The always eloquent Ken Dryden has written another piece for The Globe and Mail, this one headlined: The anatomy of three hits. . . . It begins with an enthralling anecdote involving Johnny Bower, who is behind his goal line with Gordie Howe bearing down on him. . . . Check it out right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
John Becanic, who has WHL coaching experience with Everett, Seattle and Vancouver, won’t be back as head coach of the NAHL’s Wenatchee, Wash., Wild. He announced his resignation Friday, although he told Brent Stecker of the Wenatchee World that he made the decision and informed management in February. “As a coach, you have a set of standards and beliefs that you coach within,” Becanic told Stecker. “Not necessarily does everyone involved understand those standards and beliefs, and having done this as long as I’ve done, I knew it was the right thing to step back and pursue other hockey opportunities.” . . . Becanic took over the Wild in the middle of the 2010-11 season, replacing Paul Baxter. This season, the Wild went 36-17-7, finishing second in the West Division. The Fairbanks Ice Dogs completed a division final sweep of the Wild on Thursday night. . . . The Wild, under president Bill Stewart, has been pushing for a couple of seasons to get into the BCHL. . . .
The Northern Ontario junior A league’s Soo Thunderbirds will be without their head coach and assistant coach when they begin play in the Royal Bank Cup in Humboldt, Sask., next weekend. Preston Mizzi and Jamie Henderson have been suspended indefinitely by the league as a result, according to the Sault Star’s Peter Ruicci, “of seven incidents in which alcohol was allowed and consumed by players on staff” on the team bus. . . . Zoltan (Toots) Kovacs, a former Soo head coach, has been named interim head coach. . . . Ruicci’s story is right here.
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JUST NOTES:
The OHL’s Oshawa Generals have hired Jeff Twohey as their general manager. Twohey, who spent 17 years as the Peterborough Petes’ GM, worked the last two seasons as a scout for the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. All told, Twohey spent 30 years in the Petes’ organization, a relationship that ended after the 2009-10 season. To those unfamiliar with the OHL, the General and Petes go together like oil and water. Twohey replaces Chris DePiero, who was fired earlier this month along with head coach Gary Agnew and assistant coach Joe Cirella. . . .

Tyler Olsen, a writer with the Chilliwack Times, spent a lot of time a year ago covering the mess that was the sale and relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins. It all resulted in his winning a Canadian Community Newspaper Association award for best business writing, circulation 10,000 and over. When someone sent congratulations via Twitter, Olsen replied with: “It wouldn't have happened w/out Darryl Porter & Ron Robison.”
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Here are the dates for the WHL’s championship final (all times local):
Thursday, May 3: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 4: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 6: at Portland (Rose Garden), 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8: at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Thursday, May 10: at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, May 12: at Portland (Rose Garden), TBD
x-Sunday, May 13: at Edmonton, TBD
You can bet both teams are hoping this thing doesn’t go seven games, what with the schedule calling for the last three games to be played over four nights, which really works out to playing three times in little more than 72 hours.
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FRIDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, D Martin Gernat scored two goals as the Oil Kings scored a 4-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors to advance to the WHL’s championship final. . . . The Oil Kings, who won the series in five games, are in their fifth season, having been an expansion team in the 2007-08 season. . . . They will meet the Portland Winterhawks in the final. The Winterhawks used to be the Oil Kings; they moved to Portland after the 1975-76 season. . . . Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal was a 16-year-old winger on the Portland team that won the 1983 Memorial Cup as the host team. Laxdal later was dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Last night, F Michael St. Croix opened the scoring for Edmonton at 2:46 of the first period, with Gernat getting a PP goal at 17:44. . . . F Sam Fioretti got the Warriors on the board at 7:09 of the second, but Edmonton F Curtis Lazar restored the two-goal lead with his eighth goal of the playoffs 10 minutes alter. . . . Gernat completed the scoring at 9:06 of the third with another PP goal. He has five goals in the playoffs. . . . F Tyler Maxwell and D Griffin Reinhart assisted on both Gernat goals. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit, who was named the series MVP, stopped 37 shots in running his record to 12-1. . . . Moose Jaw gave Justin Paulic, 16, his third WHL start and second straight in these playoffs. He turned aside 20 shots. . . . The Warriors were 0-7 on the PP; Edmonton was 2-3. . . . There were seven series in the Eastern Conference and not one went past five games. . . . As if the Warriors didn’t have a bad enough night, they ran into bus problems in Lloydminster as they made their way home. A tweet from James Gallo, the club's radio voice on CHAB: "Bus died in Lloyd, can this night get any longer"

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After Laxdal picked up 13 points in 39 games with Portland in 1982-83, he found himself part of one of the biggest swaps in WHL history. On Aug. 28, 1983, the Brandon Wheat Kings dealt F Blaine Chrest to Portland for Laxdal, D Brad Duggan, F Dave Thomlinson, F Tony Horacek and F Ray Ferraro.
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A Friday night tweet from Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn): “Congrats and good luck to a couple of old teammates, Travis Green(portland) and Derek Laxdal(edm) in the WHL final.”


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As you make your way through today, please take a moment to think about Jack Jablonski, the 16-year-old hockey player with Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in Minneapolis, who was badly injured in a Friday game. Tim Leighton of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press writes that Jablonski “remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Hennepin County Medical Center. He is immobilized with a halo and unable to move his legs.”
Leighton’s complete story is right here. If you don’t read anything else today, read this.
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A regular reader here who also is a big, big WHL fan sent me a link to a terrific column by Jack Blatherwick, a columnist at Let’sPlayHockey.com.
Included in Blatherwick’s column – it is headlined Stop the charade: Fighting in hockey is not part of the game – is a paragraph that really resonates:
“I'm not writing to dispute the theory that ‘fighting fire with fire’ is the only way to extinguish flames – that violence reduces violence. I write because we adults in hockey (fans, coaches, league commissioners) are contributing to a far worse problem for young athletes who trust us.”
Blatherwick also makes an excellent point about how the fighting issue, entangled as it is with the talk of concussions and CTE, could well turn into a recruiting issue.
Blatherwick’s entire column is right here.
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Tyler Olsen of Chilliwack Times joins the chorus in calling for a ban on fighting in hockey. He presents his case right here.
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If you are a hockey fan, you have to admire the skill level and the skating ability of the Russian national junior team. And if you are a hockey fan who was following along on Twitter on Tuesday night, well, was that hilarious or what?
One thought I had while watching the game, and it is the only tournament game I have seen, is that our players seem to be more robotic than they used to be, while the Russians kids were playing with all kinds of excitement and emotion. Remember when it used to be the other way around?
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JUST NOTES:
The Edmonton Oil Kings have added F Henrik Samuelsson, who turns 18 on Feb. 7, to their roster. Samuelsson, who was born in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is the son of former NHLer Ulf Samuelsson, has been playing for Modo in Sweden, having suited up with the U-18, U-20 and senior teams. A potential power forward-type of player, he is expected to arrive in Edmonton this week. . . . Samuelsson is eligible for the NHL’s 2012 draft. . . .
F Shayne Neigum (Medicine Hat, Edmonton, Chilliwack, Kamloops, Regina, 2006-11) has left the ECHL’s Ontario Reign and joined the U of Saskatchewan Huskies. Neigum, 21, had four assists and 36 penalty minutes in 19 games with the Reign. . . . Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that F Kevin King (Kootenay, 2006-11), who had been with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals, and F Spencer Edwards (Red Deer, Seattle, Moose Jaw, 2006-2011), who was with the Central league’s Allen Americans, have joined the U of Calgary Dinos. . . .
F Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings has been named the winner of the Brandon Sun’s prestigious H.L. (Krug) Crawford Memorial Award. The annual award is emblematic of sporting excellence in southwestern Manitoba. Stone finished third in the WHL scoring race last sason, with 106 points. He was leading the league in scoring early in December when he left to join the Canadian national junior team. . . . Stone is the 13th member of the Wheat Kings to win the medal, the others being Brayden Schenn, Mark Derlago, Eric Fehr, Jordin Tootoo, Cory Cyrenne, Marty Murray, Trevor Kidd, Ray Ferraro, Dunc McCallum, Glen Hanlon, Ron Chipperfield and Juha Widing. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels have added F Marc Mackenzie, 18, to their roster. MacKenzie, a 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Sherwood Park, Alta., who played minor hockey in Kelowna, had been with the Kelowna-based Okanagan College Coyotes of the B.C. Intercollegiate league. . . . He had eight points and 51 penalty minutes in 11 games with the Coyotes. . . . If you’re a Rebels fan, there’s more on Mackenzie right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Victoria, the Calgary Hitmen got three goals from F Chase Clayton and two goals and two assists from F Jimmy Bubnick as they dumped the Royals, 9-4. . . . Clayton, who scored three goals in 55 games last season, went into the game with two goals and came out with five. . . . Bubnick, 20, has 16 goals. . . . Calgary D Josh Thrower, the 23rd overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. He had an assist and was plus-2. Thrower is from North Vancouver. . . . F Logan Nelson, a freshman from Rogers, Minn., had three goals. Nelson, 18, has 17 goals. He now has 39 points in 39 games. . . . Calgary now is 20-6-3 and in eight place in the 12-team Eastern Conference, just five points out of fourth. . . . The Hitmen finished last season with just 20 victories (20-47-5). . . . It was the sixth time this season that Victoria has allowed at least eight goals. In its last three games, Victoria has been outscored 22-13 and is 0-3. . . . The Royals now have lost seven in a row. . . . Calgary was 3-for-4 on the PP. . . . Victoria F Kevin Sundher ran his point streak to nine games with an assist and also had the fifth fight of his WHL career, this one in the third period with F Brady Brassart. . . .

In Portland, F Taylor Peters scored at 3:08 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Portland F Dillon Wagner forced OT with his third goal at 11:534 of the third period. . . . Peters, who scored on a breakaway, has eight goals. . . . The Winterhawks have won 13 straight games on home ice, three shy of the franchise that was set from Oct. 1–Dec. 11, 1993. . . . Portland is 16-2-1 on home ice this season. . . . Portland had a 49-29 edge in shots. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie was held to one assist. He leads the CHL in goals (37) and the WHL in points (69). . . . Portland G Mac Carruth has 69 career regular-season victories. He is fifth on the franchise list, behind Darrell May Sr. (105), Brent Belecki (79), Scott Langkow (71) and Lanny Ramage (69). . . . One other interesting note from Graham Kendrick’s notes: “Winterhawks public address announcer Sean Norris will be appearing on Monday's episode of Jeopardy, airing at 7 p.m. on KATU. Norris was in Los Angeles in October to tape the episode.” . . . Bob Bell for $500, Alex. . . . Sorry, Scooter, couldn’t resist!
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A few more words about Taylor Peters. . . . It turns out that he has a blog (Blades of Glory) that is right here. . . . And his Jan. 2 entry explains how he and his billets’ son climbed into kayaks in the dark of night and may have saved the lives of two kayakers who had capsized. . . . This is great stuff! . . . Oh, and Peters can write a bit, too!
Portland freelance writer Scott Sepich has more on the Peters story right here.
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Hockey Canada and the CHL have started the Ed Chynoweth Internship Program, aimed at alumni of the CHL and the national men’s and women’s programs who are pursuing careers in sports administration, communications, marketing or development.
According to a news release, “Internships will be awarded annually to up to five outstanding college or university students who have completed or are working toward an undergraduate or graduate degree in a sports-related field.”
For more information, check out the WHL website or visit hockeycanada.com.

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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.
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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

Friday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andreas Lövdahl (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 1999-2000) signed a one-year contract with Falu IF Falun (Sweden, Division 1). He had 15 goals and 36 assists in 35 games for Borlänge (Sweden, Division 1) this season. Lövdahl was captain of Borlänge this season.
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The Hennepin County Medical Examiners’ Office released a report Friday on the death of former WHL and NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard. Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment on May 13. The report indicates that “cause of death is mixed alcohol and oxycodone toxicity.”
Michael Russo of the Minneapolis StarTribune has a thorough report right here.
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Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail has a stunning piece in today’s paper. He has spoken with Kurt Walker, Stu Grimson and Georges Laraque, all of them former NHL enforcers.
Walker's story is mind-numbing; you get the feeling he knows exactly what Derek Boogaard went through. Grimson is conflicted, wondering how a game that is in the process of banning headshots still allows fighting. Laraque talks of how he disliked his role.
Don’t miss giving this a read. It’s right here.
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As the opening game of the Memorial Cup began on Friday, Damien Cox of the Toronto Star tweeted:
“Big problem for all those who said MemCup in GTA wud be a disaster; Hershey Centre jammed, joint is rockin', game hasn't even started.”
However, with the first period nearing a conclusion, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun tweeted:
“By the way, more than a few empty seats @ Hershey Centre for host team's first game.”
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Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times has the latest on the situation regarding a facility in need of a team and the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires, who seem headed that way.
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Jeff Marek on Hockey Night in Canada’s iDesk reported in the second intermission of last night’s NHL game that if/when the Atlanta Thrashers relocate to Winnipeg, the Manitoba Moose franchise no longer will be the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. Marek didn’t offer an explanation, but presumably that’s because the Moose are owned by the same people who are buying the Atlanta franchise and relocating it. . . . The Thrashers affiliates are the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators. . . . Obviously, this whole story has a ways to go yet before it has played itself out.
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THE COACHING GAME: John Olver, a former WHL coach, has joined the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors as director of player personnel and assistant to the head coach. Olver, who will work with head coach Marty Raymond, is a veteran of the minor league wars, including stints in the front offices of the Fresno Falcons, Tacoma Sabercats and Idaho Steelheads. . . . Casey Jones, who spent this season as the associate head coach with the Cornell Big Red, is the new head coach of the Clarkson Golden Knights. Jones, a former Clarkson assistant coach, is an alumnus of Cornell and once captained the Big Red. He replaces the fired George Roll. . . . Joe Paterson, who took over as head coach of the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms, has had the interim removed from his job title. The Phantoms are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. Assistant coach Riley Cote will be back for a second season with the Phantoms.
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JUST NOTES: F Scott Burt (Seattle, Swift Current, Edmonton Ice, Red Deer, 1994-1998) of the Alaska Aces has set an ECHL record for most career playoff games played. He played in No 103 on Friday, breaking the record that had been held by D Chris Valicevic. . . . The Aces beat the host Kalamazoo Wings 7-5 on Friday to take a 3-1 lead in the ECHL final for the Kelly Cup. Game 5 is tonight in Kalamazoo. . . . In the Central league final, F David Rutherford (Vancouver, Spokane, 2004-2008) had three goals to lead the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs to a 7-2 victory over the visiting Colorado Eagles on Friday. The Mudbugs hold a 3-2 edge in the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup final, with Game 6 Wednesday in Loveland, Colo.

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.”
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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. . . .
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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
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

More on the Chilliwack situation . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 53:
Have you heard?
The Kootenay Ice hasn’t sent out season-ticket renewals yet!
Yikes!
You may recall that the story of the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins began when fans there became concerned when the team didn’t send out season-ticket renewal forms.
So what’s going on in Cranbrook?
Actually, it turns out the answer is: Nothing.
Sorry, Chilliwack. It turns out this is normal business procedure for the Ice.
“We usually send out our renewals at the end of April with an Early Bird (deadline) at of the end of May,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told me via text Thursday night.
Chynoweth, whose Ice has advanced to the Eastern Conference final, added that 2011-12 renewals “will go out early next week. With this playoff run, we decided to get them out earlier than normal.”
And he had some good news for Ice season-ticket holders, too, pointing out that prices will stay the same “for the third consecutive year.”
At the same time, Chynoweth stressed that the Ice really hopes to see an increase in the number of season tickets sold.
“We need to get our season-ticket base back to where it used to be and hopefully around 2,500,” he said.
So . . . Chilliwack fans can stroke the Ice off the list of teams that might replace the soon-to-be departed Bruins. Move the Ice onto the same list as the Prince George Cougars, as teams that are staying put.
Meanwhile, American Hockey League president Dave Andrews, who once coached the WHL’s Victoria Cougars, has stated that his league has a contingency plan involving the Manitoba Moose should the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes return to Winnipeg.
Andrew has yet to offer much in the way of specifics, but all indications are that the plan involves the relocation of the Moose.
Note to Andrews: There is this arena in Chilliwack . . .
———
Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has offered up his opinion of the impending move of the Chilliwack Bruins to the Vancouver Island city. The headline contains the word “bungled.” . . . The piece is right here.
———
A couple of thoughts on the Chilliwack situation from Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings whose blog, Luber’s Lounge, is over their on the right:
Far be it for me to get involved in the WHL's business but, just for the record, the situation with the Chilliwack Bruins and their impending move to Victoria smells really bad for all involved. What makes it even tougher to fathom is the fact that the owners of the Bruins bailed out on Tri-City and, basically, blackmailed the WHL into giving them an expansion franchise five years ago. Perhaps the WHL should be a little more cautious about whom them let into their exclusive ownership club!
By the way, do you think that the other WHL owners that were at least partly responsible for putting the Bruins' in a perilous position care? Of course, I'm talking about the Calgary Flames, who decided two years ago to place their AHL team in Abbotsford and helped erode the market for Chilliwack. I'm guessing the answer is no!
———
Travis Paterson, the sports reporter for Black Press in Greater Victoria, has a different take on the hockey situation in the B.C. capital. He compares the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, who are into the second round of playoffs despite a bushel of uncertainty, to the Johnstown Chiefs of Slap Shot fame.
Paterson’s piece is right here.
———
Meanwhile, Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times is hearing that Moray Keith, a minority owner in the Chilliwack Bruins’ group, is still hoping to land another WHL franchise for that city. Olsen’s latest story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Tuesday . . .

Defenceman Jared Cowen (2) and his Spokane Chiefs had it
all over forward Mason Wilgosh and the Tri-City Americans
on Tuesday night in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Sami Sandell (Brandon, 2004-06) signed a two-year contract with Luleå (Sweden Elitserien). He had 18 goals and 29 assists in 47 games for Troja-Ljungby (Sweden Allsvenskan) this season.
———
THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 33:
So . . . let’s recap.
In a deal that seems to have been in the works for a while, the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold. Presumably to Vancouver-based RG Properties who, presumably, will move the WHL franchise to Victoria.
Except that the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, who also are owned by RG Properties,  continue to occupy the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre and will do so until at least April 22, which is the date for Game 4 of their second-round best-of-seven playoff series with the Utah Grizzlies.
Presumably the Salmon Kings will be on the move as soon as their season has ended. Perhaps RG Properties has found a buyer for the ECHL franchise, or perhaps the franchise simply will suspend operations.
But what of the arena in Chilliwack that has been home to the Bruins for the last five seasons?
The latest rumour has Lower Mainland people, perhaps a group involving long-time BCHLer Harvey Smyl, purchasing the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires and moving that franchise to Chilliwack.
Is there any meat to that rumour?
Well, Autumn MacDonald of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer wonders why her newspaper hasn’t been able to speak with anyone involved with Millionaires’ ownership or with anyone from the BCHL office. MacDonald’s piece is right here.
What MacDonald’s piece would seem to indicate is that there now are a whole lot of people living under Maxwell Smart’s Cone of Silence. That includes the WHL office, the BCHL office, RG Properties, the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners, the Quesnel Millionaires’ owners . . . and let’s not forget that the entire WHL is under a gag order on this subject.
Based on that, you are allowed to jump to your own conclusions.
Not to say that all of the silence has allowed this whole mess to get completely out of control, but other rumours that have arisen over the last month involve, in no particular order . . .
1. The Prince George Cougars moving to Chilliwack.
2. The Saskatoon Blades moving to Winnipeg (if the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes returned to Winnipeg, the AHL’s Manitoba Moose would go to Saskatoon, with the Blades then shifting to Winnipeg, or so the theory goes).
3. The Manitoba Moose moving to Seattle. (Again, only if the Coyotes return to Winnipeg.)
4. The Regina Pats moving to Chilliwack. (The Pats are involved in lease negotiations with their landlord. These negotiations, in the past, have turned nasty. So . . .)
5. The Kootenay Ice moving to Chilliwack.
6. An expansion franchise being awarded to former WHL/NHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who now is an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada and owns a chunk of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Even though there isn’t an arena in Nanaimo that is close to meeting WHL standards.
———
Has the WHL proven to be “morally bankrupt” in the way it has dealt with the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins? Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times offers up some opinion right here.
———
Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has a piece right here on how the fans who billet players are taking the news that the Bruins have been sold.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
It would seem that the annual running of The Coaching Game has started early, early this year.
There already are five openings for head coaches in the NHL, where the Dallas Stars fired Marc Crawford on Tuesday. Also looking are the Florida Panthers (Peter DeBoer), Minnesota Wild (Todd Richards), New Jersey Devils (Jacques Lemaire) and Ottawa Senators (Cory Clouston). Lemaire retired (again); the others were dumped.
(After Richards was dismissed, Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press put together a list of possible candidates for the Wild job. That list includes the name of Craig Hartsburg, a former Minnesota North Stars defenceman who now coaches the Everett Silvertips.)
As well, there are four head-coaching vacancies in the QMJHL, two of which were created Tuesday when the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles fired GM/head coach Mario Durocher and Clement Jodoin resigned from the Rimouski Oceanic.
Also looking are the Halifax Mooseheads and P.E.I. Rocket,
As well, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens may end up looking, should Guy Carbonneau choose not to remain in the position he took over during the season following the firing of Real Paiement.
In the OHL, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are without a general manager and a head coach, while the Sarnia Sting appears to have an interim head coach but no GM.
And, in the WHL, the Moose Jaw Warriors (Dave Hunchak) and Seattle Thunderbirds (Rob Sumner) are in the market.
Momma, it’s like the old song says, don’t let your babies grow up to be hockey coaches.
———
The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2011, and it is full of people with WHL connections, including Bob Cornell, Glen Lawson, Don Dietrich, Jayson More, Theo Fleury and Mike Keane.
There’s more right here.
———
A note from Elliotte Friedman’s weekly 30 Thoughts:
Luke Schenn had a very interesting take on the Raffi Torres suspension: "I was taught on that play to fake reaching for the puck and then go for the hit. If that's going to be illegal, they are going to have to change the way young players are taught hockey."
Friedman’s blog is right here.
———
ON THE ICE:
Wow! The Eastern Conference’s top two seeds, the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels, are in danger of having their seasons come to an end tonight. Both teams lost on the road Tuesday night and could be swept by the Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers, respectively, tonight. . . . And who saw that coming? . . . Meanwhile, the Western Conference semifinals are following the chalk, with the No. 1 Portland Winterhawks and No. 2 Spokane Chiefs having taken 2-1 leads. . . .
———
In Cranbrook, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 22 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 3-0 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Ice takes a 3-0 series lead into Game 4 at home tonight. . . . F Jesse Ismond got his first playoff goal on the PP at 18:34 of the first period and Lieuwen took it home from there. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford was sharp, making 33 saves. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb, who came into these playoffs with a postseason goal, got his third of this spring and added two helpers. . . . Ice F Joe Antilla continued his hot postseason, notching his sixth goal. . . . Attendance was 3,065. . . . The Blades scratched D Tanner Sohn, who had played in Game 2, and inserted F Alex Elliott. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka, who had missed the first two games with an injury, was back in the lineup and drew an assist on the third goal. . . . 
———
In Medicine Hat, F Hunter Shinkaruk broke a 1-1 tie at 6:09 of the third period and the Tigers went on to a 3-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Tigers are up 3-0 — they have outscored the Rebels 17-2 — and can wrap it up at home tonight. . . . F Kellan Tochkin gave Medicine Hat a 1-0 lead at 14:27 of the first period, with D Justin Weller equalizing at 3:13 of the third. . . . Shinkaruk’s fourth playoff goal stood up as the winner. . . . Tigers F Cole Grbavac continued his outstanding playoff with his eighth at 16:34. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 26 shots, as did Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. . . . Earlier in the day, Medicine Hat F Linden Vey was named the CHL’s player of the week. He had nine points in three games last week but was pointless last night. . . .
———
In Kelowna, F Ryan Johansen drew three assists as the Portland Winterhawks scored a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Portland leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Kelowna tonight. . . . Johansen had three goals in Portland’s 6-3 victory in Game 2 and now has 13 points in seven playoff games this spring. . . . The big goal in this one came off the stick of PortlandD Tyler Wotherspoon. He broke a 3-3 tie with his first playoff goal at 18:18 of the second period, just 40 seconds after Kelowna F Brett Bulmer had pulled his side even. . . . Porltand F Nino Niederreiter scored twice, giving him six. . . . The Rockets got a goal and two assists from F Colton Sissons. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth was outstanding, with 38 saves. . . . Kelowna’s chances of winning took a hit at 8:32 of the third period. With the Rockets trailing 4-3, F Shane McColgan was penalized for hooking and then was hit with a misconduct. He is the Rockets’ leading scorer in these playoffs. . . . Portland was 3-for-10 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-for-7. . . . Attendance was 4,884 in an arena where regular-season crowds averaged better than 6,000. . . . Portland played without F Brad Ross, who served the second game of a three-game suspension for a charging major in Game 1. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko, who was hit by Ross, didn’t play, either. . . .
———
In Kennewick, Wash., G James Reid stopped 20 shots as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the host Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . The Chiefs hold a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 in Kennewick on Thursday. . . . The Chiefs jumped out to a 3-0 lead before F Neal Prokop go the Americans on the board at 12:08 of the second period. . . . F Darren Kramer, with his fourth, gave the Chiefs some insurance at 17:14 of the third. Kramer has four goals and four penalty minutes in eight playoff games; he had seven goals and 306 penalty minutes in 68 regular-season games. . . . The Americans were without veteran D Tyler Schmidt, who sat out a one-game suspension after taking a clipping major in Game 2. . . . The Chiefs held a 41-21 edge in shots. . . . Attendance was 3,667. . . . The Americans won their first five game in these playoffs, but now hae lost two in a row.
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Four minors:
Kootenay D Joey Leach.
Kelowna F Spencer Main.
Kelowna F Jessey Astles (two minors).

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

The Chilliwack story continues . . .

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 22:
Tyler Olsen has a story in Friday’s edition of the Chilliwack Times that is a must-read if you have been following the sale and impending move of the Chillwack Bruins.
"I went through a divorce first, and I don't know which is worse," Andy Van Esch, the owner of AJ Pumps and someone who billeted Bruins players, told the Times on Wednesday at a Keep the Bruins in Chilliwack Rally.
Esch told the Times, a newspaper that publishes twice a week, that with the decision to move the Bruins he felt “kicked in the ass.”
According to Olsen’s story, Van Esch “estimates that he spent around $50,000
on tickets, advertising and other sponsorship deals, over the club's
five-year stay in Chilliwack.”
"I advertise because I feel that hockey is a good thing for Chilliwack; it's
good for keeping kids off the street," he said. "You do it because you want
to give something back and you believe in something."
There’s more, much more, in what is an absolutely scathing story that is critical of the Bruins’ ownership, especially governor and president Darryl Porter, and the WHL. That story is right here.
———
Meanwhile, Glen Ringdal has told Tim Amey of mychilliwacknews.com that the WHL wanted a franchise on Vancouver Island in the worst way. Ringdal has been consulting on behalf of Bruins minority owners Jim Bond and Moray Keith.
Amey writes:
“(Ringdal) says Victoria had been awarded an expansion franchise for the 2012-13 season quite some time ago. Problem is that means 23 teams for the WHL. That forces a 24th expansion team to balance out the schedule when the WHL never really wanted to go beyond 20 teams in the first place.  Moving an existing franchise became the best option.”
Ringdal also opines that Bruins majority owners Darryl Porter, Brian Burke and Glen Sather are selling to the Bruins to RG Properties “at the behest of the league, and so for us to be able to get support from the league level (to keep the franchise in Chilliwack) is not practical.”
Amey’s complete piece is right here.
———
Ringdal told Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times that the WHL has approved the sale of the Bruins, which it revealed in a press release this week, and the relocation of the franchise, which it did not.
Ringdal also told the Times "there is a possibility that another team in the league may wish to relocate to Chilliwack and the only one that I'm aware of is Prince George that has some interest.
"That was reported long ago. That's not news from me, but whether or not that can happen, there's no deal in place . . . but we're prepared to talk and see if that's a possibility and, in the end, that would probably be good for everybody."
However, I have been told by someone who should know that the Cougars “are not in play.”
I also was told that there are people within the WHL who wanted the Cougars to be in play, but owner Rick Brodsky simply isn’t interested.
———
Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald, whose relationship, or lack of same, with Bruins governor/co-owner Darryl Porter goes back to his days with the Americans had some interesting quotes from former Chilliwack mayor Clint Hames earlier this week.
“I don’t know what the word is — the closest is betrayed,” Hames said of the sale and impending move of the Bruins.
Hames then compared it to the situation that developed when Porter wanted to move the Americans to Chilliwack, only to be refused permission. He ended up with an expansion franchise.
“One of the original thoughts was that the Tri-City team was fed up and wanted to move,” Hames told Fowler. “We were told Tri-City wasn’t a hockey market and no one was coming to the games. We were told it was like taking an old dog out of the shelter. That was the story we were told.
“We were disappointed when the league turned the move down. Then we learned quite quickly that what we heard about Tri-City was wrong. Then we got the expansion franchise. The building here is owned privately, but is in a partnership with the city. The city put $1.2 million into the building to add more seating and other things to bring a WHL team here. It not only was an emotional investment, but a monetary one, as well. It’s a little perplexing to have it all pulled away.”
As for Porter, Hames continued: “Darryl has projected a negativity toward the team the last couple of years. He says ‘No one supports us.’ The biggest job I had was settling people down after they met with him. I think he made his mind up shortly after arriving that this wasn’t going to work. He felt he was entitled to a full building. He often criticized the public for not supporting the team.”
At the end of the day, Hames added, “They’ve gone from creating a situation in Tri-City to the same situation in Chilliwack, now other places. When this all shakes out, I don’t think the league looks very good. Neither do Darryl and his partners.”
Fowler’s entire piece is right here.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Monday's stuff . . .

Defenceman Rasmus Rissanen of the Everett Silvertips has signed
a three-year deal with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.
(Photo by Gregg Forwerck/Carolina Hurricanes)

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA:Things just get stranger and stranger . . .
It was just last week when Moray Keith, who along with Jim Bond owns 25 per cent of the Chilliwack Bruins, confirmed what everyone thought they knew when he told Jim Mullin of Vancouver radio station CKNW that the Bruins are in the process of being sold to Victoria interests.
Then, on Monday, in a letter through his lawyers, Brian Burke, who owns 25 per cent of the Bruins, informed Mullin that “Graham Lee has been promised a WHL franchise in that city.”
Graham Lee, if you aren’t aware, operates RG Properties, which holds a 30-year contract to manage Save-On Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. And the City of Victoria has said it will extend that deal by 10 years if RG Properties is able to attract a WHL franchise.
Burke’s letter also stated 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.”
Shortly after those two notes from Burke, who runs the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs these days, hit the Internet, I was informed by a source that “league members have been threatened with huge fines if they comment on the Chilliwack situation.”
So just when you might be thinking that clarification is needed and might even be on its way, what with the Bruins’ season having ended Saturday night in Spokane, the WHL gags everyone.
And then Tyler Olsen, a writer who is working hard to cover this situation for the Chilliwack Times, tweeted this late Monday afternoon: “#WHL league head office says my repeated pleas for an interview have been ‘unprofessional.’ News flash: that's my profession. #irony.”
Which would seem to indicate that the WHL again has adopted the strategy of trying to shoot the messenger. Again.
In another development, the Chilliwack Times rounded up a number of comments from former Bruins players -- off the Keep the Bruins in Chilliwack Facebook page -- on the situation. That piece is right here.
———
Meanwhile, Bruins fans have scheduled a rally for Wednesday, 7 p.m., at the front entrance to Prospera Centre.
———
And one Bruins fan sent me this email:
“This whole fiasco is a huge mess. It's embarassing for the league as well
as (Darryl) Porter, Burke and (Glen) Sather (each of whom owns 25 per cent of the Bruins). They are not showing any integrity or clarity here, all the fans have gotten is from the media. . . .
“This is not fair to the fans of the Chilliwack Bruins or any other team that is on the bubble that you have named. We're under Year 2 of the Marc Habscheid era and showing signs of turning it around, much better drafting than years past, better trades and it gets yanked from us because RG Properties wanted an established team over an expansion team. We sat
through the expansion, Edmonton sat through the expansion, what makes Victoria so different? And like you said, who knows if Victoria will be a success.
"This stinks."
———
MEANWHILE WE MOVE ON TO OTHER THINGS . . .
As you will be aware by now, Mandi Schwartz lost her battle with leukemia on Sunday. Mike G. Morreale of nhl.com has taken a look at Mandi and the legacy she has left. That is right here.
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Matt Ellison (Red Deer, 2002-03) signed a two-year contract extension with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia KHL). He had 21 goals and 29 assists in 53 games this season for Torpedo.
———
In the spring of 2001, Spokane swept the Kamloops Blazers from a first-round series in which Chiefs D Kurt Sauer was as dominant as a defenceman can be. He was tough and physical and absolutely ruled the ice surface through all four games. These days, he’s playing the role of Mr. Mom. Why? Because of concussion-like symptoms. He hasn’t been on the ice since September 2009. Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic has that story right here.
———
D Rasmus Rissanen of the Everett Silvertips has signed a three-year deal with with the Carolina Hurricanes, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL draft. Rissanen, 19, has put up 27 points and 192 penalty minutes in 139 games with Everett. He also played for Finland at the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo. He has joined the Hurricane’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. . . . Former Everett G Leland Irving earned his second straight 1-0 AHL shutout Monday, as the host Abbotsford Heat got past the Hamilton Bulldogs. That was his seventh blank job this season. F Justin Dowling, who played for the Swift Current Broncos this season, drew the second assist on the winner as he ran his point streak to three games. . . . F Shane McColgan is the WHL’s player of the week. He had five points in two games. . . . Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0, 0.50, .975.
———
MONDAY’S PLAYOFF GAME:
In Winnipeg, F Kellan Tochkin and F Emerson had two goals each as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 7-5 to win that first-round series, 4-2. . . . That was the last first-round series to be completed. The four tops seeds in each conference have advanced to the second round. . . . The Wheat Kings were playing their home games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has been in the rink in Brandon. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had three assists. Vey, who led the regular season in scoring, now tops the playoff point derby, with 12 points. That’s two ahead of F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks and F Brayden Schenn of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Medicine Hat F Cole Grbavac scored once, giving him nine points, including four goals, in the series. . . . Tochkin’s goals were his first of the series. . . . F Mike Ferland had three goals for Brandon, which took a 2-1 lead into Game 4 in which it wasn’t able to hold a couple of three-goal leads. The Tigers won the last three games. . . . The Tigers continued to be without G Tyler Bunz (concussion) and F Tyler Pitlick (ankle), while the Wheat Kings scratched F Brenden Walker (concussion) and G Liam Liston (concussion) . . . Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun covered the game. His story is right here. . . . Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press also was there, and his game story is right here.
———
MONDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Medicine Hat F Wacey Hamilton.
———
Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun wrote an interesting item out of that series between the Wheat Kigns and Medicine Hat Tigers:
“You may have noticed that the Brandon Wheat Kings had no backup goalie listed for Game 4 in Winnipeg, when Liam Liston was unable to play due to a concussion.
“Indeed the Wheat  Kings did have another puckstopper on the bench, but did not list him on the official gamesheet.
“It’s an uncommon — but not unheard of — occurrence, done to protect the identity of emergency goaltenders whose NCAA eligibility could be forfeited by appearing in a WHL game, and it’s something that the league office condones.
“It’s also a policy that seems a little disingenuous coming from a league that has levied heavy sanctions in the past against teams that have used players under assumed names to protect their NCAA eligibility and earlier this season came down on the Portland Winterhawks for letting an ineligible Swiss player take part in a training-camp scrimmage.
“Setting aside the NCAA rulebook for a moment (and frankly, disqualifying a player who happened to be one of the few capable of safely filling in on the bench at a hard-to-come-by position during extenuating circumstances is despicable in itself), hiding a player’s involvement is unbecoming of a league that strives to conduct its business in a professional manner. And withholding a name doesn’t change the fact that the player was there and could face repercussions if discovered.
“I’d be curious to know how others feel who have had their own NCAA eligibility burned after appearing on the gamesheet for a single WHL contest.
“I’m sure they would have appreciated the cover of the WHL’s version of the Witness Protection Program.”

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.
———
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.
——— 
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.
———
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.
———
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.
———
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. . . .
———
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.
———
THURSDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
Prince Albert D Harrison Ruopp
Chilliwack F Curt Gogol
———
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

Wednesday . . .

One of the great traditions in sports — the Tri-City Americans and
Vancouver Giants shake hands after going hard at each other for four games.
The Americans completed a series sweep on Wednesday night.
(Photo by CJ Relke)

If you believe in the theory that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, well, you’ve got to think the Chilliwack Bruins will be in Victoria when another season gets here.
Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times has the latest right here. It’s interesting that there aren’t any denials and that some people seem to be ducking and running from the media.
Take that for whatever you want.
Of course, the Bruins could extend the suspense, and perhaps even delay a press conference or two, by continuing their playoff run, couldn't they?
———JUST NOTES: F Hunter Shinkaruk won’t play tonight for the Medicine Hat Tigers as they try to even their series with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Shinkaruk has been suspended for one game by the WHL for a hit on Brandon F Brenden Walker in Game 3. Tonight’s game will be played at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. . . . The Wheat Kings are out of their home arena because of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. . . . The Tigers remain without G Tyler Bunz (concussion) and F Tyler Pitlick (ankle). . . . Former Wheat Kings F Mark Derlago set a franchise record Wednesday by scoring three times to lead the Idaho Steelheads to a 7-2 ECHL victory over the Utah Grizzlies in Boise, Idaho. Derlago finished the regular season with 43 goals, one more than the record he established last season.
———
WEDNESDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Prince Albert, the Raiders got two goals from each of F Igor Revenko and F Brandon Herrod in beating the Saskatoon Blades, 6-3. . . . The Blades lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Prince Albert tonight. . . . The Raiders, who lost the first two games in Saskatoon, went back to G Jamie Tucker for this one and he came up with 37 saves. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 44 shots. . . . Attendance was 2,868. . . . The 50/50 was worth $7872.50. . . .
In Moose Jaw, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 25 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 5-0 victory over the Warriors. . . . That series is 2-2 with Game 5 in Cranbrook on Friday. . . . Three of the first four games have ended in shutouts, with the Warriors twice winning by 4-0 scores. . . . A gem from Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald: “The Civic Centre crowd and the Warriors bench were howling for offside before the opening goal went in. The crowd sarcastically cheered every offside call against the Ice the rest of the evening.” . . . Attendance was 2,744. . . . And here is Gourlie’s injury report: “The Warriors gave defenceman Travis Brown his WHL playoff debut. Matt Franczyk sat in his place. Dallas Ehrhardt (upper body), Cody Beach (knee), Brayden Cuthbert (concussion) along with Matt Grant, Torrin White and Tanner Eberle were all scratched. The Ice only dressed 19 skaters. Drew Czerwonka had his left arm in a sling after taking a big hit in Game 3. Fellow forward Jesse Ismond (upper body) was also out for the second game in a row, along with defenceman Luke Paulsen (shoulder).” . . . The Warriors took 59 of 94 penalty minutes. Gee, do you think this one is starting to heat up? . . .
In Prince George, F Shane McColgan had two goals as the Kelowna Rockets doubled the Cougars 4-2 to sweep that series. . . . The Rockets got off to a 2-0 lead at 3:27 of the second period and were never headed. . . . Kelowna F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan had two assists. . . . The Cougars were again without F Brett Connolly (separated shoulder). . . . Attendance was 2,346. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 33 shots, four more than Prince George’s Ty Rimmer. . . .
In Everett, the Portland Winterhawks erased a 3-2 deficit with two goals 13 seconds apart and went on to beat the Silvertips, 5-4. . . . The Winterhawks lead the series 30 with Game 4 in Everett tonight. . . . Everett D Rasmus Rissanen gave his side a 3-2 lead at 9:40 of the second period, via the PP. . . . But F Nino Niederreiter (17:14) and F Ty Rattie (17:27) erased that lead and sent the Winterhawks on their way. . . . Rissanen had two goals for Everett, while F Landon Ferraro had three assists. . . . Attendance was 2,331 and that is not a typo. . . . Everett G Luke Siemens, playing in place of the injuried Kent Simpson (ankle), stopped 45 shots, including a third-period penalty shot attempt by F Sven Bartschi. . . .
In Spokane, the Chilliwack Bruins scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Chiefs 4-3 in OT. . . . F Kevin Sundher got the winner at 3:20 of extra time after G Lucas Gore had made 54 saves. . . . The Chiefs take a 2-1 series lead into tonight’s fourth game in Spokane. . . . The Bruins, down 3-0, tied it with three third-period goals, from F Ryan Howse (3:04), F Robin Soudek (9:22, PP) and Sundher (11:44). . . . Sundher also had an assist. . . . Spokane G James Reid made 21 saves. . . . Attendance was 4,737. . . . Chilliwack D Tyler Stahl may be looking at a suspension after taking an elbowing major and game misconduct at 15:19 of the second period. . . .
In Vancouver, F Mason Wilgosh had two goals and an assist as the Tri-City Americans beat the Giants 5-1 to sweep the first-round series. . . . Last year, the Americans took out the Giants in the Western Conference final. . . . Vancouver head coach Don Hay hadn’t been swept from a playoff series since 1999-2000 when he was coaching the Americans. . . . Hay and former Portland head coach Ken Hodge remain tied for the most playoff victories (101) in WHL history. . . . Tri-City outshot the home side, 28-18. . . . Attendance was 7,064. . . .
———
WEDNESDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Three minors:
Portland F Brad Ross
Spokane F Brady Brassart (double minor)

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

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.
---
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.
---
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.

There would seem to be ominous news for fans of the Chilliwack Bruins in a Chilliwack Times story written by Tyler Olsen that appeared Tuesday.
In that story, Olsen writes that “owners of the Western Hockey League franchise are considering multiple offers to buy the club, Bruins president Darryl Porter told the Times.”
That, of course, is something that has been public knowledge since last week.
But in the next paragraph Porter tells Olsen that, even though season-ticket holders have been wondering where the renewal forms are, “they're not going to be coming right away because the owners have decided to look into these inquiries."
Olsen’s complete story is right here.
One WHL governor questioned the strategy of waiting to send out season-ticket renewals, noting that it should have been done a month ago, even if the franchise may well be on the move.
“What happens if the franchise doesn’t move?” wondered the governor. “How do you sell season-tickets then?”
Unless, of course, a deal has been cut and is to be announced at season’s end.
———
Someone has set up a Facebook page titled Bring Back the WHL to Victoria. If you’re interested, it’s right here.
———
If you missed it, Rich Preston, the GM and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, drew a one-game suspension and a $750 fine for his water bottle-, clipboard- and Gatorade jug-tossing display on Saturday night in Kelowna.
You would have to hope that the manner in which Preston carried this out, with a great degree of calmness seldom, if ever, seen in these situations, saved him a game and at least $250.
It was Preston’s second brush with the long arm of the WHL law this season. He was fined $500 for a game misconduct he incurred during a Nov. 20 game with the visiting Saskatoon Blades.
Preston will miss a visit to Lethbridge by the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight.
The last WHL coach to be suspended?
Marc Habscheid of the Chilliwack Bruins and Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants sat out a game for a line brawl during an exhibition game prior to this season.
The last WHL coach to be suspended for a regular-season game?
Hay got hit with a one-game sentence in January of last season after the Giants were involved in their third line brawl of the season during a game in Prince George.
———
There also was an interesting note about the Preston outburst on Regan Bartel’s blog. Bartel, of course, is the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, so had a great seat for the show.
If you have seen the video, you will understand what Bartel is writing:
“I understand the camera crew in the building are getting a bad wrap for the video coverage of Preston's outburst. During the altercation, the camera crew often move away from the Hurricanes bench and show pictures of the goaltenders, the Rockets bench and even the crowd. I am told the video crew has a long document that they must adhere too when 'shooting the game' and when incidents like this occur. I don't have all the details of those guidelines, but not to embarrass the opposition team is roughly part of those requirements. If the camera/video crew had free reign, can you imagine what type of damage they could do with additional graphics?”
So there you have it. Now you know why you were watching a laughing goaltender while Preston was putting on the best coaching show seen in the WHL this season.
———
C Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning upon his return from a two-game swing to Prince George on the weekend. Johnson, 20, was a free agent. . . . According to cap geek.com, the contract calls for him to be paid $67,500 in the AHL, with NHL salaries of $690,000, $740,000 and $840,000. . . . The signing bonus is $270,000, paid over three years.
———
F Wacey Hamilton, 20, of the Medicine Hat Tigers has signed a three-year NHL deal with the Ottawa Senators. Hamilton was in camp last fall with the Colorado Avalanche but never signed. . . . Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen reports that at least 10 other NHL teams were in the hunt for Hamilton. That story is right here.
———
If you’re into collecting jerseys, you should know that the Swift Current Broncos are auctioning off their 2010-11 game-worn retro third jerseys. They wore them in Saturday games this season.
According to a release from the Broncos:
“Bidding will start at $50 and additional bids will be accepted in $10 increments. Fans may bid online right here, over the phone at 306-773-1509 or at any home games leading up to and during the March 19 game with the Prince Albert Raiders.”
———
Dylan Bumbarger, who blogs mostly about the Portland Winterhawks, checked out some numbers supplied by the Winterhawks’ front office and takes issue with some of them.
There’s more right here.
———
Five brothers playing on the same hockey team? That’s the case in the Whitemud Hockey League in Saskatchewan where the Hunter brothers — Brock, Dusty, J.J., Luke and Ty — all play for the Shaunavon Badgers. There’s more right here from the Shaunavon Standard.
———
The WHL lost a friend on Feb. 7 when Louise Kruger died at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital at the age of 68. Fanner, as she was known to anyone who had the good fortune to come into contact with her, and her late husband, Scoof, watched three sons — Darren, Scott and Trevor — play in the WHL, all with the Swift Current Broncos. Scott, of course, died in the accident that involved the Broncos’ bus. . . . Fanner also was a sister to Lorne Frey, who now is the Kelowna Rockets’ assistant GM, director of player personnel and head scout. . . . If you are so inclined, donations may be made to the Swift Current Broncos Hockey Association Memorial Fund, Box 2345, Swift Current SK, S9H 4X6.
———
JUST NOTES: G Jim Watt (Spokane, Saskatoon, 2002-06) has signed with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. He had been with the U of Windsor Lancers, who were eliminated from the playoffs late in February. Watt, 24, is from Edmonton. . . . The Vancouver Giants are home to the Chilliwack Bruins tonight, but are likely to be missing six or seven regulars. F Spencer Bennett (hand), D Darren Bestland (back), F Teal Burns (shoulder), F Brendan Gallagher (head), D Tyler Hart (shoulder), F Connor Redmond (shoulder) and D Joel Rogers (concussion) all are on the limp. Of that bunch, only Bestland is possible for tonight. . . . Vancouver has brought in D Dalton Olsen, 17, from the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles, whose season is over. Olsen, from Calgary, is the younger brother of D Dylan Olsen, who played for Canada’s national junior team in Buffalo and now is with the AHL‘s Rockford IceHogs. . . . The Giants also have added D Blake Orban, 16, who was a third-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. He was with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. . . .
Also tonight, the Brandon Wheat Kings are expecting a big crowd as they entertain F Brayden Schenn and the Saskatoon Blades, while the Regina Pats hope to keep their playoff push moving forward as they visit the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . .
———
In Prince George on Tuesday night, Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper earned his 12th shutout of the season as the Rebels beat the Cougars, 7-0. . . . Kuemper is one shutout shy of tying the WHL’s single season record that is shared by Bryan Bridges (Seattle, 2004-05) and Kelly Guard (Kelowna, 2003-04). . . . The Cougars have been blanked five times this season. . . . Red Deer F Byron Froese scored four times, giving him 40 goals this season. He had a career-high 29 last season with the Everett Silvertips. Froese is the first Rebels skater to get to 40 since F Matt Ellison scored 40 times in 2002-03. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and three helpers. . . . The victory allowed the Rebels to stay three points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers in the race for the Central Division pennant, which brings with it the Eastern Conference’s second seed. . . . Prince George has lost four in a row. . . .
The Tigers were beating the visiting Calgary Hitmen 6-2. . . . F Linden Vey had two goals for the Tigers, while F Emerson Etem had one. . . . Vey has 44 goals and a WHL-leading 112 points, six more than Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . Etem has 42 goals, 10 of them over his last 11 games. . . . The loss officially eliminated the Hitmen from the playoffs. The Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, had a run of 13 straight playoff appearances come to an end. . . .
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the game’s last six goals and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-2. . . . Attendance was 2,282. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb scored his 20th goal and added two assists. . . . F Cody Eakin and F Matt Fraser also had a goal and two assists each for the Ice. . . . Kootenay is fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Medicine Hat. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs unleashed 50 shots as they opened a five-game homestand by beating the Everett Silvertips, 4-2. . . . Spokane won the season series 7-1-0 and gave up just 10 goals in the process. . . . Everett G Luke Siemens, starting in place of the injured Kent Simpson (ankle), stopped 46 shots. . . . The Chiefs were ahead 3-0 before Everett got goals from F Tyler Maxwell, his 40th, and F Manraj Hayer, his third. . . . Everett scored on the game’s only power play. Referees Sean Raphael and Shane Warschaw handed out only one minor penalty, that to Spokane F Darren Kramer for instigating. Kramer was involved in his WHL-leading 44th fight. He has 11 points, including six goals, and 290 penalty minutes in 62 games. Kramer, who joined the Chiefs early in October from the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm, also has representation. He has signed with Carlos Sosa and Darcy Tucker of Turning Point Sports Management. . . . F Jake Doty of the Seattle Thunderbirds is a distant second, with 24 fighting majors, while F Ryan Hanes of the Kamloops Blazers has 21. . . . The Chiefs, who have won five in a row, are one point behind the Western Conference- and U.S. Division-leading Portland Winterhawks. Each team has six games remaining, including a season-ending meeting in Portland on March 20. . . . The Silvertips, who have lost five in a row, are tied for sixth with the Chilliwack Bruins, three points ahead of the Prince George Cougars and Kamloops Blazers. . . .
In Kamloops, F Justin Feser, playing his 200th regular-season game, scored with 55.4 seconds left in the third period to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . Tri-City D Zach Yuen had two goals and an assist, and was plus-4. . . . It was Yuen’s first WHL two-goal game. . . . Kamloops lost F J.C. Lipon with a suspected separated shoulder in the first period. . . . The Americans are eight points behind Spokane so appear headed for a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference. . . . The victory was No. 40 for Tri-City which has won at least that many each of the last five seasons. . . . The Blazers, who have lost four in a row, remain tied with Prince George for the conference’s last playoff spot. Kamloops has four games remaining; the Cougars have five left. . . . They close out the season with a home-and-home set, playing in Kamloops on March 19 and in Prince George on March 20. . . . If they are tied for the last playoff spot at that point, they would play a sudden-death game in the home of the team with the most regular-season victories. At present, each team has 29 victories. The second tiebreaker is the record in games between the teams; the Cougars are 5-1-0 against the Blazers this season.