Hockey’s elite to attend Drake memorial
Clare Drake’s Celebration of Life will be held June 14 (1:30 p.m.) at the University of Alberta Butterdome.
That’s after the NHL playoffs but before the June 22-23 draft, so coaches like Ken Hitchcock, Mike Babcock, Barry Trotz and others can attend, along with the legion of former players and friends.
Many felt it would be sentimental to pay their respects to the Hall of Fame builder at Clare Drake Arena after the legendary coach passed away at age 89 this past weekend.
But there’s no air conditioning in the building so that didn’t fit the bill.
Myer Horowitz Theatre is a good venue, as well, but seats only 720, so it’s too small.
Drake’s family and friends wanted to hold it around the Golden Bears alumni golf tournament because so many of his former players come in for that event on June 15 at The Ranch Golf and Country Club.
BENNING PLAYED HURT
Oilers defenceman Matt Benning, whose name has come up as a piece to a possible trade for a more established right-shot D, played with a broken hand for the last two weeks of the season.
Benning wasn’t given much of a shot as a power play guy, even though he had the hardest shot in the team skills contest. But Benning amassed 21 points, the same as Oscar Klefbom, the left shot PP regular.
Benning, who had 15 points his rookie season, was a plus-5, so perhaps he didn’t suffer the Sophomore Blues, as has been suggested.
Instead, with Andrej Sekera out, he was pushed too far up the ladder early in the season.
“The defence pair that makes sense for me is Matt and Darnell Nurse, two young guys, a right and a left-shot,” said TSN commentator and former Calgary Flames GM Craig Button.
Benning’s contract is up. He made $925,000 last season.
A comparable player might be Mark Pysyk, the former Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman who got $2.7 million a season over three years in Florida, although Benning is better offensively.
Nurse, who made $833,000 last season, is also looking for a new deal after averaging 22:14 minutes of ice time for the campaign.
He’ll probably get a bridge offer good for at least $3 million a season.
PERSSON GETS THE THUMBS UP
Magnus Paajarvi’s agent and father, Gunnar Svensson, says defenceman Joel Persson has the right stuff.
“There’s an article in a Swedish paper today describing him as the best player ever signed to the SHL (Swedish Hockey League). I would agree,” said Svensson.
Considering he came from Division 3, which isn’t even the calibre of the ECHL, they may be right about Persson, who wore No. 94 for Vaxjo and ran their power play. Maybe the Oilers are getting a similar sized (185 pounds), right shot power play quarterback like Tim Heed, who also played for Vaxjo at one time. Heed, 27, got into 29 games for San Jose last year, spending the remainder of the campaign in the AHL.
THIS ’N’ THAT
If the Oilers are interested in bringing on board Manny Viveiros, the outstanding Swift Current coach, hopefully they’ll have a deal in place before the Memorial Cup, before scads of NHL club personnel with AHL coaching openings will be all over the St. Albert native ... Longtime NHL scout watching possible Oilers pick at No. 10, Spokane’s rightshot D Ty Smith. “Looks like Josh Morrissey when he was in junior to me.” ... Possible head scratcher for Oilers at No. 10: Finnish centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Oilers don’t need help there, but he had 28 points in 57 games in his first season in the Elite League at 17 years old. He had an exceptional world under-18 tournament this spring. “Reminds me of Anze Kopitar at the same age,” said Button ... Nurse’s cousin, Isaac, is a rookie right winger on Steve Staios’ Hamilton Bulldogs team that’s playing in the Memorial Cup. Isaac’s sister Sarah played for Canada’s Olympic team this year ... Ryan Strome’s brother, Matthew, a left winger, also plays for Hamilton. Matthew was a fourth-round draft pick of Philadelphia in 2017 ... Mike Barnett, the Rangers scout who was in town with brother-in-law Glen Sather for Brian Ross’ funeral this week, still is sour that New York couldn’t draft WHL assist leader Aleksi Heponiemi of the Swift Current Broncos in 2017. The Rangers had two firsts but no second-round pick and Florida got him at No. 40. Now Heponiemi (90 assists) is a stud for the Broncos at the Memorial Cup. “He does some of the things Wayne (Gretzky) used to do,” said Barnett.