Why was K9 a healthy scratch? ... AHL's 2015 man of year joins Seattle ... Toth heading to school

D Patrik Maier (Kamloops, Moose Jaw, 2014-16) has signed a tryout contract with Benátky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Last season, he had a goal and three assists in 53 games with Nové Zámky (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . . 

F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) has signed a one-year contract with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). Last season, with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had 13 goals and 26 assists in 54 games.

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I remember when we had to scratch K9 because we got threats faxed to our office after Puckhead got attacked in MJ the night before

— Brent Parker (@Patguy65) July 20, 2017

In this space on Thursday, there was a revisitation of a confrontation between a couple of WHL head coaches. Yes, there was photographic evidence, too.

The picture and story prompted all kinds of responses, including the above tweet from Brent Parker, who was the Regina Pats’ general manager for 15 years so was front and centre in a lot of the rivalry with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

In the tweet, he referred to the shenanigans that went on during a home-and-home series on March 24 and 25, 2000.

The series opened in the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, aka the Crushed Can.

At the time, the Warriors had a mascot with the moniker of Puckhead and it looked pretty much like you might imagine — with a giant puck for a head.

At one point during the game, Puckhead was taunted by a few fans who apparently were pals of Pats F Ryan Thomas. One thing led to another and a couple of the fans bodychecked Puckhead. When Puckhead shoved back, one of the fans, according to a piece at CBC.ca, began punching her.

Yes, Puckhead’s outfit was inhabited by a woman, the late Doreen Gurnsey, who was in her sixth season as the mascot. (Gurnsey passed away on Oct. 1, 2007.) 

“I’ve been kicked," she told CBC a few days later. “I’ve had beer poured over me. One fellow one time gave me a shove towards the ice. I mean that's down to the bleachers towards the ice. And it was just lucky that I had straddled the railing and was able to grip on. I'm quite sure I might not have lived through that.”

Anyway, during the altercation, Puckhead’s head came off. You know that the two fans were surprised to see a woman’s face looking back at them, and they quickly and quietly exited stage right.

In a recollection that is posted at rodpedersen.com, veteran Pats/Warriors observer Kelly Remple wrote:

“Following the game, Pats head coach Tim Tisdale sat quietly in the front of the bus, waiting to depart for the Queen City. A lunatic sporting black, red, and white approached the bus and banged on the door. The bus driver opened the door to hear what this maniac was shouting. As the door opened, the crazed fan looked at Tisdale and, like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, said: ‘Your dog is dead. DEAD! You understand me. Your dog is DEAD!’ A concerned Tisdale called home and asked his wife, ‘Honey, is the dog OK?’ ”

There were reports of threatening phone calls to the Pats’ office the following day and, of course, Parker made reference to threatening faxes.

For the record, the Warriors won the Friday game, 6-3, in front of 3,074 fans. The next night, the Pats posted a 3-2 victory before 6,231 fans. Yes, there was a line brawl. No, K9 wasn’t there to witness it.

As @WHLPats organist then, I played #PopGoesTheWeasel when Theo on ice (or kicked out of game) for @MJWARRIORS. He even put it in his book! https://t.co/TKh8xqgmKy

— Sen. Denise Batters (@denisebatters) July 20, 2017

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Just what this @WHLsilvertips @SeattleTbirds rivalry needed. Coaches who used to scrap each other, right @KyleHagel  https://t.co/vkqB2ZaOsH

— Mitch Love (@mlovehockey) July 20, 2017

The rivalry between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips may have taken another turn away from love on Thursday. That’s because the Thunderbirds, the WHL’s reigning champions, have hired Kyle Hagel as an assistant coach.

As is evident from the above tweet, Hagel and Mitch Love, Everett’s assistant GM/assistant coach, are

KYLE HAGEL
(Photo: seattlethunderbirds.com)

quite familiar with each other.

There is a whole more to Hagel than a scrap, however.

Hagel, 32, is from Hamilton. He played four seasons at Princeton before going on to a pro career that ended after last season. A defenceman who sometimes played on left wing, he played the last three seasons with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

After 2014-15, Hagel was honoured as the AHL’s IOA/American Specialty AHL man of the year. He was presented with the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, which is awarded annually, according to the AHL, to a player “for his outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations.” That was the fifth time that Hagel had been nominated by his AHL team for the award.

Hagel also is a co-founder of HP4K (Hockey Players for Kids), a non-profit organization that, according to its website, is “made up of hockey players around the world who are dedicated to positively impacting the communities they play in. . . . HP4K believes that promoting player interaction with children is the best way they can achieve this impact, and acts as a catalyst in connecting players with kids in their communities.”

O’Dette and Hagel met for the first time when they were teammates for part of the 2008-09 season with the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons. That was Hagel’s first season as a pro player, while it was O’Dette’s last one.

The Thunderbirds will hire one more assistant coach before the season. One vacancy was created when the Thunderbirds moved Matt O’Dette from assistant to head coach after Steve Konowalchuk left for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. The other spot came open when assistant coach Tyler Alos chose to leave the organization.

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G Rylan Toth, who played out his junior eligibility with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, has decided to attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds in 2017-18. . . . Toth led WHL goaltenders in regular-season victories (36) last season. He had a 2.75 GAA and .902 save percentage. He suffered an undisclosed injury late in the season and didn’t play again until getting into two games during the Memorial Cup tournament. . . . Toth also played two seasons with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . In 158 regular-season games, the Saskatoon native was 90-51-13, 2.76, .906.

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The BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals have signed Brian Passmore as their new general manager and head coach. He takes over from Bob Beatty, who has resigned after four seasons with the Capitals. Beatty had spent 17 seasons in the SJHL before signing with the Capitals prior to the 2013-14 season. . . . Passmore, 37, has been the head coach of the bantam prep team at Shawnigan Lake School for the past two seasons. . . . Passmore also has coaching experience in the junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, having spent two seasons with the Peninsula Panthers and one with the Westshore Wolves. . . . The Capitals also announced that Dan Whiteford will be back for a second season as assistant coach, while Darren Rodney, who had been the assistant GM,  now is director of hockey operations.

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Mike Fraser, who scouts for the Brandon Wheat Kings, also has been writing a weekly column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. In this week’s ponderings, who looks back at five years with the Wheat Kings. That column is right here. . . . With the Journal undergoing a change in the editor’s office, Fraser has chosen to step back, so next week’s column will be his last one. 

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Darren Steinke, the wandering blogger, spent a lot of the 2016-17 WHL season visiting various arenas. On Thursday, he blogged about his travels and how much fun he had. It’s all right here.

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Excuse me Constable, can you tell me where my wife and I can register as evacuees? #BCWildfires https://t.co/FeZCZET7Pv pic.twitter.com/z0R0UOslMN

— BCRCMP (@BCRCMP) July 20, 2017

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O'Dette takes over Thunderbirds' bench ... Ex-WHL coach the man in Kingston? ... Wagner facing long rehab

Hey folks @gdrinnan Taking Note is working just loading really slowly thanks to a new script from @blogger be patient. #SameGreatWriting

— Terry Massey (@TerryMassey) July 6, 2017

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The KHL player rights to D Dmitri Osipov (Vancouver, Brandon, 2013-17) have been traded by Sochi (Russia, KHL) to Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL) for G Arseni Akhmetov (born 1999). Last season, Osipov had a goal and 10 assists in 42 games with Vancouver, then added a goal and two assists in 31 games with Brandon. . . . He was the first overall pick in the 2013 CHL import draft and in the 2013 KHL junior draft. . . . Osipov played out his junior eligibility last season. . . .

F David Rutherford (Vancouver, Spokane, 2004-08) has announced his retirement through his Twitter account. Last season, he had 19 goals and 24 assists in 41 games with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). . . .

D Brennan Yadlowski (Lethbridge, Everett, 2007-12) has signed a one-year contract with the Guildford Flames (England, UK Elite). Last season, he had five assists in 28 games with the U of Alberta (U Sports). He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in June.

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Exciting day being named head coach of the @SeattleTbirds. Such an honor. Thank you for all the well wishes!

— Matt O'Dette (@MattODette) July 13, 2017

On Tuesday, the day before Matt O'Dette was introduced
as the Seattle Thunderbirds' head coach, he was in the
team's dressing room for a photo shoot when Grace, 6, (left)
and Fiona, 8, arrived on the scene. The daughters of
Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds' director of public and media
relations, promptly showed him a key coaching move.
(Photos: Brian Liesse)

Matt O’Dette is the new head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, the reigning WHL champions. O’Dette spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach with Seattle, working alongside head coach Steve Konowalchuk, who has left to join the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach.

As a Seattle assistant coach, O’Dette, 41, was responsible for the defencemen, including Shea Theodore, the WHL’s top defenceman in 2014-15 and Ethan Bear, who won the award last season.

O’Dette also directed the Seattle penalty kill, which ranked first in the 22-team league in 2015-16 and third last season.
O'Dette, who is from Toronto, was with the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors, as director of hockey operations and head coach, for two seasons before joining the Thunderbirds. He also worked as assistant GM/assistant coach with the ECHL's Stockton Thunder.

As a player, he got into 663 professional games over 14 seasons in the AHL and ECHL. A defenceman, he played with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

The Thunderbirds now are looking for two assistant coaches, one to fill the void created by O’Dette’s promotion and the other because Tyler Alos has left the organization after three seasons on staff.

Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle reports that Alos “has opted to pursue a non-hockey opportunity, according to the team.”

Alos played 201 regular-season games over four years with the Thunderbirds before retiring on Dec. 3, 2012, after incurring multiple concussions.

Eide’s story on O’Dette’s promotion is right here.

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WHL ACTIVE COACHES REGULAR-SEASON VICTORIES:

Don Hay, Tri-City, Vancouver, Kamloops 720

Mike Williamson, Portland, Calgary, Tri-City 534

Brent Sutter, Red Deer 441

Marc Habscheid, Kamloops, Kelowna, Chilliwack, Victoria, Prince Albert 424

Shaun Clouston, Medicine Hat 320

Mike Johnston, Portland 271

John Paddock, Regina 125

Tim Hunter, Moose Jaw 103

Steve Hamilton, Edmonton 88

Brent Kisio, Lethbridge 88

Dan Lambert, Kelowna, Spokane 53

Richard Matvichuk, Prince George 45

Jason Smith, Kelowna 45

David Anning, Brandon, 39

Emanuel Viveiros, Swift Current 39

Dean Brockman, Saskatoon 27

Jason McKee, Vancouver 20

Dallas Ferguson, Calgary 0

Matt O’Dette,Spokane 0

James Patrick, Kootenay 0

Dan Price, Victoria 0

Dennis Williams, Everett 0

——

F Cavin Leth has decided to attend Ryerson U in Toronto and play for the Rams in 2017-18. Leth, 21, split last season between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Prince Albert Raiders. From Taber, Alta., he had three assists in five games with the Thunderbirds, then put up 23 goals and 13 assists in 63 games with the Raiders. He also played with the Swift Current Broncos during his WHL career. All told, he had 44 goals and 35 assists in 262 regular-season games.

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——

Believe this is still the case. Announcement tomorrow from the Frontenacs. https://t.co/LXodT60ltZ

— OHLInsiders(.com) (@OHLinsiders) July 13, 2017

The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have said they will introduce their new head coach today (Thursday). They have been in the market for one since Paul McFarland left to sign on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. . . . There has been speculation in OHL circles that Josh Dixon is the leading candidate to take over in Kingston. Dixon spent three seasons (2011-14) as an assistant coach with the Regina Pats and was with the Swift Current Broncos for 2014-15. . . . Dixon, who also is working on a masters in sports psychology, is in player development with CAA Sports.

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F Austin Wagner of the Regina Pats had shoulder surgery on June 7 and could be out of action for as long as six months. Perhaps the fastest skater in the WHL last season, he has signed with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and, as a 20-year-old, is eligible to player with their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. But he is expected to miss all of training camp and the start of the 2017-18 season. So might the Kings send him back to the Pats, the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup? . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.

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Here are the speaker topics for our annual @teamsnap Hockey Coaches Conference… STARTS FRIDAY!https://t.co/BO3WcEeFos pic.twitter.com/S9rXaMFKHt

— The Coaches Site (@TheCoachesSite) July 12, 2017

The seventh annual TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference in Vancouver runs on Friday and Saturday. Among the presenters are Glen Gulutzan, the head coach of the NHL's Calgary Flames; Ray Ferraro, the terrific hockey analyst with TSN; Craig Cunningham, a former WHLer who now is pro scouting with the Arizona Coyotes; and Winnipeg Jets assistant coach Jamie Kompon, who is a former GM/head coach with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . If you haven't yet registered, click right here. As you register, enter the coupon code TakingNote and you’ll get 20 per cent off the registration fee.

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If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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.

Homecomings in Calgary ... T-Birds poised to name head coach ... Pats' Paddock adds players

Hey folks @gdrinnan Taking Note is working just loading really slowly thanks to a new script from @blogger be patient. #SameGreatWriting

— Terry Massey (@TerryMassey) July 6, 2017

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D Kalvin Sagert (Kamloops, Lethbridge, Prince George, 2002-08) has signed a one-year contract with Gherdëina Selva Gardena (Italy, Alps HL). Last season, he had two goals and four assists in 27 games with Fehérvár AV19 Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga). . . .

D Emerson Hyrnyk (Prince Albert, Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, he had four assists in 26 games with Mount Royal University (U Sports).

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If they didn’t, the Calgary Hitmen should have had Hagood Hardy’s The Homecoming playing in the background of their Tuesday morning news conference.

After all, Jeff Chynoweth, the Hitmen’s new general manager, is coming back to Calgary for the first time in 31 years, while Dallas Ferguson, the new head coach, is returning to Alberta after coaching in Alaska since 2002. Dallas Thompson, the new director of player personnel, is from Hayter, Alta.

Chynoweth joins the Hitmen after spending 16 seasons as the GM of the Kootenay Ice, a franchise that

The Calgary Hitmen braintrust: Dallas Ferguson (left),
Jeff Chynoweth, Mike Moore and Dallas Thompson.(Photo: Candice Ward/Hitmenhockey.com)

was owned by his family. The Chynoweths sold the Ice earlier this summer to Winnipeggers Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell.

With the Hitmen, Chynoweth takes over from Mike Moore, who now is vice-president and alternate governor. Moore had been the GM since 2013.

Chynoweth spent a good part of his youth in Calgary and, in fact, was the visiting teams’ stick boy at Flames games in the early 1980s. The Flames, of course, own the Hitmen.

Ferguson, meanwhile, takes over from Mark French, who left after three seasons as head coach in order to work in Switzerland.

Ferguson, who is from Wainwright, Alta., has been on the coaching staff of the U of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks since 2004. He has been the head coach since 2008. Before joining the Nanooks’ coaching staff, he was an assistant coach with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for two seasons.

For Hitmen fans wanting to know Ferguson a bit better, right here is a College Hockey News story from when he was named the Nanooks’ head coach. . . . Click right here and you’ll find a Q&A that CHN managing editor Adam Wodon did with Ferguson early last season.

www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2008/05/21_ferguson.php

Assistant coaches Trent Cassan and Joel Otto are returning to work alongside Ferguson.

Thompson replaces Dan Bonar, who spent 14 seasons with the Hitmen, the last four as director of player personnel. Thompson worked for the Hitmen for the past two seasons as B.C. scouting director. He is a long-time WHLer, having spent 10 seasons as the general manager of the Prince George Cougars.

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With the Calgary Hitmen having hired Dallas Ferguson as their new head coach, it leaves the Seattle

Thunderbirds as the only one of the WHL’s 22 franchises without a head coach.

The Thunderbirds, the WHL’s reigning champions, are poised to name a a successor to Steve Konowalchuk who left after six seasons and now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. That announcement is scheduled for today (Wednesday) at noon PT.

Matt O’Dette, an assistant coach alongside Konowalchuk for the past four seasons, is believed to be the leading candidate as Seattle’s next head coach.

What it all means is that, barring any more changes, six teams will have new head coaches when the new season arrives.

Besides Calgary and Seattle, the Everett Silvertips, Kootenay Ice, Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Royals have made changes.

In Everett, the Silvertips chose not to renew Kevin Constantine’s contract after four seasons, and have replaced him with Dennis Williams.

In Kootenay, Luke Pierce, the Ice’s head coach for two seasons, got caught up in an ownership change and has been replaced by James Patrick.

In Spokane, veteran head coach Don Nachbaur and the Chiefs split up after the season and he has since signed on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.

In Victoria, the Royals lost head coach Dave Lowry to Los Angeles, also for an assistant coaching position. The Royals promoted assistant coach Dan Price to head coach.

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——

The Regina Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament, and GM/head coach John Paddock is having a busy offseason. He picked up F Matt Bradley, a sniper, from the Medicine Hat Tigers in a move that garnered some notice. In a couple of other moves, Paddock has signed F George King, 19, who scored 36 goals with the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard last season, and F Rayman Bassi, who had 49 points with the major midget Okanagan Rockets. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.

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The Vancouver Giants have signed D Parker Hendren to a WHL contract. From Regina, Hendren was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Last season, Hendren had 15 points, two of them goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians.

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Check out these amazing speakers and their topics for our conference…
STARTS FRIDAY!https://t.co/BO3WcEeFos pic.twitter.com/Y3wS1Fgs8i

— The Coaches Site (@TheCoachesSite) July 11, 2017

If you would like to attend seventh annual TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference in Vancouver on Friday and Saturday, Taking Note has a deal for you. Click on The Coaches Site website right here and as you register enter the coupon code TakingNote and you’ll get 20 per cent off the registration fee. . . . Enjoy the weekend!

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If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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Two men with ties to the WHL moved into the NHL coaching ranks on Tuesday. . . . Kelly Buchberger (Moose Jaw, 1984-86) has left the Edmonton Oilers organization and now is an assistant coach with the New York Islanders. . . . In Pittsburgh, the Penguins moved Mark Recchi (New Westminster, Kamloops, 1985-88) into an assistant coaching role, filling the vacancy created when Rick Tocchet signed on as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes. . . . Buchberger, 50, spent nine seasons with the Oilers, six as an assistant coach before moving into player personnel and player development. . . . Recchi, 49, has been in player development with the Penguins for the past three seasons. He also is a co-owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Recchi will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later this year.

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Ted Nolan has signed on as the head coach of Poland’s national men’s team. Nolan, a former NHL coach of the year, spent four years with the Latvian national team. Tom Coolen, an assistant coach with Nolan in Latvia, will fill the same role in Poland.

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Respect to Alex Ovechkin for being only Russian in Washington who refused to collude with Trump campaign in order to win something.

— randy turner (@randyturner15) July 11, 2017

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.

Coaching moves in Seattle and Regina

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Kevin Nastiuk (Medicine Hat. 2001-05) signed a one-year contract with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). He had a 2.21 GAA in 26 games with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) last season. . . .
D Bohdan Visnak (Saskatoon, 2006-07) signed a one-year contract extension with Montpellier (France, Division 1). He had four goals and 13 assists in 26 games last season. Montpellier opens their training camp on Aug. 12.
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It doesn’t seem to be getting much play in North America, but it could be that the biggest story in hockey this summer is playing out in Finland.
If you are a regular here, you will recall that The MacBeth Report filled us in a couple of weeks ago on the goings-on involving the Finnish hockey team Jokerit and its home arena.
Here’s more . . .
“The whole Jokerit Helsinki to the KHL thing is getting uglier. It has been reported that Harry Harkimo, Jokerit owner and former majority shareholder of Hartwall Areena, went to the minority owners in Hartwall Areena and bought their shares without telling them that he was buying up all the minority interests nor what he planned to do.
“At the same time, he created a shell company and transferred the rights to the Jokerit name to it and then transferred the ownership of Hartwall Areena to it, all without any resolutions from the respective boards of directors.
“If I understand this correctly, it was this shell company that Harkimo sold to Russians Gennady Timchenko and the Rotenberg family. Legal scholars in Finland speculate that these transfers may be illegal under Finnish law.
“As if that wasn’t enough, the other 13 members of SM-Liiga are alleging that Jokerit’s actions to unilaterally leave SM-Liiga and move to the KHL are ‘a breach of the (SM-Liiga’s) shareholder agreement and did harm to the image of the league.’
“All 14 clubs are bound by this SM-Liiga shareholders’ agreement. The 13 clubs are considering kicking Jokerit out of SM-Liiga immediately and some clubs are saying anonymously that such a vote would probably carry unanimously, with one club executive saying ‘Jokerit playing in SM-Liiga this season is far from certain. To consider allowing Jokerit to continue in SM-Liiga this coming season is likely to be even more damaging to our own credibility.’
“A press release from SM-Liiga dated July 16 says that Jokerit’s transfer to the KHL requires consent of the Board of Directors. Such authorization has not been asked of SM-Liiga, and no binding agreements allowing the transfer have been made. The Liiga Board of Directors and shareholders are considering the follow-up to the situation in the near future.’
"Jokerit is scheduled to play its first exhibition game on Aug. 8. The regular season is set to open on Sept. 14, but SM-Liiga has removed its 2013-2014 regular-season schedule from its website."
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It is doubtful if anyone in Canada knows more about concussions than Dr. Charles Tator, who is a neuroscientist at Toronto Western Hospital. Laura Kane of the Toronto Star writes right here that Dr. Tator “has published a new guide to treating and preventing concussions in the Canadian Medical Journal.” . . . Kane’s complete story, which deals mostly with the long-term effects of these brain injuries, is right here. . . . At the end is a list of “10 things you should know about concussions — but probably don’t.”
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If you’re an NFL fan, perhaps you are a regular reader of Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback. And now he has a football-themed website. Right here is a look at how King got here from there.
———
The concussion noose may well be starting to tighten around the NCAA. As Nathan Fenno of the Washington Times writes right here, “This is an organization, after all, founded in 1905 to protect the safety of college athletes. Email after eye-opening email, however, reveals a bureaucratic wasteland that’s strayed far from the original mission.” . . . The emails to which he refers are part of a lawsuit that has been filed against the NCAA in federal court.
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So . . . how did they miss it? As Gordon Rayner of The Telegraph writes, “The world’s media had been camped outside St. Mary’s for weeks in the hope of being first with the news of her hospital admission,” but when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived at the hospital not one photographer got the picture. . . . How did that happen? . . . Rayner’s story is right here.
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That mother in Romania who said she had burned seven works of art that were worth millions of dollars? She now says she didn’t do it. But where are the paintings? It seems we may never find out. . . . That story is right here.
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Outfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, who vehemently denied any wrongdoing not that long ago, was hit with a 65-game suspension by MLB on Monday for multiple violations of baseball’s drug program and labour contract. . . . Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports has more right here.
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Ryan Braun a cockroach? Well, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports thinks he is. That piece is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed Matt O’Dette to work as an assistant coach with head coach Steve Konowalchuk and assistant Jim McTaggart. . . . O’Dette spent the past two seasons as director of hockey operations and head coach of the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Before that, he worked as assistant GM/assistant coach with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder.
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Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds are looking for a new goaltending coach after Dusty Imoo, 43, signed on with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. He will serve as the Jets' developmental goaltending coach. Imoo, a former WHL goaltender (New Westminster, Lethbridge, Regina, 1987-91), spent two seasons with the Thunderbirds.
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The Regina Pats have completed their coaching staff with the hiring of Bill McGuigan as an assistant. He will work alongside head coach Malcolm Cameron and assistant Josh Dixon. . . . McGuigan is a veteran of the Maritime junior leagues. Last season, he was the head coach of the Summerside, P.E.I., Western Capitals, who reached the RBC Cup final. . . . He also has worked with the Canadian men’s sledge hockey team. . . . Bo Ford of the Charlottetown Guardian has more right here.
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Bryan Helmer has joined the OHL’s Peterborough Petes as an assistant coach under head coach Jody Hull. . . . Helmer will work alongside assistant Andrew Verner. . . . Helmer is the AHL’s alltime leader in games played, assists and points by a defenceman. He played 24 games last season with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons.
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Kurt Kleinendorst is the new head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild today. . . . The Wild is the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, which relocated the team team from Houston after last season. . . . Kleinendorst was a finalist for the Aeros’ head-coaching job in 2010, but it went to Mike Yeo. He now is the head coach in Minnesota. . . . Kleinendorst, the head coach at the U of Alabama-Huntsville last season, replaces John Torchetti, who now is head coach the KHL’s CSKA Moscow.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Vancouver journalist Jim Mullin (@Jim_Mullin): “I called world class badminton on Shaw today and a fist fight broke out between two players & RCMP were called in. Go figure!”
If you haven’t seen the video, you are able to watch it right here.
The scrap featured former doubles partners Maneepong Jongjit and Bodin Issara, who played in the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. Jongit is alleged to have struck Issara with a racket. Issara then chases Jonglit, catches him, and punches and kicks him. Jongrit ends up shirtless and is led away.
Issara needed two stitches to repair some damage. The WHL would list him day-to-day with an upper body injury.


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Dmitri Uchaykin, a 33-year-old forward in the Kazakh league, died Sunday morning after taking a hit to the head in a Saturday game.
Uchaykin played for Ertis Pavlodar. He was taken to hospital after being checked by Donatas Kumeliuskas, a Lithuanian forward who plays for Arystan Temirtau.
According to thehockeyhouse.net, Uchaykin, who leaves a pregnant wife and young daughter, was unconscious when taken to hospital and never regained consciousness before dying of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Uchaykin, according to thehockeyhouse.net, “spent a big majority of his professional career with Amur Khabarovsk in multiple levels of Russian hockey, including the KHL, before getting traded to Gazovik Tyumen (Russia2) mid season in 2008-2009. He would later play two seasons with Yermak Angarsk (VHL/Russia2) before finishing off the last two seasons of his career with Ertis Pavlodar in Kazakhstan.”
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“Hockey accounts for almost half of all traumatic brain injuries among Canadian children and teens taking part in team sports, says a study, which also looks at how and why kids are getting hurt.”
So begins a story by Sheryl Ubelacker of The Canadian Press that takes a look at that study and what it means. That story is right here.
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D Tyler Wotherspoon of the Portland Winterhawks has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames. He was a second-round selection, taken 57th overall, in the NHL’s 2011 draft. . . . He had 37 points in ?? games during the regular season and finished at plus-62, a number that was behind only Portland F Nic Petan in the entire WHL. . . . Wotherspoon also played for the Canadian national junior team at the 2013 world championship.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Matt O’Dette won’t be back as head coach of the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. O’Dette was told Monday that his contract won’t be renewed, but he finished out the season and told his players after a 5-1 loss to the San Francisco Bulls on Saturday. Asked what he told his players after the game O’Dette told Mike Griffith of the Bakersfield Californian: “To be honest, I let them know I'm not coming back next year. I'm not being renewed. I knew a few days ago. We wanted to finish strong, finish as pros and play right until the end. I faked it all week and didn't tell anybody. There's no point in hiding it now. That's what I told the guys. It was emotional. It was a tough speech to give the guys. That's that. It's disappointing." . . . The Condors finished 24-41-7, the poorest record in the ECHL.
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Paul Buker of The Oregonian takes a look at what’s happening in the series between the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips. . . . As Buker writes right here: “Everett won’t go away, like those zombies that just seem to keep coming in ‘Walking Dead.’ ”
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The WHL was quiet on Easter Sunday.
There are three series still alive, all in the Western Conference, with two of them going tonight.
The Victoria Royals, trailing 3-2, play host to the Kamloops Blazers at Bear Mountain Arena. The Royals stayed alive with a 4-2 victory in Kamloops on Saturday.
In Everett, the Silvertips hope to continue their brave stand in front of the Evil Empire tonight. The Silvertips, after winning 3-2 in Portland on Saturday, trail 3-2.
The third series resumes Tuesday with the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent) meeting in Kent, Wash. Seattle holds a 3-2 edge after dropping a 4-3 decision in Kelowna on Saturday.
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The WHL’s first-round situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
FIRST ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
(Edmonton wins 4-1)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
(Medicine Hat wins 4-0)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
(Calgary wins 4-1)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
(Red Deer wins 4-0)
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SECOND ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Red Deer (4)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
(Portland leads series 3-2; Game 6 tonight in Everett)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
(Seattle leads 3-2; Game 5 on Tuesday in Kent, Wash.)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
(Kamloops leads 3-2; Game 6 tonight in Victoria, Bear Mountain Arena)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
(Spokane wins 4-1)


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