Tag: Living Kidney Donor Program

Hauser sharp as Ice opens final with victory . . . Game 2 tonight in Winnipeg . . . Rebels, Rockets deal

J.T. Barnett played five seasons (2008-13) in the WHL, making stops with the Vancouver Giants, Kamloops Blazers, Everett Silvertips and Kelowna Rockets. He went on to play in the ECHL and in Europe before calling at a career after the 2017-18 season. He was 26. . . . So what’s he up to now? . . . Well, he has more than one million followers on social media, including more than 300,000 on TikTok. “I think I had potential in hockey,” he told Postmedia’s Steve Ewen. “I think I was a good player. I didn’t think I had a superstar’s attributes as a player. I think I’m a superstar at marketing.” . . . Ewen’s story is right here.

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

The WHL’s championship series got started on Friday night, as the Winnipeg Ice got past the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2, at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. The announced attendance was 5,531, a few more than could have been accommodated in the Ice’s home facility, the Wayne Fleming Arena on the U of Manitoba campus. It has room for about 1,700 fans. . . . They are to play Game 2 there tonight. . . .

F Connor McClennon scored Winnipeg’s first goal in Game 1, his 14th of the playoffs. He and Seattle F Dylan Guenther lead the playoffs, each with 14. . . . D Ben Zloty of the Ice picked up one assist to run his point streak to eight games. He has one goal and 11 assists over that stretch. Zloty leads the WHL with 21 assists. . . . F Logan Stankoven of the Kamloops Blazers is No. 1 in points, with 30. Kamloops D Olen Zellweger is one point back, while Winnipeg F Matt Savoie, who had a seven-game point streak snapped, has 27. . . .

Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow), prior to Game 1 of the WHL final: “The first game has not been lucky as of late in the championship series as the last three have been taken by the eventual losing team as have half of the last 14 dating back to 2007. In 41 championships since 1980, 25 have been won by winner of Game 1.” . . .

Two players in the series are chasing their second straight Ed Chynoweth Cup. D Luke Prokop and F Dylan Guenther were with the Edmonton Oil Kings a year ago when they beat the Thunderbirds in six games in the final series.

FRIDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Seattle (2) at Winnipeg (1) — The Winnipeg Ice scored the game’s first three goals en route to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Game 1 of the WHL’s best-of-seven final. . . . They’ll play Game 2 tonight in Winnipeg. . . . Games 3 and 4 are to be played in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Seattle had last played on Monday, when it beat the host Kamloops Blazers, 4-2, to take the Western Conference final, 4-2. . . . The Ice hadn’t played since May 3 when it went into Saskatoon and beat the Blades, 3-2, to complete a sweep of the Eastern Conference final. . . . F Connor McClennon (14) got the scoring started, on a PP, at 9:13 of the first period. . . . F Evan Friesen (5), one of three Winnipeggers on the Ice roster, made it 2-0 at 15:22, and F Carson Latimer (2) pushed it to 3-0 at 7:02 of the second period. . . . F Reid Schaefer (7) got Seattle’s goal 28 seconds into the third period. . . . D Kevin Korchinski (2) got Seattle to within a goal at 18:18 with G Thomas Milic on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Seattle hit two posts and a crossbar in the third period, the latter off the stick of F Jared Davidson coming with time running out. . . . F Owen Pederson had the primary assist on each of Winnipeg’s last two goals. . . . Winnipeg was 1-for-4 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-2. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 27 saves, two more than Milic. . . . Seattle F Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19 on Jan. 20, was scratched again. He hasn’t played since April 30 in Game 2 of the Western Conference final with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Ice remains without D Wyatt Wilson, 19, who last played on April 22 in Game 5 of a second-round series with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . BTW, the other two Winnipeggers on the Ice roster are D Carson Lambos and D Jonas Woo.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Quebec Remparts opened the QMJHL’s championship final with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Halifax Mooseheads on Friday night. The announced attendance was 18,259, a single-game QMJHL record. . . . They’ll play Game 2 in Quebec City tonight. . . . F Justin Robidas (9) scored twice for Halifax, with F Pier-Olivier Roy (4) and F Theo Rochette (3) each adding a goal and two assists. . . .

The Red Deer Rebels have acquired D Elias Carmichael, 20, from the Kelowna Rockets for a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2024 draft. Carmichael, from Langley, B.C., has played four seasons with the Rockets. In 192 regular-season games, he has 13 goals and 47 assists. This season, he had six goals and 23 assists in 62 games. Carmichael was a second-round pick by the Rockets in the 2018 draft. . . . The Rockets also have D Jackson DeSouza, 20, on their roster. . . .

The BCHL’s Penticton Vees scored three second-period goals as they beat the visiting Alberni Valley Bulldogs, 4-3, in Game 1 of the championship final. . . . The announced attendance was 3,217. . . . The second game is to be played tonight in Penticton.

——

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, like maybe pushing her past $4,000, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Tapping through Shoppers Drug Mart self-checkout screen enters third day.

Google

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.

Day

Blades move goalie to Silvertips . . . Oil Kings add two 2003-born skaters . . . WHL final on tap tonight in Winnipeg

There were three trades made involving veteran players on Thursday during the WHL’s annual draft. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades dealt G Ethan Chadwick, 19, to the Everett Silvertips for Saskatoontwo draft picks — a 2023 second-round pick that originally belong to the Kamloops Blazers and Everett’s fourth-rounder in 2025. . . . From Saskatoon, Chadwick was selected by the Blades in the third round of the 2019 draft. In 46 games with the Blades, he was 29-12-2, ???, .895. . . . In this season’s playoffs, he was 5-4, including victories in Games 3, 4 and 5 against the Regina Pats. He also won back-to-back games in the second round as the Blades came back from a 0-3 deficit to oust the Red Deer Rebels in seven games. . . . Chadwick and Austin Elliott, also 19, shared the Blades’ goaltending duties this season. . . . “This was not an easy situation to navigate with two great goalies who each played a pivotal role in our success this year,” Colin Priestner, the Blades’ general manager, said in a news release. “With two 19-year-old starting goalies who are both deserving of being starters in the league, we made this move to give Ethan the opportunity he deserves with a great franchise in Everett.” . . . The Blades used the 2023 second-round selection to take G Ryley Budd from the Calgary Northstars. . . .

The Portland Winterhawks traded F Aidan Litke, 20, to the Edmonton Oil Kings Portlandfor a third-round selection in Thursday’s draft. That pick originated with the Prince George Cougars. . . . Litke, from Winnipeg, was one of five potential 20-year-olds on the Portland roster, the others being F Gabe Klassen, D Ryan McCleary, F Jack O’Brien and F James Stefan. . . . In 123 games with the Winterhawks, Litke had 31 goals and 36 assists. This season, he put up 13 goals and 23 assists in 50 games. . . . Portland selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. . . . The Winterhawks’ used the third-round pick to take F Owen Chapman of Saskatoon, who played with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 prep team. . . .

The Oil Kings also acquired D Marc Lajoie, another 20-year-old, from the Tri-EdmontonCity Americans for two draft picks — a 2025 second-rounder that originally belonged to the Americans and a fifth-rounder in 2026. . . . The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Lajoie, who will turn 20 on May 21, is from St. Albert, Alta. He was the Americans’ captain this season. . . . “We have an abundance of quality (2003-born) players returning,” Bob Tory, Tri-City’s general manager, said in a news release, “which forces us to make some hard decisions. Recouping quality draft capital was a priority as we can only carry three (20-year-old) players each season.” . . . Lajoie played four seasons with the Americans after being the 14th overall selection in the 2018 draft. He had 26 goals and 67 assists in 215 regular-season games. This season, he had five goals and 32 assists in 65 games. . . . His father, Serge, works with the Oil Kings as an assistant coach and the manager of player development.

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

When the Winnipeg Ice plays host to the Seattle Thunderbirds in Game 1 of the WHL’s championship final tonight, Canada Life Centre’s upper bowl won’t be open. The lower bowl has a capacity of about 8,800. . . . Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) reported Tuesday that tickets for Games 1 and 2 “range in price from $31 to $62.” . . .

The Ice and Thunderbirds each is 12-2 in these playoffs, including 8-2 in their past 10 games. . . . Winnipeg finished with a 57-10-1 regular-season record; Seattle was 54-11-3. . . . There are a combined 17 players on the two rosters who already have been selected in the NHL draft. Of those, 10 play for the Thunderbirds. . . .

Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow), after the Seattle Thunderbirds won the Western Conference title in Kamloops on Monday: “Blazers F Logan Stankoven is held off the scoresheet for sixth time in 62 games this season (and a minus player for just the 13th). Finishes playoffs with 30 points to become one of three players with consecutive 30+ point outputs in a postseason.

“Players to Record 30+ points in 2 WHL playoffs:

Chuck Arnason, Flin Flon (32 in 1970; 37 in 1971)

Ty Rattie, Portland (33 in 2012; 36 in 2013)

Logan Stankoven, Kamloops (31 in 2022; 30 in 2023)

Dale Derkatch, Regina, had non-consecutive years of 34 points in 1982 and 53 in 1984.”

Thunderbirds radio voice Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning): “Jared Davidson now sits alone in career playoff goals as a Thunderbird with 23 and is third in career playoff points (50), trailing only Ethan Bear (55) and Mat Barzal (65). From undrafted to unbelievable!” . . .

Games 3 and 4 of the WHL final are to be played in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. They will be televised in the Seattle area by Fox 13+. . . . Meanwhile, TSN has announced that it will show Games 3-7 from the OHL, QMJHL and WHL finals. . . .

The OHL final opened Thursday night as G Zach Bowen stopped 24 shots to lead the London Knights to a 3-0 victory over the visiting Peterborough Petes. F Ryan Winterton had a goal and an assist; he has goals in seven straight playoff games. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for London on Saturday night. . . . Games 3 and 4, both of which are to be televised by TSN, are to be played in Peterborough on Monday and Wednesday nights. . . .

Games 1 and 2 of the QMJHL final, featuring the Quebec Remparts and Halifax Mooseheads, are scheduled for Quebec City tonight and Saturday night. . . . Games 3 and 4 in Halifax, both of which are to be shown by TSN, are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Spam

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, like maybe pushing her past $4,000, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

Gnome

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Victoria Royals will be sharing their facility, the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks for a few days in September. The Canucks announced Thursday that they will hold their five-day training camp there from Sept. 21-25. . . . This will be first time since 2019 that the Canucks have trained in Victoria.

THE COACHING GAME:

Mike Kelly, a former WHL coach, has lost his job as the NHL’s New York Rangers continue to make changes. Kelly joined the Rangers as an assistant coach after Gerard Gallant signed on as head coach. Gallant was fired a few days ago; Kelly was released on Tuesday. . . . Kelly had worked with Gallant with the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, and with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Kelly coached the Rangers’ PP, which finished fourth in the NHL at 24.6 per cent over the past two seasons. . . . Kelly was the head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings for one season (2003-04).

THINKING OUT LOUD — Bob Huggins, the men’s basketball coach at the U of West Virginia, had an annual salary of US$4.2 million that made him the state’s highest-paid employee. But then he had a radio rant that included homophobic slurs so the school knocked $1 million off his salary. Now he’s No. 2 on the state payroll. Who’s No. 1? That would be Neal Brown, the school’s football coach. What? You thought it would be doctor? . . . D Radek Gudas played without a conscience when he was with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. And he shows even less of one now that he is with the Florida Panthers. But I really want him on my team. . . . RCMP on the Coquihalla Highway near Merritt, B.C., stopped a Washington state driver behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo on Wednesday. The speed limit is 120 km-h; he was clocked at 262. Yes, 262! Had to have been a Seattle Thunderbirds fan still celebrating from the previous night. . . . If you are watching the NHL series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, I have to ask if you are more tired of the stick work or the WAH? . . . It became apparent on Wednesday night that Vegas D Shea Theodore missed the NHL memo legalizing cross-checking. Edmonton F Klim Kostin gave him three hard unpenalized shots before Theodore responded with a spear to the groin for which he was given a minor penalty. Surely he wouldn’t have retaliated had he known that cross-checking now is a legal ploy. Right?

Amazon

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.

Text

WHL final to feature Ice, T-Birds . . . Seattle ousts Kamloops in six . . . Former WHL coach dies at 93

CHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

The Winnipeg Ice will be playing their home games in the WHL’s championship final in the Canada Life Centre, the home of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets in downtown Winnipeg. . . . The announcement was made on Monday afternoon. . . . The Jets’ season ended on April 27. The Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL affiliate that also plays out of that facility, was eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night. . . . The Ice, which had the WHL’s best regular-season record, plays its home games at the Wayne Fleming Arena on the campus of the U of Manitoba. . . . The Canada Life Centre has a capacity of 15,321 for hockey; the Wayne Fleming Arena has room for about 1,700 fans. . . . Through seven home playoff games, the Ice is averaging 1,658 fans. According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Ice averaged a league-low 1,650 fans for 34 regular-season games. . . . The WHL final, with the Ice facing the Seattle Thunderbirds, is to open in Winnipeg with games on Friday and Saturday nights. . . .

Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun began his story on the Ice’s change of scenery like this: “If the Winnipeg Ice are playing their final season in the Manitoba capital, they’re going out in style.” . . . The series will follow a 2-3-2 format, with Games 3, 4 and, if needed, Game 5 to be played in Kent, Wash., on May 16, 17 and 19. . . . Games 6 and 7, if needed, would be played in Winnipeg on May 21 and 22. . . . TSN will televise Games 3 and 4 and, if necessary, Games 5, 6 and 7. . . .

The QMJHL final, featuring the No. 1 Quebec Remparts and the No. 2 Halifax Mooseheads, is to open with games in the Videotron Centre in Quebec City on Friday and Saturday nights. The Remparts swept the Gatineau Olympiques in one semifinal, while the Mooseheads took six games to sideline the Sherbrooke Phoenix, finishing the series with a 1-0 road victory on Sunday. . . . TSN will televise Games 3 and 4 (May 16 and 17), if they’re played, Games 5, 6 and 7. . . .

In the OHL, the Peterborough Petes advanced to the championship final on Monday with a 3-2 Game 7 victory over the Battalion in North Bay. The Petes will face the London Knights in the championship series. It is to open in London on Thursday night.

Dishes

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, like maybe pushing her past $4,000, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

MONDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) at Kamloops (2) — The Seattle Thunderbirds erased a 1-0 deficit Seattlewith three straight goals en route to a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Seattle won the series, 4-2. . . . The Thunderbirds have won four of the past six Western Conference titles. . . . A year ago, Seattle lost the WHL final in six games to the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Last night, F Dylan Sydor (4) gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 15:57 of the first period. . . . F Jared Davidson (10) tied it at 4:46, and D Sawyer Mynio gave Seattle its first lead with his first playoff goal at 5:33 of the third period. Mynio, who turned 18 on April 30, is a sophomore from Kamloops. This was his first goal in 35 playoff games. . . . F Kyle Crnkovic (4) upped Seattle’s lead to 3-1 at 10:00. . . . The Blazers got to within a goal when F Matthew Seminoff (10) scored at 18:17, on a PP and with G Dylan Ernst on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . F Reid Schaefer (6) ended it with the empty-netter at 19:21. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-1. . . . The Thunderbirds held a 43-30 edge in shots, including 13-5 in the first period. . . . G Thomas Milic stopped 28 shots for Seattle. In these playoffs, he is 12-2, 1.85, .934. . . . Ernst stopped 39 shots and finished his playoff run at 10-4, 2.57, .913. . . . The Thunderbirds again scratched F Jordan Gustafson, while the Blazers remain without D Ryan Michael. . . . The Blazers are the 13th straight Memorial Cup host not to win its league championship. Their next game is scheduled for May 26 against the QMJHL champion, either the Quebec Remparts or the Halifax Mooseheads.

Amnesia

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Former WHL coach Vic Stasiuk, who starred in the NHL as a member of the Boston Bruins’ famed Uke Line, has died. He was 16 days from his 94th birthday. . . . Stasiuk, who won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings (1952, 1954, 1955), spent six seasons (1955-61) with the Bruins. He, Johnny Bucyk and Bronco Horvath, all of whom had Ukrainian heritage and played together with the WHL’s Edmonton Flyers, played on the Uke Line. In 1957-58, they were the first linemates in NHL history to each score 20 goals in the same season. . . . The Lethbridge native was a head coach in the NHL (Philadelphia Flyers, California Golden Seals, Vancouver Canucks) before working with the Medicine Hat Tigers (1977-79) and Lethbridge Broncos (1979-80). . . .

The junior B Port Alberni Bombrers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League have hired Brad Knight as their general manager and head coach. Knight, 51, was the head coach of the U18 AAA North Island Silvertips in 2022-23. . . . Knight takes over from Gaelan Patterson, who resigned on April 17. . . . The Bombers also announced that assistant coach Mike Doucette will be returning for a third season.

ThreeRs

Janice Hough (@leftcoasbabe): I’m so old I remember when biggest worry when going to an outlet mall was parking. Not being shot.”

——

One more from Hough, while watching Sunday’s night’s MLB game: “ESPN actually asked Mookie Betts if the Los Angeles Dodgers-San Diego Padres rivalry was as big as the Red Sox-Yankees. And SF Giants fans just threw up.”

Jack Todd, in the Montreal Gazette: “Broadcast folk, could we just wrap the word ‘physicality’ in mothballs and be done with it? It’s a cliché and it sounds like you’re talking through a mouthful of soup.”

THINKING OUT LOUD — BTW, Mr. Todd is bang on with his observation about ‘physicality.’ . . . And perhaps, as I previously have suggested in this space, the analysts could stop talking while the puck is in play. . . . F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats sold a whole lot of tickets this WHL season, especially after he lit it up at the World Junior Championship. Then, on Monday night, the Chicago Blackhawks, having won the right to select him in the NHL’s 2023 draft, sold US$2.5 million worth of tickets in 90 minutes. . . . That will about cover Bedard’s first pro contract. . . . You do realize that the Blackhawks were rewarded for tanking better than anyone else, don’t you?

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.

ICU

Hockey Canada states its position . . . Blazers win on road to force Game 6 . . . Series return to Kamloops on Monday

With the BCHL having announced that it is leaving Hockey Canada at month’s bchlend, the national governing body is giving indications that it isn’t about to bend any of its rules.

Steve Ewen of Postmedia reported Friday that Hockey Canada has written its members in an attempt to let them know just what’s what and what they all can expect.

“Postmedia obtained a copy of the Hockey Canada letter,” Ewen wrote. “Among what is stated is that any player or coach on a non-sanctioned team after Sept. 30 is ineligible to participate in activities sanctioned by Hockey Canada for the remainder of the season pending a hearing from the reinstatement committee, and that’s even if they are released by their non-sanctioned team during the season. That includes ineligibility to be considered for selection to national teams or to attend other Hockey Canada high-performance activities.

“That also means that the BCHL can’t bring in players from junior B leagues to fill in for a game here or there due to injuries and have the players return to their original squads afterward like they have in the past.”

Get out the popcorn, and lots of it, folks, because this is going to be quite a show.

Ewen’s complete story is right here.

Triangle

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.

WHL

SATURDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Kamloops (2) at Seattle (1) — The Kamloops Blazers broke a 1-1 tie with three Kamloopsgoals early in the third period as they beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-2, in Kent, Wash. . . . Seattle leads the best-of-seven conference final, 3-2, with Game 6 in Kamloops on Monday. If they need a seventh game, it would be played on Tuesday in Kent. . . . F Jared Davidson (9) gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 6:25 of the second period. . . . F Matthew Seminoff (8) sacred at 16:00 and the teams were all even going to the third. . . . Seminoff (9) broke the tie 43 seconds into the third period. . . . F Ryan Hofer then scored his seventh and eighth goals, the latter while shorthanded, at 1:06 and 5:31, and just like that Kamloops held a 4-1 lead. . . . F Reid Schaefer (5) got Seattle to within two, on a PP, at 5:48. . . . Davidson’s goal set a franchise record for career playoff goals. He has 22, one more than F Scott Eansor (2013-17). . . . D Olen Zellweger and F Logan Stankoven, the Blazers’ offensive stars, each had one assist. . . . Seattle was 1-for-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-for-2. . . . Kamloops got another big night from G Dylan Ernst, with 36 saves, 10 more than Seattle’s Thomas Milic. . . . D Logan Bairos was back in Kamloops’ lineup, while D Ryan Michael remains sidelined. . . . The Thunderbirds remain without F Jordan Gustafson.

BourbonSt

Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News:

“For the last time . . .

“LeBron is the greatest all-around player in the history of the league, whether you’d make Michael the first pick or not if you were choosing up sides to play for the championship of the world or not.

“LeBron could have been an All-Star at all five positions, and has done more positive basketball things, game to game, to help his team win than anybody ever has.

“He has scored more points than anybody in history, he has won titles with three different teams, and he is still playing at this level after two decades, and at the age of 38.

“He’s on my Mt. Rushmore with Michael and Bill Russell and Kareem. Steph can be on the other side of the mountain with Kobe and Magic and Bird.”

——

Lupica, again: “Well, at least Gerard Gallant can stop complaining that people are speculating about his job security.”

DQ

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The QMJHL final will feature the Quebec Remparts against either the Halifax Mooseheads or Sherbrooke Phoenix. That series will open in Quebec City with Games 1 and 2, and both sold out within a couple of hours of going on sale. The Videotron Centre’s capacity is 18,259. . . . The Mooseheads hold a 3-2 lead in their semfinal, having beaten the visiting Phoenix, 5-0, on Saturday. G Mathis Rousseau stopped 26 shots to record the shutout. They’ll play Game 6 today in Sherbrooke. The two communities are 993 km apart, according to CanadaDistance.com. . . .

The Regina Pats have hired Andrew Kutnikoff as their athletic therapist. He spent the past four seasons with the Swift Current Broncos, first as athletic therapist/equipment manager, and then for the past two seasons strictly as athletic therapist. . . . Greg Mayer had filled the position for 19 years before moving to the Saskatchewan Roughriders during this season, with Brennan McConaghy taking over on an interim basis. He now has returned to the CFL’s Edmonton Elks. . . .

The Penticton Vees wrapped up their second straight BCHL championship on Friday night, beating the visiting Salmon Arm Silverbacks, 7-4, to win the best-of-seven final, 4-1. . . . F Bradly Nadeau had two goals and an assist, giving him 30 points in 13 playoff games. . . . The Vees and Alberni Valley Bulldogs will open the Fred Page Cup final on Friday night in Penticton.

John Fisher, the owner who is trying to move his Oakland A’s to Las Vegas, isn’t awfully popular in the Bay area. Here’s Bruce Jenkins in the San Francisco Chronicle: “I was playing golf just outside the Strip many, many years ago when a hellacious sandstorm appeared, erasing all visibility and driving everyone to cover. Let’s hope that whenever A’s owner John Fisher heads out to inspect the prospective Vegas ballpark, he gets slammed by one of those.”

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.

Ignored

IceDogs pay price for indiscretions . . . T-Birds one win from WHL final . . . BCHL has Zoom call with on-ice officials

The OHL lowered the boom on the Niagara IceDogs on Thursday, citing OHLviolations of league policies “including the Maltreatment, Bullying and Harassment Protection and Prevention Policy and our Code of Conduct.” . . . According to an OHL news release, it brought in an “independent third-party investigator” after receiving allegations of policy violations. At the team, IceDogs owner, governor and general manager Darren DeDobbelaer was ordered not to speak “with players or others concerning the subject matter.” . . . The investigator discovered that two players, G Joshua Rosenzweig and D Landon Cato, “participated in serious violations” of policies, “including but not limited to Physical Maltreatment and Aiding and Abetting respectively.” . . . As well, DeDobbelaer was found to have violated the league’s confidentiality directive. . . .

As a result of all this, the OHL fined the Ice Dogs $100,000 and stripped them of their first selection in the 2024 OHL draft. . . . DeDobbelaer was suspended from acting as GM for two seasons, to June 1, 2025. . . . Rosenzweig and Cato “have permanently lost the privilege to participate in the OHL.” Both players have one season of junior eligibility remaining. . . .

Cato, who turned 20 on March 31, had one goal and two assists in 21 games this season, his third with the IceDogs. . . . Rosenzweig, who turned 20 on Feb. 27, got into 33 games, going 5-21-4, 5.73, .868. . . .

This same franchise, only under different ownership, was fined $250,000 and lost 2019 and 2021 first-round draft picks in February 2019 after being found to have “violated certain league player recruitment policies.” Those penalties were reduced to $150,000 and one first-round pick about a month later.

In April 2022, Joey Burke, then the governor, GM and minority owner, and Billy Burke, the head coach and also a minority owner, were suspended and they, along with the team, were fined $150,000 after the league investigated a WhatsApp conversation. It was found to violate the OHL’s “harassment and abuse/diversity policy and also runs counter to its Onside program, which emphasizes the importance of demonstrating respect for women through actions and words.”

The Burke’s parents, Bill and Denise, were the majority co-owners at the time. They sold the franchise to DeDobbelaer in July. He also owns the junior A Brantford 99ers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the junior B Brantford Bandits of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. . . . The IceDogs finished 12-47-9, easily the OHL’s poorest record, this season.

WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

The Winnipeg Ice, who won the Eastern Conference playoff title on Wednesday night, don’t yet know who will provide its opposition in the championship final. But the Ice knows when it will play its next games. . . . The final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup is to open in Winnipeg, at the Wayne Fleming Arena on the U of Manitoba campus, with Games 1 and 2 on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13. . . .

The Ice, the Eastern Conference’s top seed, completed a sweep of the No. 2 Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday in the Saskatchewan city. . . .

In the Western Conference final, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 3-3 tie with three straight goals and went on to an 8-4 victory over the host No. 2 Kamloops Blazers last night. . . . The Thunderbirds now hold a 3-1 edge in the series. They’ll play Game 5 in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night.

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.

Dad

THURSDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) at Kamloops (2) — F Dylan Guenther scored three times and added Seattlean assist to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to an 8-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Seattle holds a 3-1 lead in the conference final with Game 5 scheduled for Kent, Wash., on Saturday night. If needed, Game 6 would be played in Kamloops on Monday, with Game 7 back in Kent on Tuesday. . . . Last night, the Blazers erased 2-0 and 3-1 deficits, only to have the Thunderbirds score three straight goals to snap a 3-3 tie. . . . F Kyle Crnkovic (3) scored for Seattle at 13:32 of the second period for a 4-3 lead. . . . F Jared Davidson (8) made it 5-3 at 5:36 of the third, and D Bryce Pickford (2) upped it to 6-3 at 8:13. . . . Davidson’s goal was his 21st career playoff score, giving him a share of Seattle’s franchise record with F Scott Eansor (2013-17). . . . Guenther, who leads the WHL playoffs with 14 goals, opened the scoring at 3:09 of the first period, gave his guys a 3-1 lead with 1.7 seconds left in the period, and completed his hat trick at 14:19 of the third period for a 7-4 lead. . . . F Reid Schaefer (4), who also had three assists, and D Kevin Korchinski (1) also scored for Seattle. . . . D Olen Zellweger (11) scored twice for Kamloops, erasing a 3-1 Seattle lead at 1:12 and 11:21 of the second period. . . . F Matthew Seminoff (7), on a first-period PP, and F Dylan Sydor (3) had the Blazers’ other goals. . . . The Blazers thought they had tied it 3-3 at 2:38 of the second period on a PP goal by F Logan Stankoven, only to have it waved off as Zellweger was penalized for goaltender interference. Kamloops This Week (@KTWonBLAZERS) tweeted: “Zellweger called for goalie interference. Overhead replay shows he was pushed into Milic. That is a bad call.” . . . Kamloops was 1-for-6 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-3. . . . G Thomas Milic kicked out 36 shots to record the victory over Dylan Ernst, who stopped 33 shots. . . . Kamloops remains without D Logan Bairos and D Ryan Michael. . . . The Thunderbirds scratched F Jordan Gustafson. There is speculation that he was injured during celebrations following Seattle’s OT goal to end Game 2. . . . Stankoven finished with two assists and now leads the playoff points derby, with 29, one ahead of Zellweger. Guenther’s 14 goals lead the league by one over F Connor McClennon of the Winnipeg Ice. D Ben Zloty of the Ice as a WHL-leading 20 assists, one more than Stankoven.

THINKING OUT LOUD — Example No. 34,591 of why you shouldn’t pay any attention to the three stars at hockey games: F Leon Draisaitl scored the Edmonton Oilers’ four goals in a 6-4 loss to the host Vegas Golden Knights, but wasn’t one of the three stars as selected, apparently, by the Vegas media. Instead, the all-knowing media members went with, in order, hometown players F Ivan Barbashev, F Chandler Stephenson and F Mark Stone. . . . Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) is wondering: “Has Tucker Carlson signed on to work for Donald Trump’s re-election campaign yet?”

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The BCHL, which announced this week that it is leaving Hockey Canada at the end of this month, met with on-ice officials via Zoom on Thursday night. As someone who was on the call told Taking Note: “It seems that it’s a real pissing match. The BCHL is very disappointed that Hockey Canada won’t allow its officials to work in Hockey Canada leagues after Sept. 30. . . . Insurance will not be an issue as the BCHL will have their own that they claim will be as good as or better than Hockey Canada’s. . . . Not sure about the refs, but linespeople will be getting $150/game, up from $80.” . . . You can bet that we’ll be hearing more, a whole lot more, about all of this in the days and weeks to come. Yes, it’s going to be an interesting ride. . . .

In the QMJHL, the Halifax Mooseheads evened their series with the Sherbrooke Phoenix with a 5-2 victory on Thursday. They’ll play Game 5 in Halifax on Saturday afternoon, with Game 6 in Sherbrooke on Sunday night. The winner will meet the Quebec Remparts in the championship final. . . .

In the OHL, the two remaining series, both of which are tied 2-2, will resume tonight. . . . The Sarnia Sting, who lost the first two games in London and then won twice at home, are back on the road to face the Knights tonight, with Game 6 back in Sarnia on Sunday afternoon. . . . Meanwhile, the Peterborough Petes will visit the North Bay Battalion tonight and then they’ll head back to Peterborough for Game 6 on Sunday night. . . .

Former WHL G Kyle Dumba has joined the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings as goaltender coach. Dumba, the brother of Matt Dumba, a former WHL defenceman who has spent nine seasons with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, has his own coaching business based in Minneapolis/St. Paul. . . . Kyle, 25, is from Calgary. He split 42 regular-season WHL games over five seasons (2013-18) with the Calgary Hitmen, Kamloops Blazers, Everett Silvertips and Regina Pats.

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.

Wifi

How much will Ernst’s ‘May Miracle’ impact series? . . . Ice moves into WHL final . . . Blades’ amazing run comes to end

Goal
Where is the puck? Was it in Dylan Ernst’s glove?

Only time will tell whether it was a save that at least helped to turn around the WHL’s Western Conference final.

But this one particular save definitely played a key role in the host Kamloops KamloopsBlazers beating the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-1, on Tuesday night, an outcome that tightened the series. Seattle now leads, 2-1, with Game 4 in Kamloops tonight.

The play in question occurred late in the second period with the Blazers holding a 2-1 lead. The Thunderbirds thought they had tied it when a puck that originated with Seattle F Gracyn Sawchyn took a crazy bounce and ended up behind G Dylan Ernst — perhaps in his glove or pinched between the glove and his back. Or was it on his right shoulder?

A screen shot from a highlights package on the WHL’s website shows Ernst’s glove completely over the goal line. Except that the puck isn’t visible. If you watch the entire series on video and then watch the replays, the puck actually appears to end up on his right shoulder before he collapses and ends up gloving it.

Anyway . . . here’s how Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week explained the goings-on . . .

“A Seattle shot pinged off the backboards and boomeranged back over the net, falling dangerously onto the backpedaling backstop . . . who has Sesame Street character Ernie painted on the back of his mask.

“Physics dictates that momentum would on most occasions have carried or propelled the (puck) over the goal line.

“But this occasion belonged to contortionist Ernst, who, with Ernie’s eyes in the back of his head, pinched the puck into his No. 35 with his mitt and fell forward to deny the T-Birds — and physics.

“ ‘I wasn’t too sure where it was,’ Ernst said. ‘It hit off the crossbar and I felt it hit my back. I got lucky when I swung my hand around and caught it.’

“Ernst shot up, prize raised high above head in glove, and drank in the chant: ‘Ernie! Ernie! Ernie!’

“ ‘Honestly, I wasn’t too sure if I was over the goal line or not,’ Ernst said. ‘I was hoping. Obviously, I wasn’t.’

“No goal was the call after the review, which (resulted in) another chant: ‘Whose house? Ernie’s house!’ ”

That’s how the score remained at 2-1. The Blazers put it away with two late third-period goals.

Hastings’ complete story is right here.

Hunting

WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

There was a point on Wednesday night when the Winnipeg Ice became huge fans of the Kamloops Blazers.

The No. 1 Ice completed an Eastern Conference final sweep of the No. 2 Saskatoon Blades last night, winning 3-2 in the Saskatchewan city.

The Western Conference final, with the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds holding a 2-1 edge on the No. 2 Blazers, is to resume tonight in Kamloops.

The Blazers will be the host team for the 2023 Memorial Cup tournament, meaning that if they reach the WHL’s championship final their opponent will get the WHL’s spot in the four-team tournament.

Sure, the Ice wants to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup, but you can bet it would take some of the pressure off if the Memorial Cup berth already was in their left hip pocket. Right?

The Ice will have home-ice advantage in the championship final and, yes, I’m told Winnipeg’s home games will be played in the Wayne Fleming Arena, which seats about 1,700.

Meanwhile, after playing tonight in Kamloops, the Blazers and Thunderbirds will head for Kent, Wash., and Game 5 on Saturday night.

BTW, Kamloops D Olen Zellweger lost a goal at some point after Tuesday’s game, going from 10 to nine. So he no longer is tied for the playoff points lead, his 26 now one behind teammate Logan Stankoven and F Matt Savoie of the Ice.

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.

WEDNESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) at Saskatoon (2) — The Winnipeg Ice brought an end to WinnipegIceSaskatoon’s playoff run, beating the host Blades, 3-2, to sweep the conference final. . . . The Blades had reached the conference final by winning two seven-game series — the first after losing the first two games at home, the second after opening with two home-ice losses and one on the road. They became the third team in WHL history to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games. . . . The Ice outscored the Blades, 17-5, in the four games. . . . Last night, D Aidan De La Gorgendiere (3) gave the Blades their first lead of the series when he opened the scoring at 15:08 of the first period on a delayed penalty situation. . . . F Connor McClennon followed with two goals, at 18:40 on a PP, and at 13:30 of the second period, for a 2-1 Ice lead. . . . McClennon, who scored six times in the last three games, leads the WHL playoffs with 13 goals. . . . F Trevor Wong (3) got the Blades even at 2:45 of the third period, only to have F Briley Wood (3) break the tie at 6:19. . . . Wood, who turned 20 on Jan. 15, is from Rivers, Man. He had two goals in 13 regular-season games with the Ice this season. In 91 career regular-season games, the first 78 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, he put up four goals. He has three in 14 games in these playoffs. In his career, he has one regular-season game-winner and now one playoff winner. . . . A note from Lucas Punkari (@lpunkari): “Prior to coming back to the Ice in mid-March, Wood was with the MJHL’s Neepawa Titans. The 20-year-old Rivers product recorded 57 points (19 goals and 38 assists) in 39 games.” . . . The Blades took the game’s only four minor penalties; the Ice was 1-for-4 on the PP. . . . The Ice got 16 saves from G Daniel Hauser. . . . Saskatoon G Austin Elliott stopped 36 shots. . . . The Ice again was without D Wyatt Wilson, while the Blades remained without D Ben Saunderson and D Blake Gustafson.

This is just so Canadian minor hockey. . . . The coach of a U11 team takes his guys off the ice because they are being subjected to all kinds of racial abuse. He ends up being suspended and losing his coaching position. There comes a time when there just aren’t words.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

It sounds as though Chris Crich, the WHL’s top referee each of the past two seasons, is into the final days of his whistling career. Crich worked the game in Kamloops between the Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday night. . . . Later, Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Kamloops Blazers, tweeted that Crich had told him: “This is pretty much it. It’s been a good run. It is probably getting to be time with the family and the job.” . . .

The Quebec Remparts earned a spot in the QMJHL’s championship final on Wednesday, beating the host Gatineau Olympiques, 3-1, to sweep the series. . . . The Patrick Roy-led Remparts won two of the games in OT. . . . The Remparts had the league’s best regular-season record (53-12-3), finishing four points ahead of the Olympiques (49-12-7). . . . The other semifinal, featuring the Sherbrooke Phoenix and Halifax Mooseheads, is to resume tonight in Sherbrooke. The Phoenix holds a 2-1 lead. They’ll play a fifth game in Halifax on Saturday afternoon. . . .

In the BCHL, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs advanced to the Fred Page Cup final for the first time with a 3-2 victory over the host Chilliwack Chiefs. The Bulldogs swept the Coastal Conference final. They won last night’s game when F Ethan Bono broke a 2-2 tie with his eighth goal at 19:31 of the third period. . . . In the Interior Conference final, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks stayed alive with a 3-2 OT victory over the visiting Penticton Vees. Salmon Arm won on F Isaac Lambert’s sixth goal at 3:36 of OT. The Vees, who had a 27-game playoff winning streak come to an end, lead the series, 3-1. They are to play Game 5 in Penticton on Friday night.

Paint

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.

New junior A league for B.C.? . . . Ice one victory from sweeping Blades . . . Blazers back in series with T-Birds

As of this moment, there are a total of 65 junior hockey teams in B.C. — five bchlmajor junior, 17 junior A and 43 junior B. As of this moment, those teams all play under Hockey Canada’s umbrella. However, the BCHL — with 17 teams in B.C. and one in Washington state — has said it plans on leaving Hockey Canada when this month is up. . . . What will that mean for junior hockey in B.C.? Well, Cam Hope, the former Victoria Royals’ general manager who now is the CEO of BC Hockey, has told Steve Ewen of Postmedia that it may result in a new junior A league starting up. In fact, Hope told Ewen that such a move was “probable,” adding that no one is in a rush to get it done because “I’d much rather make sure we do it right than do it fast.” . . . Presumably, a new junior A league could include a number of junior B teams moving on up, along with any organizations that might decide to leave the BCHL. Ewen reported that “several sources” had told him the vote to leave Hockey Canada was 14-2 with two abstentions.

Ewen’s complete story, including something of a ho-hum response from Hockey Canada, is right here.

Mozart

WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

After a playoff doubleheader on Tuesday night, there will be one game tonight and another one on Thursday.

In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 Winnipeg Ice are in complete control after beating the Blades, 5-1, in Saskatoon last night. Winnipeg leads the series, 3-0, having outscored the Blades, 14-3, in the series. . . . They are scheduled to play Game 4 in Saskatoon tonight. . . . The Blades came back from 2-0 and 3-0 deficits to win their previous two series; if they are to do it again, they’ll have to get started tonight. . . . Saskatoon is 5-0 when facing elimination this spring. . . .

In the Western Conference, the host No. 2 Kamloops Blazers got past No. 1 Seattle, 4-1, to halt the Thunderbirds’ 10-game playoff winning streak. . . . These two teams will take a night off and then play Game 4 in Kamloops on Thursday night. . . . While Seattle is 10-1 in these playoffs, the Blazers are 9-2. . . . Seattle’s loss also means that the 1989 Swift Current Broncos and 2009 Calgary Hitmen remain the only WHL team to make unbeaten runs to championships. The Broncos and Hitmen both went 12-0.

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. . . . Hey, you could be the one to push her past $4,000. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

TUESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) at Saskatoon (2) — The Winnipeg Ice scored the game’s first four WinnipegIcegoals, three of them in the first 11 minutes, en route to a 5-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Ice now holds a 3-0 lead in the conference final and gets its first chance to wrap it up tonight in Saskatoon. . . . F Matt Savoie (11), on a PP at 2:46, F Zach Benson (4), at 9:48, and F Evan Friesen (4), at 10:33, had those first-period goals. . . . F Connor McClennon (11) made it 4-0, on another PP, at 1:13 of the second period. . . . F Justin Lies (3) got the Blades on the scoreboard at 5:40. . . . That was as close as the Blades were to get. . . . Ice F Owen Pederson (4) closed out the scoring with a PP goal at 19:26 of the third period. . . . Winnipeg was 3-for-6 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-for-2. . . . The Ice held a 34-18 edge in shots, including 10-4 in the third period. . . . Winnipeg got three assists from D Ben Zloty, and Savoie added two helpers to his goal. . . . Zloty has a WHL-leading 19 assists. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 17 saves. His career record, including regular season games, now is 97-10-3. . . . The Blades continue to be without injured defencemen Blake Gustafson and Ben Saunderson, and they also scratched F Egor Sidorov from this one with an undisclosed injury. . . . Winnipeg remains without D Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the first round.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) at Kamloops (2) — D Olen Zellweger had a goal and two assists to Kamloopslead the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Blazers, who held a 39-23 edge in shots, trail the series, 2-1, with Game 3 scheduled for Kamloops on Thursday night. Then the teams will head back to Kent, Wash., for Game 5 on Saturday. . . . Zellweger, who was acquired from the Everett Silvertips at the trade deadline in January, figured in Kamloops’ first three goals. . . . He gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead, on a PP, with his 10th goal at 8:29 of the first period. . . . After Seattle D Nolan Allan (2) tied it at 10:00, Zellweger and F Ryan Hofer, who also came over from Everett in that deal, drew the assists on F Jakub Demek’s fourth goal, at 17:43. . . . Hofer (6) added some insurance with an empty-netter at 18:53 of the third period, and Zellweger drew an assist on that one, too. . . . F Matthew Seminoff (6) added the Blazers’ last goal, at 19:18. . . . Zellweger has 27 points, including 17 assists, in 11 playoff games. In 43 games since the trade, he has 32 goals and 47 assists. . . . Zellweger and Blazers F Logan Stankoven, who had two assists, lead the playoff points derby, each with 27. . . . G Dylan Ernst made 22 saves for the Blazers, 13 fewer than Seattle’s Thomas Milic. . . . Kamloops remains without D Logan Bairos and D Ryan Michael. . . . The Thunderbirds scratched F Jordan Gustafson. There is speculation that he was injured during celebrations following Seattle’s OT goal to end Game 2. . . . The Thunderbirds went into this game having outscored the opposition 24-3 in third periods and OT. The Blazers went into the third period and were able to blank them over the final 20 minutes, while outshooting them 12-6. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-3.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The USHL held Phase 1 of its two-day draft on Tuesday. If you are interested in connections between selected players and WHL teams, check out the Twitter account belonging to Lucas Punkari (@lpunkari) of the Brandon Sun. . . . Phase 2 of that draft is scheduled for today. . . .

Both BCHL conference finals are one game from being over in four. . . . At Salmon Arm, the Penticton Vees won their 27th straight playoff game, beating the Silverbacks, 3-2 in OT. F Thomas Pichette (5) got the winner at 4:22 of OT. . . . Vees F Bradly Nadeau’s 15th playoff goal, on a PP at 19:01 of the third period, forced OT. . . . Penticton finished last season’s championship run on a 16-game winning streak and has won its first 11 games this time around. . . . The Vees get a chance to wrap it up tonight in Salmon Arm. . . . In the other conference final, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs took control with a 5-1 victory over the host Chilliwack Chiefs. The winners got two goals and an assist from F Dakota MacIntosh. . . . They are to play Game 4 tonight in Chilliwack.

THINKING OUT LOUD — You’re Gary Bettman, the commissioner of all things NHL. Do you want the Ottawa Senators to be sold to the group that includes Ryan Reynolds or the one that has Snoop Dogg in it? . . . Here’s Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) with a thought: “Not sure what’s more improbable, that the Tampa Bay Rays are by far the best team in the American League. Or that their closest competitor in the league is the Baltimore Orioles.” Gotta agree with that. . . . ICYMI, there was an American League game in Oakland last night where the A’s met the Seattle Mariners. The attendance was 2,583. . . . BTW, the A’s lost and now are 6-24. Yikes! That’s not good.

——

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.

Tats

‘Fellas, it’s been nice to know ya’ . . . BCHL chooses to leave Hockey Canada . . . WHL’s conference finals resume tonight

The BCHL announced on Monday that it will operate as an independent organization — back in the day, it would have been referred to as an “outlaw” league — as of June 1, a decision reached after “owners, governors, executives, and committees thoroughly explored all options but were unable to establish meaningful discourse with the governing leadership of Hockey Canada.” . . . The announcement was hardly unexpected after the 18-team BCHL chose to leave the Canadian Junior Hockey League in April 2021. One result of that move is that BCHL teams no longer compete for the Centennial Cup. . . . The BCHL news release explaining the decision to leave Hockey Canada is right here. . . . You can bet that this will shake up junior hockey in Canada as the BCHL now will be recruiting junior-aged players from across North America and Europe. . . . You also have to wonder if this isn’t the first step towards a super junior A league, with the BCHL, over the next few seasons, shedding a team or three and a handful of other Western Canadian teams coming on board.

For more on the BCHL announcement, check out this interview right here as Brian Wiebe of the BCHL Network chats with Steven Cocker, the BCHL’s commissioner. There are a lot of questions still to be answered, but there are some answers here.

WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

A couple of things worth watching as the Seattle Thunderbirds and host Kamloops Blazers prepare for Game 3 of the Western Conference final tonight. . . . The No. 1 Thunderbirds hold a 2-0 lead on the No. 2 Blazers, who will be the Memorial Cup’s host team. . . .

The Blazers lost D Logan Bairos during Saturday’s first game after he absorbed Kamloopsa hit from Seattle F Jared Davidson. Bairos didn’t play in Game 2, with D Ryan Michael inserted into the lineup. But Michael left late in the first period after being hit by Seattle F Reid Schaefer. . . . Shaun Clouston, the Blazers’ general manager and head coach, told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week that they asked for supplemental discipline on Davidson prior to Game 2, but didn’t receive it. And Clouston said after Sunday’s game that they were thinking about requesting supplemental discipline on Schaefer for the hit on Michael. . . . “I thought both hits were dangerous hits,” Clouston told Hastings. “I thought the first one there was some contact to the head and the second one tonight, the hit on Mikey, was right on the numbers.” . . .

Meanwhile, Darren Steinke, who blogs at Stanks’ Sermon, reported after SeattleSunday’s game that Seattle F Jordan Gustafson may have gotten injured as he and his teammates celebrated D Jeremy Hanzel’s OT goal. Steinke wrote: “The only down part for Seattle on the winning goal was it appeared Thunderbirds standout centre Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19-years-old in January, injured himself during the winning goal celebration. He was the first Thunderbirds player to leave the ice seeking out the team’s trainer.” . . .

A note from Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) after Seattle’s 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Blazers on Sunday: “Seattle starts the great day in Seattle hockey coming back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits. Jeremy Hanzel — who was 2nd in GWGs for defenders this season — earns first of postseason 6-and-a-half into overtime. Improves to +20 for playoffs and +90 combined.” . . .

A couple of notes from the Thunderbirds: Their Sunday victory improved their record in these playoffs to 10-0 and that’s a franchise record. In 2017, the Thunderbirds had opened with nine victories. . . . F Jared Davidson goes into tonight’s game in Kamloops with 20 career playoff goals. He is tied with F Alexander True for second spot in franchise history, one behind F Scott Eansor. . . .

For the third straight series, the Saskatoon Blades trail a series 2-0, only this Saskatoontime they are playing Game 3 at home. That will be tonight against the Winnipeg Ice, who won the first two games of the Eastern Conference final at home. . . . The Blades, of course, are coming off two seven-game series; they lost the first two games of each of those series on home ice. . . . Saskatoon was back at practice on Monday, after taking a day off on Sunday. . . . Here’s Saskatoon head coach Brennan Sonne, in conversation with Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “We practised April 1, April 13, April 15. Those are the last team practices we had, which is a very low number. That was out of necessity because of the schedule and the fatigue factor. We’ve played 16 games in 30 days, and very emotional games — these aren’t just Sunday skates. Getting the day off, and getting a practice day in today, and resetting, is vital for our group.” . . .

The Blazers and Blades both are faced with winning four of five games from the conference regular-season champions? Can it be done? We should have a better indication after tonight’s games.

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.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

A note from Scott MacIntosh (@scottmacintosh4), the Halifax Mooseheads’ communications manager: “The Quebec Remparts set a new QMJHL attendance record (Sunday) with 17,911 at Videotron Centre. In a total of 13 playoff home games combined, the Remparts and Mooseheads have hosted 143,549 fans during the postseason.” . . .

Perry Pearn, a former WHL coach, has led Japan’s men’s national team to the Division I Group B title in Tallinn, Estonia. Pearn is in his first season with Japan, which went 5-0 and outscored its opponents 29-10 in the tournament. . . . In the final, Japan built up a 5-0 lead and held on for a 5-3 victory over Ukraine. . . . By winning the tournament, Japan earned promotion to Division I Group A for the first time since 2016. . . . Pearn also is head coach of Japan’s national junior team, which beat Ukraine in the final of the Division I Group B tournament in December to earn promotion to Group A for the first time. . . . Pearn, 71, is from Stettler, Alta. He was the head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1994-95. . . .

The BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings have signed general manager Mike Hawes and head coach Alex Evin to contract extensions. . . . Hawes, 53, just completed his 18th season with the organization and now is signed for three more seasons. He is preparing for his 13th season as the club’s GM. . . . Evin, 35, has signed for two more seasons. He has been with the Spruce Kings for six seasons — two as associate coach and four as head coach.

THINKING OUT LOUD — I am a fan of neither the Edmonton Oilers nor the Toronto Maple Leafs. But I would love to see them meet up in the Stanley Cup final, if for no other reason than to see what the TV ratings would be in the U.S. . . . Yes, it’s true. G Akira Schmid, the Swiss goaltender who is starring for the New Jersey Devils these days, played in the WHL. Yes, he did. In 2018-19, he started one game for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, gave up seven goals and ended up with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. . . . My iPod is fully charged and I will be listening to a whole lot of Gordon Lightfoot before my night is done.

——

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.

Hanzel shoots T-Birds into 2-0 lead; series heads to Kamloops for two . . . Ice, Blades to resume hostilities on Tuesday . . . Hodge was one of a kind

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-Seattlegoal 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.

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.

Ice opens by blanking Blades . . . Seattle, Kamloops start tonight . . . Brooks wins another AJHL title

WHL

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

The Eastern Conference final opened in Winnipeg last night with the Ice skating to a 3-0 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. They’ll play Game 2 today in Winnipeg, then head for Saskatoon and games on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Saskatoon has had eight home games in these playoffs and drawn seven of the top 10 crowds. The other three were for games that featured the Blades against the host Regina Pats. . . . The announced attendance last night in Winnipeg was 1,613, which was lower than the Ice’s average of 1,650 for 34 regular-season games. . . .

And the Western Conference final gets started tonight with the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers visiting the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. . . . This will be the second straight season in which the conference final has featured these two franchises; Seattle won in seven games a year ago.

You are free to wonder how whether rust — or perhaps nerves — will be a factor in Game 1 tonight. Each of these teams is 8-0 this spring, but Seattle hasn’t played since April 19, while the Blazers have been off since April 20. The Thunderbirds swept aside the No. 8 Kelowna Rockets and No. 4 Prince George Cougars. The Blazers took care of the No. 7 Vancouver Giants and the No. 3 Portland Winterhawks.

Seattle and Kamloops met twice in the last week of the regular season — the Thunderbirds won, 6-3, in Kent on March 21; the Blazers won, 6-5, in Kamloops the next night. Kamloops also won, 3-2, in a shootout in Kent on March 7. . . . Earlier, Seattle won, 2-1 in OT, in Kamloops on Nov. 9.

If you want a whole lot more on this series, there is an in-depth preview available on the WHL website.

They’ll play Game 2 in Kent on Sunday, and then head to Kamloops for games on Tuesday and Thursday. Interestingly, should this series go seven games, they’ll play Games 6 and 7 on back-to-back nights — May 8 in Kamloops and May 9 in Kent.

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. . . . Things are rolling right along, too, as she now has surpassed $3,400 thanks to help from people like the former WHL coach who checked in on Friday. . . . If you are interested in helping, you are able to do so on her home page, which is right here.

FRIDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Saskatoon (2) at Winnipeg (1) —  The Winnipeg Ice scored two first-period WinnipegIcegoals 1:26 apart en route to a 3-0 victory over the Saskatoon Blades in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. . . . They’ll play Game 2 today in Winnipeg, starting at 4 p.m. . . . D Ben Zloty (1) opened the scoring at 14:39 of the first period. He went into the game with no goals and a WHL-leading 15 assists. . . . The Ice went ahead 2-0 at 16:05 when F Zach Ostapchuk (8) scored a shorthanded penalty-shot goal, putting the puck off a post and in. He has goals in eight of the 10 games in which he has played in these playoffs. . . . D Carson Lambos (1) upped the lead to 3-0 at 7:45 of the second period. . . . Saskatoon was 0-for-4 on the PP; Winnipeg was 0-for-1. . . . G Daniel Hauser recorded the shutout with 16 saves. He is 9-1, 2.56, .907 in the playoffs, after going 37-4-1, 2.28, .917 in the regular season. . . . The Blades got 25 stops from G Ethan Chadwick. . . . Were the Blades, coming off two seven-game series, showing signs of fatigue in the latter part of the game? The Ice outshot them 8-4 in the second period and 10-4 in the third. . . . Saskatoon F Justin Lies was back in action after having served a three-game suspension. . . . The Blades continue to be without D Blake Gustafson, who was injured in the previous series. . . . With D Ben Saunderson also injured, Saskatoon had D Morgan Tastad make his playoff debut. The 6-foot-4 Tastad, a 17-year-old from Loreburn, Sask., played in one regular-season game. He was a ninth-round pick by the Blades in the WHL’s 2021 draft.

Slingshot

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The WHL will be well-represented on the officiating front at the IIHF World men’s hockey championship in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. Referees Adam Bloski and Mike Langin, along with linesmen Brett Mackey and Tarrington Wyonzek, will be working games in what is the biggest tournament of the season in some countries. Each of the foursome will be working his first world championship. . . . The tournament is scheduled to open on May 12 and run through May 28. . . .

The BCHL’s Penticton Vees ran their playoff winning streak to 25 on Friday night with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Salmon Arm Silverbacks. This was Game 1 of the Interior Conference final. The Vees lost their first playoff game a year ago, then won 16 in a row as they skated to the championship. This spring, they now are 9-0. . . . In the Coastal Conference, the host Alberni Valley Bulldogs opened with a 9-5 victory over the Chilliwack Chiefs. . . . Game 2 in both series will be played tonight in the same venues. . . .

In the AJHL, the Brooks Bandits beat the visiting Spruce Grove Saints, 3-2 in OT, on Friday night to win the championship in five games. F Brendan Poshak’s third goal of the playoffs won it at 5:10 of extra time to give the Bandits their seventh AJHL title. . . . Brooks will represent the AJHL in the Centennial Cup tournament in Portage la Prairie, Man., and the Bandits go in as the two-time defending champions. The tournament runs from May 11 through May 21.

THE COACHING GAME:

Brien Gemmell is the new head coach of the junior B White Rock Whalers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. Gemmell has been coaching for more than 30 years, most recently in the Cloverdale, B.C., minor hockey ranks. This season, his U18 Tier 1 team won bronze at the provincial championship. . . . Gemmell takes over from Jason Rogers, who, according to the team, “is stepping down from his role as head coach.” Rogers is to remain with the organization as senior advisor. He had been the team’s head coach since its first season (2018-19).

THINKING OUT LOUD: The first round of the NFL draft on Thursday had 11.29 million TV viewers in the U.S. Yes, the NFL is No. 1 and it isn’t even close. As Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) pointed out, “That’s more than the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, Stanley Cup final, World Series Games 2 & 3, Wimbledon, French Open, Australian Open, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and British Open.” . . . In case you missed it, this was Rick Bowness, the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets after a season-ending 4-1 loss to the host Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday: “I’m so disappointed and disgusted right now. There has to be pride. You have to be able to push back when things aren’t going your way. We had no pushback. Their better players were so much better than ours tonight. They deserved to win.” So who goes before a new season arrives . . . the head coach or some players? . . . F Matthew Phillips, who was a thrill to watch when he played with the WHL’s Victoria Royals, scored 36 goals for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers this season and 15 of them were game-winners. On Friday night, he scored in OT to give the Wranglers a 4-3 victory over the Abbotsford Canucks. The Wranglers lead the best-of-five series, 2-0. The NHL’s Calgary Flames lost 30 one-goal games this season and missed the playoffs, but somehow Phillips wasn’t able to play for them.

——

——

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.

Doctor