Warriors start with victory . . . Giants d-man wants out . . . UBC looking for head coach

Surprise goaltender shows up at training camp.#AmsHockey# pic.twitter.com/Zx6b1sgd5W

— Robert (Bob) Tory (@BTORY) August 30, 2016

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored a 2-1 victory over the visiting Swift Current Broncos in their annual (almost all) rookie game, a contest that kicks off the WHL’s exhibition season. . . . F Luka Burzan scored the game’s first goal, putting the Warriors out front at 1:34 of the second period. . . . F Ryan Bowen upped the lead to 2-0 at 4:20. . . . D Colby Sissons got the Broncos on the board at 19:32 of the third. . . . G Evan Adamoff went the distance for the Warriors, making 27 saves. . . . Swift Current starter Bailey Brikin stopped 18 of 20 shots, with Joel Hofer finishing up with 10 stops. . . . The game marked the debut of Manny Viveiros, the Broncos’ director of player personnel and head coach.

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Glen Hanlon, the general manager of the Vancouver Giants, has told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that D Brennan Menell, 19, has asked to be traded. The Giants, according to Hanlon, will accommodate him. . . . Menell walked out on the Giants on Nov. 4, only to return six days later. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Menell, an offensively gifted defenceman from Woodbury, Minn., put up 53 points, including 46 assists, in 69 games. In 2014-15, as a freshman, he had 21 points, two of them goals, in 57 games. . . . Ewen also reports that F Ty Ronning and F Alec Baer sat out the Giants’ intrasquad game with undisclosed injuries.

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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Reid Perepeluk to a WHL contract. Perepeluk, from Yorkton, Sask., was a sixth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 210-pounder played last season with the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George. He put up six goals and 10 assists in 29 regular-season games. . . . In 2014-15, he had 28 goals and 12 assists in 26 games with the bantam AAA Yorkton Terriers.

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The Regina Pats have signed Swedish D Filip Ahl, who was a fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the NHL’s 2015 draft. Ahl, 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, had 31 points, including 18 goals, in 18 games with HV71 Jonkoping of the Swedish SuperElit League last season. Internationally, he has played for Sweden in U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-20 competitions.

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F Austin Adamson’s junior A rights were acquired by the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers on Tuesday. In exchange for the 20-year-old, the Vipers sent future considerations to the Chilliwack Chiefs. . . . The 6-foot-0, 200-pounder from Richmond, B.C., was released by the Swift Current Broncos last week. He has 20 points, including eight goals, in 134 WHL regular-season games. He also has played with the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels.

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The NHL’s Arizona Coyotes have signed Jim Hammett as an amateur scout covering the WHL. Hammett is a veteran scout who spent six seasons (2000-06) as the Colorado Avalanche’s director of scouting. He also has scouted for the Nashville Predators, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was the Rangers’ director of amateur scouting (2007-08) and the Lightning’s director of player personnel (2008-09). For the past seven seasons, he has been the director of hockey operations for the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL. He also scouted for the Prince Albert Raiders last season. . . . In 2006-07, he was Hockey Canada’s head scout, helping select the Canadian team that won the 2007 World Junior Championship.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The UBC Thunderbirds parted company with head coach Adam Shell on Tuesday. . . . “After a season behind the bench as head coach of the UBC men’s varsity hockey team, Adam Shell is moving on,” reads a one-paragraph news release on the UBC athletics department website. . . . Assistant coach Sven Butenschon (Brandon Wheat Kings, 1993-96) has been named the interim head coach “as the program begins the process of finding a replacement head coach.” . . . Shell was named head coach on Aug. 11, 2015. He signed on with UBC after spending eight years at the Royal Military College of Canada. . . . The Thunderbirds were 11-13-4 in one season under Shell. UBC then lost a best-of-three first-round playoff series in two games to Mount Royal.

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Laura Schuler is returning as head coach of Canada’s national women’s team. Schuler, who also is the head coach of the women’s team at Dartmouth College, an ECAC team, will go into her second season as Canada’s head coach. Last season, she guided the team into the final of the IIHF World Championship in Kamloops, where it lost in OT to Team USA. . . . Dwayne Gylywoychuk, a former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman and coach, is returning to Team Canada as an assistant coach. . . . A complete Hockey Canada news release is right here.

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A pair of brothers, both of whom played in the WHL, are taking over as co-head coaches of the junior B Saskatoon Royals of the Prairie Junior Hockey League. . . . Brett and Derek Parker, who are from Melville, Sask., will open camp with the Royals on Sept. 9. . . . Brett, now 31, played three seasons (2002-05) with the Prince George Cougars and five games with the Vancouver Giants in 2005-06. . . . Derek, now 33, played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors (1999-03).

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The boys have arrived in First Class. This is how we do it @PGCougars when we do a scouting trip pic.twitter.com/N5dZaroGsZ

— Sean Murray (@SeanVanCityPFGS) August 31, 2016

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Fora added to Swiss national team; speculation there about his WHL future

MICHAEL FORA

D Michael Fora of the Kamloops Blazers has been added to the roster of the Swiss national team as head coach Glen Hanlon prepares it for the 2016 IIHF World championship.
Fora is one of eight defencemen on the roster, but the only one who doesn’t play professionally in Switzerland. Fora, 19, had 32 points in 60 games with the Blazers. He also played for Switzerland at the 2015 World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto.
The Swiss team is to play exhibition games against Finland today in Kloten and Friday in Basel.
There also is ample speculation in Switzerland that Fora won’t return to Kamloops, choosing instead to play professionally with HC Ambri-Piotta. The speculation seems to have started with a report by Pietro Filippini of Giornale del Popolo.
“It looks as if a return to HCAP is likely should Fora not be drafted in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft this summer,” reported swisshockeynews.ch. “If he should be picked and his team will advise him to return to Europe, he is set to make his way back to Switzerland to join HCAP, reports the same source.”
Fora played junior with two Swiss teams -- GDT Bellinzona and HC Ambrì-Piotta.
You can forget about Fora, who just completed his first WHL season, not being drafted. He got off to a slow start but by season’s end was an impact-type defenceman and NHL scouts had him on their ‘must-see’ lists.
If Fora isn’t back in the WHL next season, it likely will be because of his age. He turns 20 on Oct. 30, meaning he would be a two-spotter -- a 20-year-old import -- and teams often are reluctant to keep such players.
There are six two-spotters on WHL playoff rosters: F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice, F Edgars Kulda of the Edmonton Oil Kings, G Marek Langhamer of the Medicine Hat Tigers, F Roberts Lipsbergs of the Seattle Thunderbirds, F Richard Nejezchleb of the Tri-City Americans and F Pavel Padakin of the Regina Pats.

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Time for celebration in Edmonton

F Greg Scott (Seattle, 2005-09) has signed a two-year extension with Brynäs Gävle (Sweden, SHL). He had 36 points, including 17 goals, with Brynäs last season. . . .

F Andrew Clark (Brandon, 2005-09) has signed a one-year contract with Esbjerg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, he had 35 points, 14 of them goals, in 31 games with the Stockton Thunder (ECHL). He also played 35 games on loan to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL), where he had 19 points, including seven goals, in 35 games. . . . Esbjerg’s head coach is Mark Pederson (Medicine Hat, 1983-88). . . .

D Michal Gulasi (Lethbridge, 2003-05) has signed a contract (one year plus option) with Sodertalje (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 15 points, two of them goals, in 52 games. An alternate captain, he led the league in hits and blocked shots. . . .

Glen Hanlon (Brandon, 1974-77; assistant coach, Vancouver, 2011-13) was named head coach of Switzerland’s national team. Hanlon, who signed a two-year contract, also will be the general manager of Switzerland’s national junior team. Hanlon had been working as head coach of the Belarusian national team program. . . .

F Robin Kovář (Vancouver, Regina, 2001-04) has signed a one-year extension with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). Last season, he had 78 points, including 36 goals, in 52 games. He was sixth in the league’s scoring race and was named to the second all-star team, while the Phoenix won the league championship. . . .

F Stanislav Balán (Portland, 2005-06) has signed a one-year extension with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, he had 31 points, including a team-high 19 assists, in 41 games.
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1. If you are in the Edmonton area today (Wednesday), you will want to be at Sir Winston Churchill Square by 11:45 a.m., because folks will be celebrating the Oil Kings’ Memorial Cup championship. . . . According to a team news release: The fun begins “at 11:45 a.m. with a procession of our champions, southward on 99 Street from 103A Avenue to 102 Avenue. The celebration will then proceed to the stage, located on the south side of Churchill Square. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Alberta Premier Dave Hancock will be on hand to celebrate the Oil Kings 2014 Memorial Cup championship. Following the formal celebration, Oil Kings players will be hosting an autograph session, thanking their dedicated fans who helped them reach junior hockey's ultimate prize.”

2. Right-hander Dustin Molleken, who was selected by the Regina Pats in the eighth round of the 1999 WHL bantam draft, is working out of the bullpen of the Nashville Sounds, the Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. . . . Going into today’s play, Molleken, the son of Saskatoon Blades head scout Doug Molleken, had thrown 10.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last six outings. He had struck out 13 in that stretch. . . . This season, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Molleken, who turns 30 on Aug. 21, is 1-2 with one save and a 3.77 ERA.

3. The NHL has yet to commit to having its players perform in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games that are to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea. But what of even beyond then? . . . There is an interesting piece right here that points out how it seems to be getting more and more difficult to find cities interested in bidding for the Games.

4. “The crisis in Ukraine has now entered the hockey world,” writes Travis Hughes at sbnation.com. “Druzhba Arena, the home rink of HC Donbass of the KHL, was severely damaged Monday evening and early Tuesday by pro-Russian militants, who burned and robbed the hockey arena that's stood since 1976. The attack was perpetrated by members of a group that supports the creation of a sovereign ‘Donetsk People's Republic.’ The group is pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian, and HC Donbass called them ‘terrorists’ in a statement after the burning of their arena.” . . . Former NHLer Andrey Nazarov is HC Donbass’ head coach. . . . The arena also is scheduled to play host to the IIHF’s Division 1A World Championship in April. . . . Hughes’s complete report is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
David Robinson has resigned from his position as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. Robinson (Chilliwack, 2007-10) was on the Vipers’ staff for two seasons. According to a team news release, he “has decided to pursue other options at this time.”
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Scott Hillman has signed a multi-year contract as the head coach of the Indy Fuel, the newest team in the ECHL. Hillman, 40, is coming off five seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Missouri Mavericks. Missouri had the CHL’s best regular-season record in 2013-14, leaving Hillman with a .607 winning percentage during his stint there.
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The QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres have signed Bruce Richardson as their new head coach. For the last two seasons, Richardson has been the head coach of the midget AAA Châteauguay Grenadiers. They reached the final of the TELUS Cup national championship tournament earlier this month. . . . With the Tigres, Richardson replaces Yanick Jean, who was fired after a first-round playoff loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Jean had been the Tigres head coach since February 2008.
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From Stephen Harper (@pmharper): “Congratulations to the @EdmOilKings for their #MemorialCup victory. What a great end to a very exciting season!”
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From Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN), who was watching the New York Rangers and host Montreal Canadiens last night: “I'm no hockey expert, but these hits to the head are terrifying.”
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From Terry Koshan (@koshtorontosun): “Why players push opposing players on to their own goalie is one of hockey's great mysteries, never to be solved.”
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From Butch Goring (@91Butch), who should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame: “Love the refs calling the embellishments. Hockey is a man's game, not a place for shady individuals looking for something free.” . . . Check him out on Twitter; yes, his avatar is that helmet.

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Oil Kings bring Memorial Cup back to WHL

Once again we are reminded why they play the games, and why there is nothing in reality television that can equal what happens on the field of play.
The WHL-champion Edmonton Oil Kings doubled up on the OHL-champion Guelph Storm, 6-3, in the championship game of the Memorial Cup tournament in London on Sunday.
(Of course, that would be London, Ont., as the CHL, unlike the NFL, doesn’t play neutral-site games on the other side of the pond.)
The Storm went into the game having won its first three games in the tournament, including a 5-2 victory over Edmonton on the second day of the 10-day event. In the tournament’s 43-year history, only 11 teams have gone 4-0; the Storm wasn’t able to make it an even dozen.
The Storm went into the final as the favourite. In some corners, including the pages of the Edmonton Sun, the Storm was a heavy favourite. “Edmonton Oil Kings face heavily favoured Guelph Storm in Memorial Cup final” blared the headline on a Terry Jones column that was posted on the newspaper’s website on Saturday night.
In the end, though, none of that mattered.
The Oil Kings got five points, including two goals, from F Henrik Samuelsson, and a goal and two assists from tournament MVP Edgars Kulda as they erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to win their third game of the tournament. They also lost twice -- in regulation time to the Storm and in OT to the Val-d’Or Foreurs.
“I could cry right now,” Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal said in a story posted on the team’s website. “The emotional feelings for our players, to represent the Western Hockey League and bring that trophy back, where all you heard all week was ‘you haven’t won it for five years and Guelph’s this and this.’
“Our kids don’t care who we’re playing. They’re going to play a certain way, they’re going to grind out a win and what do you say about some of the efforts tonight? I thought everybody stepped up. They were focused and ready to put a Grade A effort forward."
The Storm got off to a great start, getting its first lead one minute into the game as F Robby Fabbri, taking advantage of a neutral zone turnover, finished a 3-on-1 break with an open-net tap-in.
Edmonton got that one back on a PP, as D Cody Corbett scored on a one-timer from the high slot at 9:38.
Still, the Storm took a 2-1 lead into the second period when F Stephen Pierog scored off a rebound, at 16:36, after G Tristan Jarry stopped F Pius Suter on a breakaway.
The Oil Kings took over in the second period, however, scoring three times to take a 4-2 lead into the final 20 minutes.
F Tyler Robertson, who scored once in the regular season and twice in the WHL playoffs, pounced on a loose puck off an offensive zone faceoff and beat G Justin Nichols to tie the game at 1:58.
Kulda scored his fourth of the tournament, on the PP, at 6:06, beating Nichols from the left side off the rush and the Oil Kings were feasting now.
F Mitch Moroz got his second of the tournament, from Kulda and Samuelsson, at 14:19, and you had a feeling that the Oil Kings weren’t going to cough up a two-goal lead in the last game of the season.
At the same time, the Storm’s body language indicated that it couldn’t quite believe, never mind try to understand, just what was happening.
Guelph tried to make it interesting as F Zack Mitchell beat Jarry at 3:23 of the third period, but Samuelsson scored 1:37 later and the Storm had been downgraded to a whimper.
It remained for Samuelsson to score into the empty net at 18:34.
Jarry, who saved his best game for last, finished with 32 saves, seven fewer than Nichols.
Edmonton was 2-for-2 on the PP; Guelph went 0-for-2.
How did the Oil Kings win?
“I thought we did a better job of reading their rims off the walls and not activating our defence,” Laxdal explained. “I thought we did a great job on special teams, with two power-play goals. And the belief that we could beat them. You know, they’re a very good hockey club. Great transition. But we knew we had to grind out their defencemen and hunt them.”
This was the first Memorial Cup championship in the modern history of the Oil Kings, who played their first WHL season in 2007-08. The original Oil Kings, a franchise that now is the Portland Winterhawks, won the Memorial Cup twice (1963 and 1966) during a run of seven straight appearances in what was then a best-of-seven East vs. West final.
The Oil Kings are the first WHL team to win the Memorial Cup since the Spokane Chiefs beat the host Rangers in Kitchener in 2008.
JUST NOTES: Samuelsson won the tournament scoring title, the Ed Chynoweth Trophy, with eight points. . . . F Tyler Bertuzzi of Guelph led in goals (5), one more than Samuelsson and Kulda. . . . Guelph D Nick Ebert and Edmonton D Cody Corbett were tops in assists, each with five. . . . Kulda took home the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as MVP. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar got the George Parsons Trophy as most sportsmanlike player. . . . Antoine Bibeau of the Foreurs was named the outstanding goaltender and went home with the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy. . . . The tournament all-star team comprised Bibeau, defencemen Matt Finn of Guelph and Corbett, and forwards Kulda, Samuelsson and Guelph’s Kerby Rychel. . . . Laxdal now has two Memorial Cup titles to his credit. He was a player with Portland when it won the 1983 tournament as the host team. . . . The City of Edmonton will stage an Oil Kings celebration on Wednesday.
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1. The 2015 Memorial Cup tournament is scheduled to be held in Quebec City, with the QMJHL’s Remparts as the host team. The Remparts have twice won the trophy (2006, 1971). . . . The Remparts and Chicoutimi Sagueneens both bid on the 2015 tournament. . . . It’s worth noting that the 2015 tournament is to run from May 21 through May 31, meaning next season will end one week later than this one. . . . The WHL will be the host league for the 2016 tournament and the smart money is on Vancouver as the host city.

2. Derek Laxdal has completed four seasons as head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings. His teams have won one Memorial Cup, two WHL championships and three Eastern Conference titles. The Oil Kings have won 50, 51 and 50 games in each of the last three regular seasons. He has never been named the WHL’s coach of the year.

3. It is believed that at least two WHL teams, the Vancouver Giants and Saskatoon Blades, are wanting to chat with Oil Kings assistant coach Steve Hamilton. . . . The Giants are looking for a head coach; the Blades need a general manager and a head coach.

4. The last time the Oil Kings won a Memorial Cup was 1966. Al Hamilton was a defenceman on that team. Yes, he is Steve’s father. . . . Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal spoke with the proud father and that piece is right here.

5. Some things shouldn’t have a price tag on them and the Memorial Cup is one of them. First awarded in 1919, it was established to honour those Canadians who lost their lives in the First World War. During the 2010 tournament in Brandon, the Memorial Cup was rededicated to honour all of Canada’s war dead, no matter the conflict. . . . As such, it should be the Memorial Cup and should not have a sponsor’s name attached to it.

6. Could it be that the Oil Kings and Winterhawks, who have met in each of the last three WHL championship series, will be in the WHL’s final four from now until eternity? These are clearly the two best organizations in the league. Money is no object and both teams have all the resources needed by championship teams. . . . At the same time, it strikes me that the gulf between the big- and small-market WHL teams never has been wider.

7. Edmonton and Portland each had 11 playoff home games. The Winterhawks drew 107,522 fans to those games; the Oil Kings brought in 80,913 fans. That two-team total of 188,435 accounted for 44.7 per of the WHL’s total playoff attendance.

8. Former Vancouver Giants assistant coach Glen Hanlon has resigned as the head coach of the Belarusian national team. Hanlon made the announcement Sunday as the IIHF world championship wrapped up in Minsk. . . . Belarus reached the tournament’s quarterfinal round for the first time since 2009. . . . It is expected that Hanlon will be named the head coach of the Swiss national team program.

9. Following their weekend prospects camp, the Regina Pats announced they have signed G Jordan Hollett, who was the 13th overall selection in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . Hollett, from Langley, B.C., played last season at the Okanagan Hockey Academy, going 23-4-0, 1.75. . . . He is the first goaltender to be taken by the Pats in the first round since the draft’s inception in 1990.

10. D Seth Jones, who played one season (2012-13) with the Portland Winterhawks, was named the best defenceman at the IIHF world championship tournament that concluded Sunday in Minsk, Belarus. Jones, who just completed his first NHL season with the Nashville Predators, was the only player off Team USA to be named to the tournament’s all-star team. Pretty heady stuff for a guy who won’t celebrate his 20th birthday until Oct. 3.
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2014 MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont.)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph 6, Val-d’Or 3 (8,796)
Tuesday: Val-d’Or 4, Edmonton 3 (2OT) (8,745)
Wednesday: Guelph 7, London 2 (8,863)
Thursday: No game scheduled.
Friday’s semifinal: Edmonton 4, Val-d’Or 3 (3OT) (8,776)
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday’s final: Edmonton 6, Guelph 3 (8,863)
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From Regina Pats assistant coach Billy McGuigan (@BillyMcGuigan12): “@EdmOilKings Head Coach Derek Laxdal now has an ECHL championship, 1 Memcup, 2 WHL championships, and 5 league finals appearances #welldone”


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WHL final down to one game . . . Dead-puck era coming to end in WHL?

This deer, along with seven of his/her friends, strolled by our deck. When
asked, they said they were on their way to Portland for Game 7.

You don’t have to be a huge hockey fan to understand that analytics are beginning to play a role in the way management looks at the game.
It’s not that long ago when it dawned on those inside the game that faceoffs are of the utmost important, that you are so much better off to win the draw and have possession of the puck, rather than to lose and be chasing it.
These days, things quickly are progressing well past that point.
Analytics now looks at things like dump-ins vs. zone entry, shooting percentage, shot quality, even-strength save percentages, adjusted plus-minus rating and on and on it goes.
Of course, there is one other number that figures into all of this, and that is attendance.
It could be that when Ron Toigo, the majority owner of the Vancouver Giants, told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that he wants his team to score 300 goals, he is really drawing a line linking his team’s offence to tickets sold.
According to Ewen, Toigo wants the Giants to change their game. Rather than owning a team whose game plan comprises the big bang theory -- dump and chase, bang and crash -- Toigo wants, as Ewen wrote, a team that will “play a puck-possession, skill game.”
Of course, that can be easier said than done, but Toigo told Ewen that he feels that kind of game matches the talent on the Giants’ roster.
“We want to score 300 goals,” Toigo told Ewen.
You should know that the Giants, in this dead-puck era, have scored fewer than 300 goals in each of the last five seasons. Two seasons ago, they didn’t even score 200 goals.
In 2008-09, the Giants scored 319 goals, with centre Casey Pierro-Zabotel winning the scoring title, with 115 points, and Evander Kane scoring 48 goals. At the gate, the Giants averaged 8,470 fans per game as they went 57-10-2-3 to finish atop the Western Conference. (They lost the conference final to the Kelowna Rockets in six games.)
This season, the Giants scored 234 goals, went 32-29-11 and wound up seventh in the conference. They were swept from a first-round series by the Portland Winterhawks. In the regular season, Vancouver’s average attendance was 6,266, down from 7,205 the previous season and down more than 2,000 per game from 2008-09.
It is no wonder, then, that Toigo says the Giants’ new head coach, whomever that may be, will be a puck-possession guy.
Chances are good, I think, that you will see more teams headed in this direction as more and more owners/operators come to the realization that they are in the entertainment business and that more needs to be done to provide an entertaining product for the fans. With regular-season attendance having fallen in 19 of 22 WHL cities, some people are starting to realize that more offence just might mean more fannies in the seats.
After all, would you rather watch a game like the won in Edmonton on Sunday evening, in which the Portland Winterhawks beat the Oil Kings 6-5 in overtime, or the one in Chicago later that night in which the Blackhawks beat the Minnesota Wild, 2-1?
Yes, this could be the beginning of the end for the dead-puck era, at least in the WHL.
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1. For a look at some analytics from Game 6 of the WHL’s championship final, check out Megan’s Twitter account (@butyoucarlotta).

2. There had been speculation that Glen Hanlon could be the next head coach of the Vancouver Giants. However, Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province indicated early Saturday that Hanlon won’t be the man. . . . Hanlon, a former Giants assistant coach under head coach Don Hay, is the head coach of the Belarusian national team, the host team at the IIHF world championship that is ongoing in Minsk. . . . Ewen asked Hanlon about the Giants’ job and received this email: “It would be a great job for me and my family, but I’m under contract for next year.” . . . Ewen also reported: “There have been reports Hanlon, the former Vancouver Canucks goaltender, is taking over the Swiss men’s team.”

3. Congrats to old friend Bruce Enns, who was inducted into the Basketball BC Hall of Fame on Saturday night at the Langley Entertainment Centre. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since Enns, then the head coach with the U of Winnipeg Wesmen men’s team, taught an eager, young sports reporter about the finer aspects of the game.

4. Did Pittsburgh Penguins F Sidney Crosby look like a frustrated hockey player last night, or what? Does he get fined for throwing a spear at New York Rangers F Brian Boyle? Does Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist get fined for squirting water in Crosby’s face? Do these guys adjourn to a sandbox when the game is over?

5. How big has the NFL draft become? Consider this from Richard Deitsch of SI.com: “Viewers could not get enough of it. The combined audience on Thursday night for ESPN and NFL Network's first round coverage was 12.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched first round ever. Taken separately, ESPN averaged 9,943,000 viewers during the first round, up 60 percent over 2013. The NFL Network's first-round coverage drew 2.4 million viewers, a 60 percent increase over last year's record (1.5 million viewers). As for the entire draft, ESPN's 15-plus hours on ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 4,121,000 viewers, a 36 percent gain over 2013 (3,035,000), while The NFL Network viewership was up 33 percent over last year. draft coverage of all rounds across ESPN, ESPN2, and NFLN averaged 5.4M viewers, the most-watched draft in history.” . . . Deitsch’s complete media column, which always is an excellent read, is right here.

6. The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens are meeting in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 34th time. And one only needs to mention ‘Too Many Men’ for hockey fans to know . . . right here is Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated with a great read.
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THE QMJHL FINAL:
In Val-d’Or, two goals from Pierre-Maxime Poudrier helped the Foreurs to a 6-3 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Sunday. . . . The series is 3-3 with the championship to be decided Tuesday night in Baie-Comeau.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Ottawa 67’s announced late Sunday night that they are in the market for a head coach. Chris Byrne, who had been their general manager and head coach, has stepped aside as head coach in order to focus on the GM’s duties. . . . The 67’s didn’t qualify for the playoffs this season.
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Jamie Fiesel, the general manager and head coach of the Melville Millionaires, has signed an extension with the SJHL team that will take him through the 2015-16 season. Fiesel was named the SJHL’s coach of the year this season after the Millionaires finished 34-16-2-4.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised on delayed basis by Root Sports)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
(Series tied, 3-3)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (6,799)
Wednesday: Portland 0 at Edmonton 2 (7,859)
Friday: Edmonton 3 at Portland 2 (10,947)
Sunday: Portland 6 at Edmonton 5 (OT) (11,902)
Monday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Veterans Memorial Coliseum)
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton,  F Keegan Iverson scored at 7:23 of OT as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Oil Kings 6-5 to force a seventh game in the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . Game 7 is scheduled for tonight in Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum. . . . The teams shared a charter flight back to Portland following last night’s game. . . . Each of these teams has played on back-to-back nights in these playoffs. But neither team has played back-to-back in different cities. . . . The Winterhawks overcame 3-0 and 5-2 deficits to force extra time. . . . Iverson won it with his fourth goal of the playoffs, tipping in a shot by F Dominic Turgeon. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot, who had a goal and two assists, forced OT with his fifth goal at 11:14 of the third period. . . . The Oil Kings led 3-0 after one period, thanks to two goals from F Henrik Samuelsson, who has eight goals, six of them in the final, and one from F Edgars Kulda. . . . The Winterhawks cut into that lead in the second period, getting goals from D Mathew Dumba, on the PP, and D Anton Cederholm. . . . Edmonton got both those goals back before the period ended, with F Curtis Lazar scoring at 13:57 and Kulda getting his 10th at 14:46. . . . Dumba got the Portland comeback started with his eighth goal, via the PP, at 2:57 of the third. . . . D Keoni Texeira added his second goal at 6:09, setting the stage for Pouliot’s tying goal. . . . If you’re counting, Portland got its first five goals from defencemen. . . . Pouliot has 32 points, tying him for the playoff scoring lead with teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand. Bjorkstrand leads in goals (15); Pouliot is tops in assists (27). . . . A defenceman has never won a WHL playoff scoring title. . . . F Mitch Moroz and D Dysin Mayo each had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes surrendered three goals on 10 shots and left after the first period. Brendan Burke came on to stop 28 of 30 shots. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 35 shots. . . . Portland was 2-for-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-for-4. . . . The last time the WHL’s championship series went seven games was two seasons ago. The Oil Kings beat the visiting Winter hawks 4-1 in Game 7. . . .
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Here’s Mike Johnston, Portland’s GM/head coach, to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: “We’ve had some sickness in this series and (Boes) was a little under the weather. . . . I thought his fatigue was showing in the first period with some of his rebounds. (It was) one of those gut things. You make a decision. Sometimes it works out. We did it in the Kelowna series, too.”
So who does Johnston start tonight? Perhaps a flu bug will make the decision for him.
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A game story from Brian Swane of the Edmonton Sun is right here.
The game story filed by Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal is right here.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “May 11 - Since 1999, 14 WHL Championships have been decided between May 7th and the 14th... But none on May 11th.” . . . That was tweeted before Sunday's game, so you now can make it 15.
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From Edmonton Sun sports columnist Terry Jones (@sunterryjones): “In WHL final history no visiting team has managed to win Game 7. Oil Kings in Portland on Monday night. Winner to Memorial Cup.”
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From Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “Portland's never hosted a Game 7 of the WHL final. Also hasn't won WHL title in Portland since 1982.”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Mike Wilson (Prince Albert, Swift Current, 2003-08) signed a one-year contract with Aalborg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had seven goals and 27 assists in 57 games with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) and one assist in 10 games on loan to the Worcester Sharks (AHL) this season. . . .

Last Monday, the Belarus Ice Hockey Federation announced the signing of Glen Hanlon to a two-year plus option contract as national team head coach. The contract is effective July 1. In addition to being the head coach for the senior national team, Hanlon also will assist with the development strategy for the Belarusian U-20 and U-18 national teams. The press release says that Hanlon is expected to arrive in Minsk in late July-early August, once the national teams' schedule for next season is finalized.
The link to the English press release can be found right here.
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It was Canada versus the United States and there were 21,000 fans in attendance. It was hockey — yes, ice hockey — and it was being played in Sydney, Australia. . . . Check it out right here.
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If you’re a Canadian sporting fan, chances are you tuned in to TV coverage of the PGA Tour on Sunday. You were wanting to watch Graham DeLaet, the pride of Weyburn, who spent a lot of the day within a shot of the lead. . . . You saw Ken Duke win in a playoff, and you watched Bubba Watson be a boor. . . . Brian Murphy of Yahoo! Sports has lots more right here.


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