Here’s Ken Campbell of Hockey Unfiltered, in a piece headlined ‘Vegas won the Cup the old-fashioned way: They earned it’:
“No, the NHL did not gift the Golden Knights a Stanley Cup. The rival GMs who tried to outsmart the expansion draft and subsequently got fleeced by George McPhee did. If you need any further proof of that, just look at the team the Golden Knights vanquished in the final. The Florida Panthers gave Vegas Reilly Smith so they would select Jonathan Marchessault instead of defenceman Alex Petrovic, who hasn’t played in the NHL in four seasons and finished up this season with the Texas Stars of the AHL. The Anaheim Ducks traded Shea Theodore to the Golden Knights in exchange for not selecting the unprotected Sami Vatanen or Josh Manson. The Minnesota Wild dealt Alex Tuch — whom the Golden Knights ultimately leveraged to get Jack Eichel — so they would take Erik Haula.”
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Want more on the Stanley Cup-champion Golden Knights? Greg Wyshynski of ESPN has a terrific read right here. He writes about the Golden Knights and how they were built, warts and all, and a whole lot more. It’s lengthy but well worth the time.
Henri Richard, who won 11 Stanley Cups while playing with the Montreal Canadiens, is the latest former NHLer to have been found to be suffering with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died on March 6, 2020. . . . Richard, who was 84 when he died, played with the Canadiens for 20 seasons (1955-75). He was the Pocket Rocket; his brother Maurice was the Rocket. . . . Henri’s son, Denis, has gone public with the findings of Stage 3 CTE (Stage 4 is the worst). “I hope my father’s brain donation and diagnosis will lead to more prevention efforts, research and eventually a CTE treatment,” Denis said in a statement. “I want people to understand this is a disease that impacts athletes far beyond football.” . . . Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender who played with Richard, also released a statement in which he said: “I played with Henri. We won two Cups together. He fits none of the easy stereotypes, checks none of the easy boxes. Played in a different time, old-time hockey, all the fights? Not Henri. Big hitter? Not Henri. . . . Like Stan Mikita and Ralph Backstrom, he was a great skater, and physical, but he had a playmaker’s mind, and played that way. But all those hits to the head. We have to understand, whatever the sport, a hit to the head is not a good thing.” . . . Mikita and Backstrom both were found to have CTE when they died. . . . There is more on this story right here.
From Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press:
“The tremors triggered by the B.C. Hockey League’s recent split with Hockey Canada are rumbling toward the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
“One star player — 19-year-old Portage Terriers right-winger Austin Peters — has already committed to playing for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs and others may soon follow.”
As Sawatzky points out, BCHL teams no longer have to pay compensation of any sort when signing players who have been in leagues that operate inside Hockey Canada.
Barry Wolff, the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders, who has extensive experience in the BCHL, told Sawatzky: “I think you’ll see those kind of high-end skilled guys leaving. It’s unfortunate there’s no compensation and I guess in our world, we would hope that some way, some how they would honour something because basically they can phone any of your guys and take them. On the flip side, we can do the same to their players but the chances of that happening is a little tougher.”
Sawatzky’s complete story is right here.
Congrats to Bill O’Donovan on the news that RTNDA Canada is presenting him with its 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. . . . When he isn’t the public address announcer at Kamloops Blazers’ games, O’Donovan is the lead news anchor — a position he has filled since 2001 — and producer at CFJC-TV in Kamloops. . . . Bill and I go back to the late-1980s when he was at CKCK-TV in Regina and I was at The Leader-Post. We may have gone head-to-head in the odd Strat-O-Matic baseball game, too. . . . RTNDA? Radio Television Digital News Association.
F Noah Philp, who spent four seasons in the WHL, has retired from hockey after spending one season in the pro game. Philp, 24, put up 37 points, 19 of them goals, in 70 games with the Bakersfield Condors, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton had signed him to a one-year entry-level deal after he played three seasons with the U of Alberta Golden Bears and had expressed interest in re-signing him. . . . Before joining the Golden Bears, Philp played two seasons (2015-17) with the Kootenay Ice and two (2017-19) with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Philp said: “I’m at a time in my life where I want to focus on things outside the realm of hockey. I’m doing well and wish all the best to the players, coaches and staff in Bakersfield and in Edmonton.”
F Mike Vecchione scored twice and added an assist on Thursday as the host Hershey Bears beat the Coachella Valley Firebirds, 3-2, to tie the AHL’s championship final, 2-2. . . . They’ll play Game 5 in Hershey on Saturday and then head to Thousand Palms, Calif., to finish the series with games on Monday and, if needed, Wednesday. . . . Last night, Vecchione’s second goal of the game, and fourth of the playoffs, broke a 1-1 tie at 3:03 of the second period. . . . F Ethen Frank (2) upped the lead to 3-1 at 14:24. . . . F Jesper Froden (5) got the Firebirds to within a goal at 7:01 of the third period but they weren’t able to pull even down the stretch.
THE COACHING GAME:
Gordon Burnett, an assistant coach with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, has been named the head coach of the U of Manitoba Bisons. He will take over from the retiring Mike Sirant, who spent more than 30 years with the Bisons as a player, assistant coach and head coach. . . . Burnett spent three seasons with the Warriors. He also was on the staff of the Kootenay Ice for four seasons. . . . Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press reported on May 30 that the Bisons were expected to turn to Burnett as their next head coach.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
The Seattle Thunderbirds have acquired 2004-born German F Luca Hauf from the Edmonton Oil Kings for an eighth-round selection in the WHL’s 2024 draft. . . . That draft pick originally belonged to the Vancouver Giants. . . . Hauf had five goals and 16 assists in 45 games last season. He has played for Germany at each of the past two World Junior Championships. He had one goal in five games in the 2023 tournament. . . . The Oil Kings’ roster still includes 2005-born Czechia D Vojtech Port, who had four goals and 13 assists in 48 games as a freshman last season. . . . Hauf joins 2003-born F Brad Lambert, who is from Finland, on Seattle’s roster. Lambert, however, is unlikely to return. He started last season with the Manitoba Moose, the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, and is almost certain to be in the pro ranks next season. He also is heading into his 20-year-old season. . . . The 2023 CHL import draft is scheduled for July 5. . . .
D Chase Friedt-Mohr and D Nicco Camazzola, both preparing for their 20-year-old seasons, were placed on waivers by the Tri-City Americans and both have cleared. Thus, they both are free agents. . . . Friedt-Mohr, from Prince Albert, has split 125 regular-season games between the Americans, Spokane Chiefs and Edmonton Oil Kings. He has eight goals and 13 assists over those games. . . . From Burnaby, Camazzola put up three goals and six assists in 107 regular-season games — 16 with the Americans and 91 with the Vancouver Giants. . . .
F Blake Eastman, another player heading into his 20-year-old season, has cleared waivers after being released by the Prince George Cougars. From Ardrossan, Alta., Eastman had eight goals and 14 assists in 66 games last season. In 180 regular-season games over four seasons, he has 19 goals and 25 assists. . . .
F Steel Quiring, who played with four WHL teams, including three last season, also has cleared waivers and is a free agent. Quiring, 20, is from Vernon, B.C. He played last season with the Calgary Hitmen (two games), Everett Silvertips (30) and Regina Pats (23), totalling four goals and five assists. . . . He also played with the Kelowna Rockets. . . . In 142 regular-season games, he put up 18 goals and 38 assists. . . .
Simon Gagné was introduced as the general manager of the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts on Thursday. Gagné had been an assistant coach with the Remparts, working alongside Patrick Roy, the general manager and head coach, who stepped aside earlier this week. The Remparts haven’t yet named a new head coach. . . . Gagné played three seasons (1996-99) with the Remparts before going on to a lengthy NHL career during which he won one Stanley Cup (Los Angeles Kings, 2012).
THINKING OUT LOUD:
Wouldn’t the NHL have been a lot more fun had one of the groups that included Ryan Reynolds or Snoop Dogg ended up owning the Ottawa Senators? . . . Can’t you just imagine Snoop hangin’ with some of the governors at those meetings in Florida? . . . What a great move by the QMJHL in posting its teams’ protected lists on its website, allowing fans to gain some insight into things. Yes, you are able to go to theqmjhl.ca and pore over the protected list of each of the 18 teams by going to the 2023 preseason pages. . . . Wouldn’t it be nice if the WHL chooses to follow suit once it gets the 2023 preseason pages up on its website?
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6A Providence Building
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Tel: 604-806-9027
Toll free: 1-877-922-9822
Fax: 604-806-9873
Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca
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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
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Or, for more information, visit right here.
Gibson, 15, six conditional WHL draft picks and a fourth-round pick in the 2004 draft from the Seattle Thunderbirds for the rights to F Dylan Guenther, 19, the rights to F Jordan Ramsay, who will turn 16 on Jan. 24, and a 2023 eighth-round pick. . . . The conditional picks — a second in 2023, sixth in 2024, fourth in 2025, and first, fourth and fifth in 2026 — all hinge on the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes assigning Guenther to Seattle. . . . Guenther, a first-round pick by the Coyotes in the NHL’s 2021 draft, has three goals and eight assists in 22 games with Arizona this season. . . . He scored the OT goal on Thursday as Team Canada beat Czechia, 3-2, in the World Junior Championship final in Halifax. . . . The Oil Kings selected Guenther with the first overall pick of the WHL’s 2018 draft. He helped the Oil Kings to the WHL championship last season as they beat the Thunderbirds in the championship final. . . . 
CHL at the moment, acquired F Jake Chiasson, 19, from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a first-round WHL draft pick in 2023, a second-rounder in 2025 and a conditional second in 2026. . . . Chiasson, from Abbotsford, B.C., was a fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 2021 draft. The Wheat Kings selected him in the first round of the WHL’s 2018 draft. . . . He was in his fourth season with Brandon, having put up 30 goals and 41 assists in 141 regular-season games. . . . This season, he has 10 goals and 18 assists in 37 games. . . . From the Saskatoon news release: “Chiasson made international news earlier this winter as he and three teammates, who were driving over a bridge in Brandon, helped save the life of a distressed man.” . . . The 2023 first-round pick was Saskatoon’s and not the one the Blades acquired from Seattle in the deal that had F Brad Lambert’s rights move to the Thunderbirds. . . .
Wiesblatt, 20, from the Prince Albert Raiders for three conditional draft picks — a first in 2025 and two seconds in 2026. . . . The picks — one of the second-round picks was acquired from Brandon earlier on Tuesday —
acquiring F Zac Funk, 19, from the Calgary Hitmen for F Carter MacAdams, 18, and three WHL draft picks — second-rounders in 2023 and 2024, and a fourth in 2024. . . . Funk, from Coldstream, B.C., had 13 goals and 19 assists in 33 games with the Hitmen this season. In 129 career games, he has 78 points, 39 of them goals. . . . He was a second-round pick by Calgary in the 2018 draft. . . . MacAdams, from South Surrey, B.C., was picked by the Cougars in the fourth round of the 2019 WHL draft. He has 18 goals and 30 assists in 117 regular-season games over three seasons with Prince George. This season, he has six goals and 15 assists in 36 games.
Swift Current Broncos for a ninth-round pick in the WHL’s 2026 draft. Weigel, from Warman, Sask., is with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos and, according to the Blazers, “will remain with the Broncos for the 2022-23 season and become an affiliate player.” . . . He has six goals and 18 assists in 31 games with Humboldt this season. . . . Weigel has played in 25 WHL games — one with the Regina Pats and 24 with Swift Current. He has six assists in those games. . . . Regina picked him in the sixth round of the WHL’s 2018 draft.
had passed, the Regina Pats acquired F Steel Quiring, 19, from the Everett Silvertips for a fourth-round pick in the WHL’s 2026 draft. Quiring, from Vernon, B.C., had three goals and three assists in 30 games with Everett. He also has played for the Kelowna Rockets and Calgary Hitmen. The Silvertips acquired him from the Hitmen on Sept. 30. . . . The Rockets selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. . . . Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) pointed out on Twitter that “the Pats are Quiring’s 4th WHL team in the last
TAKING NOTE 