How does the new signature work?
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Keeping Score
It isn’t held on Labour Day, but it still is called the Labour Day Classic. And it does strange things to fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. . . . “You’re talking about young kids using special words that would be rated R in a movie theatre behind you and they incorporate that into your name,” Saskatchewan guard Marc Parenteau, who played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2006, told Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post. “Let’s just say that ‘Parent’ was hyphenated with another word and then ‘eau.’ It was classy.” . . . Dan Goodspeed, Saskatchewan’s right tackle who played four seasons with Winnipeg, told Hamilton: “People said, ‘Get ready for this. You’re going to see some things that you’ve never seen before: People with watermelons on their heads, guys with spikes and shoulder pads.’ I said, ‘Like the fans of the (Oakland) Raiders do?’ They said, ‘Yeah, but worse.’ It was more than what I was led to believe was going to happen. That bench is definitely a bad place to be.” . . . The game goes Sunday in Regina. Game time, on TSN, is 1 p.m. . . .
Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “There was a great call by the announcer at a race track in New Jersey (last) week when horses named My Wife Knows Everything and The Wife Doesn’t Know battled down the stretch. I think you can guess which horse won.” . . . Canada may have struggled — that’s putting it nicely — in going 0-5 at the world basketball championship in Turkey. But don’t underestimate what South Kam product Kelly Olynyk accomplished. To be 19 years of age and to be playing for the national team at a tournament of this calibre is no mean feat. . . . And, in case you missed it, Canadian head coach Leo Rautins has said that he isn’t the only one who can see the NBA in Olynyk’s future. . . .
Here’s another gem from the aforementioned Hamilton: “The divorce of PGA star Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren was finalized (last) week. Woods now is the favourite to win the FedEx-Wife Cup.” . . . And one more from Hamilton: “It’s being reported that Nordegren — who was a babysitter before meeting Woods — is to get $100 million US in the divorce settlement. Hecklers now have a new taunt for Tiger: “Who’s your nanny??!!” . . . Jenny McCartney, in the London Telegraph, after Elin Nordegren said she hadn’t watched golf since that day in November: “Watching golf — in effect, observing someone else taking a walk with a purpose — must be the purest soporific imaginable. The longer Miss Nordegren is liberated from having to pretend she enjoys it, the more sanguine she may come to feel.” . . . Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: “Tiger Woods shoots his best round of golf on the week his marriage ends. Reminds me of the old Henny Youngman quote: ‘Why do divorces cost so much? Because they’re worth it!’ ” . . .
The big winners in Wednesday’s announcement from the Kamloops Blazers’ office are the hockey fans of Whitehorse. They get to watch the Blazers and their biggest rivals, the Vancouver Giants, on Feb. 12. In return, Blazers fans get to watch Team WHL play a team that CHL and WHL news releases have billed as the Russian national junior team. If the team that plays here on Nov. 17 is the Russian national junior team, I’ll eat this column. . . . By the way, don’t be looking for a whole lot of Blazers-Giants on CBC-TV on Feb. 12. It starts at 4 p.m., the same time as the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Canadiens in Montreal. Blazers or Maple Leafs? Which way to you think CBC will go? . . .
After the Los Angeles Dodgers let Manny Ramirez go on waivers, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “So it ends, without fanfare, without a big finish, without even a player in return. It ends with a white flag unfurled on their season, the Dodgers simply deciding to waive Manny Ramirez and let him go to the White Sox. Goodbye Manny, goodbye 2010 playoff drive. He gave the Dodgers an incredible two months for free, and precious little for two years and $45 million.” . . . In his last at-bat with the Dodgers, Ramirez pinch-hit with the bases loaded. He saw one pitch — a called strike — and promptly got tossed for arguing it. . . . Jeff Passan, of Yahoo! Sports: “Getting thrown out of his final game . . . was Manny’s one-fingered farewell to the team that embraced him when he was a leper everywhere else, to the city that deified him when he was outed as a steroid user, to everyone who engaged in the symbiotic ugliness. On Manny goes, dumped by the Dodgers and picked up by the Chicago White Sox, who are merely the latest Father Flanagan convinced they can tame him.” . . .
Jot down Oct. 16 on your calendar. On that Saturday evening, the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues are scheduled to play. St. Louis enforcer Cam Janssen has issued a dance invitation, via Twitter, to Dallas toughie Krys Barch. If they do, indeed, duke it out, it will be interesting to see how the NHL reacts to that kind of premeditated scrap. . . . Six calls at home over a two-day period. One at work. I’m starting to get the feeling that no-call thingy established by the government in an attempt to stop telephone solicitors isn’t working. . . .
The St. Louis Rams have a rookie tight end in camp whose name is Michael Hoomanawanui. Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo calls him Illiniois Mike because, as he told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, “I have no chance at that name.’’ . . . A few reporters were gathered in front of a Vancouver hotel on Aug. 26, awaiting the arrival of the Calgary Stampeders, who were to play the B.C. Lions the following night. When the bus pulled up, a group of elderly women disembarked. The Vancouver Province reported one of the reporters as saying: “Maybe the Lions could beat them.” . . . I’d have taken the gals, by 12. . . . Robbie Caldwell, Vanderbilt’s new football coach, dropped 15 pounds during his first two weeks there. As he told The Associated Press: “I know it’s hard to believe, but a fat man forgets to eat.” . . . Meanwhile, tennis player Mardy Fish has lost more than 30 pounds in the last year. As R.J. Currie of SportsDeke.com noted: “If he gets any smaller, they’re going to start throwing him back.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Cam Hutchinson, in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “There was a great call by the announcer at a race track in New Jersey (last) week when horses named My Wife Knows Everything and The Wife Doesn’t Know battled down the stretch. I think you can guess which horse won.” . . . Canada may have struggled — that’s putting it nicely — in going 0-5 at the world basketball championship in Turkey. But don’t underestimate what South Kam product Kelly Olynyk accomplished. To be 19 years of age and to be playing for the national team at a tournament of this calibre is no mean feat. . . . And, in case you missed it, Canadian head coach Leo Rautins has said that he isn’t the only one who can see the NBA in Olynyk’s future. . . .
Here’s another gem from the aforementioned Hamilton: “The divorce of PGA star Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren was finalized (last) week. Woods now is the favourite to win the FedEx-Wife Cup.” . . . And one more from Hamilton: “It’s being reported that Nordegren — who was a babysitter before meeting Woods — is to get $100 million US in the divorce settlement. Hecklers now have a new taunt for Tiger: “Who’s your nanny??!!” . . . Jenny McCartney, in the London Telegraph, after Elin Nordegren said she hadn’t watched golf since that day in November: “Watching golf — in effect, observing someone else taking a walk with a purpose — must be the purest soporific imaginable. The longer Miss Nordegren is liberated from having to pretend she enjoys it, the more sanguine she may come to feel.” . . . Mike Bianchi, in the Orlando Sentinel: “Tiger Woods shoots his best round of golf on the week his marriage ends. Reminds me of the old Henny Youngman quote: ‘Why do divorces cost so much? Because they’re worth it!’ ” . . .
The big winners in Wednesday’s announcement from the Kamloops Blazers’ office are the hockey fans of Whitehorse. They get to watch the Blazers and their biggest rivals, the Vancouver Giants, on Feb. 12. In return, Blazers fans get to watch Team WHL play a team that CHL and WHL news releases have billed as the Russian national junior team. If the team that plays here on Nov. 17 is the Russian national junior team, I’ll eat this column. . . . By the way, don’t be looking for a whole lot of Blazers-Giants on CBC-TV on Feb. 12. It starts at 4 p.m., the same time as the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Canadiens in Montreal. Blazers or Maple Leafs? Which way to you think CBC will go? . . .
After the Los Angeles Dodgers let Manny Ramirez go on waivers, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “So it ends, without fanfare, without a big finish, without even a player in return. It ends with a white flag unfurled on their season, the Dodgers simply deciding to waive Manny Ramirez and let him go to the White Sox. Goodbye Manny, goodbye 2010 playoff drive. He gave the Dodgers an incredible two months for free, and precious little for two years and $45 million.” . . . In his last at-bat with the Dodgers, Ramirez pinch-hit with the bases loaded. He saw one pitch — a called strike — and promptly got tossed for arguing it. . . . Jeff Passan, of Yahoo! Sports: “Getting thrown out of his final game . . . was Manny’s one-fingered farewell to the team that embraced him when he was a leper everywhere else, to the city that deified him when he was outed as a steroid user, to everyone who engaged in the symbiotic ugliness. On Manny goes, dumped by the Dodgers and picked up by the Chicago White Sox, who are merely the latest Father Flanagan convinced they can tame him.” . . .
Jot down Oct. 16 on your calendar. On that Saturday evening, the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues are scheduled to play. St. Louis enforcer Cam Janssen has issued a dance invitation, via Twitter, to Dallas toughie Krys Barch. If they do, indeed, duke it out, it will be interesting to see how the NHL reacts to that kind of premeditated scrap. . . . Six calls at home over a two-day period. One at work. I’m starting to get the feeling that no-call thingy established by the government in an attempt to stop telephone solicitors isn’t working. . . .
The St. Louis Rams have a rookie tight end in camp whose name is Michael Hoomanawanui. Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo calls him Illiniois Mike because, as he told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, “I have no chance at that name.’’ . . . A few reporters were gathered in front of a Vancouver hotel on Aug. 26, awaiting the arrival of the Calgary Stampeders, who were to play the B.C. Lions the following night. When the bus pulled up, a group of elderly women disembarked. The Vancouver Province reported one of the reporters as saying: “Maybe the Lions could beat them.” . . . I’d have taken the gals, by 12. . . . Robbie Caldwell, Vanderbilt’s new football coach, dropped 15 pounds during his first two weeks there. As he told The Associated Press: “I know it’s hard to believe, but a fat man forgets to eat.” . . . Meanwhile, tennis player Mardy Fish has lost more than 30 pounds in the last year. As R.J. Currie of SportsDeke.com noted: “If he gets any smaller, they’re going to start throwing him back.”
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Thursday...
MacBeth Report: F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a one-year contract with Esbjerg (Denmark AL-Bank Liga). He had two goals and two assists in 55 games for Timrå (Sweden Elitserien) last season. . . .
F Martin Ruzicka (Everett, Lethbridge, 2003-05) signed a two-year contract with Trinec (Czech Republic Extraliga). He had 23 goals and 24 assists in 51 games with Trinec last season. . . .
F Duncan Milroy (Swift Current, Kootenay, 1998-2003) signed a one-year contract with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic Extraliga). He had 12 goals and 24 assists in 74 games for the Houston Aeros (AHL) last season. Milroy becomes the eighth individual in Mlada Boleslav with a connection to the WHL. The others are sports manager Milan Hnilicka (goalie in Swift Current, 1992-93), assistant coach Leo Gudas (father of Everett D Radko), and players G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver, 2004-05), D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000), F Jordan Krestanovich (Calgary, 1997-2001), F David Vrbata (Calgary, 2000-01), and F Zdenek Bahensky (Saskatoon, 2004-06). . . .
F Petr Dvorak (Regina, 2002-03) signed a one-year contract with Cracovia Krakow (Poland). He had 20 goals and 45 assists in 42 games for Valasske Mezirici (Czech Republic 2.Liga) last season.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Ryan Chynoweth, who was their first pick, 24th overall, in the 2010 bantam draft. From Cranbrook, he had 60 points and 78 penalty minutes in 32 games with the bantam AAA Lethbridge Golden Hawks last season. . . . He is the son of Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, and the grandson of the late Ed Chynoweth, the former WHL commissioner.
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Outside of Kelowna, not much has been said or written about Zach Franko, a 17-year-old forward out of Winnipeg. He apparently had made a commitment to Bemidji State, but decided to attend the Rockets' camp and check things out. He liked what he saw and chose to stay. . . . The Rockets had picked him 32nd overall in the 2008 bantam draft. Last season, with the MJHL's Winnipeg South Blue, he put up 54 points in 51 games. . . . Lorne Frey, the Rockets' assisant GM, head scout and director of player personnel, told the Kelowna Daily Courier that Franko "isn't an overly big guy yet, but he’s got great skill, great speed and he competes, which is what we're looking for." . . . The Daily Courier story referred to Franko as being 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. . . . There's a bit more right here from the Western College Hockey blog.
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The Vancouver Giants held their intrasquad game and the top story had to be F Brendan Gallagher scoring four goals. I had someone tell me, however, that F Craig Cunningham, who turns 20 on Friday (Sept. 3), was the best player on the ice. Cunningham will go to camp with the Boston Bruins, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL draft, in search of a contract. . . . "Cunningham was head and shoulders above anybody else," an observer told me. . . . The long-time WHL observer also told me that the Giants look to be "bigger and faster than last season." Which can't be good news for the rest of the teams in the B.C. Division and Western Conference.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed three 16-year-old players to WHL contracts — D Justin Hamonic, F Dylan Fluter and F Gage Rapitta. . . . Hamonic, from Winnipeg, was a fifth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder had 21 points and 54 penalty minutes with the midget AAA Winnipeg Monarchs last season. . . . The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Fluter, from Saskatoon, was an eighth-round pick in 2009. He had 25 points and 43 penalty minutes in 43 games with the midget AAA Battlefords Stars last season. . . . Rapitta, a list player, is from Regina. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder had 15 points and 56 penalty minutes with the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest last season.
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D Dallas Jackson (Regina, Red Deer, Prince George, Kelowna, 2007-10) has signed with the ECHL's Reading Royals. Jackson, from Edson, Alta., split last season between Prince George and Kelowna, picking up 45 points in 45 games. He totalled 102 points and 173 penalty minutes in 174 regular-season WHL games over three seasons.
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F Willie Coetzee scored four goals Wednesday night to help Team White to a 9-8 shootout victory over Team Black in the Red Deer Rebels' intrasquad game. Coetzee, 20, has signed with the Detroit Red Wings. He leaves for their camp next week and is expected to play in the Detroit organization.
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You know what they say about one man's misfortune being another man's opportunity, or something like that. Well, D Hubert Labrie has a knee injury so won’t be able to play for the Dallas Stars’ team at the NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., Sept. 11-15. So . . . the Stars have added 19-year-old F Cole Grbavac (Kamloops, Medicine Hat, 2008-10) to their roster.
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The Spokane Chiefs have reassigned four players as they prepare to head for Everett and the Silvertips’ tournament this weekend. D Boomer Rooney, 16, and D Cole Wedman, 16, will play midget AAA or junior A in Alberta, while D Jordan Swenson, 17, will play midget AAA or junior A in Saskatchewan, and F Josh McEwan is to join the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. . . . The Chiefs go into Everett with a 31-man roster — four goaltenders, nine defencemen and 18 forwards.
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Kevin Heise, who has worked in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans and Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed on as the ECHL-Victoria Salmon Kings’ athletic therapist. He spent last season with the Central league’s Amarillo Gorillas.
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A former WHL head coach and a former star player are among those the NHL has announced as recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S. David Andrews, the president of the American Hockey League since 1994, and Cam Neely, the president of the Boston Bruins, will be honoured, along with Jack Parker, the longtime coach at Boston University, and Jerry York, the coach at Boston College. . . . Andrews was head coach of the Victoria Cougars for two seasons (1982-84), while Neely starred with the Portland Winterhawks during the sdame two seasons.
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F Quinn Peplinski, whose father, Jim, had a pretty good run in the NHL, is in camp with the Calgary Hitme. The Calgary Herald has that story right here.
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Here’s something from the Winnipeg Sun that will be of interest to fans of the late, great Winnipeg Jets (and the early Phoenix Coyotes):
Curt Keilback is going back behind the microphone.
The former voice of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets will call 10 Manitoba Junior Hockey League games this season on NCI-FM radio.
Keilback spent more than two decades calling Jets games. His first MJHL contest will be on Sept. 23, when the OCN Blizzard visits the Winnipeg Saints.
F Martin Ruzicka (Everett, Lethbridge, 2003-05) signed a two-year contract with Trinec (Czech Republic Extraliga). He had 23 goals and 24 assists in 51 games with Trinec last season. . . .
F Duncan Milroy (Swift Current, Kootenay, 1998-2003) signed a one-year contract with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic Extraliga). He had 12 goals and 24 assists in 74 games for the Houston Aeros (AHL) last season. Milroy becomes the eighth individual in Mlada Boleslav with a connection to the WHL. The others are sports manager Milan Hnilicka (goalie in Swift Current, 1992-93), assistant coach Leo Gudas (father of Everett D Radko), and players G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver, 2004-05), D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000), F Jordan Krestanovich (Calgary, 1997-2001), F David Vrbata (Calgary, 2000-01), and F Zdenek Bahensky (Saskatoon, 2004-06). . . .
F Petr Dvorak (Regina, 2002-03) signed a one-year contract with Cracovia Krakow (Poland). He had 20 goals and 45 assists in 42 games for Valasske Mezirici (Czech Republic 2.Liga) last season.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Ryan Chynoweth, who was their first pick, 24th overall, in the 2010 bantam draft. From Cranbrook, he had 60 points and 78 penalty minutes in 32 games with the bantam AAA Lethbridge Golden Hawks last season. . . . He is the son of Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, and the grandson of the late Ed Chynoweth, the former WHL commissioner.
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Outside of Kelowna, not much has been said or written about Zach Franko, a 17-year-old forward out of Winnipeg. He apparently had made a commitment to Bemidji State, but decided to attend the Rockets' camp and check things out. He liked what he saw and chose to stay. . . . The Rockets had picked him 32nd overall in the 2008 bantam draft. Last season, with the MJHL's Winnipeg South Blue, he put up 54 points in 51 games. . . . Lorne Frey, the Rockets' assisant GM, head scout and director of player personnel, told the Kelowna Daily Courier that Franko "isn't an overly big guy yet, but he’s got great skill, great speed and he competes, which is what we're looking for." . . . The Daily Courier story referred to Franko as being 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. . . . There's a bit more right here from the Western College Hockey blog.
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The Vancouver Giants held their intrasquad game and the top story had to be F Brendan Gallagher scoring four goals. I had someone tell me, however, that F Craig Cunningham, who turns 20 on Friday (Sept. 3), was the best player on the ice. Cunningham will go to camp with the Boston Bruins, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL draft, in search of a contract. . . . "Cunningham was head and shoulders above anybody else," an observer told me. . . . The long-time WHL observer also told me that the Giants look to be "bigger and faster than last season." Which can't be good news for the rest of the teams in the B.C. Division and Western Conference.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed three 16-year-old players to WHL contracts — D Justin Hamonic, F Dylan Fluter and F Gage Rapitta. . . . Hamonic, from Winnipeg, was a fifth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder had 21 points and 54 penalty minutes with the midget AAA Winnipeg Monarchs last season. . . . The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Fluter, from Saskatoon, was an eighth-round pick in 2009. He had 25 points and 43 penalty minutes in 43 games with the midget AAA Battlefords Stars last season. . . . Rapitta, a list player, is from Regina. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder had 15 points and 56 penalty minutes with the midget AAA Yorkton Harvest last season.
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D Dallas Jackson (Regina, Red Deer, Prince George, Kelowna, 2007-10) has signed with the ECHL's Reading Royals. Jackson, from Edson, Alta., split last season between Prince George and Kelowna, picking up 45 points in 45 games. He totalled 102 points and 173 penalty minutes in 174 regular-season WHL games over three seasons.
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F Willie Coetzee scored four goals Wednesday night to help Team White to a 9-8 shootout victory over Team Black in the Red Deer Rebels' intrasquad game. Coetzee, 20, has signed with the Detroit Red Wings. He leaves for their camp next week and is expected to play in the Detroit organization.
———
You know what they say about one man's misfortune being another man's opportunity, or something like that. Well, D Hubert Labrie has a knee injury so won’t be able to play for the Dallas Stars’ team at the NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., Sept. 11-15. So . . . the Stars have added 19-year-old F Cole Grbavac (Kamloops, Medicine Hat, 2008-10) to their roster.
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The Spokane Chiefs have reassigned four players as they prepare to head for Everett and the Silvertips’ tournament this weekend. D Boomer Rooney, 16, and D Cole Wedman, 16, will play midget AAA or junior A in Alberta, while D Jordan Swenson, 17, will play midget AAA or junior A in Saskatchewan, and F Josh McEwan is to join the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. . . . The Chiefs go into Everett with a 31-man roster — four goaltenders, nine defencemen and 18 forwards.
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Kevin Heise, who has worked in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans and Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed on as the ECHL-Victoria Salmon Kings’ athletic therapist. He spent last season with the Central league’s Amarillo Gorillas.
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A former WHL head coach and a former star player are among those the NHL has announced as recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S. David Andrews, the president of the American Hockey League since 1994, and Cam Neely, the president of the Boston Bruins, will be honoured, along with Jack Parker, the longtime coach at Boston University, and Jerry York, the coach at Boston College. . . . Andrews was head coach of the Victoria Cougars for two seasons (1982-84), while Neely starred with the Portland Winterhawks during the sdame two seasons.
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F Quinn Peplinski, whose father, Jim, had a pretty good run in the NHL, is in camp with the Calgary Hitme. The Calgary Herald has that story right here.
———
Here’s something from the Winnipeg Sun that will be of interest to fans of the late, great Winnipeg Jets (and the early Phoenix Coyotes):
Curt Keilback is going back behind the microphone.
The former voice of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets will call 10 Manitoba Junior Hockey League games this season on NCI-FM radio.
Keilback spent more than two decades calling Jets games. His first MJHL contest will be on Sept. 23, when the OCN Blizzard visits the Winnipeg Saints.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday...
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with the Pelicans Lahti (Finland SM-Liiga) after his release by Tappara Tampere (SM-Liiga) earlier in the day. He had 11 goals and nine assists in 44 games with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic Extraliga) last season and no points in six exhibition games with Tappara this season. . . .
D Josef Melichar (Tri-City Americans, 1997-99) has been assigned on loan to Ceske Burejovice (Czech Republic Extraliga) by Linköping (Sweden Elitserien) until mid-October. He had five goals and nine assists in 52 games for Ceske Budejovice last season.
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The WHL’s exhibition season began Wednesday night with two games. In Moose Jaw, the Warriors doubled the Swift Current Broncos, 4-2, while, in Prince Albert, the Saskatoon Blades edged the Raiders, 3-2, in a shootout. Yes, the dreaded shootout already has reared its ugly head! . . . Anyway, for more on those games, visit the WHL website. A tip of the cap to whomever is responsible for the posting of scoring summaries on the website. Tonight’s were there by 9:50 Pacific time. Great stuff. . . . By the way, attendance in Moose Jaw was reported at 2,473.
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A teenaged shoplifter in Kelowna has learned not to mess with Hitch. Don Plant of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that well-known hockey coach Ken Hitchcock, who hangs out in Kelowna during the summer these days, “was in a parked car outside clothing shop Cruzwear Unlimited on Bernard Avenue on Wednesday morning. A 14-year-old boy left the store with three pairs of shorts as employee Sherrie Lessare grabbed his pack sack and held on.
When she called for help, Hitchcock and a man riding a motorcycle seized the thief and pinned him against the store window. Lessare phoned the downtown security patrol while the two men detained the youth.
“They were both just wonderful people,” she said later. “Both guys, no questions asked, just came and helped.”
The youth ended up being banned from the store and also was informed that he would be charged with trespassing were he to return.
And if you know Hitchcock, you know he wasn’t done.
The former Kamloops Blazers head coach, Plant reports, “came back to the store half an hour later to see if Lessare was OK.”
Hitchcock declined The Daily Courier’s request for an interview.
By the way, Plant also reported that “Lesarre . . . described (Hitchcock) as ‘distinguished,’ tanned, wearing walking shorts and expensive white runners.”
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You likely have heard by now that the Subway Super Series will be stopping in Kamloops on Nov. 17 and Prince George on Nov. 18, with the Blazers and then the Cougars facing a touring Russian side.
If you missed it, the CHL/WHL press release started like this:
“Team WHL will renew their rivalry with the Russian National Junior Team in Kamloops . . .”
Isn’t it time people took off the blinders and quit calling the Russian outfit the national junior team? Sheesh, the CHL holds a 36-6 record in the seven years of the series.
The WHL, by the way, is 13-1 and has outscored the Russians, 65-21.
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The Regina Pat have acquired F Colin Reddin, 20, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Reddin split 68 games between the Portland Winterhawks and Prince Albert last season, totalling 23 points, including 10 goals. He is preparing for his fourth WHL season, and is from Corona Del Mar, Calif. . . . Regina now has two 20-year-olds on its roster, with F Cass Mappin being the other. . . . The deal leaves the Raiders with three 20-year-olds — D Nathan Deck, D Jordan Rowley and Belarussian F Igor Revenko. Revenko is due to arrive in Prince Albert on Friday and GM/head coach Bruno Campese is adamant that he will be one of the 20-year-olds this season.
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The Swift Current Broncos have signed five players — F Brandon Bruce, 17, of Kelowna; F Brendan Hopkins, 16, of Airdrie, Alta.; F Zac MacKay, 15, of Swift Current; F Josh Sinatynski, 15, of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.; and, D Bobby Zinkan, 15, of Calgary. . . . The latter three all are 2010 bantam draft selections.
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Swift Current F Dillon Wagner, 19, is at home in Edmonton, recovering from offseason knee surgery. The Broncos hope to have him back late this month. . . . F Michael Hay, a Winnipegger who had one point in 30 games with Swift Current last season, will play this season with the MJHL's Selkirk Steelers.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed F Brayden Cuthbert, a 2009 bantam draft pick from Brandon, and G Brandon Stone, 17, of Langley, B.C.
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Kelly Kisio, the general manager of the defending-champion Calgary Hitmen, admits that, yes, he had discussions with the Calgary Flames’ brass about moving up to the NHL club. But, yes, he’s back with the Hitmen. The Calgary Herald has that story right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have broken up one of the three brother acts that were in their training camp. F Mitch Owsley, the 17-year-old brother of starting goaltender Drew Owsley, is on his way back to Lethbridge. . . . Also leaving are G Ross Baadsvik of Langley, B.C., G Jay Hudon of Zenon Park, Sask., D Josh Cronan of Nanaimo, B.C., and D Brett Pile of Winnipeg. . . . F Lucas Nickles has been reassigned to the junior B team in Golden, B.C. . . . .Two others players — G Eric Comrie and F Trevor Moore — will be returning to Los Angeles after Thursday’s workout. Both will report to the midget AAA Los Angeles Selects.
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Veteran F Carter Ashton, who had taken part in only day of training camp, struck for four goals Wednesday night as Team Blue beat Team White 4-2 in the Regina Pats’ intrasquad game. . . . A sprained wrist suffered at the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp in August had kept Ashton out of contact drills.
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The Prince George Cougars survived a scare Tuesday when F Brett Connolly, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, went down during their intrasquad game. Connolly, who missed most of last season with hip problems, was felled in a collision and came up limping. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a bruised kneecap. "We were a little bit (concerned) but he's fine," Dallas Thompson, the Cougars’ general manager, told the Prince George Citizen. "The doctor and (Cougars trainer Ramandeep Singh Dhanjal) looked at him and he had a bruised kneecap. So he iced it down and he was fine." . . . The Cougars weren’t on the ice Wednesday, choosing to have a team softball game, instead. The Citizen reports that Connolly played an active role in the softball game. . . . As for the intrasquad game, Team Black dumped Team White, 9-4. F Parker Stanfield and F John Odgers each scored twice for the winners, with F Spencer Asuchak doing the same for Team White.
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D Scott Jackson (Seattle, 2002-08) is getting closer to his goal of a regular spot in the NHL. That story is right here.
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with the Pelicans Lahti (Finland SM-Liiga) after his release by Tappara Tampere (SM-Liiga) earlier in the day. He had 11 goals and nine assists in 44 games with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic Extraliga) last season and no points in six exhibition games with Tappara this season. . . .
D Josef Melichar (Tri-City Americans, 1997-99) has been assigned on loan to Ceske Burejovice (Czech Republic Extraliga) by Linköping (Sweden Elitserien) until mid-October. He had five goals and nine assists in 52 games for Ceske Budejovice last season.
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The WHL’s exhibition season began Wednesday night with two games. In Moose Jaw, the Warriors doubled the Swift Current Broncos, 4-2, while, in Prince Albert, the Saskatoon Blades edged the Raiders, 3-2, in a shootout. Yes, the dreaded shootout already has reared its ugly head! . . . Anyway, for more on those games, visit the WHL website. A tip of the cap to whomever is responsible for the posting of scoring summaries on the website. Tonight’s were there by 9:50 Pacific time. Great stuff. . . . By the way, attendance in Moose Jaw was reported at 2,473.
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A teenaged shoplifter in Kelowna has learned not to mess with Hitch. Don Plant of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that well-known hockey coach Ken Hitchcock, who hangs out in Kelowna during the summer these days, “was in a parked car outside clothing shop Cruzwear Unlimited on Bernard Avenue on Wednesday morning. A 14-year-old boy left the store with three pairs of shorts as employee Sherrie Lessare grabbed his pack sack and held on.
When she called for help, Hitchcock and a man riding a motorcycle seized the thief and pinned him against the store window. Lessare phoned the downtown security patrol while the two men detained the youth.
“They were both just wonderful people,” she said later. “Both guys, no questions asked, just came and helped.”
The youth ended up being banned from the store and also was informed that he would be charged with trespassing were he to return.
And if you know Hitchcock, you know he wasn’t done.
The former Kamloops Blazers head coach, Plant reports, “came back to the store half an hour later to see if Lessare was OK.”
Hitchcock declined The Daily Courier’s request for an interview.
By the way, Plant also reported that “Lesarre . . . described (Hitchcock) as ‘distinguished,’ tanned, wearing walking shorts and expensive white runners.”
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You likely have heard by now that the Subway Super Series will be stopping in Kamloops on Nov. 17 and Prince George on Nov. 18, with the Blazers and then the Cougars facing a touring Russian side.
If you missed it, the CHL/WHL press release started like this:
“Team WHL will renew their rivalry with the Russian National Junior Team in Kamloops . . .”
Isn’t it time people took off the blinders and quit calling the Russian outfit the national junior team? Sheesh, the CHL holds a 36-6 record in the seven years of the series.
The WHL, by the way, is 13-1 and has outscored the Russians, 65-21.
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The Regina Pat have acquired F Colin Reddin, 20, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Reddin split 68 games between the Portland Winterhawks and Prince Albert last season, totalling 23 points, including 10 goals. He is preparing for his fourth WHL season, and is from Corona Del Mar, Calif. . . . Regina now has two 20-year-olds on its roster, with F Cass Mappin being the other. . . . The deal leaves the Raiders with three 20-year-olds — D Nathan Deck, D Jordan Rowley and Belarussian F Igor Revenko. Revenko is due to arrive in Prince Albert on Friday and GM/head coach Bruno Campese is adamant that he will be one of the 20-year-olds this season.
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The Swift Current Broncos have signed five players — F Brandon Bruce, 17, of Kelowna; F Brendan Hopkins, 16, of Airdrie, Alta.; F Zac MacKay, 15, of Swift Current; F Josh Sinatynski, 15, of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.; and, D Bobby Zinkan, 15, of Calgary. . . . The latter three all are 2010 bantam draft selections.
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Swift Current F Dillon Wagner, 19, is at home in Edmonton, recovering from offseason knee surgery. The Broncos hope to have him back late this month. . . . F Michael Hay, a Winnipegger who had one point in 30 games with Swift Current last season, will play this season with the MJHL's Selkirk Steelers.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed F Brayden Cuthbert, a 2009 bantam draft pick from Brandon, and G Brandon Stone, 17, of Langley, B.C.
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Kelly Kisio, the general manager of the defending-champion Calgary Hitmen, admits that, yes, he had discussions with the Calgary Flames’ brass about moving up to the NHL club. But, yes, he’s back with the Hitmen. The Calgary Herald has that story right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have broken up one of the three brother acts that were in their training camp. F Mitch Owsley, the 17-year-old brother of starting goaltender Drew Owsley, is on his way back to Lethbridge. . . . Also leaving are G Ross Baadsvik of Langley, B.C., G Jay Hudon of Zenon Park, Sask., D Josh Cronan of Nanaimo, B.C., and D Brett Pile of Winnipeg. . . . F Lucas Nickles has been reassigned to the junior B team in Golden, B.C. . . . .Two others players — G Eric Comrie and F Trevor Moore — will be returning to Los Angeles after Thursday’s workout. Both will report to the midget AAA Los Angeles Selects.
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Veteran F Carter Ashton, who had taken part in only day of training camp, struck for four goals Wednesday night as Team Blue beat Team White 4-2 in the Regina Pats’ intrasquad game. . . . A sprained wrist suffered at the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp in August had kept Ashton out of contact drills.
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The Prince George Cougars survived a scare Tuesday when F Brett Connolly, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, went down during their intrasquad game. Connolly, who missed most of last season with hip problems, was felled in a collision and came up limping. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a bruised kneecap. "We were a little bit (concerned) but he's fine," Dallas Thompson, the Cougars’ general manager, told the Prince George Citizen. "The doctor and (Cougars trainer Ramandeep Singh Dhanjal) looked at him and he had a bruised kneecap. So he iced it down and he was fine." . . . The Cougars weren’t on the ice Wednesday, choosing to have a team softball game, instead. The Citizen reports that Connolly played an active role in the softball game. . . . As for the intrasquad game, Team Black dumped Team White, 9-4. F Parker Stanfield and F John Odgers each scored twice for the winners, with F Spencer Asuchak doing the same for Team White.
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D Scott Jackson (Seattle, 2002-08) is getting closer to his goal of a regular spot in the NHL. That story is right here.