isn’t likely to play Sunday. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 45 shots, 14 more than Portland’s Mac Carruth.
———
THURSDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Kelowna F Colton Heffley.

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