Governors approve Ice's new owners ... WHL on Shaw nears end ... Lawsuit against OHL, teams certified

The Chynoweth family has been involved in the WHL for 45 consecutive years, a run that ended Thursday when the board of governors approved the sale of the Kootenay Ice, the franchise that the Chynoweths had been trying to sell since 2011.

There was a time when the WHL would have announced the transfer of ownership at a news conference and perhaps someone would have spoken about how much the family has meant to the WHL. These days, the WHL prefers to do things via news release posted on its website, which is what happened yesterday.

Well, allow this aging writer who still has ink in his veins to say “Thank You” to Linda, Dean and Jeff Chynoweth for their time and the many conversations, and heartfelt thanks for sharing your husband and father with us for all those years.

The late Ed Chynoweth was the WHL’s president for something like 23 years, starting in 1972. He left the WHL office to spend a season as GM of the Calgary Wranglers, returned, then later purchased an expansion franchise, the Edmonton Ice, that he later relocated to Cranbrook, B.C.

Back in the day, it wasn’t unusual for a writer to call Ed at home, no matter the time of night. It also wasn’t unusual for that same writer to get a call from Ed, who disagreed, sometimes politely, with something that had been written.

Ed rarely, if ever, visited a WHL city without meeting the local media, even if just to acknowledge our existence.

It hasn’t been the same since he left us, and it won’t be same now, without the Chynoweths owning the Ice. Perhaps Jeff will end up working in another team’s front office, unless, of course, he’s had enough of the WHL. Say what you want, though, he always answered his phone, returned calls and responded to texts, until near the end when he would have had to deny that a sale was near when it was close to happening.

Anyway . . . thanks to the first family of the WHL. May the next chapter be a good one.

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How could the NHL end up with a playoff schedule that had both its eastern series being played at the same time on Thursday night? Hey, Gary Bettman, I couldn’t decide which game to watch, so I spent the evening with baseball.

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A friend sent me a note on Thursday afternoon. With the WHL playoffs more than half over, the 2016-17 WHL Official Guide and Record Book now is available for download. You will find it right here.

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The WHL’s conference finals are scheduled to resume tonight with the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds meeting in Kent, Wash., and the Regina Pats and the Hurricanes clashing in Lethbridge. Each of the series is 2-2.

Seattle fans can forget about seeing D Ethan Bear for a while. Taking Note has been told that he suffered a broken hand when he blocked a shot late in Game 3 on Tuesday in Kelowna.

The Rockets lost D James Hilsendager, who has been terrific in these playoffs, to an undisclosed injury in the first period of Game 4 on Wednesday. He didn’t return, so you would have to think he’s doubtful for tonight and perhaps longer. His absence means the pairings of Cal Foote/Gordie Ballhorn and Lucas Johansen/Devante Stephens will get a workout.

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The St. Louis Cardinals struggle to catch the ball, throw the ball and run the bases. Still, they were able to sweep a Thursday doubleheader from the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, who blew a 4-0 lead in the opener. If you missed it, the Blue Jays, leading 4-2, were one strike away from victory when they gave up a game-tying home run. They then lost on a grand slam in the 11th. The Blue Jays now are 6-16. Ohh, this is going to be a long season for Gibby and his guys.

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F Martin Růžička (Everett, Lethbridge, 2003-05) has signed a one-year extension with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had nine goals and 13 assists in 33 games.

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As expected, the WHL’s board of governors approved the sale of the Kootenay Ice to Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell, a pair of Winnipeggers, on Thursday.

Fettes and Cockell have purchased the entire franchise, ending the Chynoweth family’s involvement in the WHL after 45 years.

The late Ed Chynoweth was the face of the WHL for a long time, especially during a 23-year run as the league’s president. In 1995, Chynoweth left the WHL office to set up the Ice as an expansion franchise in Edmonton. After two seasons in Edmonton, the franchise relocated to Cranbrook, B.C., for the 1998-99 season.

Chynoweth died in 2008 and his son, Jeff, has been the Ice’s president and general manager.

Fettes is the founder of 24-7 Intouch, which has more than 8,000 employees in call centres, according to a WHL news release, “in 14 sites around the world including Canada, United States, Guatemala, Jamaica, and the Philippines.”

Cockell played three seasons (1996-99) in the WHL as a goaltender, spending time with the Saskataoon Blades, Seattle Thunderbirds, Regina Pats and Spokane Chiefs. He had been working with True North Sports and Entertainment, the owners of the NHL’s Winnipeg Moose, as vice-president, corporate partnerships. Prior to that, Cockell was the chief customer officer at 24-7 Intouch.

Cockell now is the Ice’s president and GM.

Odd fact: Jeff Chynoweth, who was president and GM, once worked at the Keystone Centre. His successor, Matt Cockell, was #BWK goalie coach. https://t.co/J4CPgJFKid

— Perry Bergson (@PerryBergson) April 27, 2017

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When the WHL’s championship final concludes next month, the WHL on Shaw will sign off for good, ending a 13-season relationship.
Corus Entertainment and Shaw Communications announced Wednesday that Shaw will close stations in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Corus Entertainment, which acquired Shaw‘s media arm in a deal last year, will continue to operate Shaw stations in Victoria, Kelowna and Saskatoon, each of which is home at a WHL franchise.

About 70 people are expected to lose their jobs, while the WHL on Shaw also will be a casualty.

The deal between Shaw and the WHL had one season (2017-18) remaining. However, a  source familiar with the situation has told Taking Note that the WHL has taken a $300,000 buyout.

“It’s easier for Shaw rather than pay out $750,000 in production costs,” the source explained, adding that the WHL was “in line for $375,000 in the next year of the deal.”

In light of the demise of the WHL on Shaw, it could be that Access7, a community TV station in Regina, expands its coverage of the Regina Pats and, as the source said, “may become the motor that drives WHL coverage to the remaining community stations.”

Access7 has been providing coverage of the Pats’ playoff games this spring.

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An Ontario Superior Court Justice has certified a class-action lawsuit brought by former OHL players against the league in an attempt to force teams to pay minimum wage.

Justice Paul Perell made the ruling Thursday in Toronto, something that will allow the three-year-old lawsuit to move forward.

A similar action filed in Calgary against the WHL was heard before Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Robert Hall, who has yet to rule. It is anticipated that there will be a decision in the next month.

As for Thursday’s ruling, Rick Westhead, a senior reporter with TSN, writes:

“Justice Perell wrote that he certified the case despite the warnings from the OHL that the ‘allegedly selfish class action would bring on the eve of destruction for hockey players.’ ”

The OHL has 20 days in which to file an appeal.

Westhead’s story is right here.

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F Nick Merkley now holds the Kelowna Rockets’ record for most career playoff points. Merkley had a goal and an assist on Wednesday as the Rockets beat the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-2, to even the Western Conference final, 2-2. . . . Merkley, who will turn 20 on May 23, now has 64 points, including 50 assists, in 55 playoff games. The previous record had been held by F Tyson Baillie, who put up 63 points, including 27 goals, in 64 games.

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F Mitch Skapski, who played in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips, Saskatoon Blades and Victoria Royals, will attend Ryerson U and play hockey for the Rams. Skapski, from Abbotsford, B.C., split the past two seasons between the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, Salmon Arm Silverbacks and Cowichan Valley Capitals, totalling 68 points in 109 games. He played 143 WHL games (2012-15), scoring six goals and adding 13 assists. He was a fourth-round selection by the Portland Winterhawks in the 2011 WHL bantam draft.

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The NHL’s Arizona Coyotes fired Doug Soetaert on Thursday, after one season as the general manager of their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Soetaert is a former WHL goaltender (Edmonton Oil Kings, 1971-75), who spent six seasons (2006-12) as the Everett Silvertips’ vice-president of hockey operations and general manager. Soetaert had spent 2015-16 as the Coyotes’ western pro scout. . . . The Roadrunners were an expansion team this season and finished 29-31-8, good for sixth in the eight-team Pacific Division. They didn’t make the playoffs. . . . The Roadrunners’ head coach is Mark Lamb, a former GM/head coach of the Swift Current Broncos.

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The SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves have hired Darren Martens as an assistant coach. Martens, from Mossbank, Sask., has ample playing and coaching experience. From a news release: “A graduate of the SJHL, Martens went on to play in the CIS, UHL, ECHL and six seasons in Germany. At the completion of his playing career, Darren transitioned into coaching. He has coached all levels of hockey, from bantam to junior B, and also spent two seasons with the Briercrest Clippers of the ACAC.” . . . Martens will work alongside head coach Evan Vossen and assistant Terry Hunt.

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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Hockey loses another friend . . . Pats sign, uhh, an assistant trainer

F David Stieler (Swift Current, 2006-08) has signed a one-year contract with Regensburg (Germany, Oberliga). Last season, with Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 28 points, including 13 goals, in 54 games. . . .
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) has signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). Last season, with the Ontario Reign (ECHL), he had 26 points, seven of them goals in 14 games. In 61 games with the Worcester Sharks (AHL), he had 37 points, including 17 goals. . . .
F Matt Keith (Spokane, Red Deer, 1998-2003) has signed a two-year contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had seven goals and eight assists in 53 games. . . .
F Luke Walker (Portland, 2007-10) has signed a one-year contract with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he had a goal and two assists in 36 games. The general manager and head coach of Graz is Todd Bjorkstrand, the father of F Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Portland Winterhawks.
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Adam and Dale Hughesman, enjoying a father-son day.
(Photo: Tri-City Americans)

 Hockey lost another friend when Dale Hughesman died Thursday night after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Hughesman, who was 51, was the father of former Tri-City Americans F Adam Hughesman. Among so many other things, Dale also was heavily involved with the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers, and had served as the franchise’s governor in recent years.
Funeral arrangements are pending.

Words can't describe how much I will miss my dad. Have a new guardian angel watching over our family! I love you so much and will continue
— Adam Hughesman (@Hughdog17) August 1, 2014

To make you proud in the way I carry myself and act in the future!You battled so hard and it's your time to rest Dad.See you again @hughey17
— Adam Hughesman (@Hughdog17) August 1, 2014

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John Fisher is the corporate secretary with the Portland Winterhawks’ Booster Club. I would suggest he also is the de facto director of communications because no one does more to keep the club’s members informed than he does.
On Friday, after I had written here about mental health awareness as an issue, he responded with this:
This is a subject very near and dear to me for almost 30 years in helping those teenagers who "manifest" mental health issues usually around 15 years of age ... As I have specialized in teenagers with Bipolar and/or Schizophrenia as well as all the related issues of these illnesses ...
Thank you Gregg Drinnan for posting and bringing to the forefront this most important issue as well as other "health matters" for children and teens in our favorite sport, including "concussion injuries."
I, too, have always taken the stance that "the stronger person” is the one who seeks out medical intervention and counseling ... Even if someone else "intervenes" on your behalf."
The stigma of Mental Health should never be a sign of any sort of weakness! In fact, most of "my kids" have "tested academically in the 90th percentile in most all subjects." They just have issues and frustrations applying their "God Given Smarts" in meaningful ways ...
So, being extremely "smart" does not make you immune to illnesses, including Mental Health issues ...
I say to those afflicted, BE STRONG AND SEEK OUT help and do not let any preconception of weakness stop you ... You are stronger than the illness by having a "support team!"
... And YOU MATTER ... YES YOU MATTER to so many ... Tomorrow will be a better day!
Mental Health assistance and crisis lines are available 24 Hours a Day Seven Days a Week (24/7) all across North America. A call to ANY Emergency Room can help you with immediate assistance and crisis line telephone numbers.
... YOU ARE NOT ALONE ... People are there to Help and Not to there to judge ... Just "pick up the phone."
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Back in the day, I quite enjoyed watching Mike Toth when he appeared on TSN and later on Sportsnet. It was the dry sense of humour and the fact that he didn’t make sports more than they are -- a game.
But . . . one day Toth was there, and the next day he wasn’t. That was four years ago.
What happened?
Toth answers that question, at least partially, right here. He also writes about having “struggled with depression my entire life.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes and former assistant coach Brad Lukowich have settled a lawsuit that was launched by Lukowich after he had been fired by the organization on Feb. 8. . . . A source told Taking Note a few weeks ago that the claim had been settled, with Lukowich getting paid out and also getting all fees and costs and an apology.
Carmela Gentile of Global News reports that “Lukowich was seeking $108,000 plus damages at the time the court documents were filed.”
Here is the complete news release that was issued Friday morning by the Hurricanes:
The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club and Mr. Brad Lukowich have settled Mr. Lukowich’s claim arising from his departure from the Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club in February, to their mutual satisfaction.
Lukowich stated: “I appreciate the Hurricanes willingness to resolve these matters constructively. My wife Cara, our daughters and I have grown very fond of the city of Lethbridge and all it has to offer. My goal is still to teach and coach at the highest level possible the game that gave me so much so that I can give back. I look forward to the next opportunity to pursue that goal.”
Brad Robson, General Manager, stated: “Although we initially announced Brad was terminated for cause, it has subsequently been determined by the Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club that his departure was not for cause. The Club extends their sincere appreciation for his services and wish him success. Brad's strength is his focus on player development. I expect to see him involved in hockey operations next season."
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Taking Note also has been told that Doug Soetaert and the Everett Silvertips have settled a breach of contract lawsuit that he filed March 14, 2012. . . . Soetaert, who was fired as Everett’s general manager on Feb. 2, 2012, and the Silvertips actually made it into the courtroom for a three-day trial last month. Apparently, the two parties got together and resolved things before Judge Bruce I. Weiss issued a decision.
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The NHL’s Ottawa Senators have promoted former WHL player/coach Bob Lowes to chief amateur scout. . . . Lowes joined the Senators as a part-time amateur scout in 2006. He has been a full-time scout since 2008. . . . According to a news release, “As chief amateur scout, he will provide direction to the entire amateur scouting staff as the group prepares for each year’s NHL draft.” . . . Lowes spent nine seasons as a head coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings and three with the Regina Pats. . . . The Senators also announced that they have hired Don Boyd, another former WHL coach (Regina, 1982-83), as a full-time amateur scout. He had been working for the Senators as a scouting consultant.
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The Regina Pats are rumoured to be close to signing a head coach; of course, they also are rumoured to be close to adding Lorne Molleken to their front office, too.
One thing they do have is an assistant trainer. The Vernon Morning News reported Friday morning that Gord Cochran, who has been with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers since 2009, has signed on with the Pats. A native of Williams Lake, B.C., he had been the Vipers’ trainer/equipment manager.
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Jim Hiller, a former WHL head coach with the Chilliwack Bruins and Tri-City Americans, signed on earlier this week as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. On Thursday, Hiller appeared on The Locker Room Show (610 KONA). That clip is right here, starting at about the 9:30 mark. (Stick tap to Locker Room co-host Craig West for the link.)
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Dave McLellan is the new GM/head coach of the junior B Nelson Leafs, who play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. He replaces Matt Hughes, who signed on in May but left last weekend to coach at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna. The Nelson Daily has more right here.
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So the Hurricanes acknowledge that they did not have cause to fire Brad Lukowich. I imagine he'll now be paid his contract as he should?
— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) August 1, 2014

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Whatever happened to Doug Soetaert?

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Mike Egener (Calgary, 2000-04) has been released by the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite) due to illness. According to Coventry’s press release, Egener, the captain of the Blaze, “has been diagnosed with Guillain–Barré Syndrome, a rare and serious condition affecting the peripheral nervous system. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. Whilst his symptoms appear to have reached a plateau, he now faces an extended recovery period as his body gradually repairs the nerve damage that has taken place. The diagnosis was confirmed by a neurologist in Canada earlier this week and after review with the club’s own medical staff, it was determined that Egener was in no condition to be able to take his planned flight to the UK (Friday evening) and that his recovery may well take many weeks. After an extended discussion between Head Coach Matt Soderstrom and Egener on Thursday evening, it was agreed that his focus now needs to be on returning to full health rather than playing for the Blaze at some point this season.” . . . Egener had three goals and 12 assists in 56 games with the Blaze last season.
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Taylor Vickerman didn’t report to the Vancouver Giants’ training camp and speculation was that he wanted to be traded closer to home. Well, he got his wish. Vickerman, 17, is from Kennewick, Wash., and he has been dealt to the Tri-City Americans, who play out of the Toyota Centre in Kennewick. . . . The Giants received a second-round 2015 bantam draft pick in return. . . . Vickerman told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald:  “I’m at a loss for words. I’m still kind of in shock. Still in disbelief. I’m just glad they saw the value in me. I know I will play a bigger role here, put up some points and help the team win.” . . . Vickerman, a sixth-round selection by the Giants in 2011, had nine points in 52 games last season. . . . According to Fowler: “Vickerman is just the second Mid-Columbia player to earn a spot on the Americans’ roster. Defenseman Justin Togiai (2001-03) of Kennewick was the first.”
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Mark Johnston is back with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Johnston, a defenceman with the Wheat Kings back in the day (1971-73), was named the club’s head scout on Friday. The move came one day after Wade Klippenstein was named the team’s director of scouting. . . . Johnston, a 58-year-old native of Wawanesa, Man., also has worked as an assistant coach with Brandon. He had been a Manitoba scout for the Kelowna Rockets for 12 years.
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Jamie Novakoski is the Edmonton Oil Kings’ new director of scouting. Novakoski, 41, had been on the Oil Kings’ scouting staff since prior to the 2007 expansion draft. Novakoski takes over the position previously filled by Randy Hansch, who now is the club’s general manager. Hansch was promoted after GM Bob Green moved up to the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as director of amateur free-agent scouting. . . . Novakoski and Hansch are rather familiar with each other, having spent 11 seasons scouting together with the Kamloops Blazers.
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Doug Soetaert, who did such a good job as general manager of the Everett Silvertips before  being fired on Feb. 2, 2012, now is working as a scout with the Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg. . . . Don Jackson, the head coach in Salzburg, spent one season as head coach of the IHL’s Kansas City Blades while Soetaert was the GM there. . . . Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun has more right here on Eetu Selanne, 15, who is in the Calgary Hitmen’s rookie camp. . . . A pair of undrafted Medicine Hat Tigers forwards — Curtis Valk and Jacob Doty — will go to camp with the St. Louis Blues’ prospects as free-agent invitees. They will be on the Blues’ entry at the tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
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If you’re wondering what has happened to the Los Angeles Angels, you may gain some insight from this terrific piece by Scott Miller, the senior baseball columnist at cbssports.com. . . . It’s mostly about the night last season when Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols almost came to blows.
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One of the biggest stories in sports today involves ESPN ending its relationship with the public affairs TV series Frontline, apparently under some pressure from the NFL. James Andrew Miller and Ken Belson of The New York Times explain right here how all of this came to pass.
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Linda Ronstadt could sing. Oh, could she! And there was timne when a whole lot of males of a certain age — likely a bunch of females, too — were in love with her. . . . Well, Ronstadt revealed on Friday that she has Parkinson’s disease, something that means she won’t sing again.
If you’ve forgotten just what a great singer she was, or if you weren’t aware, check this out right here.


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Marc Habscheid is moving on up.
Habscheid, who has spent the last three seasons as general manager and head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Royals franchise, is moving into an executive position with GSL Holdings Ltd., the parent company of RG Properties Ltd., and the Royals.
Habscheid told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist that it was a mutual agreement between him and owner Graham Lee.
“He is the boss and I respect him . . . it’s the right time,” Habscheid said.
Asked if Habscheid had been pushed away from the Royals, Lee replied: “No, absolutely not. This was a mutually discussed decision.”
Later, Habscheid added:
“Graham and I talked about it and it’s a two-fold family and business decision. Now seemed like the perfect time. I can spend more time with the family. I will have weekends to myself. . . . I haven’t had them for awhile. And I can learn the business and tech side of the company.”
Habscheid, 49, played six games with the Kamloops Jr. Oilers in 1982-83 and later coached the Kamloops Blazers for two seasons (1997-99), guiding them to the WHL’s championship final in the spring of 1999. He went on to a stint as head coach of the Kelowna Rockets, taking them to the Memorial Cup championship on home ice in 2003.
After a brief time as the associate coach under head coach Dave Lewis with the NHL’s Boston Bruins, Habscheid joined the then-Chilliwack Bruins for 2009-10 and was there for two seasons. He made the move to Vancouver Island with the franchise a year ago, after it was sold to RG Properties and renamed the Royals.
The Royals went 24-41-7 last season, finishing seventh in the 10-team Western Conference, and then were swept by the Blazers from a first-round playoff series.
According to a news release issued Friday by GSL, Habscheid “will be taking on a new executive role within GSL to assist GSL in developing other hockey related businesses.”
GSL owns such things as Officepools.com, which bills itself as “the world’s largest on-line hockey pool site,” Planet Ice and Planet Youth Hockey, a charity program that helps inner city kids.
According to the GSL release, Habscheid “will be involved in advising these existing businesses as well as assisting in developing new hockey-related business opportunities.”
The released added: “In taking on this new role within GSL, Marc will be relinquishing his responsibilities with the hockey team.”
This move leaves three WHL teams without head coaches as the Royals join the Brandon Wheat Kings, who fired Cory Clouston after the season, and the Kootenay Ice, who dismissed Kris Knoblauch, as he was to interview for the head-coaching position with the U of Alberta Golden Bears while under contract to the WHL team.
Speculation on the Royals’ next general manager will, at least in the early going, focus on Doug Soetaert. The 56-year-old Soetaert was unexpectedly fired by the Everett Silvertips on Feb. 2 after working as their general manager for more than seven seasons. He later filed a lawsuit against the Silvertips, seeking what he claims are unpaid wages, along with damages and legal expenses.
Clouston, 42, who also coached the Ice, and Knoblauch, 33, both may be in the running.
According to Dheensaw, Lee isn’t sure whether he will split the GM and head-coaching duties.
“We’ll see what the candidates look like,” Lee said. “There’s quite a bit of interest among people out there in coming to Victoria. There are a lot of good candidates. We’re keeping an open mind.”
Dave Hunchak, the associate coach with the Blazers who has one year left on his contract, would seem to be a logical candidate, but Lee told Dheensaw: “All the people we are looking at are currently not with jobs.”
JUST NOTES: While meeting with media in Victoria, Habscheid said his son Zach, a 20-year-old defenceman, won’t be back with the Royals. He has played three years in the WHL, the first two with the Bruins, but injuries, including concussions, limited him to 53, 45 and, last season, 41 games. He has career totals of 13 points, including two goals, and 195 penalty minutes.
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Brad Schmidt of The Oregonian reports that “Portland’s plan to renovate and greenify the aging Veterans Memorial Coliseum has met financial reality: There isn’t enough green to pay for everything.”
The Coliseum, of course, is home to the Portland Winterhawks.
It seems that costs have gone up by a third since November and negotiations with the Winterhawks, who have said they will be financially involved, perhaps for as much as $10 million, are four months behind schedule.
Schmidt’s story is right here.
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With the NHL partying in Pittsburgh as it holds its two-day draft, Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail, as he only can do, writes today about “a fear of Fehr.” . . . NHL owners, MacGregor writes, “are determined to address the minimum salary-cap issue.” . . . The NHL and NHLPA are soon to begin negotiations on a new CBA. And, at the moment, all signs point to another work stoppage.
MacGregor’s thoughts are right here.


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1972 Memorial Cup

With the Edmonton Oil Kings representing the WHL in the Memorial Cup tournament that opens Friday in Shawinigan, Que., let’s take a look back at four of the franchise’s appearances in the national championship.
We start with a look at the 1972 tournament. Then, as this week progresses, we’ll revisit 1971 and then the Oil Kings’ two Memorial Cup championships, in 1966 and 1963.
Enjoy!

1972 MEMORIAL CUP
Cornwall Royals, Edmonton Oil Kings and Peterborough Petes
at Ottawa (Civic Centre)

“It will be a classic, one of the best junior finals ever played and Edmonton will win it,” said Del Wilson, a scout for the Montreal Canadiens and the president of the Regina Pats.
Wilson, whose Pats lost the WCHL final to the Oil Kings in five games, was speaking as the Edmonton Oil Kings, Peterborough Petes and Cornwall Royals gathered in Ottawa for the first Memorial Cup to be decided using a round-robin format.
As what was once simply junior hockey split into two distinct groups – major junior and junior A – the premier group formed three leagues, one in Ontario, one in Quebec and another in Western Canada.
The three major junior leagues would continue to compete for the Memorial Cup, but it was obvious it no longer could be capped with two teams playing a best-of-seven final.
It was decided, then, that each league would send its champion to a predetermined site and the Memorial Cup would be decided there.
Originally, this was done in a single round-robin tournament – each team would play the other team once. The two teams with the best records would meet in the final. If each team finished the round-robin with a 1-1 record, the finalists would be decided using a formula based on the ratio of goals-for to goals-against.
All three coaches who would appear in this Memorial Cup – Edmonton's Brian Shaw, Peterborough's Roger Neilson and Cornwall's Orval Tessier – were against the new format.
According to a Canadian Press report, “They complain of the pressure put on their players in so short a series, the lack of home crowds and other factors.”
However, NHL president Clarence Campbell told folks at the Memorial Cup luncheon in Ottawa that junior hockey just might be on to something here.
According to CP: “To accomplish this, Campbell noted, the series would need television coverage (which was) lacking this year. The strike at CBC, and CTV's already hefty sports programming, ruled out TV coverage.”
(The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) was on strike.)
Edmonton, with Shaw running the bench, featured goaltenders Larry Hendrick, Doug Soetaert and John Davidson, the latter added from the Calgary Centennials with whom he had been named the WCHL's most valuable player.
The Oil Kings had finished second in the West Division, their 90 points from a 44-22-2 record leaving them 11 points behind the Centennials.
Edmonton was a team that scored 320 regular-season goals, the league's fifth-highest total, but didn't have a scorer in the top 10. In the postseason, Darcy Rota led the offence with eight goals and nine assists in 16 games. Terry McDonald, at 15 years of age, was Edmonton's best penalty-killing forward.
On defence, Edmonton was led by Keith Mackie, at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds perhaps the first of the really big defencemen who would become so common in future seasons.
The Oil Kings opened by eliminating the New Westminster Bruins in five games. Edmonton then took care of Calgary in six games, setting up what was a five-game final with Regina.
Edmonton's style of play was similar to Peterborough's – physical and close-checking.
Neilson and his Petes opened postseason play by dumping the St. Catharines Black Hawks 4-1 in games. They then finished off the Toronto Marlboros, also 4-1.
And, in the final, the Ottawa 67's also went out in five games, but in this instance – remember, these were eight-point series – the Petes won three and tied two.
With the Ottawa Civic Centre the predetermined home for this first tournament, organizers were not overly thrilled to see the 67's get bounced. Still, they forecast good crowds for the games in the 10,000-seat facility.
Tessier's Royals, meanwhile, counted on goaltender Richard Brodeur in a big way.
Brodeur, who would go on to some fame as King Richard with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, sparked the Royals past the Verdun Maple Leafs 4-0, the Shawinigan Bruins 4-1 and, in the Quebec final, the Quebec Remparts in seven games (the Royals won four, lost two and tied one).
(The Remparts, Memorial Cup champions in 1971, promptly announced that head coach Maurice Filion's contract wouldn't be renewed because of differences of opinion between he and the team's board of director. Within a week, he had replaced the fired Ron Racette as general manager and head coach of the Sherbrooke Castors.)
As the tournament opened, the CAHA revealed that 70 reporters had applied for accreditation and that 50 of those were from outside the Ottawa area.
Peterborough got great goaltending from Mike Veisor and opened with a 4-2 victory over Cornwall before 7,893 fans in the Civic Centre on May 8.
The Royals pressed the Petes for much of the game and were in it until the dying seconds when defenceman Ron Smith lost control of the puck in front of his empty net and Peterborough's Ron Lalonde pounced on it to score his second goal of the game.
Peterborough's other goals came from Doug Wilson and Paul Raymer, who gave the Petes a 3-1 lead six minutes into the second period.
The Royals' goals came from Bob Murray and Yvon Blais, the latter pulling Cornwall to within one, at 3-2, with two minutes left in the second period.
The first period was awfully physical – referee Joe Cassidy, a WCHL regular from Calgary, hit the Petes with eight of 14 minors and gave Cornwall's John Wensink a misconduct – but the teams settled down afterwards.
Cornwall dominated the third period but wasn't able to beat Veisor.
“He has been doing that for us for a long time,” Neilson said of Veisor, who was backed up by Rolly Kimble and Michel (Bunny) Larocque, the latter having been added from the 67's.
By now, most of the scouts were touting the Oil Kings as the favourites.
But Shaw, with his boys preparing to meet Peterborough in the tournament's second game, wasn't buying it.
“The scouts have been wrong before,” he said, pointing out that earlier in the season the scouts had tagged the Marlboros as the country's best junior team. “Peterborough beat them, so Peterborough must be better than the Marlies.”
As for Cornwall, Shaw said that the Royals “come from the league that last year won the cup, so they have to be strong.”
Still, Shaw liked his team's chances.
He said his players “are extremely dedicated. We had to come off the floor four times to get this far.”
Shaw added: “We have been able to win key games and we play well away from home.”
What the Oil Kings hadn't counted on was running into Neilson, who was just beginning to carve out a reputation as a coach who would play the game by the rules and take advantage of the loopholes when it was needed.
In the second game, on May 10, the Petes beat Edmonton 6-4 before about 5,800 fans, clinching a berth in the tournament's final in the process. Peterborough hadn't been in the Memorial Cup final game since 1959.
The score was 4-4 when, prior to the start of the third period, Rota was fingered for playing with an illegal stick. Referee Michel Vaillancourt of Sherbrooke, Que., found the stick to be 1 3/8 inches thick at the tip of the blade, while CAHA rules called for a minimum of two inches.
Peterborough, which got two goals and two assists from Doug Gibson, scored on the ensuing power play.
“They're sick . . . it's the cheapest way I know to win a hockey game,” seethed Edmonton general manager ‘Wild’ Bill Hunter. “If we're going to lose to them, we're going to lose on the ice . . . not through cheap penalties . . . we'll win it.”
Hunter's demeanour wasn't helped any by the fact that Brian Ogilvie was fingered for playing with an illegal stick later in the third period.
Said Neilson: “I know it's a cheap penalty for the Memorial Cup . . . I didn't call it.”
As for the play on the ice, Neilson said: “We heard that Edmonton was better than Cornwall but I'm not sure now . . . the edge for us was in the goals.”
After Gibson's power-play goal, the Oil Kings managed just two shots on goal as the Petes put on the defensive clamps.
Overall, though, the Petes outskated, outhit and outclassed the Oil Kings, outshooting them 49-33.
Lalonde, Jim Turkiewicz, Rick Chennick and Jim Jones also scored for the Petes.
Edmonton got its goals from Ogilvie, Gerry McDonald, Don Kozak and Rota.
The next day, Shaw was trying to forget about the first illegal-stick penalty.
“That was just an excuse,” Shaw said. “We didn't play as well as we can. We'll just have to win the next two games.
“We didn't have six goals scored against us before this year in the playoffs. We didn't play our game.”
While most observers felt the illegal-stick call was the turning point, Shaw pointed to a missed opportunity early in the second period. With the Oil Kings leading 2-1, they hit a goal post with Veisor cleanly beaten.
“We're a good checking team, too, and able to protect a lead,” Shaw said. “We didn't hit nor shoot as well as we can.”
The Oil Kings didn't do anything very well on May 12 as coach Orval Tessier's Royals blanked them 5-0 before 8,408 fans.
Cornwall, which scored two power-play goals, led 3-0 in the third period before scoring two empty-net goals, by Dave Johnson and Gary McGregor, as Shaw pulled Davidson with just less than three minutes to play.
After McGregor's goal, Cornwall fans unveiled a banner that read: ‘Happiness is a Royal Memorial’.
Johnson and McGregor both had two goals for the Royals. The other came from Gerry Teeple.
The Oil Kings apparently played better than they had against the Petes, but they weren't able to beat Brodeur, who kicked out all 40 shots he saw.
The game was marred by an injury to Mackie, who was struck in the face by a deflected puck. Mackie, who was wearing contact lenses, was hit in one eye. He was carried off the ice on a stretcher and taken to Ottawa General Hospital where an eye specialist was called in to look at him.
The diagnosis was a torn iris, and Mackie spent a week in hospital.
As for the game, Hunter said: “Cornwall had a wide edge in play. We disappointed ourselves . . . but I'm proud of the team.”
Shaw felt that his club had been beaten by a better team.
Asked to pick a winner in the final, Shaw said: “I have no predictions . . . but I would like to see Cornwall win.”
Looking ahead to the final, Tessier said: “We have to take control of the game early. We have to come out skating and hitting.”
Tessier also thought his club had something of an edge – the Royals were “a little bit fresher” – because he used four lines a lot, while the Petes went primarily with three.
Cornwall, in the Memorial Cup final for the first time, then edged the Petes 2-1 on May 14 in front of 10,155 fans to win the title.
It was the second straight year a team from the Quebec Junior Hockey League had won the Memorial Cup. Governor-General Roland Michener presented the trophy to the Royals after the game.
The busiest guy around in the first period was Cassidy, who handed out 76 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct to Peterborough's Craig Brown. By period's end, the fans were chanting: “We want hockey.”
McGregor scored the winner at 2:01 of the third period as a hooking penalty to Peterborough's Danny Gloor expired.
Cornwall's Brian Bowles scored the game's first goal early in the second period when his slapshot from the point bounced off the end boards, hit Veisor and rolled into the net.
The Petes' Mike St. Cyr tied it at 11:17 of the second.
Peterborough outshot Cornwall 47-38 but couldn't put more than one puck behind Brodeur, who was selected the tournament's most outstanding player. As such, he was the first recipient of what was then called the Conn-Stafford Smythe Trophy.
“He's never been in a playoff game before,” Tessier said of Brodeur. “He's just a great goaltender.”
As for Brodeur, he sat in one corner of the Royals' dressing room, smoking a cigar and saying he didn't deserve the award.
“They're the toughest bunch of kids in the world . . . they've never stopped since last fall and will probably want to practise tomorrow morning,” Tessier said.
“Peterborough was the toughest club we've played this year.”
It was a tough loss for the Petes, who had been the only team to win both its round-robin games.
“Cornwall outhustled us a little,” Nielson said. “It was a goalkeepers' duel.
“We knew what to expect . . . it's tough to lose the Memorial Cup.”
With this being the first time around for this format, a tournament all-star team was selected – Brodeur, defencemen Colin Campbell of Peterborough and Murray, Teeple at centre, and wingers Bob Smulders of Peterborough and Johnson.
As for the new format, CAHA officials said the Memorial Cup would be decided the same way in 1973. And, because of the great reception the teams received in Ottawa, the nation's capital apparently had the inside track as the host city.
That turned out to be just talk, however. The 1973 tournament would be played in Montreal.
 
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The expressions and body language from Nathan MacMaster of the Tri-City
Americans and Cole Wedman and Eric Williams of the Spokane Chiefs
say it all in this photo from Saturday's game in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen / AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Mark Santorelli (Chilliwack, 2006-08) signed a two-year contract extension with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 11 goals and 24 assists in 48 games with Tingsryd this season. . . .
F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) signed a one-year-plus-option contract with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 23 goals and 18 assists in 50 games with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan) this season. Djurgården GM and head coach Charles Berglund: "Dustin is a very good two-way centre who is good defensively and offensively, on the penalty kill and power play. He has delivered in Allsvenskan two years running. This is very important for us. He has been through this before and we need that kind of player on our team." Johner's 23 goals was fifth best in Allsvenskan this season. Djurgården was relegated to Allsvenskan from Elitserien earlier this week.
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“With former Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Doug Soetaert stupidly being cashiered as GM with the Western Hockey League Everett Silvertips, with a rebuilding team that still made the playoffs, where will he wind up? There’s talk that Marc Habscheid, who has the coach/GM job in Victoria, might want to just be coach. Maybe Soetaert will wind up there.” That’s from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. His complete weekend Hockey World is right here.
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Kevin Parnell of the Kelowna Capital News wants to write hockey stories, but the Rockets are done for the season. So what does he do? He profiles referee Steve Papp right here.
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The ECHL lost a franchise on Friday when the Chicago Express folded, effective immediately. The Express’ roster included a couple of former WHLers in D Taylor Ellington and F Ryley Grantham. . . . All players on the Express roster now are unrestricted free agents. . . . The ECHL is expected to add teams in Orlando and San Francisco for 2012-13.
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In the AHL, the Norfolk Admirals ran their amazing streak to 25 straight victories last night as they dropped the visiting Binghamton Senators, 4-1. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who played out his eligibility with the Spokane Chiefs last season, scored his 31st goal of the season for the Admirals. . . . Former Spokane goaltender Dustin Tokarski stopped 30 shots for the victory. . . . The Norfolk roster also features D Radko Gudas (Everett), D Scott Jackson (Seattle) and F Brandon Segal (Calgary).
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The Seattle Thunderbirds and their fans are mourning the death of Scott Lowe, one of their off-ice officials. Lowe was 54 when he lost a battle with ALS, which also is known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He referee hockey for almost 40 years and worked as an off-ice official for WHL games for more than 20 years. . . . “He was a really nice guy and conscientious about his duties,” I was told last night. . . . A celebration of Lowe’s life is scheduled for April 22. . . . There are more details right here.
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The gang in Prince George that is well on its way to turning the World Baseball Challenge into a major event on the international sporting calendar has been nominated for three Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance PRESTIGE awards. WBC co-chair Jim Swanson, who covered the Prince George Cougars for years as sports editor of the Prince George Citizen, is one of three nominees for the CSTA’s community service award. . . . Ted Clarke of the Citizen has more right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)

Who would have thought the second round of the WHL playoffs would get off to such a bizarre start?
F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers led the WHL with 61 regular-season goals. But he got tossed from Game 1 against the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Friday night after going knee-to-knee with F Torrin White. Before the game, Etem was hit was a ‘tbd’ suspension so wasn’t in the lineup last night as the Warriors won 6-1 to take a 2-0 lead in that series.
Meanwhile, the Kamloops Blazers, on the advice of a team doctor, didn’t dress G Cole Cheveldave for Game 2 against the Winterhawks in Kamloops. That meant that G Cam Lanigan, 19, made his playoff debut as the Blazers dropped a 4-1 decision. . . . Cheveldave, a second-team Western Conference all-star, was injured at 18:36 of the third period on Friday when he was hit by Portland F Oliver Gabriel, who was killing a penalty with a 4-3 lead. Cheveldave moved into the trapezoid to play the puck and an on-rushing Gabriel chose not to pull up and ran over the goaltender. Gabriel, like Etem, sat out last night with a ‘tbd’ suspension. . . . The Winterhawks Booster Club was selling ‘Free Ollie’ buttons at its table last night. . . . No one with the Blazers is using the ‘c’ word, choosing to say only that Cheveldave has an “upper-body injury.” . . .

Cheveldave finished Game 1 but was re-examined by a team doctor following breakfast on Saturday. At that point, the doctor recommended that Cheveldave not play. . . . The Blazers had G Taran Kozun backing up Lanigan. Kozun started the season with the Blazers and made two starts before being assigned to the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. . . . Lanigan, in his fourth WHL season, joined the Blazers last season from the Edmonton Oil Kings in a deal that had G Jon Groenheyde go the other way. Lanigan ended up backing up Cheveldave after the latter, the AJHL’s rookie of the year with the Drumheller Dragons last season, took the reins and wouldn’t let go. . . . Prior to last night, Lanigan last played on March 17 in the Blazers’ last regular-season game, a 4-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George.
By the way, the Winterhawks also were fined $250 for what the WHL calls a warmup violation. The WHL didn’t identify a particular incident, but observers did see Portland F Sven Baertschi flip a puck in the direction of Kamloops F Tim Bozon. The two are friends from Switzerland.
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In Edmonton, the Oil Kings won their 17th straight game, beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Edmonton leads the series 2-0 with Games 3 and 4 scheduled for Brandon on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Wheat Kings, who played their first-round home games in Winnipeg, haven’t played in Westman Place since March 17. The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair was in the arena during the first round of WHL playoffs. . . . Last night, the Oil Kings erased a 2-1 deficit with three goals in 2:27 midway through the second period. . . . Edmonton F Kristians Pelss tied it with his second of the game at 8:28. . . . F Travis Ewanyk gave Edmonton the lead at 9:54 and F Jordan Peddle added another goal at 10:55. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock scored at 19:59 of the second to get Brandon to within one. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 26 shots, five fewer than Brandon’s Corbin Boes. . . . Each team was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last six goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-1. . . . The Warriors lead the series 2-0 with the next two games in Medicine Hat on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 18:02 of the first. . . . Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden scored at 9:50 and 10:35 of the second and the Warriors were off and scoring. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull had four assists and was plus-4. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath had one assist and also was plus-4. . . . The Warriors held a 40-15 edge in shots. Medicine Hat had four shots on goal in each of the last two periods. . . . In the two games, the Warriors hold an 83-32 advantage in shots on goal. . . . With F Emerson Etem suspended, the Tigers dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Moose Jaw F Torrin White, who was hit by Etem, didn’t play last night. . . . Medicine Hat F Dylan Bredo, who took a major for a check to the head in Game 1, wasn’t suspended. . . . The Warriors had D Travis Brown back in their lineup after he missed four games. . . . The Tigers dressed F Cole Sanford and D Kyle Becker. Sanford, 16, is from Vernon, B.C., and played for the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies. Becker, who turned 18 on Jan. 24, got into 11 games with the Tigers this season, but played most of the season with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans built up a 2-0 lead and hung on for a 2-1 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The series is 1-1 as it heads to Spokane for games on Wednesday and Friday. Game 5 is scheduled for Kennewick on Saturday. . . . F Adam Hughesman opened the scoring at 13:21 of the first period and F Justin Feser added another at 4:01 of the third. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored on a PP at 18:35 of the third period. Holmberg has eight goals in these playoffs. . . . The Chiefs had won five straight playoff games. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin drew a first-period assist, meaning he has at least one point in each of his last 29 games. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 23 shots, eight fewer than Spokane’s Eric Williams, who lost for the first time in six starts. . . . The Chiefs came awfully close to forcing OT when D Corbin Baldwin’s point shot got past Rimmer at the game-ending buzzer. However, video review showed that time had expired before the puck entered the net. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks broke open a scoreless game with three goals in 2:01 and went on to beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-1. . . . Portland takes a 2-0 series lead into Games 3 and 4 in Kamloops on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Portland F Sven Baertschi opened the scoring at 19:14 of the second period. F Taylor Leier made it 2-0 just 56 seconds into the third and F Cam Reid upped it to 3-0 at 1:15. . . . Baertschi finished up with two goals. . . . Linemates Ty Rattie and Marcel Noebels each had one assist. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth made 39 saves. . . . Kamloops was 0-7 on the PP and now is 0-11 in the series. . . . With F Oliver Gabriel suspended, the Winterhawks inserted F Jason Trott into the lineup and moved F Joe Baker into Gabriel’s usual spot alongside Taylor Peters and Taylor Leier. . . . The Winterhawks have scored nine goals in the two games, with seven of them coming in the two third periods.
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For today’s good read, we take you to the Seattle Times where Danny O’Neil writes about the latest chapter in the life of Ryan Leaf. That piece is right here.

Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that the Everett Silvertips are disputing the lawsuit that has been brought against them by former general manager Doug Soetaert. That story is right here.
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Former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien is 49 years of age and already he is experiencing memory loss.
Nathan Fenno of the Washington Times has more right here.
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Lorne Molleken will be back behind the bench of the Saskatoon Blades next season. Molleken, who is the Blades’ general manager and head coach, has told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that he will reassess his position(s) after the 2012-13 season, which means after the 2013 Memorial Cup. The Blades will be the tournament’s host team.
Molleken also told Nugent-Bowman that the roster of next season’s team will bear little resemblance to the Saskatoon roster that lost in four games to the Medicine Hat Tigers this week.
That story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have announced that they won’t bring back assistant coach Kevin Higo, whose two-year contract is to expire on July 31. Higo, from Lethbridge, was an assistant coach with the Moose Jaw Warriors for two seasons (2008-10). . . .
Victor Gervais (Seattle, 1986-90) is the new GM/head coach of the junior B Westshore Wolves, a new club in the Vancouver Island junior league. Gervais has spent the last five seasons with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. This season, he was GM and assistant coach, with Len Barrie as majority owner and head coach. . . . The Wolves will play out of Victoria’s Bear Mountain Arena, which also is home to the Grizzlies. . . .
The U of Alberta Golden Bears have redone their organizational tree. No longer will they have a head coach and an assistant coach; instead, there will be a general manager and a head coach. Stan Marple, the interim head coach last season, will be the first GM, while the search is on for a coach. Evan Daum has that story in the Edmonton Journal right here.
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D Morgan Rielly isn’t yet ready to return to the Moose Jaw Warriors’ lineup; in fact, it sounds as though he may not play for a couple of weeks, although he has been practising for 10 days. Rielly, who had major knee surgery on Dec. 1. He visited with his Vancouver surgeon this week and Alan Millar, the Warriors’ director of hockey operations, told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald that Rielly is “week-to-week.” Millar told Gourlie: “The appointment with the surgeon went very well. (Rielly) continues to be on pace to have a chance to play somewhat ahead of schedule. I know there was a lot of speculation and some reports that he would be in the line-up (tonight). He will not be in the line-up. He will not play at all in this series.” . . . The Warriors take a 3-1 series lead over the Regina Pats into Game 5 in Moose Jaw tonight.
Gourlie’s story, and there’s more to it, is right here.
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Is Saskatoon, a city that would be home to an NHL franchise, a good sports town, or not? Les MacPherson, a columnist with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, tackles that question right here.
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D Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades will finish his season with the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Siemens was selected by Colorado with the 11th pick of the 2011 NHL draft. . . .
D Josh Caron of the Everett Silvertips, who signed a free-agent deal with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, is expected to join the AHL’s Houston Aeros for the remainder of the season. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that F Ryan Harrison has been invited to join the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters, and D Brennan Yadlowski may hook up with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles.
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Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, was busy again on Thursday.
He hit Everett F Ryan Harrison with a ‘tbd’ suspension for a charging major and game misconduct in Game 4 against the visiting Tri-City Americans on Wednesday. Assuming that Harrison, 19, is back in the fall, the start of his season almost certainly will be delayed. . . .
F Max Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice was hit with a one-game suspension for a game misconduct he took against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday. Reinhart didn’t play last night as the Oil Kings completed a sweep of the defending-champion Ice. . . .
Ice D Spencer Wand also sat out last night’s game after being suspended for a game following a pregame violation on Wednesday. . . .
Regina Pats F Dyson Stevenson won’t play tonight in Game 5 against the host Moose Jaw Warriors. He incurred a one-game suspension after taking a clipping major and game misconduct in Game 4 in Regina on Wednesday. He has a team-high three goals and is tied with F Jordan Weal for the team lead in points, with five. . . .
And, finally, Regina president Brent Parker was fined $2,500 for “inappropriate behaviour” after Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.
Glenn Reid of CBC Regina tweeted: “GM Brent Parker fined $2500 for inappropriate conduct. I thought he was screaming at me for a second there (Wednesday) night.”
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported that Parker “punched a hole in the door of the video replay booth inside the press box” after the game and “also became involved in a heated verbal confrontation with the off-ice officials who were inside the booth.”
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Harder had a busy time of it. He also spoke with Wayne Gretzky, whose good friend, Pat Conacher, is in his first season as the Regina Pats’ head coach. That story is right here.
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Bill Graveland of The Canadian Press reports on a WHL player who received probation and community service after pleading guilty to charges from a high-speed car crash in which his girlfriend was killed. That story is right here.
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THURSDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)
In Winnipeg, the Brandon Wheat Kings got a goal at 8:26 of OT to beat the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 and win a first-round series in five games. . . . The Wheat Kings played their home games in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is in Westman Place in Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings actually scored twice on the game-winning play. F Paul Ciarelli fired a shot that hit the cross-bar in the back of the net. As one of the referees waved it off, F Darian Dziurzynski, who turns 21 today, banged in the rebound. . . . Originally credited to Dziurzynski, the goal was later changed to Ciarelli. . . . The Hitmen killed off a Brandon power play just before the winning goal and, in fact, came close to winning when G Corbin Boes made a tremendous glove save off F Jimmy Bubnick. . . . It is the eighth time in the last 11 seasons that Brandon has moved into the second round. . . . Boes finished with 42 saves. . . . Ciarelli scored at 4:14 of the third period to forge a 2-2 tie. Those were his first two goals of the series. . . . Dziurzynski and Jens Meilleur each had two assists for Brandon as they figured in both Ciarelli goals. . . . The Hitmen played all five games without F Victor Rask (leg), who scored 33 goals in the regular season. . . . Attendance was 4,002. . . . You can bet this series victory meant just a little bit more to Brandon owner/general manager Kelly McCrimmon. His brother, Brad, would have been 53 on Thursday. Brad was the head coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the KHL team that was wiped out in a plane crash on Sept. 7. . . . The Wheat Kings will be back in Westman Place for the second round. Brandon will face the Edmonton Oil Kings next, if the Moose Jaw Warriors eliminate the Regina Pats. The Warriors take a 3-1 lead in that series into Game 5 tonight in Moose Jaw. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Rhett Rachinski scored the game’s last two goals as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Kootenay Ice 3-1 and swept the defending champions from the playoffs. . . . Edmonton has won its last 15 games. . . . Rachinski broke a 1-1 tie with his first goal of the series at 14:09 of the second period and added an empty-netter at 19:23 of the third. . . . The Oil Kings, in their fifth season in the WHL, won a series for the first time. They went in having been swept from the first round in both of their appearances. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 25 shots, while Laurent Brossoit of Edmonton turned aside 14. . . . The biggest story of the two games in Cranbrook may well have been the attendance — 2,293 on Wednesday and 2,146 last night. Those are the two smallest Rec-Plex playoff crowds in franchise history. . . . The highlight for the fans may have been when Marian Dixon shot a puck from the far blue-line through a hole in a sheet of plywood and won a truck from Denham Ford. . . . A Thursday night tweet from Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart: “Best comment on the ice goes to my little bro Sam saying ‘If you touch me I'm telling mom’ when we were in a scrum.” . . .

In Kelowna, F Ty Rattie scored four times as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Rockets 5-3 to sweep that first-round series. . . . The Winterhawks will meet the Kamloops Blazers in the second round. That series will open with Games 1 and 2 in Portland’s Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum on April 6 and 7. . . . Rattie scored his club’s first three goals, giving Portland 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads. . . . He later added an empty-netter for his 10th goal in the four games. He also had three assists. . . . Interestingly, in the four games in this series, Rattie had one-, two-, three- and four-goal games. . . . Last spring, Rattie finished the playoffs with nine goals in 17 games. . . . He actually outscored the Rockets, 10-9, in the four games. . . . Portland F Sven Baertschi had two assists. . . . Linemates Rattie, Baertschi and Marcel Noebels, who had one helper, each was plus-4.
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THURSDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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THURSDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Curtis Lazar, Edmonton.

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