Wednesday notes

"Dollar" Bill Wirtz, the notoriously tight owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, died this morning. He took over the team from his father in 1966 and they won diddly-squat in 41 years since. Perhaps whoever takes over the team now will show as much interest in winning as in counting the profits.

To the WHL; only one game last night, Red Deer beating Edmonton in a shootout thanks to shootout goals from two rookies - Landon Ferraro and Dallas Jackson. Edmonton still has picked up 5 out of 6 possible points so far though. For comparision, last year it took Chilliwack 13 games to get to 5 points.

Speaking of Dallas Jackson, the Red Deer Advocate took a look at him yesterday. He is a late-bloomer story, a kid passed over in the bantam draft three years ago who later turned himself into the best defenceman in Alberta AAA midget hockey last year.

Here's a fun story: Lethbridge Hurricanes coach Michael Dyck helped deliver a baby in the Enmax Center parking lot prior to leaving for their game in Medicine Hat last Saturday. The one question that pops into my mind which isn't answered by the article is why this couple was driving to Lethbridge in a panic when there is a hospital at home in Cardston. The story has a happy ending for all concerned though, so it's all good.

The Cougars have reassigned forwards Matt Belich and defenceman Wade Epp. Belich was the 24th overall pick in the 2005 bantam draft and with him getting cut at 17 now, it's not looking good for having a career in the WHL.

Moose Jaw G.M. Chad Lang hints that it may have been off-ice issues that prompted the trade of Jason Reese to Tri-City yesterday for Joel Broda.

Story of two kids playing Jr A in Brooks who should be in the WHL. One is there by choice and the other is awaiting a trade that will get him back into the WHL.

The Raiders have redesigned their website. And they were able to do it without taking it offline for the month leading up to the season too! The Rockets should have hired those guys to do their site.

Yet another profile of the Battlin' Boogaard Boys.

You just know this guy is going to hear about this in the dressing room every day for the rest of the season. Picture of him actually wearing the shoes here. Mercer is recovering from a broken right wrist (cast is visible in the pic) and I can just see him teetering on those heels and falling.

Still with the Hitmen, forward Ryan White apparently hacked veteran NHL tough guy Chris Simon during a preseason game and lived to tell about it, although it sounds like he might have had to change his shorts during the intermission.

Back to the NHL; by my count there are five junior-aged WHLers still away at NHL camps: Alex Plante of the Hitmen (Edmonton Oilers camp), Peter Mueller of the Silvertips (Phoenix Coyotes camp), Brandon Sutter of the Rebels (Carolina Hurricanes camp), Colton Gillies of the Blades (Minnesota Wild camp) and Milan Lucic of the Giants (Boston Bruins camp). As I see it, Plante, Sutter, and Gillies should all be back for sure. Mueller probably won't be back, while Lucic has a darkhorse shot at the NHL roster but will likely be back eventually, maybe after a few games in the NHL?

UPDATE: Brandon Sutter has been returned to the Rebels this morning.

Speaking of cuts, there are 11 WHL teams still carrying more than 25 players on their rosters right now. Time to start paring things down already! The longer these eventual cuts stay in the WHL, the harder it is going to get for some of them to hook up with a junior or midget team once they are let go. Plus this just create a ripple effect - WHL cuts a kid and he joins a midget team, who then cut another kid off their roster, and where does that kid go now, etc. The Jr A leagues are already well underway and all the AAA midget leagues are either underway or getting started this week and that means rosters are being finalized. I know the last couple cuts can be tough ones but come on, Everett still has 29 freakin players on their roster and Prince Albert has 28. If their coaching staffs can't already pick at least 1 or 2 out of that group who won't make the team full-time this year....

And another note I've been forgetting to mention for a week or so now - that trade last week between Moose Jaw and Saskatoon - that saw the Warriors pick up defenceman Brett Ward from the Blades for a 2008 4th round pick - comes with a twist. You see, the Warriors don't have a 2008 4th round pick, having traded it away already in a deal I cannot recall or track down. Anyway, it seems the league allows teams to trade draft picks they don't have. So, the Warriors will be forced to acquire a 2008 4th rounder before the draft (and then send it to Saskatoon), or else they will have to give the Blades their 2009 3rd rounder instead.

The new CHL top ten ranking is out today, and it is a better showing for the WHL than last week when they only had two teams in the top ten. This week there are three - Calgary, Tri-City, and Brandon. Everett has been dropped off the list. All I can say about this ranking is, do the "NHL scouts" who pick this thing really think Brandon is the 3rd best team in the WHL right now just because they beat a very weak Blades team twice? Vancouver is also 2-0 and their wins included a road win in Everett - who the "scouts" at least had on their top ten last week. This poll just doesn't make sense at all.

The Broncos and the City of Swift Current have announced a sponsorship deal with Innovation Credit Union to rename the Centennial Civic Center to the "Credit Union i-plex". Yes, all lower-case on "i-plex". No idea why, but "i-plex" is so silly I bet nobody is still calling it that a month from now. The deal is worth $600,000 over ten years and the money will be invested into the facility.

Oh, and I love the very masculine, aggressive butterfly logo. Makes the Broncos horse look like a sissy.

UPDATE: Another veteran cut, this one in Everett where 19 year old forward Carter Smith has been reassigned to play Jr A in the SJHL. It's too bad about Smith's career....he was a 2nd round pick in the 2003 bantam draft and while he never did develop into a star, he was at least a fulltime WHLer until October 22, 2006. That was the day the car Smith was driving was hit by a drunk driver, critically injuring teammate Garrett Robinson. Only Smith can say whether the accident changed him as a player, but since then he has played just 16 games (with only 3 points), was traded by the Warriors, went home for the season shortly after the trade last year, and now has been cut altogether. Robinson's career might not be the only one that really ended that day.