A little of this and some of that:
1. For the sake of the television viewers, those Halifax Mooseheads sweaters that have green numbers on red have got to go.
2. That was an all-world meltdown by Portland Winterhawks G Mac Carruth on Saturday in Saskatoon. His history shows that it won’t bother him, though, so he’ll be ready for the London Knights come Monday evening. At least the Winterhawks hope so.
3. In this day and age, when the jackals of the Internet are poised to tear you to shreds for any little misstep, you don’t want to forget the words to a national anthem when you’re on national TV.
4. I had a coach tell me recently that Portland’s Taylor Peters is the best faceoff man in the Canadian Hockey League. Watch for him to make a difference before the week is out.
5. It was just one game, so don’t let anyone tell you that Halifax F Nathan MacKinnon beat Portland D Seth Jones. It’s a team game and Halifax won, thus MacKinnon won.
6. Just wondering, but are there any WHL people pulling for Portland? Other than those folks with the Winterhawks, of course?
7. The NHL has fined the San Jose Sharks $100,000 after general manager Doug Wilson publicly disagreed with the decision to suspend F Raffi Torres. When told of that fine, Portland GM Mike Johnston said: “A hundred grand? Pffft! That’s chump change.”
8. If you are still watching the NHL playoffs, do you have any idea what is – and what isn’t – a penalty?
9. The Mooseheads have played 86 games this season. They have won 75 of them. Yes, they’re that good.
10. When December arrives and we look for the best story in hockey in 2013, we won’t have to look past the Swiss national men’s team. That’s some story that it is writing at the world championship, even if it loses to Sweden in today’s final.
———
Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press reports that the London Knights, the host team for the 2014 Memorial Cup, appear likely to partner with Rogers Sportsnet on a TV series similar to On The Edge, the all-access show that followed the Saskatoon Blades on the road to the 2013 Memorial Cup. That story is right here. . . . Something tells me that the next such series, no matter which team it involves, will be a whole lot tamer than the one that has featured Lorne Molleken and his Blades. . . . BTW, when Kamloops Blazers head coach Dave Hunchak was asked on Saskatoon radio station The Bull’s pregame show on Friday if he would OK such a show were his club the host team, he issued a resounding: “NO!” Simply put, he said, and I’m paraphrasing, something like that is too much of a distraction and the players are too young to be under such scrutiny.
———
Toby Gorman of the Nanaimo News Bulletin has more right here on the situation involving the Vancouver Island city and a potential new multiplex. But here’s what Mayor John Ruttan told Gorman: “In the absence of having strong support for it, when Coun. Bill Bestwick, who is still in hockey today, is on record and pooh-poohs the idea of a multiplex, I would think we’ll be hard pressed to find somebody else on council to lobby aggressively for it. I’d need to see more of a business case to support it, though I’m interested.”
———
The Brooks, Alta., Bandits and the host Summerside Western Capitals are to clash today in the final of the 2013 RBC Cup, which goes to the national junior A champion. . . . On Saturday, the Bandits, the AJHL champions, beat the Minnesota Wilderness 5-4 in OT in one semifinal, while the Western Capitals of the Maritime Hockey League took out the BCHL-champion Surrey Eagles 3-2 in OT. . . . Brooks F Mark Reners, who has played in the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Vancouver Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings, scored at 8:30 of extra time. The Bandits actually trailed 4-2 after two periods and 4-3 with less than a minute to play. F Dakota Mason forced OT when he scored from behind the Wilderness net. . . . The AJHL hasn’t won the RBC Cup since 2001 when the Camrose Kodiaks turned the trick.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Saginaw Spirit added on year to head coach Greg Gilbert’s contract earlier this week, meaning he is signed through 2015-16. Gilbert has been with the Spirit since December 2011. He was the OHL’s coach of the year for 2011-12 after going 20-10-6. The Spirit has lost out in the playoffs to the London Knights in each of the last two seasons, first in the second round and then in the first round.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich), who is covering the Memorial Cup for The Oregonian: “When Mike Johnston does arrive, he can’t interact with the team.”
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From Steve Ewen (@Steve Ewen) of the Vancouver Province: “Is there a Mike Johnston cop, making sure he behaves?”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:

Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga) announced it won’t offer contracts for next season to seven players, including F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001). He had five goals and three assists in 20 games for Pardubice this season. . . .




F Yannic Seidenberg (Medicine Hat, 2003-04) signed a two-year contract with Munich (Germany, DEL). He had seven goals and 18 assists in 50 games with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL) this season.
———



Bill Gallacher, the owner of the Portland Winterhawks, has spoken out, at least a little bit, in a question-and-answer session with Paul Buker of The Oregonian.
Gallacher doesn’t comment on specifics involving the whack his franchise took in November when it was fined $200,000 and had a bunch of bantam draft picks taken away. But the one thing he didn’t do was repent.
“I am 190 percent behind the guys in Portland,” the Calgary-based Gallacher tells Buker. “It has been disappointing, and frustrating. We've got to be careful about talking in specifics because of the league and where they are but I'm still hopeful, I really am. There is no better human being that I run into than Mike Johnston. So that should say everything that needs to be said about all of that.”
That complete interview is right here.
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There isn’t a better faceoff man in the WHL today than Taylor Peters of the Portland Winterhawks. He is a primary factor in Portland’s penalty-killing unit being as good as it is. He also is a veteran of 60 playoff games. On top of that, he is a fine writer in his own right. So Paul Buker of The Oregonian asked Peters about the intensity of playoff hockey. . . . Peters’ response, in his own words, is right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Ty Comrie, who was a third-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He is the younger brother of Tri-City G Eric Comrie. . . . Ty, 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds, had 49 points, including 23 goals, in 35 games with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. . . . The Comries are from Newport Beach, Calif. . . . The Americans have signed their first five selections from the 2012 draft — D Parker Wotherspoon, F Braden Purtill, D Tyler Fraser and G Evan Sarthou. Comrie and Sarthou were teammates with the Jr. Kings. . . . “Ty is an elite talent at the 1997-age group, turning down five NCAA scholarship opportunities to join our program,” Bob Tory, the Americans’ GM, said in a news release, “and continues to make rapid improvements to his overall game. He is gifted with offensive creativity and, since being drafted, continues to excel among his peers as he has gained size and strength.”
———
The Prince George Cougars have signed D Shane Collins, who was a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Collins, from Rosetown, Sask., had 24 points, four of them goals, in 39 games with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals. . . . The Cougars have signed six of the 11 players taken in the 2012 draft — Collins, F Jansen Harkins, F Brad Morrison, D Tate Olson, F Aaron Boyd and G Matt Kustra.
———
F Tim Bozon of the Kamloops Blazers will play for France at the IIHF world championship that is to open in Stockholm and Helsinki on Friday. Bozon, who turned 19 on March 24, was a third-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL’s 2012 draft. He finished this season with 91 points, but suffered a hand injury in the playoffs and missed seven games. . . . France opens against Slovakia on Friday.
———

D Marek Hrbas won’t be returning to the WHL for his 20-year-old season. Hrbas, whose return was doubtful anyway because he would be a two-spotter, has signed a two-year contract to play for Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga. Hrbas is from Plzen; Sparta Praha plays out of Prague. . . . Hrbas came over as a 16-year-old and played for the USHL’s Fargo Force. He then played one season with the Edmonton Oil Kings before being traded to Kamloops, where he played the last two seasons.
———
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have re-signed three members of their on-ice support staff to one-year contracts. . . . Carolyn Glover returns for a sixth season as the club’s head trainer and athletic trainer. . . . Bob Fretts, the assistant trainer, will be back again. According to a news release, Fretts “has been involved with the team since the beginning.” . . . Steve Szilagyi, the strength and conditioning coach, is coming back for a fourth season.
———
The NHL held its draft lottery on Monday and there were only two changes — the Florida Panthers, who were favoured to get the first pick, will select second, with the Colorado Avalanche moving up to No. 1. . . . The Avalanche are expected to select D Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks with that No. 1 pick, and there’s something neat about that. Because it was while his family was living in Denver — his father, Popeye, was playing for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets – that Seth began playing hockey. . . . Mike Chambers of the Denver Post has more right here.
———
Don Cherry is the gift that just keeps on giving. . . . By now you are aware of his latest Saturday night rant in which he said female reporters have no place in NHL locker-rooms. . . . Well, back in the day, it seems that Cherry may have been the first head coach in NHL history to open his team’s dressing room to female reporters. Robin Herman, then with The New York Times, tries to tweak Cherry’s memory right here. . . . We can only wait and wonder what Cherry will say, if anything, now that an active professional athlete has stood up and said: “I’m gay.” . . . Herman, by the way, once rode the bus with the Brandon Wheat Kings on a road trip to Flin Flon. You can bet she got some interesting stories on that trek. Come to think of it, she may have been the first female reporter ever to do that, too.
———
The Red Deer Rebels are looking for an athletic therapist after Terence Robertson told the team he is leaving. Robertson had been with the Rebels through nine seasons. . . . Robertson will work the Rebels’ prospects camp May 31 through June 2 and then will begin a new job with Collegiate Athletic Therapy & Sports Medicine in Red Deer.
———
Jacques Beaulieu, the head coach of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, is facing two assault charges after a weekend incident. On top of that, police are looking to the role his 20-year-old son, Nathan, played in it all. According to Jennifer O’Brien and Patrick Maloney of the London Free Press, the incident occurred Saturday night at a home following a charity golf tournament. Nathan, who spent this season with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, now is with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens for the playoff run. . . . That story is right here.
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PLAYOFF NOTES:
Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal reports that F Trevor Cheek of the Oil Kings is “questionable” for Game 7 tonight. He was injured in Game 5 and played just one shift in Game 6. . . . Daum reports that if Cheek doesn’t play, the Oil Kings are likely to dress seven defencemen, with Stephen Shmoorkoff getting back in the lineup. The Oil Kings already are without D Griffin Reinhart and F Luke Bertolucci due to injuries. . . . The Portland Winterhawks are waiting at home for the winner of tonight’s game. Portland is the seventh team to make three consecutive trips to the WHL final. The Red Deer Rebels (2001-03), Medicine Hat Tigers (1986-88) and Kamloops Blazers (1984-86) appeared in three straight; the New Westminster Bruins (1975-78), Edmonton Oil Kings (1969-72) and Flin Flon Bombers (1968-71) were in four in a row. . . . This will be the Winterhawks' 11th appearance in the WHL final; they won it all in 1982 and 1998. . . . It will be a quick turnaround for the Eastern Conference winner as the final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup begins with games Friday and Saturday in Portland’s Rose Garden.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Series tied, 3-3; Game 7 in Calgary today, 7 p.m. MT; on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland wins series, 4-1)
———






CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton/Calgary winner
(Series opens Friday and Saturday in Portland)
———
Here is the scheduled for the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup (all times local):
Game 1: Friday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, May 7, at Calgary/Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, May 8, at Calgary/Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Game 5: Friday, May 10, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Game 6: Sunday, May 12, at Calgary/Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Game 7: Monday, May 13, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x – if necessary
———
MONDAY’S GAME:
No Game Scheduled.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (6):
None


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THE EDGE: Who has it, Kamloops or Portland?

 By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks are about to meet in a WHL playoff series for the second straight spring.
While these organizations have met in 11 previous series, they haven’t done it in consecutive seasons since 1993-95.
Throw out the one time they met in one of those round-robin affairs, and each side has won five series, going back to 1981-82.
On Friday night in Portland, then, they will begin a best-of-seven series that carries with it some long-term bragging rights.
There isn’t much doubt that the Blazers go into the Western Conference final as the underdog.
After all, the Winterhawks finished atop the WHL’s overall standings. They led the league in offence and were second on defence. Their top line — Brendan Leipsic, Nic Petan and Ty Rattie — finished 1-2-3 in the scoring race. Defenceman Seth Jones, a freshman from Plano, Texas, is likely to be the first pick in the NHL’s 2012 draft.
We could go on and on, but by now you get the idea that this is a pretty good team.
On top of all that, the Winterhawks are of the opinion that the world is against them. Their general manager and head coach, Mike Johnston, has been suspended since late November and won’t be back this season. The franchise has been fined $200,000 and has forfeited a number of draft picks.
And, yes, the Portland players are buying into this adversity stuff.
“Absolutely,” veteran forward Taylor Peters told Paul Buker of The Oregonian. “When we had those sanctions back in November we kind of took it as a chip on our shoulder. It was ‘it’s us, we’re going to do this for Mike and we’re going to do this despite all the setbacks we’ve had.’
“We’re definitely building off that adversity. We have ‘adversity’ written on our playoff shirts, just to remind us that we’ve battled through this so far, we’re not going to come this far and give up now.”
But the Blazers haven’t come this far just to roll over, either. This also is a good team, one that finished second in the B.C. Division with the WHL’s fourth-best record.
The Kamloops line that had Colin Smith between Tim Bozon and JC Lipon was dominant until Lipon left to play for Canada at the World Junior Championship.
In the second half of the season, the Blazers have focused on their defensive play, and, with the acquisition of Joel Edmundson from the Moose Jaw Warriors, have gotten progressively better.
So . . . this shapes up as a series that should provide some terrific entertainment. Here’s a look at how one observer sees things as it begins:
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GOAL
Cole Cheveldave of the Blazers has gotten better as the playoffs have worn on. He was solid in a six-game victory over the Victoria Royals, who may have lost that series in the third period of Game 1 when they blitzed the Blazers’ net but weren’t able to beat the goaltender.
Portland’s Mac Carruth is the winningest goaltender in WHL history and is at the top of his game right now. Carruth, a 20-year-old from Shorewood, Minn., has signed with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. He will appear in his 65th WHL playoff game on Friday.
EDGE: Portland.
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DEFENCE
The Winterhawks big four — Jones, Derrick Pouliot, Troy Rutkowski and Tyler Wotherspoon — is the best in the WHL. Jones is a stud. Period. He almost surely will be the No. 1 pick in the NHL’s June draft. Pouliot was taken eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 draft. Rutkowski (Ottawa Senators) and Wotherspoon (Calgary Flames) have signed NHL deals. They have 37 points in 10 playoff games this spring. They also have played in 183 playoff games.
The Blazers’ top four doesn’t carry that kind of pedigree, but has been in 114 postseason games and is a solid group that plays well together. Edmundson, who has signed with the St. Louis Blues, has gotten better and better over the last two months. He is a 6-foot-4, 210-pounder who can dominate. Tyler Hansen may be the most under-rated player in all of the WHL; he and partner Sam Grist punish people in their zone. Marek Hrbas has been consistent and will surprise you with some of his jaunts into the offensive zone. Those four have 16 points in 10 games. Their job, however, is to defend and they do that very well.
EDGE: Portland, but not by as much as you might think.
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FORWARDS
Portland has the WHL’s top forward line — Brendan Leipsic, Nic Petan and Ty Rattie finished 1-2-3 in the scoring race and have put up 49 points in 10 playoff games. . . . Rattie has 41 career playoff goals, 11 of them this spring. . . . Portland has been getting good secondary scoring from a line that features Oliver Bjorkstrand, a freshman from Denmark, Chase De Leo and Taylor Leier. They have a combined 35 points. . . . Taylor Peters, 20, is one of the WHL’s top defensive forwards and a great penalty killer.
Brendan Ranford of the Blazers has never played better. He had nine points in the four-game sweep of Kelowna. . . . Ranford, Cole Ully and Lipon have proved a formidable threesome. . . . The Blazers will welcome back Colin Smith on Friday. He missed the last three games after suffering a suspected concussion in Game 1 of the last round. Smith had 106 points in the regular season, tops on the Blazers. . . . Portland will have to try and keep Kale Kessy from taking up residence in front of Carruth. Kessy, a big body with good hands, has 11 goals and that ties him with Rattie for the league lead. . . . There is speculation that Bozon, who has missed seven games since suffering a fracture in his right hand on March 26, may be ready for Game 1. . . . Smith and Kessy will be reunited Friday, perhaps with Chase Souto on the left side.
EDGE: Portland. The pendulum could shift if Bozon returns.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
Portland has the best PP in the playoffs, at 30.8 per cent, and has scored the most PP goals (16). . . . The Blazers are fourth, at 26.3 per cent, and have scored 15 goals. . . . Kamloops has received 57 opportunities in 10 games, to Portland’s 52. . . . You may recall that the Blazers had 11 PP opportunities to Kelowna’s one in Game 4 of that series.
Portland’s penalty-killers have surrendered only three PP goals in 28 opportunities (89.3 per cent), and that’s No. 2 in the WHL. . . . The Blazers are 13th, having been beaten eight times on 35 chances (77.1). That has to get better if Kamloops is to win.
EDGE: Portland.
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COACHING
The Winterhawks went 37-12-3 after Travis Green, the assistant GM/assistant coach, took over for the suspended Johnston. Green’s right-hand man is Kyle Gustafson, who has been with the Winterhawks since before the 2008 ownership change.
The Blazers have put together back-to-back 47-20-5 seasons under head coach Guy Charron and associate coach Dave Hunchak. The latter has done a terrific job with the Blazers’ back end.
EDGE: Kamloops.
———
INTANGIBLES
Every Kamloops player who took part in the seven-game thriller with Portland last spring will tell you the team learned never to quit while playing in those games. . . . At one time or another, every coach plays the ‘us against the world’ card. Never has it had more meaning than in the Portland dressing room this season. . . . Portland has seven players on its roster who have played in, and lost, each of the last two WHL championships series.
EDGE: Portland.
———
THE CALL
It’s Portland, in six games.


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A look back at the series that was . . .

With the Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks set to meet in the WHL’s Western Conference final, here’s a look back at the seven-game second-round series between these teams that so captivated hockey fans last spring.
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Game 1: Kamloops 3 at Portland 5 — The Blazers led 2-0 after a period and 3-1 with 11 minutes to play in the third period. . . . Portland tied it with goals by F Sven Baertschi and F Ty Rattie just 1:07 apart. . . . F Brad Ross got the winner on a power play at 14:47. . . . The play everyone was talking about occurred at 18:36 of the third period when Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave ventured behind his net to play a puck and was hit by Portland F Oliver Gabriel, who was given a minor for goaltender interference. He later was suspended for four games. . . . Rattie had two goals and two assists; Baertschi finished one and three. . . . F Brendan Ranford had two assists for Kamloops.
 ———
Game 2: Kamloops 1 at Portland 4 — Baertschi scored twice and G Mac Carruth stopped 39 shots for the Winterhawks. . . . Cheveldave had finished Game 1, but wasn’t feeling well by the morning of Game 2, so Cam Lanigan started and made 30 saves. . . . The Blazers had Taran Kozun on the bench in support of Lanigan. . . . Baertschi scored at 19:14 of the second period, F Taylor Leier made it 2-0 just 56 seconds into the third and F Cam Reid upped it to 3-0 just 19 seconds later. . . . Among the 22 penalties was a double minor to Kamloops F JC Lipon for butt-ending Rattie.
 ———
Game 3: Portland 5 at Kamloops 2 — The Winterhawks scored three shorthanded goals, two of them by Ross. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters drew three shorthanded assists. . . . Leier broke a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal at 5:16 of the second, with Ross scoring 33 seconds later. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-9 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-4.
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Game 4: Portland 4 at Kamloops 5 — The Winterhawks, with a 3-0 lead in the series, led this game 4-0 at 10:58 of the first period and 4-1 going into the second. . . . Portland maintained that momentum shifted 12 minutes into the first period after an unpenalized Lipon hit that knocked Rattie out of the game and sent him to hospital with what turned out to be a neck injury. Lipon scored immediately after the hit to get Kamloops on the board. . . . Ranford tied the scored at 6:03 of the third period and F Dylan Willick got the winner at 7:37 on the power play. . . . Ranford also had two assists. . . . Portland also was unhappy about a third-period check to the head by Kamloops D Austin Madaisky on Leier. . . . Things definitely were beginning to heat up.
———
Game 5: Kamloops 7 at Portland 2 — F Jordan DePape had two goals and two assists and Madaisky had three assists as the Blazers won going away. . . . The Blazers were without Lipon, who drew a one-game suspension under supplemental discipline for his Game 4 hit on Rattie, who played. . . . The visitors led 2-0 and 4-1 at the period breaks. . . . Kamloops F Tim Bozon beat Carruth on a penalty shot at 6:30 of the third and when F Chase Souto scored at 7:35, the Winterhawks changed goaltenders with Brendan Burke cleaning up. . . . Lanigan stopped 34 shots.
———
Game 6: Portland 6 at Kamloops 7 — Portland F Brendan Leipsic’s power-play goal at 11:24 of the second period gave the Winter hawks a 5-2 lead. . . . It was still 5-2 with 15 minutes left in the third period. . . . And then the comeback began. . . . Kamloops D Marek Hrbas got it started at 5:55, on the PP. . . . DePape scored at 8:49 and F Aspen Sterzer beat Carruth 11 seconds later. . . . When F Colin Smith scored a PP goal at 15:21 the Blazers amazingly had the lead. . . . The joy was short-lived, however, as Reid pulled Portland into a 6-6 tie at 15:47. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer won it with his second goal of the game at 19:39. . . . Lanigan stopped 24 shots, while Carruth turned aside 36. . . . In something of a surreal moment, the Kamloops fans stood and cheered until the Blazers returned to the ice surface from their dressing room and took a curtain call.
———
Game 7: Kamloops 0 at Portland 2 — F Marcel Noebels scored at 1:01 of the first period and Carruth made it stand up with 32 saves. . . . Leipsic added an insurance marker at 9:49 of the third. . . . According to The Oregonian’s Paul Buker, when it was all over Portland radio analyst Andy Kemper said: “This was a war, folks, an absolute war.”
— GREGG DRINNAN


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Evil Empire next up for Blazers

It has been 30 years since then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan is first believed to have referred to the then-Soviet Union as the “evil empire.”
Obviously, Reagan, who died in 2004, won’t be in Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Friday when the WHL’s Western Conference final begins, but a newly branded Evil Empire will be there.
The Kamloops Blazers and the Winterhawks (aka the Evil Empire) open a best-of-seven series with games there on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Evil Empire, as the team has been dubbed by fans, will be rolling into Kamloops for Games 3 and 4 on April 23 and 24. Hide the women and children. Lock the doors. Make sure the toys are put away. Put the street patrols on red alert.
You will recall that the WHL dropped the hammer – not just any hammer, but a 100-pound sledge – on the Winterhawks in late November. That was the conclusion of an investigation that involved sending an auditor into the Winterhawks’ offices and looking everywhere – in desk drawers, behind couch cushions and in hollow table legs – for evidence of wrongdoing.
This came after two or three years of rumours and innuendo involving illegal payments to players. Oh, yes, the whispers were everywhere; they still are, in fact. The Winterhawks were (are?) paying players, especially imports, under the table, dontcha know. How else do you think they were getting guys like Nino Niederreiter and Sven Baertschi out of Switzerland? What, you think they landed Seth Jones because there’s a great bookstore in Portland? How else do you think an organization went from 19 victories in its first season under new ownership to 44 the following season and to WHL championship finals in 2011 and 2012?
It couldn’t have been because the new owner, Calgary-based businessman Bill Gallacher, had a plan and hired good hockey people to implement that plan. No. There had to be more to it than that.
But there wasn’t. At least not according to the WHL news release that was attached to that hammer. That release stated that the Winterhawks were guilty of “player benefit violations.”
It seems the Winterhawks paid for some flights for parents, some offseason workouts for some players, and some cell phones for captains.
“Our independent investigation in this case,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison was quoted as saying in that news release, “revealed there were multiple violations over an extended period for player benefits that are not permitted under WHL Regulations and were not disclosed to the WHL.
“It should also be noted through the course of the investigation there was no evidence of any payments or enhanced education benefits provided to players that would be contrary to WHL Regulations as previous media reports indicated.”
The Winterhawks lost Mike Johnston, their general manager and head coach, for the duration of this season. They were fined $200,000. They were barred from the first five rounds of the 2013 bantam draft and lost their first-round selections through the 2017 draft.
Don’t think for a moment that the Winterhawks aren’t using this, especially the loss of Johnston, as fuel for their fire.
“It’d be a disappointment if we didn’t (make the Memorial Cup),” goaltender Mac Carruth told Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune prior to the start of these playoffs. “We’d be letting down Mike. . . . It’s absolutely motivation. Some of us have forgotten about it, and we need to get back to that — the Portland Outlaws. We’re getting our minds right for the playoffs.”
Veteran forward Taylor Peters added: “Losing Mike, although devastating to our organization, hasn’t really slowed us down. But, moving forward, we have the chip on our shoulder, and we’re playing up how we battled adversity all year. The Evil Empire thing, we’ve definitely jumped on that, and use it as fuel.”
The hockey world, with the NHL in lockout mode at the time, had lots of time on its hands and, with the punishment seemingly far exceeding any crimes, was left to wonder what had really happened in Portland. In fact, hockey people continue to ask questions. There had to be more to it than that, they suggest. They wonder, ‘When will Gallacher respond?’ And they ask: ‘What did Johnston really do?’ ”
Meanwhile, the whispers and the innuendo haven’t gone away. There are people who are involved with the WHL who continue to claim – off the record, of course – that the Winterhawks had to be involved in making illegal payments to players. Never mind that no one seems to have any evidence of that.
It all has served to turn the Winterhawks into the most despised – nay, most hated – organization in the history of the WHL, which has been around since the summer of 1966. Who’s No. 2? No one. The Winterhawks are the only entrant. They rule. They own the category. Back in the day, the Flin Flon Bombers and the big, bad New Westminster Bruins were feared for what they might do to you on the ice. But the organizations weren’t hated.
The Winterhawks are. Period.
This also has served to define the hockey club’s mission. They badly want to make a third trip to the championship final. On Twitter, players have been known to use the hashtag #adversityhawks.
Robison has yet to address the situation in Portland or even speak with the Portland press corps. In Portland, then, the folks are hoping for another trip to the championship final, this one as the No. 1 seed, meaning the pre-series news conference, which the commissioner historically has attended, would be held there.
The fans and media there also would love nothing more than to have the Winterhawks win the championship on home ice. Watching their boys with the Ed Chynoweth Cup would be one thing; to have Robison have to present it to them would be icing on the cake.
It is into this maelstrom that the Blazers are skating, like a ship sailing into a hurricane.
It isn’t enough that the Blazers carry the weight of a city whose boys haven’t been to a WHL final since 1999 on their shoulders. It isn’t enough that they represent the smallest community of the four teams still standing – the Edmonton Oil Kings and Calgary Hitmen are to play for the Eastern Conference title.
The Blazers also are carrying around the hopes of most of the other WHL teams, certainly the ones that have adopted the ABP playoff plan.
ABP? Anyone But Portland.

(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.)

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL) announced that they won’t re-sign eight players for next season, including D Mark Ardelan (Brandon, Vancouver, Prince Albert, 1999-2004). Ardelan had seven goals and 15 assists in 51 games this season for the Roosters.
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D Darren Dietz of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. They selected him in the fifth round, 138th overall, of the 2011 NHL draft. Dietz put up 58 points, including 24 goals, in 72 games with the Blades this season. He led all WHL defenceman in goals.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Regina Pats D Colton Jobke will be joining the Houston Aeros, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Jobke, who has used up his junior eligibility, signed with the Wild prior to this season. . . . Harder also reports that free-agent F Lane Scheidl and his agent are perusing a number of offers from AHL teams.
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The WHL’s first-round playoff matchups:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Everett, F Tyler Sandhu scored three times to lead the Silvertips to a 7-5 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Sandhu, who turned 17 on Jan. 7, finished with 19 goals. This was his first hat trick. . . . Everett F Joshua Winquist had three assists. . . . Everett led 5-1 after the first period. . . . F Matte Stromwall scored twice for Tri-City, giving him 21. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser had three assists to finish with 106 points, including 62 assists, in 72 games. Feser played all 72 games in each of his last four WHL seasons, to go with 68 games in his first season. . . . Feser finished with 353 points in 351 regular-season games. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan was hit with a charging major and game misconduct at 10:30 of the third period. . . .

In Portland, F Taylor Peters and F Ty Rattie each had a goal and two assists as the Winterhawks beat the Spokane Chiefs, 6-1. . . . The Winterhawks didn’t dress F Brendan Leipsic or F Nic Petan, meaning they tied for the WHL scoring title, each with 120 points. This is the first tie since 1987-88 when Joe Sakic of the Swift Current Broncos and Theo Fleury of the Moose Jaw Warriors each finished with 160 points. Sakic was declared the winner on the basis of more goals, 78-68. . . . Leipsic led the WHL with 49 goals, while Petan scored 46. . . . Rattie finished third in the scoring race, with 110 points. . . . Petan led in assists (74). . . . The Winterhawks finished with a WHL-leading and franchise-record 57 victories. They also led the league in points (117), which also is a franchise record. And they were No. 1 on offence and defence. They set a franchise record by allowing just 169 goals. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth skated Sunday morning but didn’t dress last night. It’s believed he will be ready for Friday’s playoff opener. . . . The Winterhawks also scratched D Derrick Pouliot, while included in the Chiefs’ scratches were F Mitch Holmberg, F Alessio Bertaggia, F Mike Aviani, D Brenden Kichton and D Reid Gow. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstand scored his 31st goal, giving him the freshman goal-scoring title. He had been tied with Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs. . . .
Paul Buker of The Oregonian was at the game and his report is right here.
www.oregonlive.com/hawks/index.ssf/2013/03/winterhawks_regular_season_end.html#incart_flyout_sports
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “With all the resting players, there’s a definite preseason feel to this game despite a nice crowd. David Stern does not approve.”
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From Sepich, again: “Most of the drama tonight surrounds how the crowd will react to WHL VP Richard Doerksen presenting the Hawks with the Scotty Munro Trophy.”
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From Paul Buker (@Pnbuker): “Rich Doerksen did not get booed out of building when he awarded munro trophy. . . . Por fans take high road #thewhl”

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F Jordan DePape is hoping to return to game action in 10 days. DePape, who hasn’t played since Nov. 11, left the Kamloops Blazers in late November in order to undergo his second major shoulder operation in two years.
DePape, 20, subsequently was released by the Blazers and was added by the Red Deer Rebels on Jan. 10. He has been skating with the Rebels for a couple of weeks and took part in his first full-contact practice on Monday.
If all goes according to plan, he will dress for the Rebels on March 15 against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. The next night, the Rebels wrap up their regular season in Edmonton.
DePape had six points, including four goals, in 17 games with Kamloops this season.
The Rebels will be hoping DePape can recapture the magic he showed in last season’s playoffs. He rejoined the Blazers after having had surgery and proceeded to put up 13 points, seven of them goals, in 11 playoff games.
Meanwhile, the Rebels play host to the Kootenay Ice tonight. Red Deer should have F Dominik Volek back after he missed three games while ill.
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Since returning to the WHL after five seasons in the NHL, Brent Sutter says he has really noticed something.
Here’s part of what Sutter, the owner, GM and head coach of the Red Deer Rebels told Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal: “It is so noticeable on a hockey team that the kids who have played other sports and experienced different things are always the smarter players on your team, and they are able to handle adversity better. They deal with adversity better because they are thrown into different environments and they trust their skills that they may have learned elsewhere to get them through certain things.”
Perhaps the message will get through if parents hear it from someone with Sutter’s credibility.
Gregor’s piece is right here.
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Mike Moore has been named assistant general manager of the Calgary Hitmen. Moore, who has worked as general manager with the Kamloops Blazers and Medicine Hat Tigers, had been Calgary’s director of business operations. This is Moore‘s 16th season in the WHL, his fifth with the Hitmen. . . According to a news release, “His hockey operations duties will be in addition to his current responsibilities of operating the business side of the organization.” . . . Kelly Kisio is the team’s general manager, executive vice-president and alternate governor.
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Wearing No. 90, former WHL F Chris Schlenker made his debut as a WHL referee on Sunday in Medicine Hat when he worked alongside veteran Sean Raphael as the Tigers beat the Calgary Hitmen, 5-2. . . . Schlenker played with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders (2000-05), putting up 197, 188, 178 and 155 penalty minutes. A 29-year-old native of Medicine Hat, he totalled 92 points, including 25 goals, in 284 games. . . . “Haven’t been that nervous since 2001 #rookie,” he tweeted. . . . In his other life, Schlenker is a member of the Medicine Hat Police Service. He and Kato, a purebred German Shepherd, have worked together for almost two years now.
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The Dallas Stars have signed F Taylor Peters of the Portland Winterhawks to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. Peters, who turned 21 on Jan. 24, has 111 points in 313 career regular-season games with the Winterhawks. This season, he has 37 points in 62 games. Peters is one of the WHL’s top penalty-killing forwards and a superb defensive player. He also is a terrific faceoff man.
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The New York Rangers have signed — or are close to signing — F Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. Nicholls was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL draft but never signed. This season, he has 73 points, including 41 goals, in 65 games. . . . Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted: “Nicholls contract with NYR is standard three-year entry level deal, listed with annual cap hit of $925K. Gets SB of $92.5K in each of 3 yrs.” . . . At the same time, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reported that Gerry Johannson, who is Nicholls’ agent, wouldn’t confirm a deal, but said he hoped to have something done today.
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The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Seattle (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Everett (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Prince George, the Tri-City Americans erased a 1-0 deficit with three goals in 1:06 in the first period and went on to beat the Cougars, 6-3. . . . D Mark McNulty gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with his eight goal, via the PP, at 4:37. . . . F Justin Feser tied it with his 41st at 11:06, on the PP. F Connor Rankin, with his 26th, gave the Americans the lead at 11:42, and D Mitch Topping added his 13th at 12:12. . . . Feser later added an assist, getting him to the 100-point plateau. . . . Rankin finished up with two goals. . . . The same teams will play again tonight in Prince George. . . . The Americans moved into fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. Each team has seven games to play. . . . The Cougars, who have lost five in a row, are eight points out of a playoff spot with eight games left, six of them on the road.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From former TSN play-by-play voice Paul Romanuk (@paul_romanuk), who now lives in London, as in England: “Brit sports sections full of pre match Manu v Real Champions League coverage. Once again, nothing on Leafs.”


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