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F Dustin Boyd (Moose Jaw, 2002-06) has signed a two-year contract with Dynamo Moscow (Russia, KHL). Last season, he had eight goals and six assists in 30 games with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). . . .
F Parker Bowles (Tri-City, 2011-16) has signed a one-year contract with the Tilburg Trappers (Netherlands, Germany Oberliga). Last season, with the U of Calgary Dinos (Canada West), he had three goals and nine assists in 12 games. . . .
F Milan Kytnár (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10) has signed a one-year contract with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with Nové Zámky (Slovakia, Extraliga), he finished with 11 goals and 18 assists in 43 games. . . .
F Anthony Bardaro (Spokane, Prince Albert, 2008-13) has signed a one-year contract with Asiago (Italy, Alps HL). Last season, with the U of British Columbia Thunderbirds (Canada West), he had 14 goals and 16 assists in 28 games. He led the T-Birds in goals, assists and points, and was fourth in the Canada West scoring race.
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Happy Birthday Al Tuer as we #WBW to when any WHL game could turn sideways & it wasn't uncommon for gloves & coats to drop. 07.19.17 #HFH pic.twitter.com/WhrRTG4UdH— Hockey Fight History (@HistoryOfFights) July 19, 2017
My favourite WHL-related photo showed up on Twitter on Wednesday.
Ahh, yes, those were the days.
It was a Friday night — Nov. 18, 1994 — and the Moose Jaw Warriors were visiting the Regina Pats in what was then the Agridome.
Late in the game, Moose Jaw head coach Al Tuer and his Regina counterpart, Norm Johnston, took off their jackets, climbed up on the back of the players’ boxes and threatened to make like Hulk Hogan and Bret (Hitman) Hart.
The late Roy Antal was The Leader-Post photographer assigned to the game and he just happened to be between the benches when the fun began. Not only did he get this photo, but he also managed to get his left hand in the picture — that’s it at the bottom right.
Shortly after I tweeted to point out that the photo, autographed by both would-be pugilists, hangs in my home, Mick Kartusch, who carries a famous Saskatchewan hockey name, responded: “I remember that night vividly … those Friday night Pats/Warriors games back in the day were gems. . . . Theo’s meltdowns, O’Connor’s ceremonial face-off win, Keane vs. Savard, ’84 bench clearer. Never a dull moment at the dome.”
Which took me back to Feb. 5, 2009, and something that I posted right here below that same photo . . .
There just aren’t fun nights like this in the WHL anymore.
The date was Nov. 18, 1994. It was a Friday night. The Moose Jaw Warriors were visiting the Regina Pats in what was then known as the Agridome. It was a time before corporations purchased naming rights to whatever was for sale. It was a time when hockey games frequently — well, certainly more often than now — included some kind of action that would leave the fans buzzing when they left the arena.
The Pats would win this game, 5-2, but as the fans headed for home the talk centred on two things: 1. Wasn’t that something?, and, 2. How do we get tickets for tomorrow night in Moose Jaw?
This was the night that Al Tuer, the head coach of the Warriors, and Norm Johnston, the Pats’ head coach, scaled the glass behind their teams’ benches and made like they were trying to get at each other. Vince McMahon would have loved it.
Roy Antal, a photographer with the Regina Leader-Post, was in the box between the team’s benches when all heck broke out.
Tuer laughs about it these days. He now scouts for the NHL’s Calgary Flames out of Vernon, B.C.
“There was a line brawl,” Tuer said the other night, “and we ended up with one more guy on the ice than they did. Go figure.”
Tuer laughed.
“Norm called me the next morning,” Tuer added. “He said we should go for a beer.”
Both head coaches drew one-game — yes, one-game! — suspensions.
The next night, the teams met in Moose Jaw and the Warriors won, 5-2. Former NHLer Bill Hicke, then one of the Pats’ owners, coached the Pats; Warriors assistant coach Len Nielsen ran the Moose Jaw bench.
Attendance in Moose Jaw was 3,317. The fire marshal may have been on vacation. The WHL’s 1994-95 Guide lists capacity of the Crushed Can at 3,269 – 2,969 seats and 310 standing.
“Yeah, the rink in Moose Jaw was kind of full that night,” Tuer said.
Of course, he and Johnston weren’t able to attend.
And, no, they never did get together for that beer.
While Tuer scouts for the Flames, Johnston, a school teacher, is head coach of the midget AAA Regina Pats Canadians. He also is involved in mentoring coaches with Hockey Regina. And one of Johnston’s best friends is Graham Tuer, Al’s father.
Yes, the hockey world is a small one. It’s just not as much fun for some of us as it used to be.
(The above photo was taken by Roy Antal of the Regina Leader-Post. I have had it autographed and tried to copy it for use here. I'm not a photographer and that is my flash bouncing back that you see in the middle of it. Hey, I'm a writer . . .)
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UPDATE: Al Tuer now is the head pro scout with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. Norm Johnston is preparing for his first full season as the head coach of the Battlefords Stars of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.
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Shaun Van Allen was named the interim head coach of the Carleton U Ravens on Wednesday, after head coach Marty Johnston left to join the AHL’s Manitoba Moose as an assistant coach. . . . The 49-year-old Van Allen, from Calgary, has been an assistant coach at Carleton for seven seasons. He played two seasons (1985-87) with the Saskatoon Blades before going on to a pro career that included 794 NHL games. . . . With the Moose, Johnston will work alongside head coach Pascal Vincent, assistant coach Eric Dubois, developmental goaltending coach Rick St. Croix and video coach Richard Bue. Johnston, 38, had been the Ravens’ head coach for seven seasons.
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The U of Alaska-Fairbanks has promoted Lance West from assistant coach to head coach. He replaces Dallas Ferguson, who left after nine seasons as head coach of the Nanooks to join the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen as their head coach. . . . West was on Ferguson’s staff for the entire nine-season run. . . . College Hockey News has more on West’s promotion right here.
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If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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9pm: Light Rainshower 26.1C - Wind: S 41km/h Gusts to 58km/h - Bar: 100.9 kPa v - Hum: 30% #Kamloops #Weather— Kamloops Weather (@wxKAMLOOPS) July 20, 2017
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Bowles, who leads the Americans in assists (31) and points (44), suffered an injury to his left shoulder during a 3-0 loss in Kamloops on Feb. 9. Cochrane, who is from Kamloops, was acquired from the Everett Silvertips at the trade deadline in January. He also has a shoulder injury. . . . As well, G Evan Sarthou has an undisclosed injury that may end his season. “We need more analysis by the doctors before we know for sure (on Sarthou),” Tri-City general manager Bob Tory told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “It would be nice to have two healthy goalies going into the playoffs. (Cochrane) was just starting to feel comfortable here, then he got hurt in the Medicine Hat game. It wasn’t a hard hit, but he was in an awkward position. It’s one of those years. It’s part of hockey and you have to fight through it. Hopefully the guys get hungry. They need to stick together and compete as a group.”
In Victoria, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . F Jack Rodewald got the Warriors rolling when he scored his 26th goal of the season 1:30 into the first period. . . . Former Victoria F Axel Blomqvist added his 22nd at 2:01, with Rodewald getting the lone assist, and F Tanner Eberle made it 3-0 with his 30th at 1:53 of the second. . . . The Royals twice got to within a goal but weren’t able to equalize. . . . Moose Jaw F Jiri Smejkal’s 10th goal, at 10:42 of the third, provided a 4-2 lead and stood as the winner. . . . Warriors F Brayden Point had two assists. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll had one assist and set the Victoria franchise record for most points in a single season. He’s got 68. F Brandon Magee set the previous record (67) last season. . . . The Chilliwack/Victoria franchise record (101) is held by F Mark Santorelli (2007-08). He won the WHL scoring title that season. . . . Victoria was without D Ryan Gagnon. He served a one-game suspension for having incurred his third game misconduct of the season against host Seattle on Sunday. . . . The Royals were playing their fourth game in 90 hours. . . . The Royals, who are second in the B.C. Division, are at home to the first-place Kelowna Rockets on Friday and Saturday. . . .Moose Jaw improved to 23-30-4, while Victoria slipped to 32-22-4. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Riley Sheen scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Scott Feser scored his 11th goal of the season for Red Deer at 3:23 of the second period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro tied it with his 10th goal, on a PP, at 16:42 of the second. . . . The Raiders shot first but failed to scored in the shootout, so Sheen’s second-round goal stood as the winner. . . . Rebels G Rylan Toth stopped 29 shots, three more than Prince Albert’s Rylan Parenteau. . . . The Rebels had Trevor Martin on the bench in support of Toth. Martin, who came over from the Saskatoon Blades in a January deal, has been with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. The Red Deer Advocate reports that Martin is expected to start tonight in Saskatoon. Taz Burman, who didn’t dress last night, is scheduled to be on the bench tonight. . . . The Rebels remain without F Conner Bleackley, their captain, who is out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Raiders continue to play without F Kris Schmidli, who is out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Rebels (29-18-9) are 3-4-3 in their last 10. . . . The Raiders (23-32-3) have lost two straight (1-0-1). . . . Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has a game story 
In Lethbridge, F Matt Alfaro scored two goals and set up another to help the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Alfaro, who equaled a single-game career high with three points, has nine goals. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s first two goals and took a 2-1 lead into the third period. The Ice put it away with three goals in the first 7:08 of the third. . . . F Tim Bozon tied a franchise record with a goal eight seconds into the third. D Steve McCarthy had set the record on Dec. 18, 1998, at Red Deer. . . . Bozon has 26 goals. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two assists for the Ice, with D Troy Murray scoring his third goal and adding an assist. . . . F Mike Winther had two goals for Lethbridge, giving him 11, and F Ryley Lindgren drew two assists. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 17 shots, 16 fewer than Jayden Sittler of the Hurricanes. . . . The Ice (29-27-2) has points in its last two (1-0-1) . . . The Hurricanes (18-33-6) are 6-4-0 in their last 10. . . . 
In Calgary, G Brendan Burke turned aside 29 shots to help the Hitmen to a 4-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Hitmen got two second-period goals, from F Connor Rankin, his 27th, at 6:54, and F Radel Fazleev, his 17th, at 10:30. . . . F Steve Owre got his 15th goal, on a PP, at 18:56. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini added insurance with his 40th goal 23 seconds into the third. . . . F Chase Lang hit an empty net for his 23rd goal at 18:31. . . . With G Marek Langhamer fighting the flu, G Nick Schneider made his second straight start for the Tigers. He stopped 23 shots. . . . The Tigers were without F Trevor Cox, the WHL’s scoring leader, for a second straight game. He was hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension for a boarding incident against visiting Calgary on Saturday. Calgary F Kenton Helgesen, the victim of that hit, didn’t play last night. . . . The Hitmen will play their next 11 games on the road as the Canadian men’s curling championship takes over their home building. . . . Calgary will play five games in the U.S. Division and then go into B.C. for three. . . . While Calgary has won 11 of 12, the Tigers have lost eight of 10. As a result, the Hitmen (34-18-5) have closed to within four points of the Central Division-leading Tigers (37-19-3). . . . The Hitmen went 3-3-0 in the season series; the Tigers finished 3-2-1.
In Kennewick, Wash., F Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and three assists as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Tri-City Americans, 5-1. . . . Bjorkstrand’s 40th goal, at 2:50 of the first period, gave Portland a 2-0 lead and stood up as the winner. . . . F Paul Bittner, who scored twice, had opened the scoring 27 seconds into the game. He’s got 24 goals. . . . F Nic Petan added his 11th goal and two assists for the Winterhawks. . . . F Tyler Sandhu scored his 13th goal for the Americans, getting it on the PP at 8:31 of the first. . . . Portland G Adin Hill made 24 saves in his 20th straight start. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie turned aside 45 shots. . . . The Americans, who revealed this week that F Parker Bowles and D Carter Cochrane won’t play again this season, lost D Brandon Carlo in the first period. He left after being struck in the head by a puck and didn’t return. . . . Also missing from Tri-City’s lineup was F Richard Nejezchleb (undisclosed injury). . . . Portland has won the first six games of the 10-game season series. . . . The Winterhawks (33-20-4) are 2-0-1 in their last three. . . . The Americans (26-29-3) have lost three in a row.
In Spokane, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored two goals in the game’s first five minutes and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Chiefs, who have lost five in a row. . . . F Nolan Volcan, F Evan Wardley and F Keegan Kolesar each had a goal and an assist for Seattle, while F Donovan Neuls had two assists. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 24 shots. He has started Seattle’s past 11 games against Spokane and is 7-3-1. . . . Spokane G Tyson Verhelst turned aside 28 shots. Seattle F Ryan Gropp failed to score on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Veteran F Justin Hickman (ill) was among the Seattle scratches. . . . Seattle improved to 13-13-4, while the Chiefs slipped to 14-12-3. 
“The Regina Pats' biggest opponent continues to be the Roughriders, even though relations between the two organizations are amicable.
In Moose Jaw, D Ty Stanton scored at 4:20 of OT to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Stanton is the younger brother of former Warriors D Ryan Stanton, who now plays with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. . . . Moose Jaw led 2-0 by the 7:27-mark of the first period and also led 3-2 eaerly in the third period. . . . Medicine Hat F Chad Butcher scored his 11th goal at 7:07 of the third to force extra time. . . . Stanton’s third goal won it for the Tigers (13-3-1). . . . F Jack Rodewald scored twice, giving him 10 goals, for Moose Jaw (7-9-2). He’s got 17 points, including eight goals, in his last 12 games. . . . Warriors F Brayden Point had two assists, giving him 14 points over his last 11 games. . . . Medicine Hat was able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. . . . The same teams play again tonight, this time in Medicine Hat where the Warriors have lost 11 in a row. . . .
In Brandon, G Jordan Papirny turned aside 46 shots to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Brandon (15-3-1) scored four times in the game’s opening 15 minutes as it won for the fifth straight game. . . . F Reid Duke had three assists for Brandon. . . . Wheat Kings F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 12th goal, while F Jesse Gabrielle got his 11th. . . . Brandon’s imports, F Rihards Bukarts and D Ivan Provorov, each had two assists. . . . Saskatoon’s Brett Stovin, a forward pressed into duty on the back end because of injuries, scored his second goal and added an assist. . . . The Blades (5-13-0) have lost four in a row. . . . Among Saskatoon’s scratches were G Nik Amundrud, D Adam Henry and D Jordan Thomson, all of whom have concussions. . . . 
In Lethbridge, F Colby Cave scored the game’s last three goals to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The home side actually led this one 3-0 with 15 minutes to play in the third period. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen got the Broncos on the board at 5:53 of the third period. He’s got three goals. . . . Cave scored seven seconds later, then tied it at 8:11. . . . Cave’s seventh goal of the season won it for the Broncos (11-8-2) at 3:10 of OT. . . . Broncos G Travis Child stopped 27 shots, 15 fewer than Zac Robidoux of the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge (5-9-4) has points in its last four (1-0-3). . . . 
In Prince George, F Chance Braid had a goal and an assist before being ejected as the Cougars edged the Victoria Royals, 3-2. . . . Braid scored his fifth goal to give his guys a 2-0 lead at 13:19 of the first period. He had assisted on Jari Erricson’s 11th at 8:41. . . . Braid took a charging-from-behind major and game misconduct at 12:11 of the third period so may not be eligible for tonight’s rematch. . . . Cougars F Jansen Harkins scored his fifth goal, on a PP at 5:31 of the third, for a 3-1 lead. . . . The Royals got goals from F Brandon Magee, his fifth, and F Austin Carroll, his 12th. . . . Royals G Jayden Sittler stopped 21 shots in his first WHL start. . . . Victoria (9-9-2) was 2-for-6 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-5. . . . The Cougars (11-8-0) have won four in a row. They also swept their last two home-ice doubleheaders, from Vancouver and Kamloops. . . . Prince George was without D Mark McNulty, who suffered an undisclosed injury in practice this week. . . .
In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier scored twice to help the Rockets to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Chartier leads the WHL with 17 goals in 17 games. Last season, he scored 24 times in 72 games. He went into this season with 37 goals in 130 games. . . . F Nick Merkley, the WHL points leader, scored his seventh goal and added an assist. He leads in assists (25) and points (32). . . . The Rockets (16-1-1) scored the game’s first three goals, before the Chiefs (7-5-3) got back in it on goals from F Liam Stewart, his seventh, at 17:52 of the second period and F Adam Helewka, on a penalty shot, 18 seconds into the third. . . . The Rockets are 6-0-1 in their last seven. . . . Kelowna was without F Tyrell Goulbourne, who served a one-game suspension he received for instigating a fight late in a Wednesday game. . . .
In Vancouver, the Everett Silvertips scored three first-period goals and went on to dump the Giants, 5-1. . . . F Patrick Bajkov scored twice for Everett (12-1-3), which has won six in a row. . . . He’s got five goals. . . . F Graham Millar helped out with his seventh goal and two assists. . . . F Matt Fonteyne and F Logan Aasman each scored his first goal of the season for the Silvertips. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 30 shots, losing his shutout when F Dalton Sward scored his fourth goal at 11:26 of the second period. . . . The Giants are 7-10-0. . . . Each team was given four minor penalties.
game. The Oil Kings released Ibraginov in order to get down to the limit of two imports, meaning they chose to keep veteran forwards Mads Eller, 19, and Edgars Kulda, who turns 20 on Nov. 13. . . . With Ibragimov on waivers, any WHL team can claim him, but only the Kootenay Ice and Swift Current Broncos are carrying one import. . . . However, there is speculation that F Tim Bozon, 20, may be on the verge of rejoining the Ice. Bozon, a third-round selection by Montreal in the NHL's 2013 draft, was in camp with the Canadiens and then assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. . . . The Ice also is carrying just two 20-year-olds, so would have room for Bozon in that department, too. . . . Bozon, of course, is back in the game after almost losing his life to Neisseria meningitis in March.
In Saskatoon, the Tri-City Americans scored the game's last four goals and beat the Blades, 5-3. According to Les Lazaruk, the long-time radio voice of the Blades, the Americans snapped a 10-game winless skid in Saskatoon that dated to Feb. 27, 1996. . . . F Parker Bowles had a goal and two assists for the Americans. . . . For the first time in franchise history, the Blades have started a season with six straight losses.
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