Christmas Idea #1

You know you're a hockey fan if this makes sense.

I wonder if this comes in red....

Let's Try Turning It Off and Back On Again.....

I really don't know what happened here.  I stopped writing and didn't feel the urge to do anything on here.  Maybe I was too tired.  Maybe too busy.  Maybe I just spent too much time watching Rogue One and Logan trailers online.  So instead of recapping the past month I'll just hit the reset button and start over.  The Chiefs have three at home this week against Seattle, Calgary, and Kamploops.  This would be a good week to get six points and gain some ground on Everett and surprising Tri-City while staying ahead of Portland and Seattle.  Go Chiefs!

By the way, we are less than 4 weeks away from my favorite game of the regular season.  Too early to plan for this?  Never.  It is never too early.

On December 9th I better see lots of these.  And no, they don't need to be wearing hats.  But bring a bear.  Bring more than one.  I'm bringing an army.

Identity Crisis

The Chiefs had back to back games at home this weekend against Lethbridge and Victoria.  Their performance was, well, lackluster.  Spokane lost both games and left many fans like me wondering what is going on.  They are not playing at the level I expected they would be or at the level they are capable of.

In spite of that I do see some positives:  Ty Smith is legit.  He's only a rookie but right now he has been playing better than any other defensemen on the team.  Ethan McIndoe plays tough every shift.  I liked watching him with Kousal and Najman.  That line had some chemistry together.  Jaret Anderson-Dolan has played well.  I honestly believe he could be ready for more of a leadership role with this team in only his second season.  Jeff Faith still needs to work on getting stronger but he has been playing better than I expected.  I even thought Hayden Ostir played better on Saturday.  I think he needs to be stronger with the puck and not get knocked off it so easily but he had some scoring chances which comes from working hard every shift.  He keeps that up and he will continue to improve.  I thought Dawson Weatherill played well for his first start in Spokane.  He was out of position for one of the goals but sees the puck well and doesn't get rattled.  I would like to see him get more starts this season.  And of course, both Yamamoto brothers are playing great.

Now for the negatives:   I know it would be easy to put Friday's loss at the feet of Sittler but that would be an oversimplification.  Sure, he let in some soft goals (especially the fifth goal on Friday)  but there were other problems.  The defense was soft way too much.  I lost count of the times someone from the other team was open in the slot or slipped past the defense.  Helgesen, Fiala, and Henderson need to step up and play at the level they're capable of.  Elynuik and Miske need to skate harder.  It looked like they were in slow motion too often.  Bottom line is the Chiefs are missing the grit and leadership from the older players.  The 19 and 20 year old players (outside of Keanu) must step their game up or it might be time to give the younger players more ice time.  I know it doesn't help to have Bechtold out with injury but players have to step up in the face of injuries and play harder.  This team has the talent to do it, and it needs to happen ASAP.  Tri-City and Portland are playing better than expected and if things don't turn around the Chiefs can find themselves in a big hole.

Spokane had four games in five nights starting in Seattle on Tuesday.  Get it together, boys.  I know you can.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Forgive me if I start with football before hockey but it's been awhile since I have been this excited about football.  I have been a Raiders fan since the Reagan administration and it's been a long time since they have been good.  For 14 years they have either sucked, really sucked, or weren't even good enough to suck.  I know it's only 4 games in but they're 3-1 and I've been waiting for this for far too long.....

Anyway, on to the Spokane Chiefs now.  I think after Saturday's 5-2 home opener against Tri-City can bring some calm now.  Sure, there are still issues to work on, but this team is young and will improve as the season goes on.  Things we know so far:  Kailer will be fun to watch during his draft year.  When Sittler is comfortable in net the Chiefs are fine,  when he's not there are problems.  The defense needs to clamp down some.  If Tri can put up 32 shots on the Chiefs I'd hate to see what teams like Seattle, Victoria, and even Prince Geroge will do.

However, with all that said I like watching this team.  I'm going to like watching the young players like Smith, Morrisseau, Kousal, Najman, and the returning young players from last season.
This weekend is Lethbridge and Victoria in back to back games which will be a great measuring stick for the Chiefs.  Hopefully they will rise to the challenge.  And absolutely NO LOLLYGAGGING!

Also, I noticed Jake McGrew is out for a while.  He is listed as a lower body injury and after looking at his twitter feed he had surgery and could miss the whole season.  I wish him the best of luck and for the speediest recovery possible.  And yes, I'm still sold on Jake McGrew.  Whether we see him at the end of this season or not until next season, he will be back.  And he will be awesome.

Go Chiefs Go!

Bizzare Goalie Triangle

This sounds familiar.  The Chiefs seemingly get their goalie situation settled and then do something that throws a monkey wrench back into it like bringing in Lasse Petersen last season and then Sittler was brought in over the Summer.  So then the Chiefs trade Petersen away and Verhelst 'quits' which leaves Sittler and Berlin.  Problem solved.

Well, not exactly.  Turns out Verhelst was suspended instead of retired and still wanted to play elsewhere.  Spokane still had him on the protected roster which meant a trade was needed if he wanted to play somewhere.  He got his wish as he was traded to Red Deer with a third round pick in 2017.  The Chiefs get a fifth pick in 2017......and goaltender Dawson Weatherill, which puts the Chiefs back with three goalies.

It's starting to look like the top brass may not have too much faith in the current goalie situation.  The 8-3 thrashing that Tri-City gave us doesn't help.  I feel bad for Sittler and Berlin with the situation this puts them in but anything that improves the team I am all for.  I will note that Weatherill is a 17 year old and could get sent down for the season.  But if Weatherill makes the final roster over Berlin it likely means Berlin's time in Spokane will be done.  It will be interesting to see who suits up for Saturday's home opener.

Speaking of home openers, the Chiefs first home game of the season is less than 72 hours away.  Needless to say I'm a little excited...

Go Chiefs Go!

Textbook Lollygagging

OK, before I talk about that trainwreck of a game I want to mention Zwerger.  He was traded to the Everett Silvertips for a 3rd round pick in next year's bantam draft.  Overall I'd say it's a good move.  It gives Spokane another pick in the draft next year which will help continue to build a contender for the next few seasons and it puts the Chiefs down to the 20 year old and Euro limits.  Plus Spokane keeps Bechtold who is a better defensive forward than Zwerger was.  Downside is he was traded to Everett, which means he will likely try and stick it to us eight times this season.  Too bad there was no one back east we could trade him to.

Now on to that sad excuse for a game Saturday.  It came down to one thing:  Lollygagging.  Tri-City was better at skating, scoring, defense, puck movement, play control, transition, hitting, hustling, line changes, goaltending, and scoring.  I know I mentioned scoring twice but Tri scored 8 times so it gets mentioned twice.  Spokane was clearly the superior team in lollygagging.  They were lollygagging all over the place.  I know this team is young and I know they will lose games, but they need to work hard and show they want to be on this team.  Otherwise it could make for a long and  frustrating season.  I expect a better effort at home.  This team and players are certainly capable of it.  I'd write more but thinking about this game in detail makes me throw up a little bit.

In short:

There are 72 games in the season.  Let's put game 1 in the rear view mirror and get ready to win game 2.  Go Chiefs!

A Message From My Dog Wembley

Since there are other things going on in my life I've decided that this blog won't entirely be about the Spokane Chiefs.  With that in mind here is my dog with an announcement....

Down To Business...and a Prediction

I know it's been a couple weeks since a post but I didn't see any of the preseason games and I don't want to comment on things I didn't see since I can't give a fair assessment on what happened.  You know the type, "I didn't go to the game but my friend talked to a guy who knows someone who works at the arena and his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend knows someone who's second cousin used to live next door to the family that used to be the billet family for Levko Koper and they said that Curtis Miske played well".  Not gonna happen.

Now it's on to the regular season.  I had a positive outlook on the Chiefs after the red white game and nothing has happened over the past couple of weeks to change that feeling.  There is a lot of young talent on this roster and if they perform to their abilities this team will improve from their standing from last season.  Just how much improved is the real question...

Goaltending could get tricky.  Whether it's Berlin or Buskey as the back up it's likely that Sittler will get 50 to 55 starts at least.  That's a lot to ask of a goalie, even for a 20 year old.  If he's capable of it (and he certainly can be) the Chiefs will be fine on the back end.  They have a rock solid defense with a good mix of veterans and young players.  Offensively we need some veterans and young players to step up.  The offensive load can't be left up to the Yamamoto brothers, Elynuik, and Zwerger (if he's still around).  Thankfully the Chiefs have talent with Anderson-Dolan, McIndoe, Miske, Bechtold (if he's still around) and others that are capable of scoring when needed.  And I'm still sold on Jake McGrew.  That kid plays hard.

I think that the Chiefs will be a better team this season than last season.  Just how much better remains to be seen.  I think that Spokane will be better than Tri-City and Portland.  If they consistently play to their potential and stay away from the injury bug that has plagued them in the past maybe even better than Everett.  So here goes:  Sittler plays well like he did in Lethbridge, The Chiefs play with solid defense and balanced scoring, Kailer and Jaret become superstars and the Spokane Chiefs finish just ahead of Everett for second in the U.S. Division.  They also make it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in a while.

Of course, I'm no expert or anything.  Just a guy who loves hockey and has a laptop.

Season starts in six days in Tri-City.  Time to bring it back:  Go Chiefs!

Koby Morrisseau

OK, I definitely have thoughts about this weekend's tournament in Everett, but that will come later.  This will probably turn into a rant to please bear with me.  This is about the game against Portland and Spokane Chiefs forward and likely-to-make-the-team rookie Koby Morriseau.  Morriseau was checked to the back of the head and into the boards by Portland Winterhawks forward Brett Clayton.  Morrisseau went down and was immediately attended to by the medical staff from Spokane and Portland as well as paramedics before being taken off the ice on a stretcher.  Probably the scariest thing to ever see on the ice. I should mention that Clayton was given a major and game misconduct for that hit and I'm sure a suspension is coming. Hopefully everything will be ok as there are reports that Morrisseau was talking and moving all of his limbs.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Koby and his family and I hope for a speedy recovery.

I seem to hear every year about how the league is taking the 'toughness' out of the game.  Every year someone says something like 'they were allowed to hit a lot harder in the old days' or 'pretty soon they won't be allowed to touch anyone anymore' or even 'I wanna see someone get lit up'.  If anyone doesn't understand why the league wants to cut back on this kind of hitting, this is it.  Morrisseau is only 15 years old (he turns 16 next month), is a likely a NHL draft pick in a few years, and as a 15 year old has his whole life ahead of him.  And it sickens me that there are so-called 'fans' that would have cheered if an opposing player went down from a hit like that and didn't get up.  I love hockey for many reasons.  The violent stuff is not one of them.  If you told me that there would absolutely be no fights this season I would still be going.  Remember, these players are just kids.  And yes, I know that there are injuries in every sport out there,  whether it be a contact sport or not.  But if the rules can be changed to help prevent serious injuries to the head and neck and protect these kids better even if it means to cut back on the hitting, then I'm for it.  Hockey will still be fun to watch.  And if you're one of the 'I'm just here to drink beer, see some fights and watch someone get crushed' then might I recommend boxing or mixed martial arts.

Anyway, sorry for the rant but I had to get that off my chest.  But I'd much rather see a player deke a defencemen out of their skates and score a goal five-hole than see a fight.  Bring on the skill and the fun stuff instead!

Thoughts on the rest of the happenings of the Everett tournament coming soon...

My Thoughts Post Red White Game...

Sunday's Spokane Chiefs red white game.  A chance to see the players in a game and enjoy some free hockey.  It's also a good chance to see how the young ones play to see who can make the roster and how the returning players have spent the summer.  Seeing some of the fans and friends that I haven't seen since the playoff loss to Victoria gives this game something of a first day of school feel to it.  That's one of the many things there is to like about it.

First off, the returning players.  I thought Hudson Elynuik looked good at camp but was off during the red white game.  He looked like he was just going through the motions.  Both Yamanoto brothers looked good, as did Zwerger and Bechtold.  Sad that we can't keep both of them.  Miske played well.  So did Anderson-Dolan and Mcindoe.  Defensively the Chiefs are a rock.  With Helgesen, Fiala, Hamaliuk, Henderson, and Faith returning they are solid on the back end.  I think I'm going to like Sittler in net.  He really keeps his composure and doesn't get rattled easily.  That will come in handy against the higher scoring teams in the league.

Now the newbies.  Ty Smith is the real deal.  I don't mind an aggressive defensemen if they play well, and he did all the right things on Sunday.  Leduc is good but probably a year away from making the roster.  I'm sold on Jake McGrew.  He played hard every time he hit the ice.  Koby Morriseau and Eli Zummack could make the team also.  I'd give Morriseau the advantage over Zummack but both are good.  As far as the goalies go Matt Berlin did not look comfortable in net.  Hopefully that changes in the tournament in Everett as I expect him to get plenty of ice time along with Donovan Buskey, who played great on Sunday.  Buskey could play himself into the backup goalie spot if he continues that good play.  I thought the new Euro players did well.  With Zwerger still around who knows what is going to happen there.

Regardless of who makes the final roster I am going to like watching this team.  It's been a few years since anyone has really had a chance to say this but the Chiefs are on the rise once again.  This weekend's tournament in Everett is going to tell much about this team.

Thoughts During Camp

Three days of scrimmages have come and gone and now it's time for the Spokane Chiefs annual red white game on Sunday.  I always go to the scrimmages to see the upcoming players and to get excited about hockey again.  In some ways it has a Christmas time feel for me.

Let me say this right off the top:  This team is going to be fun to watch.  There is a lot of young talent on this roster that reinforces my belief that the Spokane Chiefs are on the rise again.  Before camp I thought Matt Berlin was a neat lock for the backup goalie.  After the way Donovan Buskey played I am less certain of that.  Buskey looked rock solid during the time I saw him.  He has a good eye on the puck and doesn't overplay anything.  Ty Smith is definitely legit.  I noticed a couple of times that he was out of position on the first day but by day 2 that seemed to be corrected.  Koby Morrisseau looked great.  I think he makes the final roster.  He definitely connected with McIndoe.  Also playing well with Morriseau and McIndoe was Jake McGrew.  I didn't mention him before camp and now I feel bad about that.  He's a solid player that worked hard every shift.  Wouldn't be surprised at all if he makes the team.  Eli Zummack also looked good and I think will show that the Helewka trade was a good one.

The returning vets looked about the way I thought they would.  Kailer Yamamoto and Jared Anderson-Dolan look primed for their draft year.  Hudson Elynuik looked like he was ready to be a leader.  Helgesen and Fiala looked strong (I think one of those two wears the 'C' this season).  Sittler looked comfortable in net.  If he has a good season the Chiefs will go far.

The roster will now get trimmed for the red white game on Sunday.  Definitely looking forward to that.  After all, it's free hockey!

Thoughts Before Camp...

Spokane Chiefs camp starts Thursday and I get excited for this time of year. It's been nearly five months since the Chiefs lost their last playoff game against Victoria.  Waiting is over and now I get to see 63 players compete at scrimmages for the next three days.  Naturally like many Chiefs fans I have some thoughts on what to expect for this year.

First off, the goalies.  It was already going to be interesting what they would do here.  Then they traded for 20 year old Jayden Sittler from Lethbridge and that had me feeling like this:

At the time that was an odd trade.  Spokane was possibly going into camp with two 19 year old and one 20 year old goalies.  However, with Petersen being traded to Everett and Verhelst going to college things have gotten much clearer.  Sittler is likely the starter with Matt Berlin likely as the backup unless Donovan Buskey can show he's ready.  Buskey is no slouch, but I think he'll get one more year in development before being brought up.

Second, the defensemen.  I think this will be the strength of the Chiefs this season.  Yes, Jason Fram is gone and losing a five year player and two year captain is a hole to fill.  But the Chiefs are deep here.  Evan Fiala and Tyson Helgesen would be a solid top line and Jordan Henderson and Dalton Hamaliuk would make a solid second line.  And anyone who has seen Ty Smith play knows that kid is legit.  I expect him to get a lot of playing time as a rookie on the third line with Toporoski, Faith, or even Trent Huitema, who played very little at the end of last season but impressed me.  They also have Jake Harrison and Matt Leduc waiting in the wings.  With this depth I wouldn't be surprised if the Chiefs traded a defensemen for a front line player or prospects.

And finally, the forwards.  The most interesting part of the forwards is the fact the Dominic Zwerger is still on the roster along with two European born players that the Chiefs drafted in the import draft this past summer.  Zwerger would fill one of the 3 overage spots as well as one of the two Euro spots.  If they keep Zwerger they would have to get rid of one of the new Euro players as well as two other overage players (assuming Sittler stays on the team).  I don't think Keanu Yamamoto is going anywhere which means Bechtold and Cardiff would be odd players out.  If that pans out Spokane would still have some good scoring from Zwerger, Kyler Yamamoto, Keanu Yamamoto, Hudson Elynuik, and Jared Anderson-Dolan.  Add Miske to the mix who played better last season and Ethan McIndoe who was a nice surprise last season and you will have some good lines up front.  Ross and Ostir should also get more ice time this season which should help them improve.  I also think that Logan Foster, Koby Morrisseau, and Eli Zummack have good shots to make the team.  Regardless of what happens with the Euro situation this team will be fun to watch.

Camp starts Thursday and runs through Saturday.  Red/ White Game is Sunday.  Good luck to all of the players attending camp this season.  I'm looking forward to watching it.

Speltz

There has been a true end of an era for the Spokane Chiefs as general manager Tim Speltz is stepping down to take a job in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.  I have been going to Chiefs games for a while now and Speltz is the only general manager I have ever known.  He has been the general manager for 26 years, which is longer than the Spokane Arena has been around.

I know there have been those that wanted him to step down sooner but I for one will miss him as general manager.  Not many general managers in the WHL can say they were a part of three Memorial Cup tournaments while winning two of them.  Just winning one Memorial Cup is extremely difficult.  Just ask Tri-City or Seattle fans.  Winning two is a pretty big feat.  These will be big shoes to fill.  I wish him the best of luck in the next chapter of his hockey career.

It will be interesting to see who replaces him.

Hockey can wait a bit

I was planning on some outstanding hockey writing today but then this happened......

This might take a while.

Hockey next week.

It was never meant to be this long.....

Seven Years.  Has it really been that long?  I didn't plan on that.  It was the normal excuses:  I'll post tomorrow.  I'm too busy.  I'm too tired.  I don't know what to say.  Then it just went away. I flat gave up on it and moved on.  I was surprised to see it still up when I bumped into it by accident.  Things really do stay on the internet forever.  Anyway, time to put the excuses in the past and see what I can do with this again.

Some things have changed.  New dog.  Well, not new.  She's been around for five years now.  Her name is Wembley and she is the best dog I could possibly have right now.  Probably rescued me as much as I rescued her.  She was rescued when she was three, which now makes her eight years old (that's ok.  I hear eight is the new five now).  New car.  My old one was hit three years ago while it was parked.  It's amazing how much damage an SUV can cause to an unattended parked car when they're not paying attention.  And of course I'm older now, perhaps wiser.  Perhaps not.  Depends on what day it is.  I still love sports but have let my geek flag fly more proudly.  It's not that geek is in thing right now as much as it's a I'm-a-geek-and-if-you-don't-like-it-I-don't-care thing.  And yes, I've used geek terms to describe sports  (Hockey:  It's like Quidditch on ice).

And then there's the Spokane Chiefs.  I still love the Chiefs.  I've been going to the games for sixteen years and have been a season ticket holder for ten.  I've made some great friends and met lots of  good people.  This is much a part of me as anything is.  It's really what brought me back to this blog.  Fall camp is two weeks out.  I'll be there.  Home opener is October 1st.  I'll be there, too.  Yelling and screaming like a crazy person.  I'm really looking forward to the season.  How much?  You should see how many stuffed animals I have already for the Teddy Bear Toss game.  Lots to talk about this season.  It will be fun.

I promise my next post won't be seven years from now.