Charlie Hodge – TAKING NOTE

WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

The four teams left standing in the WHL playoffs will get some rest today before returning to action on Tuesday night.

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 Winnipeg Ice won Games 1 and 2 on home ice so take a 2-0 edge into Tuesday’s Game 3 against the No. 2 Blades in Saskatoon. They’ll play a fourth game in Saskatoon on Wednesday night.

A note from Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) after Winnipeg’s 6-2 victory on Saturday: “The loss puts Saskatoon into an 0-2 hole for the 3rd straight series. They are believed to be the first team to have comeback twice in the same postseason to win series from that deficit. The 2000 Kootenay Ice won three series losing Game #1.”

In the Western Conference, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds hold a 2-0 edge on the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers after a 4-3 OT victory on Sunday. The series will resume with Game 3 in Kamloops on Tuesday night, and they’ll play Game 4 there on Thursday. . . .

The Seattle roster includes 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while the Blazers boast nine. As well, the Thunderbirds have six players who were in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship; the Blazers have three.

The 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 4, and Dorothy is taking part once again. She will celebrate 10 years as a kidney-transplant recipient in September, so the annual Kidney Walk is a big deal for her. In fact, she is participating for a 10th straight year. Yes, that means she is fund-raising, with all donations going to the Kidney Foundation. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

SUNDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Kamloops (2) at Seattle (1) — The Seattle Thunderbirds twice overcame two- Seattle goal deficits en route to a 4-3 OT victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . D Jeremy Hanzel (2) won it at 6:21 of the extra period when his point shot got through Kamloops G Dylan Ernst. . . . The Thunderbirds had opened the conference final with a 5-1 victory on Saturday. . . . They are scheduled to play Games 3 and 4 in Kamloops on Tuesday and Thursday nights. . . . The Blazers opened a 2-0 lead with goals 1:39 apart. F Caedan Bankier (7) got them started with 39.2 seconds left in the first period. . . . D Olen Zellweger (9) made it 2-0, on a PP, at 0:59 of the second period. . . . F Lucas Ciona (5) got Seattle’s first goal, on a PP, at 7:33, but F Matthew Seminoff (5) got that one back, on another PP, at 12:53. . . . F Colton Dach (3) got the Thunderbirds back to within a goal at 15:55. . . . F Brad Lambert (3) pulled Seattle even at 2:04 of the third period. . . . On the winning goal, Lambert won a 2-on-2 battle in the corner to the right of Ernst, and fed the puck to D Sawyer Mynio, who sent it across to Hanzel at the other point. His shot beat Ernst for the winner. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-6 on the PP, but came up dry on an opportunity late in the third period. . . . Seattle was 1-for-5. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 39 shots for Seattle, four more than Ernst. . . . F Logan Stankoven was in on all three Kamloops goals, his three assists giving him a total of 25 points in these playoffs. He leads the points derby with two more than Zellweger. . . . Since being acquired from the Everett Silvertips at the trade deadline, Zellweger has put up 76 points, including 31 goals, in 42 games with Kamloops. . . . Lambert, with 16 assists, is tied for the WHL lead with D Ben Zloty of the Winnipeg Ice. . . . The Blazers scratched D Logan Bairos, who suffered an undisclosed injury on Saturday night, and brought in D Ryan Michael, who last played on March 22.

Headline at The Onion (@TheOnion): Study Finds Majority Of Cavities Formed From Repeatedly Running Tongue Over Tooth That Feels Weird.

Athletes We Might Remember From The Past #Canadiens #Montreal #Oakland #Canucks #NHL #nostalgia pic.twitter.com/nPCwa0N6fa

— Tom's Old Days (@sigg20) May 1, 2023

Back in the day, when Charlie Hodge was on the scouting trail, there was nothing better than sitting in the media/scout room prior to a WHL game listening to him spin tales, bellyache (always with a smile on his face) and eat Nanaimo bars.

Here’s Dave Stubbs of nhl.com, following Hodge’s death on April 16, 2016 . . .

“You’ll find Hodge’s name on the Stanley Cup six times with the Canadiens and once more with the 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins as a scout. It appears four different ways on the trophy’s sterling bands: C Hodge, CH Hodge, Charles Hodge and Charlie Hodge.

“He was signing ‘Charlie’ at a 2008 collectibles show, as he did only for memorabilia.”

At that 2008 collectibles show, Hodge told Stubbs that “I sign checks a different way and legal documents a way different than that. If anybody copies what I sign today then tries to forge something legal, I can say, ‘No, this is not my signature.’

“It’s not that I don’t trust anybody,” he added, laughing. “It’s just that I don’t trust anybody.”

Quartet

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.

I’m tired of hearing people say “You can do anything.” Grab a bat and go hit a homer off Shohei Ohtani then, Tony Robbins.

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) April 30, 2023

B.C. Lions smoked out. https://t.co/JajG9SQewP #Kamloops pic.twitter.com/dSaJtlcHWm

— CFJC Today Kamloops (@CFJC_Today) July 28, 2021

Having lived just east of Kamloops — in Campbell Creek — since the spring of 2000, we have lived through smoky skies in past years. But we haven’t lived through anything like we are seeing these days, and there isn’t an end in sight.

How bad is it?

Where we live, visibility has been down to about one km for two or three days now. We have air-conditioning, thankfully, but it brings some smoke into the house, and our air-purifier has been working overtime. It signals air quality with a light that is blue (for clean), purple or red. We are seeing red rather frequently these days.

One map I saw on Tuesday showed eight fires burning within 20 or 30 km of Kamloops. The one that is sending so much of this smoke in the direction of Campbell Creek is the White Rock Lake fire, which is burning to the south of here. As of Wednesday evening, it was believed to be somewhere around 20,000 hectares in size (that’s 49,422 acres). It has shown extreme behaviour, preventing firefighters from really getting at it, and heavy smoke has prevented accurate mapping and a sustained air attack. As well, the plus-30 C temperatures and winds aren’t helping.

Meanwhile, the CFL’s B.C. Lions have been training in Kamloops, but they cut their stay short and headed for Surrey on Wednesday.

Here’s J.J. Adams in the Vancouver Province:

“The CFL team has cut short its training camp in Kamloops after cancelling practice for the second straight day because of air quality concerns. There are four separate large fires burning near the Interior city, blanketing the area with a layer of smoke that’s made it impossible to practise.”

The Lions open the season against the host Saskatchewan Roughriders on Aug. 6. The Roughriders are welcoming all fans, including the unvaccinated, to that game.

A couple of headlines, both from Wednesday:

CBC News — COVID-19 spreading faster in Alberta than during peak of 3rd wave.

CBC News — Alberta to remove most COVID-19 isolation, testing requirements by mid-August.

BREAKING: U.S. reports 88,376 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase since February

— BNO Newsroom (@BNODesk) July 29, 2021

QB Lamar Jackson of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday before the team’s first practice session of training camp. . . . From Jason La Confora of CBS Sports: “Jackson . . . has declined to offer his vaccination status in the past, but (head coach John) Harbaugh indicated he has taken multiple tests in the past week — many of them negative — which, given the NFL’s testing protocols, is indicative of a player who has not been vaccinated. Those players, when testing positive, are precluded from practicing for 10 days, which takes Baltimore up to the week of its first preseason game, Aug. 14 against New Orleans.” . . . Jackson also missed time last season after a positive test. At that time, he struggled with some of the symptoms.

Taco

Geoff Molson issues an apology of sorts. Thursday #MontrealGazette cartoon:https://t.co/6mLEDravBq pic.twitter.com/R4p2f4rfof

— Terry Mosher (@TerryMosher1) July 28, 2021

ICYMI, Geoff Molson, the Montreal Canadiens’ owner, president and CEO, threw some gasoline on the blaze that was started when his team made F Logan Mailloux its first-round selection in the NHL draft on Friday.

Molson released an open letter that was posted on the team’s website, then held Canadiens a Zoom call for invited media members. Interestingly, the English-speaking Montreal Gazette was among those outlets not invited to participate.

“I understand that you expect more from us and we let you down,” Molson wrote. “The Montreal Canadiens are more than a hockey team. Logan’s actions do not reflect the values of our organization and I apologize for the pain this selection has caused.”

Except that the Canadiens made this kid their first-round selection after he tried to withdraw his name from the draft after being charged with invasion of privacy and defamation in a sex-related case in Sweden and paying a fine of about $1,700.

Molson chose to make his statement and hold the Zoom call as NHL teams were handing out bushels of cash to free-agent players. You don’t suppose that the Canadiens picked Wednesday afternoon knowing (hoping?) that their effort would got lost in all the transactions, do you? You know, like governments so often dump the bad news on us late on Friday afternoons?

Anyway . . . Molson needs to realize that despite what he says publicly this is what the Canadiens now stand for, and this does reflect the values of his organization.

Ken Campbell of Hockey Unfiltered says that it’s time for the Canadiens to stop with the lip service and for them to renounce the pick. That piece is right here.

Fishing

The Minnesota Twins are having an abysmal season. How abysmal, you ask? . . . On Wednesday, the Twins entertained the Detroit Tigers. The Twins hit seven home runs; the Tigers didn’t hit any. . . . The Twins lost, 17-14. . . . That is the first time in MLB history that one team has outhomered the other team by seven and lost. . . . LHP J.A. Happ started for the Twins. He didn’t give up any homers — he has allowed 21 in 98 innings — but was touched for nine earned runs on 10 hits and four walks in three innings. The Twins are paying him $8 million on a one-year contract. . . . Each of the Detroit players who went to the plate in Wednesday’s game had at least one hit, one run and one RBI. According to ESPN Stats & Info, that’s the first time that has happened since the then-California Angels did it on Sept. 14, 1978.

No one brightened up a scouts/media room at a WHL game more than Charlie Hodge. . . . And, oh boy, did he love Nanaimo bars. . . . Oh, he also could tell a story or two. . . . Yes, we miss him.

Charlie Hodge would have been 88 today. The Stanley Cup and two time Vezina Trophy winner would finish his long and successful NHL career as a goalie for Vancouver in their first NHL season (died Apr '16). #Canucks pic.twitter.com/85jiMpPdUY

— Vintage Canucks (@VintageCanucks) July 29, 2021

You will recall that the Washington Senators pulled SS Trea Turner during the first inning of a Tuesday night game with the Phillies in Philadelphia because of a positive test. Well, Wednesday’s game didn’t even get to the first inning. It was postponed with the Nationals now having at least 12 positive tests, four of them players. . . . The majority reportedly were fully vaccinated, with a number of them having been given the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. . . . They will try to get in a doubleheader today (Thursday). Presumably, the Nationals will be bringing in a few players.

Don’t look now but the 2021-22 hockey season hit the ice on Wednesday; at KHL least it did in the KHL where Admiral Vladivostok scored a 4-3 shootout victory over Dinamo Minsk in an exhibition game. . . . It was return to the KHL for the winners, who sat out last season after, as Andy Potts wrote at en.khl,ru, “local authorities diverted funds away from the sport to help fight the pandemic.” . . . D Sergei Sapego, who played two seasons in the WHL, made his debut with Dinamo Minsk. Sapego started his WHL stint with three games with the Tri-City Americans to start the 2017-18 season. He finished that season by playing 41 games with the Prince Albert Raiders, whom he helped to a WHL title in the spring of 2019.

The Guardian — ‘Disinfo kills’: protesters demand Facebook act to stop vaccine falsehoods.

The Washington Post — Analysis: People are more anti-vaccine if they get their covid news from Facebook than from Fox News, data shows.

BREAKING: @Facebook to require all US employees to be vaccinated before coming to work. pic.twitter.com/qqVbrsktEz

— Haley Messenger (@HaleyMess) July 28, 2021

The NCAA has granted eligibility to F Austen Swankler, who had 18 goals and 27 assists in 59 games with the OHL’s Erie Otters in 2019-20, and has committed to the Bowling Green U Falcons. With the OHL not playing in 2020-21 because of the pandemic, Swankler sat out. . . . Swankler, from North Huntington, Penn., will turn 20 on Aug. 21. . . . USCHO.com reported that “according to a CCHA news release, Swankler and his family applied directly to the NCAA for eligibility prior to expressing interest to the Falcons.”

Lawsuit

The Victoria Royals have signed Austria G Sebastian Wraneschitz to a WHL Royals contract. The Royals selected his rights in the CHL’s 2021 import draft. . . . Wraneschitz, 19, played for the Vienna Capitals in the ICE Hockey League in 2020-21. In the pro league, he was 5-7-0, 3.18, .886 in 12 games. He also played for Austria at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, going 0-3-0, 7.45, .892 in three appearances. . . . The Royals had one import — Swiss F Keanu Derungs — on the roster that finished the 2021 development season. . . . They also have one goaltender who is eligible to return remaining on that roster — Connor Martin, who will turn 19 on Dec. 17.

FOR ALL WHO READ I GOT COVID…I'm fully vaccinated so my symptoms were minor. Advil and Sudafed totally managed them. Didn't miss a beat business wise (did 10 interviews on first day I got it). All symptoms gone in three days. I feel totally fine now. GET THE DAMN VACCINATION!

— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) July 28, 2021