Sven Baertschi of the Calgary Flames shows off the puck with which
he scored his first NHL goal on Sunday.
(Photo courtesy a huge Baertschi fan)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Vaclav Varada (Tacoma/Kelowna, 1994-96) has been loaned to Slovan Ustecti Lvi (Czech Republic 1.Liga) by Trinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the remainder of this season. Varada had six goals and seven assists in 16 games for Trinec; he did not play a game for Trinec until early January due to injury. Trinec's season ended last week with their loss to Zlin in the quarterfinals, three games to two. Varada will join Slovan for their best-of-seven semi-final series against Dukla Jihlava, which begins today in Ustecti Lvi. . . .
F Keegan Dansereau (Calgary, Swift Current, 2003-09) signed a one-year contract with Mörrum (Sweden, Division 1). He had two goals in one game for the Horse Lake Chiefs (Alberta, North Peace Senior Hockey League) this season. Dansereau played for Mörrum in 2010-11, getting 32 goals and 25 assists in 37 games.
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Attention Chilliwack hockey fans!
You likely don’t pay attention to such things — after all, you have no reason to — but the WHL regular season is into its last week.
And guess what?
Yes, the first rumour surfaced on Monday.
“Hearing Cougars to Chilliwack again,” reported a source with knowledge of the situation.
So, folks, here we go again. The silly season has started.
We know that after the Bruins were taken away from Chilliwack — you perhaps know that they now are the Victoria Royals — almost a year ago, there were strong rumours that the Cougars could be headed south.
Well, I can tell you that Cougars owner Rick Brodsky seriously considered relocation and there was some communication with Moray Keith, who had been one of the Bruins’ owners. However, nothing came of it.
We will have to wait and see if they do the dance again this spring or summer.
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F Sven Baertschi of the Portland Winterhawks scored his first NHL goal Sunday as the Calgary Flames scored a 4-3 victory over the host Minnesota Wild.
Baertschi, the WHL’s only two-point-per-game player, remains with the Flames, who brought him in him Wednesday under emergency recall rules. The Flames had nine players out with injuries on Sunday. Baertschi is allowed to stay with them until two of those injured players are cleared to return.
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D Joe Morrow of Portland has a career-high 64 points. That is the highest total by a Portland defenceman since Andrew Ference put up 68 in 1997-98. The Winterhawks won the Memorial Cup that season. . . . Portland F Nic Petan scored four goals in Saturday’s 11-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. It was the first time in Winterhawks history that a 16-year-old had scored four goals in one game.
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The Tri-City Americans have added yet another youngster to their roster. D Clint Filbrandt, 16, played for the midget AAA Calgary Northstars this season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reported last night that “Swift Current Minor Hockey has relieved Jason Johns of his duties as Head Coach/Manager of the Midget AAA Legionnaires. There aren’t many more details to share than that. The board will begin the search for a new coach immediately.”
There is a link to Mullin’s blog over there on the right.
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Doug Lunney of the Winnipeg Sun is a former WHL goaltender who crossed over to the right side. He has some thoughts on the MJHL’s reaction to the performance turned in by Dauphin Kings GM/head coach Marlin Murray last week, and that piece is right here.
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Now that you’ve read Lunney’s piece, and no doubt you have viewed the video, you should know that Murray plans on filing an appeal. Seriously!
I’m thinking the MJHL should make Murray work as a referee for 12 games.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Brandon (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Saskatoon (7)
Medicine Hat (3) vs. Regina (6)
Calgary (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Victoria (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Everett (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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MONDAY’S GAMES
None.
———
TODAY’S GAMES
Red Deer at Medicine Hat
Prince Albert at Saskatoon
Spokane at Seattle
Prince George at Tri-City

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Kenton Smith (Calgary, 1995-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardiff Devils (Wales, UK Elite). He had 10 goals and 30 assists in 53 games for the Devils this season.
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Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times has the latest on the BCHL’s return to Chilliwack right here. . . . Among other things, Olsen asked Moray Keith, a former minority owner of the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins and one of the BCHL franchise’s owners, about a possible return by the WHL should the opportunity arise. . . . "Judging by the way we were treated by the WHL,” Keith said, “we're not very anxious to be involved with those folks again.”
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THE COACHING GAME: The SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers have signed Rockie Zinger to a one-year deal as head coach. He hired on as an assistant coach prior to this season, then was named interim head coach when Larry Wintoneak was fired on Dec. 13. . . . The NAHL’s Kenai River Brown Bears have signed head coach Oliver David to a two-year extension. David, from L.A., just completed his first full season as head coach, after moving up from assistant to interim head coach in October 2009. . . . The QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket announced that Corrado Micalef and Jamie Blanchard will return as assistant coaches under new head coach Gordie Dwyer.
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JUST NOTES: D Mike Reddington, a veteran of five-plus WHL seasons, has decided to attend the U of Lethbridge and play for the Pronghorns of head coach Greg Gatto. Reddington, from Port Coquitlam, B.C., was the Lethbridge Hurricane’s captain last season. He played 196 regular-season games with the Spokane Chiefs before being dealt to the Hurricanes early in the 2009-10 season. He played 133 games with the Hurricanes, completing his major junior eligibility this season. Reddington had 23 points in 68 games this season, along with 99 penalty minutes. After the WHL season, he played four games with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. . . . F Evan Richardson, a first-round pick in the 2009 WHL bantam draft, has committed to Boston College. Richardson, from Nanaimo, B.C., had 42 points in 55 games with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies this season. The Swift Current Broncos selected him with the 15th pick of the 2009 draft.
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According to capgeek.com, F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, will get an AHL salary of US$67,500 in each of the three seasons, with an NHL salary of $790,000 each season. He got a $270,000 signing bonus over three years. Vey, who won the WHL scoring title this season, was a fourth-round selection in the 2009 NHL draft.
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The Kootenay Ice finally scored some goals — and took advantage of a break — to stay alive at the Memorial Cup. The Ice beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 5-4 in OT — F Matt Fraser got the winner — and now will play in a tiebreaker on Thursday in Mississauga. . . . Tonight, it’s the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and the Owen Sound Attack, in a rematch of the OHL final which the Attack won in seven games. The winner goes on to Friday’s semifinal; the loser gets the Ice on Thursday. . . . The winning goal came after the Ice gained the offensive zone on a play that was offside. . . . It was the second time in the tournament that an offside play preceded a game-winning goal. On Friday, the Sea Dogs got past Mississauga 4-3 with the winning goal coming off an offside entry into the offensive zone.
———
In Houston, Aeros team captain Jon DiSalvatore scored with 1:13 left in the third period to give his side a 4-3 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs. It was Game 7 of the AHL’s Western Conference final. . . . The Aeros, who are affiliated with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, will meet the Binghamton Senators in the AHL final. . . . The final, which will follow a 2-3-2 format, opens with games Friday and Saturday in Houston.

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

The saga of the Chilliwack Bruins . . .

Today, we bring you a must-read from the Chilliwack Times. Actually, it is almost in its entirety a press release issued by the Chiefs Development Group, explaining their side of the deal that had the Chilliwack Bruins sold and relocated to Victoria.
If you have been following this saga, you won’t want to miss this one. It is right here.
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Moray Keith has told the Chilliwack Times that he will bring “entertaining, winning and respectful” hockey to Chilliwack before the start of the 2011-12 season.
That story is right here.
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Meanwhile, Rob Henderson, who covers the Brandon Wheat Kings for the Brandon Sun, wrote this column earlier this week:
Dear Chilliwack, welcome to Dumpsville. Population: You.
With all the tact of Homer Simpson, from whom the above phrase was adapted, the Western Hockey League broke off its five-year relationship with Chilliwack, B.C., last week, shacking up instead with a more attractive suitor in Victoria.
The move came as a surprise to no one. The magic had been fading in Chilliwack, with attendance for Bruins games dropping from an average of about 4,500 per contest in the first couple of seasons to a little over 3,000 this winter. And fans in the Fraser Valley had been flirting with the American Hockey League’s new franchise in nearby Abbotsford.
Rumours of an imminent breakup swirled for more than a month, so when the official announcement came last Wednesday that the Bruins had been sold and would move to the B.C. capital, the news wasn’t half as interesting as the revelations that came out in the following days as each of the parties involved told their side of the story.
Among them was the league’s role in facilitating — one might say orchestrating — the move.
It turns out the WHL’s board of governors agreed back in February of 2009 to attempt to bring Victoria back into the fold, preferably by relocating an existing team. The Bruins’ falling attendance and discord among its ownership group made them the prime candidates.
Now, the WHL is well within its rights to pick and choose owners and place its franchises wherever it pleases. But the unwritten rule in sports is that the priority when selling a team should be attempting to find new owners who want to keep the franchise where it is.
League commissioner Ron Robison paid lip service to this while reports of the sale leaked out, telling the Chilliwack Progress in early March that for the Bruins to play in Chilliwack in 2011-12 was “certainly our intent and we haven’t considered anything different at this point.”
The Progress reports that Robison sang a different tune after the deal was done, telling the newspaper that once the ownership group decided on Jan. 13 to sell the team, local offers were not going to be accepted, explaining away the earlier interview by saying, “we were in the early stages of discussions then and we could not comment on what was taking place.”
Apparently he and I have much different opinions of what constitutes a comment.
In other words, a late bid to buy the Bruins and keep them in Chilliwack by minority owners Moray Keith and Jim Bond — reputed to be higher than the Victoria offer — never stood a chance. Perhaps Keith and Bond, who operate Prospera Centre where the Bruins played, knew that when they made the offer and they have also been blamed for failing to renegotiate a lease more fitting of the club’s declining fortunes. We may never fully know their role in the team’s departure.
Likewise, we may never know how much blame to place on Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather, the trio that held a controlling interest in the team.
True, Porter, as a league governor, surely knew a sale would result in the team moving to Victoria. However, I have a hard time blaming someone for cutting bait on an investment that wasn’t producing the expected returns and their hands were clearly tied. Already vilified by Tri-City Americans fans for attempting to move that franchise before being granted the Bruins as an expansion team, Porter could have pocketed more money by selling to local investors while still being able to show his face in Chilliwack.
Given the options, I know which one I’d choose.
One thing we do know after this whole fiasco is that fans in every less-than-glamorous market should not take for granted their relationship with their local team.
After all, we’ve already seen that the WHL has a wandering eye.

The saga of the Chilliwack Bruins — a chronology

What follows is something of a chronology of events leading up to the announcement of the sale and relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins, mostly gleaned from the work of Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times and Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress.
Cast of characters, in order of appearance:
Ron Robison: WHL commissioner.
Moray Keith: Minority owner of Chilliwack Bruins and co-owner of Chilliwack Development Group (CDG), which manages Prospera
Centre.
Jim Bond: Minority owner of Chilliwack Bruins and co-owner of Chilliwack Development Group (CDG), which manages Prospera
Centre.
Darryl Porter: One of the Bruins’ three majority owners; he was the franchise’s governor.
Dave Dakers: President of RG Properties’ sports and entertainment division. RG Properties manages Prospera Place in Kelowna and the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria; it also owns the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. RG Properties bought the Bruins.
Brian Burke: President and general manager of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs; one of the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners.
Glen Sather: President and general manager of the NHL’s New York Rangers; one of the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners.
Jim Mullin: Manager of the sports department at CKNW, an AM radio station in Vancouver. He was fired by CKNW on April 20 and tweeted that his dismissal had "everything to do with" his reporting of the sale of the Bruins.
Glen Ringdal: A consultant who works with Moray Keith and Jim Bond.
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2001: “Our interest in Victoria began in 2001 (and) intensified with the (2005) opening of the new facility (Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre).” — WHL commissioner Ron Robison, on The Hawk 89.5, April 20, 2011.
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2009: “In 2009, Robison told the league’s board of governors that the WHL might try and move the next team up for sale to Victoria.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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February 2009: “February of 2009, as part of its strategic plan, the Western Hockey League Board of Governors made a decision to actively pursue securing a WHL franchise for the Victoria market. At that time, the WHL Board of Governors were advised that should a franchise become available for sale, the WHL may elect to relocate the club to Victoria. Although expanding the league beyond 22 teams was not ruled out, the WHL Board of Governors preference was to relocate an existing team. Further expansion was not considered a viable alternative due to the demand it would place on the talent pool of players and the ability for WHL Clubs to remain competitive at the national level.” — WHL press release, April 20, 2011.
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November 2010: “Keith told the Times that Bond came away (from a Jan. 13 conference call) not thinking that a decision had been made and that no vote was taken. He also said CDG had a standing offer to buy the club dating back to November 2010. Porter said that he knew of no such offer and that there was no ambiguity as to CDG's willingness to sell.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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December 2010: Darryl Porter asks Chilliwack city council for $175,000 per year to prop up sagging revenues. The request is turned down.
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Early January 2011: In early January, Keith says that Bruins president Darryl Porter met with Robison during the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. According to Keith, “Robison told (Porter) point blank that if they wanted to sell, they had to sell to Victoria.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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January 2011: “Dave Dakers, president of RG Properties sports and entertainment division, said the genesis of the deal was when he met Darryl Porter on a ferry in January.” — Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist, April 20, 2011.
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Jan. 13, 2011: “Burke and Porter talked about a Jan. 13 conference call in which Jim Bond allegedly gave his and Keith’s approval to the pursuit of a sale, at the same time locking the group into exclusive negotiating rights with Victoria. . . . Keith wasn’t involved in that meeting, but he got a play-by-play from Bond. . . . ‘Burkie talked and he was the only guy that talked, and it was presented as a fait d’accompli that this was done,’ Keith said. ‘Jim is adamant that he didn’t concur in a unanimous way that it should be sold. Porter, Burke and Sather agreed to sell the team. That’s 75 per cent and that’s not unanimous.’ ” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 20, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Western Hockey League commission Ron Robison says Chilliwack remains a viable market for major junior hockey. And with rumours flying about the possible sale of the Chilliwack Bruins, Robison told the Chilliwack Times . . . that the league office hasn't received any notice that a sale is imminent. Robison said "there is tremendous interest in purchasing franchises around the league . . . but right now there's been nothing filed with us to indicate that there's been anything material occurring." — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, March 4, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Asked if the league stresses keeping teams in their current markets, Robison said "absolutely." He continued: "It's clearly our desire to keep them where they are. From time to time we have to review relocation but that's been very rare. There hasn't been a relocation in our league for many, many years." — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, March 4, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: When asked by the Progress whether the team would be playing in Chilliwack in 2011-12, the answer wasn't exactly a resounding yes. “I would be very surprised if the Western Hockey League isn't playing hockey in Chilliwack,” Porter replied. — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, March 4, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Asked whether the Bruins would be playing in Chilliwack in 2011-12, (Robison) offered this. “It is certainly our intent and we haven’t considered anything different at this point.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 21, 2011.
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March 4, 2011: Asked about the league’s strong desire to get into Victoria, (Robison) offered this. “We are very interested in that possibility, and it’s just been a case of whether we can accommodate that. At this point, we’re not in a position to do that.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 21, 2011.
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March 2011: “In March, Porter told the Times that the owners were weighing ‘multiple offers.’ The owners were, however, negotiating with only one other partner. On (April 20) he apologized for the misleading statements, saying that he was trying to respect a confidentiality agreement and that there was still a possibility that the team wouldn’t be sold to RG Properties. ‘I still had some belief that we would be enticing other offers,’ he said.” — Tyler Olsen, Chilliwack Times, April 21, 2011.
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March 15, 2011: The Chilliwack Progress reports that Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who “has ties to the area,” is interested in helping keep the Bruins in Chilliwack. "Justin has expressed his interest in being involved with us as an investor in hockey based in Chilliwack," Keith said in an e-mail to the Chilliwack Progress. "We would be honoured to have him involved. It is all predicated obviously in our successfully securing the team.” — Chilliwack Progress, March 15, 2011.
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March 15, 2011: The Chilliwack Progress reports that “a news article this morning said there is pressure on Burke, Sather and Porter to accept a bid that would land the team in Victoria. That would fly in the face of commments WHL commisioner Ron Robison made in a Chilliwack Progress interview last week.” . . . “The league's position on ownership is always to look for local ownership,” he said. “That is always a priority. We have to make sure we have the right type of ownership, but if there is local interest, that is something we would want to explore.” — Chilliwack Progress, March 15, 2011.
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March 17, 2011: “On March 17, the WHL Board of Governors granted conditional approval for the sale of the Chilliwack WHL franchise and final agreements were then signed.” — WHL news release, April 21, 2011.
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March 31, 2011: “Darryl Porter not confirming sale of Chilliwack Bruins at 5:50pm. Says it's not done. Says no sale agreement signed despite speculation.” — Randy Merkley, the radio voice of the Bruins, via Twitter.
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April 5, 2011: The WHL issues a news release saying it has granted conditional approval to the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins. The news release doesn’t identify a buyer.
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April 4, 2011: Burke, in a letter through his lawyers to Jim Mullin earlier in the week, claimed that the WHL had “promised” a franchise to Graham Lee, the chief executive officer and president of RG Properties. . . . Burke also wrote that it was “. . . the WHL’s and Mr. Lee’s desire to have an established team in Victoria rather than an expansion team. This will not leave Chilliwack without a WHL team. The WHL is in the process of negotiating the movement of another WHL team to Chilliwack.”
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April 11, 2011: “Keith cited an April 11 phone conversation between his right-hand man Glen Ringdal and Porter where Porter fingered Robison and the WHL executive as the masterminds behind the Chilliwack-to-Victoria plot.” — Eric Welsh, Chilliwack Progress, April 20.
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April 18, 2011: The WHL announces that a news conference will be held April 20 in Victoria.
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April 19, 2011: The deal between RG Properties and the Bruins owners closes.
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April 20: 2011: The WHL announces the Bruins will be relocated to Victoria.

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

Thursday . . .

JIM MULLIN

It was the day after the Bruins left Chilliwack.
Both Chilliwack papers chimed in with some fine coverage and links are below.
But we also learned that a Vancouver radio personality got caught up in all of this Chilliwack-to-Victoria stuff.
Jim Mullin, who managed the sports department at CKNW in Vancouver, no longer is with the radio station.
If you’ve been following the Chilliwack-to-Victoria story, you will recall that Moray Keith, one of the Bruins’ minority owners, confirmed to Mullin that the sale had occurred.
Mullin also was on the receiving end of a letter from Brian Burke, who was one of the Bruins’ majority owners. And it was in that letter that Burke stated the WHL was working to place another existing franchise in Chilliwack.
That letter from Burke, which came via lawyers, also expressed concern with some commentary from Mullin on the Chilliwack-to-Victoria story.
Mullin told me Wednesday night that he no longer was with CKNW.
Someone on Twitter asked Mullin if it had “anything to do with what went on with Burke and the (Bruins) in the last few weeks?”
Mullin’s response was straight and to the point: “It had everything to (do) with it.”
———
Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress spoke with Moray Keith, one of the Bruins’ two minority owners who had a finger or two pointed at him.
Part of what Keith said, in response to his being blamed for lease problems:
“The percentage used by the league is between 10 and 12 per cent of the gate revenues. The gate last year was $1.1 million. We were asking for $100,000 for the first three years and back to 12 per cent or a minimum $125,000. You can’t convince me a $2.5 million grossing business is going out of business over $125,000.”
That story is right here.
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Welsh also talked with WHL commissioner Ron Robison. In early March, Robison, when asked if the Bruins would be in Chilliwack for 2011-12, had told the Progress: “It is certainly our intent and we haven’t considered anything different at this point.”
Welsh asked Robison about that and some other things and that story is right here.
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Welsh also found time for a session with Darryl Porter, the Bruins’ governor and one of the franchise’s majority owners. Welsh starts with:
“Darryl Porter says the last two months have been the most difficult time in his life.”
The rest of that story is right here.
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Over at the Chilliwack Times, Tyler Olsen takes a crack at rounding up everything in chronological order by talking to the participants. That piece is right here.
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Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist spoke with Marc Habscheid, who spent the last two seasons as the GM and head coach of the Chilliwack Bruins. No one is talking about whether Habscheid will make the move to Victoria, but he talks here about what kind of team Victoria is getting.
That story is right here.
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The national media in Canada is starting to pay some attention to the Victoria Salmon Kings. Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail has written a piece after talking to Mark Morrison, the Salmon Kings’ general manager and head coach. With all the twists to this story, it’s somehow fitting that Morrison played in the WHL for the Victoria Cougars. Maki’s column is right here.
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Dylan Bumbarger, who blogs on all things Winterhawkish and more, writes that Darryl Porter and Brian Burke once looked into purchasing the WHL franchise in Portland.
Read all about it right here.
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It would seem rather apparent that Chilliwack won’t be home to a WHL franchise for the 2011-12 season. But what about 2012-13?
Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings, may have tossed the Wheaties into the mix at his blog, Luber’s Lounge, the link for which is over there on the right.
Here’s part of what he wrote:
“Haven't heard the Wheat Kings mentioned yet, but it's worthwhile to note Brandon's lease with the Keystone Centre runs out at the end of (2011-2012), and the general feeling is the Wheat Kings won't be getting quite as favourable a lease as they did when the last one was signed in February of 1997.”
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The Victoria WHL franchise is asking fans to vote on their preference as the team’s new nickname. Neate Sager, over at Yahoo! Sports, wonders if it isn’t going to be Tide. This is an interesting piece, involving the registering of names and domain names, and is worth a look. It’s right here.
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There was an interesting twist to the Victoria Salmon Kings’ 3-2 overtime victory over the visiting Utah Grizzlies on Wednesday night. That gave the Salmon Kings a 3-0 lead in the ECHL second-round playoff series. . . . The winner, 11 seconds into OT, came from F Josh Aspenlind, who, a Bruins fan informed me today via email, was Chilliwack’s first captain and also the “first inductee to our wall of honour.” . . . Game 4 in that series goes tonight in Victoria.
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MEANWHILE . . .
 The Portland Winterhawks have signed G Brendan Burke, the 49th overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He is the son of former NHL G Sean Burke. Brendan played this season with the Phoenix Junior Coyotes of the Midwest Elite Hockey League, going 9-10-3, 3.39, .862. He helped his team to the championship game in the Rocky Mountain District tournament, featuring some of the top midget AAA teams from the western United States. In the tournament, he was 2-1, 1.97, .930, with one shutout. Burke attended a tryout camp for the Under-17 U.S. National Development Team, but chose to sign with the Winterhawks. . . .
---
F Carter Ashton of the Tri-City Americans has joined the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Ashton, who turned 20 on April 1, was the 29th overall selection in the NHL’s 2009 draft and has signed with Tampa Bay. He had 71 points and 106 penalty minutes in 62 games this season, split between the Regina Pats and the Americans. He also played for Canada at the World Junior Championship. Ashton played 11 games with the Admirals last season, scoring one goal. The Admirals are 2-2 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in an East Division semifinal that resumes tonight. . . .

The gang at capgeek.com reports that F Curtis Hamilton of the Saskatoon Blades, who has signed with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, has a deal that calls for the same AHL salary (US$67,500) in each of three seasons, NHL salaries of $715,000, $790,000 and $900,000. He got a $270,000 signing bonus, payable over three years. . . . Capgeek.com also reports that Regina Pats F Jordan Weal, who signed with the Los Angeles Kings, is down for AHL salaries of $67,500, $65,000 and $62,500, with NHL salaries of $615,000, $640,000 and $665,000. He also got the $270,000 signing bonus payable over three yers. . . . Hamilton was a second-round pick of the Oilers in the NHL’s 2010 draft, while the Kings took Weal in the third round of the 2010 draft. . . . The Oilers also signed F Cameron Abney, 19, to a three-year deal. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Abney, who turns 20 on May 23, was a third-round selection in the 2009 NHL draft. He had 20 points and 72 penalty minutes in 60 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings this season. . . . The Minnesota Wild has signed F Brett Bulmer of the Kelowna Rockets to a three-year deal. Bulmer had 49 points, including 18 goals, and 109 penalty minutes in 57 games with the Rockets this season. He was a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL draft. . . .

F Bernhard Keil, who played this season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, has returned to the Straubing Tigers. The Tigers, who play in the DEL, announced Thursday morning that they have signed Keil, 19, to a one-year deal with a club option for a second season. Keil played two seasons ago for a junior team in Mannheim and was expected to join the Tigers. However, the Blazers selected him in the CHL import draft and he spent the season in Kamloops. He had eight points, including five goals, in 46 games with the Blazers, who had told him he wouldn’t be coming back for a second season. . . . Keith Cassidy if the new GM/head coach of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins. He coached five seasons in the MJHL and was at the helm of the U of Manitoba Bisons for one season. Cassidy wasn’t involved in coaching last season. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors were honoured as that city’s business of the year at the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Excellence Awrds gala on Wednesday. The Warriors also walked off with the Marketing award. The legendary Rob Carnie of CHAB Radio was the host for the evening. . . .

There is some U of Alberta news as two WHL coaches who played for the Golden Bears prepare to meet up tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. Shaun Clouston, the head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, played under the legendary Clare Drake in the mid-1980s before going on to spend three seasons with the Portlad Winterhawks. . . . Kris Knoblauch, the head coach of the Kootenay Ice, played five seasons with the Golden Bears ater completing his WHL career. Knoblauch played under head coach Rob Daum while at the U of A. . . . The Tigers and Ice open the conference final tonight in Medicine Hat. . . . Interestingly, both Clouston and Knoblauch are in their first seasons as head coach. Clouston, of course, spent six seasons as assistant or associate coach under Willie Desjardins, who joined the staff of the NHL’s Dallas Stars last summer. Knoblauch, 32, was an assistant coach for one season with the Prince Albert Raiders and two with the Ice before taking over from Mark Holick, who left for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. . . . The Golden Bears, meanwhile, may be in the market for a new head coach after Eric Thurston told his players a week ago that he was resigning and then was placed on leave by the university yesterday. Assistant coach Stan Marple has been named acting head coach. There are some unanswered questions here, for sure. Evan Daum, who covers the U of A scene like a blanket, has more right here. Thurston was on the Kamloops Blazers’ shortlist in the summer of 2008, but he withdrew his name before a hire was made. In the end, the job went to Barry Smith.

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

One domino falls . . .

Will moving fans, inside and out, at Prospera Centre 
be the final memory of the WHL in Chilliwack?

Well, the deed is done.
The WHL is in Victoria and the AHL isn’t.
And that’s the name of that game.
But two hockey teams had to be buried in order for the WHL to get across the Strait of Georgia.
The Chilliwack Bruins are dead. Long live the Bruins!
The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings are soon to be dead! Long may they run in these playoffs!!
———
If you have been paying attention to this saga from the beginning, you didn’t learn a whole lot yesterday.
You learned that the deal closed on Tuesday. You learned that the Victoria franchise has a website and that it is running a name-the-team contest.
The most interesting stuff, however, came out of a news release, a copy of which arrived in my inbox from the Bruins.
In it, the WHL and the franchise’s former owners — at least, the majority owners — tried to explain the “multiple reasons that led to the decision” to sell the Bruins. What they did was lay the corpse at the feet of minority owners Moray Keith and Jim Bond.
To summarize that news release:
1. The WHL’s board of governors decided in February 2009 to “actively pursue securing a WHL franchise for the Victoria market.” The governors decided at that time “that should a franchise become available for sale, the WHL may elect to relocate the club to Victoria.”
2. The WHL chose not to sell an expansion franchise “due to the demand it would place on the talent pool of players.”
3. The Chilliwack market changed after arenas went up in Langley and Abbotsford and the NHL’s Calgary Flames relocated their AHL affiliate, the Heat, to Abbotsford. (What the WHL doesn’t mention is that the Calgary Flames own the Calgary Hitmen, so it seems an NHL team actually had a hand in the death of the Bruins.)
4. With the change in the market “it became obvious to the Bruins ownership group that the franchise needed to be restructured from a medium-size model to a small market-size model.”
5. With that in mind, according to the news release, the Bruins ownership group wanted to renegotiate its lease with the Chiefs Development Group, which holds the management contract for Prospera Centre. “What was requested was a lease concurrent to other small-market privately owned WHL teams,” the news release reads, without providing examples. What is interesting about this is that Keith is president of the Chiefs Development Group.
6. “This inability to secure a new lease contributed to the deterioration of our ownership group and their relationship with the Chiefs Development Group,” continues the release.
7. The Bruins’ ownership group — Brian Burke, Glen Sater, Darryl Porter, Keith and Bond — met on Jan. 13 and “agreed with the WHL to sell its franchise for the purpose of relocating the club to Victoria. Provided the terms of the sale met the conditions . . . the partners agreed no other offers would be considered.” . . . (In other words, the Bruins were sold without being placed on the open market. A source familiar with the situation has told me that RG Properties paid $5.5 million for the franchise.)
8. The WHL board of governors granted “conditional approval” for the sale on March 17. The deal closed Tuesday. According to the news release, “All conditions associated with the WHL's approval of the sale and relocation have been satisfied.”
———
All of this raises a couple of questions:
1. What kind of an arrangement is it that has the franchise’s minority owners controlling the building in which the team plays?
2. If the minority owners were part of the movement not to renegotiate the lease, why didn’t the majority owners simply sell the team to them?
3. How long until Keith and Bond tell their side of the story, including Keith‘s late attempt to purchase the franchise for $6.2 million?
———
Later, on Chilliwack radio station 89.5 The Hawk, Darryl Porter, the Bruins’ governor, pointed a finger at the Calgary Flames:
“There's a code in minor sports and especially in hockey. You don't do what Calgary did here. You don't do that and it's never happened. The fundamental bad break we got was when the city of Abbotsford built a building with no plan and they did that deal with the (AHL's Abbotsford Heat). At the end of the day, we're not contributing to that, we're a victim of that."
The Heat, of course, is the AHL affiliate of the Flames, who own the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.
Brian Burke, one of the Bruins’ majority owners, added:
"The notion that somehow we changed our mind on Chilliwack, or somehow betrayed the fans there when in fact the American Hockey League moved a competing team in within a very close radius to our operating base . . . the notion that we had any control over that or that that's our fault is crazy. I've never taken a dime out of this team."
———
The afore-mentioned news release also contained this paragraph:
“It should be noted that the WHL Board of Governors govern all matters related to WHL franchises. This includes the right to approve franchise ownership and the relocation and sale of franchises in accordance with its bylaws, constitution and strategic plans.”
You wonder if this wasn’t, at least in part, a shot across the bow of the Regina Pats, who are owned by Diane and Russ Parker of Calgary. Russ was in Victoria for yesterday’s news conference. Their son, Darren, was recently named senior vice-president of sales and marketing with the Victoria Salmon Kings.
The Pats are again embroiled in lease negotiations with Evraz Place, the organization that controls the Brandt Centre, the building in which the WHL team plays.
I was told last weekend that Evraz Place had given the Pats a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer and that the Parkers were seriously considering leaving it.
Of course, the Pats and Evraz Place are no strangers to testy negotiations, and only time will tell how it plays out this time.
———
Marc Habscheid, the Bruins’ general manager and head coach, is two years into what is believed to be a five-year contract. I have been told but haven’t able to confirm that he has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave should the franchise be relocated.
When I contacted him via text on Tuesday and asked if he was able to talk, he responded: “Rather not rt now. Thx.”
———
There are stories to be told about what went on in the Bruins organization over the last year, but we may never hear them.
As one former employee wrote in an email to me on Wednesday:
“We are all holding on to the hopes that a team comes here so we don't want to burn any bridges, especially since this is our livelihood. We all invested so much time and energy to make this work and little did we know that we never had a chance.”
———
Paul J. Henderson of the Chilliwack Times reports that in December the owners of the Chilliwack Bruins asked city hall for $175,000 a year “to help with sagging revenues.”
That story is right here.
———
Cory Flett, the WHL’s director, communications, sometimes tweets a song of the day. An emailer has suggested some suggestions for him to send in the direction of Chilliwack fans.
“I would recommend ‘Not Ready to Go’ by the Trews or ‘I'll Keep Your Memory Vague’ by Finger Eleven.
“And, for the new owners and the people of Victoria, I would recommend ‘Bring Everything’ by Jason Plumb.”
The emailer also pointed out that “all songs are Cancon.”
———
SOME NOTES: Don’t forget that the City of Victoria promised to add 10 years to RG Properties’ management contract for SOFMC if it was able to land a WHL franchise. That agreement now runs until 2046. . . . By that time, the WHL may have a franchise in Nanaimo. . . . Former WHL F Josh Aspenlind scored 11 seconds into OT last night to give the host Victoria Salmon Kings a 3-2 victory over the Utah Grizzlies. The Salmon Kings lead the best-of-seven ECHL second-round series 3-0 with Game 4 scheduled for Victoria on Friday. Attendance in the 7,006-seat Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre was 3,691.

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

Wednesday . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 44:
It’s official. Not that it really was ever in doubt.
The Prince George Cougars aren’t going anywhere.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison has told CKPG-TV in Prince George that “there’s never been any application made to the WHL for a move.”
Robison went on to say that “these rumours come up from time to time. I think any time you have a franchise that . . . is struggling with attendance, as Prince George has, for a lengthy period fo time, you’re going to see these types of rumours surface.  But the ownership is still committed to the Prince George market and hoping that things can turn around soon.”
This all started, of course, because the WHL has allowed the majority owners of the Chilliwack Bruins to sell their franchise for $5.5 million. Eventually, the WHL will announce that Vancouver-based RG Properties has purchased the franchise and will relocate it to Victoria.
Once the WHL confirmed that the Bruins had been sold, the speculation was immediate that the Cougars were likely to head south. That just isn't going to happen.
But what Robison didn’t mention to CKPG-TV — or, if he did, the TV station didn’t use it — is that Moray Keith, one of the Bruins’ minority owners, made an attempt to purchase the Cougars.
Keith first tried to buy the Bruins, but his offer of $6.2 million — not $7.75 million as was reported about a month ago — wasn’t even considered, apparently because majority owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather had already accepted RG Properties’ offer.
Keith found out that the Cougars aren’t for sale, at least not for what he was offering, and now the good people of Chilliwack appear likely to have a BCHL franchise moving into their city in the near future.
———
Bob Sales, the president of the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires, has confirmed to CKPG-TV that, yes, “the team is for sale.”
And, furthermore, there have been talks with . . .
“We haven’t had any firm offers from Chilliwck,” Sales told the TV station, “but we have talked to Chilliwack.”
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge, 1993-97) signed a two-year contract with Bern (Switzerland NL A). He had 23 goals and 21 assists in 53 games with MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden Elitserien) this season, good for fifth in league scoring.
———
A tip of the cap to the American Hockey League for trimming four games from each team’s regular-season schedule.
Yes, the AHL announced Wednesday that each of its teams will play 76 games next season, down from 80.
At the same time, the AHL said it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to play its regular-season schedule by one week. And it will reduce its first-round playoff series to best-of-five from best-of-seven.
The regular-season scheduling changes will mean teams no longer will be required to play four games in five nights.
"As our league has grown in recent years, we have been working closely with the National Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players' Association to seek a solution to what has become a very onerous playing schedule," David Andrews, the AHL president, said.
"As our league has grown and our game has become faster and more physical, the wear and tear on our players has begun to affect player development and at times the quality of competition.
“These steps are intended to provide a safer environment for our players through increased rest and recovery time, and also to provide our fans with an even higher calibre of play as a result of reduced player fatigue."
Hurrah for the AHL!
———
There is an interesting story developing in the OHL where the Soo Greyhounds are expected to introduce Kyle Dubas as their general manager today. Dubas, at 25 years of age, is a player agent. In fact, he is the youngest player agent to be certified by the NHLPA.
Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star has more right here.
———
The New York Islanders will make a coaching change with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, their AHL affiliate. Pat Bingham, an assistant coach who took over as head coach when Jack Capuono moved up to the Islanders in November, won’t be returning.
The Sound Tigers went 24-30-11 under Bingham, who is a former WHL player (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89).
———
F Tyler Pitlick of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hasn’t played in a month because of a broken ankle, has signed a three-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, who selected him in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft.
Pitlick, 19, put up 62 points, including 27 goals, in 56 games in his first WHL season. He joined the Tigers from the NCAA’s Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks.
Pitlick wsa able to dump his crutches earlier this week, but isn’t expected back in the Tigers’ lineup in the near future.
———
ON THE ICE:
In Medicine Hat, the Red Deer Rebels stayed alive with a 1-0 victory over the Tigers. . . . G Dawson Guhle, starting in place of Darcy Kuemper (ankle), turned aside 21 shots for the shutout. . . . Guhle, an 18-year-old from Daysland, Alta., played in 15 games during the regular season — five with the Regina Pats and 10 with Red Deer. . . . Bolton Pouliot, a 16-year-old from Calgary, served as Guhle’s backup. . . . F Byron Froese scored the game’s only goal, his fourth, at 11:27 of the third period. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz turned aside 23 shots. . . . The Tigers had won six straight games. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Red Deer on Saturday. . . . “(Guhle) made some key saves at key times, some big saves,” Jesse Wallin, the Rebels’ head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “We know he has that capability and at times this season he’s played real well and shown us what he’s got. But talk about a tough situation to step into, because he hasn’t played a lot of games this season. Good for him. I’m real proud of him and I thought the boys battled real hard in front of him, keeping things to the outside and letting him see the puck and make the first stop. We did a good job of that and yet at playoff time you need big-time goaltending.” . . .
———
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and finished off the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Ice, the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed, swept the Blades, who had finished with the WHL’s best regular-season record. . . . The Ice is the first team to advance to a conference final. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice and added two assists for the Ice. He leads the playoffs with 10 goals and is third in points (15). . . . F Max Reinhart also scored twice for the Ice. He’s got seven in these playoffs. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots, five fewer than Saskatoon’s Steven Stanford. . . . Attendance was 3,021. . . . The Blades won a WHL-high 56 regular-season games. However, they scored only five goals in four games against the Ice. . . . The Los Angeles Kings, who open the NHL playoffs tonight against the Sharks in San Jose, are expected to recall Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft. Schenn has played eight NHL games, so two more would result in him using up one year of his three-year contract. . . . Cody Nickolet, who provides colour on Blades’ radio broadcasts, tweeted late last night that “Schenn will speak to (Kings GM) Dean Lombardi on Thursday to learn where he is headed.” . . . Nickolet also tweeted that F Curtis Hamilton and D Stefan Elliott will be bound for AHL teams. Hamilton, a second-round NHL draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2009, likely will sign an ATO with the Oklahoma City Barons, while Elliott, who has signed with the Colorado Avalanche, is to join the AHL’s Lake Eric Monsters.
———
In Kelowna, F Nino Niederreiter drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The Winterhawks, having won three in a row, hold a 3-1 edge and get their first chance to end the series at home on Friday night. . . . The Winterhawks took a 2-0 on goals 39 seconds apart by F Ty Rattie, at 12:25 of the first, and F Taylor Peters and never trailed. . . . F Shane McColgan got his eighth goal on the PP at 17:39 of the first. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow got that one back on a PP at 2:30 of the third. . . . F Brett Bulmer pulled Kelowna to within one just over 10 minutes later, but the Rockets weren’t able to equalize. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen, with his seventh point in the last three games, got his sixth goal at 16:11 to provide some insurance. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who is 7-1 in these playoffs, stopped 24 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 35. . . . Attendance was 4,763.
———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

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

Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Matt Pettinger (Calgary 1999-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with the Cologne Sharks (Germany DEL). He had 14 goals and 31 assists in 44 games for the Sharks this season.
———
THE CHILLIWACK/VICTORIA BRUINS:
Jim Mullin of Vancouver radio station CKNW reported Friday that Chilliwack Bruins minority owner Moray Keith “has been told to keep his comments to himself.”
Keith, who had confirmed to Mullin on Thursday that the Bruins have been sold, presumably to RG Properties, and will be relocated to Victoria, was to have appeared live on the air with Mullin on Friday morning.
However, Keith opted out 15 minutes before show time, sending a text stating that “I was made aware last night of a confidentiality agreement that I am bound by. So I will not be able to make any live comment.”
Mullin’s story on the Keith situation is right here.
But isn’t that typical of this whole Bruins-to-Victoria saga? The cat would seem to be out of the bag, the horse is out of the barn, the birds have flown . . . and now there’s a gag order?
———
Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress reported that Darryl Porter, a Bruins’ owner and the franchise’s governor, “sent a text message to Bruins radio play-by-play man Randy Merkley stating that a deal was not done.”
———
A rumour in Victoria has the ECHL’s Salmon Kings moving to Fresno, Calif., once a WHL team is finalized for the B.C. capital. . . . The Salmon Kings were selling season-tickets during a home game on Wednesday night. . . . Broadcasters doing the WHL playoff game between the Red Deer Rebels and the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Thursday night apparently were told not to comment on the Chilliwack-to-Victoria story. . . .
———
MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE . . .
When the Medicine Hat Tigers and Brandon Wheat Kings met in Game 4 of their series in Winnipeg on Thursday night, the attendance was 6,033. . . . Gotta think someone is watching and thinking about trying to put a WHL franchise into the Manitoba capital.
———
If you missed it, Mr. Hockey turned 83 on Thursday. Here’s Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times, writing about Gordie Howe.
———
Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press has a good read right here on Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Ryan Pulock, who will always stop to remember his brother on March 29. You won’t want to miss  this piece.
———
Garrett Robinson was back in Moose Jaw this week and Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald caught up with him. You may recall that Robinson, while playing for the Warriors, was involved in a horrific car accident on Oct. 22, 2006. Gourlie’s story is right here.
———
The Spokane Chiefs will have F Anthony Bardaro back in the lineup tonight when they play host to Game 5 of their series with the Chilliwack/Victoria Bruins. He served a one-game suspension under supplemental discipline for a hit in overtime in Game 3. . . . The Bruins will be without D Tyler Stahl, who ended up with a two-game suspension for an elbowing major he picked up in Game 3. That hit was on Spokane F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading scorer in the regular season. Johnson didn’t play in Game 4. . . . The Chiefs take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 tonight. . . .
———
Two of the four goaltenders the Medicine Hat Tigers and Brandon Wheat Kings were counting on when the playoffs began are concussed. Medicine Hat starter Tyler Bunz tried to play in Game 1, didn’t finish and hasn’t played since. He was back on the practice ice Friday but isn’t expected to play in Game 6 tonight in The Hat. The Wheat Kings have been going with Corbin Boes and Liam Liston. However, Liston now is out with a concussion. . . . Liston wasn’t on Brandon’s bench for Game 4 in Winnipeg on Friday, with the Brandon Sun’s Rob Henderson reporting: “Brandon did not reveal the name of the emergency backup goalie and did not list him on the game sheet.” . . .
———
FRIDAY’S PLAYOFF GAME:
In Cranbrook, F Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist as the host Kootenay Ice scored a 3-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice has won two in a row and now leads the series 3-2. Game 6 is in Moose Jaw on Sunday. Might that be the last WHL game to be played in the Crushed Can? . . . F Max Reinhart scored for the Ice at 18:31 of the second on a PP and Eakin made it 2-0 at 14:04 of the third. . . . F Quinton Howden got Moose Jaw’s goal, his fourth of the series, at 15:48 of the third. That ended the Warriors’ goal drought at 116 minutes four seconds. . . . Moose Jaw had a late PP when Eakin was called for tripping at 17:25 of the third. . . . Ice F Joe Antilla finished the scoring, with his fourth of the series, into an empty net. . . . Ice F Kevin King had two assists. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 27 shots as he came close to posting the fourth shutout of the series. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk, who has two shutouts, stopped 46 shots. . . . Lieuwen’s night included facing a first-period penalty shot by F Dylan Hood, who hit a goal post. . . . Attendance was 2,958. . . . The Ice is without F Drew Czerwonka (shoulder) and F Brock Montgomery (mononucleosis). Ice F Jesse Ismond was back after not playing since he took a hit by D Dylan McIlrath in Game 2. . . . The Warriors remain without the injured D Dallas Erhardt, F Cody Beach and D Brayden Cuthbert.
———
KOOTENAY VS. MOOSE JAW
(Series D)
March 25 — Moose Jaw 4 at Kootenay 0 (2,486) (Heemskerk 30)
March 26 — Moose Jaw 2 at Kootenay 5 (2,467)
March 29 — Kootenay 0 at Moose Jaw 4 (2,714) (Heemskerk 28)
March 30 — Kootenay 5 at Moose Jaw 0 (2,744) (Lieuwen 25)
April 1 — Moose Jaw 1 at Kootenay 3 (2,958)
April 3 — Kootenay at Moose Jaw
x-April 5 — Moose Jaw at Kootenay

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

gdrinnan.blogspot.com

     

Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

 Jim Mullin of Vancouver radio station CKNW tweeted late Thursday afternoon:
“Minority owner Moray Keith confirms to #CKNW that the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold to Victoria's RG Properties.”
———
Earlier, Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress posted a piece right here on the impending departure of the Bruins to Victoria. And there are some interesting comments here from Clint Hames, a former Chilliwack mayor.
———
Meanwhile, Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times also talked with Hames.
Here is part of what Olsen wrote:
Hames, who was instrumental in bringing the club to the Fraser Valley five years ago, had contacted WHL commissioner Ron Robison and several of the Bruins' owners to try to get to the bottom of rumours about the team's exit.
"I was told by (Bruins co-owner) Brian Burke that (Keith and Bond's) offer would not be considered and that the only offer they are considering is an offer from Victoria," Hames told Postmedia News.
Porter, however, claims the owners were carefully wading through multiple offers to buy the club. Porter also had told fans that the owners were doing what they could to keep the club where it is.
Robison has also said that moving a team is the last resort and that the league preferred to keep the Bruins in Chilliwack. He has refused any further comment on the issue.
A league spokesperson said the WHL will only comment "when there is news to report."
———
Obviously, there is a whole lot more going on between the WHL, RG Properties and who knows who else involving franchises on Vancouver Island.
But it doesn’t make any sense at all to have just one team on the Island, so we have questions, questions . . . we have questions:
1. With one team on its way to Vancouver Island, how long before a second one — expansion or otherwise — lands in Nanaimo?
2. Kelly Hrudey, who has ties to the WHL office as president of the WHL Alumni Association, became part-owner of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers earlier this year. Does Hrudey’s sudden involvement mean anything in terms of a WHL franchise landing there?
3. Mike Vandekamp left the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm in March to take over the Clippers’ coaching reins. Let’s assume that Vandekamp, who did a turn as a WHL head coach with the Prince George Cougars a while back, aspires to coach in the WHL or at an even higher level. That brings us to this question: Why does a junior A coach leave one job for a similar position at that particular time of year? Or does Vandekamp know something that we don’t know about the WHL and Nanaimo?
4. Darren Parker, who had been running an independent league baseball franchise in Victoria until it folded over the winter, signed on with the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings on Wednesday. He is the club’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing. He also is the son of Russ Parker, who owns the WHL’s Regina Pats. Why does Darren Parker, whose baseball team folded a few months ago, suddenly surface in the front office of an ECHL team that is owned by RG Properties which is in the process of purchasing a WHL franchise?
Oh, what a tangled web is being weaved.
———
By the way, Philip Wolf of the Nanaimo Daily News chimes is on the goings-on with the Clippers right here. He says his “bovine excrement detector” has been going off.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1998-2002) signed a one-year (plus option) contract extension with Szekesfehervar (Hungary, plays in Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 20 goals and 27 assists in 38 games this season. . . .
F Owen Fussey (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 1999-2003) signed a one-year contract extension with the Coventry Blaze (UK Elite). He had 24 goals and 15 assists in 34 games. Fussey had his season cut short when he tore his ACL and MCL in December.
———
The ugly side of the Internet has reared its face once again.
It is amazing what big ones some people have as they sit in momma’s basement and do stupid things with the aid of a computer and in the cloak of anonymity that is provided by the Internet.
This time it has struck in Saskatoon where the Blades were doing damage control Thursday thanks to comments that were made by a Brayden Schenn impostor on a Facebook page. Police have launched an investigation. There’s more right here from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
Cory Wolfe, who covers the Blades for the StarPhoenix, blogged about the Schenn situation. Wolfe’s piece is right here.
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Merle Haggard sings about White Line Fever. No one, at least not yet, is singing of 50/50 fever. However, Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix takes a look at what went on at last weekend’s Saskatoon Blades’ home playoff games. That story is right here. And having witnessed 50/50 fever at the Memorial Cup in Brandon last spring, I can tell you it’s an amazing thing.
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Ron Toigo, the majority owner of the Vancouver Giants, is in Buenos Aires this weekend. No, he’s not scouting. He’s there for the wedding of part-owner Michael Buble and Luisana Lopilato. . . . Toigo took time to chat with Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun about this season and what’s ahead for his WHL team. . . . That story is right here.
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And if you’re into wedding photos, here you go. . . . Buble and Lopilato were married in a civil ceremony in Buenos Aires on Thursday and there are some photos right here.
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JUST NOTES: Ryan Barrett is the new GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks, having moved up from assistant coach to take over from Don Phelps, who, it seems, has been there since before ice was invented. Mark Astley and Craig Mohr will work as assistant coaches. . . . Adam Brown of the Kelowna Rockets is the WHL’s goaltender of the month for March. He was 6-2-0, 1.61, .944 for the month. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels is the player of the month, after putting up 19 points in eight games. . . . D Corey Fienhage of the Kamloops Blazers will be joining the AHL’s Portland Pirates. He was a third-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL’s 2008 draft. Fienhage, 20, joined the Blazers after playing 39 games over the previous two seasons with the U of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. . . . The BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings have signed Dave Dupas to a three-year contract as head coach. He took over in November after GM/head coach Ed Dempsey was fired. The Spruce Kings also promoted assistant GM Mike Hawes to GM, although he will work at it on a part-time basis.
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THURSDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Winnipeg, centre Linden Vey scored at 19:35 of the third period to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 5-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 scheduled for Medicine Hat on Saturday. . . . The Wheat Kings led 3-0 at 12:47 of the first period after F Matt MacKay scored his third goal of the series, this one via the PP. . . . Brandon led 4-1 at 17:45 of the first after F Shayne Wiebe got his third goal, also on the PP. . . . Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy scored at 18:13 of the first period. . . . The Tigers then counted three times in the third. . . . Vey, who led the WHL in scoring in the regular season, finished with two goals and two assists, while F Emerson Etem had a goal and two helpers. . . . Brandon held a 17-7 edge in first-period shots, but the Tigers outshot the Wheaties 31-12 over the last 40 minutes. . . . Attendance was 6,003. . . . The Wheat Kings are playing first-round home games in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is in Westman Place in Brandon. . . . Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun was at the game last night. His story is right here. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Raiders came up with a gritty effort for the second game in a row and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Saskatoon on Saturday. . . . Saskatoon won the first two games at home, outscoring the Raiders 13-3 in the process. . . . The Blades finished with the WHL’s best record, their 115 points leaving them 48 ahead of the eighth-place Raiders in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Blades scored first, getting a PP goal from F Curtis Hamilton at 2:32 of the first period, but the Raiders got the next three, the first two from F Todd Fiddler. . . . F T.J. Constant gave the Raiders a 4-2 lead in the third period with his first WHL point. Constant was added to the Raiders’ roster from the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. . . . Attendance was 3,111. . . . D Duncan Siemens left the Blades’ bench in the second period and didn’t return. He is believed to have a leg injury . . .
In Edmonton, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist as the Rebels beat the Oil Kings 5-1 to win the series, 4-0. . . . Nugent-Hopkins, who will be an early pick in June’s NHL draft, had nine points over the four games. . . . F Brett Ferguson scored twice for Red Deer, the second into an empty net. . . . Edmonton’s lone goal came from F Curtis Lazar, the second overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. It was his first WHL score. . . . Attendance was 5,938. . . . Red Deer scratched F Adam Kambeitz and D Aaron Borejko, both for undisclosed reasons. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Chilliwack Bruins, 4-2. . . . The Bruins closed to within 3-2 on F Roman Horak’s goal at 3:06 of the third but weren’t able to equalize. . . . Chilliwack F Ryan Howse left the game after the first period and didn’t return. . . . The Chiefs were without F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading scorer. . . . The Bruins were without D Tyler Stahl, who got tossed from Game 3 with an elbowing major that knocked Johnson out of the game. Stahl is serving one of those tbd suspensions. . . . The Chiefs also were without F Anthony Bardaro, who drew a tbd sentence under supplemental discipline for a hit in overtime in Game 3. Bardaro wasn’t penalized on the play, but the Bruins asked the WHL to review the play. . . .
In Everett, F Sven Bartschi had a goal and two assists as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Silvertips 6-2 to sweep the first-round series. . . . F Jari Erricson gave the Silvertips a 1-0 lead at 5:22 of the first period, but Portland answered with five straight goals. . . . Attendance was 2,420. . . . Everett F Landon Ferraro was tossed with a cross-checking major as the second period ended. . . . This was the first time Portland has swept a playoff opponent since 1998 when it ousted the Brandon Wheat Kings in the championship final. . . . The Winterhawks had played 13 rounds since then. . . .
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Three of the four Western Conference series ended in sweeps, leaving the Kelowna Rockets, Portland and the Tri-City Americans awaiting a winner in the Spokane-Chilliwack series. . . . Remember that teams are reseeded by regular-season points, so if Spokane wins, the second round will feature Portland vs. Kelowna and Spokane vs. Tri-City. . . . If the Bruins come back from a 3-1 deficit, it’ll be Portland against Chilliwack and Kelowna against Tri-City.
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THURSDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
Prince Albert D Harrison Ruopp
Chilliwack F Curt Gogol
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It was Opening Day on Thursday. Yes, we’re talking baseball.
So . . . here’s your good read for the day. Yes, it’s a year old, but it’s by Peter Gammons and it involves baseball and the blues and it doesn’t get any better than that. So take a look right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

gdrinnan.blogspot.com

     

Taking Note on Twitter

Tuesday . . .

The WHL revealed late Tuesday afternoon that LW Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers has been suspended for six games.
That is the price Ranford, who leads the Blazers in all three major offensive categories, will pay for cross-checking linesman Kris Hartley across the chest during the second period of a game in Kamloops on Friday.
The Blazers were in the process of dropping a 5-1 decision to the Kelowna Rockets at the time, a loss that would be their fifth in a row. One night later, without Ranford in the lineup, they would lose 1-0 in a shootout to the Rockets in Kelowna.
Ranford will sit out the Blazers’ last two regular-season games — they are at home to the Prince George Cougars on Friday and will play in Prince George on Saturday.
Should the Blazers make the playoffs, Ranford will sit out the first three games of the first-round series. Should the Blazers not qualify, Ranford will be forced to watch the first three games of the 2011-12 regular season.
The Blazers go into tonight’s games in ninth place in the Western Conference, two points out of eighth and three out of seventh.
From here, I would suggest that Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, who handles discipline, got this one about right. While Ranford’s crime was unforgivable, there wasn’t any attempt to injure Hartley, nor was the linesman knocked off his feet or even off-balance.
Still, there is no excuse for Ranford’s action.
But, in the end, Ranford and the Blazers will pay more than six games for this.
For starters, we will never know if Ranford’s presence might have made a difference in that 1-0 game in Kelowna on Saturday. The score would indicate that was a winnable game for Kamloops; however, Ranford has ended his regular-season with zero points in his last six games.
And, of course, we will never know what kind of impact he might have in the approaching two-game series with Prince George.
Let’s not forget, too, that for the rest of his WHL career, Ranford may as well wear a scarlet letter as someone who put a stick to an official. After all, what do you think the odds are of Ranford ever getting a break from the men in stripes, at least during the rest of his days in this league?
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In Edmonton last night, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last seven goals and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 8-1. . . . Edmonton F Jordan Hickmott played in his 300th regular-season game. Hickmott, who also has played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers, had a goal, his 28th, and an assist. . . . The victory lifted the Oil Kings, who are seventh in the Eastern Conference, to within a point of the idle Brandon Wheat Kings. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Hurricanes (23-34-13), with two games to play, are ninth, two points behind the Prince Albert Raiders (28-36-5), who have three games to play. . . .
In Medicine Hat, F Max Reinhart scored the game’s first two goals to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . Reinhart has 34 goals. . . . The Ice was 1-for-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-for-9. . . . The victory kept the Ice in the chase for third place in the Eastern Conference as it now trails the Tigers by three points. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Tigers are four points behind the Central Division-leading Red Deer Rebels, who also have two games to play. . . .
In Swift Current, G Mark Friesen stopped 32 shots to help the Broncos to a 6-0 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The shutout was Friesen’s sixth this season. . . . Regina was 0-for-9 on the PP; the Broncos were 3-for-5. . . . F Brad Hoban had three goals, giving him 23, while F Justin Dowling returned to the lineup from an ankle injury and got his 20^th goal. . . . The loss ended Regina’s faint hope of catching Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. The Pats now are six points back with just two games remaining. . . . The Broncos are a point behind Regina, so won’t be in the postseason either.
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There are six games on Wednesday’s schedule.
The Prince Albert Raiders meet the Hitmen in Calgary. The Raiders can clinch at least a tie for eighth place with a victory. The Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, will finish last in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoffs. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors, who will finish fifth in the conference, are in Saskatoon to face the Blades, who will finish first overall in the WHL this season. . . .
The Everett Silvertips are to meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. The Silvertips aren’t likely to have G Kent Simpson (ankle) or F Landon Ferraro (groin) in their lineup. . . . Everett, which will finish with four road games in five nights, is eighth in the Western Conference, but a victory would life it past the idle Prince George Cougars and into seventh. . . . The Americans will finish fourth in the conference. . . .
The Vancouver Giants, having lost six in a row, are in Portland to face the Winterhawks. Vancouver, with four games left, is tied with the Chilliwack Bruins for fifth in the conference. The Bruins have three games left. . . . The Winterhawks, with four games left, continue to lead the conference, but are just one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . .
The Chiefs, who have four games to play, are at home to the Bruins. The Chiefs, by the way, will open the playoffs on the road as their building isn’t available on the March 25 weekend. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets, who will finish atop the B.C. Division and thus be the conference’s second seed for the first round, are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle is last in the conference. It is four points out of a playoff spot with four games remaining.
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There would seem to be quite a tussle going on in the boardroom of the Chilliwack Bruins, with minority owners Moray Keith and Jim Bond trying to keep the WHL team right where it is.
The Chilliwack Progress has more right here, including confirmation from Keith on reports that Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins has expressed interest in being involved.
That story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Kamloops Blazers have added F Matt Needham to their roster for the remainder of their season. Needham, the Blazers’ first pick in the 2010 bantam draft, already has played 11 games with Kamloops, earning seven points. He had 45 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton this season. . . . Goaltenders Jacob DeSerres and Andrew Hayes were teammates for a Memorial Cup-bound team -- the host Brandon Wheat Kings -- a year ago. Earlier this season, both lost out in the 20-year-old numbers game, cleared WHL waivers and chose to try their luck in the QMJHL. Now they will meet up in the first round of the playoffs there, DeSerres with the Saint John Sea Dogs, who are having a record-setting season, and Hayes with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, who go in as the No. 16 seed. . . . Adam Brown of the Kelowna Rockets was named the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 3-0-0, 0.65, .979 last week. . . . D Brendan Kennedy, who was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders in the sixth round of the 2009 bantam draft, will play next season for the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. His twin brother, Jeff, who is a forward, also will play for Salmon Arm. Jeff’s WHL rights belong to the Kamloops Blazers, who placed his name on their protected list in November. The brothers are twins -- they will turn 17 on Feb. 6 -- from Terrace, B.C. They played this season with the midget AAA Prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.

Thursday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Billy Thompson (Prince George, 1999-2003) signed a two-year-plus-option contract extension with Amiens (France, Ligue Magnus). Amiens finished in fifth place in the 14-team league and is currently tied 1-1 with Briancon in a best-of-five quarterfinal series. The league doesn’t publish goaltending statistics on its website but the club's press release says that Thompson's play had a major influence in the team's results and he made a favourable impression on the club's management with his professionalism both on and off the ice.
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It seems that not all of the Chilliwack Bruins’ owners are in favour of selling the team and having it relocated, likely to Victoria. Moray Keith, who is a minority owner, told Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times, via email:
“I can assure you that, although (fellow minority owner) Jim Bond and I are minority shareholders in the Bruins, we are taking every step possible to ensure Bruins hockey continues in Chilliwack.
"We are unwavering in our belief that WHL hockey is viable and can flourish at Prospera Centre."
Olsen points out that Keith also is involved in the ownership of the Chiefs Development Group, which manages Prospera Centre, the home of the Bruins.
Olsen’s story is right here. And there also is news in his story of a movement afoot to pack Prospera Centre for a Saturday night visit from the Vancouver Giants.
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The Vancouver Giants had quite a day, with fines, suspensions and a player released from hospital.
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the story right here.