WJHC Canada Development Camp Roster

Canada’s National Junior Team development camp will be in Saskatoon August 5-10. Goalies will be named in mid-June.

Defence
T.J. Brodie L 6'1" 173 06/07/90 Chatham, Ont. Saginaw (OHL) CGY '08 (4, 114)
Matt Clark R 6'3" 205 10/17/90 Milton, Ont. Brampton (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Jared Cowen L 6'4.5" 218 01/25/91 Allan, Sask Spokane (WHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Tyler Cuma L 6'1.5" 189 01/19/90 Bowmanville, Ont. Ottawa (OHL) MIN '08 (1, 23)
Calvin de Haan L 5'11.5" 165 05/09/91 Carp, Ont. Oshawa (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
* Ryan Ellis R 5'9.5" 176 01/03/91 Freelton, Ont. Windsor (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Cameron Gaunce L 6'1" 203 03/19/90 Markham, Ont. Mississauga St. Michael's (OHL) COL '08 (2, 50)
Travis Hamonic R 6'0" 202 08/16/90 St. Malo, Man. Moose Jaw (WHL) NYI '08 (2, 53)
Shawn Lalonde R 6'0" 190 05/10/90 Orleans, Ont. Belleville (OHL) CHI '08 (3, 68)
* Tyler Myers R 6'7.5" 213 02/01/90 Calgary, Alta./Alb. Kelowna (WHL) BUF '08 (1, 12)
Dylan Olsen L 6'2" 205 01/03/91 Calgary, Alta./Alb. Camrose (AJHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
* Alex Pietrangelo R 6'2.5" 204 01/18/90 King City, Ont. Niagara (OHL) STL '08 (1, 4)
Colby Robak L 6'3" 194 04/24/90 Gilbert Plains, Man. Brandon (WHL) FLA '08 (2, 46)
Charles-Olivier Roussel R 6'1" 198 09/13/91 St-Eustache, Que./QC Shawinigan (QMJHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Marco Scandella L 6'2" 208 02/23/90 Montreal, Que./QC Val d'Or (QMJHL) MIN '08 (2, 55)
* Colten Teubert R 6'3" 189 03/08/90 White Rock, B.C./C.-B. Regina (WHL) LA '08 (1, 13)
Patrick Wiercioch L 6'4" 185 09/12/90 Maple Ridge, B.C./C.-B. Denver (WCHA) OTT '08 (2, 42)

Forward
Luke Adam L 6'1" 201 06/18/90 St. John's, N.L./T.-N.-L. Montreal (QMJHL) BUF '08 (2, 44)
Gabriel Bourque L 5'9" 183 09/23/90 Baie-Comeau, Que./QC Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Josh Brittain L 6'4" 217 01/03/90 Milton, Ont. Barrie (OHL) ANA '08 (3, 71)
Jordan Caron L 6'2.5" 200 11/02/90 Sayabec, Que./QC Rimouski (QMJHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Joe Colborne L 6'5" 195 01/30/90 Calgary, Alta./Alb. Denver (WCHA) BOS '08 (1, 16)
* Patrice Cormier L 6'1.5" 201 06/14/90 Cap-Pelé, N.B./N.-B. Rimouski (QMJHL) NJ '08 (2, 54)
Philippe Cornet L 5'11" 182 03/28/90 Val Senneville, Que./QC Rimouski (QMJHL) EDM '08 (5, 133)
* Stefan Della Rovere L 5'11" 200 02/25/90 Maple, Ont. Barrie (OHL) WAS '08 (7, 204)
Matt Duchene L 5'11" 201 01/16/91 Haliburton, Ont. Brampton (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
* Jordan Eberle R 5'10" 181 05/15/90 Regina, Sask. Regina (WHL) EDM '08 (1, 22)
Scott Glennie R 6'1" 180 02/22/91 Winnipeg, Man. Brandon (WHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Taylor Hall L 6'0" 181 11/14/91 Kingston, Ont. Windsor (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Adam Henrique L 6'0" 188 02/06/90 Burford, Ont. Windsor (OHL) NJ '08 (3, 82)
* Cody Hodgson R 5'11" 189 02/18/90 Markham, Ont. Brampton (OHL) VAN '08 (1, 10)
Nazem Kadri L 5'11" 174 10/06/90 London, Ont. London (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
* Evander Kane L 6'1" 180 08/02/91 Vancouver, B.C./C.-B. Vancouver (WHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Zack Kassian R 6'2.5" 212 01/24/91 LaSalle, Ont. Peterborough (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Brandon Kozun R 5'8" 156 03/08/90 Calgary, Alta./Alb. Calgary (WHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Louis Leblanc R 6'0" 178 01/26/91 Kirkland, Que./QC Omaha (USHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Brandon McMillan L 5'11" 190 03/22/90 Delta, B.C./C.-B. Kelowna (WHL) ANA '08 (3, 95)
Greg Nemisz R 6'4" 201 06/05/90 Courtice, Ont. Windsor (OHL) CGY '08 (1, 25)
Ryan O'Reilly L 5'11.5" 205 02/07/91 Varna, Ont. Erie (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Brayden Schenn L 6'0" 199 08/22/91 Saskatoon, Sask. Brandon (WHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.
Kelsey Tessier R 5'9" 169 01/16/90 Fredericton, N.B./N.-B. Quebec (QMJHL) COL '08 (4, 110)

Not attending camp in accordance with National Junior Team policy, which allows for two-time members of the National Junior Team to forego camp and remain eligible for IIHF World Junior Championship.
** John Tavares L 6'0" 203 09/20/90 Oakville, Ont. London (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.

Message From ICE Office

Today is the Early Bird Season Ticket Deadline.
We are open until 5pm and over lunch.
People can get their season tickets by coming down to the ICE Office, phoning in or faxing in.
Deadline for Early Bird Season Tickets is today at 5pm!
Regular Season prices will take effect on Monday.

U-18 Selection Camp for August 09

ICE Head Coach Mark Holick is with Team Canada for this years' U-18 team. The selection camp is in Calgary August 1-4.

JP Anderson G R 5’10” 175 02/14/92 Toronto, Ont. Mississauga (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Louis Boileau-Dominque G L 6’1” 176 03/06/92 Mont St-Hilaire, Que./QC Moncton (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Calvin Pickard G L 6’1” 208 04/15/92 Winnipeg, Man. Seattle (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Kent Simpson G L 6’1” 183 03/26/92 Edmonton, Alta./Alb. Everett (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.

Brock Beukeboom D R 6’2” 199 04/01/92 Uxbridge, Ont. Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Samuel Carrier D R 6’0” 181 04/28/92 Varennes, Que./QC Quebec (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Nathan Chiarlitti D L 6’0” 185 02/04/92 Maple, Ont. Sarnia (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Morgan Ellis D R 6’1” 180 04/30/92 Ellerslie, P.E.I./I.-P.-E. Cape Breton (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Jérôme Gauthier-Leduc D R 6’1” 171 07/30/92 Quebec, Que./QC Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Brandon Gormley D L 6’1” 175 02/18/92 Murray River, P.E.I./I.-P.-E. Moncton (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Erik Gudbranson D R 6’3” 195 01/07/92 Orleans, Ont. Kingston (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Ryan O’Connor D R 5’8” 175 01/12/92 Hamilton, Ont. Barrie (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Alexander Petrovic D R 6’4” 180 03/03/92 Edmonton, Alta./Alb. Red Deer (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Mark Pysyk D R 6’1” 175 01/11/92 Sherwood Park, Alta./Alb. Edmonton (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Troy Rutkowski D R 6’1” 200 04/29/92 Edmonton, Alta./Alb. Portland (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Stephen Silas D L 6’0” 180 06/26/92 Georgetown, Ont. Belleville (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.

Guillaume Asselin F R 5’10” 171 09/09/92 Quebec City, Que./QC Montreal (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Michaël Bournival F L 5’10” 172 05/31/92 Shawinigan-Sud, Que./QC Shawinigan (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Brett Connolly F R 6’1” 162 05/02/92 Prince George, B.C./C.-B. Prince George (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Sean Couturier F L 6’3” 185 12/07/92 Bathurst, N.B./N.-B. Drummondville (QMJHL) 2011 Dft/Rep.
Gabriel Desjardins F L 5’11” 190 11/09/92 Montreal, Que./QC Halifax (QMJHL) 2011 Dft/Rep.
Freddie Hamilton F R 6’0” 185 01/01/92 Toronto, Ont. Niagara (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Ryan Harrison F R 5’10” 185 03/31/92 Kelowna, B.C./C.-B. Prince Albert (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Cédrick Henley F L 6’4” 182 01/10/92 Val d’Or, Que./QC Val d’Or (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Quinton Howden F L 6’2” 175 01/12/92 Oakbank, Man. Moose Jaw (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Brandon Hynes F R 5’8” 170 09/14/92 Norris Point, N.L./T.-N.L. Victoriaville (QMJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Brooks Macek F R 5’11” 170 05/15/92 Winnipeg, Man. Tri-City (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
John McFarland F L 6’0” 192 04/02/92 Richmond Hill, Ont. Sudbury (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Brendan Ranford F L 5’10” 180 05/03/92 Edmonton, Alta. Kamloops (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Brad Ross F R 6’1” 167 05/28/92 Lethbridge, Alta. Portland (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Jaden Schwartz F L 5’9” 172 06/25/92 Wilcox, Sask. Notre Dame (SJHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Tyler Seguin F R 6’0” 170 01/31/92 Brampton, Ont. Plymouth (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Steven Shipley F L 6’2” 200 04/22/92 Ilderton, Ont. Owen Sound (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Jeffrey Skinner F L 5’10” 182 05/16/92 Markham, Ont. Kitchener (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Ryan Spooner F L 5’9” 160 01/30/92 Kanata, Ont. Peterborough (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Mark Stone F R 6’2” 182 05/13/92 Winnipeg, Man. Brandon (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Gregg Sutch F R 6’2” 190 02/09/92 Newmarket, Ont. Sarnia (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Christian Thomas F R 5’9” 165 05/26/92 Toronto, Ont. Oshawa (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Tyler Toffoli F R 6’0” 181 04/24/92 Scarborough, Ont. Ottawa (OHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.
Jordan Weal F R 5’8” 158 04/15/92 North Vancouver, B.C./C.-B. Regina (WHL) 2010 Dft/Rep.

Jaffray & Arsene Interviews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1XTDSqY3gA



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNXiFaluxEM

Renney in Edmonton, Klemm in Spokane

Tom Renney, who was born in Cranbrook, was named Assistant Coach of the Edmonton Oilers today. Pat Quinn is the Head Coach.
Renney began his coaching career in the WHL winning a Memorial Cup in with Kamloops. Last season he coached the New York Rangers. He also coached the Vancouver Canucks for 2 seasons. He has a history with Hockey Canada and captured a silver medal as the head coach at the 1994 Winter Olympics.



The Spokane Chiefs have announced that former Memorial Cup and Stanley Cup Champion Jon Klemm has been named the Assistant Coach for the 2009-10 season. Klemm played 204 games as a Chief in a three season career that culminated with the 1991 Memorial Cup championship as a 20-year-old captain. The Cranbrook, BC native won a pair of Stanley Cups, 1996 and 2001, with the Colorado Avalanche in his 17-year pro career.

Where Were You 7 Years Ago Today

May 26, 2002 the Kootenay ICE beat Victoriaville 6-3 to win the Memorial Cup.
Colin Sinclair scored 2 goals, including the game winner. Cole Fischer, Igor Agarunov, Duncan Milroy and Shaun Norrie had the other goals. ICE outshot the Tigres 40-23.
Here is the story from CP on the game ...

Sunday, May 26, 2002
ICE 6, Tigres 3
Ice cap long journey
By JON COOK -- SLAM! Sports
GUELPH -- It started with a double-overtime loss two years ago in Halifax.
The lessons learned from that crushing defeat against Barrie are the ones the Kootenay Ice applied this week in Guelph that catapulted them to a Memorial Cup championship with a 6-3 victory against Victoriaville on Sunday.
Head coach Ryan McGill and five returning players from Halifax desperately wanted to erase the stigma of being the first Western Hockey League champion to go 0-3 in the tournament since it changed to its present format in 1972.
In the final it was those players - Jarret Stoll, Cole Fischer, Colin Sinclair, Richard Hamula and B.J. Boxma - who refused to let another opportunity slip away.
"He (McGill) just told us if we ever get a chance again, not to piss it away," said Sinclair, who scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner at 5:16 of the second period. "Coming in we felt confident with our play and we knew we didn't want to go 0-3 this year."
Fischer, who had lost in the semi-finals as a 16-year-old with Spokane in 1998, scored the all-important first goal of the game for the Ice. The 20-year-old defenceman took a soft pass from Stoll and wristed it over Tigres' goalie Daniel Boisclair. Hamula drew the second assist.
Throughout the regular season and playoffs, the Ice were 41-7 when taking a 1-0 lead.
Hamula and Stoll again drew assists on Duncan Milroy's third-period goal, which was a nice way for the teammates to end their junior careers. While both could return next year as overagers, it's unlikely.
"From losing every game to being a Memorial Cup champion is definitely a sweet feeling," said Stoll, who after five years with the Ice will likely be signed this week by the Calgary Flames who drafted him in the third round in 2000. "Every year is a journey and from where we came four years ago, even from where the Edmonton team came, to now is just leaps and bounds above that."
Fischer collected his second point of the period assisting on Igor Agarunov's first goal of the tournament at 17:59. The 19-year-old's short-side shot eluded Boisclair.
The Ice's strong forechecking was very effective in wearing down the Tigres, who were playing their third game in as many days. The Tigres didn't even register a shot until Danny Groulx's long slapper nine minutes into the game.
The Ice outshot the Tigres 40-23 in the game, but the scoring chances were much more lopsided as Victoriaville rarely got anything from in close.
"I think in the first two periods we had only one or two good scoring chances," said captain Carl Mallette, who scored the final goal of the Tigres' season with 42 seconds left in the game. "You have to give credit to Kootenay. There was no space. They play a forechecking style of hockey and we had only two or three power plays tonight, so when you play five-against-five and you don't get shots, it's hard to score."
After Mallette's first goal cut the deficit to 2-1, Sinclair put the game out of reach with two goals in a 4:32 span in the second. Both scores should have been stopped by Boisclair, who surrendered Sinclair's game-winner on a bad angle shot from below the face-off circle and his second goal off a rebound from Tomas Plihal's floater from the point that handcuffed Boisclair.
"Nothing worked for me," said the 19-year-old, who was yanked following the fourth Ice score, but re-inserted after a brief heart-to-heart with head coach Mario Durocher. "He said 'Do you want to come back?' and I said 'Yeah, you know I deserve to come back.'"
Yet Boisclair's bad luck continued, as the Sept-Iles, QC native surrendered two more goals - to Milroy that went five-hole, and Shaun Norrie that deflected in off his own defender.
Durocher pulled his goalie for the second time in the game and inserted rookie Daniel Manzato, who ironically was displaced in the Victoriaville nets during the their second-round playoff series against Hull. But he put Boisclair back in for the final 1:27.
"The future of our team is Manzato, so I was just thinking that he deserved to be there at 6-1 to get some experience," said Durocher, who has compiled a record of 82-47-8 since taking the coaching job two years ago. "I brought back Boisclair, because he deserved to be there in the end and not on the bench."
The Tigres, as they had done in the tie-breaker and semi-finals, rallied with two late goals by Lombardi and Mallette but it was too late this time.
"We were missing a little juice at the end and we just couldn't get it," said Lombardi, who led all scorers at the tournament with nine points off two goals and seven assists. "We're all proud of ourselves and everything we accomplished."
Groulx became just the first player on a losing team to win the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP, since Guelph goaltender Chris Madden won it in 1998. The 20-year-old had seven points.
"It's not really the award I wanted, I wanted the big cup," said Groulx, a free agent who will try to translate his Memorial Cup success into an NHL contract. "It's a good way to end my junior career. I think I had a good year and it's looking good for next year. My agent has been talking to a few teams and we're looking forward to signing a contract somewhere."
Kootenay's win gives the WHL three of the last five Memorial Cups and the league's second straight.
The Tigres' dream of being the first team to go 0-2 and win the title died, but they gave the QMJHL it's third consecutive Cup finalist.
NOTES: The tournament All-Star Team members were: Defencemen Groulx and Kevin Dallman (Guelph), forwards Lombardi, Sinclair and Cory Pecker (Erie) and Erie Otters goalie T.J. Aceti.
Summary
GUELPH, Ont. (CP) -- Memorial Cup final Sunday afternoon:
First Period
1. Kootenay, Fischer (Hamula, Stoll) 11:35
2. Kootenay, Agarunov (Fischer) 17:59
Penalties -- Lombardi Vic (boarding) 8:35, Fischer Ktn (hooking) 14:04.
Second Period
3. Victoriaville, Mallette (Deev, Lombardi) 3:26
4. Kootenay, Sinclair (Dicaire, Svatos) 5:16
5. Kootenay, Sinclair (Plihal) 9:48
Penalties -- Pottie Vic, Norrie Ktn (fighting) 12:16.
Third Period
6. Kootenay, Milroy (Stoll, Hamula) 7:42
7. Kootenay, Norrie, (Makway, Agarunov) 9:22
8. Victoriaville, Lombardi (Snowball) 17:17
9. Victoriaville, Mallette (Groulx, Lombardi) 19:19 (pp)
Penalties -- Pottie Vic (roughing) 0:49, Sheen Ktn (slashing, misconduct) 14:53, Plihal Ktn (holding) 18:33.
Shots on goal by Victoriaville 6 15 2--23
Kootenay 11 13 16--40
Goal (shots-saves) -- Victoriaville: Boisclair (L,3-3) (start, 12:16 second, 18:33 third) (36-30), Manzato (9:48 second, 9:22 third) (4-4); Kootenay: Boxma (W,3-1).
Power plays (goals-chances) -- Victoriaville: 1-3; Kootenay: 0-2.
Referee -- Francois St. Laurent. Linesmen -- Brent Holdsworth, Kevin Hastings.

Former ICE "C"'s in A Final

Former ICE Captains Dean Arsene and Jason Jaffray will meet in the AHL Finals.
Arsene was "C" in 00-01. For Hershey in the playoffs he has played 16 games with 2 assists, 8pm and is a +8.
Jaffray wore the "C" in 01. For Manitoba in the post season in 16 games he has 6 goals 8 assists for 14 points, plus 6pm and is a +9
Also playing for the Moose is Fernie native Jason Krog. In 16 games he has 7 goals 11 assists for 18 points.

Brandon 2010

The 08-09 Junior hockey season came to an end with Windsor winning the 2009 Memorial Cup with a 4-1 win over the WHL's Kelowna Rockets.
It was the 1st time a team has won the cup after losing the 1st 2 games of the tournament. The Spitfires won 4 in a row to claim their 1st ever title.
This tournament brought back memories of the ICE in Guelph in 2002. The ICE were 2-0 and facing 0-2 Victoriaville. The ICE had clinched a spot in the final and the game had no meaning to them. The ICE lost the game and almost everyone thought the ICE didn't try their best thus forcing a tiebreaker game. I think most of the media wanted a day off instead of covering another game.
Victoriaville won the tiebreaker on Friday, then won the semi-final on Saturday. The Final was on Sunday. The Tigres not only had to win 3 games but needed to do it in 3 days while the ICE had 3 full days off.
The format was changed last year in which there is now a day off between the semi-final and the final making it more likely we could see more teams coming out of the tiebreaker to win the Cup.
Much like the ICE, I don't think the Rockets lost on purpose in their last round robin game. Could they have tried harder, probably. But it was a 1-goal game. It's not like they played their 3rd string goalie and scratched their best players. They earned the right to handle the bench anyway they wanted.
In 2002 the WHL ICE played the QMJHL Victoriaville in an OHL city of Guelph. Talk about no atmosphere. It seemed like most of the non-ICE fans were cheering for the cinderella Tigres but the game wasn't close.
There is nothing like winning 4 best-of-seven play-off series' against teams from your own league. The Memorial Cup is a 1-week tournament and you can't afford 1 off-day.

McGill's Turn

With the Calgary Flames' firing Mike Keenan, one name that better be mentioned is former ICE Head Coach Ryan McGill.
He has more than payed his dues and has produced at the WHL & AHL.
In his years with Hartford (Rangers farm club) he had some amazing successful seasons. 240 games 127-76-27 .585%. Out of nowhere he was not renewed.
In his time handling the Flames farm clubs they have done better than expected. Plus they're on their way to moving that farm club to another city for the 2nd time. That's 4 cities in 3 years.
With the ICE the club won the 2002 Memorial Cup.
New Jersey's Brent Sutter and Hitmen's Dave Lowry will be the most talked about but it would be a shame if McGill didn't fit into the equation.

ICE Early Bird Deadline

Cranbrook, BC – The Kootenay ICE Hockey Club has announced that they will be open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm including the lunch hour from May 25th to May 29th to accommodate those individuals wishing to buy Early Bird Season Tickets for the 2009 – 2010 season.

Early Bird Prices are as follows:
Adults $399
Senior (65+ before September 18 with valid ID) $299
Student (25 and under with valid Student ID) $249*
Youth $199

The Early Bird prices will only be available until Friday, May 29, 2009.
Regular office hours will resume June 1st.

Niedermayers could be Canucks

From TSN
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=279374

Holick Interview

Kootenay ICE play-by-play announcer Jeff Hollick interviews Head Coach Mark Holick after being named an Assistant Coach for Team Canada at the U-18 August 11-15.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yIrmqM7ebQ

Holick Assistant at U-18

Hockey Canada has named ICE Head Coach Mark Holick an Assistant Coach for Under-18 tournament being held in Czech Republic and Slovakia from August 11-15. Calgary's Dave Lowry is Head Coach and the other assistant is Chris DePiero who is Head Coach/GM of the OHL Oshawa Generals.

Memorial Cup Round Robin

After knocking off Calgary I think everyone felt Kelowna were the favorites to win the Memorial Cup but who would have known it was going to be this easy.
It's always tough to win a 4-team 1 week tournament as anything can happen but the 3 teams from the East don't appear that strong.
There are probably 5 or 6 other WHL teams that could have won this thing this year.
If Kelowna doesn't win the cup it will be a huge upset.
With Spokane winning in the OHL last year and Kelowna on their way to winning in the QMJHL is there any doubt to the best junior league in the CHL.
Next year it's in Brandon and with 2 of the 4 teams from the Dub, the WHL could be on their way to winning 4 in a row.

May 13

Today in ICE history saw the club win both their WHL Championships on this date.
In 2000 they won 1-0 in Spokane over the Mike Babcock coached Chiefs to win the series in 6 games. Dan Blackburn with 33 saves had the shutout and Jarret Stoll scored the only goal on a powerplay on a nice pass from Jason Jaffray.
http://whl.ca/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=23080
In 2002 Duncan Milroy got the game winner at 3:02 of the 2nd overtime in a 3-2 win in game 6 at the Rec-Plex over Cam Ward and the Red Deer Rebels.
http://whl.ca/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=24643

ICE Alumni at Charity Golf Event

CRANBROOK DODGE CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC!
The Drive & B-104 has once again teamed up with the Dodge Boys at Cranbrook Dodge to help in the fight against cancer.

The 4th Annual Cranbrook Dodge Charity Golf Classic is Sunday, May 24th at the Cranbrook Golf Club. It's a 1:30pm shotgun start. Proceeds will go to Relay For Life. Our goal this year is an ambitious $16,000.00! Ottawa Senators Head Coach Cory Clouston is going to golf with us this year. Clouston was the Assistant Coach in 2002 for the Kootenay Ice when we won the Memorial Cup! Come and golf with Cory Clouston!

Put your team together now and plan to take part. The Early Bird entry fee of just $99.00 has been extended to May 16. After that, it jumps to $120.00. per person.

There are some great hole-in-one prizes. Cranbrook Dodge is giving you a chance to win two cars. Willow Appliances has kicked-in a $10,000.00 shopping spree. Bedroom Furniture Gallery is donating a Lazy-Boy recliner as a hole-in-one prize as well. And that's not all. Travel Plus is donating a trip (to be named later). And Beachcomber Hot Tubs is donating a hot tub!

Call Kelly at Cranbrook Dodge for details, or, to register, 250-426-6614. Or, email kelly@cranbrookdodge.com

THN Draft Preview

The Hockey News has this years' Draft Preview magazine. ICE defensemen Brayden McNabb is rated 54th overall which would make him a late 2nd round pick.

ICE Alumni Stasiuk Fired

Lethbridge has relieved Roy Stasiuk from his duties as the Hurricanes GM.
He started with the ICE as a scout in 1995 and eventually became their Director of Player Personal and Assistant GM. He took over the Hurricanes duties in October 2005, replacing Darren Stocker.

Kelowna Champs

Congrats to the Rockets for winning the 2009 WHL Championship.
They defintely earned it with wins over Calgary and Vancouver, plus a tough test against Tri City.
When the Rockets get to Rimouski for the Memorial Cup they'll probably get the same treatment from some of the fans that the ICE got in Halifax in 2000. "Where are the Hitmen. We want to see the Hitmen". That year the ICE took out Calgary in the 3rd round. Much like this year the 2000 Hitmen were ranked #1 in the CHL standings and the fans wanted to see the top ranked CHL team in their tournament.
In 2002 in Guelph the fans wanted to see the defending Cup champion Rebels but they lost to the ICE in the WHL finals.
The fans and organizers didn't show any disrespect towards the ICE but after seeing the rankings all year long I'm sure they were looking forward to seeing what the #1 rated team was all about.
Calgary had a great season but it's always sour to lose so late in the playoffs. Next year they'll lose at least 3 of their top 4 defensemen in Seabrook, Plante & Postma. Stone should get a long look in Phoenix. Forwards gone will be Bortis & McMillan and probably Sonne, Broda, Karpov and Golicic.

Coaching Change

There is a team in every WHL division in search of a new coach. The Central Division Lethbridge Hurricanes have announced that they will not renew Michael Dyck's contract. U.S. Division Everett, B.C. Division Chilliwack and East Division Regina are also looking for a new bench boss. Dyck was the East Conference Coach of the year in 07-08 and went to the league final. With many key returning players the expectations were to at least match that success this year but they never found their groove in the regular or post season.

10 Things I Think I Think

1. I think the only thing that bothers me in the hockey playoffs coverage is the statement "Let's hope the refs put away their whistles and let the players decide the game. They shouldn't be a factor in what type of game it will be". Isn't the fact they aren't calling penalties dictating the type of game that is be played as well? The games where the officials let the games turn into a clutch and grab affair is when I switch the channel.
2. I think Jim Basille's attempt to buy the Phoenix Coyotes will not happen. He is being criticized for not going through the proper channels but it's obvious the NHL doesn't want him. No matter what route he takes it appears there will be huge road blocks. Basille is a huge hockey fan with incredibly deep pockets. I'm not sure if another hockey team in Southern Ontario would work but it can't be any worse that Phoenix.
3. I think it was disappointing to hear Dale Derkatch was fired after being the Regina Head Coach for 1 year. He was a great person to visit with and I am sure he learned a lot in his 1st season but will not get a chance to fulfill the last 2 years of his contract.
4. I think I'm like most people and like to hear all the rumours on who could be the next coach for teams like Regina and Everett. Being in the media I always wonder what that fine line is as to when it's okay to speculate and how much information you need to make it okay to talk about these rumours.
5. I think the contrasting styles of NHL coverage between CBC and TSN shows there is no exact system as to how to cover a hockey game. The most entertaining part of the playoffs has been listening to Bob Cole get frustrated as his colour commentator Greg Millen changes his opinion 3-4 times during a replay. Bob Cole, clearly exasperated, finally jumps in "Whatever. He's gone for two minutes."
6. I think there will 2 high scoring teams winning the OHL & QMJHL titles. Windsor and Drummondville have been dominant in their playoff runs.
7. I think Kelowna beating Calgary would be one of the bigger upsets in recent WHL Finals. Not that the Rockets aren't worthy, it's just how Calgary seemed to be unstoppable. Imagine if Luke Schenn did play for Kelowna all year. But you can't forget the Rockets had some things fall in their lap as well over the past 2 years. Getting Backlund after it seemed he wasn't going to ever play in the WHL. Jamie Benn left his NCAA route last year. While most top American products stay in the USA, the Rockets got Colin Long to play for them. Tysen Dowzak started the year in the AHL and then returned to the WHL.
8. I think it's time to update the ICE Alumni in the AHL Playoffs. Jason Jaffray and Manitoba are already in the Final 4. Brad Lauer and Milwaukee trail Houston 2-1. Dean Arsene and Hershey are up 2-1 vs Wilkes-Barre. Taylor Dakers, Riley Armstrong and Worcester are down 2-0 to Providence.
9. I think there is only 1 ICE Alumni left in the ECHL post season. Steve Makway and Las Vegas are in the Conference Finals against Alaska, while Cincinnati will meet South Carolina.
10. I think these are my non-hockey thoughts.
a) I think it's been a long time since people have talked about horse racing but the 50-1 shot winning the Kentucky Derby created a few conversations this week.
b) I think I want to see the new Star Trek movie. I am not a Trekkie. Not that there's is anything wrong with that. I remember watching a few of the original episodes Saturday afternoons on CBC. Have only seen 1 of the major movies. But the the trailers looks great. Advertising works.
c) I think it'll be great to return to Safeco Field next week. Last year our family accidentally left behind some souvenirs under our seats. After I sent an e-mail to their office to let them know our dilemma I didn't expect response. 1 week later we received all of our stuff in the mail. Great customer service and will always promote the fact there are only an 8-hour drive from Cranbrook.
d) I think I can't wait for summer but will miss those Monday nights with new episodes of House & 24. I hear next year 24 will be done in New York. Oops is that speculation?