Junior / CIS / NCAA / ACHA/ ACAC

[hockeygod]

Kootenay hire Ryan McGill as coach, Victoria and Brandon only vacancies

Cam Charron, Buzzing The Net, Thu, 5 Jul, 2012

The Kootenay Ice can simply replace one WHL Championship-winning coach with another. It's been a while since we've followed upon the strange saga of Kris Knoblauch, who was behind the bench for the team's 2011 Ed Chynoweth Cup team. Knoblauch was fired after news leaked that he had been talking with the Alberta Golden Bears about a head coaching job in CIS.

Chaos ensued. The Ice cut ties with Knoblauch, who didn't even end up getting the job in Alberta. Instead, that was Ian Herbers. The Ice were also left without a coach, but that void was filled on Wednesday. Ryan McGill, who won two Cups with the Ice in 2000 and 2002.

Not only does McGill have an extensive coaching record in major-junior and professional hockey, but he also spent some time as a player in the NHL in the early 1990s.

"He played in the NHL and that's what players want, is to get to the NHL and players can relate to him in that sense," said Chynoweth. "He's played in the NHL, coached in the NHL, coached in the American Hockey League, he's coached at all the highest levels, and he's won. [The Townsman]

http://www.dailytownsman.com/article/20120705/CRANBROOK0201/307059997/-1/cranbrook/former-ice-coach-returns-to-lead-the-bench-once-again

McGill had a 174-133-43 record during his first tenure, one that began when he took over for Dave Siciliano in the Edmonton days. The Ice won two Ed Chynoweth Cups as WHL Champions in 2000 and 2002, and the Ice won the 2002 Memorial Cup in Guelph. He left to join the professional ranks as the coach of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar Ben Knights, the Calgary Flames affiliate, and moved with the team to Quad City before becoming an NHL assistant in 2009. He was let go by the club after two seasons.

The hiring clarifies the WHL coaching situation. Only the Victoria Royals and Brandon Wheat Kings have spots to fill right now. The Wheaties' former coach in Cory Clouston has been linked to the Victoria job, telling the Victoria Times-Colonist "there is definite interest on my part. That's all I can tell you."

Clouston not only has NHL experience, spending two-and-a-half years in Ottawa with the Senators, amassing a record of 95-83-20, but he got his coaching start on Vancouver Island with the Junior A Powell River Paper Kings of the BCHL. Whatever the cause for his departure after one season in Brandon, he certainly has the qualifications to be a successful WHL coach.

Also mentioned in the Times-Colonist article from this morning is Dave Lowry. Nobody has been rumoured or linked to the Brandon job, but obviously assistant Dwayne Gylywoychuk is looking for the head coaching gig. The stated reason for the Wheat Kings letting go of Clouston in the first place was "in part because they didn't want uncertainty with the position during the offseason."

Here we are in early July, and the Ice have filled their vacancy, with the Royals likely closing out their search within a couple of weeks of learning they would need to fill the position. The Wheat Kings are losing Mark Stone and Michael Ferland this summer to pro hockey. Unless they're planning on hiring an internal candidate, they've gone through two drafts, a bantam draft and an import draft, without a key office piece at the table.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

The bus life of a WHL play-by-play announcer

Kelly Friesen | Buzzing The Net – Thu, 5 Jul, 2012

From Brandon, MB. to Portland, OR. — Western Hockey League play-by-play announcers' jobs entail traveling throughout four provinces and two states with their respective teams on a charter bus.

"It's part of the job description," says the voice of the Prince George Cougars, Dan O'Connor. "Obviously there are better ways of transportation than a bus, but there's not a lot of money in junior hockey, so this is the best option available. Traveling on a bus isn't one of the bright spots of the job, but you get comfortable with it over time."

The WHL's longest road trips involve traveling over 4,000 kms in total. These long and grueling trips would be more durable if they led to a hot, sunny beach rather than a cold hockey rink. Nonetheless, as O'Connor said, it's part of the job description. Every announcer knows it's included in the lifestyle when they sign up for calling hockey games rather than working a real job.

"It definitely wears a guy down mentally and physically," says former Regina Pats play-by-play announcer Dan Plaster. "The ride there is usually exciting; everyone is pumped up for the game. The ride back is a different story though. A lot of people are grumpy and everyone can't wait to get back home."

Teams' success or lack thereof has a real effect on the mood of the bus. As a rule, it also determines whether movies and/or music are allowed on the bus to help pass the time.

"There is a huge difference between a winning and a losing road trip," says the voice of the Swift Current Broncos, Shawn Mullin. "You can't wait to get off the bus after a losing road trip, everyone is down or mad and it's just a bad atmosphere. While it is just the opposite after a string of wins. There are lots of smiles and laughs when they win. Winning also means you can watch movies. It always sucks when you can't watch any movies on the way back, time goes by really slow."

Even though the majority may not admit they secretly cheer for their radio station's team, the benefits of a win for the bus ride home is enough for one to think all announcers have their fingers crossed for a road victory.

"As a professional, you try and call the fairest game possible," says Mullin. "However, every Broncos play-by-play announcer Shawn Mullinannouncer is hoping their team wins. A road win equals a happy bus. It's just human nature to hope for an upbeat bus ride home."

Sleep appears to be the main attraction of spending countless hours on a bus for play-by-play announcers. There are bound to be some announcers who struggle to sleep in a crowded bus; nonetheless, the majority seem to take advantage of these long road trips by catching up on some sleep.

"I have no problem sleeping on the bus," says Plaster. "I try and get as much sleep in as possible on the trips. Players seem to have trouble sleeping, but not radio guys. I remember when I was colour commentator with Rod Pedersen, he would be out like a light before we even go out of our parking lot."

Despite there being a usable toilet on every bus, relieving oneself on the bus isn't very popular. One would not only have to take the walk of shame from the front of the bus to the back with everyone knowing something's not right in Texas, but one would also make the trip a little less comfortable by leaving a less than pleasant lingering odour.

"No one ever wants to get diarrhea on the bus," says Plaster. "You definitely watch what you eat on the road trips; try to avoid stomach aches at all cost. For us No. 2s are prohibited. I think the majority of teams have that rule. You have to take advantage of the rest stops. If you don't, it could mean a really uncomfortable drive."

The bus is one of the best places for announcers to get interesting inside information. There are often several conversations on each road trip that makes one perk up their ears. Nevertheless, the unwritten rule of "what happens on the bus, stays on the bus" stops these stories from being repeated on air.

"You learn a lot about players and hear a lot of stories on the bus," says O'Connor. "But those stories stay on the bus. They would make for a really interesting broadcast, but any professional broadcaster knows not to repeat what you hear on the bus in a broadcast."

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Victoria Royals to travel in style with customized bus

Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist, July 7, 2012

Whoever thought a team hockey bus might be a candidate for the MTV reality show Pimp My Ride?

But the Victoria Royals newly-delivered bus — which sleeps 30 and comes complete with fridge/ freezer, two flatscreen TVs, MP3 plug-ins and Blu-ray disc player — might just qualify.

The cost of the bus is estimated at $650,000, but the team would not confirm price.

“It cost more than $500,000,” is all Royals president Dave Dakers would allow.

Anyway you cut it, it's a long way from those dent-marked, beat-up Bull Durham- and Slap Shot-era sports team buses of yore.

Dakers first got the idea during pro ECHL Victoria Salmon Kings days when he saw similar buses used by the Las Vegas Wranglers and Phoenix Roadrunners.

The bus will begin transporting the Western Hockey League's Royals beginning this coming season.

A used bus was gutted and interior of the shell retrofitted. Just getting it to Victoria from its retro-fit assembly site in Hueytown, Alabama, was a six-day cross-continental adventure. Wilson’s Transportation, which will provide the drivers and maintenance for the bus, flew maintenance-manager Jim Morrison down to Alabama. Morrison drove the bus back to Victoria.

But despite the 30 bunk beds, Morrison was able to sleep only one night in the bus because of the extreme high temperatures being experienced across the United States. It was so hot at night that the bus air conditioning couldn't keep up.

Because all the bus is taken up with living space — including restaurant-style leather banquette seating — it comes with a 20-foot trailer hooked behind that will carry the hockey equipment. The whole unit, bus and trailer, is 65 feet long.

“It’s a B.C. Ferries dream,” quipped John Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Transport.

But it will allow the Royals to arrive from away games at anytime overnight at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal and simply park the bus and await the 7 a.m. sailing while the players sleep in relative comfort.

Getting the high school-aged players to class first thing in the morning was a main consideration, said Dakers, not hotel room savings.

“With some of our transportation issues, this makes a lot of sense,” he said.

“This give us flexibility in travel and to arrive for road games as rested as possible. Coming home, the players will miss less days of school.”

It is believed to be the best bus in the WHL.

—–

This last sentence is going to cause clubs to try to out do each other in the busing department now…!

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Kitchener Rangers sue student newspaper: Jets draft pick Trouba at centre of story

QMI Agency, July 09, 2012

The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL have taken legal action against a University of Michigan student newspaper and one of its reporters for publishing a story that alleged the team offered defenceman Jacob Trouba $200,000 to play for it.

A story that appeared in The Michigan Daily last week alleged that the Rangers tried to coax Trouba, a first-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets last month, out of a deal to play for the Michigan Wolverines.

The Rangers have now sued the newspaper and reporter Matt Slovin, according to the Waterloo Region Record.

"It's not a threat anymore," Rangers chief operating officer Steve Bienkowski told the Record Monday. "We served the newspaper and the writer there to either back it up or retract it."

The Rangers drafted Trouba two years ago but he declined to play, opting for the U.S. National Team Development Program instead. He has committed to Michigan but will lose his NCAA eligibility if he signs with the Jets.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Rangers seek $1M in damages

Josh Brown, Rangers Report: A Waterloo Region Record blog on the Kitchener Rangers, July 10, 2012

The Kitchener Rangers are seeking $1 million in damages over a story published in a Michigan student newspaper that claimed the club offered to pay a player to suit up for the team.

The defamation suit against The Michigan Daily seeks $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages and was expected to be filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Kitchener Tuesday, according to a team lawyer.

The story, which was published last week by the University of Michigan student newspaper, alleges, through an unnamed source, that the Rangers offered defenceman Jacob Trouba $200,000 in place of an education package to play in Kitchener. The team and Trouba family both denied the claim.

Trouba’s OHL rights are owned by the Rangers, but the blueliner has committed to the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship for next season. The 18-year-old was selected ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in last month’s NHL draft and is considered one of the top defensive prospects in his age group.

The Rangers formally requested that The Daily retract the story or issue an apology and set a Monday deadline before moving ahead with a lawsuit. As of Tuesday, the story was still on the paper’s website. Staff from the Daily said they could not comment when reached earlier this week.

Trouba has never wavered from his desire to play for the Wolverines and expressed his position to prospective NHL teams before the draft. However, if the blueliner inks a deal with the Jets he will forfeit his right to play in the NCAA as the league does not allow pro players.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Rangers move forward with lawsuit over Trouba report

Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports, Tue, 10 Jul, 2012

The long, bitter and ongoing feud between the Canadian Hockey League and NCAA hockey took an interesting twist when the Kitchener Rangers announced they had made good on a previous threat to sue The Michigan Daily.

According to Kitchener’s chief operating officer Steve Bienkowski, the Ontario Hockey League team has filed a statement of claim in a Kitchener, Ont., court against The Daily – the University of Michigan’s student newspaper – and to reporter Matt Slovin. The issued claim is expected to be served on Wednesday morning.

The lawsuit stems from a report the newspaper published last Tuesday, which quoted an anonymous OHL source, who alleged the Rangers had offered standout defenceman Jacob Trouba, a Wolverines commit, $200,000 in lieu of an education package to play for Kitchener this season. Such a payment would contravene the OHL’s rules in regards to impermissible benefits.

Ryder Gilliland, the lawyer representing the Rangers in their suit, said the team is seeking $1 million in damages – $500,000 in general damages and another $500,000 in punitive damages. Once the official claim is processed, the newspaper and Slovin have 40 days in which to defend that claim because they are located in the United States.

“We’re actually not making any comment at this time,” said Jacob Axelrad, the editor-in-chief of The Daily.

The report, which appeared on the newspaper’s website gained traction on both sides of the border both in print and on the Internet, a fact that Gilliland said played into their suit.

“This story is all over the Internet,” said Gilliland. “It’s a very serious allegation and that’s why the Kitchener Rangers are taking action.”

The Trouba family has since come out publicly to deny the report through the University of Michigan.

“There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration,” said the statement in part.

The Kitchener Rangers are community-owned team that has an external accounting firm audit their financial statements each year. Those statements are distributed to their season ticket holders at their annual general meeting.

“The reality is there’s nowhere to hide the kind of money people are accusing us of paying,” said Bienkowski, who is a chartered accountant, last week.

Gilliland said he sent The Michigan Daily a libel notice on behalf of the Rangers on July 3, a day after the story was first published, asking for the story to be removed and a retraction to be published. When that didn’t happen, the Rangers pushed forward with their lawsuit.

Also at issue for the Rangers is the fact that the report of payment was based on an anonymous source, someone allegedly within the OHL.

"When you're dealing with sources one thing you have to be very careful about is relying on a source that has a bone to pick," said Gilliland. "The Kitchener Rangers are very concerned – they don't know who the source is – they're concerned that… this was a source that was deliberately trying to cause harm to the Kitchener Rangers. Again, we don't know if that's the case, but that's a very real concern."

This isn’t the first time allegations of this nature have been leveled at the Rangers or the OHL. In March of 2009, both the Rangers and Windsor Spitfires threatened to sue Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson when he alleged that Kitchener had offered to pay $500,000 to the family of defenceman Cam Fowler to play in the OHL. Fowler later went on to play for the Spitfires and his father, Perry Fowler, denied the report that Kitchener had made such an offer.

Last summer it was Paul Kelly, the then-head of College Hockey Inc., an arm of NCAA hockey, who threw out a figure of $300,000 during an interview in the Boston Globe as a sum allegedly shelled out to players in order to play in the CHL.

None of the claims against CHL teams paying players “under the table” have ever been proven.

CHL president and OHL commissioner Dave Branch said he has been in touch with the Rangers since the Daily story was published and said these kinds of allegations damage the reputation of his league.

“It’s disturbing,” said Branch in a phone interview. “We hope that we can take the necessary steps moving forward that will preclude such proclamations that have no substance, no basis.”

In 2010, the OHL hired retired OPP officer Ken Miller as the league’s enforcement officer to investigate claims made against teams breaking the rules. According to Branch, Miller has not been involved in this case to date.

“This just came to our attention last week,” said Branch. “We have not taken any steps, at this point, to engage our enforcement program into the process.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

U. of Michigan paper faces $1 million defamation suit — in Canada
Judgment may not be enforceable in U.S.

Seth Zweifler, Student Press Law Centre, July 11, 2012

MICHIGAN — A Canadian hockey club filed suit against the University of Michigan’s student newspaper in an Ontario court Tuesday, following a story that alleged the team offered money to a UM-bound player.

An article published last week by Matt Slovin in The Michigan Daily quoted an anonymous Ontario Hockey League source who claimed the Kitchener Rangers offered Jacob Trouba $200,000 to play for the Rangers rather than honor his commitment to the university for the upcoming year.

Had Trouba accepted money as part of a professional deal, it would nullify his NCAA eligibility.

Tuesday’s defamation lawsuit seeks $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages, according to a report in The Waterloo Region Record.

A court spokesman confirmed the suit — Kitchener Rangers Junior A Hockey Club v. The Michigan Daily, Matt Slovin and John Doe — was filed in the Superior Court of Justice in Kitchener. He would not provide a copy of the suit, but said no court dates on the matter have been scheduled.

The Michigan Daily and the Rangers both declined to comment. Ryder Gilliland, who is representing the Rangers, did not respond to multiple requests for comment as of press time.

“When you're dealing with sources, one thing you have to be very careful about is relying on a source that has a bone to pick,” Gilliland told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. “The Kitchener Rangers are very concerned — they don't know who the source is — they're concerned that … this was a source that was deliberately trying to cause harm to the Kitchener Rangers. Again, we don't know if that's the case, but that's a very real concern.”

Trouba and his family denied the Daily report in a statement.

“There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration,” said the family's statement. “We have the utmost respect for the Kitchener Rangers and those that choose the Canadian Hockey League as an option, but Jacob will be attending the University of Michigan next fall as a student athlete.”

Adam Goldstein, Student Press Law Center attorney advocate, believes the suit does not stand much of a chance of succeeding, given that the defendants are all United States citizens and likely do not have any assets in Canada.

He said that Canadian courts have in recent years increasingly dismissed attempts at “libel tourism” — the practice of pursuing a defamation case in a country like England or Canada, rather than the U.S.

While the standard to win a libel case is more relaxed in Canada — even true statements can be libelous — collecting damages from a U.S. citizen is challenging.

If a Canadian court were to find that the Daily had defamed the Rangers, a U.S. court would have to uphold that judgment for any damages to be collected, Goldstein said.

“Ordinarily speaking, a U.S. court will enforce a foreign judgment if it’s a valid judgment under foreign law, but the one exception comes when the judgment offends the First Amendment,” he said.

That exception was created in 2010, when Congress passed the Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act. The SPEECH Act makes foreign libel judgments unenforceable in U.S. courts unless they satisfy First Amendment standards.

Goldstein also pointed out that neither Slovin nor any Daily staff members can be forced to cooperate with Canadian court proceedings.

At this point, the defendants have several options. If they choose to ignore the Rangers’ suit, the hockey team could win by default. And while monetary damages may not be enforceable in the U.S., the defendants could be denied entry into Canada or countries it has treaties with because of the outstanding judgment, Goldstein said.

The Daily could also retain a Canadian lawyer to contest the suit on its behalf.

Detroit-based attorney Herschel Fink, who has consulted with the Daily staff on the suit but is not yet formally representing them, added that the amount requested in damages is “meaningless,” given the differences between the court systems.

Fink declined to comment further on the specifics of the suit, saying he was not yet familiar enough with the Daily’s coverage of the Trouba allegations.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Patrick Sieloff

Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2012-07-14

Situated on the border with Michigan, Windsor has become an NHL prospect factory thanks to an equal development of Canadians, Europeans and Americans. The latest prize comes from the same U.S. national team development program that saw Cam Fowler, Jack Campbell and Kenny Ryan don Spitfires jerseys and proximity certainly mattered for Ann Arbor, Mich. defenseman Pat Sieloff.

“I grew up watching the OHL thanks to Plymouth,” he said. “Windsor, they put guys in the NHL. There isn’t another team I would have gone to in the ‘O.’ ”

Which is probably cold comfort for Miami RedHawks fans. Sieloff was originally slated to go the NCAA route, but with the draft approaching (Calgary selected him with the 42nd pick overall) he changed his mind and signed with Windsor, a team he was pretty familiar with already.

“I love the way they play,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of ‘94s (birth years) and I grew up with a couple of them.”

That cohort included fellow draftees Brady Vail and Ben Johnson, while Sieloff also skates in the summer with Kerby Rychel, a 2013 prospect and son of Windsor co-owner/GM Warren Rychel. For the normally skill-based Spitfires, Sieloff rounds out the lineup for next season.

“He’s a big specimen,” said co-owner/coach Bob Boughner. “His physical presence on the ice is what we need; a shutdown defenseman who is going to be hard on opposing players. I like that he has a defense-first mentality and that you can put him out in any situation.”

Scouts are also high on the youngster’s contributions.

“Not flashy, but has a lot of substance,” said one talent evaluator. “You might not find him in a game, but if you watch for him you don’t lose him. Coaches are really going to like him. Smart and competitive.”

Look for highlights from Sieloff and you won’t find many cannon shots or end-to-end rushes. You will, however, see carnage – whether it’s fearless shot-blocking or blowing up an opponent with a huge open-ice check. No surprise the Michigan native tabbed Red Wings blueliner Niklas Kronwall as an inspiration.

“I love the way he can change the momentum of a game with a hit,” Sieloff said.

Boughner described his latest addition as a character kid and the six-foot, 198-pounder minces no words when it comes to his team’s play. Sieloff won gold at the world under-18s in the Czech Republic with Team USA, a squad made up entirely of NTDPers with the exception of prep schooler Danny O’Regan. But it was a previous bronze medal performance at the Five Nations that set the table.

“In Finland back in February, we were awful,” he said. “We had to make changes and guys had to buy into their roles.”

Sieloff certainly has his role spelled out in Windsor and glory may follow there, too. On a team that attracts high-end imports from Europe and also develops local talent, the Spitfires are well positioned for next season and 2014, when the OHL once again hosts the Memorial Cup. Windsor, after controversially losing out to Mississauga in 2011, would be a perfect host based on its on-ice product and new arena, which opened in 2008. That 2014 squad would hypothetically include Sieloff, Rychel (who led the team in scoring this past year) and recent OHL draft pick Josh Ho-Sang, a dynamic offensive talent that harkens back to the Taylor Hall era in Windsor.

The Spits always score goals; now they have someone to punish those who attempt to light the lamp in the other direction.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Kitchener Rangers’ lawsuit against student newspaper is ‘bullying’: lawyer

Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports, Tue, 17 Jul, 2012

It looks like it’s game on for the lawsuit involving the Kitchener Rangers and The Michigan Daily newspaper.

Herschel Fink, the lawyer representing the University of Michigan student paper and reporter Matt Slovin, confirmed to Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that his clients had both been served with libel notices.

“It’s really disturbing to me what the Rangers are doing and it’s bullying,” said Fink. “It’s bullying a student newspaper and student journalists who are reporting on a legitimate subject of public interest, particularly in the public interest of those who follow hockey.”

The Rangers are suing The Daily over a story published on July 2 in which Slovin reported – based on an anonymous OHL source – that Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Trouba had been offered $200,000 in lieu of an education package to play in the Ontario Hockey League this season. Such a payment would contravene the OHL’s rules pertaining to impermissible benefits. The Rangers hold the Canadian Hockey League rights to the standout defenceman, though he has been steadfast in his commitment to attend the University of Michigan and play hockey for the Wolverines.

On July 3, the Trouba family issued a statement through the university that began: “There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration.”

This case has garnered national attention in both the U.S. and in Canada because of the number of intriguing facets to the case – sports, cross-border law, anonymous sourcing, the rights of journalists, and the ongoing war between the CHL and NCAA hockey.

That feud, said Fink, is what he believes is at the heart of Kitchener’s legal action.

“I think that The Daily and (Slovin) its columnist appear to be really pawns in some ongoing feud … between the Canadian Hockey League and the NCAA,” said Fink. “It’s really, as it occurs to me, nothing more than a PR battle, because I don’t see that the Rangers have anything to gain by proceeding in this case.”

According to Fink, The Daily was served its notice in person on Monday, while Slovin received his notice on Tuesday morning. The lawsuit was filed in a Kitchener court, which means both the paper and Slovin have 40 days from the time they have been served in order to file their statement of defence. The Rangers are seeking $1 million in damages – $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.

Fink, a former reporter and editor himself, isn’t tipping his hand in terms of how he and his clients intend to proceed.

“There are a number of things we might consider doing in Canada,” said Fink, who worked as the night city editor for The Detroit News while he was going to law school. “I think, first of all, we could appear and oppose jurisdiction and argue that, simply, there is no jurisdiction whatsoever. As part of that we could also argue that the forum (in Kitchener) is inconvenient and ask that it could be dismissed because there is another very convenient forum – those are possibilities that would certainly have to be considered.”

The biggest fight between the two sides looks to be over where the case should be heard. Since the Rangers have filed suit in Canada, Fink is accusing the Rangers of forum shopping, since the libel laws in the U.S. generally tend to favour the defendants. He also notes that because the Rangers do business in the U.S. – particularly in Michigan – where the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers are located, the case should be heard by the U.S. courts.

“They clearly know where Detroit is and they clearly know the road,” said Fink. “They do business here. There are a lot of interesting possibilities, but I don’t know how far they want to take it.”

But as far as Ryder Gilliland, the lawyer representing the Rangers, is concerned – he believes they’re right to have their case heard in Kitchener.

“We are quite confident that the Ontario court does have jurisdiction given that the subject matter of the article is the Kitchener Rangers,” said Gilliland in an interview last week. “The story even quotes an OHL source, so it’s clearly dealing with Ontario matters and it clearly affects the Kitchener Rangers which are Ontario based.”

No matter where the suit ends up being heard – if it goes that far – one thing is certain: hockey fans, media, and lawyers alike will all be interested to see what happens next in this fascinating case.

“It’s almost a law school exam in international jurisprudence,” said Fink.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Victoria Royals to name Dave Lowry new coach — report

Neate Sager | Buzzing The Net, July 19 2012

With a choice between two coaches who have NHL experience and a major junior track record,, it appears the Victoria Royals will hire the one with more recent success in the latter realm.

It appears the Royals, after speculation on Wednesday that they would hire former Ottawa Senators coach Cory Clouston, are going with former Calgary Flames assistant coach Dave Lowry. Lowry, of course, guided the Calgary Hitmen to a 122-point season and to within one game of the Western Hockey League championship during his lone season with that team in 2009 before going on staff with the Flames.

From Cleve Dheensaw and Mario Annicchiarico:

Lowry did not return calls Wednesday evening but was said to be en route to the B.C. capital.Royals GM Cam Hope interviewed several people for the open head-coaching position, including Lowry and other former WHL coaches Mark Holick, Kris Knoblauch and Cory Clouston.

"I have no comment," said former Brandon Wheat Kings coach Clouston, when reached Wednesday.

In an interview earlier this summer, Lowry expressed qualified interest in the Royals' coaching vacancy. His son and 2011 NHL draft pick, Joel Lowry, played two seasons for the Victoria Grizzlies of the B.C. Hockey League. (Victoria Times-Colonist)

(TSN's Darren Dreger tweeted it while I was in the course of typing this up.)

Many factors surely went into the Royals' pending decision, but it's hard to escape the conclusion there was an immediacy factor regarding Clouston's rough finish in Brandon. The former Sens coach's transition to coaching teenagers was, to put it politely, rather choppy and the Wheat Kings were perceived as an underachieving team after losing 4-0 to eventual WHL champion Edmonton in the second round. Had the Royals hired him, it would have been ironic since Victoria traded its best player, Buffalo Sabres prospect Kevin Sundher, to Brandon last season when it was looking for a shot in the arm.

Lowry, on the other hand, has a good reputation at the junior level after his success with the Hitmen. He also has that aforementioned connection to the city through his son, who plays for the NCAA's Cornell Redmen.

With Victoria naming its new coach today and Brandon promoting Dwayne Gylywoychuk yesterday, every WHL head coaching position is accounted for, barring anyone moving to the NHL or AHL.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

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