The myth of national championships in junior hockey . . . Rizzo commits to UND . . . Hitmen sign two picks

It is time for hockey fans and the media alike to come to the realization, if they haven’t already, that events like the Memorial Cup and Royal Bank Cup don’t decide national championships.

They are entertainment vehicles and social gatherings and nothing more, and should be enjoyed as such.

They also are showcases for the players who are fortunate enough to get to participate in the

tournaments. Fans also are guaranteed to see some of the best teams in major junior and junior A hockey, so the games mostly are competitive and, as such, entertaining.

But so long as the formats include host teams and round-robin play, these events don’t culminate with the crowning of national champions.

 The 2018 Memorial Cup, the 100th anniversary of the trophy, was played in Regina over the past few days. It concluded Sunday with the QMJHL-champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan beat the host Pats, 3-0.

To reach the final, the Pats, who had lost out in the first round of the WHL playoffs, eliminated two league champions — the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos and the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Pats didn’t have it on Sunday and were beaten by a superior team in the Titan.

After losing to the Pats in the final game of the round-robin and falling to 0-3, the Broncos talked of injuries and fatigue, their 26-game run to the Ed Chynoweth Cup apparently having taking a toll.

But are the Pats the better team because they won one particular game in a round-robin tournament?

Regina and Swift Current met six times in the regular season — the Broncos were 5-0-1, the Pats were 1-4-1. The Broncos wound up at 48-17-7, while the Pats finished 40-25-7.

In the playoffs, the Broncos took out the Pats in a first-round series that went seven games.

In 14 meetings between the teams this season, then, the Broncos were 9-4-1.

But on one night in May, the Pats won, 6-5. Does that mean Regina was the better team? No. It means that on any given day . . . 

Meanwhile, in the world of junior A hockey, the host Chilliwack Chiefs won the Royal Bank Cup, which is a five-team tournament. Does that mean the Chiefs won the national championship and are junior A’s best team?

Consider that they finished the BCHL’s regular season at 26-26-3, with three ties. That left them fourth in the Mainland Division, 16 points out of first place. They then lost a seven-game first-round series to the Prince George Spruce Kings.

Meanwhile, the Wenatchee Wild was 37-16-4, with one tie, and third in the Interior Division, seven points out of first place. The Wild then went 16-4 to win the BCHL playoff championship. Wenatchee followed that with a five game Doyle Cup victory over the AJHL-champion Spruce Grove Saints.

At the RBC, Wenatchee won its four round-robin games, two in OT, including a 2-1 victory over Chilliwack. The Chiefs won three times, once in OT, and had the one OT loss.

During the round-robin, the Wild beat the Wellington Dukes, 7-1. But in a semifinal game, the Dukes posted a 2-1 victory, despite having been outshot 51-14.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, beat the Ottawa Jr. Senators, 3-2, in the other semifinal, then doubled the Dukes, 4-2, in the final.

Does all of this mean that Chilliwack is a better team than Wenatchee. No. It means that during one week in May things went the Chiefs’ way, just like things didn’t go Swift Current’s way the following week.

So, as long as there are host teams and round-robin formats, let’s stop concerning ourselves with national championships and just enjoy the proceedings.

OK?

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I wonder if RJ hits his quota of “MasterCard Memorial Cup” tag lines during the 1st period on @Sportsnet.

— Gerry Green (@GGreenMachine) May 28, 2018

I gotta give RJ Broadhead credit for dropping "Mastercard" on his final call & the trophy presentation of the Memorial cup. I understand the importance of MC to the title sponsorship, but a corporate name doesn't seem right in those vital moments and what the trophy commemorates.

— Eddie Gregory (@EddieGregory81) May 28, 2018

The Memorial Cup final was nearing the end of the second period on Sunday when I heard from a long-time reader of this blog.

The message: “If I hear Mastercard one more time I’m gonna lose my (crap).”

If you are a regular visitor here, you will be well aware that this is one of my all-time pet peeves.

There are some things in life that should never have price tags placed on them, and the Memorial Cup is one of them.

Would the NHL sell naming rights to the Stanley Cup to, say, Visa? The Visa Stanley Cup?

How about the NBA? Would it turn its major trophy into the American Express Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy?

The winner of the NFL’s Super Bowl is awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The team that wins MLB’s World Series gets the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Win the WHL title and you get the Ed Chynoweth Cup, not the Nike Ed Chynoweth Cup.

The Memorial Cup has been in competition since 1919, and if you understand its origin I think you will agree that naming rights to it never should have been on the table.

Here’s William J. Walshe, writing in the Kingston Whig-Standard on Jan. 6, 1939:

“The (Memorial) cup, coveted prize of Canadian junior hockey, was the brainchild of Capt. Jim (Sutherland) when he was overseas in the Great War (1914–18) and at the time, President of the Ontario Hockey Association (1915–17). He wrote suggesting the trophy in memory of the boys who were killed in the war and no doubt a big part of the idea was instigated by his devotion to his beloved (Alan) Scotty Davidson, who fell (June 6, 1915) with many other hockey players in the world conflict . . .”

Peter Robinson has more on the origin of the Memorial Cup right here.

Robinson writes, in part: “As the generation that it was originally meant to honour has passed on with the last surviving First World War veteran John Babcock’s death in 2010, the trophy now serves as a commemoration for all the country’s war dead and others that served.”

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The 2018 Memorial Cup, held at the Brandt Centre in Regina:

Game 1, Friday, May 18 – Regina 3, Hamilton 2 (5,678)

Game 2, Saturday, May 19 – Acadie-Bathurst 4, Swift Current 3 (OT) (6,237)

Game 3, Sunday, May 20 – Acadie-Bathurst 8, Regina 6 (5,832)

Game 4, Monday, May 21 – Hamilton 2, Swift Current 1 (5,820)

Game 5, Tuesday – Hamilton 3, Acadie-Bathurst 2 (6,072)

Game 6, Wednesday – Regina 6, Swift Current 5 (6,484)

Thursday — Day off.

Friday’s Semifinal – Regina 4, Hamilton 2 (6,484)

Saturday — No Game Scheduled.

Sunday’s Final — Acadie-Bathurst 3, Regina 0 (6,484)

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F Cam Braes (Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, 2008-12) signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga). This season, with Thurgau (Switzerland, NL B), he had 25 goals and 22 assists in 45 games. He was second on the team in goals and points.

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I have spent the past few weeks tinkering with three different blog sites.

Please take a few moments to check them out, then let me know which one you prefer.

Here are the three addresses . . .

greggdrinnan.com

greggdrinnan.blogspot.ca

gdrinnan.blogspot.ca

Please let me know your preference by sending an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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I am proud to announce my commitment to play hockey at the University of North Dakota! Thank you to all my family, friends, coaches and everyone for helping me along the way. #GoHawks @UNDmhockey

— Massimo Rizzo (@MassimoRizzo28) May 26, 2018

F Massimo Rizzo, who was a first-round selection, 14th overall, in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, told the Kamloops Blazers prior to the 2018 bantam draft that he wouldn’t be playing for them. On Saturday afternoon, Rizzo tweeted that he will attend the U of North Dakota and play for the Fighting Hawks, likely starting with the 2019-20 season.

Rizzo, from Burnaby, B.C., played last season with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, putting up 38 points, including 13 goals, in his 16-year-old season. He was named the Vees’ captain earlier this month.

“It was a hard decision, especially being from Western Canada,” Rizzo told Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. “Just seeing the success of players going through college and to the NHL, and feeling that I needed a bit more time to develop and grow and get stronger, and talking to people who went that route and the experience they had, that’s kind of why I decided to do it.”

According to Schlossman, Rizzo “chose UND over Denver, Wisconsin and Michigan.”

Rizzo will be the fourth recent Penticton captain to attend UND, following D Troy Stecher, F Tyson Jost and F Nick Jones.

Rizzo is the only one of the 21 first-round selections from the 2016 bantam draft not to sign with a WHL team.

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The Calgary Hitmen have signed F Sean Tschigerl and D Tyson Galloway to WHL contracts. . . . Tschigerl, from Whitecourt, Alta., was the fourth overall selection in the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft. He had 70 points, including 31 goals, in 30 games with the OHA Edmonton bantam prep team. . . . Galloway, from Kamloops, played for the bantam prep team at the Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, B.C. He had three goals and 11 assists in 29 games. Galloway was a second-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.

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Clayton Jardine, 27, is the new general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. He takes over from Geoff Grimwood, who left the club earlier this month. . . . Jardine, a native of Lacombe, Alta., was an assistant coach under Grimwood in 2015-16. Jardine spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at New England College, an NCAA Division III school. . . . The Klippers also announced that Larry Wintoneak will be returning as an assistant coach. Wintoneak has been with the Klippers for four seasons in what is his second go-round in Kindersley.

At 'going rate' is Memorial Cup out of reach for teams? . . . Broncos in hiring mode . . . Viveiros now with NHL's Oilers

D Jonathon Blum (Vancouver, 2005-09) signed a one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia, KHL). This season, with Admiral Vladivostok (Russia, KHL), he had one goal and 18 assists in 43 games. He was an alternate captain. . . .  Blum was released for financial reasons and signed by Sochi (Russia, KHL) on Dec. 27. He had three assists in 10 games with Sochi.

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Has the CHL jumped the shark with the Memorial Cup? You are free to ask that question after a story by Josh Brown in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record.

“At the going rate,” Brown writes, “hosting the Memorial Cup is out of reach for the Kitchener Rangers.

“Chief operating officer Steve Bienkowski says the club, which is considered one of the Canadian Hockey League's most stable franchises, could not afford to put on the annual junior hockey showcase at its current bidding price of $3.65 million.”

Bienkowski told Brown: “There is no way we could bid if that was the number. If it's that dollar type of guarantee than we're priced out. I'm not sure there is an Ontario market that is priced in.”

With the 2018 Memorial Cup ongoing in Regina, it was reported during the week that the Pats paid the CHL a total of $3.65 million — $3 million plus $650,000 for expenses — for hosting rights to what is the trophy’s 100th anniversary tournament. This also is the Pats’ 100th anniversary season.

The Pats owners expect to lose $2 million by the time all the bills are paid.

According to Brown:

“Kitchener guaranteed a profit of $1.8 million when it bid for — and won — the right to host the Memorial Cup in 2008.

“More than 53,000 fans attended games at the Aud and the club produced a tidy $1.95 million profit, which was the highest in CHL history at the time.”

Brown’s story, which is full of all kinds of nuggets, is right here.

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The #Oilers have hired Glen Gulutzan, Trent Yawney and Manny Viveiros as assistant coaches. Details: https://t.co/5uzuSVGJBQ pic.twitter.com/2YPclag7pr

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 25, 2018

As expected, the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers announced Friday that they have added Manny Viveiros as an assistant coach. Viveiros spent the past two seasons as the director of hockey operations and head coach of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos.

The announcement came two days after the WHL-champion Broncos were eliminated from the Memorial Cup tournament in Regina after going 0-3. En route to the WHL title, the Broncos played a league-record 26 playoff games; they won two six-game series and two seven-game affairs. (The 1984 Regina Pats, 1986 Medicine Hat Tigers and 1979 Portland Winterhawks both played 25 games.)

Viveiros, 52, is a native of St. Albert, Alta. He coached for nine seasons in Europe before signing with the Broncos. A former defenceman with the Prince Albert Raiders, Viveiros also played in Europe for 16 seasons. Most of his European time was spent in Austria.

In Edmonton, he joins Oilers head coach Todd McLellan, who is a former GM/head coach of the Broncos, along with assistant coaches Glen Gulutzan and Trent Yawney, whose signings also were announced Friday.

McLellan (Saskatoon, 1982-87), Gulutzan (Brandon, Saskatoon, 1989-92), Yawney (Saskatoon, 1982-85) and Viveiros (Prince Albert, 1982-86) all played in the WHL. Considering that McLelland and Yawney were teammates who played against Viveiros, who played for the Blades’ arch-rivals in Prince Albert, there just might be some interesting conversations in the Oilers’ coaches’ room next season.

The Broncos announced Viveiros’s departure at a Friday morning news conference. At the same time, they announced that Dianne Sletten, their director of business operations, also is leaving the club.

If could be that the Broncos’ front office will have a completely new look come a new season.

They had been operating without a general manager, with Jamie Porter the director of hockey operations, and Viveiros holding the title of director of player personnel and head coach.

Porter has been rumoured as a possible candidate for openings with the Kamloops Blazers and Prince George Cougars, both of whom need a general manager. Also rumoured to be in the mix in Kamloops is Matt Bardsley, presently an assistant general manager with the Portland Winterhawks. Bardsley has been with the Winterhawks since 1999.

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With Emanuel Viveiros leaving the Swift Current Broncos, it means that the past six WHL champions have lost their head coaches to the professional ranks. . . . Steve Konowalchuk won the title with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2017, then signed on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. . . . In 2016, the Brandon Wheat Kings, under GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon, won the Ed Chynoweth Cup. McCrimmon then joined the Vegas Golden Knights as assistant general manager. . . . In 2015, head coach Dan Lambert helped the Kelowna Rockets win the WHL, then signed with the Buffalo Sabres as an assistant coach. . . . Derek Laxdal was the Edmonton Oil Kings’ head coach when they won the WHL in 2014. He then signed on with the NHL’s Dallas Stars as head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. . . . In 2013, Travis Green was the head coach as the Portland Winterhawks won the WHL title. He later joined the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

So, you’re wondering, who was the last WHL head coach win a championship and stay put? Well, Laxdal was the head coach of the Oil Kings when they won the 2012 title, and he hung around for two more seasons. Before that it was Kris Knoblauch, who helped the Kootenay Ice to the 2011 championship and coached in Cranbrook for one more season.

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There's a few seats left for tonight's semi final between Hamilton and Regina.
Problem is after ticketmaster fees it's $137 per seat. pic.twitter.com/99GPtRRTYa

— Steve McLean (@SteveMcLean888) May 25, 2018

The Memorial Cup schedule (all times local):

Game 1, Friday, May 18 – Regina 3, Hamilton 2 (5,678)

Game 2, Saturday, May 19 – Acadie-Bathurst 4, Swift Current 3 (OT) (6,237)

Game 3, Sunday – Acadie-Bathurst 8, Regina 6 (5,832)

Game 4, Monday – Hamilton 2, Swift Current 1 (5,820)

Game 5, Tuesday – Hamilton 3, Acadie-Bathurst 2 (6,072)

Game 6, Wednesday – Regina 6, Swift Current 5 (6,484)

Thursday — Day off.

Oilers prospect Cam Hebig 1G.
Sherwood Park product Sam Steel 1-1-2.
Host Regina ends 3-year OHL Memorial Cup run, beat Hamilton 4-2

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 26, 2018

Friday's Semifinal — Regina 4, Hamilton 2 (6,484)

Saturday — No Game Scheduled.

Sunday’s Final — Acadie-Bathurst vs. Regina, 5 p.m.

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Mike Pelino, a former assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs, has signed on as an assistant coach with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. Pelino, 58, spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. He was with the Chiefs for two seasons (1997-99).

Broncos to announce "personnel changes" . . . Sacilotto moves up at West Van . . . Battah back to Austria

F Milan Kytnár (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10) signed a one-year contract extension with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, he had 20 goals and 17 assists in 51 games. He was second on his team in goals. . . . 

G Brett Jaeger (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Saskatoon, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with the Bayreuth Tigers (Germany, Oberliga). This season, in 14 games with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2), he was 4-9-0, 3.67, .895. . . . Bayreuth was relegated from DEL2 to Oberliga at the end of this season, but Riessersee announced last week that they won’t participate in DEL2 next season. As a result, Bayreuth may remain in DEL2. A decision will be announced soon.

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The Swift Current Broncos will hold a news conference this morning (Friday) at which they will announce “the details of personnel changes.” The Broncos issued a media advisory Thursday afternoon saying that the news conference is to begin at 11 a.m. . . . It is expected that, among other things, Trent McLeary, the chairman of the Broncos’ board of directors, will announce the departure of Manny Viveiros, their director of hockey operations and head coach. Viveiros just finished his second season with the Broncos as he guided them to the WHL championship. . . . Viveiros, 52, is front St. Albert, Alta., and there has been ample speculation that he will be joining the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach. . . . The Oilers, meanwhile, are expected to also add Glen Gulutzan and Trent Yawney to head coach Todd McLellan’s staff, as well. Gulutzan had been the head coach of the Calgary Flames; Yawney was an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks.

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Enio Sacilotto, a former WHL assistant coach, is the new director of hockey operations at the West Van Academy, the home of the Warriors. He spent this season working with the Warriors’ bantam program. . . . Sacilotto spent one season (2010-11) as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) and five with the Victoria Royals (2011-16). . . . Sacilotto also will be the head coach of the Elite 15 Warriors, while former Medicine Hat Tigers D Steve Marr returns as the midget prep team’s head coach. . . . The academy also announced that Jon Calvano is the new head coach of the bantam prep team.

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The BCIHL is down to five teams following news that the Eastern Washington U Eagles have withdrawn. That leaves the league with Selkirk College Saints, who play out of Castlegar; Trinity Western U Spartans (Langley); Simon Fraser U (Burnaby); U of Victoria Vikes; and Vancouver Island U Mariners (Nanaimo). . . . According to a BCIHL news release: “EWU’s withdrawal results from a decision to absorb the returning members of the BCIHL team into the school’s ACHA Division 2 junior-varsity team and compete against more regional opponents.” . . . The news release also included: “The BCIHL is also exploring expansion opportunities in a number of locations and will continue to work with BC Hockey as well as other universities, colleges and local support groups to gauge interest and facilitate new applications.”

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Veteran goaltending coach Jeff Battah is heading back to Europe for a second season in Austria. Battah, 37, who spent this season with the Graz 99ers of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, has signed on as assistant coach/goaltending coach with HC Innsbruck for 2018-19. He has worked in the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince George Cougars.

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D Graham Sward, who will turn 15 on Sept. 12, has signed with the Spokane Chiefs. From Abbotsford, B.C., Sward was a first-round selection in the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft. He played this season with the bantam prep team at the Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, putting up two goals and 16 assists in 26 games.

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The Memorial Cup schedule (all times local):

Game 1, Friday – Regina 3, Hamilton 2 (5,678)

Game 2, Saturday – Acadie-Bathurst 4, Swift Current 3 (OT) (6,237)

Game 3, Sunday – Acadie-Bathurst 8, Regina 6 (5,832)

Game 4, Monday – Hamilton 2, Swift Current 1 (5,820)

Game 5, Tuesday – Hamilton 3, Acadie-Bathurst 2 (6,072)

Game 6, Wednesday – Regina 6, Swift Current 5 (6,484)

Thursday — Day off.

Friday’s Semifinal – Regina vs. Hamilton, 8 p.m.

Saturday — No Game Scheduled.

Sunday’s Final — Acadie-Bathurst vs. Regina/Hamilton winner, 5 p.m.

Parneta moves into Giants' office . . . Rockets release an import . . . WHL champions are done

F Vladimír Sičák (Medicine Hat, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). An alternate captain, he had four goals and 18 assists in 49 games. Karlovy Vary was in 1. Liga this season and won promotion to Extraliga for next season. . . .

D Patrik Maier (Kamloops, Moose Jaw, 2014-16) signed a one-year contract extension with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he was pointless in 20 games. He had six assists in 41 games while on loan to Benátky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga).

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The Vancouver Giants introduced Barclay Parneta as their general manager on Wednesday morning. Parneta, 47, takes over from Glen Hanlon, who left the Giants earlier this month after two seasons as GM. . . . The Giants’ news release is right here. . . . Steve Ewen, who covers the Giants for Postmedia, has a piece right here.

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The Kelowna Rockets have released Czech F Marek Skrvne, who turns 19 on Aug. 6, after just one season. He had four goals and nine assists in 69 games as a freshman last season. . . . The Rockets will make one selection in the CHL’s 2018 import draft, as Czech D Libor Zabransky, 18, will return for a second season. . . . “Marek did nothing to cause the direction we are headed except for the fact that I think we need a defenceman back there as we are trying to build a team for 2020,” Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ owner, president and general manager, told Regan Bartel, the team’s radio voice. . . . The Rockets are preparing to bid on the 2020 Memorial Cup. . . . According to the WHL Guide, the import draft will be held on June 26 or 27.

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The men who own the Regina Pats are going to take at least a $2-million bath on the 2018 Memorial Cup, which is being played in their city. Not only that, but they aren’t at all surprised; in fact, they expected it. . . . They ended up handing the CHL a $3-million hosting fee and another $650,000 to cover some expenses. . . . “If every seat had been sold for the Eagles concert — part of the gala opening ceremony at Mosaic Stadium — and for every game of the tournament, the owners would still have been staring at a seven-figure shortfall,” writes Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. . . . You have to wonder what’s going on in the world of major junior hockey when one of the CHL’s partners is forced into taking this kind of bath? . . . Vanstone’s piece is right here and it more than adequately explains the financial situation surrounding this Memorial Cup.

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Last time a WHL champion won a game at the Memorial Cup was the @Kelowna_Rockets in a 9-3 win over the Quebec Remparts in the semi finals in 2015. Since then 0-10.

— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) May 24, 2018

WHL Champions are 0-8 at Memorial Cup last 3 years:

Too Many Teams (no depth)
Too Many Games (exhausted), + more travel

WHL 1 team per 487K (based on 2016 census-BC/ALB/Sask/Man)
QMJHL 1 per 577K (QC and Maritimes)
OHL 1 per 672 K

WHL-72 game reg. season
QMJHL-68 GP
OHL-68 GP

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) May 22, 2018

The Memorial Cup schedule (all times local):

Game 1, Friday – Regina 3, Hamilton 2 (5,678)

Game 2, Saturday – Acadie-Bathurst 4, Swift Current 3 (OT) (6,237)

Game 3, Sunday – Acadie-Bathurst 8, Regina 6 (5,832)

Game 4, Monday – Hamilton 2, Swift Current 1 (5,820)

Game 5, Tuesday – Hamilton 3, Acadie-Bathurst 2 (6,072)

Game 6, Wednesday – Regina 6, Swift Current 5 (6,484)

Thursday — Day off.

Friday’s Semifinal – Regina vs. Hamilton, 8 p.m.

Sunday’s Final — Acadie-Bathurst vs. Regina/Hamilton winner, 5 p.m.

5 assists by Sam Steel tonight ties the Memorial Cup tournament record for assists in a single game. Dan Hodgson (Prince Albert '85) and Jonathan Drouin (Halifax '13) the others. #MMC100

— Terry Doyle (@Terry_Doyle) May 24, 2018

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Source tells me Oilers have signed deals with Trent Yawney and Glen Gulutzan to be assistant coaches. Will sign a third assistant as well. #Oilers

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) May 24, 2018

Speculation has been running wild in Edmonton regarding the likelihood that the NHL’s Oilers will add Glen Gulutzan and Trent Yawney to head coach Todd McLellan’s coaching staff. . . . Gulutzan was fired as head coach of the Calgary Flames after the season, while Yawney was let go by the Anaheim Ducks. . . . The Oilers have room for one more assistant coach and those same speculators are betting on Manny Viveiros, the director of hockey operations and head coach of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. The Broncos won the WHL’s playoff championship, but went 0-3 at the Memorial Cup, bowing out Wednesday night with a 5-2 loss to the host Regina Pats.

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THE COACHING GAME:

Clint Mylymok has signed on with the NAHL’s Maryland Black Bears as the first general manager and head coach in the franchise’s history. He had been the GM/head coach of the SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds for the previous four seasons. The Hounds play out of the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask. . . . The Black Bears will play out of Odenton, Maryland, using the Piney Orchard Ice Arena as their home base. It once was a training centre for the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

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Geoff Grimwood has resigned as general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. Grimwood spent three seasons with the Klippers. He had been an assistant coach with the WHL’s Victoria Royals for three seasons (2012-15) before signing on with Kindersley.

Giants set to introduce GM . . . Hay: I do want to coach

G Andrei Makarov (Saskatoon, 2011-13) was traded by Spartak Moscow to  Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (both Russia, KHL) for monetary compensation. This season, in 12 games, he was 6-5-0, 2.11, .922 with one shutout. . . . This trade reverses the May 1 deal between the two clubs, which also was for monetary compensation. . . .

D David Musil (Vancouver, Edmonton, 2009-13) signed a one-year contract extension with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal and five assists in 52 games. . . . 

D William Wrenn (Portland, 2010-12) signed a one-year contract with Grizzlys Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL). This season, with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL), he had one assist in 21 games. He also had three goals and five assists in 25 games with Sport Vaasa (Finland, Liiga), and had one assist in five games while on loan to Lukko Rauma (Finland, Liiga). . . . Sport's loan of Wrenn to Lukko was made once Sport was eliminated from playoff contention. . . . Wrenn averaged 17:04 time on ice per game with Dinamo Riga, 20:13 TOI per game with Sport and Ilves. . . . 

F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2), he had 22 goals and 46 assists in 51 games. He led his team in points and assists. He was second in the league in assists and fourth in points.

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Congratulations to former Americans Head Scout Barclay Parneta on joining the Vancouver Giants Tommorrow as their new General Manager. #AmsHockey#AmsNation

— Robert (Bob) Tory (@BTORY) May 22, 2018

The Vancouver Giants will introduce Barclay Parneta as their new general manager at a news conference today (Wednesday) in Tsawwassen. Parneta, 47, takes over from Glen Hanlon, who left the Giants last week after spending two seasons as the GM. . . . Parneta, who has a home in Richmond, B.C., has been working with the Tri-City Americans for the past eight seasons, most recently as assistant GM. He has experience with the Giants, having scouted with them for three seasons under then-GM Scott Bonner. . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia has more right here.

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Don Hay, who stepped aside as head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers earlier this month, said on Tuesday that he still wants to coach and that he is prepared to look at “all different opportunities.”

Chatting with Don Taylor and Bob Marjanovich of TSN-Vancouver 1040, Hay, who now is in an advisory role with the Blazers, said: “I do want to coach. I still have the passion to coach . . . the passion is still there. 

“I enjoy getting up every day and having the challenge of coaching and going to the rink. Coaching is more than just teaching hockey. It’s life skills and social skills for the young guys who are leaving home at an early age. It’s something that I’ve done for a long time that I feel I can still do a good job of.”

Hay admitted that his decision to vacate his role after four seasons as the Blazers’ head coach was “a real tough decision for me.” He added: “I’m still passionate about coaching. I enjoyed my time in the Western Hockey League. I thought it was time to take a step back maybe for a year to get recharged. . . . Any time you step away you are going to have to do a lot of thinking about it . . . it was definitely a tough decision.”

Hay is the WHL’s all-time winningest head coach, both in terms of regular-season and playoff victories. 

Hay, 64, made no bones about the fact that he still wants to coach.

“I look forward to another opportunity down the road a little bit,” Hay said. "I’d look at all different opportunities, whether it’s overseas or junior or in pro. If it’s a good opportunity for myself and my family and I’m excited about it, I think it’s something I would look at.”

In the meantime, he’s preparing for his new role as an advisor with the Blazers, who are in the market for a general manager and a head coach.

“I’m really looking forward to this new role,” Hay said. “Kamloops is my home. It’s pretty easy to get from my house to the rink. I look forward to that role.”

——

Here is the scenario moving forward: Hamilton and Acadie-Bathurst are both 2-1. If Swift Current wins, Bulldogs to the final based on head-to-head with Titan. Regina wins, Titan to the final based on goal differential. #MMC100

— Terry Doyle (@Terry_Doyle) May 23, 2018

#SCB need to beat Regina Pats Wednesday to force tie-breaker game vs. the Pats again on Thursday. #MCMemorialCup

— SC Broncos (@SCBroncos) May 23, 2018

Announced attendance is 6,072, which is more than the tournament opener. Organizers offered volunteers 2 free tickets to the game. Well deserved for all the work the excellent volunteers have done here. #MMC100

— Terry Doyle (@Terry_Doyle) May 23, 2018

The Memorial Cup schedule (all times local):

Game 1, Friday – Regina 3, Hamilton 2 (5,678)

Game 2, Saturday – Acadie-Bathurst 4, Swift Current 3 (OT) (6,237)

Game 3, Sunday – Acadie-Bathurst 8, Regina 6 (5,832)

Game 4, Monday – Hamilton 2, Swift Current 1 (5,820)

Game 5, Tuesday – Hamilton 3, Acadie-Bathurst 2 (6,072)

Game 6, Wednesday – Regina vs. Swift Current, 8 p.m.

Tiebreaker (if necessary) – Thursday, 6 p.m.

Semifinal – Friday, 8 p.m.

Final — Sunday, 5 p.m.

——

The Tri-City Americans have signed D Carson Haynes, who had eight goals and 16 assists in 36 games with the bantam AAA Lethbridge Golden Hawks this season. The Americans selected Haynes in the third round of the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft.

Ex-WHLers brought golden touch to Golden Knights

Reminder: The #VGK were given a 2nd-round pick to take Marc-Andre Fleury, Jonathan Marchessault to take Reilly Smith, Alex Tuch to take Erik Haula, Shea Theodore to take Clayton Stoner and a 1st and 2nd to take William Karlsson and David Clarkson’s contract.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 21, 2018

If you’ve stopped off at this site, it means you are a hockey fan. That being the case, I hope you are enjoying the story being written by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

On May 28, the Golden Knights, who are finishing up their first season, will begin play in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final.

We all know that the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, and that the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have been with us since 2000-01, have yet to win a playoff series. We

could go on and on, but you get the point.

Yes, this is quite a story. In fact, it just may be the greatest story in team sports in my lifetime.

I often wonder how many professional athletes haven’t been able to enjoy much in the way of success because they never were able to get themselves into the right place at the time. Now I wonder how much of the Golden Knights’ success is due to so many players being able to be in the right place at the right time.

And who is responsible for putting those players into this situation?

When the final chapter is written on the Golden Knights’ first season, there definitely will be a WHL slant to it. Yes, there are a number of men with WHL ties working off the ice with Vegas, mostly in areas of player personnel and scouting.

What follows is a look at some of those with WHL ties, and you know they’re enjoying this run:

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Kelly McCrimmon, executive vice-president and assistant GM — McCrimmon, 57, knows hockey and he knows business, that’s why he’s such a good fit with Vegas. Under his ownership, the Brandon Wheat Kings became one of the CHL’s most-respected franchises. . . . While running the Wheat Kings, McCrimmon earned an MBA from Queen’s U in Kingston, Ont. . . . He came awfully close to joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant GM over the summer of 2015, but stayed with his Wheat Kings because he had put together a roster aiming at the WHL’s 2016 championship, which Brandon won. . . . He joined Vegas that summer. . . . Did you know: After playing two seasons (1978-80) with the Wheat Kings, McCrimmon went on to the U of Michigan, where he played four seasons and was the Wolverines’ captain in the last one (1983-84).

——

Murray Craven, senior vice-president — Craven, 53, played four seasons (1980-84) with his hometown Medicine Hat Tigers. He then went on to play 1,071 NHL games, spending time with Detroit, Philadelphia, Hartford, Vancouver, Chicago and San Jose. . . . Craven was named the Golden Knights’ senior vice-president on Aug. 18, 2016, after spending two years as an advisor to owner Bill Foley. . . . Craven and Foley were neighbours on Whitefish Lake in Montana and played golf together. . . . Craven oversaw such things as designing the dressing rooms in T-Mobile Arena and the building of the Golden Knights’ practice facility, and he also has done some pro scouting. . . . Did you know: Vegas GM George McPhee was an assistant GM in Vancouver when Craven played for the Canucks.

——

Vaughn Karpan, director of player personnel — Karpan, 56, played 26 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1979-80 — Kelly McCrimmon was a teammate — but is best known for playing four seasons with Canada’s national team. These days, he is widely respected as one of the premier talent evaluators in the game. . . . He scouted for Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona for 13 seasons (1992-2005), and was the director of amateur scouting for the last six of those. Karpan then spent 11 seasons with Montreal, working as an amateur scout (2005-10) before transitioning to pro scout (2010-15) and then director of professional scouting (2015-16). . . . He signed on with the Golden Knights and spent the past two seasons scouting the professional ranks. . . . This is the man with the golden eyes and an incredible feel for the game. Yes, you can bet that he had a whole lot to do with putting together the roster that is about to play for the Stanley Cup. . . . Did you know: Karpan represented Canada at two Olympic Winter Games — 1984 and 1988.

——

Bob Lowes, assistant director of player personnel — Lowes, 55, played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Regina Pats (1982-84), captaining the Pats in his final season. He spent nine seasons (1992-2001) as the head coach of Kelly McCrimmon’s Brandon Wheat Kings and three with the Pats (2001-04). . . . From 2006-16, he scouted for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, serving as director of amateur scouting for the last two of those. . . . Like Karpan, Lowes spent 2016-17 doing pro scouting for Vegas. . . . Did you know: When Lowes was inducted into the U of Manitoba Bisons Hockey Hall of Fame in February, he was introduced by McCrimmon.

——

Erin Ginnell, amateur scout — Ginnell, 49, played for five teams over two WHL seasons (1985-87). He skated for the New Westminster Bruins, Calgary Wranglers, Seattle Thunderbirds, Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos. . . . He has been an NHL amateur scout since 2000-01, starting with the Columbus Blue Jackets for two seasons and one with the Colorado Avalanche. He was with the Florida Panthers for 13 seasons (2003-16), the last five as director of amateur scouting. He lost his job when the tall foreheads in Florida chose to clean house. (The Panthers, who haven’t won a playoff series since the spring of 1996, also fired Scott Luce, who had been the director of amateur scouting for eight seasons, the director of scouting for five and the director of player personnel for one. He now is the Golden Knights’ director of amateur scouting.) . . . Ginnell is the son of the late Pat Ginnell, who was a legendary coach, and the father of Kootenay Ice F Brad Ginnell. . . . Did you know: Following the crash of the Swift Current Broncos’ bus on Dec. 30, 1986, in which four players died, Erin was one of the players acquired by the Broncos to help get them through that season.

—— 

Bruno Campese, amateur scout — Campese, 54, was a goaltender who played one season (1982-83) with the Portland Winter Hawks, who won the 1983 Memorial Cup. However, the Winter Hawks added G Mike Vernon from the Calgary Wranglers — teams could add a goaltender from another team back in the day — and Campese saw only 40 minutes of playing time. . . . He also played one season (1983-84) with the Kelowna Wings. . . . Campese spent one-plus seasons as the GM/head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, before stepping aside as coach. He then spent three seasons (2012-15) as the GM. . . . This is his first NHL scouting gig. . . . Did you know: Campese played in the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, as well as the 1993, 1994 and 1995 IIHF World Championship tournaments, with the Italian national team. He has dual Canadian/Italian citizenship.

——

Kelly Kisio, pro scout — Kisio, 58, played two seasons with the Calgary Wranglers (1978-80) before going on to a lengthy pro career that ended after two seasons (1993-95) with the Calgary Flames. . . . He then spent 21 more seasons in the Flames’ organization, the last 18 of those with the Hitmen. At various times, he was the general manager, head coach, executive vice-president of hockey operations and, for the last three of those seasons, the president of hockey operations. Yes, it was a surprise to some that the Flames didn’t move him to the NHL side of things before losing him to Vegas. . . . His son, Brent, is the head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Did you know: Kelly played for the Swiss club HC Davos in 1982-83. In his second-last game there, Kisio recorded eight goals and two assists in a 19-7 victory over HC Lugano. Three days later, he joined the Detroit Red Wings.

——

Jim McKenzie, pro scout — McKenzie, 48, played two WHL seasons (1986-88) with the Moose Jaw Warriors and one with the Victoria Cougars. He totalled 21 goals in 197 regular-season games before going on to an NHL career that featured 880 games, 48 goals and 1,739 penalty minutes. . . . He has a Stanley Cup ring from the 2002-03 New Jersey Devils. . . . In the NHL, he played for Hartford, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Phoenix, Anaheim, Washington, New Jersey and Nashville. . . . He joined the NHL’s Florida Panthers as a pro scout in 2013-14 and spent three seasons there. . . .  Did you know: McKenzie’s hometown is Gull Lake, Sask., which also is the hometown of Roger Aldag, perhaps the greatest offensive lineman in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ history.

——

Ryan McGill, assistant coach — McGill, 49, played in the WHL with the Lethbridge Broncos, Swift Current Broncos and Medicine Hat Tigers (1985-89). . . . He won a Memorial Cup with the 1987-88 Tigers. . . . McGill’s playing career included 151 NHL games but was cut short by an eye injury. . . . He coached in the WHL with the Edmonton Ice and Kootenay Ice. McGill guided Kootenay to the 2002 Memorial Cup title. . . . He also has coached in the AHL and was on the Calgary Flames’ staff for two seasons (2009-11). . . . Before joining Vegas, McGill spent two seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. He was the OHL and CHL coach of the year for 2016-17. . . . Did you know: McGill has previous Knights coaching experience, having spent two seasons (2005-07) as the head coach of the AHL’s Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights.

——

Mike Kelly, assistant coach — Kelly, 58, spent one season (2003-04) in the WHL, as the Brandon Wheat Kings’ head coach. He was fired by Kelly McCrimmon on March 1, 2004, and McCrimmon, the general manager, took over as head coach. . . . Kelly also has coached in the OHL, QMJHL and the Canadian university ranks. He also worked as an assistant coach in the NHL, with the Vancouver Canucks (2006-08) and Florida Panthers. He was in his third season with the Panthers when he was fired on Nov. 27, 2016. At the same time, the Panthers dumped head coach Gerard Gallant, who now is the Golden Knights’ head coach. . . . Did you know: Kelly worked as an assistant coach under Gallant with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs (2010-12). They won the 2011 Memorial Cup.

——

Ryan Craig, assistant coach — Craig, 36, played five seasons (1998-03) with the Brandon Wheat Kings and was the captain for the last two of those seasons. Obviously, he is well-connected with Kelly McCrimmon. . . . Craig’s pro career included 198 NHL games and 711 in the AHL, where he won a championship with the 2015-16 Lake Erie Monsters. . . . He retired after the 2016-17 season and was hired by the Golden Knights. . . . Did you know: Craig captained four AHL franchises — the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Norfolk Admirals, Springfield Falcons, and Lake Erie/Cleveland Monsters.

——

Shane Hnidy, TV analyst — Hnidy, 42, split five WHL seasons — and 327 games — between the Swift Current Broncos and Prince Albert Raiders. A defenceman, he went on to a pro career that included 550 regular-season NHL games, along with stints in the ECHL, AHL and IHL. . . . Hnidy had been part of the Winnipeg Jets’ broadcast crew for six seasons before moving to Vegas. . . . Did you know: Hnidy won a Stanley Cup with the 2010-11 Boston Bruins, getting into three regular-season games and three more in the playoffs. He retired following the season.

Mondays with Murray: Eloquence Belongs to No One

DECEMBER 13, 1994, SPORTS

Copyright 1994 /THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY
Eloquence Belongs to No One

Why can't a woman be more like a man. — Prof. Henry Higgins in 'My Fair Lady’

Prof. ’Enry ’Iggins should have hung around a while. Women race cars, ride thoroughbreds, make putts, serve aces, play point guard, hit home runs, go into space, direct movies, run corporations, even run countries nowadays.

   They not only play sports, they write them. They go into battle, sit in the Senate, make our laws,

judge them and set our policy. Santa Claus might turn out to be a woman next.

   One of the secrets of the sports world for a long time was that women were often the biggest and most dedicated group of fans in any sport. Baseball put ‘Ladies Day’ into the scene early in the game and those of us on the sports desk who checked our daily mail were well aware women made up the bulk of the readership some days.

   It was women, really, who first embraced pro basketball and it was nothing to see fully half the spectators courtside at the Forum female. Doris Day and Dyan Cannon were Hollywood representatives at games long before Jack Nicholson and Billy Crystal.

   It wasn't long before they wanted to do more than watch and cheer. They wanted to comment, advise, second-guess, be a part of the sports scene. It wasn't long before women were as familiar a sight circulating in a sports locker room as trainers.

   They had first cracked the barrier of sports journalism giving the "woman's angle." Turned out the woman's angle on a home run or an end run or an Olympic run wasn't significantly different. 

   A home run was a home run, a goal was a goal, and, of course, an adverb was an adverb. Also, a "No comment!" or a "Get out of my face!" knew no sex.

   There were some contretemps. Some athletes had as much trouble with gender equality as some editors. Some lawyers had to find court rulings that were conspicuously sexless but, of course, lawyers have no trouble finding what suits them or their clients.

   So, it's altogether appropriate that a colleague, Ron Rapoport of the Daily News, should see fit to collect and publish an anthology of sportswriting by women and show the craft is in good hands.

   Ron's collection is not "You've come a long way, baby." It doesn't treat the subject as Barbie Doll journalism. He notes that Mary Garber, who was to sportswriting what Amelia Earhart was to aviation, once presented several articles at a seminar of sports editors and asked them to identify the authors by sex. No one could.

   The book is called ‘A Kind of Grace’ and it offers a compilation of 73 pieces from the women's side of sports viewing. It is good stuff. For example:

On Page 223, Joan Ryan of the San Francisco Examiner begins her piece, "Nine years before Mary Bacon put a bullet in her head at a Motel 6 in Ft. Worth, Tex., she had already begun to die."

    Runyon ever say it better? John Lardner?

    On Page 104, Claire Smith of the New York Times is holding forth: "Steve Palermo and Dr. Lonise Bias would not seem to have a lot in common, one being a major league umpire (shot and paralyzed by an armed robber), the second being a doctor of religion.

   "Bias has also suffered grievous wounds in her life, having lost two sons, one to a drug overdose, one to murderous gunplay. Len Bias, Bias' talented basketball player son, died of a drug overdose on the eve of a professional career with the Boston Celtics.

   "She speaks to athletes, most recently to major league rookies who gathered in Dallas last weekend. ‘You have a responsibility on this earth. Will you cause other young men to be a curse upon this earth or will you cause them to be a blessing? For, you see, good advice with poor example is very confusing. You are educators whether you want to be or not. You will influence the decision of someone sitting at the table with you or someone who will be sitting in a ballpark looking at you. Either you will lead them to a life of prosperity or one of death and destruction.’ ”

   Who needs Dickens? 

   Take another Joan Ryan piece on page 332 on the other side of the Super Bowl:

   "Wendy Kusuma walked last Sunday afternoon through downtown San Francisco, which was quiet and nearly empty. So many people were home watching the 49ers-Dallas Cowboys game. 'I had this feeling of dread: Before the night's over we'll have more battered women in either Dallas or San Francisco,' she said.

   "Football Sundays are heavy workdays for battered women's shelters. A woman is battered by a husband or lover every 15 seconds of every day. One-third to one-half of all female murder victims die at the hands of spouses or lovers.

   "Next week's Super Bowl Sunday would be the worst day of the year for battered women. It usually is. A wife or girlfriend steps in front of the television. She doesn't fetch his beer quickly enough. She can't keep the children quiet. She contradicts him in front of his friends. Anything can trigger the beating. But it's usually the beer, the betting, the bruising and banging of players on TV that lead the way. The athletes on screen — men often admired to the point of reverence — reaffirm the batterer's belief of what it takes to be a man: aggressive, dominant, physical."

   Go Raiders!

   On Page 114, Michelle Kaufman of the Detroit Free Press zeroes in on a familiar figure. "Her father bought her a .22 rifle when she was in kindergarten and chopped off the stock so it would fit her tiny hands. Her mother has been married seven times. A drunk half-brother once tried to kiss her; she retaliated by burning him in the neck with a curling iron. Twice in the past two years, she filed for divorce and sought restraining orders against her hot-headed husband. Three months ago, police seized a handgun from her after it went off during an argument.

   "Less than a month before the Winter Olympics, Tonya Harding faces the toughest chapter of her tough life.

   "Harding's background contradicts every image associated with figure skating. The new U.S. champion enjoys drag racing, rebuilding engines, playing pool, hunting, fishing. She smokes cigarettes, despite a serious asthmatic condition. While other skaters choose classical music, Harding has skated to such tunes as 'Wild Thing' and 'Funky Cold Medina' and her skating dresses are a far cry from designer beauties."

   OK. How's that for who, what, when, where and why, the journalist's fab five?

   On Page 360, Helene Elliott of The Times takes the high road: "When he was a rookie, and other players mocked his devout Christianity, and his decision to abstain from sex until marriage, A.C. Green's steadfast faith helped him silence his doubters. 'One thing about me is, I don't feel I have many limitations. I feel I can really do anything. The Bible tells me — and I really believe the Bible — Philippians 4:13 says, ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,’ and this Scripture I take to heart.’

   "Green runs a summer camp for children and someday he'd like to establish a home for unwed mothers. ‘There has to be more emphasis put on self-control and responsibility. If there's so much sex education going on in school, why are teen-age birth rates and abortion rates on the increase? There's a lot of things that weigh on my heart.’ ”

   Well, was Dr. Bob Schuller more eloquent at the Crystal Cathedral?

   A powerful argument for gender equity is this book. Of course, these women never hit a major league home run, scored a touchdown in the NFL, served aces at Wimbledon or high-sticked Wayne Gretzky. Come to think of it, neither did we.

Reprinted with the permission of the Los Angeles Times

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 60753, Pasadena, CA 91116

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What is the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation? 

  The Jim Murray Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, established in 1999 to perpetuate the Jim Murray legacy, and his love for and dedication to his extraordinary career in journalism. Since 1999, JMMF has granted 104 $5,000 scholarships to outstanding journalism students. Success of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation's efforts depends heavily on the contributions from generous individuals, organizations, corporations, and volunteers who align themselves with the mission and values of the JMMF.

Like us on Facebook, and visit the JMMF website, www.jimmurrayfoundation.org.