Tag: Rick Westhead

Ice, T-Birds resume WHL final tonight . . . Robertson’s OT goal gives Petes OHL lead . . . QMJHL’s final also picks up tonight

WHL

PLAYOFF NOTES:

Some Game 2 leftovers from the WHL’s championship final . . .

Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow): “Winnipeg’s Zach Benson does his best, scoring twice, including the icebreaker, in loss, ending the club’s 8-game winning streak. First multi-goal game of postseason after doing it eight times in the original 68. 27 goals, 62 points at home this year.” . . .

And on to Game 3, which is scheduled to be played tonight in Kent, Wash. The series is tied, 1-1, with the Winnipeg Ice having won, 3-2, at home on Friday, and the Seattle Thunderbirds bouncing back with a 4-2 victory on Saturday. . . . They’ll play Game 5 in Kent on Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m. PT. . . . Starting with tonight’s game, TSN will televise the remainder of the championship series. Play-by-play man Dan Robertson and analyst Kevin Sawyer, who handle Winnipeg Jets’ telecasts on TSN, will be in Kent. . . .

In the OHL, F Tucker Robertson scored his eighth goal of the playoffs at 2:32 of OT to give the host Peterborough Petes a 6-5 victory over the London Knights. . . . The Petes lead the best-of-seven championship final, 2-1. . . . Game 4 is scheduled for Peterborough on Wednesday, with Game 5 in London on Friday. . . . F Chase Stillman, who had two goals and an assist, had pulled the Petes into a 5-5 tie with his fourth playoff goal at 1:13 of the third period. . . . Peterborough had erased 2-0, 3-2 and 5-4 deficits. . . . Victor Findlay and Marc Methot had the call on TSN, as they will for Games 4 and 5. . . .

In the QMJHL, the Quebec Remparts and Halifax Mooseheads are 1-1 after two games in Quebec City. They’ll play Game 3 tonight in Halifax, and it is to be televised by TSN. Game time is 4 p.m. PT.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Lee Stone is the new general manager and head coach of the junior A Red Lake, Ont., Miners of the junior A Superior International Junior Hockey League. He spent 10 seasons as GM/head coach of the junior B Campbell River Storm of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League . . . . Stone signed on as GM/head coach with the VIJHL’s Nanaimo Buccaneers on April 6. . . . Tali Campbell has taken over as interim GM while the Buccaneers begin the hiring process. . . . In Red Lake, Stone replaces Kevin Walker, whose contract wasn’t renewed after the season.

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.

——

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.

GoodPerson

Advertisement

Dorothy’s drive picking up steam thanks to hockeyists . . . Rebels move up on Hitmen . . . Winterhawks in control vs. ‘Tips

Dorothy-040719
Dorothy’s ready for Green Shirt Day and for a 10th straight Kamloops Kidney Walk.

Dorothy’s Kidney Walk page has started to pick up speed, thanks in large part to hockey people like an NHL head coach whose team clinched a playoff spot on Sunday. He took time out from whatever celebrating they were doing to help out. Like a former WHL play-by-play voice who was quick to climb on board. Like a long-time acquaintance who once worked in the front office of a WHL team and who might still hold that job had the team not picked up and moved east. . . . If you’re new here, Dorothy, my wife of going on 51 years, is preparing to take part in her 10th Kamloops Kidney Walk on June 4. She underwent a kidney transplant in September 2013 and it’s an understatement to say it was a life-changing experience. . . . Since then, she has worked hard to give back, including co-founding the Kamloops Kidney Support Group that gathers for breakfast twice a month. . . . If you have been impacted by kidney disease and would like to join us, shoot me an email at greggdrinnan@gmail. com. . . . If you would like to support Dorothy’s Kidney Walk fund-raising, you are able to do that right here.

Fifteen

The WHL heads into a fifth straight night of playoff hockey tonight (Tuesday) WHLafter a two-game Monday.

Last night, the Red Deer Rebels posted a 4-2 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary to take a 2-1 lead in that series. And, in Everett, the Portland Winterhawks won their third straight game over the Silvertips, taking this one 6-1.

Tonight, the top-seeded Winnipeg Ice will be trying to go up 3-0 over the No. 8 Tigers when they meet in Medicine Hat. The Tigers will be without D Rhett Parsons as he serves a one-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct he took in Game 2 in Winnipeg on Saturday.

In Regina, the No. 6 Pats will be looking for a third straight victory over the No. 3 Saskatoon Blades, following 6-1 and 6-5 (OT) triumphs on the road. The Blades will be trying, again, to slow down F Connor Bedard, who has eight points in the first two games. Heard from a friend who is taking his son, the latter having been pleading for the opportunity to watch Bedard. So the friend coughed up $100 for two tickets.

In Lethbridge, the No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 with the No. 5 Hurricanes. If they are to prolong this series, the Hurricanes are going to have to find a way to solve G Connor Ungar, who came back from a 17-game suspension to go 2-0, 0.75, .973.

There also are three games in the Pacific Time Zone.

In Kelowna, the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Western Conference’s top seed, hold a 2-0 lead over the No. 8 Rockets going into Game 3 in Kelowna. G Jari Kykkanen kept the Rockets in each of the first two games, stopping 80 of 86 shots, but they were outscored 5-0 in third periods as they dropped 3-2 and 4-1 decisions.

The No. 2 Kamloops Blazers, the host team for the 2023 Memorial Cup, have dominated the No. 7 Vancouver Giants through two games and will be looking for a third straight victory in Langley, B.C. Through two games, the Blazers, with F Logan Stankoven putting up eight points, have outscored the Giants, 14-1.

And, in Kennewick, Wash., the No. 4 Prince George Cougars and No. 5 Tri-City Americans are 1-1 going into a third game. They’re using a 2-3-2 format to cut back on possible travel, so will be staying put for games on Wednesday and Friday.

——

MONDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Red Deer (2) at Calgary (7) — F Kai Uchacz scored twice and added an assist to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The RedDeerRebels hold a 2-1 lead with Game 4 on Wednesday in Calgary. A fifth game is scheduled for Red Deer on Friday. . . . F Carson Wetsch (1) opened the scoring for Calgary at 13:42 of the first period. . . . The Rebels scored the next three goals. D Matteo Fabrizi (1) tied it at 16:07 and Uchacz gave Red Deer the lead just 49 seconds later. . . . F Frantisek Formanek (2) made it 3-1 at 0:46 of the second. . . . F Carter MacAdams (1) pulled Calgary to within a goal, on a PP, at 3:56. . . . Uchacz scored his third goal of the series into an empty net at 19:23 of the third period. . . . G Kyle Kelsey earned the victory with 36 saves, six fewer than Calgary’s Brayden Peters. . . . F Ben King, who led the WHL with 52 goals in 2021-22, was back in Red Deer’s lineup after being out since March 18. . . . The Hitmen were without F Riley Fiddler-Schultz, who didn’t finish Game 2 because of an undisclosed injury. . . . D Keagan Slaney and F Maxim Muranov returned to Calgary’s lineup after serving suspensions, while F Craig Armstrong of Red Deer completed two-game suspension by sitting out Game 3.

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Portland (3) at Everett (6) — The Portland Winterhawks scored three second-Portlandperiod goals en route to a 6-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Winterhawks lead the series, 3-0. . . . These teams get three days off now — a Paw Patrol show has the Angel Of The Winds Arena booked — so Game 4 is scheduled for Friday. . . . F Kyle Chyzowski (2) and F James Stefan (3) each scored twice for Portland, which led 1-0 and 4-0 at the intermissions. . . . Portland F Josh Zakreski had two assists for the second time in the three games. He has had three two-point outings in his past four games; he had three in 67 regular-season games. . . . Portland G Jan Špunar stopped 38 shots. He had his shutout streak snapped at 120:18 when F Jackson Berezowski (2) scored at 17:07 of the third period. . . . Everett F Caden Zaplitny was ejected with a major for interference at 3:22 of the first period following a hit on Portland F Jack O’Brien, who wasn’t injured.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The SJHL’s Melville Millionaires announced Monday that assistant coach Daven Smith “will be parting ways” with the organization “and will not return for the 2023-24 season.” . . . Smith spent the past two seasons on Melville’s coaching staff. . . .

Trevor Georgie, the president and general manager of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, has been named president and CEO of JSM Sports Entertainment. JSMSE is an investment and holding company, and owns the Sea Dogs. . . . Georgie will continue as the Sea Dog’s president, with a new general manager to be named in the near future. He had been the Sea Dogs’ GM since 2016.

Cereal

THINKING OUT LOUD — The Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers, 2-0, in two hours 18 minutes on Monday. With game times like that it won’t be long before the beer vendors are crying, well, in their beer. . . . Going into Monday games, the average MLB game had lasted 2:38, down from 3:09 a year ago. . . . The NCAA women’s basketball final on Sunday averaged 9.9 million TV viewers on ABC and ESPN2, peaking at 12.6 million. From Sports Media Watch: “Sunday’s audience exceeded every game of last year’s NBA playoffs except for the NBA Finals, every game of last year’s Major League Baseball postseason except for the World Series, every NASCAR race since 2017 (including the Daytona 500) and every NHL game in more than 50 years (including the Stanley Cup final).” . . . In Seattle, the Kraken have played 75 games this season without losing four in a row. The Mariners are five games into their season and have lost the last four.

Juice

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.

Optimist

Saginaw gets 2025 Memorial Cup; tourney goes south for first time since 1998 . . . Raiders have big time at draft lottery . . . Blades’ owners now into baseball, too

The four-team Memorial Cup tournament is headed to an American city for the first time since 1998.

The CHL announced on Wednesday that the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit will be the Saginawhost team for the 2024 Memorial Cup. This will be the fifth time the tournament has been played in an American city, but the first since 1998 when it was decided in Spokane. It also has twice been held in Portland (1983, 1986) and once in Seattle (1992).

The Spirit plays in the Dow Event Center that seats 5,527 for hockey.

The Kingston Frontenacs, Niagara IceDogs and Soo Greyhounds — all of whom missed the playoffs this season — also entered bids on the 2024 tournament.

The Spirit has been in the OHL since 2002 but has yet to win a championship. This season, the Spirit was 36-27-5 and will meet the Flint Firebirds in the first round of playoffs starting on Friday.

From a CHL news release: “On the ice, the Spirit are highlighted by exceptional status forward Michael Misa, whose 56 points (22G, 34A) this season were the most by an OHL rookie. The first pick of the 2022 OHL (draft) also averaged 1.24 points-per-game this season — the highest of any OHL exceptional status player and ahead of John Tavares’ 1.18 points-per-game average with the Oshawa Generals in 2005-06.”

Here’s Jamie Tozer of the Station Nation blog:

“This is a bit of a bold move by the CHL, awarding the tournament to Saginaw over traditional (and historic) junior hockey markets Kingston and the Soo. But as we saw with Connor Bedard, the CHL is clearly putting a focus on promoting its stars. Misa will likely become the most talked about junior player when Bedard departs this summer, and awarding Saginaw the hosting rights guarantees the biggest spotlight for its biggest player. Whether you agree with that or not, the CHL is in a place right now where it needs to start making some bold moves — especially with the Memorial Cup.”

The 2023 Memorial Cup tournament is to be played in Kamloops, from May 25 through June 4.

After Kamloops, the WHL next will be the host league in 2026. Bruce Hamilton, the president and general manager of the Kelowna Rockets, already has indicated that his organization is interested in putting together a bid, assuming some upgrades are made to Prospera Place. And now, after Saginaw being named host city, you have to think that the wheels are turning in Everett, Portland, Seattle and Spokane.

——

Meanwhile, in Kamloops, city council has turned down a request for $200,000 KamloopsMCin late funding for the 2023 Memorial Cup, choosing instead to cough up a maximum of 100 grand.

The request came from tournament organizers with the money to be used for what Kamloops This Week said is “a pre-designed elevated platform to be situated on the east side of Sandman Centre, creating private suite spaces for Canadian Hockey League officials, sponsors, and broadcast and media partners. It would also create individual team executive spaces, as well as space for the TSN broadcast centre.”

Before this request arrived, the City of Kamloops already was on the hook for $940,000, most of which is going into upgrades to the arena.

Organizers now are looking to find the extra money needed for the installation of this platform.

The WHL held its draft lottery on Wednesday in Calgary, with the Prince Albert Raiders emerging as the big winners.

The Raiders moved from fourth to second — the six teams in the lottery could WHLmove up a maximum of two spots — and now hold the first two selections for the 2023 WHL draft. The Raiders got the first pick from the Edmonton Oil Kings in a swap that had D Kaiden Guhle move west last season.

The Winnipeg Ice had the first two selections in the 2019 draft and came out of it with two ace forwards — Matt Savoie and Conor Geekie.

The Raiders also own the seventh selection, a pick that originated with the Kelowna Rockets.

The Spokane Chiefs hold the third selection, followed, in order, by the Victoria Royals, Brandon Wheat Kings and Vancouver Giants. The Giants acquired that selection from the Swift Current Broncos.

The Raiders, as mentioned, will pick seventh, followed by Vancouver, the Medicine Hat Tigers, Everett Silvertips, Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton (from the Regina Pats), Tri-City Americans, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Prince George Cougars, Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks, Red Deer Rebels, Brandon Wheat Kings (from the Saskatoon Blades), Everett (from the Kamloops Blazers), Saskatoon (from the Seattle Thunderbirds) and Spokane (from Winnipeg).

The draft is scheduled for May 11.

Gasprices

On Wednesday morning, Rick Westhead of TSN tweeted: “OHL Commissioner David Branch confirms league hired an investigator to probe allegations that OHLseveral hockey parents paid for their sons to be selected in 2022 OHL draft.

“Three GTHL coaches have told me they have evidence (txt msgs) of parents paying $30K+.”

Attached to that was this statement from Branch:

“Last year we conducted an independent third-party investigation into the allegations that you mention and could find no evidence of any team tampering with the draft nor teams acting in a manner prejudicial of the League . . . I would that . . . the people you have spoken to please provide it to the League and we will review it an determine if further investigation is required.”

Westhead added: “Branch did not respond to questions about who was hired to scrutinize claims that parents were paying for their sons to be drafted, the scope of the OHL’s investigation and how long it lasted, or how much the OHL paid its investigator.”

And then came the comments . . . oh my goodness, the comments . . .

Former NHLer Marc Methot, who is a TSN analyst: “That’s the GTHL in a nutshell. Lots of crazy rich parents living vicariously thru their children.”

From an account labelled ‘dynasty worrier’ (@luis-saladbar): “So they pay for the kid to be drafted but then what? Doesn’t he still have to be good enough to be on the team? What’s the end goal here? Just buy an OHL jersey with their name on it at the team shop and save 29.9k.”

From Marvin Matthews (@krimar): “This is hockey’s version of the Felicity Huggman/Lori Loughlin debacle.”

From Europe71 (@Europe711): “This has been going on for ever. Not about the talent but how much money parents are willing to pay. It’s about the status. My kid got drafted to OHL. It opens up a lot off doors even if the kid doesn’t make the actual team. Sad. Not surprised what so ever.”

From Thane MacEachern (@of_the_Island): “Sounds like the CHL needs a certified player association, and collective agreement. It’s a for profit business, the kids are employees, only certain people profit. Don’t get me started on this bogus ‘education fund,’ it’s just another line on the corporate balance sheet.”

From jeff (@IH_HamiltonEast): “In related news, the sky is blue and water is wet.”

And the comments go on and on and on . . . but I’m sure you get the idea.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

ICYMI, the Flin Flon Bombers beat the visiting Estevan Bruins, 2-1 in OT, in Game 7 of their first-round SJHL playoff series on Tuesday night. F Cole Duperreault won it with a PP goal at 1:35 of the first OT period. His dump-in from the neutral zone bounced off a stanchion on the right-side glass and somehow got past Estevan G Cam Hrdlicka. F Kade Runke had given Estevan a 1-0 lead at 10:58 of the second period, with F Ethan Mercer equalizing, on a PP, at 12:28. . . . Attendance was announced at 1,005, so you know the Whitney Forum’s ghosts were dancing. . . . The Bombers will meet up with the Humboldt Broncos in Round 2. They will start with games in Humboldt on Friday and Saturday. . . .

The Sask Entertainment Group (SEG), which owns the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush, now owns the Saskatoon Baseball Club, an as-yet unnamed team that will begin play in the Western Canada Baseball League in 2024. . . . SEG is owned by Mike Priestner and his son, Colin, who is the Blades’ president and general manager. . . . Steve Hildebrand, who is the Blades’ associate GM, is president of the Saskatoon Baseball Club. . . . It will play in the East Division with the Medicine Hat Mavericks, Moose Jaw Miller Express, Regina Red Sox, Swift Current 57’s and Weyburn Beavers. Saskatoon will play out of 2,200-seat Cairns Field. . . .

F Matthew Seminoff of the Kamloops Blazers has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. He was a sixth-round selection in the NHL’s 2022 draft. . . . Seminoff, who turned 19 on Dec. 27, finished this season with 82 points, including 31 goals, in 62 games. That included an eight-point game — four goals, four assists — on March 15 as the Blazers beat the visiting Victoria Royals, 11-1. . . . In 196 career regular-season games, he has 73 goals and 97 assists. . . . Seminoff was born in Leesburg, Va., and raised in Vancouver. . . .

The BCHL’s Surrey Eagles have signed Cam Keith, their general manager and head coach, to a five-year contract. Keith, 42, joined the Eagles on May 29, 2019, as associate GM and head coach. Two years later, the Eagles signed him to a three-year extension that was to run through the 2023-24 season. . . . This season, the Eagles finished 35-16-3, good for second spot in the Coastal Division. They will open a first-round playoff series against the Powell River Kings in Surrey on Friday.

Zach

——

My wife, Dorothy, will be taking part in the 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk on June 4 and, for a 10th straight year, is fund-raising. In September, she will celebrate 10 years as a transplant recipient. . . . If you would like to make a donation and be part of Team Dorothy, you may do so right here.

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Homework

Princeton mourns loss of assistant coach; Johnston was ‘well-loved local personality’ . . . It’s official! Scoring change gives Heidt 72nd assist

Morton (Mort) Johnston, an assistant coach with the junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, was killed in a car accident on Sunday afternoon. He was 25.

Johnston, who was from Princeton, played four seasons with the Posse (2014-18).

Posse
The Princeton Posse had a No. 18 sweater hanging at their bench during a Sunday playoff game in Revelstoke. (Photo: Revelstoke Review)

Johnston was driving to Revelstoke for a Sunday playoff game when his car, a Princeton2009 Toyota Corolla, left the highway and went down an embankment. Johnston, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was declared dead at the scene. Princeton RCMP are conducting an investigation into the crash.

Andrea DeMeer and Josh Piercey of the Similkameen Spotlight reported that RCMP Sgt. Rob Hughes told them police were informed of an accident at about 2 p.m.

“A car left the road and travelled down an embankment,” they wrote, “struck several trees, and flipped over. The driver was ejected from the car and while the airbag was deployed the seatbelt was found fully retracted, according to Hughes.”

From a KIJHL news release: “The Posse received the news around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday prior to their conference championship-clinching Game 6 win in Revelstoke and made the decision to play in Morton’s honour with the support and encouragement of his family.” . . . The Posse beat the Grizzlies, 2-1, to win the series, 4-2, and advance to the KIJHL final against the Kimberley Dynamiters.

The Posse played the game with a No. 18 sweater — Johnston wore No. 18 when he played with the Posse — hanging behind the bench. DeMeer and Piercey reported that Posse captain Jake McCulley carried a No. 18 sweater when he went to centre ice after the game to claim the conference’s championship banner.

According to the Spotlight story, “Johnston (was) a well-loved local personality on and off the ice.”

Besides being on the Posse coaching staff, Johnston was playing for the Penticton Silver Bullets, a senior team, this season. They were preparing to play in the Coy Cup tournament — for the B.C. senior AA title — but pulled out on Monday. The Coy Cup is to be played in Quesnel this weekend.

“He was a glue guy, he held everyone together,” Matt Fraser, the Silver Bullets’ manager, told the Penticton Herald. “He loved the locker room, loved being a Silver Bullet and always showed up with a smile on his face. He played hard-nosed hockey, worked hard and never backed down from anyone. He kept this locker room together.”

DeMeer had occasion to speak with Johnston almost five years ago following the April 6, 2018, crash involving the SJHL-Humboldt Broncos’ bus that claimed 16 lives.

Johnston was a player with the Posse on Feb. 4, 2018, when its bus left the road and went down an embankment as the team was returning to Princeton after a game in 100 Mile House.

After the Broncos tragedy and with Posse team members having escaped their accident with fairly minor injuries, Johnston said: “It just makes you realize how lucky you are.”

At the time, people in Princeton agreed many would wear sports-themed sweaters in memory of the Humboldt victims on April 12, 2018, something with which Johnston was in full agreement.

“I hope everyone can show their support,” Johnston said, adding that his family would be wearing sweaters. “It’s a really hard situation. I hope everyone sends their prayers and thoughts their way.”

Jared Picklyk, a goaltender who made WHL stops with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Tri-City Americans and now plays for the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, was taken into custody by RCMP early Saturday after the truck he was driving left a road and struck a home in Humboldt. . . . Picklyk, who turned 20 on March 18, was arrested and charged with refusal to comply with a breath screening. He has a May 8 court date. . . . On Friday night, Picklyk and the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos had eliminated the Nipawin Hawks from the playoffs. Picklyk made 25 saves in a 6-2 victory over the visiting Hawks as the Broncos won the series, 4-1. . . . On Monday afternoon, the SJHL announced that Picklyk had been suspended indefinitely. . . . Picklyk played in 38 games with Lethbridge (2020-23) and two with Tri-City (2022-23). . . . With the Broncos this season, the Kelowna native went 11-1, 3.20, .908 in the regular season.

It’s official. . . . The WHL added an assist to F Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars on Monday. That was his 72nd assist of the season, moving him into a tie for the WHL lead with F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats. . . . The scoring change comes from a Friday night game in Kamloops in which the Cougars beat the Blazers, 7-2. Prince George’s fourth goal was scored by F Koehn Ziemmer and originally was unassisted. The change on Monday provided Heidt with the lone assist. And if you watch a video of the goal you will agree that the assist definitely was earned.

In the end, Bedard still won the WHL Triple Crown, as he led in goals (71), assists (72) and points (143); it’s just that he now must share part of it with Heidt, who finished with 97 points in 68 games.

(NOTE: Hey, WHL, you’ve got a story on your website headlined ‘Bedard claims Bob Clarke Trophy as WHL Scoring Champion for 2022-23.’ The story was posted there on Sunday. It contains this: “Bedard’s 72 assists were also first in the WHL, one ahead of the runner up. Fellow 2023 NHL Draft prospect Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars finished the season with 71 helpers.” . . . That now is factually incorrect; perhaps you can get in there and fix it for posterity’s sake.)

The Calgary Hitmen will be without D Keagan Slaney when they open the playoffs after he drew a three-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct he incurred in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. Slaney sat out Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Oil Kings in Calgary. He will miss the first two games of Calgary’s series with the Red Deer Rebels. Those games are to be played in Red Deer on Friday and Saturday.

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — NHL fan singing national anthem, honouring soldier with standing ovation thinks Pride Nights are too political.

Spring

My wife, Dorothy, will be taking part in the 2023 Kamloops Kidney Walk on June 4 and, for a 10th straight year, is fund-raising. In September, she will celebrate 10 years as a transplant recipient. . . . If you would like to make a donation and be part of Team Dorothy, you may do so right here.

——

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Fishing

QMJHL has new commish, also moving to ban fighting . . . GTHL investigating irregularities . . . Blazers win battle of division kings

The QMJHL made it official on Tuesday — Mario Cecchini will be the new qmjhlnewcommissioner, replacing Gilles Courteau, who resigned effective immediately on Sunday after 37 years in office. . . . Cecchini is presently the interim president of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, so won’t take over his new position until May 8. . . . Martin Lavallee, who had been assistant commissioner, will serve as the interim commissioner until then. . . . The QMJHL had announced earlier that Courteau would be retiring in 2024, so a search for a replacement was well underway when he chose to leave his position on Sunday.

——

The QMJHL’s board of governors will vote in June on whether to ban fighting. . . . Le Journal de Quebec reported Monday that members voted in favour of the move last week, but that a move in that direction would have to be ratified in June. . . . Under the new regulations, according to the newspaper, a fight will result in automatic expulsion, with “certain exceptions,” such as when there is an instigator in a fight. . . . On Sept. 30, 2020, the QMJHL implemented a rule that results in a major and misconduct being given to a fighter. . . . The newspaper reported that during the 2010-11 season, the QMJHL averaged 0.78 fights per game. This season, through 536 games, that number was 0.14 (79 fights in 536 games).

If you’re not aware, it would appear that the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) is in a bit of a messy situation. Rick Westhead, who is doing such great work with TSN, reports that the GTHL “has opened multiple investigations into allegations that some teams and the non-profit companies that run them have been inappropriately bought and sold.” That is according to Scott Oakman, GTHL’s executive director. . . . Westhead’s story is right here and it is jam-packed with information, a lot of which will have you shaking your head. Such as this:

“One hockey parent whose son plays in the GTHL described to TSN his negotiations in July 2021 to buy a 25 per cent stake in a AAA organization for $1 million, and a current coach of a GTHL U14 AAA team told TSN that two parents approached him in October and informed him that they had ‘bought’ the right to control his team for $50,000.

“ ‘We went for coffee. They showed me what the new lineup was going to be, with a few kids literally benched for two of three periods, and they told me to take it up with our owner if I had an issue, which I did,’ the coach said. ‘I asked my owner how he was going to explain this to the GTHL and he told me he wouldn’t have to because it was an all-cash deal, all off the books.’ ”

Somehow I think it’ll be a while before we’ve heard the end of this one.

If the WHL playoffs started today:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Winnipeg (1) vs. Swift Current (8)

Red Deer (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)

Saskatoon (3) vs. Regina (6)

Moose Jaw (4) vs. Lethbridge (5)

——

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (1) vs. Kelowna (8)

Kamloops (2) vs. Vancouver (7)

Portland (3) vs. Tri-City (6)

Prince George (4) vs. Everett (5)

——

TUESDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

The Kamloops Blazers scored the only two goals of a shootout and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2, in Kent, Wash. . . . This was a meeting between the Western Conference’s two division leaders. . . . Kamloops took a 1-0 lead at 12:02 of the first period when F Connor Levis (19) held the puck on a 2-on-1 and beat G Thomas Milic. . . . Blazers G Dylan Ernst preserved a 1-0 first-period lead by stuffing F Brad Lambert’s deke-to-the-backhand attempt on a penalty shot. . . . A tip by F Logan Stankoven (31) off a shot from the left wing by F Caedan Bankier just 38 seconds into the second period gave the visitors a 2-0 edge. . . . Seattle F Jared Davidson (35) cut into the Kamloops lead at 8:08, beating Ernst with a snapshot from the top rim of the left circle, and then tied the score at 12:20. . . . The Blazers won it on shootout goals from Bankier and F Matthew Seminoff. . . .  Ernst finished with 34 saves, five fewer than Milic. . . . Stankoven didn’t finish the game due to an undisclosed injury. Kamloops assistant coah Don Hay told Radio NL’s postgame show: “It might be a day-to-day, week-to-week type of injury.” . . . Kamloops (41-11-6) has won three in a row. . . . Seattle (48-9-3) had won its previous 13 games. . . . The Blazers and Thunderbirds are scheduled for two more meetings before the regular season ends — in Kent on March 21 and in Kamloops on March 22. . . .

G Ethan Eskit made 30 saves in his first WHL start to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . Eskit, who turned 17 on Jan. 7, is from Calgary. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 WHL draft. . . . F Keaton Sorensen (23), in his 200th regular-season game, got the Raiders started when he scored on a penalty shot at 15:48 of the first period. . . . Eskit was solid after that as his teammates built a 4-1 lead on second-period goals from F Dawson Pasternak (12), F Ben Thornton (3), F Calder Anderson (15) and F Nolan Ritchie (23). . . . The Raiders got third-period goals from F Ryder Ritchie (18) and F Sloan Stanick (21), the latter scoring at 19:37. . . . Brandon (24-28-8) had lost its previous two games. . . . Prince Albert (25-32-3) has lost three in a row. . . . Brandon is 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Calgary, three behind Swift Current and five in arrears of Medicine Hat. . . . Prince Albert is 11th, three points behind Brandon and now six points from a playoff spot. . . .

F Matt Savoie broke a 1-1 tie at 18:10 of the second period and the host Winnipeg Ice went on to a 3-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . This was the Ice’s first home game since Feb. 15; it went 8-2-0 on a lengthy road trip. Of its last nine games, including this one, seven will be played at home. . . . F Shane Smith (19) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 7:39 of the first period, only to have F Zach Benson (36) tie it at 10:03. . . . Savoie’s 34th goal, shorthanded, proved to be the winner. . . . F Conor Geekie (32) got the empty-netter. . . . The Ice has four 30-goal scorers on its roster and F Owen Pederson is at 29. The WHL record for most 30-goal scorers in one season is held by the 1986-87 Kamloops Blazers, who had nine of them. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 29 saves. This season, he is 33-4-1, 2.36, .914. In his career, he has won 74 of 84 decisions. . . . Winnipeg (50-9-1) is the first WHL team this season to 50 victories and 100 points. . . . Medicine Hat (26-25-9) had won its previous two games. . . .

Moon

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.

Sandals

Judge quashes class-action bid, but story not over . . . Saturday in WHL includes two 1-0 games . . . Stankoven keeps streak going

If you are one of those folks who believe that the pandemic is over, you should know a few things:

CovidAs of Saturday, 9 p.m. PT, the Coronavirus Resource Centre at Johns Hopkins University reports that 3,894 people died from COVID-19 in the U.S. in the past week, including 629 in the past day. . . . The total number of deaths in the U.S. is 1,111,485. . . .

In Canada, there were 201 deaths from COVID-19 in the past week, with 15 of those in the past day. That brought the total number of deaths in Canada to 50,704.

Over? Uhh, maybe not.

Rick Westhead of TSN reported on Saturday:

“Rather than approving a request from several former Canadian Hockey League CHLplayers to certify a hazing, bullying and abuse lawsuit filed three years ago against the CHL, its three major junior hockey leagues, and its teams as a class action, an Ontario judge has proposed an alternate potential path to justice.

“In a 103-page decision released late Friday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Perell applauded the bravery of former CHL players, including Dan Carcillo, Garrett Taylor and Stephen Quirk, for sharing their stories in a public forum but said the case was not suitable to proceed as a class-action lawsuit. . . .

“An abused hockey player has only individual causes of action against his own team and his own leagues . . .”

According to Westhead, Perell also wrote that “bullying, harassment, hazing, and criminal conduct is pervasive amongst the teams of the WHL, the teams of the OHL, the teams of the QMJHL, and the teams of the CHL. . . . Discrete wrongdoing by the defendants was pervasive, and to the shame of the perpetrators and their enablers discrete wrongdoing has been pervasive for decades.”

The judge also wrote: “The evidence establishes that some unknown number of . . . players in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL were hazed, bullied, assaulted, threatened, stigmatized, mocked, demeaned, derided, ridiculed, slandered, and humiliated by their teammates team staff, agents, employees, and servants of the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL.”

Westhead’s complete story is right here.

Smokey1

Smokey2There is more on the late Don (Smokey) McLeod, the WHA/NHLer from Trail, B.C., who was among the first goaltenders to use a curved stick. . . . Back in the day, Doug Soetaert, the former general manager of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, was tending goal for the Edmonton Oil Kings, At the same time, he recalls, the WHA’s Edmonton Oilers were playing out of the Edmonton Gardens. . . . McLeod would have been playing with the Houston Aeros or Vancouver Blazers at the time. . . . “I would go over after practice and help WHA visitors as stick boy,” Soetaert tells Taking Note. “He gave me one for helping him out.” . . . Soetaert sent me photos of that particular stick. You have to admit that’s some kind of curve. . . . Soetaert played four seasons (1971-75) with the Oil Kings before going on to a pro career that included 284 regular-season NHL games.

Headline from The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Financial advisors recommend buying grocery stock instead of groceries.

Shapes

SATURDAY’S WHL HIGHLIGHTS:

F Luca Hauf scored twice and added two assists to lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 5-1 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . The Oil Kings (8-37-3) had lost their previous two games. . . . Calgary (23-18-7) has lost five in a row (0-2-3). . . . Hauf, from Krefeld, Germany, turned 19 on Jan. 11. A freshman, he has 21 points, including five goals, in 40 games. This was his first four-point game and first multi-goal outing. . . . D Jacob Hoffrogge, who went into the game with two goals and two assists, all with the Everett Silvertips, this season, had three assists for Edmonton. It was his ninth game with the Oil Kings. . . . Attendance at the afternoon game in the Saddledome was announced at 9,843, meaning the Hitmen has played in front of 27,066 in its past two home games. . . . Calgary is sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Regina Pats. . . .

G Tyler Palmer stopped 35 shots and F Beau Courtney scored the only goal as the host Everett Silvertips got past the Seattle Thunderbirds, 1-0. . . . It was Palmer’s fourth career shutout; the first three came with the Victoria Royals. This was his 16th appearance since being acquired by Everett. . . . Courtney’s seventh goal of the season came at 18:04 of the first period. . . . Seattle was without D Jordan Gustafson and F Lucas Ciona, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . Seattle had beaten the Silvertips, 6-5 in OT, in Kent, Wash., on Friday. . . . The announced attendance of 8,249 was the Silvertips’ largest this season. . . . Everett (24-22-2) is fifth in the Western Conference, five points behind the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle (35-9-2) slipped back to second, one point behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . .

G Talyn Boyko stopped 51 shots to lead the host Kelowna Rockets to a 4-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Boyko stopped 17, 13 and 21 shots by period. He has four career shutouts, two this season. . . . D Elias Carmichael scored Kelowna’s last two goals. Carmichael, a 19-year-old from Langley, B.C., has five goals in 40 games this season. He went into the season with seven goals in 130 games. . . . With five players out with undisclosed injuries, the Rockets dressed 10 forwards and five defencemen. . . . The injured Rockets: D John Babcock, F Andrew Cristall, F Max Graham, F Ty Hurley and D Marek Rocak. . . . The Rockets (17-26-3) have won three in a row for the first time this season. They are eighth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Raiders (19-27-3) went 3-2-0 on their B.C. Division trek. They go home eight points out of a playoff spot. . . .

The Medicine Hat Tigers erased a 2-0 first-period deficit as they beat the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-2. . . . F Oasiz Wiesblatt (19) scored twice for theTigers, getting them on the scoreboard at 15:24 of the first period and breaking a 2-2 tie at 2:46 of the second. . . . The teams combined for five goals in the game’s first 22:46, then didn’t score again until F Tyler MacKenzie (13) got an empty-netter at 19:16 of the third. . . . The Tigers got 35 stops from G Evan May, who posted his second WHL victory in his 16th appearance. . . . The announced attendance was 2,276. They are expecting about 7,000 fans today for a visit by F Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats. . . . Medicine Hat (20-21-8) has points in seven straight games (5-0-2) and has closed to within one point of the eighth-place Swift Current Broncos in the Eastern Conference. . . . Lethbridge (27-18-5) is fifth in the conference. . . .

The Portland Winterhawks scored the game’s last three goals to beat the visiting Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . It was a bounce-back victory of the Winterhawks, who had been beaten, 6-1, by the Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday night. . . . G Gabe Klassen (28) snapped a 1-1 tie at 13:30 of the second period and F Aidan Litke (12) added insurance at 19:16. . . . G Dante Giannuzzi stopped 25 shots in running his numbers this season to 22-6-2, 2.94, .905. . . .  The Winterhawks remain without F Chaz Lucius and also scratched F Robbie Fromm-Delorme, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . Portland (35-10-3), which has clinched a playoff spot, had lost its previous two games. This victory moved it back atop the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Americans (25-17-5) hadn’t lost in regulation time since dropping a 2-1 decision to the Chiefs in Spokane on Dec. 30. The Americans went on a 10-0-3 run after that loss. . . . Tri-City is fourth in the Western Conference. . . .

F Koehn Ziemmer scored twice and F Chase Wheatcroft set a club record as the host Prince George Cougars beat the Victoria Royals, 4-2. . . . The Cougars had won 8-1 in the first game of the weekend doubleheader on Friday night. . . . Ziemmer, who has 29 goals, gave his guys a 3-1 lead at 5:14 of the third period, then made it 4-2 at 19:50 with the empty-netter. . . . Wheatcroft scored his 30th goal of the season for a 1-0 lead at 5:13 of the first period. It was his 19th on the PP and that’s a club single-season record. He had shared the record with F Berkeley Buchko (2000-01). . . . Prince George (21-21-4) is sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Victoria (14-31-5) is ninth, four points behind the eighth-place Kelowna Rockets. . . . In Friday’s game, the Royals lost F Jamie Poole, their leading scorer, and F Matthew Hodson with undisclosed injuries. They already were without D  Gannon Laroque, F Brayden Schuurman and D Austin Zemlak. . . . Things don’t get any easier for the Royals as they are to play their third game in fewer than 48 hours in Kamloops today. . . .

G Ethan Chadwick stopped 34 shots to lead the host Saskatoon Blades to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Ice. . . . Chadwick, who turned 19 on Jan. 27, is from Saskatoon. He is 14-7-2, 2.67, .898 in his sophomore season. . . . F Jake Chiasson (13) broke a 2-2 tie at 3:21 of the third period. . . . F Connor McClennon scored both Winnipeg goals, giving him 30 this season. He has 250 career points, including 122 goals, in 220 regular-season games. . . . Saskatoon was 2-for-2 on the PP; Winnipeg was 1-for-2. . . . The Blades scratched G Austin Elliott, F Justin Liens, F Tyler Parr, F Josh Pillar, F Conner Roulette and F Jayden Wiens, all with undisclosed injuries, and D Blake Gustafson, who was ill. . . . Saskatoon plays at home today (Brandon) and Tuesday (Edmonton) before heading out on a B.C. Division tour that begins Friday in Kamloops. . . . The Blades (31-12-4) are third in the Eastern Conference, nine points behind Winnipeg (37-7-1), which had won four in a row, and four points behind the Red Deer Rebels. . . .

F Ben King scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 1-0 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane. . . . It was the first game in the Rebels’ U.S. Division tour. . . . The Rebels got 26 saves from G Kyle Kelsey. . . . G Dawson Cowan stopped 45 shots at the other end. . . . Red Deer (34-10-4) leads the Central Division and is three points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Winnipeg Ice. . . . The Chiefs now are 9-33-5 and have lost six in a row (0-4-2). . . .

F Logan Stankoven had a goal and two assists in running his point streak to 32 games as the Kamloops Blazers skated past the Vancouver Giants, 4-2, in Langley, B.C. . . . Stankoven was late in starting this WHL season because he was in camp with the NHL’s Dallas Stars, and he later missed some games while winning gold with Canada at the World Junior Championship. He has played in 32 games now, and has at least one point in each of them. He has 71 points, including 27 goals, in what now is the WHL’s longest active point streak. . . . F Matthew Seminoff (19) scored twice for the Blazers. . . . F Ryan Hofer got his 31st goal and added an assist for Kamloops, giving him six points in two games. He had three goals and an assist on Friday in a 6-4 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Kamloops (30-10-6) has won three in a row. The Blazers will finish atop the B.C. Division. . . . Vancouver (18-24-6) has lost four in a row. It is seventh in the conference, five points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets.

Flatearthers

The U of Calgary Dinos men’s hockey team extended its Canada West-record winning streak to 21 games with a 5-3 victory over the visiting Manitoba Bisons on Saturday. . . . The Dinos had beaten the Bisons, 5-1, on Friday.

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.

Soup

Storm wins KIJHL’s long game . . . Heidt sparks Cougars in front of large crowd . . . Big crowd in Saskatoon for Blades victory . . . Hitmen run winning streak to seven

Mask

KamStormnewThe junior B Kamloops Storm scored twice in the shootout to defeat the Columbia Valley Rockies, 5-4, in a Kootenay International Junior Hockey League game that began on Friday night and finished Sunday afternoon in Invermere, B.C. . . . The Storm and Rockies were tied, 1-1, with 1:05 left in the third period on Friday when an ammonia alarm sounded in the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena. . . . They weren’t able to finish the game that night. With both teams scheduled to play Saturday, the KIJHL chose to have the Storm, which travelled to Creston and beat the Thunder Cats, 5-4 in OT, return to Invermere to finish up on Sunday. . . . Repairs were made to the refrigeration plant in time for the Rockies to drop a 4-1 decision to the Kimberley Dynamiters on Saturday. . . . On Sunday, Kamloops got shootout goals from F Jake Phillips-Watts and F Evan Douglas, with F Keenan Ingram counting for the Rockies. . . . If you’re wondering, the KIJHL picked up any extra expenses incurred by the Storm during their extra time on the road.

SUNDAY IN THE WHL:

The host Prince George Cougars scored five first-period goals and went on to PrinceGeorgebeat the Vancouver Giants, 6-4. . . . The Cougars (10-9-0) had lost their previous two games, including a 5-4 setback at the hands of the visiting Giants on Saturday night. . . . Vancouver (7-8-4) had been 3-0-1 in its previous four games. . . . The Giants actually led this one 2-0 before it was five minutes old. But the Cougars counted five times before the first period ended, two of them from F Riley Heidt, to take control. . . . Heidt (10) completed his hat trick at 17:01 of the second period for a 6-2 lead. . . . Vancouver got a goal and an assist from F Samuel Honzek (12) in the third period to get within two. . . . The Giants, who had five shots on goal in the first period and four in the second, held a 13-0 edge in the third. . . . The announced attendance was 4,821, the Cougars’ largest home crowd this season. They announced 4,463 on Saturday. . . . Those are the two largest crowds in the CN Centre since Feb. 17, 2020, when the Cougars dropped a 4-2 decision to the Red Deer Rebels before a crowd that was announced at 5,971. . . .

The Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s first three goals en route to a 5-2 Saskatoonvictory over the visiting Regina Pats. . . . The Blades (14-4-0) have won three in a row. . . . The Pats (9-9-2) had points in three straight (2-0-1) before this one. . . . The Pats were playing their fourth game in five days and third in fewer than 48 hours. This also was the first outing in a 10-game road trip that will taken them into the B.C. Division. . . . F Jayden Wiens (5) scored two PP goals for Saskatoon. . . . F Connor Bedard ran his point streak to 19 games with a goal (18) and an assist. . . . The Pats had D Corbin Vaughan back in the lineup after he completed his second four-game suspension since Oct. 13. . . . Attendance was announced at 7,868, the largest in Saskatoon since 9,188 showed up to watch the Blades beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2, on March 15, 2019. . . .

In Everett, the Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last four goals to beat the CalgarySilvertips, 6-3. . . . Calgary (10-4-2) has won seven in a row, including the first two games of a U.S. Division tour. . . . Everett (12-6-0) had a four-game winning streak snapped. . . . Everett took a 3-2 lead into the third period. . . . F Zac Funk pulled Calgary even at 1:01, then gave his mates a 4-3 lead with his fourth goal of the season, on a PP, at 2:24. . . . D Tyson Galloway (3) scored once and added two assists for Calgary as he figured in each of the last three goals.

——

Eyes

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Elon Musk suspended from Twitter for impersonating competent businessman.

CNN

Shark

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

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

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

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Fox

Punch hits 90! Happy Birthday!! . . . Aldridge: We have lost the impact of shame in our society . . . Svatos’ brain showed CTE

David Aldridge of The Athletic wrote a superb column on the latest imbroglio involving Kyrie Irving and the New York Nets. Here is just one paragraph:

“We have lost the impact of shame in our society. The notion that certain things shouldn’t be done, and certain things shouldn’t be said, because they would bring shame to us and embarrassment to our families. You didn’t steal candy from the store not just because you feared getting caught and arrested; you didn’t steal because it was wrong, and because if you got caught, you would be ashamed of what you did. So this isn’t just about Kyrie Irving. It’s about a team that, in the pursuit of a championship, seems incapable of self-reflection, of someone saying ‘Whoa. Maybe we shouldn’t do this.’ ”

And then along came the Boston Bruins on Friday to announce the signing of F Mitchell Miller, a player who was a fourth-round selection by the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL’s 2020 draft.

The Coyotes later did some due diligence and discovered an extremely unsavoury situation in Miller’s past, so they renounced his rights. As Sportsnet reported: “Miller . . . had assaulted, bullied and abused a Black classmate with a learning disability.” The victim has said that this went on for years.

No matter. The Bruins, without speaking with the victim’s family, signed Miller to a three-year entry-level deal. He will report to the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

“Marek Svatos, who played parts of eight NHL seasons and skated for Slovakia in the 2006 Olympics in Torino, had the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of his death in 2016,” writes Rick Westhead of TSN. “Svatos’ wife, Diana, confirmed his posthumous diagnosis in a series of recent interviews with TSN. Diana – who said the date of her husband’s death has been misreported on the Internet – wanted to speak publicly about Svatos’ life and death because she says it was more complicated than media reports have portrayed.

“Svatos died Nov. 4, 2016, at the age of 34 in his home in Lone Tree, Colo. A coroner reported Svatos had codeine, morphine and anti-anxiety medication in his system when he died, The Denver Post reported at the time. His official cause of death was an accidental overdose, Diana said.”

Svatos played two seasons (2000-02) with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice.

Westhead’s complete story — it’s a tough but important read — is right here.

Prince

“An upstart Okanagan hockey program is coming under fire by a parent who claims allegations of hazing and cyber bullying within the program are being dismissed,” Wayne Moore of castanet.net wrote earlier this week. “James Kellett levelled those accusations against Okanagan HC which operates three teams (U18, U15 and U14) within the new Junior Prospect Hockey League. The accusations are at this point unproven, but have triggered a public statement and investigation from the league.

“Accusations include hazing, what Kellett termed sexual misconduct involving cyber bullying and other off ice infractions involving the organization. Many came about during a road trip from Sept. 20 to 25 in Edmonton.”

Moore’s complete story is right here.

On Friday, Carli Berry of infotel.ca reported that the RCMP is investigating the situation after “receiving information about misconduct” within the Okanagan HC.

Berry wrote: “RCMP initiated the investigation after receiving information Nov. 3 about misconduct and it is being handled by the Kelowna Vulnerable Persons Section as it involves people under the age of 18, according to a RCMP media release.”

Friday in the WHL . . .

If you aren’t already following Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) on Twitter for WHL stats and info, you should be.

The Red Deer Rebels ran their season-opening record to 14-0-0 with a 4-1 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. . . . The 1967-68 Estevan Bruins RedDeerhold the WHL record for longest season-opening winning streak, at 22 games. . . . The Rebels tied a franchise record with 14 straight victories; the 2001-02 team also won 14 in a row. . . . The Broncos had won their previous four games. . . . F Kai Uchacz scored twice, giving him 13, and added an assist. . . . Uchacz now is tied for the WHL goal-scoring lead, along with F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, F Austin Roest of the Everett Silvertips and F Reid Schaefer of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Rebels had a 41-20 edge in shots, including 20-8 in the third period. . . . Next up for the Rebels? Their nine-game road trip continues tonight with stop No. 3, a visit to the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . .

The Tri-City Americans overcame a 3-1 third-period deficit and beat the host Tri-CityBrandon Wheat Kings 4-3 on a goal by D Lukas Dragicevic at 3:11 of OT. . . . Dragicevic, 17, has three goals and nine assists in a nine-game point streak. On the season, he has five goals and 14 assists in 15 games. . . . Tri-City snapped a three-game losing skid; Brandon has lost five straight. . . . The Americans are 2-3-0 in a six-game swing into the East Division that will end with a game tonight against the Winnipeg Ice. . . . The Americans trailed 3-1 early in the third period, then tied it on goals from F Jake Sloan, at 7:47, on a PP, and F Ethan Ernst, at 15:16. . . . F Nate Danielson scored one of Brandon’s goals while it was two-men short. . . . F Cash Koch, the 24th overall selection in the 2022 WHL draft, made his Tri-City debut. Koch, 15, is from Calgary. . . .

F Rhett Melnyk’s fourth goal of the season, at 3:57 of OT, gave the host Edmonton Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . F Carson Golder, a former Victoria player, gave Edmonton a 3-1 lead at 17:52 of the second period. . . . The Royals tied it on goals from F Alex Edwards, at 19:30, and F Anthony Wilson, at 3:56 of the third. . . . Victoria went 1-4-1 on its Central Division trip and now is 3-12-3. . . . The Oil Kings, who had lost nine in a row, are 2-12-1. . . .

The Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to five with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The game was played at the 2,000-seat Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuut’ina First Nation. Announced attendance was 1,096. . . . F Riley Fiddler-Schultz had a goal and two assists for the Hitmen. . . . The Tigers have lost four straight (0-2-2). . . .

F Samuel Honzek and F Jaden Lipinski scored shootout goals to give the visiting VancouverVancouver Giants a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Honzek and Lipinski also had regulation-time goals for the Giants, who completed their Central Division trip with a 3-2-1 record. . . . F Ty Thorpe had a goal and two assists for the Giants. . . . F Cole Shepherd scored once and drew two assists for Lethbridge, which acquired Shepherd, 20, from the Giants prior the start of the season for a third-round pick in the WHL’s 2023 draft. . . .

F Robbie Fromm-Delorme set up three goals, two of them on the PP, to lead the PortlandPortland Winterhawks to a 5-1 victory over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland scored the game’s first four goals. . . . Seattle F Kyle Crnkovic had his point streak end at 11 games. Acquired from the Saskatoon Blades as the season was getting started, he had at least one point in each of Seattle’s first 11 games. He has seven goals and 10 assists in 12 games. . . . F Jared Davidson, Seattle’s leading scorer, was scratched with an undisclosed injury, while F Mekai Sanders played his first game this season. Sanders last played a game on March 18; he missed all of Seattle’s run to the 2022 WHL final thanks to a knee injury. . . . These two teams will meet 12 times this season, with a second meeting tonight, this time in Kent, Wash. . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s final two goals to beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2. . . . F Riley Ginnell tied it at 4:19 and F Jagger Firkus snapped the deadlock with a shorthanded goal at 5:25. . . . The Warriors are without head coach Mark O’Leary, who is one of the Canadian coaches at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge ongoing in Langley, B.C. . . .

D Ty Gibson scored twice to help the Everett Silvertips to a 5-3 victory over the EverettBlades in Saskatoon. . . . Gibson, a 19-year-old from Victoria, went into the night with three goals in 98 career regular-season games. This season, he has three goals and an assist in 15 games. . . . F Austin Roest scored his 13th goal of the season and added an assist for Everett. This was his fourth straight game with a goal and an assist. . . . The Silvertips are 3-2-0 on a six-game East Division trip that concludes tonight against the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .

The Prince George Cougars got two goals from F Chase Wheatcroft in a 7-2 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane. . . . The Chiefs have lost six in a row. . . . The Cougars got three assists from Slovakian D Viliam Kmec. It was the sophomore’s first three-point game; he had four two-pointers last season, the final one on Dec. 10. . . . He has six points, all assists, in 15 games this season.

Grouchy

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

F Ben Thornton doesn’t have a timeline for returning to play with the Brandon BrandonWheat Kings, but has been cleared to fly so will be rejoining his teammates on Monday. He has been doing what his father, Erin, told Taking Note is “very light exercise this week” and is waiting to see how he responds to that. . . . Thornton was injured on Oct. 14 during a game against the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. He absorbed a nasty hit, was taken off the ice on a stretcher and then went via ambulance to Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster. He spent on night in hospital and since then has been at the family home in Chilliwack while dealing with concussion-related issues. . . .

The BCHL’s Penticton Vees are 15-0-0 after beating the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings, 4-0, on Friday night. . . . The Vees are scheduled to entertain the Wenatchee Wild tonight. . . . The Wild improved to 3-9-1 with a 5-4 OT victory over the visiting Merritt Centennials last night. . . .

The Prince George Cougars acquired F Cole Dubinsky, who is to turn 20 on Dec. 4, from the Regina Pats on Friday, giving up F Zackary Shantz, 17, and third-round selection in the 2023 WHL draft in the exchange. . . . The Cougars now have the maximum three 2002-born players on their roster, the others being F Noah Boyko and F Chase Wheatcroft. . . . Dubinsky, from Ardrossan, Alta., was a fourth-round pick by Regina in the 2017 WHL draft. He put up 38 goals and 65 assists in 203 regular-season games with Regina. This season, he had two goals and five assists in 11 games. . . . Shantz, from Sucker Creek, Alta., was a third-round pick by the Cougars in the 2020 WHL draft. A WHL freshman, he is pointless in four games this season. . . . Regina now is carrying three 20-year-olds — F Jakob Brook, D Luke Bateman and D Tanner Brown. . . .

The Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Junior Hockey League fired head coach Matt Valley on Friday. The Walleye, which plays out of the municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, Ont., was 49-12-2-1 in Valley’s two and a half seasons behind the bench, and he was the SIJHL’s coach of the year for 2021-22. . . . “It was a tough decision for our organization,” general manager Kevin McCallum said, “but we believed we had to make a decision on bringing in a full-time coach.” . . . McCallum and Vern Ray, the hockey operations advisor, will handle the coaching duties while a search for a replacement continues.

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.

Zeuss

Scattershooting on a Monday night after KIJHL rocked by Creston Valley hazing incident . . .

Scattershooting2

While Hockey Canada was busy trying to determine whether the mess it finds itself in has been swept far enough under the carpet so as to cut down the glare, CrestonValleythe Kootenay International Junior Hockey League was dealing with a hazing incident.

What’s that? You thought hazing was a thing of the past.

Well, think again.

Following a quick investigation, the KIJHL, a junior B league with 19 teams in the Interior of B.C. and one inactive franchise in Spokane, dropped the hammer on the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.

In a news release, the league said it learned of the incident on Sept. 13 and “immediately suspended team activities, including the cancellation of the team’s exhibition game” on Sept. 14. Creston Valley was to have played host to the Fernie Ghostriders that night.

On Sept. 15, the league sent staff into Creston to “conduct interviews with . . . players and coaches.”

“Throughout this process,” the league said, it “has consulted with its Safe Sport partner, ITP Sport, and with BC Hockey.”

On Monday, the league announced that the Thunder Cats have been fined an undisclosed amount and been “placed on probation for a period of two years.”

“During this time,” the news release continued, “the Thunder Cats must take proactive steps to ensure a positive team culture free from abuse, bullying and harassment. Any occurrence of a similar incident will result in further sanctions.”

Furthermore, members of the Thunder Cats “will be required to complete training designed to identify and eliminate instances of abuse, bullying and harassment.”

The KIJHL also suspended two members of the team’s leadership group — captain Clayton Brown, a 20-year-old defenceman from Beaverlodge, Alta., will sit out 12 games and alternate captain Campbell McLean, who will turn 20 on Nov. 4, is to miss six games, both “for violations of the league’s individual conduct policy.” McLean, a forward, is from Whitecourt, Alta.

“The KIJHL is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for our athletes, volunteers, staff and fans,” Jeff Dubois, the KIJHL’s commissioner, said in the news release. “What occurred in Creston was unacceptable, and the discipline imposed against the Thunder Cats’ organization and members of the team reflect our zero-tolerance approach to these types of incidents.

“Our investigation made clear that we have considerable work to do in order to educate our players on the standard of behaviour and leadership expected of them in a team environment. We take this responsibility seriously, and we are taking immediate steps to address this issue.”

The news release concluded with the one sentence that has become standard when leagues are dealing with these kinds of issues:

“The KIJHL will not comment further on this matter.”

Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun: “Hockey Canada seems to be carrying on as if nothing is wrong and all is well. Somebody from the government, somebody with some kind of power, somebody with sponsorship clout needs to unseat the board of directors and replace the senior executives without much delay. Otherwise, it will just be same old, same old.”

Inn

Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Nebraska — college football bluebloods — got taken down in Week 2 by supposed cannon fodder Appalachian State, Marshall and Georgia Southern. Even worse, they each had to cough up $1 million-plus in appearance fees to the teams that beat them. Well, as mom always used to say, ‘Don’t play with your food!’ ”

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Perry, again: “Nebraska has fired its last four football coaches — Bill Callahan, Bo Pelini, Mike Riley and Scott Frost — and paid them a combined $32 million in buyouts, all within a year of awarding them contract extensions. In other words, Groundhog Day I, II, III and IV.”

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Local consultant not sure what he does, either.

——

Headline at TheOnion.com — Referees call for replay to admire great call.

THINKING OUT LOUD — ICYMI, Arizona State fired head football coach Herm Edwards on Sunday. Yes, he’s the former NFL coach. The Sun Devils are 1-2 this season and the program is under NCAA investigation. ASU could be on the hook for a payout of more than $9 million, though, because Edwards was signed through 2024. That’s still less than the $15 million that Nebraska will be coughing up after dumping head coach Scott Frost after just two games. . . . There are a lot of great stories in this young NFL season, but none will bear watching more than the San Francisco 49ers. I have never really understood how it was that QB Jimmy Garoppolo fell out of favour there, but they weren’t able to move him. Of course, now he’s the starter after Trey Lance broke his right ankle on Sunday and had season-ending surgery on Monday. . . . BTW, Garoppolo pocketed more than $750,000 on Sunday, including a $382,000 game cheque. Grant Marek of sfgate.com has more on Garoppolo’s contract situation right here, and it’s an interesting read. . . . You may have noticed that the New York Mets, Yankees, Jets and Giants all won on Sunday. That’s the first time that has happened since Sept. 27, 2009. So all was well with the Big Apple as another week began.

Ignorance

Scott Ostler, in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Congratulations to Scottie Pippen for being the latest big sports star to lend his name and fame to the LIV Golf circuit. Pippen filmed a heartfelt commercial welcoming the LIV tour to Chicago. Maybe he figures we’ll all stop calling him basketball’s greatest sidekick, and start calling him the murderin’ Saudis’ goofiest pawn.”

——

Here’s Ostler again, this time with a great idea: “If MLB hitters have walk-up songs, they should also be required to have slink-back songs for when they strike out, songs to be chosen by the opposing team’s pitching staff. Some possibles: ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,’ ‘I’m Missing You,’ ‘Heat of the Moment,’ ‘Walk Away, Renee,’ and ‘Blue Bayou’ (blew by you).”

Asked how he felt rookie RB Jaylen Warren fared in his first NFL game, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin replied: “He didn’t urinate down his leg, man — that’s a great place to begin.”

Blinker

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.

Iron

Hasek speaking out against Russian invasion . . . Clouston: Pats ‘going to try to add’ . . . TWU adds Beach as assistant coach

As another hockey season arrives and dictator Vladimir Putin’s Russia continues its war on Ukraine, the impact, or lack of same, on professional hockey hasn’t been much of a story.

But former NHL goaltender Dominik Hasek is working to get it into the headlines.

Here’s a chunk from Ken Campbell of Hockey Unfiltered:

More than a decade after his Hall of Fame career, Hasek has not stopped taking the road less travelled. He’s one of the very few athletes, past or present, who has the courage to speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying Russian NHLers should be suspended and Czech players should be barred from playing in the KHL, the league in which he played in the final season of his career. He also thinks that the government in Czechia should bar any Russians playing for the Nashville Predators (winger Yakov Trenin) and San Jose Sharks (wingers Alexander Barbanov and Evgeni Svechnikov) from playing in Prague when the two teams kick off the NHL’s regular season there Oct. 7 and 8.

“It will be a beautiful hockey celebration,” Hasek told Hockey Unfiltered in a telephone interview. “At the same time, however, I am doing everything to ensure that no Russian players can play here and that they cannot make multimillion-dollar advertisements for Russia and its war and killings in Ukraine.”

Hasek also has thoughts on Russians playing in the NHL. Campbell writes: “Hasek believes all Russian-born NHL players should be suspended by the NHL, with the suspensions lifted only if and when they denounce Russia’s actions.”

Of course, there are people in the hockey community who don’t agree with Hasek.

If you haven’t already, you should hunt up Campbell’s Hockey Unfiltered site and check out stories like this one.

——

Are you waiting for the Regina Pats to trade F Connor Bedard, who is the favourite to be the No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2023 draft? Well, perhaps you Reginashouldn’t be holding your breath. In fact, what if the Pats are working to add to their roster in the hopes of making a run this season? . . . The Kamloops Blazers will be the host team for the 2023 Memorial Cup and there has been ample speculation that they are eager to land Bedard. Shaun Clouston, the Blazers’ general manager and head coach, isn’t so sure that Bedard will come available. “I think Regina is going to evaluate things,” Clouston told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week. “The information we have is they’re not trading him right now. They believe they have a generational-type player and they’re going to try to add. So, right now, that’s the direction they’re going and I guess time will tell if they’re able to get to a place where they feel confident kind of going all-in at some point with Connor Bedard as the centrepiece or whether they change that mindset. But that, right now, from our understanding, is their mindset They’re looking to add right now.” . . . Hastings’ complete story is right here.

Cotton

The Medicine Hat Tigers have added F Alex Drover, 20, to their roster. Drover, from Port-aux-Basques, Nfld., spent the previous four seasons in the QMJHL. MedicineHatHe played with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Saint John Sea Dogs and Rimouski Oceanic, totalling 29 goals and 48 assists in 178 regular-season games. Last season, he put up 37 points, including 14 goals, in 44 games with Rimouski. . . . Drover is one of four 20-year-olds in camp with the Tigers, the others being F Brendan Lee, F Dallon Melin and Finnish F Oskari Kuntonen, who was selected by Medicine Hat in the CHL’s 2020 import draft. Last season, he had six goals and 20 assists in 24 games with KooKoo’s U20 side. Melin is coming off four seasons with the Red Deer Rebels; he had 11 goals and 13 assist in 67 games in 2021-22. Lee was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades last season; he finished with 10 goals and 11 assists in 52 games, 22 of them with the Tigers. . . . Melin had two assists Friday in a 6-3 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. Lee had one assist; Drover was pointless.

WillieNelson

Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle, on the retirement announcement from tennis great Roger Federer:

“Once a teenage brat who would throw his racket on the court, Federer grew up and evolved and became the definition of class and sportsmanship.

“He was doing that in an era of what often seemed relentlessly boorish and unbecoming behavior by professional athletes. When star athletes too often seemed to do something to let their public down, to embarrass themselves or to fail to understand the privilege and position they have.

“Federer never did that. In a modern era of scrutiny and social media, he was a safe harbor.”

The Tofino Resort and Marina, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is owned by a group that includes retired NHLers Willie Mitchell and Dan Hamhuis. The latter also is one of the six men who own the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. . . . Something happened at the resort on Sunday night that has resulted in a management change, the closure of the place for a week or so, and a whole lot of speculation as to what caused it all. . . . Patrick Johnston of Postmedia has that story right here.

THINKING OUT LOUD — F Nick Suzuki may have been given the captain’s ‘C’ this week, but isn’t F Brendan Gallagher really the captain? Gallagher is one of those players who doesn’t need the ‘C’ to be the captain. . . . If F Connor Bedard really is a generational talent — and all signs point to that being an accurate evaluation — how would the Regina Pats explain it to their fans were they to trade him away? . . . There looked to be a lot of empty seats at Mosaic Stadium on Friday night, but the ticket holders who did show up didn’t hesitate to let their feelings be known as their favourites dropped a 26-24 decision to the Edmonton Elks. Yes, it was ugly. . . . The Roughriders are 3-5 at home. They once were 3-0. Whoops!

THE COACHING GAME:

Former WHL F Kyle Beach has joined the Trinity Western U Spartans of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League as an assistant coach. . . . From Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News: “Last fall, Beach made headlines stepping forward as ‘John Doe’ in a case in which Beach was sexually assaulted by Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2009-10 season. The case made international news headlines, and eventually resulted in a confidential settlement between the Blackhawks and Beach made in December of 2021.” . . . Beach, 32, is from Kelowna. He played in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Spokane Chiefs (2005-10). . . . Beach and TWU head coach Ben Walter, who is in his first season, were teammates with EC Salzburg in Austria’s EBEL and won championships together in 2015 and 2016. . . . Beach spent the past two seasons with the Ten Art BlackDragons in Austria, playing in Germany’s Oberliga. In those two seasons, he totalled 110 points, including 58 goals, in 68 games.

Shifter

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Gino De Paoli is the new play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. The team made the announcement on Friday, three days after he announced he was leaving the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. He had been the voice of the Oilers for 11 seasons. . . . Scott Roblin handled the Tigers’ play-by-play on CHAT last season after Bob Ridley, the only radio voice the team had known since it entered the WHL for the 1970-71 season, took time off for health-related reasons. . . . Roblin left Medicine Hat over the summer and now is covering sports for Global TV in Saskatoon. . . .

Kevin Kaminski, the general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves, begins the regular season by starting a 10-game suspension. From the Ice Wolves: “The suspension is the result of reports received by the league after the final playoff game of last season that was played March 27. The sanction is under appeal but until this is finalized, we will comply with the suspension and assistant coach Kyle Schneider will lead the bench.” . . . Playing at home on March 27, the Ice Wolves dropped a 5-3 decision to the Humboldt Broncos in Game 6. The Broncos won the series, 4-2. . . . The Ice Wolves opened their regular season on Friday night with a 7-4 victory over the visiting Nipawin Hawks.

Sales

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.

Milkshake

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