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

Backmeyers one step closer to home . . . Winterhawks lose pair of veteran scouts . . . Pats round out coaching staff

The Backmeyers aren’t back in Kamloops yet, but they are back in their home province of B.C.

“I just can’t even believe we did it,” Lindsey wrote on Facebook. “Eight weeks ago we left Vancouver and travelled across the country to Toronto for a kidney transplant. We left with some big hopes and dreams, sprinkled with a whole lot of fear.”

And why not? After all, Lindsey and her husband, Pat, had been told at one point in their journey that a second transplant for their youngest daughter, Ferris, 6, likely was impossible.

“We were given ‘the choice’ to just (let her) live her days out on dialysis or proceed with listing her and giving it a second shot,” Lindsey explained. “It was a no-brainer living the life Ferris was living that she needed another shot if she were to have any chance at growing up.”

So off they went in pursuit of another kidney and — guess what? — so far, so good.

“We were shocked, that things actually went as planned, that the transplant was successful and our girl was gifted a whole new life,” Lindsey wrote.

They left Toronto on Thursday, five weeks after Ferris had undergone a kidney transplant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Ferris Backmeyer, flanked by sisters Ksenia (left) and Tavia, didn’t need her stroller this time when she walked into BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

And now they are back at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, a facility with which they are quite familiar having been regulars there and at the Ronald McDonald House over the past five years.

“Walking into the hospital I had goosebumps everywhere,” Lindsey wrote.

What made things really special was . . .

“It was incredible watching Ferris just WALK into the hospital. I’m not sure she ever has before,” Lindsey explained. “She definitely hadn’t walked to a clinic appointment before.”

And it seems that Ferris received something of a warm welcome.

“It was incredibly heartwarming seeing their response to how well she’s doing. Lots of happy tears. Even as she sat in front of them . . . they just couldn’t believe she wasn’t a dialysis patient anymore . . . that she’s getting her shot!”

So now the five of them are back living at Ronald McDonald House as they wait to see what the future holds. Hopefully it means a return to Kamloops isn’t too far away.

Tavia told her mother “it felt like we were home finally. It really really did. The bigs were off with their friends until bedtime. Ferris played hard. Everyone was just so happy to be ‘home’.”

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Portland Winterhawks announced on Friday that veteran scouts Brad Davis and Ray Payne have left the organization. . . . Davis, who had been the head Manitoba scout, said he is leaving “to pursue other opportunities.” He had been with the Winterhawks for 16 years. . . . Ray Payne, who was Portland’s B.C. regional scout, was preparing for his seventh season with the Winterhawks. Payne had a long history as an NHL scout, working at various times with the Minnesota North Stars, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks. He was with the Calgary Hitmen before moving over to the Winterhawks. . . .

The City of Seattle, presumably with the support of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, wants to play host to the 2026 World Junior Championship. . . . Reports surfaced late last week to that effect. . . . It is believed that Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis also have expressed interest in playing host to the event. . . . The 2024 tournament is to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, with the tournament moving to Ottawa for 2025. A decision on 2026 is expected to be made sometime during the 2023-24 season. . . .

It would seem that the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League has added an ‘A’ to its name. Yes, it is referred to as the Kootenay International Junior A League in a recent news release in which it announced that it now will allow each of its teams to have six 20-year-old players on its roster, up one from where it was in recent seasons. . . . “Adding an additional 20-year old roster spot provides added flexibility for our member clubs as they build their teams for the 2023/24 season and brings us closer in line with other Junior A leagues across the country,” Jeff Dubois, the league’s commissioner, said in the news release. . . . The KIJHL and two other leagues in B.C., all of which had been junior B, have been designated Junior A Tier 2 by BC Hockey.

THE COACHING GAME:

The Regina Pats have hired Evan McFeeters as an assistant coach, filling the spot created when Brad Herauf was promoted to head coach following the retirement of John Paddock. . . . McFeeters, 35, had been the head coach of the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders for one season. He also has coached with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles and Brooks Bandits. McFeeters is from Canmore. . . . He joins assistant coach Ken Schneider and goaltending coach Daniel Wapple on the Pats’ staff.

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.

Curmudgeonly one gives thumbs down to ghost runner . . . Royals make two trades . . . MacGillivray, Konowalchuk back on the bench

Fawn080223
We had a visitor on Wednesday morning as this little beauty stopped by for a bite to eat. As recently as two weeks ago, there were two fawns travelling with their mother. That wasn’t the case this time, though, and here’s hoping nothing unfortunate has befallen the other one.

A note about this MLB season from old friend Jack Finarelli, aka The Sports Curmudgeon, that is 100 per cent correct:

“More people are watching games on TV and more people are going out to the stadium to see live games. It would certainly appear that the folks who kept pointing out that there wasn’t enough action in a baseball game that took three-and-a-half hours to hold fan attention had a point.

“Games are shorter on average; scoring is up; on-base percentage is up; the stolen base has returned to the game — and fans seem to like that a lot.

“Now, if MLB would only get rid of the ‘ghost runner on second base’ in extra-inning games.”

Julie K. Brown, a prominent investigative journalist with the Miami Herald, has more than 232 thousand followers and she agrees with the curmudgeonly one.

Headline at The Beaverton: Climate wondering how much it has to change before humans notice.

Purse

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Victoria Royals split up the Spizawka twins on Tuesday by trading Jason, a 19-year-old defenceman, to the Calgary Hitmen for a fourth-round selection in the WHL’s 2024 draft. That draft pick originated with the Prince George Cougars. . . . Jason had one goal and five assists in 65 games with the Royals last season. . . . He was a first-round selection in the 2019 draft. In 141 games, he put up two goals and 16 assists. . . . Jason and his brother, Ryan, are from Victoria. Ryan, also a defenceman, was a seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft. In 110 games with the Royals, he has two goals and 12 assists. . . .

On Wednesday, the Royals acquired F Hayden Chaloner, 18, from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a conditional ninth-round selection in the WHL’s 2026 draft. . . . From Winnipeg, he played with three different teams last season, posting three goals and eight assists in 23 games with the MJHL’s Portage Terriers and five goals and 13 assists in 26 games with the MJHL’s Winnipeg Freeze. He was pointless in two games with the Wheat Kings, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2020 WHL draft. . . . Chaloner’s father, Kane, played for the Victoria Cougars in 1991-92, scoring seven goals and adding 13 assists in 20 games. He went on to play three seasons with the MJHL’s St. Boniface Saints. . . .

The Everett Silvertips have agreed to a lease extension that will keep them playing in the Angel Of The Winds Arena through the 2027-28 WHL season. The Silvertips have played in the arena, which has a capacity of 8,249, since their first season (2003-04). . . . There is a complete news release right here. . . .

D Jaxon Herchak, who will turn 16 on Aug. 15, has made a commitment to play for the Tigers at Colorado College beginning with the 2025-26 season. From Waldheim, Sask., Herchak was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders in the fourth round of the WHL’s 2022 draft. . . . Last season, he had nine goals and 13 assists in 38 games with the U18 AAA Warman Wildcats. He is ticketed for the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers this season. . . . In the NCAA scheme of things, Aug. 1 is the first day that players entering their junior years in high school are able to make commitments. . . .

The Pacific Junior Hockey League has added a franchise that will begin play with the 2024-25 season. The league, now considered Junior A Tier 2 by BC Hockey, will have its 15th team operate on the Sunshine Coast out of the Gibsons and Area Community Centre. . . . The PJHL played four games in the facility last season and all four were sold out with about 500 fans in attendance at each. . . . From a PJHL news release: “A group headed up by Rick Hopper and Stu Frizzell representing local business owner Julie Reeves and investor John Hulstein approached the PJHL in late 2021 with a proposal to bring junior hockey to the Sunshine Coast. After many discussions, projections, planning, and test games the PJHL board of governors felt assured the new franchise will be a benefit to the league.”

Nose

THE COACHING GAME:

Don MacGillivray, a former head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, has signed on as an assistant coach with the Calgary Hitmen. He will work alongside head coach Steve Hamilton, assistant Trent Cassan and goaltending coach Theodore Zubot in Calgary. . . . MacGillivray, 58, was an assistant coach with the Wheat Kings for four seasons (2016-20), before taking over as head coach. He was fired early in the 2022-23 season. . . .

Steve Konowalchuk, who spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the Red Deer Rebels, has joined the AHL’s Colorado Eagles as associate head coach. Konowalchuk, 50, joins head coach Aaron Schneekloth and assistant coach Tim Branham with the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. . . . Konowalchuk actually began his coaching career as an assistant with the Avalanche in 2009-10. . . . He later was the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds for six seasons (2011-17), guiding them to the WHL championship in his final season. . . .

Brennan Menard is the new head coach of the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. He takes over from Evan McFeeters, whose departure was announced by the team on Monday. The Crusaders said McFeeters had left for an opportunity in the WHL, one that hasn’t yet been announced. . . . Menard, 35, is from Thunder Bay. He spent the past two seasons on the coaching staff of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. Prior to that, he was with the Lakehead U Thunderwolves for two seasons and the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints for one. . . . During his playing career, he spent 2007-08 with the Crusaders.

THINKING OUT LOUD: I continue to be amazed at the number of people who purchase vehicles without turn-signals. Hey, if the vehicles had them those drivers are smart enough to use them. Right? . . . It wasn’t that long ago when play-by-play voice Skip Caray was the world’s biggest Atlanta Braves fan. These days, he’s calling the play on St. Louis Cardinals’ TV games. On Tuesday, in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels, he referred to the Cardinals as “we” so often that I thought he might come in as a pinch-hitter. . . . If you’re into the CFL, things should be interesting tonight as the B.C. Lions (6-1) visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-2). The Lions put up a 30-6 victory in Winnipeg on June 22 and the Bombers still can feel the sting.

Wrappers

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.

PaperTowels

Ferris: ‘Kidneys are the best’ and fun, fun, fun in TO . . . Elks shuffle some deck chairs . . . AJHL head coach off to WHL

FerrisJays
Tavia (left), Ferris and Ksenia Backmeyer watch the host Toronto Blue Jays drop a 3-2 10-inning decision to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook).

The Backmeyers didn’t have a Thunderbird, but they spent what they hope will be their final weekend in Toronto having fun, fun, fun . . . from attending a Toronto Blue Jays game to taking a dip at a clothing-optional beach.

It has been a long, long time since the family — Lindsey and Pat, and daughters Tavia, 11, Ksenia, 9, and Ferris, 6 — has been able to spend time just doin’ stuff.

FerrisLogoAs Lindsey wrote on Sunday night: “One month post-transplant . . . hard to believe! Still smilin! . . . I can only imagine where we will be six months from now.”

If you have been following Ferris’s story, you will know that the terms of her young life have been dictated by kidney disease, and her family has had to adjust accordingly.

However, Ferris underwent a kidney transplant overnight on June 29 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the recovery process has been going well.

If all continues to go well, the Backmeyers, who are from Kamloops, will be moving back to Vancouver and BC Children’s Hospital on Thursday.

So . . . the family let it all hang out on the weekend.

“Jays, High Park, Toronto islands, medieval times, beaches, playgrounds, swimming pools and water parks! It was a super-sweet weekend,” Lindsey wrote, adding that “I’m sure Ksenia will have lots to say about the beach (Sunday)!”

Ah yes, the beach . . .

“Everyone was hot and sick of walking, sooooo when the first beach we got to was the ‘clothing optional’ beach, it was a (bleep) it moment. Who gives a crap anyway and in we went!” Lindsey wrote. “To avoid crowds we walk or Uber places . . . but mostly walk. And apparently we also frequent the nudey beach.”

But, as Lindsey pointed out with a laughing emoticon, that beach “was considerably less busy.”

Lindsey and Pat, both of whom work in healthcare, are well aware of the risks they are taking and that they are opening themselves to criticism. But after so many years of living as if with chains on, nothing is going to deny them and their girls these days of freedom.

“Ferris is a champ. She is so understanding with things she can and cannot do,” Lindsey explained. “We already are pretty liberal on what risks we are willing to take for quality of life and LIVING, so much so that I question sharing her adventures as one would easily be able to say she should be cooped up and isolated. They also probably aren’t wrong. She also would be miserable. Like truly miserable. We all would be.

“This hasn’t been a season . . . it’s her whole life and, well, this is just how we’ve come to navigate things!! Calculated risks . . . some feel bigger than others. We are stuck in a busy city and avoid crowds most of the time by walking places or catching Ubers. Water taxis over the incredibly crowded ferry. No indoor play spaces. No public transit. The Jays game probably should have been a ‘no’ . . . but man she had fun.

“We minimize risks in risky places and hope we don’t live to regret our decisions. We cover her line well and let her play in the splash park. Wade to her knees in their chlorinated wading pools while her sisters get to swim at the big pool She can’t go in the lake at all but happily plays in the sand.

“We only went to the rides at the end for a couple hoping the crowd would have died down and it had. She wasn’t allowed on the rollercoaster or log ride and she was cool with it. Those are her faves. She’s just been so incredibly understanding of the ‘rules.’ ”

What it all amounts to is that, Lindsey said, her youngest daughter “has just been having some of the best days!”

And you can bet that Ferris knows it, too. As she told her mother the other day, “Kidneys are the best.”

With the weekend behind them, the Backmeyers are hoping for, as Lindsey put it, “sweet labs (Monday) and a seamless transition back ‘home’ later this week.

“I’m real done with downtown Toronto!”

BigsSunset
Ksenia (left) and Tavia could have only three more sunsets before the Backmeyers are able to put Toronto behind them. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Blinker

The fall of the CFL’s Edmonton Elks has been amazingly incredible to watch. If EdmontonElksyou’re a follower of the CFL, I am sure you will admit that you never thought you would see the day when Edmonton fans would show up for a game with paper bags over their heads. . . . But that’s where we are today. . . . The Elks lost 27-0 to the visiting B.C. Lions on Saturday to fall to 0-8 this season. This was Edmonton’s 21st consecutive home-field loss, the longest such skid in North American sporting history. The Elks had shared the record with baseball’s St. Louis Browns, who lost 20 in a row at home in 1953. By the time the 1954 season arrived, they were in Baltimore. . . . The Lions had blanked the visiting Elks, 22-0, in Week 2. . . . This is the first time in CFL history that one team has shut out another opponent twice in the same season, and it’s the first time a CFL team has put up two shutouts in one season since 1970. . . . How bad are the Elks? In the two games against the Lions, Edmonton didn’t scrimmage inside B.C.’s 20-yard line. Not even once! . . . Jed Roberts, who played 13 seasons at defensive end and linebacker with Edmonton, tweeted about the Elks not having any red-zone plays: “Do you even know how phenomenally difficult that is to manage? I mean, this is so historically bad (that) people aren’t getting how exceedingly rare that is. You’ll never see this happen again in your lifetime.” . . . On Monday, the Elks turned offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo into an advisor, giving his play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson. As well, Taylor Cornelius is out as the starting QB, with Jarret Doege or Canadian Tre Ford to start when the Elks next play, which will be on Aug. 10 against the visiting Blue Bombers.

Jaylen Brown, who isn’t even the best player on the Boston Celtics, signed a new contract last week. It calls for him to be paid at least US$60 million annually. . . . Jayson Tatum, who is Boston’s best player, will be due a new contract after the 2023-24 season. Will the Celtics be able to afford to have two $60-million players on their roster at the same time? . . . According to Sportico, the NBA has 76 players who will make at least $20 million for 2023-24. . . . The NHL salary cap for 2023-24 is US$83.5 million. . . .

Here’s Steve Simmons of Postmedia: “The Lou Lamoriello words. Every contract signed is for too much money and too many years. Jaylen Brown signs with the Boston Celtics for $60 million a season over six years. Too much and too long, from our friend Lou. . . . In other news, Brown will be paid more than the Canadian Football League next season.” . . . The CFL salary cap this season is $5,450,000 per team. There are nine teams. You do the math.

Tired

Headline at The Beaverton — Canada’s grocery companies pretending not to hear about falling inflation rate.

——

Headline at The Onion — Family has strict no smartphone rule while eating dinner in front of TV.

THE COACHING GAME:

The AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders are looking for a head coach after announcing on Monday that Evan McFeeters is leaving “for a new opportunity in the Western Hockey League.” . . . McFeeters spent one season as the Crusaders’ head coach, guiding them to a 33-20-7 record, good for fourth spot in the Northern Division. They lost out in the second round of playoffs. . . . As of Monday night, there hadn’t yet been an announcement from a WHL team concerning the hiring of McFeeters.

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.

Headlines

Trapper calls it a career after 60-plus years . . . Ex-WHLer now Russian citizen . . . Warriors, Giants swap some assets

The man known throughout the hockey world as Trapper has announced his retirement.

Barry Trapp said on Friday that “after more than 60 years involved with fronthockey, I have decided to step away from the game I love so much. It has been a great ride for this guy from the small town of Balcarres, Sask.”

Trapp, who will turn 82 on Aug. 14, was a defenceman in his playing days and saw time in the WHL, AHL and CPHL.

But it was in the world of coaching and scouting that he really made his mark.

He got into the coaching business with the U-18 Regina Pats Capitals and the Regina Pats Canadians.

By 1981-82, he was working as the head coach of the SJHL’s Regina Pat Blues. At the same time, he was with the Regina Pats as assistant general manager and assistant coach.

He moved to the Moose Jaw Warriors as general manager and head coach for 1985-86, before spending six seasons with Hockey Canada as its director of scouting.

His scouting career also included 10 years with NHL Central Scouting, the last five as their chief scout; four years with Toronto Maple Leafs as director of amateur scouting; and one year scouting for the Phoenix Coyotes.

The last years of his career were spent scouting for the Pats.

“It is,” he wrote, “only fitting to end up where I started.”

Trapp continued:

“I have met so many great people during this time travelling Canada, the U.S., and Europe — managers, coaches, players, media, agents and, of course, fans.

“I have many great memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life, plus many lifelong friendships. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the people who were important parts of my journey.”

He went on to salute Bob Strumm, John Paddock and Dale McMullin, Regina Pats; the late Jim Gregory and Frank Bonello, NHL Central Scouting; Bob Nicholson and Denis Hainault, Hockey Canada; the late Pat Quinn and Mike Penny, Toronto Maple Leafs; and, from the media, the late Bob Hughes, Mal Isaac and Warren Woods, along with Bob McKenzie, Jim Swanson, Gregg Drinnan, Tim Wharnsby, Chris Clarke, Rob Vanstone, Glen Reid, Marc Lachapelle and Peter Loubardias.

“There are so many others,” he added, “but these are the ones who supported me the most.

Thanks to you all and may God bless.

Yours in hockey,

Trapper”

Bathroom

The Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reports that D Brennan Menell, a former WHLer, has received Russian citizenship. According to the newspaper, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, “granted Menell citizenship with a decree he signed” on Thursday. . . . The Moscow Times and Sport-Express also reported on the story. . . . Menell, 26, is an American from Woodbury, Minn., who signed a three-year contract with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow in April. Menell apparently has expressed a desire to play for the Russian national team, thus the request for citizenship. . . . After signing with Dynamo, Alexei Sopin, the team’s athletic director, told RIA Novosti that Menell “really likes Russia and Moscow, so he’s ready to stay for a long time.” Sopin also said that Menell getting Russian citizenship “will be good PR for Russian sports.” . . . According to Sport-Express, Menell applied for citizenship “immediately” upon arriving in Russia early in July. The newspaper also reported that Menell is “actively” learning to speak Russian. . . . Menell played three seasons (2014-17) in the WHL, the first two with the Vancouver Giants and the third with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.  . . . Last season, he had two goals and 22 assists in 44 games with Dynamo. He split the 2021-22 season between the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The Moose Jaw Warriors and Vancouver Giants got together on Friday and cut a deal that included six assets. . . . The Warriors acquired F Ethan Semeniuk and three WHL draft picks — a first in 2024, a fifth in 2024 and a second in 2025. . . . The Giants got back D Marek Howell and a fourth-round pick in 2024. . . . Semeniuk, 18, is from Fort St. John, B.C. Last season, his second in Vancouver, he had 12 goals and 10 assists in 54 games. In 2021-22, he finished with eight goals and five assists in 56 games. . . . The Giants selected him in the third round of the 2020 WHL draft. . . . Howell, a 17-year-old from Calgary, was a freshman last season and finished with one goal and three assists in 44 games. Moose Jaw selected him 16th overall in the 2021 WHL draft. . . . Howell was one of four Warriors who sat out the final 17 games of the 2022-23 regular season for what the WHL said was violations of team rules and the league’s standard of conduct.

Contraceptive

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Wenatchee Wild has acquired F Gabe Ludwig, 19, from the Prince Albert Raiders for an eighth-round selection in the WHL’s 2027 draft. The Raiders had acquired Ludwig from the Seattle Thunderbirds last season. He had two goals and seven assists in 37 games with Prince Albert. . . . The Wild also added F Luka Shcherbyna, 17, getting him from the Spokane Chiefs for a third-round pick in the 2007 WHL draft. From Vancouver, Shcherbyna played one game in each of the past two seasons with the Chiefs. He has yet to record his first WHL point. . . . Spokane selected him in the second round of the WHL’s 2021 draft. . . .

Nolan Kowal, who had been the play-by-play voice of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins, will be calling games for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in the upcoming season. Pattison Media made the announcement on Friday. Kowal, from Winnipeg, was the Bruins’ radio voice for two seasons. . . . In Prince Albert, he takes over from Rob Mahon, who now is with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .

F Zach Benson of the Wenatchee Wild has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him 13th overall in the NHL’s 2023 draft. . . . Benson, 18, had 36 goals and 62 assists in 60 games with the Winnipeg Ice in 2022-23. His 98 points left him third in the WHL’s scoring race. . . . Because he’s 18, Benson will have to be returned to the Wild unless he cracks the Sabres’ roster. . . .

The NHL has signed referee Graedy Hamilton for the 2023-24 season. He will work primarily in the AHL, but also is expected to get some NHL games early in 2024.  Hamilton, 23, has worked AHL games for the past two seasons and has been in the WHL for four seasons. He also worked in the BCHL for six seasons. . . . Hamilton, from the Cowichan Valley Minor Hockey Association, was BC Hockey’s official of the year for 2022-23.

Forget

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.

Grandma

Backmeyers close to wrapping up best chapter yet . . . BC Hockey keeps door open for BCHL teams . . . Rebels, Silvertips acquire 2003-born skaters

FerrisMom
Lindsey Backmeyer and her daughter, six-year-old Ferris, are enjoying the newest chapter in their lives. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

You have to have at least some understanding of what the Backmeyer family has been through over most of the past six years to understand what they are going through right now.

Oh, things continue to go swimmingly as Ferris, 6, continues to make progress from a kidney transplant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto four weeks ago.

FerrisLogoHowever, Lindsey, Ferris’s mother, just can’t shake that feeling that things have been going too well. With all that she, husband Pat and the three girls have dealt with they now find themselves in a whole different world.

The emotion was raw as Lindsey explained what she is going through. She admitted to being confused because things have been going so smoothly. She just isn’t used to this. Will she be able to get used to it?

“So many feelings,” Lindsey wrote on Facebook. “All the excitement over the reality that we are here. The fear of it all falling apart. It’s just been such a drastic change so fast, so unreal and truly unbelievable. With this gift comes tremendous responsibility.

“I’m anxious (and am) genuinely shocked with every set of labs. Waiting for the (other) shoe to drop. But so far nope! No complications??? I’m confused. It’s just so incredibly foreign to us for things to be smooth for this long. It’s an odd struggle to have to manage.

“Anyone who knows transplant knows that rejection meds given on time is super important. Our med schedule and life schedule (still some really late nights) are so messed up that we set alarms to give 8 a.m. meds. I don’t sleep well at all. Waking hourly most nights because I’m worried I’m gonna sleep through the alarm! Anyone who knows me knows that’s a real possibility!!”

FerrisSmile
Ferris Backmeyer has been enjoying Toronto’s playgrounds as she keeps making progress from a kidney transplant. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

But, as she added, “Those are small potatoes for worries though these days.”

There are, as she notes, “so many reasons to be smiling these days.”

As mentioned, things are going great with Ferris, and her big sisters — Tavia, 11, and Ksenia, 9 — have returned from the trip they made to California with Lindsey’s mother. So the family is back together and preparing for the next chapter.

Now it’s a matter of having all of Ferris’s tests in order and getting the OK to head west.

“Today,” Lindsey wrote on Thursday, “we had labs and ultrasound! We knew that if results were good, we’d get the green flag to transfer back to (BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver) next week! Labs were awesome! Ultrasound looked better!

“Unless something major develops between now and then, we are leaving Toronto next Thursday! Whoop whoop! Only disappointing thing is that we’ve been told that (Ronald McDonald House) in Vancouver is full until Aug. 15 . . . ughhhh. I’m not gonna dwell on it. Hoping we can get in sooner than that.

“I advocated hard for a suitable accommodation for us. But as of yet am unsure where we will be staying. Just throwing it out there that this sorts itself out. That we belong at (Ronald McDonald House) BC, that going home is not really home if we are moving to Vancouver and staying somewhere else. That all the good luck we’ve had recently continues and it doesn’t end up being as bad as it feels.”

In the meantime, the Backmeyers will try to make the best of what they hope will be their last weekend in Toronto.

“We had originally planned to try to escape the city for the weekend,” Lindsey wrote, “but have instead decided to stick around and cram in the last of the ‘Toronto’ things we wanted to do. One more week and hopefully we are wrapping up this chapter . . . the best one yet!”

Dejamoo

No one follows goings-on in the BCHL any closer than does Brian Wiebe who operates the BCHL Network (bchlnetwork.ca) and tweets at @Brian_Wiebe.

The piece he wrote on Tuesday after BC Hockey replaced junior B hockey with Junior A Tier 1 and Junior A Tier 2 is the best that I have seen on the subject.

You are able to read it right here, and you should if you are following all that is happening with this file.

It is evident that, from a BC Hockey perspective, all of this is a work in progress.

BCHockeyAs Cam Hope, BC Hockey’s CEO put it in Wiebe’s story: “It’s in progress right now, but I can give you the broad parameters of some of the things. Around officiating, I think all the leagues are committed to going to a four-person system. We have to watch the landscape a little bit this year, some officials have left and gone non-sanctioned with the BCHL.

“The things you might expect — standards (like) coaching certifications, some standards around player experience having to do with committed dressing rooms, facilities and most importantly around practices — practice quality, practice volume, (and) travel. (It’s) the usual check checklist for any league, but the details of it are something that we’re all working on together.

“We want to be mindful of the fact that this is pretty quick for some of these franchises, and some are far ahead of others. It’s a work in progress, but yeah, it’s a pretty long list, but it’s little by little we’re going to get there.”

The one thing that I found most interesting in Wiebe’s piece is that Hope has left the door open for any of the BCHL’s 17 teams to return to BC Hockey.

“There are some communities around B.C. that felt Junior A was maybe just a little bit out of reach,” Hope said. “There are some communities in northern B.C. with good arenas and great fan support that did not have a league to play in at a Junior A or Junior B level. And there are some clubs now that are playing non-sanctioned junior hockey this year in the BCHL and elsewhere that may want to have a place to return to sanctioned hockey.

“Getting the ecosystem set the way that we’re setting it this year I think solved all of those problems if and when they start to arrive. When I say problems, they’re good problems and that’s communities that want to come in and join what we’re trying to do here.”

There is a whole lot more to Wiebe’s piece, so give it a read and you’ll have a good understanding of just what is happening.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Carson Latimer, 20, from the Wenatchee Wild for a couple of WHL draft picks, a fifth in 2024 and a conditional third in 2025. . . . According to Wild, the third-rounder is conditional upon Latimer’s reporting to Red Deer. He was a fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the NHL’s 2021 draft. . . . Latimer, from White Rock, B.C., was a third-round selection by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2018 draft. He has put up 97 points, including 38 goals, in 143 regular-season games split among the Oil Kings, Prince Albert Raiders and Winnipeg Ice. . . . Last season, with the Ice, had had 14 goals and 26 assists in 53 games. . . . After the trade, Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) tweeted: “According to my spreadsheet, the 2024 5th and 2025 3rd that Wenatchee got from Red Deer for Latimer are now Wenatchee’s highest picks in both those drafts.” . . .

The Everett Silvertips have acquired 2003-born F Teague Patton from the Victoria Royals for a fourth-round selection in the WHL’s 2026 draft. . . . Patton, from Kelowna, had 16 goals and 33 assists in 68 games with the Royals last season. . . . He played in 78 games over three seasons (2019-22) with the Medicine Hat Tigers, putting up 25 points, including 12 goals. . . . After moving Patton, the Royals, according to play-by-play man Marlon Martens, still have six 20-year-olds on their roster — F Matthew Hodson, G Braden Holt, F Grady Lane, D Gannon Laroque, F Justin Lies and D Luke Rybinski. The Royals acquired Lane from the Spokane Chiefs on June 27, and got Lies from the Saskatoon Blades on June 2. . . .

F Sam Honzek of the Vancouver Giants has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames, who selected him with the 16th pick of the NHL’s 2023 draft. . . . Honzek, from Slovakia, had 23 goals and 33 assists in 43 games as a freshman with the Giants last season. He also played for Slovakia in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. . . . Honzek, who will turn 19 on Nov. 12, will be back with the Giants for the 2023-24 season, unless, of course, he cracks the Flames’ roster. . . . Interestingly, he went by Samuel last season, but judging by the Flames’ announcement on Tuesday, he now is going by Sam. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes and 106.7 ROCK have agreed to a four-year contract extension that will have the radio station as the home to game broadcasts through the 2026-27 season. . . . They have been broadcast partners for the past nine seasons, starting with 2014-15. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds will retire F Patrick Marleau’s No. 12 on Nov. 3 prior to a game against the Spokane Chiefs. Marleau, from Aneroid, Sask., played two seasons (1995-97) with the Thunderbirds, totalling 199 points, including 83 goals, in 143 regular-season games. He is the NHL’s all-time leader in regular-season games played (1,779) after skating with the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Marleau will be the second Seattle player to have his number retired. The Thunderbirds honoured F Glen Goodall (No. 10) in 1990. . . .

The junior B Keystone Junior Hockey League has added a seventh franchise by granting one to the Waywayseecappo First Nation, which is located near Russell, Man. . . . The team will begin play in 2023-24 and will play as the Waywayseecappo Wild.

Guns

THE COACHING GAME:

The WHL’s Wenatchee Wild has rounded out its coaching staff with the hiring of Andrew Sarauer as an assistant coach. Sarauer, a 38-year-old from Saskatoon, has retired as a player after spending 15 seasons in the ECHL, AHL and Europe. . . . He played with the BCHL’s Victoria Salsa and Langley Hornets before spending four seasons at Northern Michigan U. . . . In Wenatchee, he will be working with head coach Kevin Constantine and associate head coach Chris Clark. . . . Sarauer played nine seasons with Fehérvár AV19 in Hungary. Constantine was the head coach there for the last two of those seasons.

TooSoon

——

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.

Ignorance