Change in Raiders' office . . . Attempt to save team is over . . . Montador had CTE

BOOK REVIEW:

Remember when hockey cards were the thing?
It really wasn’t that long ago, like in the 1990s and for a while after the turn of the century.
But the real feeding frenzy was in the 1990s. In fact, while I was the Regina Leader-Post’s sports editor, I came to know one person who paid off his mortgage

through hockey cards. He built up a supply — at one time, he had more than one million cards in his basement — and spent many weekends a year at card shows in southern and central Saskatchewan.
For most collectors, though, it isn’t about paying off a mortgage. Early on in He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures, author Jon Waldman quotes Hersh Borenstein, president of the Toronto-based memorabilia company Frozen Pond:
“More than anything it’s the pursuit . . . it’s not about the value.”
You will be aware of that if you have ever been a collector of anything. Yes, it’s about the chase.
In this book, Waldman goes back in time to the beginning of hockey-based collectibles. He also looks at everything from autographs — what to get autographed; what not to get autographed — to game-worn jerseys to programs and tickets and everything in between.
Still, cards are at the heart of hockey collectibles. Early on, Waldman provides a timeline of the history of hockey cards that shows just how crazy the industry was as it built to a peak and then came down the other side.
In chronicling the collectible industry, Waldman also provides something of a history of professional hockey, especially at the NHL level. He offers up a team-by-team look, including expansion and defunct franchises, always pointing out unique collectibles.
Should you give this book a look, it will bring back a million memories. It may even cause you to go on the hunt in your own home. Perhaps you have an H.M. Cowan painted tile or two hanging around somewhere. It could be that you had no idea what they were, other than small paintings of former players like, say, Harry Howell and Tom Johnson. Maybe you will find them, go on the Internet and find out that they are worth more than a few dollars.
But you won’t even attempt to sell them. No. Because it isn’t about the money, is it?
(He Shoots, He Saves: The Story of Hockey’s Collectible Treasures; ECW Press, 274 pages, soft cover, $19.95)
———







F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Riessersee (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A), he had 25 goals and 19 assists in 37 games. He led the team in goals and points while it won the Italian championship. . . .
D Jace Coyle (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 2007-11) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had two goals and 17 assists in 36 games with Aalborg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen) this season. . . .
F Marcin Kolusz (Vancouver, 2003-04) signed a two-year extension with Tychy (Poland, PHL). He had 40 points, including 16 goals, in 42 games this season. His club won the Poland championship. Kolusz captained Poland at the World Championship Division 1A, where he was named to the all-star team and named best player on his team.
———

TUESDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.

The Kelowna Rockets get their first chance to win this season’s WHL championship when they meet the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings tonight. The Rockets hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . The Rockets have won their last six games, beating the Portland Winterhawks three straight to close out the Western Conference final and now having opened the league final with three victories. . . . Wondering why the teams didn’t play on back-to-back nights when the series headed to Kelowna? Diana Krall was playing Prospera Place last night.
———


Bruce Vance is leaving the Prince Albert Raiders after 14 years with the WHL franchise. Vance, who has been involved in the WHL for 21 years, is leaving the Raiders to work as the City of Prince Albert’s marketing and sponsorship co-ordinator. Vance joined the Raiders as director of marketing, and has been the Raiders’ business manager for the past four years. . . . Michael Scissons will replace Vance as the Raiders’ business manager, effective June 1. Scissons has been with the Saskatoon Blades through 12 seasons, most recently as their vice-president of business operations.
——
The attempt at resuscitating the men’s hockey program at Thompson River University in Kamloops is dead. Trevor Bast of Victoria, who had been attempting to revive a program that was discontinued by TRU prior to this season, tells Taking Note that “I have stopped working towards reviving TRU hockey.” . . . With the TRU athletic department having said it no longer was interested in a hockey program, Bast approached the TRU Students’ Union in an attempt to form a link there. However, the TRUSU didn’t get back to him. At the same time, a deadline imposed by the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League went by, so Bast feels he has no choice but to walk away. . . . Don Schulz, the head coach of the WolfPack when the program collapsed, is preparing for his first season as head coach of the Kamloops-based Thompson Blazers, who play in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
——
The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters, champions of the Kootenay International Junior League, have changed the responsibilities of assistant coach Mike Reid and general manager Dave Smith. . . . Reid will take over as GM/director of player personnel, with Smith move to assistant GM-hockey operations. . . . “We’ve just taken the workload and divided it into two,” team president Chad Koran explained to Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. “It’s a pretty demanding and time-consuming job. We’re just trying to divide it between the two guys and lighten the load for the both of them.” . . . Head coach Jerry Bancks is set for another season, with Reid, Jeff Keiver and Todd White all back on staff, too. . . . Rocca's story is right here.

——
Does the NFL really concern itself more with deflated footballs and artificially inflated players? In light of Tom Brady’s suspension and Deflategate, Jere Longman of The New York Times examines the NFL and a history of deceit in sports right here.
———

THE COACHING GAME:

The Prince Albert Raiders have re-signed associate coach Dave Manson and assistant coach Kelly Guard. Contract terms weren’t released. They will work under head coach Marc Habscheid, who signed a four-year contract earlier this spring. . . . The Raiders have yet to reveal whether they will retain general manager Bruno Campese, whose contract is soon to expire. . . . Manson, who is from Prince Albert, will be entering his 11th season on the Raiders’ coaching staff. He also is a former Raiders defenceman (1983-86). . . . Guard, who also is from Prince Albert, is preparing for his fourth season with the Raiders. He started as the team’s goaltending coach, then was promoted to assistant coach prior to this season. . . . Both men have been part of Memorial Cup championship teams, Manson with the 1984-85 Raiders and Guard with the 2003-04 Kelowna Rockets.
——
Former NHLer Jeremy Roenick, who now is in the broadcast business, said Tuesday that Travis Green, the former Portland Winterhawks assistant GM/assistant coach, should be considered for the head-coaching vacancy with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. . . . "He is a no-nonsense coach and I think a coach that's ready for the National Hockey League and that's waited for a National Hockey League job," Roenick said Tuesday on Comcast SportsNet's Breakfast on Broad. "He turned down an assistant job in Pittsburgh last year because of his craving to be a head coach. If there's a young guy out there that's ready for that jump, I think Travis Green would be that guy.” . . . Green now is the head coach of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. . . . There’s more right here on Roenick and Green. . . . The Comets hold a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Barons in a second-round series with Game 4 tonight in Oklahoma City.
———



D Mackenze Stewart of the Prince Albert Raiders has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Stewart, who turns 20 on Aug. 10, is from Calgary. The Canucks selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Stewart had 11 points, five of them goals, with the Raiders this season. . . . The Canucks apparently plan on turning Stewart into a left winger. . . .
The best baseball book you’ve never read? In a piece written for Rolling Stone, Dan Epstein makes a case for Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud. That is the story of former Major League first baseman Joe Pepitone, and it was on bookshelves before Jim Bouton’s Ball Four. The good news is that Joe, You Could Made Us Proud is being reissued. . . . Epstein’s piece is right here.
———







“The family of Steve Montador is planning to launch a lawsuit against the NHL in the wake of news the late defenceman suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, widely known as CTE,” writes Rick Westhead of TSN. “The Krembil Neuroscience Centre’s Canadian Sports Concussion Project announced results on Tuesday of autopsies conducted on Montador, former CFL player John Forzani, and an anonymous donor. CTE was detected in the brains of Montador and the anonymous donor, but not Forzani, a former lineman with the Stampeders.” . . . Montador, who was 35 when he died in February. As a hockey player, he had a long history of concussions. . . . Westhead’s piece is right here.
———

Hopefully Euro hockey notices that when #TeamCanada wins there is no big goal celebrations or hand slaps down the bench. #RespectOpponents

— Jeff Ulmer (@Ulms44) May 12, 2015

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.

Oil Kings one win from title; Americans looking for head coach

F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops, 2010-11) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, DEL). This season with Straubing and Red Bull Munich (both Germany, DEL), he had three goals in 35 games. While on loan to Kaufbeuren (Germany, DEL2), he had two assists in three games.
---
The news release from the Tri-City Americans announcing the dumping of head coach Jim Hiller hadn’t been out there too long when an email arrived.
It contained one line: “Bob Tory told me that this guy (Hiller) was the best in the WHL!”
Obviously, Tory’s opinion changed because he announced Friday that the Americans wouldn’t “be extending the contract of head coach Jim Hiller.”
Like a good politician, Tory dropped the bombshell on a Friday afternoon.
“Jim is a good person and coach and we are thankful for all of the contributions he's made to our club,” Tory said in the news release. “However, at this time, we feel we need a fresh face and voice moving forward to lead our team.”
Hiller spent five seasons as the Americans’ head coach, putting up 210 victories in 360 starts. As the news release points out, Hiller had four seasons with at least 40 victories, won two U.S. Division titles and had a .619 winning percentage.
Only Don Nachbaur (229) won more regular-season games as an Americans head coach. Nachbaur did that in 423 games, 63 more than Hiller.
“Hiller also departs as the Americans' all-time leader in playoff wins (29), playoff winning percentage (0.509) and playoff series wins (6),” the news release continues. “After his 2009-10 squad advanced to the WHL final for the first time in franchise history, Hiller also earned the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL Coach of the Year . . .”
Hiller’s Americans won 47, 44, 50, 40 and, this season, 29 games. This season, in what was considered a rebuilding/reloading season, the Americans finished eighth in the Western Conference and lost a first-round series in five games to the Kelowna Rockets, who had finished 40 points in front of them.
“There still is a lot of work to be done,” Tory told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “The last two years were not up to the standard we would have liked. Our young guys will be that much better. We are moving back in the right direction.”
If you read the Americans’ news release, it makes you wonder why Tri-City is tying a can to Hiller, instead of rewarding him with a multiyear deal. What more, you ask yourself, could a coach have done?
Asked by text if he is talking with Mike Williamson, Tory replied: “Have lots of interest. Difficult decision.”
Williamson, of course, was dumped by the Calgary Hitmen in mid-April.
With Williamson in his fifth season as head coach, the Hitmen put up 103 points in the regular season, but then lost a first-round series in six games to the Kootenay Ice, who were 20 points poorer over the regular season.
“We just didn’t feel our hockey club reached the level it should’ve,” Calgary GM Mike Moore told George Johnson of the Calgary Herald. “As evidenced in the Kootenay series and at other times during the year. Mike did a lot of good things but the level of (success) wasn’t where we felt the level of talent should get to.”
So what we have here are two excellent young coaches -- Hiller is 44; Williamson is 41 -- out of work, one because a new voice is needed, despite a .619 winning percentage over the last five seasons, the other because a 103-point regular season followed by a first-round six-game exit isn’t good enough.
The bars have been raised awfully high in Kennewick, Wash., and in Calgary.
Someone is going to have to remind me again (1) why anyone would want to get into the coaching game, and (2) how many teams win the last game of the playoffs?
To paraphrase Waylon and Willie, “Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be hockey coaches.”
On the other side of the coin, those teams who have coaching vacancies now have some awfully good resumes to look through.
---



1. With the sudden fall from grace of head coach Jim Hiller with the Tri-City Americans, there are four WHL teams without head coaches. The Americans, Calgary Hitmen, Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants all are searching.

2. This is the most bizarre offseason in terms of WHL coaching moves that I can recall, and the season isn’t even over yet. . . . Kamloops ended up with Don Hay as its head coach, even though the Blazers have yet to admit publicly that they have parted company with Dave Hunchak. . . . Hay, the winningest active coach in the league, left Vancouver after 10 years with the Giants. The Giants didn’t ask for compensation, despite Hay having one year left on his contract. It seems that Hay and general manager Scott Bonner were barely on speaking terms. One source told me: “There were very few conversations between the two, even though their offices were right next to one another.” According to another source, “For the last few years, Don entered through the back of the Coliseum, and Scott through the front office. I don't think business has worked like that at the Coliseum since the days of the WHA when the Blazers and the Canucks shared the barn!”

3. Yes, Dave Hunchak is looking for work, too, and it’s not that long ago (2010-11) when the Moose Jaw Warriors won 40 games with him at the controls.

4. Fans who aren’t too close to the game may not know the name of Michael Futa. But the co-director of amateur scouting with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings has been a person of interest to teams looking to fill front-office vacancies. That included the Vancouver Canucks, who need a general manager. But Futa is off the market after the Kings promoted him Friday to president of hockey operations and director of player personnel. . . . This is a great move for the Kings, and it’s nice to see someone rewarded for good work.

5. Hockey has a concussion problem and it’s not going anywhere. Read this piece right here by Sportsnet’s Mark Spector and don’t think for a minute that it doesn’t apply to various levels of hockey, not just the NHL.

6. F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice, who battled meningitis through the month of March, continues to rehab in France. The Montreal Canadiens selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2012 draft and his goal is to be at their training camp in September. He has told Le Matin that he has lost 16 pounds and still suffers from vertigo and memory loss.

7. The 2019 Memorial Cup? Forget about it Red Deer. Lethbridge, you’ve got no chance. . . . Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun reports that the 2019 Memorial Cup will be held in Edmonton. Seriously. . . . Of course, a host WHL city has yet to be decided upon for the 2016 Memorial Cup. . . . Jones’ column is right here. . . . The Memorial Cup hasn’t been decided in Alberta since 1974 when the Regina Pats won it at the Corral in Calgary.
---




Michael Scissons, who has worked in Saskatoon’s front office since 2003, has been moved by the Blades into the newly created position of vice-president of business operations. Scissons joined the Blades in 2003-04 as an account executive. Most recently, he has been director of sales. . . . According to a Blades news release, in his new role, “Scissons will continue to guide the Blades business operations, maintaining contact on a daily basis with both corporate partners and season-ticket holders.”
---
THE OHL FINAL:
In Guelph, the Storm booked its berth in the Memorial Cup with a 4-3 victory over the North Bay Battalion. . . . The Storm won the best-of-seven final, 4-1, to earn its first OHL championship since 2004. . . . North Bay took a 3-2 lead into the last five minutes of the third period, only to lose it on two goals by F Kirby Rychel. . . . Rychel tied the score at 15:31 and then got the winner with 26.3 seconds left in the third period. . . . The 2014 Memorial Cup opens in London, Ont., on Friday with the host Knights meeting the QMJHL champion.
---
THE QMJHL FINAL:
In Baie-Comeau, the Drakkar closed to within a victory of their first championship with a 6-5 victory over the Val-d’Or Foreurs. . . . The Drakkar leads the best-of-seven final, 3-2, with Game 6 in Val-d’Or on Sunday. . . . If needed, Game 7 would be played Tuesday in Baie-Comeau. . . . F Valentin Zykov had two goals and three assists for the winners. His second goal, at 7:05 of the third period, gave his guys a 6-4 lead. . . . Baie-Comeau captain Felix Girard was 21-for-34 on faceoffs. He took part in 34 of the game’s 72 draws. . . . The Drakkar lost last season’s final to the Halifax Mooseheads in five games.
---
THE COACHING GAME:
Mike Haviland has stepped down after one season as head coach of the AHL’s Hershey Bears in order to become the head coach of the Colorado College Tigers. Haviland also has coached in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals and Rockford IceHogs. He has a 176-104-36 record as an AHL head coach. . . . With the Tigers, Haviland replaces Scott Owens, who resigned in April after 15 seasons there.
---

THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised on delayed basis by Root Sports)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
(Edmonton leads, 3-2)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (6,799)
Wednesday: Portland 0 at Edmonton 2 (7,859)
Friday: Edmonton 3 at Portland 2 (10,947)
Sunday: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Memorial Coliseum)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
---

FRIDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Edmonton Oil Kings won their third straight game to close to within one victory over the WHL title as they beat the defending-champion Winterhawks, 3-2. . . . Game 6 is scheduled for Edmonton on Sunday (Mother’s Day), at 4 p.m. . . . The Oil Kings are looking for their second championship in three seasons. . . . These two teams have met in each of the last three finals. . . . Portland F Paul Bittner opened the scoring at 15:28 of the first period. At that point, Portland had outscored Edmonton 8-0 in first periods. . . . It was Bittner’s fourth goal in the championship final. . . . That also was Portland’s first goal in 131:58, or since early in the first period of Game 3. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda tied it on a PP at 18:27 of the first period. . . . The Oil Kings took the lead when D Griffin Reinhart scored at 2:11 of the second period and then stretched it to two on F Henrik Samuelsson’s goal at 7:39. . . . Samuelsson, who scored two goals through the first three rounds, has four scores in the final. . . . D Mathew Dumba got Portland to within one, at 3-2, with 1:45 left in the third period, but the Winterhawks weren’t able to equalize. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry was outstanding. He stopped 37 shots, including all 18 he faced in the second period. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes turned aside 27 shots. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-4 and now has one PP goal in its last 15 opportunities. . . . The Winterhawks had won their last 25 home games. They hadn’t tasted defeat on home ice since dropping a 3-2 decision to the Victoria Royals on Jan. 4. . . . Interestingly, if this series goes to a Game 7, each of the final three games will have been played in a different facility. Last night, they played in Portland’s Moda Center. On Sunday, Game 6 will be played in Edmonton’s Rexall Place. On Monday, if needed, it’s back to Portland but Game 7 would be played in Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
---
Post-game tweets from Scott Sepich (@SSepich):
Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart: “"We weren't playing as structured (in first 2 games), now we're trying to frustrate them and wear them down.“
Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston: "If we repeat that game, we'll be OK in Game 6. I thought our energy was good and our attack was good."
Johnston: "We had 7 or 8 chances where we shot it over the net. We had 17 chances in the 2nd period, you have to put a couple of them away."
Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson: "We're playing a little safer, making the easy plays, not trying to force passes through the seam."
---






From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “50% - Through 18 WHL Final games between the @EdmOilKings and @pdxwinterhawks, each team has now won 9.”
---
From Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) of Yahoo! Sports: “France has 18,041 registered hockey players (total). Also 129 rinks (total) in the country.”
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.