Author: greggdrinnan

The Book Shelf: Part 1 of 3

Having stepped away from writing on this site a few weeks ago, I hadn’t decided whether to post the annual Book Shelf feature here. As I finished reading books, I have been writing thumbnails, out of habit more than anything, I suppose. But I wasn’t sure what I would do with them.

However, the Book Shelf is back by popular demand. Well, I received one email asking for it and I know of at least one other person who has been hoping for its appearance.

So here it is . . .

As usual, it will appear in three parts over three days, and the last part will include my top 10 reads of 2023.

Note that I have been cleaning out bookshelves over the past months, so there are some books on this list that have been around for a while and then some.

——

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel — Oh my, S.A. Crosby can write! This time he has conjured a story centred on Titus Crown, a former FBI agent with a skeleton in his closet, who now is the first Black sheriff in the history of a small Virginia city. And now he finds himself chasing a serial killer. This one is bloody, but, oh my, Crosby can write. A taste: “The myth of Main Street in the South has always been a chaste puritanical fantasy. The reality is found on back roads and dirt lanes under a sky gone black. In the back seat of a rust-mottled Buick and the beds of ramshackle trucks.”

The Amateurs: The Story of Four Young Men and Their Quest for an Olympic Gold Medal — Rowing is an interesting sport if only because there isn’t a career lined with gold at the end of the day. But you can’t question the dedication of the athletes involved. In this book published in 1985, author David Halberstam writes about that and a whole lot more as he follows four Americans chasing 1984 Olympic gold. They are friends and they are competitors, which leads to some complicated relationships and an interesting read.

The Appeal — This book by the prolific John Grisham was published in 2008; I have no idea how I hadn’t already read it. Anyway, it was his 21st published book. It begins with a lawsuit involving a company being sued for having contaminated a small community’s drinking water. The jury rules in favour of the plaintiff and Grisham proceeds to put the American judicial and electoral systems on spits and roasts them.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead — John Coglin is with the NYPD and he’s one of the good guys. And then, through no fault of his own, it all goes wrong. Author Michael Ledwidge has given us a gritty read with all kinds of great characters, lots of twists and turns, and a crescendo that leads to a great ending. Highly recommend if you’re into this kind of fiction.

Black & White & Never Right: A Hockey Referee — I stumbled on this book while cleaning up some book shelves early in the year, so it was a re-read. Author Vern Buffey was one of the NHL’s top referees back in the day, before leaving to set up the WHA’s officiating department. This isn’t a long book but it’s full of anecdotes  involving lots of NHL names from the six-team era. He also writes about how the NHL office applied heat and discipline to its on-ice officials, at least it did back then.

Brave Face: Wild Tales of Hockey Goaltenders in the Era Before Masks — This is an entertaining read loaded with terrific anecdotes, great quotes and a whole lot of names from hockey’s past. Yes, it’s mostly about goaltenders — from the well-known like Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk and Glenn Hall to lesser-knowns like Gaye Cooley, Russ Gillow and Bob Perreault — and their love-hate relationship with masks. Truth be told, it’s the stories involving the lesser-knowns that are the highlights here. There’s also some neat stuff on retired NHL defenceman Craig Ludwig, a shot blocker extraordinaire, his famous shin pads and his aversion to new equipment. Oh, and don’t let the fierce looking cover scare you away. (Disclaimer: Author Rob Vanstone was part of the sports department during my stint as sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post back in the day.)

City of Dreams — This is the second book in author Don Winslow’s trilogy that chronicles the life and times of Danny Ryan, a Rhode Island gangster who is trying to become an ex-gangster — if that is even possible — somewhere in California or Las Vegas. This is a great writer spinning a terrific yarn with all kinds of characters and plot twists. The first book in the trilogy is City on Fire; the third will be City in Ruins.

Desert Star — Author Michael Connelly brings back Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard for another go-round, this time working a couple of cold murder cases. Ballard has returned to the LAPD and now is in charge of the cold-case unit; Bosch, retired from the LAPD, is working for her on a voluntary basis. . . . If you like the Bosch books, this one won’t disappoint. And there’s a twist at the end that may jar you.

Different Seasons — Is there a writer among us today with an imagination and the writing ability of Stephen King? For starters, his imagination is out of bounds. Seriously. In this book, the prolific King gives us four novellas, tales, as he puts it, “that were too long to be short and too short to be really long.” What they also are is really good and, yes, bordering on the macabre. And they will get inside you and twist your guts. Yes, they will.

Draft Day: How Hockey Teams Pick Winners or Get Left Behind — Doug MacLean, who has worn a lot of NHL hats, from president to general manager and coach and beyond, writes openly about the NHL draft and he does it from all angles, providing readers with all kinds of information and anecdotes. He does it with the help of former Toronto Sun hockey writer Scott Morrison; the two worked together at Sportsnet not that long ago.

Evolve or Die: Hard Won Lessons from A Hockey Life — Author John Shannon has had a whole lot to do with the way we view hockey on television today. As a long-time producer with Hockey Night in Canada, he shaped a whole lot about the telecasts — remember the Hot Stove? — and was one of the main planners when HNIC switched from one Saturday night game to the doubleheader format in play today. His employment history also includes Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and the NHL, not to mention various American-based networks. This is his story, including the hirings and firings he endured along the way. There is a whole lot of interesting stuff between the covers, but it really could have used a few more anecdotes involving his relationships with NHL players, coaches, general managers and executives.

Finest Hour. Winston S. Churchill 1939-1941 — Author Martin Gilbert examines in microscopic detail the world of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the first years of the Second World War. It seems that anyone who had anything to do with government kept a diary back then, and Gilbert’s meticulous research allows for a tremendous book. Churchill also was the Minister of Defence at the time, and Gilbert really details how much effort he put into obtaining military help from the U.S. Remember that the Americans didn’t enter the Second World War until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, which occurs in the final pages of this book.

——

(FIRST OF THREE PARTS)

Statements abound as Hurricanes welcome Peters as head coach; social media firestorm follows announcement . . . Patrick says he’s not done with coaching

On a day when some of its 22 teams had players report to training camps, the WHL found itself in the middle of a firestorm on Wednesday after the Lethbridge Hurricanes announced the hiring of Bill Peters as head coach.

Peters takes over from Brent Kisio, who left the organization after eight seasons on Aug. 10 and now is an assistant coach with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.

The firestorm actually began on Tuesday night, a week after I had posted here that Peters was the leading candidate to be named the Hurricanes’ head coach.

First, Frank Seravalli of @HockeyFaceoff posted to X, formerly known as Twitter: “Following up on Gregg’s report that Bill Peters is potentially next head coach in WHL Lethbridge. Checked in with Akim Aliu, who said Peters has still not apologized — 13 years after the incident, and nearly 4 years after it became public and cost him his NHL head coaching job.” He has 289.7K followers.

Shortly after, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN posted to his 229.2K followers that Peters could be named head coach “as early as” Wednesday. He also wrote that “it’s my understanding that Peters only sought an audience with Aliu last week through a third party, apparently in anticipation of this job opportunity.”

And with that the dam broke as comments poured in, the vast majority of them negative.

Sunaya Sapurji, a longtime junior hockey observer and writer now with The Athletic, posted: “Just had a source reach out to confirm @gdrinnan’s report. This is gross on so many levels. I have a hard time believing there isn’t a good young coach (or an old one) deserving of an opportunity to coach ‘junior’ without the baggage. Honestly, why would you do this?”

(For more, if you’re on X just search for Bill Peters.)

Peters, 58, hasn’t coached in North America since resigning as head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames on Nov. 29, 2019. That followed accusations by former player Akim Aliu that Peters had directed racist comments at him while both were with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, in 2009-10.

Writing on Twitter, Aliu said Peters, Rockford’s head coach, had “dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn’t like my choice of music.”

After leaving Calgary, Peters joined Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL as head coach on April 15, 2020. He was fired on Nov. 30, 2022.

In the almost four years since leaving the Flames, Peters hadn’t apologized to Aliu. On Wednesday, Aliu released a statement on X stating that he recently had heard from an unidentified NHL coach who was attempting “to broker an apology” from Peters. In the statement, Aliu wrote that “I don’t feel that I have anything to say to Bill at this point.”

On Wednesday, a teary-eyed Peters addressed the news conference in Lethbridge, starting with:

“To Akim, I apologize. I did not recognize the impact of my words. I was uneducated in my use of inappropriate language. I take ownership of my actions, I regret my choice of words. I failed to create a safe space for the team, and I’m deeply sorry.”

Peters also did a stint as head coach of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes (2014-18). Michal Jordán, who played with Carolina then, later alleged that Peters had kicked him and also had punched another player in the head during a game.

Rod Brind’Amour, an assistant coach with Carolina then, has confirmed those allegations. He now is the Hurricanes’ head coach.

Meanwhile, there were statements aplenty at Wednesday’s Lethbridge news conference. And as you might expect everyone was singing from the same hymnal.

According to the Hurricanes, “Peters has completed the Anti-Racism Training and Coaching Certification program with guidance through Shades of Humanity Consulting — a national diversity, equity and inclusion agency, helping companies build diverse and inclusive organizations as well as providing leadership coaching, culture development strategies, anti-racism education and equity informed policy design.”

The team said that he “will continue to partake in anti-racism coaching, equity training, and further educational initiatives prescribed by Shades of Humanity Consulting.”

Peters, in his statement, said he worked with Shades of Humanity “to understand and correct my regrettable actions. I have learned a lot through this educational journey and feel ready to return to coaching. I am in a unique position to guide our next generation of community leaders and to establish a more inclusive culture in hockey.”

Ron Robison, the outgoing WHL commissioner, attended the news conference. In a statement, he offered: “After a thorough review, speaking with representatives from Shades of Humanity, and receiving a commitment from Bill to continue on his path of anti-racism, self-growth and redemption, the WHL is satisfied Bill is ready to return to coaching in the WHL. The journey towards individual and systemic equity learning should be viewed as an ongoing process. Bill has demonstrated that through this process and the WHL remains committed to systemic change through continued education.”

Later in the day, Aliu told John Chidley-Hill of The Canadian Press that no one from the WHL or the Hurricanes had spoken with him. (That story is right here.)

“I think the WHL and the Hurricanes should have contacted myself and Michal Jordan, the victims of Bill Peters, and had a conversation,” said Aliu. “I’m just mind boggled how you can take the word of a racist and abusive person and the fact that he’s telling you he has changed when you haven’t spoken with the folks that have been affected by it.

“That’s just a huge lack of leadership on the behalf of WHL president Ron Robison and the Lethbridge Hurricanes as a whole.”

Peters has had two other WHL coaching stints, both with the Spokane Chiefs. He was an assistant coach for three seasons (1999-02) and their head coach for three seasons (2005-08). He also spent three seasons (2002-05) as the head coach of the U of Lethbridge men’s hockey team.

The Hurricanes signed Peters to a multi-year contract, the length of which wasn’t divulged.

“Bill brings a high level of experience, having coached professionally in the AHL and NHL,” Peter Anholt, Lethbridge’s general manager, said in a news release. “His previous time in the WHL, which included a Memorial Cup championship in 2008, along with his experience coaching in Lethbridge with the Pronghorns, put him at the top of our candidate list. His addition will have a major impact on our team and our players’ and coaches development.”

Anholt, 62, who is about to start his 10th season as GM, also is heavily involved with Hockey Canada. He spent the past two seasons overseeing the country’s under-18 program. On March 22, Hockey Canada promoted him to the U-20 program. That means that he is in charge of the team that will be gunning for a third straight gold medal when the World Junior Championship opens in Goteborg, Sweden, on Dec. 26.

Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) — This is so important for understanding what the significance and reach of “boys club” really means when we talk about the NHL. It isn’t just that certain people get certain opportunities — it’s that those people then influence others in positions to give out other opportunities. (80.6K followers).

Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) — The fact that Bill Peters is going to be put in charge of a group of kids and young adults again after all of this is just absolutely insane to me. You’re telling me there isn’t one qualified person ahead of him that doesn’t have a chronic history of alleged abuse? (25.1K followers).

The other day, Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun caught up with James Patrick, a WHL head coach for the past six seasons. Patrick spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the Winnipeg Ice and the two seasons before that with the Kootenay Ice. The Winnipeg franchise was sold and moved to Wenatchee, Wash., over the summer. Patrick, 60, has since joined the Victoria Royals as director of player development. . . . Patrick told Friesen that the sale of the Ice came as a surprise: “I wasn’t in the loop. . . . There were rumours all year long, and some of them were found to be just that, rumours. I was under the impression the team would be back for sure for another year.” . . . As for his coaching career, Patrick told Friesen that “it’s not over.” . . . Friesen’s column — and it’s a good read — is right here.

TVshow

The Tri-City Americans have acquired F Jake Gudelj from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for two WHL draft picks — a fifth-rounder in 2025 and a second in 2026. . . . From Vancouver, Gudelj, who won’t turn 18 until Dec. 5, had eight goals and assists in 68 games with the Chiefs as a sophomore last season. As a freshman, he put up three goals and three assists in 51 games. . . . He was Spokane’s scholastic player of the year each of the past two seasons. . . . The Chiefs selected him in the fourth round of the WHL’s 2020 draft.

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The Tri-City Americans and Jacobs Radio have agreed on a “multi-year partnership” that will have all regular-season and playoff games carried on 95.3 UROCK Radio. . . . The Americans made the announcement on Tuesday, also revealing that Craig West will return as the play-by-play voice, at least on an interim basis. West announced in April that he was moving into semi-retirement after call WHL games since 1990, with the Spokane Chiefs (1990-98) and the Americans (1998-2023). However, the Americans have yet to hire a new radio voice, so West will fill that role on an interim basis. As West posted on Facebook, along with a laughing emoji: “Just when you think you’re out, you’re back in.”

Stupidity

The Calgary Hitmen have named Gary Michalick as their director of scouting. A native of Winnipeg, Michalick was a long-time scout with the Brandon Wheat Kings before joining the Hitmen. He now is heading into his seventh season with Calgary. . . . Garry Davidson had been the director of scouting until being named director of hockey operations following the departure of general manager Jeff Chynoweth on July 15.

Robbie Sandland, a former director of player personnel and assistant general manager with the Kamloops Blazers, has joined the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins as an amateur scout. The Penguins made the announcement on Tuesday. . . . From Nanaimo, Sandland will spend most of his time scouting Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. He had been with the Blazers since 2018 when he signed on as a scout. He was named director of player personnel a year later and added the AGM title prior to last season.

Aaron Keller was named director of player personnel by the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday. Keller played four seasons (1992-96) with the Blazers, helping them win the Memorial Cup in 1994 and again in 1995. . . . Keller has worked with the Blazers as a development coach since 2017 when returned to Kamloops from Japan where he played for 17 seasons and coached for three. For the past four years he also has been the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association’s technical director. . . . The Blazers also promoted Scott Blakeney, a B.C. scout, to senior head scout (B.C.) and added Brad Davis to their scouting staff as head scout (Manitoba). Blakeney is going into his fifth season with Kamloops. Davis spent the past 16 seasons with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Jason Pashelka will be back for a fifth season as head scout (Alberta).

Beagle

The AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys are in the market for a general manager and head coach after announcing on Monday that Scott Atkinson had “tendered his resignation effective immediately.” . . . According to the team, Atkinson left for “personal reasons.” . . . The team is expected to name an interim GM and interim head coach while searching for someone to fill both roles. . . . Atkinson had been with the team for three and a half years. . . . The Grizzlys are in the middle of training camp, having already played one exhibition game and with their first home game set for Friday.

The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers announced on Saturday that they have signed Emery Olauson as their general manager and head coach. He had been the GM/head coach of the KIJHL’s Columbia Valley Rockies, who play out of Invermere. . . . Olauson, 42, replaces Mat Hehr, who left early in August to join the Northern Alberta XTreme program. . . . The Terriers also announced that assistant coaches Scott Musqua and Zach Rakochy will be returning.

Scott Gomez, a former WHL star with the Tri-City Americans, has joined the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles as an assistant coach. Gomez, 43, is from Anchorage. He played one season (1996-97) with Surrey, before spending two with the Americans. . . . Gomez then went on to an NHL career that included 1,079 regular-season games and two Stanley Cup titles.

Trojan

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

I am stepping away from these writings and musings for the next while. In fact, at this time, I don’t know when, or even if, I will return. . . . I am wanting to get away from social media in the worst way and am looking forward to not feeling the need to turn on a computer. . . . Thanks for being here for all these years.

Bacon

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Shoe

Insurance brouhaha hits at major junior leagues, Hockey Canada . . . Giants fill out coaching staff . . . Royals complete scouting dept.

“Insurance companies are threatening to withhold coverage from Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League and its three major junior leagues and teams,” writes Rick Westhead of TSN, “as they battle a high-stakes hazing, bullying, and abuse lawsuit, court documents say.

“Hockey Canada filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court in Milton, Ont., on June 9 alleging AIG Insurance Company of Canada and TIG Insurance Company have indicated they may not honour their policy obligations in connection with the lawsuit.

Hockey Canada, which argues that its insurance companies should help pay to defend the lawsuit as well as any costs related to judgments and settlements, filed a similar claim in a Toronto court on Aug. 11 against Lloyd’s of London, which runs an insurance market of syndicate members that includes AIG and Allianz Global Risk US Insurance Company.

“If the insurance companies successfully argue that they should not have to cover costs and potential damages related to the lawsuit, it’s unclear how the CHL and its teams would come up with the funds.”

Westhead’s complete story is right here.

This is one of four lawsuits in which the WHL is involved.

It has yet to settle one filed by the City of Cranbrook against the league and the Kootenay Ice for allegedly breaking its lease when the franchise moved to Winnipeg.

A proposed class-action lawsuit against the CHL, Hockey Canada and the WHL filed in 2019 involves players who, according to a story by Westhead from May 2021, “allege in affidavits . . . that they were typically not given proper medical attention after suffering concussions in games and that they still suffer from the long-term effects of repeated brain trauma.” Lawyers are to provide arguments pertaining to this as a class-action suit on Oct. 25-27 in Vancouver.

Another lawsuit, a class action suggesting that players are student athletes or employees and should be paid minimum wage, involved the CHL and teams in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. After six years, it was settled in May 2020, with the agreement calling for the CHL to pay out $30 million by Oct. 20, 2020. However, judges in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec chose not to approve the settlement. The parties were to renegotiate or reapply for approval of the settlement. Since then . . . silence.

The Vancouver Giants introduced Manny Viveiros as the ninth head coach in franchise history on Thursday. With the opening of training camp a week away, Steve Ewen of Postmedia wondered why it took the Giants so long to name a successor to Michael Dyck, who left for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on July 13. . . . It turns out that it all had to do with Viveiros having fought off colon and prostate cancer over the past two years, all the while working as the head coach of the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. Viveiros actually was contemplating taking a year away from coaching. But then the phone rang . . . and rang . . . and rang. And he decided that his mental and physical health were A-OK. . . . Ewen’s story — and it’s terrific — is right here.

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The Vancouver Giants completed their coaching staff for the approaching season with the hiring of Kayden Jarvis as video and skill development coach. From Winnipeg, Jarvis, 27, has been working at the RINK Hockey Academy in Winnipeg for the past seven seasons. He also was a skills coach with the MJHL’s Niverville Nighthawks last season. . . . With the Giants, he will work alongside head coach Manny Viveiros and associate coach Adam Maglio.

Submarines

The Victoria Royals have added two more former members of the Winnipeg Ice organization to their front office. Earlier, Jake Heisinger signed on with the VictoriaRoyalsRoyals as associate general manager. Then they hired former Ice head coach James Patrick as director of player development. . . . On Friday, Heisinger announced that Tanner McCall and Tyler MacDonald, both of whom worked with the Ice before the franchise was sold and relocated to Wenatchee, Wash., have joined Victoria’s scouting department. McCall now is the Royals’ head scout after two years as a scout with the Ice. MacDonald, who was with the Kootenay Ice for three seasons before it moved to Winnipeg, will work as the senior regional scout for Manitoba. . . . Returning scouts are Scott Fukami of Calgary, who is back for a seventh season; Glen Naka of Kelowna, returning for his 11th season; Peter Kasowski of Edmonton, who is prepping for his eighth season; and Claude Aucoin of Victoria, back for a fifth season. . . . Matt Hanak of Calgary is a newcomer to the staff. . . . No longer on the Royals’ staff are long-time WHLers Stu MacGregor and Garry Pochipinski.

Stupid

Sam Williams, a defensive end with the Dallas Cowboys, was arrested this week in Frisco, Texas, and charged with possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon. This wasn’t his first run-in with the law. . . . So what was Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones’ reaction? “Everything I know about it, won’t impact his time on the field. This sounds a little hollow but he does and is maturing. And he is. What was he going, 66? Was he going 66 miles an hour? This year? So he’s 34 mph less than he was . . . so that’s improvement.” . . . Williams, a second-round NFL draft pick in 2021, was nailed for speeding in December after a two-car accident. It was determined that he had been doing 98 mph prior to the crash. . . . You’re right. Jones’ math is about as solid as the work he has done signing bad news footballers.

Ticket

Rhyah Stewart became the fifth female in CHL history to get into an exhibition or regular-season game on Friday when she stopped all 24 shots she faced in 30 qmjhlnewminutes for the Cape Breton Eagles against the visiting Moncton Wildcats. . . . She was named the game’s first star after Moncton’s 5-3 victory. . . . Stewart, 16, is from Antigonish, N.S. Earlier this month, Stewart won her only start with Canada’s U18 team in a series against the U.S., at Lake Placid, N.Y. . . . Last season, she became he first female to play in the Nova Scotia U18 Major Hockey League, going 3.67, .899 in 21 appearances with the Cape Breton West Islanders. . . . Manon Rheaume (Trois-Rivieres Draveurs, 1991), Charline Labonte (Acadie-Bathurst Titan) and Eve Gascon (Gatineau Olympiques) preceded Stewart in the QMJHL. . . . Shannon Szabados (Tri-City Americans, 2002) is the only female to have played in the WHL.

Shark

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Washington

Giants have their man, do Hurricanes have their’s, too? . . . Ex-Ice coach joins Royals’ front office . . . Raiders get goaltender from Rebels

The Vancouver Giants are expected to introduce Manny Viveiros as their new Vancouverhead coach during their annual golf tournament today (Thursday). . . . Viveiros, a former WHL player and coach, has spent the past three seasons as the head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. . . . In Vancouver, Viveiros, 57, will take over from Michael Dyck, who left the Giants after five seasons for a position as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. . . . Viveiros also worked in the WHL as the director of player personnel and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos for two seasons, winning the WHL title in 2018. He was the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs for one season (2019-20). . . .

That will leave the Lethbridge Hurricanes as the only one of the WHL’s 22 Lethbridgeteams without a head coach. The leading candidate to replace Brent Kisio in Lethbridge is believed to be Bill Peters. The 58-year-old Peters has had two WHL coaching stints, both with the Spokane Chiefs.  He was an assistant coach for three seasons (1999-02) and their head coach for three seasons (2005-08). . . . He also spent three seasons (2002-05) as the head coach of the U of Lethbridge men’s hockey team. . . . Peters was the head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames when he resigned on Nov. 29, 2019. The resignation came after former NHL F Akim Aliu alleged that Peters had directed racist comments at him a few years earlier in the dressing room of the Rockford Ice Hogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Peters was Rockford’s head coach at the time. . . . He signed on as head coach of Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL on April 15, 2020, and was fired on Nov. 30, 2022. . . . Kisio left the Hurricanes on Aug. 10 for an assistant coaching position with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. Kisio spent eight seasons as the Hurricanes’ head coach.

Socrates

The Victoria Royals have added James Patrick to their organization. The former Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice head coach has signed on as director of player VictoriaRoyalsdevelopment. . . . Patrick, 60, spent the past six seasons as the Ice’s head coach. . . . Patrick is the third key off-season hiring for the Royals, joining Joey Poljanowski, the vice-president of hockey operations, and Jake Heisinger, the associate general manager. Poljanowski joins the Royals from the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, while Heisinger had been in Winnipeg with the Ice. . . . Interestingly, Patrick has spent the past 17 seasons in the coaching game, the first 11 as an NHL assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres and then the Dallas Stars. That followed a playing career that included 1,280 regular-season NHL games over 21 seasons. . . .

While the Royals haven’t updated their website in quite a while, Taking Note has been told that two men whose pictures are on the ‘Hockey Staff’ page no longer are with the organization. J.F. Best, who is shown as the assistant general manager and director of player personnel and player development, is gone, as is longtime WHL executive and scout Stu MacGregor, who is listed as a senior regional scout out of Kamloops. . . . Best had been with the Royals since signing as an assistant coach on June 27, 2017. . . . MacGregor joined the Royals four years ago. He was the Kamloops Blazers’ assistant GM and director of player personnel for three Memorial Cup titles (1992, 1993 and 1995), part of 13 seasons over two stints with the organization. He also was with the Edmonton Oilers for 13 seasons, the last eight as director of amateur scouting. MacGregor was the Blazers’ GM when he was swept out the door when majority owner Tom Gaglardi made some changes after the 2017-18 season.

Parol

Keeping Score was told on Wednesday that Robbie Sandland no longer is Kamloopswith the Kamloops Blazers. He had been one of their two assistant general managers and also was the director of player personnel. . . . Sandland 40, is from Nanaimo. He joined the Blazers as their head B.C. scout in 2018 and was promoted to director of player personnel a year later. He added the AGM tag a year ago. . . . Shaun Clouston is the Blazers’ GM and head coach. Tim O’Donovan is the other assistant GM. . . . The Blazers’ website still shows Sandland as the team’s assistant GM and director of player personnel. But, then, it still shows Ken Fox as one of three head scouts and he told Taking Note on Aug. 8 that he had retired, a move the team acknowledged two days later on X, formerly know as Twitter.

Fence

The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired G Chase Coward, 20, from the Red Deer Rebels for a conditional fifth-round selection in the WHL’s 2024 draft. . . . From PrinceAlbertSwift Current, Coward played in 45 games over four seasons with the Rebels, going 25-23-4, 2.66, .904. . . . Due to hip issues — he underwent double hip surgery — he got into only four games last season (1-2-1, 2.98, .902). He was 0-2-0, 4.76, .830 in two playoff games. . . . Tikhon Chaika, the Raiders’ starter last season who is from Belarus, won’t be returning after signing with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Chaika, 20, is from Minsk. He made 101 regular-season and playoff appearances with the Raiders over the past two seasons. . . . It could be that the Raiders start the season with Coward and Max Hildebrand, 19, as their goaltenders. Hildebrand was 11-14-3, 3.71, .871 as a sophomore last season. . . . The trade would appear to leave Kyle Kelsey, 19, as the Rebels’ starting goaltender. Last season, in 37 games, he was 21-11-5, 2.64, .907. He followed that up by going 7-2-1, 2.36, .912 in 11 playoff appearances.

Injuries

The Lethbridge Hurricanes have hired Brodan Salmond as their goaltending consultant following the resignation of Kevin Swanson, who had been the organization’s goaltending coach for five seasons. . . . Salmond, 24, played four seasons in the WHL, splitting time with the Kelowna Rockets and Moose Jaw Warriors. He spent the past four seasons playing with the U of Calgary Dinos. . . . The Hurricanes also announced that D Nolan Bentham, 20, has chosen not to play in 2023-24. That decision leaves Lethbridge with three 20-year-olds on its roster — D Joe Arntsen, D Chase Pauls and F Blake Swetlikoff.

The Regina Pats have signed Dale McMullin, their director of scouting, to a Reginacontract extension. The length of the extension wasn’t released. . . . McMullin is going into his 12 season as the club’s director of scouting. . . . McMullin, 68, played five seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings back in the day. A prolific scorer, he put up 418 points, including 168 goals, in 309 regular-season games. The Wheat Kings weren’t very good back in those days, and he only got into 10 playoff games. That only makes his regular-season scoring feats even more impressive.

Condolences to Tim Lenardon and family on the death of his father, Norm, on Tuesday. Norm was 89. He was a player on the 1961 Trail Smoke Eaters, who went 6-0-1 to win the 1961 World championship in Geneva, Switzerland. . . . Tim was a longtime scout with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Like his father before him, Tim played for his hometown Smoke Eaters (1979-83), who then were in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Tim put together seasons of 56, 109, 139 and 172 points with the Smokies before going on to play three seasons at Brandon University. His pro career included 15 NHL games — one goal in seven games with the New Jersey Devils (1986-87) and one goal in eight games with the Vancouver Canucks (1989-90). . . . His father was a key contributor to the Smoke Eaters and scored perhaps the biggest goal of the 1961 World championship. . . .  If you haven’t seen the documentary about that Trail team, find it and spend an hour with it. It’s titled Trophy Town. It won’t disappoint you. . . . Greg Nesteroff of mykootenaynow.com has more on Norm Lenardon right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Amazon

Giants have their next head coach . . . Strumm, Vanstone into Regina Hall of Fame . . . Portland beefs up scouting staff

It would appear that Manny Viveiros is back in the WHL. Steve Ewen of Postmedia, citing “multiple sources,” reported on Monday that the Vancouver Giants are expected to introduce Viveiros as their new head coach during a news conference at their annual golf tournament at Tsawwassen Springs on Thursday. . . . Viveiros 57, spent the past three seasons as head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. . . . Michael Dyck, who had been the Giants head coach through five seasons, now is an assistant coach with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. . . . Ewen wrote: “According to sources, Viveiros was one of the first people Giants general manager Barclay Parneta reached out to when Dyck signed on with the Marlies. Viveiros was a Giants’ rival in the WHL the season before the Henderson stint, guiding the Spokane Chiefs in the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 campaign. His top assistant coach there was Adam Maglio, 37, who is currently getting ready for his second season with Vancouver.” . . . Viveiros was the GM and head coach of the 2017-18 Swift Current Broncos, who won the WHL championship. Following that season, his second with the Broncos, he joined the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach. After one season there, he signed with Spokane. . . . With Viveiros in Vancouver it leaves the Lethbridge Hurricanes as the only one of the WHL’s 22 teams without a head coach.

HideSeek

Bob Strumm, whose involvement with the WHL goes back to 1976, is among the Regina Sports Hall of Fame’s newest inductees who were announced on Tuesday. . . . Strumm, who is from Saskatoon, was an assistant to Ed Chynoweth, then the WHL’s president, when it opened its Calgary office in 1976. . . . Now a Las Vegas resident, Strumm was with the Regina Pats for seven seasons (1979-86), at various times serving as co-owner, GM and head coach. . . . Kevin Gallant, the Pats’ play-by-play voice back in the day, points out that Regina won one WHL title and three Eastern Conference championships under Strumm and also had the six highest-scoring seasons in franchise history. . . . Strumm also worked in the WHL with the Billings Bighorns (general manager, 1977-79) and Spokane Chiefs (GM, 1987-90). . . . Also among the 2023 inductees — it’s the 20th anniversary class — is Rob Vanstone, who covered the WHL and the Pats during his lengthy stay at the Regina Leader-Post. He now is the senior writer/historian with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. . . . Strumm will be inducted as a builder, with Vanstone going in as a patron.

The Portland Winterhawks, who lost two senior members of their scouting staff Portlandearlier this summer, have added five scouts to their organization — Rjay Berra, who will be a B.C. regional scout out of Prince George; Josh Bonar, who will do the same out of the Okanagan; Ed Fowler, who also will scout in B.C., but out of Surrey; Alex Overhardt in Colorado; and William Wrenn in Alaska. . . . Overhardt spent four seasons (2014-18) playing for the Winterhawks; Wrenn, who is from Anchorage, joined them from the U of Denver during the 2010-11 season and was team captain in 2011-12 before going pro. . . . Bonar also is a former WHL player, having been with the Kamloops Blazers, Vancouver Giants and Regina Pats (2000-03). . . . Berra played with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings and the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. . . . Fowler spent nine years with the Victoria Royals, including three (2019-22) as their director of player personnel. . . . On Aug. 4, the Winterhawks announced that Brad Davis, who had scouted out of Manitoba for 16 years, and Ray Payne, who had been with them for six years, both had left the organization.

Spencer Trapp, the 37-year-old grandson of Barry Trapp, has joined the junior B Fort Knox franchise of the Prairie Junior Hockey League as an assistant coach. . . . Spencer’s father, Doug, played with the WHL’s Regina Pats and is a former Fort Knox head coach. . . . As a player, Spencer spent three seasons with the SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds before going on to player NCAA hockey at Holy Cross.

Kindle

Jack Todd, writing in the Montreal Gazette: “After 115 games, 24-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .265 with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs. At that age, his father had 193 hits for the season, including 42 home runs and 37 doubles, drove in 131 runs and hit .316 while swinging at everything in his area code. There is no comparison.” . . .

——

Todd, again: “Why are we not surprised to see Angela price wearing a T-shirt touting ‘Kennedy for President’? Meaning anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

Brains

Morten Kjolby has signed on as the general manager and head coach of the Summerland Steam, who play in the Kootenay International Junior A Hockey League. . . . Kjolby, 33, is from Denmark, and has coached there and in Spain at the U18 and U20 levels. Last season, he was on staff with the Cold Lake, Alta., Aeros of the Canadian-American Junior Hockey League. . . . John DePourcq, who spent seven seasons (2012-19) as the Steam’s head coach, is returning after three years away to serve as an assistant coach and advisor. . . . There isn’t any mention in the Steam’s news release of James McEwan, who was named general manager and head coach on July 23. It would appear that the Steam-McEwan arrangement was rather short-lived.

Brad Flynn, who has WHL coaching experience, has joined the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers as an assistant coach. Flynn, 38, is a rarity in that he has coached in all three major junior leagues. . . . That includes a three-season stint (2018-21) with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. . . . In 2021-22, he was an associate coach with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. Last season, he was an assistant coach with the Brock University Badgers of USports.

Buffalo

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Knights

Is it the USHL’s time to be No. 1? . . . Norway’s hockey federation feeling the pinch . . . Memorial Cup champs get 74 days between games

Smoke
We are among the fortunate ones in the Southern Interior of B.C., because, while the smoke is terrible, we aren’t in any danger. Dorothy and I haven’t packed a go-bag, but we have made a list of what will be included should it become necessary. As I write this (Sunday, 8:30 p.m.), the smoke, most of it from a fire 30-to-40 km to the east of us, is worse than pictured. We no longer are able to see the South Thompson River that is visible in the right side of the photo. The wind blows the smoke in through any nook or cranny and our air purifier is getting a workout. But we’re safe and thankful for that.

As was mentioned here the other day, the WHL has hired the New Jersey-based recruiting firm TurnkeyZRG to help in its search for a commissioner to replace Ron Robison, who is retiring after the 2023-24 season.

In the job description posted on TurnkeyZRG’s website, this statement appears:

“The Western Hockey League (WHL) is the best hockey development league in the world.  Last month, the WHL had more top draft picks (including the #1 pick Connor Bedard) and more overall picks than any other league or country in the world.”

Uhh, well, actually . . . no. The OHL had 35 players selected, with 33 being taken from the WHL.

And then there’s the 16-team USHL. Yes, the USHL.

As Allan Mitchell of The Athletic wrote in a story posted on Friday: “If you ushlinclude the U.S. National Development Team as part of the USHL, the number of players being drafted exceeds each of the Canadian junior leagues.”

The USNDT plays a full 62-game schedule in the USHL, which is why Mitchell included it in these numbers.

The USHL, including the USNDT, had 39 players selected in the NHL’s 2023 draft, with the OHL (35), WHL (33) and Sweden (22) next in line.

Furthermore, according to Mitchell, when the 2022-23 NHL season began, there were 193 USHL grads on team rosters, while there were 173 from the OHL and 115 from the WHL.

Mitchell makes the USHL’s case with a whole lot of numbers, then adds:

“I’ve spoken to NHL scouts about the quality of the USHL compared to the established Canadian junior leagues. The consensus opinion has the USHL trailing the Canadian leagues, although all admit the gap is closing.”

He also points out: “Most scouts have been around the game for a long time. The USHL was an upstart when many current scouts were early in their careers. The older generation of NHL scouts may believe the USHL still trails, but the growing evidence suggests this is no longer the case.”

Mitchell closes his piece with this:

“In this quick look at the leagues, USHL players are No. 1 in populating opening-night NHL rosters (2022-23), No. 1 in populating the 2023 NHL draft and No. 1 in the top three tiers of The Athletic’s top-100 players.

“The NHL industry is telling us the USHL’s time is coming.

“The numbers are telling us the USHL’s time is here.”

If nothing else, all of this is food for some kind of thought. Discuss among yourselves.

If you subscribe to The Athletic, the complete story is right here.

Clam

Things are tough financially in Norway where the country’s ice hockey federation has suspended all activities for its senior women’s and senior men’s national teams through December. The federation also has laid off five full-time employees. . . . Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported that “the men’s U20 national team . . . will play at the WC in December.” . . . According to NRK, “The drastic cuts come just a few weeks after the (federation) confirmed a deficit of 9 million (kroner) in 2022. This was 3 million more than they had budgeted.” . . . The women’s national team is in China at the IIHF’s Division 1A championship and won’t be impacted until returning home. That is the IIHF’s last 2023 championship of its calendar.

Ass

Headline at The Onion — MLS Parents Complain Leo Messi Too Advanced For Sons’ League

Bob Baun was a hard-rock defenceman on the 1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the Stanley Cup. You no doubt are aware that the franchise has yet to win another championship. . . . Steve Simmons of Postmedia points out that “the only regulars remaining from the ’67 Leafs, still around to share their stories, are those who were under the age of 30 in 1967 — Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Pulford, Ron Ellis, Pete Stemkowski, Mike Walton and Brian Conacher.”

——

Simmons, again: “No surprise that Taylor Swift turned down the Super Bowl, which doesn’t pay much for its halftime entertainment. She probably couldn’t afford the pay cut.” . . . And she surely doesn’t need the exposure.

Insomn

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Landon Watson, who left the Regina Pats earlier this month, has joined the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes as manager of hockey operations. Watson, who is from Neilburg, Sask., had been with the Pats through seven seasons; he was their director of hockey operations for two years. . . . The Pats have named Tristan Frei, who is from Regina, as Watson’s replacement. . . .

F Savin Virk, 16, has committed to attend Michigan State U. The Tri-City Americans selected the Surrey, B.C., native in the third round of the WHL’s 2022 draft. He played at Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, B.C., for the past three seasons, putting up 26 goals and 21 assists in 29 games with the U18 team last season.

THINKING OUT LOUD — The QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts played their first exhibition game of the new season on Thursday night. That was only 74 days after they won the Memorial Cup in Kamloops. That’s right . . . 74 days, which, if my math is correct, isn’t even three months. . . . I tried to watch the NFL exhibition game between the visiting Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night. I really did. But the Seahawks’ broadcast crew couldn’t even pretend there were two teams on the field. Embarrassing! . . . On Sunday, I turned on the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Braves in Atlanta. And there was the Braves’ play-by-play man sounding like Buck Martinez — “Get out of here ball.” . . . It’s really too bad that more broadcast teams can’t emulate Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, who do Giants’ games, or Dick Bremer and Justin Moreau, who handle a lot of Minnesota Twins’ games. You know who they work for, but they don’t feel the urge to shout it to the heavens. . . . Let’s be honest here. You were watching the B.C. Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders playing in Regina on Sunday and you went into the second half wondering how the home team was going to blow it, weren’t you?

Deer
A doe and two fans take a break in a field behind our home east of Kamloops. After eating, they chose to rest before heading up into the hills above the South Thompson River.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Herman

Want to be WHL’s commissioner? Here’s the job description . . . Silvertips, Cougars make deal . . . So do Chiefs and Hurricanes

The WHL has hired TurnkeyZRG, an executive search firm based in Haddonfield, N.J., to lead its hunt for a new commissioner.

Ron Robison, who is heading into his 24th season as the WHL commissioner, WHLannounced on June 22 that he will retire after the 2023-24 season.

According to TurnkeyZRG’s website, it has “deep practitioner experience and more functional specialization than any other firm . . . We deliver a turnkey, 360-degree view of each candidate in a tech-driven candidate portal. Our candidate ranking system and interview feedback tools are second to none.”

If you are wanting to sit at the commissioner’s desk, you will, according to the firm’s job description,“need the following skills attributes and experience . . .

“Board -Level Experience
“Corporate Partnership Success
“Diplomacy/Conflict Resolution
“Go Getter/Relentless Energy & Motor
“Leader/Innovator/Challenge the Status Quo
“Marketing & Sales Orientation
“Persuasive People Skills/Master Communicator
“Revenue Growth Track Record
“Sports or Entertainment Business Experience.”
In a presentation that runs to more than 2,200 words, TurnkeyZRG says the successful candidate “will be responsible for the overall management of an effective and efficient organization that exceeds the expectations of the Board. The Commissioner shall be a visionary, but even more importantly, be a real ‘closer’ who can not only dream big, but also make things happen and bring deals to fruition. The Commissioner shall be THE revenue-oriented sales machine in the League and the sport.”

After that, the job description is split into five parts — Duties and Responsibilities; Marketing and Communications; Strategic Planning, Business Plan Development and Execution; Organizational Capability, Leadership and Values; and Competition, Governance and Stakeholder Management.

Those five parts are littered with business-related jargon, such as “identify and develop new revenue streams to enhance the commercial growth of the league . . .” and “oversee the development and implementation of a revenue strategy . . .” and “lead the League’s commercial efforts to drive all revenue-related activity . . .” and “maintain focus on maximizing profitability and creating new revenue opportunities . . .” and “serve as the strategist and consultant to each Club in the development of overall commercial and revenue strategy at the consumer and local level . . .” and “execute brand and retail/revenue-driving marketing strategies that measurably achieve revenue, attendance and audience targets, and maximize profit margins . . .” and “work with the Executive Committee and assume leadership in the development of the strategic direction of the WHL, addressing key issues such as revenue growth and optimization” and “now how to create/enhance/protect franchise values; increasing the value of all Clubs.”

There is little in the job description that deals with the WHL’s on-ice product, except for a couple of items under Competition, Governance and Stakeholder Management.

The commissioner, it reads, will “oversee the development and implementation of a competition strategy that will optimize the WHL’s showcasing and delivery of the highest quality of hockey possible.”

The commissioner also will “lead the League staff’s operations and competition staff to ensure high quality, fair and balanced competition is maintained, including: Player allocation, contracting, compensation, and welfare policies; Refereeing, rule review and development, and enforcement; and adjudication of disputes (including team penalties where required).”

The job description concludes with two sections headlined Required Qualifications and Preferred Qualifications.

The former includes seven items like “experience participating on a board and/or managing a board; or if not in a Board setting, experience with conflict resolution and finding solutions in a multi-stakeholder environment” and “extensive experience within revenue-driving executive leadership including sponsorship revenue generation, media rights negotiation and senior level management of commercial partner relationships” and “an understanding of new media platforms, digital content and online streaming trends.”

The latter includes 10 items, such as “competitive edge with strong commercial capability” and “ability to successfully manage multiple large-scale projects and numerous high-level commercial relationships simultaneously” and “ability to develop a positive culture . . . ability to deal with a high level of public scrutiny.”

TurnkeyZRG notes “All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, marital or partnership status, military or veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. TurnkeyZRG is an equal opportunity employer and workplace, and we encourage applicants of all backgrounds and communities to apply.”

The entire job description is right here.

The Everett Silvertips have acquired F Caden Brown, 18, from the Prince George Cougars for F Oren Shtrom, who will turn 19 on Sept. 28, and two WHL draft picks — a second-rounder in 2024 and a fifth in 2026. . . . Brown, who is from Prince George, had 18 goals and 15 assists in 66 games as a sophomore last season, then added three goals and four assists in 10 playoff games. As a freshman in 2021-22, Brown had seven goals and nine assists in 67 games. . . . The Cougars selected him with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft. . . . Shtrom, from Gilbert, Ariz., split 24 games between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Silvertips, scoring twice and adding seven assists. In the two previous seasons, he totalled 14 goals and 19 assists in 82 games with the Tigers.

Confidential

For more than 20 years, the CHL had Canadian Controlled Media Communications (CCMC) handle the sponsorship end of its business. That relationship has ended with the decision by CCMC to shut down. The result is that the CHL announced on Wednesday that it has brought “corporate sponsorship and media sales in-house.” . . . The CHL is the umbrella organization under which the OHL, QMJHL and WHL operate. . . . Ryan Hudecki, who spent 18 years with CCMC, has been hired to fill the newly created position as the CHL’s vice-president of sponsorships. . . . As well, each of the three leagues will have its own sales representative, with Alysia Olsen the WHL’s regional sales director. . . . There’s more on this story right here.

Headline at The Beaverton: ‘See No Covid, Hear No Covid’ strategy working about as well as expected.

CarDoors

The Lethbridge Hurricanes have acquired F Kooper Gizowski, 18, from the Spokane Chiefs for a fourth-round selection in the WHL’s 2026 draft. . . . Lethbridge also acquired a seventh-round pick in the 2026 draft in the exchange. . . . In 112 regular-season games with the Chiefs, Gizowski totalled 15 goals and 19 assists. . . . From Edmonton, he was a second-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2020 draft. . . . According to the Chiefs’ news release, they now hold 19 selections in the first four rounds of the next three WHL drafts.

F Fischer O’Brien, 20, who cleared WHL waivers after being released by the Prince George Cougars, will be joining the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Fischer, a Prince George native, had 26 points, five of them goals, in 137 regular-season games over three seasons with the Cougars. The Bulldogs acquired his BCHL rights from the Penticton Vees for future considerations.

Flowers

THINKING OUT LOUD — How smoky was it in my neck of the woods on Wednesday? It was so smoky that the birds couldn’t see our sidewalk so it’s as clean as it was when I washed it on Tuesday. . . . I’m sure you are aware that the hockey season begins on Friday. That’s when QMJHL teams open camps. . . . BTW, I won’t be applying to be the next commissioner of the WHL. If you read the job description, the successful candidate just may be able to negotiate peace in the Middle East. . . . There still are two WHL teams — the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants — without head coaches, and James Patrick, who had such a good run with the Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice, remains a free agent. Just saying!

Barbie

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

TurnSignal

Hurricanes’ head coach leaves for AHL . . . OHL commish to retire after 45th season . . . Broncos, Winterhawks make interesting deal

With training camp scheduled to open on Aug. 31, the Lethbridge Hurricanes are without a head coach. . . . The team announced on Thursday that Brent Kisio, Lethbridgethe winningest head coach in franchise history, has left the organization. According to a news release, Kisio, 40, resigned “after accepting a professional coaching position.” . . . A couple of hours later, the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights announced that Kisio had signed on as an assistant coach. . . . Kisio had been with the Hurricanes since June 4, 2015, when he joined them from the Calgary Hitmen with whom he had spent eight seasons as an assistant coach. . . . The Calgary native spent eight seasons as the Hurricanes’ head coach, going 267-176-44 in regular-season games. He is the only head coach in franchise history to reach 200 victories. He also is No. 1 in games coached. . . . The Hurricanes were 23-26 in playoff games under Kisio, twice reaching the Eastern Conference final (2017, 2018). He was the conference’s coach of the year for 2015-16. . . . In Henderson, Kisio will be working with head coach Ryan Craig, assistant coach Jamie Heward and goaltending coach Fred Brathwaite. . . . The Hurricanes’ coaching staff includes Matt Anholt, the assistant general manager and assistant coach, assistant coach Ryan Aasman and goaltending coach Kevin Swanson. . . . The team’s news release is right here. . . . The Hurricanes are one of two WHL teams without a head coach at the moment. The Vancouver Giants lost head coach Michael Dyck, who had been with them through five seasons, to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on July 13.

David Branch, the longtime OHL commissioner, announced on Thursday that he will retire after the 2023-24 season. The approaching season will be his 45th as commissioner. . . . The OHL’s board of governors has struck a committee to search for a successor. . . . Interestingly, Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, also has announced that 2023-24 will be his final season, while the QMJHL changed commissioners during the middle of last season following the retirement of Gilles Courteau. He had been involved in the QMJHL for 47 years, the last 37 as commissioner. Mario Cecchini was introduced as his replacement on March 17. . . . Robison is heading into his 24th season running the WHL.

The Swift Current Broncos and Portland Winterhawks got together on a deal Wednesday that featured three players and potentially five WHL draft picks changing hands. . . . The Broncos gave up F Josh Davies, 19, and F Tyson Yaremko, 18, in exchange for D Ryan McCleary, who will turn 20 on Sept. 9, and as many as five draft picks, including a sixth-rounder in 2027. Also included were four conditional selections — a fourth in 2024, a sixth in 2024, and a second and a fifth in 2027. . . .

McCleary, who is from Swift Current, played 147 regular-season games with the Winterhawks over four seasons, totalling 21 goals and 47 assists. He was a seventh-round selection by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL’s 2021 draft. The Winterhawks had picked him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2018 draft. . . . His father, Trent, played 278 regular-season games for the Broncos (1988-93) before going on to an NHL career that included 192 games. Trent now is the chairman of the community-owned Broncos’ board of directors. . . .

The Winterhawks’ roster now is down to three 20-year-olds — forwards Gabe Klassen, Jack O’Brien and James Stefan. . . .

Davies, from Airdrie, Alta., put up 42 goals and 37 assists in 149 games over four seasons with the Broncos, who selected him in the third round of the WHL’s 2019 draft. The Florida Panthers selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2022 draft. . . .

Yaremko, from Saskatoon, has spent the past two seasons with the U18 AAA Saskatoon Blazers. Last season, he had 21 goals and 42 assists in 41 games.

Eve

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

D Ronan Buckberger, a fifth-round selection by the Swift Current Broncos in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2021 draft, has committed to Ohio State U. Buckberger, 17, is slated to play for the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks in 2023-24. His father, Ashley, played in the WHL (1990-95) with the Swift Current Broncos and Kamloops Blazers. . . .

F Fischer O’Brien, who played the past three seasons with the Prince George Cougars, has cleared WHL waivers and the 20-year-old now is a free agent. Fischer, who is from Prince George, had three goals and nine assists in 54 games last season. In 137 career regular-season games, he put up five goals and 21 assists. . . .

F Vincent Lamanna, who is preparing for his 20-year-old season, was placed on WHL waivers by the Everett Silvertips and cleared on Wednesday. He now is a free agent. . . . From Sturgeon County, Alta., Lamanna played two seasons with the Silvertips, totalling four goals and 11 assists in 78 regular-season games. . . . Everett now has three 20-year-olds on its roster — G Tyler Palmer, D Ty Gibson and F Teague Patton.

Rocks

THE COACHING GAME:

The Moose Jaw Warriors have promoted Scott King to associate coach. He has been with the organization since signing on as an assistant coach in 2016. He works alongside head coach Mark O’Leary. . . . The Warriors also have added Layne Richardson as athletic therapist and Elizabeth Black as manager of game day and special events. . . . Richardson was with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose last season, while Black has been working with the Toronto Blue Jays’ game day staff this MLB season. . . .

Andrew Doty, who spent five seasons on the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ coaching staff, has joined the NHL’s Calgary Flames as video co-ordinator. He is coming off three seasons as a video coach with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. He was the video coach with the Hurricanes (2015-20). . . .

The SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos and Scott Barney, their general manager and head coach, have agreed to a five-year contract extension that will start with the 2023-24 season. . . . Barney joined the Broncos as an assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 season, and was promoted to GM/head coach during that season. . . . The Broncos are 132-55-11 under Barney and have been in the playoffs in each of his seasons as head coach. . . .

Geordie Wudrick, who spent five seasons playing in the WHL, has joined the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires as an assistant coach. He’ll be working alongside general manager/head coach Doug Johnson. . . . Wudrick, 33, is from Abbotsford, B.C. . . . He played 349 regular-season WHL games, totalling 138 goals and 95 assists, skating with the Swift Current Broncos and Kelowna Rockets. Wudrick went on to a pro career that included stops in the ECHL and SPHL, as well as Germany, France, Great Britain, Australia and Sweden.

Leigh Verstraete, who played in the WHL with the Billings Bighorns and Calgary Wranglers, died on Tuesday. He was 61. . . . Verstraete, who was from Calgary, played 32 games with the Bighorns in 1978-79, and was traded to the Wranglers 10 games into the 1979-80 season. In 222 regular-season WHL games, he had 58 goals and 57 assists, along with 1,041 penalty minutes. . . . A 10th-round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL’s 1982 draft, he played in eight NHL games and spent six seasons in the AHL with the St. Catharines/Newmarket Saints.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

CommonSense

Veteran scout retires from Blazers . . . Hitmen get draft picks in trades . . . Wilson returns as Smoke Eaters’ radio voice

Ken Fox, one of the Kamloops Blazers’ three head scouts, has retired after Kamloopsspending more than 30 seasons in the WHL. Fox had been with the Blazers since the summer of 2008. . . . From Holdfast, Sask., Fox left the Swift Current Broncos — he had been their assistant scouting director — to join the Blazers. His time in the WHL also included four seasons with the Vancouver Giants and nine with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . His life, Fox told Keeping Score, now “will be different after 35 years.” . . . Fox’s retirement leaves the Blazers with Scott Blakeney and Jason Pashelka as their head scouts. . . .

The WHL’s Calgary Hitmen made a couple of deals on Tuesday, sending F Brandon Whynott, 19, to the Tri-City Americans and D Trey Patterson, 20, to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Calgary received a fifth-round selection in the 2024 WHL draft from Tri-City and a sixth-rounder in 2026 from Seattle. . . . Whynott, a second-round pick by the Hitmen in the 2019 draft, is from Langley, B.C. In 141 games with the Hitmen, he had 12 goals and 35 assists. . . . Patterson, from Calgary, was acquired from the Red Deer Rebels, had one goal and 14 assists in 68 games last season. In 147 career games, he has two goals and 21 assists. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders are going to retire the No. 16 in honour of F Dan Hodgson with the Moose Jaw Warriors in town on Nov. 25. Hodgson spent three seasons (1982-85) with the Raiders, putting up 493 points, including 188 goals, in 204 regular-season games. . . . He was saluted as the CHL’s player of the year for 1984-85, after he scored 70 goals and added 112 assists in 64 games. . . . He led the Raiders to their first WHL title that season as team captain, and also helped them to the Memorial Cup championship. . . . There is a complete news release right here. . . .

The Regina Pats have hired Tristan Frei as their manager of hockey operations, Reginareplacing Landon Watson who, according to the team, “has accepted a position with a National Hockey League club.” . . . Watson, 28, had been with the Pats through seven seasons, starting as an intern in January 2016. He also worked as a video analyst and director of hockey analytics. He had been director of hockey operations for two years. . . . Frei, 27, spent the past two seasons playing with the EIHL’s Guildford Flames. From Regina, he played with the Regina Pats Canadians (2010-13) and the U of Regina Cougars (2016-21). . . .

Drew Wilson, once the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, is the new-old play-by-play man for the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. Wilson is a news and sports anchor at Bounce Radio in Trail. . . . He also was the Smoke Eaters’ play-by-play voice 20 years ago before moving to Prince Albert. “It’s the exact job I did before moving to PA in 2004,” he told Taking Note. “I guess you can go home.”

Herman2

THE COACHING GAME:

The Swift Current Broncos have hired Taras McEwen, 32, as an assistant coach. He joins the Broncos after spending six seasons with the Winnipeg Ice (hey, remember them?), first as a scout and then last season as an assistant coach. . . . During his time with the Ice, he also worked as the general manager of the Winnipeg Blues, one of two MJHL teams that is owned by the Winnipeg Ice’s former owners, and took over as head coach for 2020-21. . . . Taras’s father, Brad, is a former GM/head coach of the Broncos. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings have added Kyle Chipchura to their staff as a development coach. Chipchura, 37, was coaching with the Northern Alberta Xtreme’s program for the past two seasons. . . . From Westlock, Alta., Chipchura played four seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders before going on to a 15-year pro career. . . . From a news release: “Chipchura joins Ladislav Smid as a development coach with the organization. Smid, who is entering his second season with the club, will oversee the development of Oil Kings prospects, while Chipchura will work with the team during practices and home games.” . . .

The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers announced on Monday that Mat Hehr, their general manager and head coach, has left the organization “to pursue a new opportunity in coaching.” He had been with the Terriers for seven years. . . . It turns out that Hehr is joining the Northern Alberta Xtreme. Calvin Daniels of Yorkton This Week wrote that Hehr told him that the Xtreme ownership has a vision to grow the program and also to own an AJHL franchise. . . . Hehr, 34, signed on with the Terriers as an assistant coach in 2016 and was named GM/head coach during the 2017-18 season.

Einstein

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Cement