Pats' Henry needs surgery ... Lots of WHLers at NHL camps ... Ex-WHL coach off to South Korea

PHOTO: Billy Moores, Chuck Moser, Dale Schula, and Bob Steadward join Clare Drake at his home in celebration of his #HHOF induction. pic.twitter.com/lkGDPeqiBn

— UAlberta Athletics (@BearsandPandas) June 26, 2017

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The Regina Pats aren’t likely to have sophomore F Nick Henry available for much, if any, of the first half of the 2017-18 season. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Monday that Henry “requires off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum.” . . . John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Harder: “They’re talking four months, maybe a bit longer.” . . . The Colorado Avalanche picked Henry in the fourth round of last weekend’s NHL draft. He is attending the Avs’ development camp in Denver and is expected to have surgery once he returns to Regina. . . . The Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup and Henry is one of their top six forwards. . . . Harder’s story is right here.

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What an interesting couple days. Thanks to @DallasStars again for the opportunity. So excited to be a apart of @GoldenKnights. #GoKnights

— Dylan Ferguson (@dferg_98) June 27, 2017

G Dylan Ferguson’s time as a member of the Dallas Stars organization came to an end on Monday, two days after it began.

Ferguson, 19, is preparing for his third season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.

On Saturday, the Stars selected Ferguson in the seventh round, 194th overall, of the NHL draft. 

On Monday, Ferguson was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights, along with a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, in exchange for D Marc Methot. Vegas had claimed Methot from the Ottawa Senators in last week’s expansion draft.

Methot had 12 assists in 68 games last season, playing most of the time alongside Erik Karlsson. Methot, 32, has two years left on his contract at US$4.9 million per season.

Vegas already owns nine selections in the 2020 NHL draft, to go with 11 in 2019.

Here’s what I wrote about Ferguson after the Stars selected him:

Ferguson, from Lantzville, B.C., spent the past two seasons backing up Connor Ingram with the Blazers. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Ferguson got into only 16 games in 2015-16, going 4-10-0, 4.13, .875. Last season, he played in 31 games and was 16-10-2, 2.74, .922. . . . Ferguson played most of those 2016-17 games in December and early January, while Ingram was with Canada’s national junior team. Ferguson lit it up, too — he was 9-4-1 while Ingram was away — resulting in a lot of scouts showing up in Kamloops after Christmas when they knew he would be starting. . . . With Ingram, 20, expected to play in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s organization in 2017-18, Ferguson, who turns 19 on Sept. 20, should be the Blazers’ starter. . . . Don’t forget, too, that Tom Gaglardi, the Stars’ owner, also is the majority owner of the Blazers.

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A number of NHL teams have opened, or are about to open, development camps. A few WHL players who are undrafted free agents will attend these camps.

The Ottawa Senators will have four free agents from WHL teams in attendance. That includes F Matteo Gennaro of the Calgary Hitmen, who was a seventh-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2015 NHL draft but wasn’t signed. Gennaro is preparing for this 20-year-old season. . . . Also joining the Ottawa group will be F Parker Kelly, 18, of the Prince Albert Raiders, F Jordan Topping of the Tri-City Americans, who will turn 20 on July 20, and D Brayden Pachal of the Raiders, who is to turn 18 on Aug. 23.

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights will have F Jayden Halbgewachs, 20, of the Moose Jaw Warriors, D Keoni Texeira, 20, of the Portland Winterhawks, and D Dylan Coghlan, 19, of the Tri-City Americans in their camp. Also there will be F Patrick Bajkov, who turns 20 on Nov. 27, of the Everett Silvertips, D Will Warm, 18, of the Edmonton Oil Kings, G Griffen Outhouse, 19, of the Victoria Royals, and G Logan Thompson, 20, of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Tyler Wong, who played out his eligibility with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, also will join the Golden Knights’ camp, as will D Dmitry Osipov, who finished his junior days last season with the Wheat Kings.

Portland F Ryan Hughes, who will be 18 on July 27, is going to skate with the Nashville Predators, as will Winterhawks F Alex Overhardt, 20. Portland G Cole Kehler, 20, is going to camp with the Winnipeg Jets.

F Isaac Johnson, who signed with Tri-City on June 1, has been invited to camp by the Detroit Red Wings. Johnson, 18, played last season with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, scoring 14 goals and adding 14 assists in 47 games.

F Tanner Jeannot, 20, of the Warriors will skate with the Washington Capitals.

F Vince Loschiavo, 19, of the Kootenay Ice and F Nick Chyzowski, 20, of the Kamloops Blazers will be with the Dallas Stars.

F Luc Smith, 19, of the Blazers will be in camp with the New York Rangers.

The Arizona Coyotes’ camp will include F Max Gerlach, 19, of the Medicine Hat Tigers and F Lane Pederson, who turns 20 on Aug. 4. Also with the Coyotes will be D Ryan Gagnon, who played out his junior eligibility last season with the Victoria Royals, and F Tyler Coulter, who did the same with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

F Sami Moilanen, 18, of the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds has been invited to the Colorado Avalanche’s development camp, as has F Ty Lewis, 19, of the Wheat Kings.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who have won back-to-back Stanley Cups, will have two free-agent WHLers in camp with them — F Jordy Bellerive, 18, of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Seattle F Nolan Volcan, 18.

D Dylan Plouffe, 18, of the Vancouver Giants will skate with the Florida Panthers.

Seattle F Scott Eansor, who played out his junior eligibility last season, has been invited to the New York Islanders’ camp.

Portland F Evan Weinger, 20, and D Clayton Kirichenko, a 20-year-old last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, are expected to skate with the Los Angeles Kings. Weinger is from El Segundo, Calif., and played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings before heading to Portland.

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The Everett Silvertips have signed assistant coach Mitch Love to a contract extension, adding the title of assistant to the general manager to his portfolio. The length of the extension wasn’t released, but Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald reported that it is for two years. Love is preparing for his ninth season with the Silvertips and his seventh on the coaching staff. He will continue to handle the team’s defencemen and its billeting program. 

According to a news release Love, 33, also will be the “organization co-ordinator between the Silvertips players and the education program, and work with projects designed to strengthen the Silvertips outreach and growth within Snohomish County, the Pacific Northwest, and its alumni.”

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Four players were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. Dave Andreychuk, Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi and Teemu Selanne will be inducted in November. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has a piece right here in which he wonders of it’s the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Really Good.

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If you are a follower of major junior hockey, the name Glenn Gumbley may ring a bell. Yes,  Gumbley, who is from Montreal, was involved in an attempt to form the CHLPA, a players association for major junior players. . . . On Sunday night, the CHLPA’s Twitter account included this: “In the last few years, I have made several defamatory statements against the QMJHL and its Commissioner, Gilles Courteau, in which I stated that they were linked to crime, fraud, corruption, exploitation of children, tax evasion, perjury, manipulation and criminality. . . . These statements have been removed from all sites and social media under my control and I apologize to the QMJHL and its Commissioner, Gilles Courteau.” . . . It turns out that, as TVA Sports reported Monday, Gumbley “has been found guilty of defamatory allegations by the Quebec Superior Court” through a judgment by Judge David R. Collier, J.S.C. . . . The verdict, which is final also orders Gumbley to Courteau $10,000 in punitive and moral damages and the QMJHL $5,000 in punitive damages.

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BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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The Red Deer Rebels have added Brett Anderson to their coaching staff, replacing Pierre-Paul Lamoureux, who left the team to join the USHL’s Fargo Force as associate head coach. . . . Lamoureux spent one season with the Rebels. . . . Anderson was director and head coach of the Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ont., last season. A native of Sedgewick, Alta., he has a diploma in kinesiology from Red Deer College and a degree from the U of Alberta. He also has coached at the U of Saskatchewan, U of Alberta and Red Deer College, as well as in Europe.

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Kevin Constantine is adding another country to his coaching travelogue. Constantine has signed on as head coach of the Asia League Ice Hockey’s Daemyung Killer Whales, who play out of Seoul, South Korea. . . . Constantine, 58, has NHL coaching experience with the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks. He spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. They finished atop the U.S. Division last season, but his contract wasn’t renewed. . . . Last season, the Killer Whalers, then with Benedict Chi Young Song as head coach, finished eighth in the nine-team league.

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It was mentioned in this space the other day that Craig Woodcroft’s contract as head coach of the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk had been terminated. He had signed a three-year deal there in April 2016. . . . On Sunday, the Genève-Servette HC announced that it had signed Woodcroft to a three-year deal as head coach. Genève-Servette HC, a Geneva-based team, plays in the Swiss NL A. . . . Woodcroft would take over from Chris McSorley, who stepped aside as head coach after last season but remains as general manager. Former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis is on Genève-Servette’s board, as is Lorne Henning, a former NHL/WHL player and a former NHL coach. At one time, Henning as an assistant GM under Gillis with the Canucks.

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"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" - Satchel Paige pic.twitter.com/y2kE0x9V8K

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) June 26, 2017

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Anholt responds to Paddock's chatter ... Playoffs resume Friday ... Ex-WHL coach honoured in OHL

Lethbridge Hurricanes GM Peter Anholt on Regina Pats Head Coach & GM John Paddock: "He's got the Regina media fooled and that's fine." #WHL — Taylor Shire (@TShireGlobal) April 20, 2017

Things are heating up as the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Regina Pats prepare to open the Eastern Conference final in the Saskatchewan capital tonight (Friday). On Wednesday, John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, lit the fire when, in reference to Lethbridge captain Tyler Wong, he told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “He‘s a hard-working, inspirational guy who has skill. He’s physical. He jumps a couple feet in the air when he hits guys and doesn’t get called.” On Thursday, Lethbridge GM Peter Anholt tossed a couple of logs on the fire while chatting with Matt Battochio of Global News. “Love the man,” Anholt said of Paddock, “but he’s sly like a fox. “I think really, ultimately, the facts speak for themselves. (Dawson) Leedahl takes (Lane) Pederson out of the Swift Current series. . . . The Regina Pats take runs at top players, I think it’s pretty obvious. Facts speak for themselves.” Anholt went a step further, asking the Lethbridge fans to prepare a welcome for Paddock’s arrival in the Alberta city. “I hope our fans show their ire towards John Paddock when he comes back here for Games 3 and 4,” Anholt said. “It doesn’t make sense to me, but the facts speak for themselves. . . . I think our top players better be very wary and watch because their team has a history of taking runs at top players.”
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 Regina is expected to be without F Adam Brooks, F Jake Leschyshyn and D Dawson Davidson when the series opens. Brooks hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in Game 2 of the seven-game second-round series with the Swift Current Broncos. He dressed for the last three games and was on the bench, but never got on the ice. That scenario very well may continue in the conference final. Leschyshyn (knee) has been out since February and won’t play again this season. Without Brooks and Leschyshyn, the Pats are missing two of their top three centres. Davidson, meanwhile, suffered an undisclosed injury in the Game 7 victory over the visiting Broncos on Monday night. He isn’t likely to play in this series, so Jonathan Smart will move back to defence. Smart, who was acquired from the Kelowna Rockets during the season, is a defenceman by trade, but has been playing on a forward line. The Hurricanes scratched D Calen Addison, F Matt Alfaro, F Zak Zborosky, F Zane Franklin and F Ryan Vandervlis, all of them regular contributors, from Game 7 against the host Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday.
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 Things are a little quieter in Kent, Wash., where the Seattle Thunderbirds will play host to the Kelowna Rockets tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference final. The Rockets will be without D Cal Foote, as he completes a three-game suspension left over from the second-round victory over the Portland Winterhawks. Foote was suspended after he elbowed Portland F Skyler McKenzie in the head during Game 3. McKenzie came out of that with a concussion and missed the last two games. Also, it’s not known if Kelowna D Braydyn Chizen is ready to return. He suffered a leg injury in Game 3 against Portland and sat out the last two games of that series. Seattle’s Rylan Toth, who led all WHL goaltenders with 36 victories in the regular season, has yet to dress for a playoff game. In Toth’s absence, G Carl Stankowski has backstopped the Thunderbirds to eight victories in as many games.
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 There won’t be a medal for Team Canada at the IIHF U-18 World Championship. Canada was beaten 7-3 by Sweden in a quarterfinal game on Thursday at Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia. . . . D Mark Rubinchik of the Saskatoon Blades and Team Russia advanced to a semifinal game with a 3-2 victory over Slovakia. Rubinchik didn’t record any points, leaving him with six in five games. . . . Russia and Finland will meet in one of Saturday’s semifinal games. . . . The other will feature Sweden and Team USA, which got past Switzerland, 4-2. . . . In the best-of-three relegation series, D Vladislav Yeryomenko of the Calgary Hitmen had a goal and an assist as Belarus beat Latvia, 2-0, in Game 1. 
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 Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald used to cover the Everett Silvertips for the newspaper. Now he is a sports columnist there. In both roles, he has seen a lot of Kevin Constantine, who was the team’s head coach for eight seasons — two four-year stints — before being told Tuesday that his contract won’t be renewed. . . . Patterson, using the word “shaft,” opined on the move and that piece is right here.
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 MORE ON THE MOVE: D Noah Juulsen of the Everett Silvertips has joined the St. John’s IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. He was a first-round selection in the 2015 NHL draft. Juulsen signed a three-year entry-level contract with Montreal before the 2015-16 season. In this regular season, he had 12 goals and 22 assists in 49 games.
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 Ryan McGill, a former WHL player and coach, has been named the OHL’s coach of the year. McGill guided the Owen Sound Attack to a 49-15-4 record in what was its best season in franchise history. . . . The 49 victories and 102 points broke franchise records of 46 and 97 from 2010-11. . . . McGill is in his second season in Owen Sound. . . . From Sherwood Park, Alta., he played four seasons (1985-89) with the Lethbridge Broncos, Swift Current Broncos and Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . He was on the Edmonton/Kootenay Ice’s coaching staff for seven seasons (1996-2002) and later returned for three more (2012-15). . . . The Attack opens the third round of playoffs tonight in Erie against the Otters. 
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 If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there. If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com. If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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#Predators 1st #8 seed ever in pro sports to sweep  #1 seed. So will someone in Nashville at least write a country song about Blackhawks? — Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) April 21, 2017

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kelowna vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Game 1) Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m. (Game 1)
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Constantine's second run over in Everett . . . Silvertips won't renew head coach's contract

The Everett Silvertips will raise two banners into the rafters at XFINITY Arena when the 2017-18 regular-season opens.

However, Kevin Constantine, the head coach who was behind the bench as the team finished atop the Western Conference and U.S. Division, won’t be there.

Kevin Constantine no longer is the head coach
of the WHL's Everett Silvertips.
(Photo: Everett Silvertips)

The Silvertips announced Tuesday that they won’t be renewing his contract when it expires on May 31.

“They just told me they weren’t going to rehire me,” Constantine told Jesse Gelenyse of the Everett Herald. “There wasn’t any discussion of (why). It was just ‘You’re not being rehired.’ It was a very short conversation.”

The futures of assistant coaches Mitch Love and Brennan Sonne, and goaltending coach Shane Clifford, weren’t addressed yesterday. Their contracts also are up on May 31.

Garry Davidson, the Silvertips’ general manager, said in a news release that the organization now will focus on the May 4 WHL bantam draft, then will look at hiring a head coach.

The Silvertips are owned by The Monarch Corporation, a private investment company that is headquartered in Medicine Hat and is under the control of Bill Yuill, its chairman and CEO.

The Silvertips just completed their 14th season in the WHL. Constantine has been the head coach for eight of those (2003-07, 2013-17).

The Silvertips have never missed the WHL playoffs; they also have two 100-point regular seasons to their credit, both of them under Constantine.

This season, they finished 44-16-12, for 100 points. They took out the Victoria Royals in a six-game first-round series, then were swept by the Seattle Thunderbirds. A year ago, Seattle won a second-round series from Everett in five games. In the spring of 2014, Everett lost a first-round series to Seattle in five games.

Constantine’s Everett teams always have had strong defensive games — this season, the Silvertips allowed 169 goals, the best in the WHL by 29 goals. However, their offence — 229 goals — was 15th.

It is believed that Everett management would like to see its team play a more wide-open game in the hopes of improving attendance.

Davidson left the Portland Winterhawks — he was their director of player personnel — to take over as Everett’s general manager on Feb. 15, 2012. He hired Constantine in time for the 2013-14 season.

It is evident that there were philosophical differences between Constantine and Davidson.

“I think I said when I came here we were at the opposite end of the spectrum,” Davidson told Gelenyse, “so that hasn’t changed. I hoped we would grow more together (but) I don’t think we ever did very much.”

Despite finishing atop the Western Conference, the Silvertips experience the lowest regular-season average attendance (4,865) in their 14 seasons. They play out of the 8,149-seat XFINITY Arena.

Their average attendance peaked at 6,460 in 2006-07, but has been under 5,000 in three of the past four seasons.

In looking for a coach who likes an up-tempo game you wonder if the Silvertips might consider Kyle Gustafson, who has been on the coaching staff of the Portland Winterhawks for 12 seasons, 10 as an assistant coach and two as associate coach. He has spent the brunt of that time working alongside general manager/head coach Mike Johnston, who loves that kind of game.

Having worked with the Winterhawks and with being in the same division, Davidson will be quite familiar with Gustafson’s work.

As a WHL head coach, Constantine, a 58-year-old native of International Falls, Minn., has 326 regular-season victories, good for 21st spot on the all-time list.

Constantine also has bead-coaching experience in the NHL, with the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.

There now are two WHL teams without head coaches.

The Spokane Chiefs announced on March 30 that Don Nachbaur, the third-winningest head coach in WHL history, was being relieved of his duties. Nachbaur had one year left on his contract.

Gelenyse’s complete story is right here.

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Hmm, Las Vegas or Nanaimo? ... Chiefs sign coach to extension ... Former SJHL coach dies at 49

Scattershooting, after watching Patrick Marleau score No. 500. . . . 

The WHL pooh-bahs are flocking to Las Vegas this weekend for their semi-annual meeting, once again thumbing their noses at the cities that are inhabited by their franchises. Why not go to Prince Albert or Swift Current or Cranbrook or Brandon or . . . 

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Or, hey, why not take the semi-annual show into Nanaimo and give the fans there a taste of the league while throwing around some cash? After all, the WHL is hoping that taxpayers there will build them an $80-million arena that would be home to the transplanted Kootenay Ice. 

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On the subject of the Ice, F Adam Cracknell, who played with it from 2002-06, has written a letter to the Kootenay Advertiser, pleading with fans to support the team so that it doesn’t leave Cranbrook. “If we can keep the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, we all win,” writes the Dallas Stars forward, who makes his offseason home in Cranbrook. “Without it, our town stands way more to lose than just the team. Supporting the Ice means supporting Cranbrook, and that’s good for everyone. Don’t just sit back and let them go. Get your friends and family together and get out to a game.” . . . The complete letter is right here.

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Last summer, Ken Hitchcock, the head coach of the St. Louis Blues and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, said this would be his final season as an NHL head coach. Hitchcock was fired on Wednesday, victimized by poor goaltending as much as anything. You have to think that Hitchcock isn’t going to want a firing to be his final chapter. Hello, Vegas Golden Knights. . . . 

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These are tough times for some Kamloops Blazers legends. Ken Hitchcock, who holds the franchise record for regular-season victories by a head coach, has been fired. Meanwhile, F Shane Doan (Arizona Coyotes) and F Jarome Iginla (Colorado Avalanche), both of whom own chunks of the Blazers, aren’t going to see the NHL playoffs unless they get traded. Both have let it be known that, yes, a change of scenery would be OK.

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Asked on Wednesday for his take on the temporary travel ban placed on some refugees by the U.S. government, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell bailed, saying: “As commissioner of the NFL, I’m singularly focused on the Super Bowl right now.” . . . Italian poet Dante Alighieri, who died in 1321, is credited with having said: “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”

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Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots, will get the seat to Goodell’s right. When Belichick was asked about those refugee-related goings-on, he responded: “I’m focused on the Atlanta Falcons.” . . . He was asked a second time. The reply: “I’m focused on Atlanta.”

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Brent Sutter, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Red Deer Rebels, has said that he is doing to take a look at a lot of things as he ponders a number of serious, long-term injuries that have hit his club over the past two seasons. Will the WHL schedule be one of them? Yes, that same schedule that too many times has teams playing three games in fewer than 48 hours or four games in five nights.

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We are into February and the WHL’s 2016-17 Official Guide and Record Book still isn’t available for download. Wouldn’t it be nice if the WHL put an explanation up on its website, something that let its fan know what has gone wrong and when/if the Guide might be available?

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Howard Tsumura provided top-notch coverage of high school and university sports for the Vancouver Province until Postmedia let him walk earlier this week. A couple of days later, Tsumura announced a new sponsored website (varsityletters.ca) that will be a one-stop shop for all of his coverage. So now those interested in B.C.’s high school and university athletic scenes don’t have to bother with a newspaper or its website. 

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F Kevin Sundher (Chilliwack/Victoria, Brandon, 2007-12) has signed a contract with Olomouc (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had five goals and 12 assists in 23 games with the Reading Royals (ECHL) this season before requesting his release.

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The #OilKings pay their respects before heading to Brandon pic.twitter.com/ReBDmOKNjH

— Corey Graham (@CoreyGraham) February 2, 2017

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On Wednesday, Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald tweeted that Kevin Constantine, the Everett Silvertips’ head coach, had said that he doubted any team had been scheduled to play seven games in nine days “in the history of the league.”

The Silvertips, of course, are into one such stretch.

On Thursday, we learned otherwise.

The MacBeth Report flashed back about 30 years with this:

“Constantine's claim that no one has ever done seven games in nine nights is incorrect. When I was with the Victoria Cougars in the 1980s, we always did our eastern swing — back when you played every team in the other conference twice — as eight games in 10 nights in eight different cities. We played Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.”

You knew that TBird Tidbits would do some research, too. That’s what happened and it resulted in this tweet: “I'm assuming some sarcasm but it has happened before. Most recently for TBirds was Feb 9-17, 2008.(Actually happened 2x that season.)”

The Silvertips finish the 7-in-9 stretch on Saturday when they entertain the Vancouver Giants.

Everett then heads out for its East Division tour when it will play six times in nine days.

When it meets the Broncos in Swift Current on Feb. 18, Everett will have played 13 games in 23 days.

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The Spokane Chiefs have signed assistant coach Scott Burt to a contract extension that runs through the end of next season. Burt, 39, is in his fourth season on the Chiefs’ coaching staff. He joined the Chiefs after spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. From Mackenzie, B.C., Burt played four seasons in the WHL, making stops with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos, Edmonton Ice and Red Deer Rebels.

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The Everett Silvertips made a couple of roster moves on Thursday. . . . They returned F Cal Babych, 20, to the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express, while F Dawson Butt, 16, has gone back to the U-16 Everett Jr. Silvertips. . . . Both players got into two games with the Silvertips and were pointless.

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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Sorry to hear of the passing of former @SJHLTerriers Coach Lee Odelein, who was living in Honduras.  He was 49.

— SJHL (@theSJHL) February 2, 2017

Lee Odelein, from Quill Lake, Sask., was a brother to Lyle and Selmar Odelein, both of whom played in the WHL. Lee was the head coach of the Yorkton Terriers from 1993-98. . . . He was the owner/manager of a bar named Rehab in Honduras. . . . Selmar played three seasons (1983-86) with the Regina Pats; Lyle spent three seasons (1985-88) with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

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Look who stopped in at practice today! @DierksBentley pic.twitter.com/lxia238Gjt

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) February 2, 2017

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Portland at Everett, 7:35 p.m.

Moose Jaw vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Kelowna at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Kamloops vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

Calgary vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

It's official! Hay's at 704 ... Benson still sidelined ... Silvertips power past Rockets

The official figure is 704.

The WHL office has done the research and announced on Monday that Don Hay, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, has 704 career regular-season WHL coaching victories.

DON HAY

Taylor Rocca, the WHL’s co-ordinator, communications, did the work, going over game sheets from 1987-88 and 1991-92, and found that Hay posted nine victories as a head coach during those two seasons.

Hay, then a Kamloops assistant, took over as the Blazers’ head coach for the first time in December 1987 when Ken Hitchcock left to join the staff of Canada’s national junior team at the World Junior Championship.

The same thing happened in December 1991 when Hay stepped up as head coach Tom Renney joined Team Canada.

Rocca discovered that the Blazers under Hay were 4-3-0 in Hitchock’s absence, and 5-4-0 when Renney was gone.

Those nine victories are one more than my records had given to Hay, but going off the actual game sheets makes it all official.

So . . . what this all means is that Hay is at 704.

That 3-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Jan. 6 that we all thought was No. 700 actually was No. 703.

Hay, then, will go into the Blazers game tonight (Tuesday) against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors with 704 victories, the latest one by a 6-3 count over the Vancouver Giants in Kamloops on Saturday.

The game between the Warriors and Blazers will be televised by Shaw, so chances are there’ll be some chatter there about Hay’s pursuit of the WHL record for career coaching victories.

That record (742) is held by Ken Hodge, who coached the original Edmonton Oil Kings and made the move to Portland as the franchise became the Winterhawks for the 1976-77 season

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A Vancouver radio station reported Monday morning that F Tyler Benson, the captain of the Vancouver Giants, “has a pubic-pelvis bone injury that results in groin pain.”

According to News 1130 Sports, the Giants “say Benson’s pubic-pelvis bone injury is not serious or season-ending but sounds similar to the injury he suffered last (season).”

Benson, 18, has missed the Giants’ past six games.

Last season, he underwent surgery for a cyst near his tailbone and then was done in by inflammation near the pubic bone. He was limited to 30 games and finished with 28 points, including nine goals.

This season, he has 42 points, 11 of them goals, in 33 games.

Benson, who is from Edmonton, was selected by the Oilers in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. The Oilers signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract on Dec. 31.

D Darian Skeoch also is expected to be missing again tonight when the Giants and Victoria Royals meet at the Langley Events Centre. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Skeoch, who has an ankle injury, last played on Dec. 3.

The Giants (16-25-3) have lost five in a row and are 10 points away from a playoff spot.

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The Kootenay Ice, with three defenceman injured, have brought in D Loeden Schaufler, 16, from the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. This season, he has 11 points, including four goals, in 22 games, with the Hounds. From Dewinton, Alta., he was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Ice has lost D Sam Huston (2-3 weeks), D Nikita Radzivilyuk (two weeks) and D Ryan Pouliot (1-2 weeks), all with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Ice next plays on Wednesday when it entertains the Prince Albert Raiders.

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Our next home games are this Tuesday and Wednesday night at the @CNCentre. We look forward to welcoming the @pdxwinterhawks Booster Club! pic.twitter.com/iKtbIgudHk

— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) January 16, 2017

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MONDAY’S GAME:

Mitch Love had some words over the glass with one of the kelowna coaches

— Jesse Geleynse (@JesseGeleynse) January 17, 2017

At Everett, the Silvertips scored three times on the power play and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-4. . . . It was Martin Luther King Day in the U.S., and these teams played an afternoon affair. . . . The Silvertips

RILEY SUTTER

finished 3-7 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-3. . . . “(The Rockets) are big, they’re physical, they’re old school, and by old school I mean war,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine told Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald. “Tonight was war. I respect them for how they play. They play extremely hard and I admire that. I thought it was a playoff type of hockey (game) where it was very emotional and physical, and I’m proud of our guys for hanging in that kind of environment.” . . . D Kevin Davis (4), on a PP, gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 2:55 of the first period. . . . The teams then exchanged goals until the middle of the second period. . . . Kelowna D Lucas Johansen (2) tied it at 4:05 of the first period, with Everett F Bryce Kindopp (6) restoring the lead, at 5:50. . . . F Jack Cowell (4) pulled the Rockets into a 2-2 tie at 12:21, only to have F Connor Dewar (8) put the home boys out front again, at 18:22. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf’s 19th goal, at 19:38, tied it again. . . . In the end, the difference was two second-period PP goals scored by Everett. F Dominic Zwerger scored his 19th at 9:27 and F Riley Sutter got his 14th at 19:17. . . . Kelowna F Conner Bruggen-Cate’s third goal got Kelowna to within one at 13:26. . . . Sutter added two assists to his goal, for his first career three-point outing, while Davis and Zwerger each had one. . . . F Reid Gardiner had two assists for Kelowna but wasn’t able to finish the game after absorbing a hard hit in a second-period collision with Thurkauf. . . . Everett G Carter Hart recorded the victory with 25 stops. It was his 71st career victory, tying him for third with Kent Simpson on the Silvertips’ all-time list. Austin Lotz is next, at 72. Leland Irving is No. 1, with 107. . . . Kelowna starter Michael Herringer gave up four goals on 11 shots in 29:27. Brodan Salmond came on in relief and was beaten once on 15 shots in 29:01. . . . Everett lost F Devon Skoleski in the second period after he took a check from Kelowna F Dillon Dube. . . . The Silvertips (28-5-8) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They are tied for second in the overall standings with the Prince George Cougars, one point behind the Regina Pats. Everett and Regina hold four games in hand on Prince George. . . . The Rockets (26-16-3) had won their previous three games. They are tied for second in the B.C. Division, with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Announced attendance: 3,712.

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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Victoria at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

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Constantine: The idea we go down easy . . . we're real touchy about it

Kevin Constantine, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips,
is tired of the diving talk.(PHOTO: Everett Silvetips)

The Everett Silvertips are atop the WHL’s overall standings.

They have 56 points, at least one more than each of the other 21 teams.

They have lost only four times in regulation time; only the Regina Pats (3) are better.

Everett’s points percentage — or whatever you want to call it — is .800, behind only Regina’s .803.

Everett has allowed 73 goals in 35 games, by far the best defensive record in the WHL.

Yes, this is an awfully good hockey team.

Psst! Did you know that the Silvertips are a bunch of divers and embellishers.

Yes, that is the buzz . . . and, according to head coach Kevin Constantine, that’s the buzz among WHL referees, too. According to Constantine, too, he’s had enough of that talk.

Constantine’s bank account is $500 lighter these days. That’s how much he was fined on Wednesday after being ejected from a 5-4 OT loss to the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C., on Tuesday night.

For some reason, you won’t find Constantine’s ejection anywhere on the on-line scoresheet. But he was tossed shortly after F Dominic Zwerger was hit with a minor penalty for embellishment at 6:49 of the second period. As that penalty was being handed out, the Silvertips also were given a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, presumably because someone on the bench was being overly vocal.

At 9:46 of that second period, Constantine, on his 58th birthday, was given the ol’ heave-ho.

On Wednesday, prior to what would be a 4-1 victory over the visiting Giants, Mike Benton, the radio voice of the Silvertips, asked Constantine: “What do you recall . . . out of what eventually was an ending to a short night?”

Constantine replied: “Are you talking about when I got sent an early birthday gift of not having to work as hard?”

Constantine, who is in his second go-round with the Silvertips, paused and then continued.

“It’s passed around amongst the refs that Everett goes down easy, meaning there’s things that happen and we get knocked down, cross-checked down, hit down  ..  and we go down easy.

“It just riles me up because it’s, No. 1, not true, and, No. 2, when the refs don’t call penalties in situations where we do get illegally knocked to the ice we’re vulnerable to getting hurt. To protect the players you’re always concerned about that. In the case of the situation (Tuesday) night, that happened two or three times in the game.

“We had some legal hits that we put on . . . we got cross-checked back doing it. One of the cross-checks knocks Dominic Zwerger down to the ice and we get called for embellishment which is garbage.”

At that point, Constantine said, he tried to “communicate that to the referees.”

Constantine was Everett’s head coach for the first four seasons (2003-07) of the franchise’s existence. He then moved on, before returning prior to the 2013-14 season.

“I’ve been pretty well-behaved in Round 2 of coaching the Silvertips,” he told Benton. “I was, I think, more aggressive in dealing with the refs in Round 1.

“It’s pretty rare that I take those kinds of . . . I don’t want to take those kinds of penalties in situations . . . I don’t want to hurt our team in any way. The guys work so hard I don’t want to be the one that’s a detriment to the team.”

Constantine also told Benton that his players don’t dive or embellish; in fact, they are told not to, something that is part of the team’s disciplined approach.

“We have a great group of players that has been very coachable, very dedicated to what we’re doing and very disciplined,” Constantine said. “We take the least penalties in the league because we try to defend with legal tactics and good positioning.

“With regard to doing something that would have us take a penalty like diving or embellishing something to take a penalty, we tell our players not to do it. We don’t want those penalties to happen so our players don’t try to do that because of what we coach . . . so we’re not going to do anything that is going to put us in a penalty situation unnecessarily.

“Penalties do happen during the game . . . it’s a real touch topic with us . . . the whole idea that we go down easy . . . we’re real touchy about it.”

The Silvertips are at home to the Prince George Cougars tonight (Friday), as each team plays its third game in four nights. The Cougars are third in the overall standings, one point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and two behind the Silvertips.

Prince George is coming off back-to-back losses to the Royals in Victoria on Tuesday and Wednesday nights; at the same time, the Silvertips split with the Giants.

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Rebels add veteran forward . . . Howden gets NHL deal . . . Constantine pays the piper

Rmbr that mystery giveaway on Friday...Cam Moon's 1500th game bobblehead for the first 400 fans!!! And he aint happy! #Rebels25 pic.twitter.com/Scq32LXtLw

— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) December 28, 2016

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F Waltteri Hopponen (Everett, 2013-14) has been loaned by HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, Liiga) to LeKi Lempäälä (Finland, Mestis) for one game. This season, he was pointless in 19 games with HPK, and he four goals and seven assists in 12 games with LeKi.

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The Red Deer Rebels acquired F Austin Glover, 20, from the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday, sending F D-Jay Jerome, 17, and a third-round selection in the 2017 draft the other way.

AUSTIN GLOVER

From Clavet, Sask., the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Glover had put up 12 goals and 14 assists in 35 games with the Raiders this season. He was a second-round pick by the Kelowna Rockets in the 2011 WHL draft. On Dec. 10, 2014, the Rockets sent him to Prince Albert in a deal that had D Josh Morrissey end up in Kelowna.

In 190 career regular-season games, Glover has 41 goals and 73 assists.

The Rebels now have three 20s, with D Colton Bobyk and F Evan Polei the others.

Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, obviously his club is capable of making some noise between now and season’s end. Why else give up a youngster and a third-round pick? When the deal was made, the Rebels were 17-14-6 and third in the Central Division, one point behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes and four ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. Perhaps Glover’s experience will add some discipline and consistency to the Rebels’ game.

D-JAY JEROME

The 6-foot-0, 170-pound Jerome, from Lethbridge, had five goals and three assists in 23 games with the Rebels. He fits into a Prince Albert lineup that is in full rebuild mode.

With Glover gone, the Raiders had an opening for a 20-year-old, so they have brought back F Kolten Olynek, a native of Saskatoon who had been claimed off waivers by the Saskatoon Blades earlier in the season. The Blades later released him.

The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Olynek has played 217 regular-season games, and has 25 goals and 36 assists. He had played 46 games with the Raiders last season, after starting with the Spokane Chiefs, and three this season, totalling nine goals and 11 assists. He was a second-round pick by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2011 bantam draft.

With the Raiders, he joins F Cavin Leth and F Tim Vanstone as the 20s.

——

F Brett Howden of the Moose Jaw Warriors has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a first-round selection, 27th overall, in the NHL’s 2016 draft. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Howden went into last night’s games with 32 points, including 16 goals, in 21 games with the Warriors this season. From Oakbank, Man., he had 143 points, including 63 goals, in 162 career regular-season WHL games. . . . Later on Wednesday, Howden was named the game’s first star as the host Warriors posted a 4-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. He scored his 17th goal of the season in that one.

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The Medicine Hat Tigers were without F Chad Butcher on Wednesday night as he served a one-game suspension after he was hit with a charging major and game misconduct on Tuesday night during a 5-4 shootout victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. Butcher was tossed at 5:55 of the second period. Originally, the penalty on the on-line scoresheet was for a headshot, but it later was changed. . . . 

The Regina Pats played without D Connor Hobbs on Wednesday night in Brandon after he was given a one-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct during a 7-4 victory over the visiting Wheat Kings on Tuesday. Hobbs had himself a busy night before leaving, as he scored a goal and also was involved in two fights. . . .

Kevin Constantine, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips, has been fined $500 by the WHL after he was tossed from a Tuesday night game against the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. Constantine was given a game misconduct after protesting, apparently too vehemently, a diving penalty that had been given to Everett F Dominic Zwerger in the second period.

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The Tri-City Americans have signed D Samuel Stewart, 16, to a WHL contract. The 6-foot-0, 190-pound Stewart, from Winnipeg, is playing for the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. He has five assists in 22 games. 

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Love this. I know family of adopted boy from Dominican Republic. Meets @Kelowna_Rockets Haitian born Michael Herringer. #borderbrothers pic.twitter.com/4SaeP2Slmr

— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) December 28, 2016

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