Malcolm Gladwell is the renowned author of, among other works, Blink, Outliers and What the Dog Saw. In Outliers, one of the things he writes about is the advantage presented to athletes born in the first part of the year. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a look, as are any of his books.
Gladwell also writes for The New Yorker, which is where you will find his essay titled Offensive Play: How different are dogfighting and football?
If you haven’t read it, it’s right here. In it, Gladwell writes extensively about concussions and football.
Anyway . . . Gladwell recently was interviewed by Kathy Waldman for Slate.
In one question, Waldman asked: “What do you think is the single most compelling reason to abolish college football? Corruption? Head injury? Lost focus on academics?”
Gladwell replied: “The factor that I think will be decisive is the head-injury issue. Colleges are going to get sued, and they will have to decide whether they can afford their legal exposure.”
I’m sorry fight fans, but that also is a decision that hockey teams and leagues are going to have to deal with if they don’t act to abolish fighting.
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There was tragic news on Wednesday with former NFL linebacker Junior Seau having been found dead in his Oceanside, Calif., home, an apparent suicide victim. Seau, just 43 and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, apparently died of a gunshot wound to his chest. That fact immediately had people jumping to conclusions as they assumed he wanted to preserve his head in order for it to be examined in a search for CTE.
This situation is eerily similar to that involving Dave Duerson, a former Chicago Bears safety, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest in February 2011.
The Associated Press reported: “Duerson's family has filed a wrongful death suit against the NFL, claiming the league didn't do enough to prevent or treat concussions that severely damaged Duerson's brain before he died in February 2011.”
Seau is the eighth player off the roster of the San Diego Chargers who played in the 1994 Super Bowl to have died. All eight weren’t yet 45 when they died.
But it is far too early to be jumping to conclusions about Seau. So let’s just allow the process to play itself out and then we’ll see what’s what.
Seau had a tremendous career, having playing in two Super Bowls and having been selected to 12 straight Pro Bowls. He was an All-Pro on six occasions. Yes, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Mike Lopresti of USA Today takes a look at Wednesday in the NFL right here.
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It was Adam Hughesman Day in Kennewick, Wash., on Tuesday, as proclaimed by Mayor Steve Young. Hughesman, who just completed his fifth and final season with the Tri-City Americans, shed a tear or two as he was presented with a key to the city.
Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has more right here.
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F Brendan Shinnimin, Hughesman’s linemate with the Americans, picked up two trophies at the WHL awards ceremony in Calgary yesterday. For a look at all the winners, visit the WHL website.
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The transfer of the AJHL’s St. Albert Steel to Whitecourt, Alta., has been unanimously approved. The AJHL’s board of governors met Wednesday in Red Deer and approved the request by Greg Parks, who is the owner/GM and head coach of the Steel. . . . Whitecourt, with a population of around 14,000, is 175 km northwest of St. Albert. The Whitecourt Wolverines will play in the Scott Safety Centre, which seats around 1,000.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads won’t renew Hardy Sauter’s contract as head coach. Sauter, a former WHL player and coach, spent two seasons as Idaho’s head coach, going 63-59-22 and getting to a conference semifinal each time. . . .
Todd Gordon won’t be returning as head coach of the SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers. The team made that announcement this week. Gordon had been head coach since 2009-10, the franchise’s first season. . . .
The BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters have added Brent Heaven to their staff as an assistant coach. He spent the last six seasons with the junior B Castlergar Rebels and Creston Valley Thunder Cats, both of whom play in the Kootenay International junior league. He has worked as an assistant coach, head coach and GM. . . . This season, he guided the Thunder Cats to a 30-17-0-5 record. . . . In Trail, he will work alongside GM/head coach Bill Birks. . . .
Dane Litke has resigned as head coach of the NAHL’s Janesville Jets. He had been head coach since the birth of the franchise in May 2009. He was the NAHL’s coach of the year for 2009-10. . . .
Andrew Verner is the new goaltending coach with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. He takes over from Ron Tugnutt, who chose to leave the Petes in order to focus on his position as Hockey Canada’s goaltending consultant. Verner, who ended his pro career two years ago, and Tugnutt are former Petes goaltenders.
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Elliotte Friedman’s weekly 30 Thoughts always is a good read and this week is no exception. It’s right here.
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During this season, the BCHL asked fans to vote on the top player from each decade of its history.
“In November, the top 50 players in BCHL history were revealed as voted by the fans,” reads a BCHL news release. “There were 10 players chosen from each of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. From those groups, more fan voting was held to determine the top player of each decade.”
Here are the final results, as released by the BCHL, with the runner-up in parentheses:
1960s – F Bob Nystrom, Kamloops Rockets (F Eric Shishido, Kamloops Rockets).
1970s – F Chad Campbell, Penticton Broncos (G Andy Moog, Kamloops Braves, Penticton Vees).
1980s – F Brett Hull, Penticton Knights (F Mark Recchi, Langley Eagles).
1990s – F Paul Kariya, Penticton Panthers (F Shane Kuss, South Surrey Eagles).
2000s – G Brad Thiessen, Penticton Panthers/Vees, Prince George Spruce Kings, Merritt Centennials (D Duncan Keith, Penticton Panthers).
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The WHL’s championship final begins tonight in Edmonton with the Oil Kings meeting the Portland Winterhawks.
For a preview, tune in to Oilers NOW with Bob Stauffer on 630 CHED out of Edmonton this afternoon at 1:30 MT (12:30 PT). You’ll hear Stauffer, Cam Moon, the radio voice of the Red Deer Rebels, and yours truly taking a look at the WHL’s final series.
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Here are the dates for the series for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 4: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 6: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8: at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Thursday, May 10: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, 6 p.m.


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As an early Christmas present to all who stop by here, I present a link right here to a catchy new festive tune and video that has been done up by Bill Culp, the husband of a friend of mine. If you’re in the hockey business and have been on the road at this time of year, this will put a lump in your throat. . . . Check it out, enjoy and, yes, have a Merry Christmas wherever you are.
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Wondering how former Spokane Chiefs head coach Hardy Sauter is doing this season? Check out this story right here by Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
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F Shayne Neigum, 20, who was acquired by the Regina Pats from the Kamloops Blazers late Tuesday night, is expected to join his new club immediately. F Lyndon Martell, 17, who also went to Regina in that deal, won’t join the Pats until after the Christmas break. . . . F Thomas Frazee, 20, who went from Kamloops to Regina in that swap, is expected to join the Blazers in Prince George on Friday. The Blazers are to play the Cougars on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . Kamloops and Regina got that deal late Tuesday night, just before the WHL’s trade moratorium began. It runs until Dec. 27. . . . D Theran Yeo (Brandon, 2004-08) has joined the U of Regina Cougarsand will play his first game with them on Jan. 21. He had been with the UBC Thunderbirds, but left halfway through last season. As per CIS rules, he sat out the first half of this season. . . .
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Some highlights from Wednesday’s WHL games . . .
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-1. . . . The Oil Kings, who have won five in a row, are 8-0-1 in their last nine games. . . . F Adam Lowry got the visitors on the board with a PP goal at 1:54 of the first period. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck tied it at 2:50 of the second, with his 13th of the season, and F Mike Piluso gave the home side t he lead at 14:32. . . . D Braeden Laroque provided insurance at 12:31 of the third. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 18 shots, 17 fewer than Swift Current’s Mark Friesen. . . . Attendance was announced at 3,122, but horrible weather conditions mean less than half that many showed up. . . . Edmonton D Adrian Van de Mosselaer was tossed at 9:52 of the first period with a boarding major and game misconduct. He can expect at least a phone call from WHL disciplinarian Richard Doerksen. . . .
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In Cranbrook, F Christian Magnus broke a 2-2 tie at 14:27 of the third period to give the host Kootenay Ice a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Hitmen led 2-0 before this game was seven minutes old, with F Nathan MacMaster getting his eighth and F John Lawrence getting his second. . . . The Ice had F Kevin King, its leading scorer, back from an infected elbow and he got his 15th goal, via a PP, to get the comeback started. . . . F Matt Fraser tied the score, with his 11th, at 9:48 of the second. . . . Ice G Brett Teskey made nine saves, including two in the second and three in the third. . . . Calgary G Brandon Glover stopped 35 shots. . . . The Ice has beaten the Hitmen six times this season. . . . Calgary had won its three previous games. . . . Attendance was 2,169. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb, released earlier in the day by Canada’s national junior team, was back in the lineup and had an assist. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Kelowna Rockets scored twice in the shootout and beat the Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . The Rockets got shootout goals from F Geordie Wudrick and F Shane McColgan, while only F Jacob Berglund scored for Lethbridge. . . . It was the second game in a row in which the Hurricanes were beaten in a shootout. . . . Lethbridge F Max Ross scored his 10th goal at 6:54 of the second to forge a 2-2 tie. . . . Attendance was 2,686. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 31 shots, nine fewer than Lethbridge G Dylan Tain. . . . D Madison Bowey, the 23rd pick in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft, was in Kelowna’s lineup. He took a checking-from-behind minor in the first period. . . . Kelowna F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan leaves the Rockets today to head for the U.S. national junior team’s selection camp. . . .
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In Red Deer, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins set up two goals as the Rebels got past the Chilliwack Bruins, 3-1. . . . Nugent-Hopkins was released earlier in the day by Canada’s national junior team. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson also had two helpers. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first three goals, with F John Persson, returning from a one-game suspension, getting his 10th at 7:11 of the first period. . . . Red Deer D Alex Petrovic got his third at 14:49 of the first, with F Byron Froese getting his 13th on the PP at 19:23 of the second. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 25 shots, losing his shutout when F Steven Hodges scored at 19:51 of the third. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore set a franchise record with 54 saves. . . . Attendance was 3,781. . . . The Bruins were without D Brandon Manning (groin) and Czech forwards Roman Horak and Robin Soudek, who are off to the national junior team’s selection camp. . . .
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In Everett, G Mark Segal stopped 36 shots to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Segal has all three of the Giants’ shutouts this season; all three came in 3-0 victories. . . . He has seven career shutouts. . . . The Silvertips have been blanked five times this season. . . . F Mark Reners gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 1:00 of the second period. That was Reners’ seventh goal this season, his first since coming over from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a trade last week. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher, cut earlier in the week by Canada’s national junior team, had two assists. . . . Giants F Craig Cunningham got his 10th goal on a PP at 3:30 of the second. It was his first goal in eight games. . . . F Matt MacKay got his 11th at 12:23 of the second. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 26 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,417. . . .
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In Portland, F Sven Bartschi broke a 4-4 tie at 16:21 of the third period to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Bartschi’s 21st goal came via the PP after Kamloops F Logan McVeigh had been hit with a hooking penalty off a faceoff. That was McVeigh’s first minor penalty in 26 games. . . . The Blazers, who have lost seven straight road games, received the previous five PP opportunities, and scored once, before Bartschi won it. . . . Bartschi and F Nino Niederreiter, who had two goals, are scheduled to leave today to join the Swiss national junior team. . . . The Winterhawks have won three in a row. . . . Kamloops LW Brendan Ranford had two goals and an assist. He leads the WHL in goals (28) and points (53). . . . That was Ranford’s seventh three-point game in his last 15 outings. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 4,246. . . . Portland was 3-for-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 2-for-6. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had a goal and two assists. . . . The Blazers dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum, and had only 10 forwards in uniform. F Jordan DePape and F Chase Schaber were serving WHL suspensions, while F Dalibor Bortnak has joined the Slovakian national junior team. . . . The Blazers left Portland after the game and headed straight to Prince George where they will meet the Cougars on Friday and Saturday nights. . . .
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In Spokane, F Travis Toomey scored his fifth goal of the season, at 4:16 of OT, to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 5-4 victory over the Chiefs. . . . F Burke Gallimore scored three times and set up another for Seattle, giving him 17 goals. He forced OT with a goal at 11:34 of the third. . . . The Chiefs led 3-0 when F Dominic Uher scored his sixth goal at 6:02 of the second. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg had a goal and two assists. . . . D Brendan Kitchton had two goals for the Chiefs, while F Tyler Johnson had two assists. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard, cut earlier in the day by the Canadian national junior team, made 40 saves and now is 14-9-6 on the season. . . . Attendance was 4,026. . . . The Chiefs had beaten the Thunderbirds 8-2 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Kelowna D Madison Bowey
Spokane D Brendan Kichton

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

Tuesday . . .

Hardy Sauter, the head coach of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, is thrilled that professional hockey is coming back to Oklahoma City.
Sauter played nine seasons with the Central league’s Oklahoma City Blazers. During that stretch, he established himself as arguably the best defenceman in CHL history. In each of his first three seasons, he put 100 points on the board.
He joined the Chiefs as an assistant coach prior to 2007-08 and now is in his second season as the team’s head coach. He took over from Bill Peters, who now is the head coach of the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.
But back to Oklahoma City . . .
The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers announced earlier this month that they will allow their affiliation agreement with the Springfield, Mass., Falcons to expire after this season. Instead, the Oilers will revive the AHL franchise which they own -- it last operated as the Edmonton Roadrunners during the lockout season of 2004-05 -- and set up shop in Oklahoma City.
The Blazers ceased operations after last season and there had long been speculation that something would happen involving an AHL franchise.
Asked if he feels the city is capable of surviving at an AHL level, Sauter replied: “Yes, I believe so.”
“I think they have an excellent fan base for hockey at any level,” he continued. “I don’t know exactly what an American league team needs as far as numbers. But I would think they’d get anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 people on a nightly basis.
“The people there love their hockey.”
When Sauter played there, from 1996-2005, it wasn’t unusual to see 9,000 fans in what now is the Cox Convention Centre, a facility that is in the process of being renovated.
“My first three years, they were really hot and I think we averaged more than 9,000,” Sauter said. “My last four or five years, it was somewhere between 8,600 and 8,900.
“And they are moving back to the old building where the hockey atmosphere is way better than the new building (Ford Center).”
Last season, the Blazers averaged 6,508 fans for 32 home games.
As for a leap to the NHL . . .
“If they want to be a big-time city with big-time sports, obviously the NBA is outstanding,” Sauter said. “For myself, again, not knowing the numbers you need to be generating, I think they can well support an American league team.
“Anything more than that . . . I don’t know.”
Sauter is the son of Mike Sauter, a former WHL player and coach, and the nephew of Doug Sauter, a long-time WHL player and coach who had been the Blazers’ head coach since 1995.
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The QMJHL has announced changes to its divisions and to its playoff format, effective with the 2010-11 season. The press release is right here.
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If you’re up early Wednesday, you may want to flip your TV to NBC, where, at some point in time on NBC Today, you’ll see host Matt Lauer, along with former Giants star Evander Kane, now of the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers, present Giants G Greg Lamoureux and singer Michael Buble, one of the WHL team’s owners, zipping around the Ladner Leisure Centre. . . . By the way, the Giants will without F Lance Bouma, their captain, for up to six weeks with a knee injury. He apparently will stay home as the Giants head into the East Division for a swing that opens Friday against the Blades in Saskatoon.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Brandon (11) 41-16-1-3-86
d-Calgary (13) 40-17-1-1-82
Saskatoon (14) 39-13-3-3-84
Kootenay (12) 37-18-3-2-79
Medicine Hat (10) 33-21-3-5-74
Red Deer (13) 34-21-0-4-72
Moose Jaw (13) 28-23-4-4-64
Swift Current (11) 30-27-0-4-64
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Prince Albert (12) 28-27-3-2-61
Regina (12) 25-28-3-4-57
Tuesday: Swift Current 2 at Kootenay 1; Red Deer 3 at Prince Albert 1; Moose Jaw 1 at Tri-City 3.
Wednesday: Prince George at Calgary; Swift Current at Lethbridge; Red Deer at Saskatoon.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (14) 41-15-1-2-85
dx-Vancouver (12) 36-20-1-3-76
x-Portland (11) 37-21-2-1-77
x-Everett (13) 36-19-3-1-76
x-Spokane (13) 35-20-3-1-74
Kelowna (12) 29-26-2-3-63
Kamloops (11) 27-28-2-4-60
Chilliwack (12) 26-28-1-5-58
x — clinched playoff spot.
Tuesday: Seattle 0 at Chilliwack 1 (OT); Moose Jaw 1 at Tri-City 3.
Wednesday: Portland at Everett; Spokane at Kamloops;
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TUESDAY:
In Prince Albert, the Red Deer Rebels built up a 3-0 second-period lead and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Rebels have closed to within two points of the fifth-place Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference. Red Deer holds three games in hand on Medicine Hat. . . . The loss, combined with a victory by the Swift Current Broncos in Cranbrook, left the Raiders three points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Rebels, who are 21-7-0-4 in their last 32 games, have won four straight. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 26 shots. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson opened the scoring with his eighth goal, shorthanded, at 5:48 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson got the eventual winner, scoring his 10th on the PP at 14:20 of the first. . . . Prince Albert G Garrett Zemlak stopped 11 of 15 shots before leaving at 7:30 of the second. Jamie Tucker came on to stop all 10 shots he faced. . . . Attendance was 2,032. . . . The Raiders, who lost 3-1 in Red Deer on Saturday, are 22-7-1-1 at home. . . . Red Deer played without D Aaron Borejko (shoulder) and D Simon Witt (groin).
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Johnny Lazo broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 14:17 of the second period and the Tri-City Americans went on to a 3-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The victory lifted the Western Conference-leading Americans to within one point of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who are first overall. . . . .Lazo also added an assist. . . . He has 36 goals. . . . Attendance was 4,092. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 34 shots, seven more than Moose Jaw’s Jeff Bosch. . . . The Warriors went 2-3 in their U.S. Division tour. . . . The Americans are 25-6-0-0 in the cozy confines of the Toyota Center.
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In Chilliwack, F Shayne Neigum scored 37 seconds into overtime to give the Bruins a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent. . . . Bruins G Lucas Gore stopped 28 shots but shares the shutout with Braden Gamble who played 13 seconds without facing a shot. . . . Gore broke his stick during the second period and went to the Bruins’ bench to get a replacement. But it seems that he forgot to ask referee Matt Kirk for permission, so he had to leave play for one stoppage. . . . Gore has three shutouts this season; one more would have given him the single-season franchise record. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-3. . . . The Thunderbirds have lost 15 straight games. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 26 shots for the visitors. . . . Attendance was 2,761, the second-smallest crowd of the season in Chilliwack.
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In Cranbrook, D Travis Bobbee broke a 1-1 tie with a second-period PP goal as the Swift Current Broncos beat the host Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . The victory lifted the Broncos into a tie with the Moose Jaw Warriors for seventh in the Eastern Conference. . . . Bobbee scored his sixth goal at 12:01 of the second with the Broncos enjoying a 5-on-3 advantage. . . . F Justin Dowling had a goal, his 26th, and an assist for the Broncos. . . . Ice D James Martin tied the score 1-1 at 3:38 of the second on the PP. . . . Broncos G Morgan Clark stopped 31 shots. . . . The Ice’s Todd Mathews made 18 save. . . . The Ice had won its previous three games. . . . Attendance was 2,530. . . . The Broncos are without F Matt Tassone (hernia).